yogurt | The Rambling Epicure

Simple Sustenance: For Breakfast or Dessert — Yogurt with Sweet Spices and Rose Petals

Published by Renu-Chhabra + Monday, April 29, 2013 Permalink 0

Food is art and magic; it evokes emotion and colors memory, and in skilled hands, meals become greater than the sum of their ingredients. — Anthony Beal

Sweet spices like cardamom and fennel, rose petals and rose water, pistachios and golden raisins

I am loving it already.

Flavors and scents I can taste and sense just by the mention of their names! They are very close to my heart. I grew up around them, or I can say I was often surrounded by them.

Cardamom and fennel used in sweet and savory dishes perfumed our kitchen with their intoxicating aroma. Rice pudding, pilaf, spiced tea, rich sauces, and several sweets are just a few to name. Rose petals and rose water to greet guests on special occasions, or simply to flavor sweets and drinks, made every experience memorable. Nuts and dried fruits in creamy sauces or in decadent desserts stamped food tastes forever in my mind.

Do I need say that I cherish these scents and flavors? We all have experiences from childhood, interwoven with lots of love and memories close to our hearts.

1 cup plain yogurt (Greek or regular)

1 green cardamom

Simple Sustenance: Simple and Refreshing — Cold Cucumber Yogurt Soup with Mint Oil

Published by Renu-Chhabra + Wednesday, July 11, 2012 Permalink 0

by Renu Chhabra

Let food be thy medicine, and let thy medicine be food.–Hippocrates

On warm days we crave cool and refreshing dishes; recipes that require minimum or no cooking to avoid heating up the kitchen seem most desirable. Salads, smoothies, cold soups, and sandwiches take center stage to make our lives a little easier.

One such recipe I enjoy a lot on warm days is cold yogurt soup. With the possibility of several variations, it is always a welcome relief to beat the heat. It is simple and refreshing with no cooking at all, which is always an added bonus when temperatures soar. Moreover, the health benefits of yogurt make it even more worthwhile. It’s good for digestion, and is a powerhouse of beneficial bacteria. But I say it is a “do-good” friend, and I enjoy it everyday.

Swiss Supermarket Discoveries Part II: Culture Shock

Published by Jonell Galloway + Wednesday, August 31, 2011 Permalink 0

by Sonja Holverson

“Gourmet” bread with sunflower seeds outside and inside, along with nuts

Discovering Swiss grocery stores was eye-opening, at least to my American eyes. On the surface, the supermarkets look very similar, but once you delve in, it’s another whole ‘nother world.