Stuffed Karela/ Bitter Melon | Cooking With Kin #3#

Mumbai-chi mulgi Ashwini who has a beautiful blog named Indulge - Ashcorner; has graciously agreed to be my guest blogger today. :) For me, she's this super-baker and cake decorator who has so many lovely cakes to her credit. The first post I had seen on her blog was this Disney Cars Cake. Go on, open the link. You would think she's a professional cake-decorator. I used to admire her posts... and that was it.

Last month, I buzzed her on chat (coz I seemed to have 400 friends on Facebook. And it was embarrassing not to know anything about anybody! So I randomly buzzed everyone online & she was the only one to reply!) And I immediately connected with Ashwini. For one, she is a hardcore Mumbai-ite. :-D So we had a lot to chat about. And I'm happy to be featuring her post here today! :)

Over to you, Ash - 

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Rava Kesari | Suji ka Halwa | (Semolina Fudge)

Just thinking about this sweet makes me drool. One of the reasons why I love Indian Cuisine is this Kesari. :-) Especially the ones that are loaded with Ghee/Clarified Butter. They taste the best. Of course, that means you have to restrict yourself to miniscule amounts; but so what?! Its better to eat sinful delights in moderate quantities than eat boring salads in large quantities! ;-)

Kesari is a sweet made out of Indian Semolina flour. Its highly popular and you'll find the sweet served in many festivals and functions. Traditionally, we use Saffron threads to bring out a lovely orange color and a divine smell in the sweet. But since saffron is ridiculously expensive, a lot of people prefer using Orange food coloring instead.

Sand Castle for a Cause

Whether you eagerly await this time of the year or you dread the thought of being single, here's something which will take your mind off romantic, materialistic love that retailers want to sell you on, but instead, make you think about the love seen in the face of people like Simon Smith, a Cancer survivor who has taken initiative in association with Sand Cult – Sand Sculpting Company and Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) to show the importance of this Crucial Cause.
Simon Smith is a UK-based Sand Wizard. He was recently in High Street Phoenix, a mega mall in Mumbai to build a 10X10 Sand Castle in the Courtyard of the mall for "World Cancer Day” (4th Feb, 2012). His extraordinary masterpiece was completed on February 4, 2012 – The World Cancer Day and was exhibited until February 12, 2012. Here are a few pictures to show you how magnificent his creation was -

Masala Vadai (Lentil Dumpling) | Cooking With Kin #2#

I still look at the confirmation email she sent me and wonder, "Huh! Did she say YES to me?! Really?" I've been a big fan of her simple and beautiful blog. Her beautiful food photographs just make you wanna cook (or eat!) that very moment. I can't tell you the number of times I've filled my hungry stomach just looking at her Kebabs, Pink Cutlet, Lasagna, Mysore Pak and so many other delicacies!

I have tried recipes like Dum Aloo and Batata Vada from her blog. And today, I am really delighted to have her do a guest post for my CWK Series. Folks, please welcome the founder of Bake Fest & Dish it Out; the Rajnikanth of the blog-world :-D - Vardhini Koushik of Zesty Palette! *trumpets*

Spiced-up Carrot Sago Pudding | Cooking With Kin #1#

As you all know, I announced the first food series on Edible Entertainment a few days back. I initially wanted to call it People's Choice Cooking. [I plan to cook with many people after exams! ;)] But I'm glad I settled for CWK - Cooking With Kin. I consider all us bloggers (and anybody interested in cooking) to be one big foodie-family! :-) Together, we're gonna give birth to many exciting recipes! (That was lame! Sorry! :P)

So, my first guest is this amazing Food Blogger, who has been a source of inspiration for all us amateur bloggers! :-) One can spend hours just ogling at her food photographs. I still wouldn't forget "improve the font or nobody's gonna read it!" email she sent me. :-) It was the first constructive advice anybody had ever given me and boy! did I cash in on that! :-D She is one multifaceted lady; what with her job, the kids, the blog AND the herculean task of hosting so many events! She is the founder of the very popular Blog Hop Wednesdays & Let's Cook Series.  - Yes folks, its Radhika, from Tickling Palates!!! *Drumrolls* 

I'm really honored to feature her recipe here today. Over to you, Radhi :-)

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Custard Powder Fudge

Cooking With Kin - Series Announcement

Here's presenting the first ever Series to be featured on Edible Entertainment - Cooking With Kin or in short, the CWK Series. Here,  I will feature a recipe from a fellow blogger or a non blogger I admire. CWK will be a fun way of getting to know each other, their cooking styles and new & exciting recipes! :)

Here's a list of people who have graciously contributed their recipes to this series (and literally saved my blog from being dead for the next 3 months!) -

1. Spiced-Up Carrot Sago Pudding - Radhika Subramanium
2. Masala Vadai (Lentil Dumpling) - Vardhini Koushik
3. Stuffed Bitter Gourd (Karela) - Ashwini Deshpande
4. Falafel and Wraps - Princy Vinoth
5. Soy Granules Pudding - Pratibha Sreejith
6. Yam & green gram in coconut gravy - Priya
7. Khus Khus Poori - Gayathri
8. Green Peas Curry - Gayathri
9. Mint Orange Lemonade - Manali Shah
10. Ela Ada - Ramya
11. Baklava - Julie
12. Rose Milk Ice Cream - Aarthi
13. Stuffed Capsicum - Chitra
14. Shaam Savera (delicious side dish) - Rasi
15. Instant Raw Mango Pickle - Anjali
16. Chinese Fried Rice - Nisha
17.