About

          Welcome everyone to my Virtual Culinary Hub. This is the Hot Spot for all those foodies, who love to explore cuisines from all over the World...who love to experiment with cooking...who loves to learn new ways of cooking...who loves to enjoy good home-made food...who loves to cook quality foods for their beloved ones...who loves to feed friends & guests with variety foods....And above all this is a blog all about good FOOD.....

      Excited....!!!! Me too....!!! So why the delay... Hop on to enjoy the "yummilicious" journey through FOOD

                   ME

Hi...I'm Dhanya Praveen.I'm from God's own Country,Kerala; though currently residing in US. Seeing my Mom cook delicious delicacies made me an ardent lover of cooking.As my Dad always mention "A good treat for the tummy is the easiest way to reach one's heart." Quite true..as Cooking is one of the indispensable activity performed in every home. I started serious cooking only after my marriage...but those days I was not confident enough to try new recipes apart from Kerala cuisine.After coming to US lot of free time forced me to engage in some kind of activity and I ended up in finding new recipes & trying them.Moreover my husband is a great admirer of tasty foods which is the constant motivation for me.His valuable comments helped me improve a lot. As far as I'm concerned, Anybody can cook...only thing you should have faith in yourselves,that "I CAN DO IT"....With this blog I would love to help those who really want to start cooking...and I'm glad if I can inspire your confidence. :-) And it would be a great inspiration to proceed and post with more recipes with your comments and support....

                              MY BLOGGING

                 I'm very new to blogging...(still modifying my blog day by day..) I'm not even much of a writer. Seeing my enthu in cooking and doing experiments with a variety of cuisines my husband was the one who suggested to start a blog. "A BLOG...BY ME....!!!!! SERIOUSLY.....!!!!!"....was my first expression.....then I thought.."OK....its not that bad idea...Let me give it  a try...(even though I know nothing about blogging"....hmmm) One of the main reasons to start a blog was to help myself to easily follow the recipe once I had tried, because every time I try a new recipe I often forget how much of what spices and other ingredients I've added. So its kind of a safekeeping of my recipes. And also I can engage myself in a creative venture....                

               

                 I've been an ardent lover of cooking from my childhood itself. It was always fascinating for me how my mom handled those same spices creating new flavors in each dish she prepared. She is such a wonderful cook and my first role model. Sweets has been my favorite and I used to collect recipes from magazines to give a try. My brother and cousins always used to make fun of me that I'm gonna simply waste time & money.I couldn't get all of those required ingredients. And true...those first attempts were mostly disasters... :-( Indeed Failure is the stepping stone to success...With more and more trials I got better. Cooking became a serious business when I got married. And I started exploring different types of cuisine once I came to U.S. as I got plenty of free time. My 3 month old kiddo was such a sweet pie that he was always happy to be fed,play and sleep for most of the time. That's the time I started Baking. The first cake I baked was a simple egg less chocolate cake (Sorry I don't have the photo). Slowly I started baking bread, bagel, cookies etc...In this blog you can find recipes that's part of everyday meal and also those suited for special occasions....recipes that has deep root to the tastes of India as well as recipes from other parts of the World...It has recipes that can bring a smile on everyone's face.                            

                  Even though I started my blog in October 2010, sometimes I couldn't post recipes on a regular basis. My kid's growing stage demanded much of my attention and became a bit busy most of the days.Also at times I feel a creative block...not to do much....just read some books and spent some lazy time....enjoying the weather or listening to some soul soothing melodies...you know kind of a hibernation.... :-) This helps me rejuvenate and return with more creative ideas. As one of my favorite quotes about cooking says "Cooking is at once child's play and adult joy.....And cooking done with care is an act of love." - Craig Clairborne all my cooking are done with such passion and love. When I start thinking about preparing a new recipe I feel like enclosed in a bubble and I feel like I'm playing with lots of spices sprinkling some over here and there....lot like making a beautiful painting....and I even dream about them....me and my dish...I can even taste them in my dreams ...woooo....its such an one of a kind experience....

                     All my friends....break free from all your misconceptions about cooking....Each of you can be good cook with a little effort from your part...and of course I'm here to help. Give a positive think...there  is nothing Herculean here. First try the recipes given in my blog and when you become confident enough you can mix and match the spices to fit to your satisfy you and your family's palate. Know your spices, condiments, flavors etc so that you will be able to create new and variety of new dishes. This will help to modify various cuisines to your taste. Do cooking experiments as often as you wish...there is no hard and fast rules when it comes to cooking. All you need is to listen to your heart and let your senses lead you. As Laiko Bahrs says "When cooking, follow your own taste. When baking, follow directions." And when you see your family and friends really enjoy your culinary skills all your effort is 'rewarded'.....that is your "moment"....take all the time to savor each moment...

                     COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS                           

                 
                      Who doesn't like to hear a good word for all the efforts you have taken...So Friends...feel free to leave your comments, suggestions, criticisms, compliments etc etc.... Your opinions are my inspiration. I really appreciate it.....And ypui are most welcome for some pep-talk about like tips & techniques used in kitchen, gadgets, help with any special kind of dish you want to prepare or anything relating to food, just say it,,I'm all ears....!!!!
                        It takes so much effort and work to do each of the recipes and then do the blogging. So please do not in any way display, copy,publish or reproduce stuffs put on this blog. If you wish to use any of my recipes or photos or ideas I give in this blog PLEASE ASK FIRST. Whenever I follow some others recipe I've always given all the due credits to that person and also have linked the post to that particular blog. Also you can mail me at dpdhanya.praveen@gmail.com. Above all Thank You for stopping by.... :-))


 ** Friends, as I've said I'm very new to blogging and my blog is still under construction, you may not find all those items I've been blah-blahing...I've many tried recipes to post but for most of them I don't have very good pictures. So let me do it again and post it with enticing pictures, because I do believe that good food is not always about smell & taste, it should also be appealing to your eyes. Do drop by often so that you can enjoy my updated blog...Kindly bear with me....Thank you once again.... :-D **