Bon Vivant Roundup #14 - Spring Surprises

Spring has really surprised us over here. With weather changing each day drastically and pollen count getting higher than ever. But it also was so beautiful. Little buds, blossoms and flowers covering every inch of the trees.. Sprouting tulips give me immense happiness. They are one of the most beautiful flowers I think. 

Here are the Bon Vivant participants who brought even more happiness @Sumee's Culinary. Below is the beautiful roundup of the same. Enjoy your approaching summer holidays!

Bon Vivant Roundup #13 - Kids Delight

Hello everyone, publishing another beautiful roundup of Kids Delight. There was a great turn up at the event. A whooping 153 entries. I think since we all mostly cook for our kids, there was so much enthusiasm. Thank you to all those who participated.

Another announcement is that I am taking a break from hosting Bon Vivant for few months. Reason being I will be travelling to India for next 3 months. I feel I am not giving enough time and attention to all my beloved Bon Vivant party goers. So while I am on the road, I will be giving a small break to the event too. Hopefully I will bring you more authentic recipes back from there.

Here is the great roundup.

Bon Vivant #14 - Spring Surprises

Hello everyone! Welcome to another edition of Bon Vivant. This month we will be celebrating the season. Spring blooms are there everywhere and it's welcome sight to see more sun shine through the day. I love spring season (except for the allergy part! Accchooooo!) Love to watch the little buds and blossoms adorn the plants and trees. 

Spring also brings new fruits and vegetables in abundance. So this month cook up something that celebrate spring. Something colorful, feast to the eyes and to the tummy. 

Spring is nature’s way of saying, “Let’s party!” -Robin Williams

Rules for the event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out. I have noticed some of them are not back linked. I will have to promptly remove them if not linked back after one notice.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of April. Note the change that it has to be a new post
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe image and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address. I will link them up.
~ Or you can post it to my Facebook page here. Add a picture and steps to make the dish in detail section.

Bon Vivant Roundup #12 - Quixotic Fixes

Hello everyone,
Special thanks to those who brought their specialties over to my space. All of them were special and very tempting for me to try. I have already chosen one for my '"Bon Vivant of the month", so wait for that one. 

And now coming to choosing a winner for the giveaway, I used random.org to give me a random number out of 57 entries that I had. The problem that I faced was the first two winners did not follow the rules for giveaway, while contacting them gave me NO response, I had to move on. Third one chosen was my recipe!! Ok, right, so at last random generator gave me a my winner! The first person who linked up, first one who left me a comment, "Babitha Costa of Babi's Recipes"

Congratulation dear! Thank you so much for participating. I truly enjoy visiting you. Please message me your address and contact information within 2 days. 

Below is all the exotic dishes that were entered for the party. Check them out.

Bon Vivant #13 - Kids Delight

This theme has been on my mind for long. Though after kids I always cook keeping my kids in mind, just thought will give a platform for all of you to think about it and link your kids favorites or for a kid in YOU. I love seeing the delight on my kids face when I present them with something they love. 

Little one is big on anything Italian, cheesy stuff. Anything and everything she asks if she can put some cheese on top! Mozzarella is her current favorite. She loves chicken and fish too like her big brother. Touch-wood, but I love cooking for them as they love eating what I make. Big bro calls himself Carnivorous just like Dino! Geesh, that sounded horrific first time I heard it. But got used to that quickly. So you will see lot of non-vegetarian recipes this month probably.:o)

The recipes can be from any course of the menu. It can be a delicacy that you loved as a kid. Whenever I think about my favorites, many Konkani recipes that my mom would make comes to my mind. My favorite being Sprouted Moong Randhayi. I don't have that recipe on here, do I? Sigh, I always fall short from what my mom makes, so it's never a perfect recipe for me. Will try to post it soon though. Please use your own discretion when linking up the recipes. 

Rules for the event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out. I have noticed some of them are not back linked. I will have to promptly remove them if not linked back after one notice.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of March. Note the change that it has to be a new post
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe image and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address. I will link them up.
~ Favorite Bon Vivant of the Month" will be chosen from a recipe linked to Bon Vivant in this month.

So get cooking for the little ones, or the things that you liked a kid and link them up below.

