Back again!

After a bit of juggling with the new blogger (most of it trying to get them send my login information and trying to get it work ), here I am . Happy new year to all of you!

Thanks so much for your wishes and emails checking on me. I feel so appreciated...

The last few months have been like a whirlwind and things are getting back to normal or so they seem. Hopefully I can get back into posting more.

As a bonus, a nice simple recipe Chai Concentrate that I love. It tastes just like the Oregon Chai Latte concentrate but without the tea in it as an ingredient. You will have to add it later!

I spent quite a few $$$ on chai concentrates (esp. Oregon Chai) but no more. I always have condensed milk around and this makes great use of it. I like to use pre-ground spices. I never seem to get them fine enough in my grinder. I add a tbsp of it to brewed cup of hot or cold tea. Yum!

Off to India- Your opinions needed!

I am leaving for a month-long trip to India in a week. I am looking forward to good times with family and good food, of course. Being a foodie, I usually get a few cookbooks without knowing about the success rate of its recipes.

But this year, I have you all to help me find good books. Any suggestions for Indian cookbooks focusing on some regional cooking? Absolutely any style is welcome but in specific I would appreciate help with good books on Andhra, Maharashtra, Kerala, Bengali, Gujarathi and/or Karnataka cooking (all written in english or tamil or may be in Hindi).

Also, if you have had some nifty kitchen tools/gadgets that is available in India, you can add that to your comment too. If you have a blog, a post would enable us all to view the tool and its value.

Your comments and emails are greatly appreciated.

Small batch chocolate chip cookies

chocolate chip cookie

Don't you just love chocolate chip cookies? My family loves it but most recipes make 30 or more large cookies. We get addicted to chocolate chippers when they are there... So this is from the same book (Small batch baking) as the White chocolate blondies, I made sometime back. This recipe just makes around 8-10 smallish cookies or 6 large cookies.

Now you want to know the texture- it is perfect, according to me. Crispy on the outside, soft-chewy on the inside.

Chocolate Chip Cookies - Adapted from Small Batch Baking.

2 T plus 2 t butter (room temp)
2 T brown sugar
2 T granulated sugar
2 T egg, well beaten
1/4 t vanilla
1/4 cup plus 2 T flour
scant 1/4 t baking soda
1/8 t salt
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Cream the butter and sugars, mix in the eggs and vanilla, stir in the dry ingredients, then the chips. Bake at 375 for 8-11 minutes.