This post officially marks the end of my senior project — I will be presenting my work at school in two days. When I first started designing my blog and brainstorming recipes and posts back in March, I had no idea how much work would be needed to maintain this website. I definitely underestimated the time and effort required to come up with creative desserts, write engaging posts, take attractive photos, and piece those together to make one post.

It was a lot of work, but it’s not a secret that I loved the process. I’d never really baked with a purpose before, but having set goals in mind when I was in the kitchen definitely added to the challenge and excitement of this project. 

The best part of this all for me was finding the stories behind what I make. I’d never considered why I bake the way I do before, and joining my food with anecdotes was rewarding. Making the mango kulfi cake for example brought me back to summers in India when I would enjoy the treat with my family at my grandmother’s house. I enjoyed all of the writing, and I hope to continue adding to this blog whenever I get a chance. There are too many food memories untold to stop here.

To anyone who’s visited my site, appreciated my writing or photography, or attempted one of my recipes: thank you. Your support has been a tremendous source of motivation, and I enjoyed talking with you (whether it was through comments or in person) about my work. 

I’ll take away so much from this project – a greater appreciation for food blogging, an amateur but acceptable level of skill in photography, and increased awareness in the stories food can tell. I’ll be back to blogging soon, but until then, thank you again for your support. It’s been fun.

There are some things that I feel guilty about.

Tabloids are one of them. I know they’re bad for the brain, but I follow them anyway (pretty religiously, too). I also know I’m supposed to keep my room clean, but I somehow never do.

It’s the same way with samosas. I know they’re bad for me, but I crave them like nothing else. They are one of my favorite snacks, and they’re pretty easy to make too.

Samosas are a popular tea accompaniment in India, and you can find a samosa stall on almost every street if you ever visit. I like to think that the samosas from those carts are best: they are served to you right out of the hot oil, wrapped in a paper bag that eventually darkens from the grease.

The filling falls everywhere and flakes of dough get all over your mouth but it doesn’t matter because the samosas are so so good. Though I can’t replicate that taste at home, I come pretty close. These are also a fun treat to make with family or friends because though they are easy, they are a little time consuming.

I want another one.

Samosas
Makes 12 medium 

Dough:
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
Salt, to taste
Water

Combine first four ingredients together and add enough water until the dough comes together, is no longer sticky, and springs back slightly when pressed. Knead dough for two minutes, and let rest for thirty minutes. In the meantime, prepare the filling.

Potato Filling:
3 medium potatoes, boiled and chopped
1/4 cup peas
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/2 teaspoon ginger paste
1 small onion, chopped
6 sprigs cilantro, chopped
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon coriander powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
Frying oil

Heat oil in a saucepan and saute onions and carrots until light brown. Add ginger paste and stir until fragrant. Add in peas and then potato pieces and stir. Add in spices and saute for a minute. Add in chopped cilantro. Stir until combined.

Roll 1 1/2-inch balls of dough into a 7-inch wide circle. Cut the dough into two semi-circles and work with one at a time. Place rounded side of dough away from you, and fold in each side to make a cone shape, pressing along the seam. Fill with potato mixture and seal the edges. Heat frying oil in a sauce pan until a bit of dough dropped in floats to the top and sizzles. Fry the samosas until golden brown. These are best served right after frying.

I’m back.

There seems to have been a dearth of recipes lately but I promise we’ll be back on track soon. The past few days have been crazy to say the least.

In the mean time, check out this week’s tuesday treats:

Grasshopper Pie from Brown Eyed Baker. A lot of people think this pie tastes like saccharine toothpaste but I beg to differ. The fresh mint flavor and the rich chocolate crust and creamy texture all balance each other out. It’s also mint green, so I’m sold.

Biscoff Fudge from Bakerella. Biscoff cookies, and more specifically cookie butter, are my new obsession. If you’ve ever flown Delta, these are the cookies they hand out. They taste like a combination of snickerdoodles and gingersnaps and are insanely delicious. 

Nutella Cheesecake from Butter Baking. That said Nutella. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.

Vanilla Ice Cream from David Lebovitz. This is hands down the best vanilla ice cream you will ever taste. I know I have a tendency to be hyperbolic but I am not exaggerating this time. This ice cream trumps every vanilla ice cream I’ve tried, is creamy even right out of the freezer, and will convert even the most stubborn chocoholic into a vanilla fan. 

Health is relative, isn’t it?

Some people might consider a large portion of chicken parmesan healthy since it has protein. And hello, cheese is a food group too.

Others might eat a fruit salad for lunch and still wish they’d eaten less.

I realize when I tell people a certain baked good is healthy, they laugh and think I’m only trying to persuade them to take a bite of some butter-laden treat. As far as health goes in baked goods, there is only so much you can do to tweak the nutrition of something based on flour, sugar, and butter. But I try.

These cupcakes – but not the ganache, mind you – are among the healthiest I’ve made. They are vegan and so they contain no butter and I used plain almond milk in place of regular milk. Because you don’t need to cream the butter and sugar together, they are so much easier to make than your usual cupcakes, too.

The ganache is straight up chocolate, so that’s not winning any health points. It’s all about balance, I tell you. 

Also – how cute are those cupcake liners? 

Vegan Vanilla Cupcakes
From Whipped Baking
Makes 24 mini cupcakes, with a little extra batter

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsweetened soy or almond milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons vanilla
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare muffin tin with liners. 

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and soda, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, oil, vanilla, and vinegar. Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix until just combined.

Bake for 12-15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Let cool before frosting.

Chocolate Ganache
Makes enough to frost 24 mini cupcakes

2 cups chocolate chips
3/4 cup milk (can use almond milk if needed)
1 tablespoon butter

Place chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl. Heat the milk and butter in a saucepan until boiling. Pour milk mixture over chocolate chips and stir until smooth. Place ganache in fridge until it reaches a “pipable” consistency.