Cheesy Sweet Corn & Peppers Breakfast Casserole - Favorite Bon Vivant of Dec/ Jan month

As in my numerous posts I say breakfast is an important meal of the day in my family. Everyone has to have it, no skipping. I have made casserole before for breakfast. It's very filling and leaves you satisfied. For Dec and Jan month Bon Vivant, when I saw this recipe of Broccoli Pepper and Cheese Breakfast Casserole, I instantly drawn to it because of the pictures. I decided to try it. I have already prepared it few times with few variations. Once I did this for lunch and let the kids mix everything. They were so happy that they wanted to eat bigger shares. :o)

This month I have been slacking writing on the blog, so the delay in posting this month Favorite Bon Vivant for the month. Denny of "Oh Taste n See" needs no introduction. She is a very versatile blogger and has such amazing variety of food spread over her blog. If you are looking for healthy and tasty diet food, hop over and check out her SBD section. You can keep scrolling on her Recipe Index and it won't end. 

Coming to today's recipe, I have used different vegetable combinations in it. Sweet corn and bell peppers was our favorite. I sneaked in greens every time. :o) Since I had lot of variation to original recipe I am listing my ingredients below. Check out her recipe. 

Prep Time : 15 min | Baking Time : 25 to 30 Mins | Serves : 6

Recipe Source : Denny's Oh Taste n See

Ingredients:

Eggs - 5
Milk - 3/4 Cup
Chickpea Flour/ Besan - 2 tbsp.
Parmesan Cheese - 1/2 Cup + 2 tbsp
Mozzarella Chesse - 1 cup
Bell Pepper - 1 - Chopped
Frozen Corn - 1 Cup (Thaw in microwave for 3 to 4 minutes)
Kale / Spinach leaves - 1 Cup (packed) - Finely Chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method of Preparation:

~ Preheat the oven to 375 deg F.
~ Combine all the ingredients, sprinkle 2 tbsp of Parmesan Cheese on top.
~ Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the toothpick inserted comes out clean.
~ Enjoy this yummy, cheesy goodness when warm.

Thanks Denny for sharing this recipe on Healthy Appetite. Find the roundup of Bon Vivant #11 - Healthy Appetite here..


Serving this @ Bon Vivant #12 - Quixotic Fixes - Check out this month's detail and giveaway.

And

Simply Tadka's Foodabulous Fest
Vardhini's Bake Fest - @Surabhi's
Food Corner's Cook Like Celebrity Chef
Hema's Cooking with Love - Spouse
Simply Sensation's Let's Bake for valentine
Breakfast Club @Farmersgirl Kitchen

Bon Vivant Roundup #11 - Healthy Appetite

New year brought new resolutions. Resolutions made to break, so they say. But not in the blogging world. Everyone tried to keep up with their resolution and worked towards their goal of creating healthy appetite for their family. Below is the proof of how healthy can be beautiful and delicious. There were so many wonderful ideas and recipes. Again choosing favorite Bon Vivant of the month wasn't a easy task. But I went with the one that I absolutely had to try when I looked at it. Will get to that soon....

But for now, enjoy the healthy appetite feast.

Bon Vivant #12 - Quixotic Fixes & Announcement

Bon Vivant turns ONE! Yeah, you friends have helped me run this event so successfully by sharing all your wonderful recipes at my space. So big THANK YOU to all. I never celebrated my blog-anniversary last July because I was busy with... well what can I say life! There was so much going on at that time, celebrating my little creation was way out of question. 

Then there was another milestone when I posted my 100th recipe to the blog. Though I quietly rejoiced with my family, I didn't make any hullabaloo about it either. When I think back to the time I started my blog, I didn't think I would come such a long way. 

So in this month of February, my birthday month, month where everyone seems to be in Love, month when Bon Vivant event is embarking on another journey, I decided to celebrate!

Coming for this month's Quixotic Fixes, let me start by explaining the word itself. Quixotic means the most Idealistic, Romantic. The word sounded so exotic that I wanted to use it. So for this month of February when you are cooking it up high notch for your loved ones, I welcome you to join me at Bon Vivant for the celebration. Link up your Valentine's favorite's using the linky below.

Wait a minute, didn't we talk about celebration! So what's the celebration without any gifts right? No, I am not asking you for one, I am planning to send you one. It will be one of my favorite Chef's "Mithai" book. Yes, it's none other than Master Chef Sanjeev's Kapoor's book. This is not sponsored by anyone but me. It will be from my collection.

It contains extensive list of some of authentic Indian sweet recipes. From Mathura ka Peda, Jalebi to burfi's. So what are the rules you ask? Well, it's everything that was in previous Bon Vivant's plus some more. Read on and happy cooking.


