Time flies when you are having fun! If year 2010 was more about me and my recipes on Lite Bite, 2011 opened new vistas in terms of my blogging career, personal growth and to treasure some lovely foodie friends across the globe.

The endeavor which started just to keep myself busy while the kids were in school has now taken me completely in its stride. What with hours of browsing ‘how to topics’ on writing, photography, web design, SEO and the likes, apart from trying out  recipes which are lite and just right for good health. And yes, this non techie mom who was even scared to look at the HTML and PHP codes some time back does a little bit of editing on her own now

“What does a Cheesecake remind you?” To me it conjures the feeling of digging into soft snowy mountain, a refreshing dessert you really don’t want anyone to tell you about how much cream cheese, ricotta and quark has gone into making it. Just dig..eat..and repeat.
I am not much of a cream fan and try to replace the same in all my cooking & baking for good and also avoid gelatin in my recipes if the food is for the consumption of my family. Somehow Gelatin makes me feel unnatural, but …

‘Silence after the storm‘..the last few days of high decibel sound, screaming and running around the road to burst crackers has finally come to rest. Even the intermittent spell of rain did not dampen the spirit of festivity for my kids & hubby for whom my garage was the make shift center for bursting crackers. And no, I will not crib about the land, noise, water and air pollution which was left after the festival of lights was over. When I am not able to influence anyone in my home even after 16 years of marriage, against indulging in sugary sweets, oily savories and buying crackers at exorbitant prize (which could actually get me a dedicated server for God knows how many years) then who am I to complain…’to each his own’.

What Christmas is to any westerner Diwali is to all Indians. Fun, frolic and sweets galore is what Christmas & ‘festival of lights – Diwali‘ bring forth! A week’s time is what is left for Diwali and I could already smell the earthy aromas of melting jaggery, fragrance of cardamom and spices emanating from every direction of my house. Yes everyone in the neighborhood is busy preparing the traditional sweets and savories before time so that they can share the same with others on the festival day.

Celebrations never end in India, just when I thought that the hectic months of festivals are over, Diwali is round the corner. Time to indulge in sweets and savories again. I love to make sweets which are easy to prepare without compromising on good taste, my time & of course health. And I am planning to bake cookies or goodies which are light on sugar and oil instead of making those time consuming traditional Indian sweets this festive season.

“First there was a Fresh Corn Dessert a few days back and now there are two more desserts for the weekend..Hmm…do I smell some conspiracy” inquired the puzzled hubby. “Is all the sweet temptations for the digital SLR?” he smiled and replied to his own query after he noticed a sparkle in my eyes! The decision to buy this high-end digital camera has been put on hold for almost a year by the dear hubby. As he wanted to get completely convinced that I am really serious about my blog and will put the camera to good use before succumbing to my demands. And I saw my wish getting wings when he reached for his lap top to Google for digital cameras

“Be ready to join a Pot luck party in the evening, oh..and please if you can prepare a dessert it would be great” *click and the line got cut. This was my dear hubby who has given me four hours time before I could be ready with the dessert, kids and myself for the evening party. Mom is the last word for me when zillions of cook books and Google searches fail to give a result that is satisfactory. The frenzied search for a Vegan dessert (the host of the party prefer vegan) went futile and I had to call mom for help. Without even taking a moment she suggested I make fresh Corn pudding after confirming that I had corn in my pantry.

A sweet indulgence – making Fudge is very common during festivals and many religious ceremonies in India. Though Wiki defines it as a western confectionery, for me a fudge is what completes any Indian festivity as long as I remember. From the humble melt-in-mouth Besan ki chakki (chickpea flour fudge) to the more exotic Kaju Katlis (cashew fudge) Indian festivals are incomplete without these goodies. With loads of sugar, butter and milk to go into making these fudge, these goodies are truly a sinful indulgence!

Peanut butter fudge is high on calories but if eaten in moderation it could provide all the health benefits attached with peanuts in your diet. These Nutty Peanut butter Fudges are highly addictive and a word of caution is to keep a tab on the number of times you open your refrigerator

Never thought I would ever bake a Baklava and post it on Lite Bite, till I got to see the Daring Baker challenge of this month. A classic Greek specialty baked with flaky phyllo dough, stuffed with nuts and soaked in sugar syrup, yes I avoided it for all the good reasons, refined flour, loads of butter and the sugar syrup to name a few.

Chocolate, cream and nuts go hand in hand to make this soft and rich dessert Truffles which are an epitome of indulgence. Traditionally Truffles are made with loads of chocolate and heavy cream which makes it a melt-in-mouth treat. I have tried that version also but did not like it much, as the buttery and rich taste could not gel well with my palate. The Truffles I often make has plenty of nuts, dried fruits and digestive biscuits in it. Cocoa powder and the drinking chocolate somewhat stimulate the original recipe which demands cream & chocolate in it.

These Truffle versions may not exactly taste like the real ones but then they are definitely a step ahead of their counterparts in terms of nutrition and I don’t need to keep a count upon them