Aarti's Paarti- Awesome Indian Food

I've been watching the Food Network Star for the summer and ever since the first show, had my favorite contestant. Her name is Aarti. She has a really interesting background and a delightful personality on camera- but I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE that she's out there putting Indian recipes in the forefront- and making traditional foods with an Indian twist. I already cook Indian probably once every week or two, but I'm so excited after reading some of her recipes and seeing her videos on vimeo. The finale of FNS is this Sunday and I'm rooting for her to win. I'm already excited about recording and saving her shows on my DVR. :) She's also a believer- and shares her faith so beautifully on her blog. Such an encouragement. I pray that she's able to be a light to those in the food/tv industry.

Here are some links to some recipes that I can't wait to try:

Baked Samosas: These excite me to try because samosas are amazingly wonderful crazy-cheap treats that I used to eat on train trips across India, and from a local tea stall around the corner from where we lived. They are simple, hot, flaky, and are almost like comfort food, Indian style. It's been something I've actually missed about India because they have always seemed complicated- and I don't want to fry up a large vat of oil to make them... AND- in India, they're SO cheap (think pennies, maybe nickels)- but here it's like $3.00 for one or two at my favorite Indian restaurant.

Tandoori Chicken: I have tried similiar recipes- but based upon everyone's reaction to her cooking on the show, I'm going to try hers. :)

Ok- outta time. My little has been sleeping for 3 hours... If I don't get off the computer and wake him, it's going to be a very, very long night for all of us... :)