To be eligible for giveaway:

~ Leave me a comment about which dish from Sumee's Culinary have you tried or intend to try.
~ Like my Facebook page, join through GFC and/or follow me on Pinterest. Leave me a comment about the same.
~ Non-bloggers too can participate. You can email me all the details of recipe or post it on my Facebook page. 
~ Winner will be chosen randomly from the inlinkz list below. I will choose one in first week of March. 
~ If you are unable to respond to me with mailing address, I will choose another winner. I need to get reply within 48 hours.

Rules for the Bon Vivant event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out. I have noticed some of them are not back linked. I will have to promptly remove them if not linked back after one notice.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of February. Note the change that it has to be a new post
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe image and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address. I will link them up.
~ Favorite Bon Vivant of the Month" will be chosen from a recipe linked to Bon Vivant in this month.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i Digital SLR Camera With 18-55mm IS II Kit - REBEL T3i (Google Affiliate Ad)

Bon Vivant Roundup #10 - Festive Feasts

This is the roundup for last two months. The festivals and holidays through the month of November and December saw a great deal of cooking champions whip out delicacies. I had overwhelming 148 entries and each one was amazing presentation and festive!

Thanks to all those who participated. As promised last month, I went about choosing which recipe I would want to try. I had thought it would be easy task. But it wasn't. I had all these amazing recipes and just ONE for to try. Well, I literally gave my "short" list to hubby and asked him what he would like for me to make for his birthday dinner. He again chose quite a few and then I narrowed down. I have already cooked, eaten and wiped the plate clean. So wait for the post "Bon Vivant of the month" soon. 

And join in for the Bon Vivant #11 - Healthy Appetite going on right now at my space. Enjoy the festive feast below..

Bon Vivant #11 - Healthy Appetite

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a fun New Year's Eve and celebrated it with family and friends. I did too. Rather too much fun that we all are lacking sleep now. But the sugar rush is such that it's doing it's work. So after all the holiday season and cooking rich food, I am sure everyone wants to try and eat healthy. Half of the world population has this as one of the their new year's resolution I think. :o) I don't really make resolutions, but I do start back into healthy eating after the holiday indulge. 

So this month Bon Vivant, I invite you to like up all your healthy cooking. I do not want to define what is healthy, please use your on discretion when linking up your recipes. You could replace certain fat ingredients like butter with oil in your recipe, you could bake instead of frying, you could use multi-grain instead of all purpose, or you could exchange the main ingredients of the recipe with a healthier substitute. Possibilities are endless.. And who knows your recipes might be next to be selected for featuring on my blog. Please see the notes below about this. 

Rules for the Bon Vivant event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out. I have noticed many of them are not back linked. I will have to promptly remove them if not linked back after one notice.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of Jan.
~ Two old posts are allowed, if re-posted again in Jan.
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe click and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address.

NOTE - "Favorite Bon Vivant of the Month"
- I will choose a recipe from all the entries to Bon Vivant in the previous month (in this case, it will be Jan 2013 Bon Vivant).
- I will inform the owner of the recipe before-hand about the selection, so if you have any apprehension you can let me know and I will pick another one to feature. Also I will wait for two days for reply, just so that I don't wait too long to choose another one. 
- I will try that recipe in the next month, take pictures, but link for recipe will be given to the original recipe of yours. So I will feature you, your blog and your recipe on my blog. 

A humble note: I am featuring one recipe a month, that does not mean that other participants weren't good enough. It's just that I liked the recipe and wanted to try it immediately. Solely based on my instincts and discretion.

Bon Vivant #10 - Continuing Festive Feasts & Announcement

This month I was thinking about the event and I realized, it should be festivities continued. Holidays galore in December month, bringing floods of invites, parties and festive food. So I decided to continue with November month's theme of Festive foods. I would love to see what you would bring to the Holiday table.

For the coming year I want to start a new concept with Bon Vivant. From January of 2013 on wards  I will be choosing my favorite recipe for the month to feature. Here are some of the guidelines I will be following.
- It will be titled "Favorite Bon Vivant of the Month"
- I will choose a recipe from all the entries to Bon Vivant in the previous month (in this case, it will be Nov-Dec of 2012 Bon Vivant).
- I will inform the owner of the recipe before-hand about the selection, so if you have any apprehension you can let me know and I will pick another one to feature. Also I will wait for two days for reply, just so that I don't wait too long to choose another one. 
- I will try that recipe in the next month, take pictures, but link for recipe will be given to the original recipe of yours. So I will feature you, your blog and your recipe on my blog. 

