For the Love of Peanut Butter

Oh Peanut Butter, Oh Peanut Butter

You so creamy and smooth

Oh Peanut Butter, Oh Peanut Butter

And so chunky and crunchy

You go with everything and anything

Please don't ever part from me!

Today is National Peanut Butter Day and I thought I would start by telling everyone how much I love it. What do you think? I think, it's simple and right to the point. My newest trend or topic has been to follow food-related events/holidays like this one. Everyone I know loves peanut butter; it's made with one of the best ingredients: PEANUTS!!

That's a lot of PEANUTS!!

Here are some facts that you may or may not know about peanut butter (Wikipedia):
- Popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom & parts of Asia
- Commonly used as a sandwich spread; especially for PB&J sandwiches
- The US and China are the main exporters
- Has some good health benefits: protein, Vitamin B3& E, Magnesium, & Dietary Fiber

Other uses include in making cookies and candy (like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups). Putting sweets aside, we love using it in many of our Indian recipes. It makes our dishes more creamy, and also enhances the flavor:

Achari Chayote Curry

Creamy Karela Curry

Tangy Tomato Chutney

Green Apple Salsa

Sweet & Sour Chutney (made w/ Chinese Okra)

With so many different uses and varieties (smooth, chunky, nutty, organic, non-fat) of peanut butter to choose from, this is one food trend that is sure to "stick around".

Have you had your serving of peanut butter today? How do you enjoy peanut butter? 

Read all about last week's food event, International Hot and Spicy Food day which fell on January 16th.

~Today Is International Hot & Spicy Food Day~

There are numerous kinds of spices all over the world, that contribute to a variety of hot flavored foods. Hot foods can actually be very good for you because of their medicinal and antimicrobial properties. Just to name a few: garlic, chilies, onions, ginger, allspice and oregano. They all aid in killing bacteria and make food safer to consume. We use many of these spices to enhance the flavor of our dishes. Learning that they aid in keeping us healthy is an added bonus!

In keeping with today's "Hot & Spicy" theme, I thought I would share some of our dishes. Heat Seekers Rejoice:

Crispy Chili Poppers (Chili Pakora)

Stuffed Jalapeno Curry

Corn Flakes Mixture (Spicy Chivda)

Peanut (Phalli) Poppers

Crunchy Cashews

Did you know that the hottest chili pepper in the world is the Naga Jolokia, with a Scoville rating between 330,000-1,000,000? I considered myself a REAL heat seeker eating banana peppers, poblano peppers (1,000-2,500 Scoville), jalapenos (2,500-10,000 Scoville), and even habanero peppers (100,000-350,000 scoville) from time to time. After checking these Scoville figures, I realized I have a long way to go to catch up to the top. When I do, I'll make sure I have plenty of milk standing by for the cooling off period.

What is the hottest type of pepper you enjoy or can tolerate? Please share by posting a comment below!!

Cheers To A New Year & Fruitful Harvest!

2012 was definitely a memorable and "climatic" year for us all. Alas, it's 2013. Just as everyone is celebrating a New Year, we start the year off with Makar Sankranti, the harvest festival (also known as Pongal, Uttarayan, and Maghi). Since it fell on a working day (as usual), we started the celebration early and made something today. The most common dish prepared is Pongali (sweet or savory). 

We made the sweet version and ate it to our hearts' content.  

Happy Makar Sankranti Everyone!!