Hot Cheesy Spinach Dip with Garlic Toast

Its snack time at USMasala again. And talking about snack time, it is just in time for the weekend to gather around your big flat screen with your favorite people and favorite snacks and just have a good time. Now I don't claim to be a big fan of the game, heck I barely know how it is played. I am still at heart the good old girl from that part of the world that lives and breathes a good game of Cricket. But watching a great game with family and friends gathered around definitely brings back some vivid memories. Just remember to handle this ever popular dip with care. It comes out of the oven really hot and just so flavorful and yummy with all that creamy spinach goodness ready to be scooped up with your favorite chip or a nice crunchy garlic toast that if you got too much into the game you might be scraping the bottom of the bowl - no pun intended.
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Pan Roasted Tandoori Potatoes

y experience with food over the last several years tells me that people love potatoes. Plain and simple, they do. Especially the dry roasted and crispy kind. For one thing, the potato appetizer recipes on US Masala get more hits from people all over the world than all other dishes combined (nutella based recipes being a close second). Serve some crispy baked potatoes in a get-together and I have seen people flock to that tray first. Then of course the ever popular french fry does deserve a mention which however you should avoid for them being soaked in oil and all. I have sung praises of the potato in some of my other popular posts. You can find them here -
Roasted baby potatoes Indian style
Garlic masala baked potato wedges
Samosa
Masala potato cake with ginger walnut cilantro pesto
Hubs is also a big fan of this vegetable. In fact they had a cook off at his office in one of those annual office events where he looked up my recipe on his iPhone and made the roasted baby potatoes. As he tells me, they were a hit and were gone in no time. I believe him.
Here is another potato snack which is a treat to the senses. Being pan roasted with only 2 tbsp of oil, you can enjoy a few. Pick one up with a fork (a toothpick makes it more fun) and enjoy the savory goodness of the creaminess of the baby potatoes soaked with the flavors of an exotic tandoori marinade, made crispy on the outside with a quick pan roast. For this dish, make the reach for your share from the platter because if you snooze you will lose - they will all be gone.

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Pink Lemonade

ot sure if its the summer doing it or its just me but lately I have been enjoying making different kinds of lemonades. Takes few ingredients, minimum effort and the result is a tasty drink that everyone enjoys and you get compliments for as they come back from school or work and feel the need to cool down. This is one such in the series that I made lately.
As the weather warms up, if you are craving for something cold, bright, crisp and refreshing, this is the drink for you! Pretty, romantic and glamorous and a color that is to die for. This drink always leaves an impression. The fabulous hint of the berrylicious fresh cranberry flavor riding over the base of refreshing citrus of lemons, this drink has the taste that you will remember and will want to come back often to.
A wonderful thirst quencher on a hot summer day or any day for that matter. Pink lemonade makes for a delicious party drink or for just a casual get together.

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Potli Samosa/ Samosa bundles

 am back! I hope you all had a healthy, safe, enjoyable and restful holidays and oh yes don't worry about those holiday pounds, you got eleven months to get rid of 'em... lol. It is amazing how I have barely been able to wish family and relatives on the new year and we already are two days into it. That seems to be the trend in recent years, they seem to simply fly away. I sometimes still I like to think we are in 2005... yep that seems more reasonable... but the calendar tells me otherwise.
Shake it off, we've got samosas to fry - and not any ordinary ones, these cuties are still all dressed up for that one last holiday party in their little baggie outfits or 'potlis' made of dough. 'We eat first with our eyes' as they say and a bite into these potli samosa only reinstates that belief. The same yum samosa taste, for no technical reason all of a sudden tastes even better. Of course goes without saying, the compliments you get if you serve them when entertaining, doesn't hurt.
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Paneer Methi Makhani

hat to make for dinner tonight? A thought that haunts me immediately after having finished with lunch. Asking hubby usually is returned with "just make anything" or "can we order some takeout" (he is sweet I know)! Hmmm... I usually know I will make rotis but what do I make to go with it. I do try to come up with something new every now and then but being a vegetarian sometimes limits your choices. I face a similar situation when I find myself deciding on what to take for a potluck, or a get-together that would be different and not the same old regular veg preparations.

Now paneer is most everyone's favorite but how many times can you make and serve the same butter masala, jhalfrezi or parathas for that matter. So in my quest for making something different yet elegant, simple yet exotic and healthier than other paneer recipes and of course quick 'n easy, I combined two of my absolute favorite ingredients- paneer and methi. I did not want to make the regular white gravy loaded with cashews and cream so opted for a very easy and quick makhani or butter-less masala version. I was more than pleased with the results and the fact that it was an addition to the list of answers for the eternal question of what to make for dinner :)

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Molten Dark Chocolate Cake

s a prologue let me start by an apology for going missing the last ten days. I realized this was very unlike me when quite a few of my fellow blogger friends reached out checking up on me making sure I was okay. A big thanks to all my friends for the concern, I am deeply touched and just want to let you know that I am fine. I just took some time for a quick vacation. In the future, will make sure to let my friends know when I plan on going MIA.
I am back now.

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