A humble note: I am featuring one recipe a month, that does not mean that other participants weren't good enough. It's just that I liked the recipe and wanted to try it immediately. Solely based on my instincts and discretion.

Now coming to Rules for the Bon Vivant event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out. I have noticed many of them are not back linked. I will have to promptly remove them if not linked back after one notice.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of November or December.
~ Two old posts are allowed, if re-posted again in November or December.
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe click and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address.

Please link all your entries below

Roundup #9 - Simply Sides

Another great roundup with great recipe collection. Thanks to all those who participated. I have to admit I haven't been regular in visiting all the participants, but I promise to do better in coming months. There were several changes in my little part of the world that I couldn't spend as much time as I would like to on visiting blogs. Please take time to go through the recipes below and try them out. And join in for the "Festive Feasts" Bonvivant going on right now.

Bon Vivant #10 - Festive Feast

October was one hectic month at our household. Hope everyone had a good Dushera festival and Eid. With upcoming Diwali, I thought it would be nice to celebrate it on my blog. So all month long it will be festive feast @Sumee's Culinary Bites. Whatever you cook/ bake or put together for the festivity can be linked up below. Have a blast all month long. Happy festivites!!

Rules for the event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of November.
~ Two old posts are allowed, if re-posted again in November.
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe click and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address.

Please link all your entries below

Roundup Bon Vivant #8 - Rice Recipes

It's a amazing journey with these Bon Vivant series. So many new friends made, who come over and share their special dishes with me and with everyone. It's a pleasure to have so many blogger friends. It feels like I know many of you. Another great roundup and here I present to you very colorful spread of rice dishes. Thank you all for participating and your continued support!

Bon Vivant #9 - Simply Sides

Simply sides is what we are looking for at Bon Vivant this month! Side dishes are integral part of the main course. Be it's served along side chapati, bread or naan's or with rice, they are always the star of the food spread. But they go by humble name of "Sides". So bring on your kurma's, subzi's, stir fry's and curries to Bon Vivant linky party. Looking forward to all your yummy delicacies.

Rules for the event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of October.
~ Two old posts are allowed, if re-posted again in October.
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe click and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address. 

Roundup Bon Vivant #7 - Baked Goodies

Wow, another month ended and another great rounup coming your way. There were so many dishes baked and enjoyed. Here is feast to your eyes. Click on the images below to make and enjoy the recipes. Thanks to all those who participated.

Bon Vivant #8 - Rice Recipes

Rice is a staple food in India and whole of Asia. It’s very versatile grain that can be used in any kind of dish. So all this month long we are looking for your best rice dishes. Anything made using rice grain or flour, anything from plain simple rice to pulav, biriyani’s, desserts, dish made using rice noodles. You get the idea right? So cook it up and then link it up using linky below.

Rules for the event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of September.
~ Two old posts are allowed, if re-posted again in Sept.
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe click and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email addres

Roundup Bon Vivant #6 - Sunny Refreshing Drinks

Thank you all once again for dropping in at my space. This time it was all about thirst quencher. Loved all the creations and wonderful presentations. Check out these yummy satisfying summary version of Bon Vivant.

Bon Vivant #7 - Baked Goodies

Hello everyone! This month am inviting all of you to bake some of your best dishes and link up. I love baking anything and everything in the oven. Just whip up something, put it in the oven, switch on the timer and forget about it.! Right? So any dish baked can be linked up for this month's Bon Vivant Series. Happy Baking!

Rules for the event :

~ Multiple entries are allowed. Usage of the logo is a must.
~ Linking back to this announcement page is mandatory to get the word out.
~ Vegetarian and non-vegetarian recipes are allowed. No pork or beef ingredients please.
~ Blog post should be in month of Aug.
~ Two old posts are allowed, if re-posted again in Aug.
~ Please link up your post using the linkz below. In case of any problem linking please send me an email with your name, recipe name, recipe click and url to sumeesculinary@gmail.com
~ Non-bloggers can email the recipe along with a picture of the dish to the above email address

Round up - Bon Vivant #5 - Appetizers/ Starters

Thank you all once again for dropping in at my space. Thanks to all who have sent in such wonderful recipes. There were so many varieties that can be served as appetizers that it's unbeliveable. Check out this wonderful spread of Bon Vivant.