Taste & Create: Aloo Fry (a Potato Curry)

This is my first time participating in Taste & Create & I've been paired with Padmajha of Seduce Your Tastebuds. Padmajha has a treasure of Indian vegetarian dishes featured on her blog and I would have loved to try some of the ones I've never heard of before. But I had to pick something simple due to time constraints & so I went with Aloo Fry.

This is a simple, flavorful side dish that requires little preparation. I followed Padmajha's recipe exactly and the only minor changes I made was to add a squirt of lemon juice to the potatoes at the end. The other thing I did differently was that I waited till the onions were light brown before adding the whole spices (mustard seed, coriander seed, cumin - and a pinch of kalonji/black onion seed, which was my own addition) - quite simply because I thought if I added them in the reverse order, the spices might burn by the time the onion was browned.

You can find the recipe for Aloo Fry here.

I figured Taste & Create was a good way to shake me out of my complacency & try out new recipes. I'm looking forward to my next challenge next month! You can find out how it works here.

Baking With Dorie: Applesauce Spice Bars

I finally made these! After looking through everyone else's blog posts this week, I knew I was going to love this bake & I was sure to double the glaze, as suggested by the other BWD bakers. 

These bars came together in no time at all, which made me realize I could have tried to make them sooner. And they were fabulous! Ultra-moist and almost spice-cake like, the glaze is what sends these bars truly over the edge and makes them completely irresistible. 

Thanks for choosing such a winner Chaya ! Please head over to Chaya's blog for the recipe, or to Page 117 of Baking from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan.

Next up, we're baking the Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake (Pages 238-8). If you'd like to join our baking challenge, please drop me an email at needfulthings at ymail dot com. We'd love to have you bake along with us!

Baking With Dorie - Links to BWD Bakers this week (Applesauce Spice Bars)

I'm late with my bake again. I've been far too preoccupied lately & haven't had the time to bake or blog. I promise to have it up tomorrow!

Meanwhile, here are the links to all the other BWD bakers:

Beurrista
Bright Morning Star 
Cookin' up North
Chaya's Comfy Cook Blog

Gluten-Free Baking 101

My Domestic Bliss

The Rookie Baker

The challenge was chosen by Chaya this week.  Please head over to Chaya's blog for the recipe, or to Page 117 of Baking from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan.

Next up, we're baking the Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake (Pages 238-8). If you'd like to join our baking challenge, please drop me an email at needfulthings at ymail dot com. We'd love to have you bake along with us!

Baking With Dorie - Links to BWD Bakers this week (My Favorite Pecan Pie)

Despite my best intentions, I've been unable to bake Dorie Greenspan's Favorite Pecan Pie today. I hope to do a rewind post in two weeks. Meanwhile, here is the list of blogs participating this week (the other bakers will do rewind posts later), please be sure to check them out:

Beurrista

Cookin' up North

My Domestic Bliss

The Rookie Baker

The recipe was chosen by Tina of  My Domestic Bliss this week & she tells me it's a winner! Please head over to Tina's blog for the recipe, or Page 327 of Baking: from my home to yours by Dorie Greenspan. 

Next up, we're baking Applesauce Spice Bars (Page 117). If you'd like to join our baking challenge, please drop me an email at needfulthings at ymail dot com. We'd love to have you bake along with us!

An appeal for Help

This post hasn't much to do with food. But it does have to do with something that breaks my heart. 

Now that the Pakistani flood waters have receded, all the news cameras have rolled away and any little world interest that there was, has faded. But the wreckage and desolation remain. Those in affected areas are still in dire need of all the assistance they can get. The situation is anything but over.

Back in August, the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon described the Pakistani floods as 'a slow-motion tsunami. It's destructive power will accumulate and grow with time. . . Make no mistake: this is a global disaster, a global challenge. It is one of the greatest tests of global solidarity in our times'.

Diseases are now on an alarming rise (cholera, skin diseases, diarrhea, malaria, respiratory-tract infections, dengue fever - to name just a few). More than 20 million have been affected by the floods and the UN estimates that 10 million are still in need of shelter, food , clean drinking water and other basics. 

8 million children and over 500,000 pregnant women are at risk because of deadly water-borne disease. 105,000 children younger than 5 years of age might die of malnutrition over the next 6 months.

What if it were your child up there? Or here:

or worst of all, what if this were your child? 

Would you not want someone to help him? 

At the onset of winter millions are still in temporary shelters, without warm clothing or food. 

Please, please: if you have warm clothing or blankets to spare, or an extra can of food (only beans, peas, corn or fruit - expiration date at least a year away), call up your local airport to check if the Pakistan International Airlines has a collection point in your city, and please drop off your donations there. Every little contribution counts and whatever you donate will be forwarded to Pakistan free of cost by the airline. You could find more information on their website.

People in Pakistan need your help. 

Timing is crucial - Whose suffering will you help stop today? 

(All photos are courtesy of Google Images).