Hi there!
Welcome to Kitchen at Hoskins. I’m Maria, the recipe developer, food stylist, photographer, and videographer behind this food blog.
Here you’ll find simple everyday recipes that pack in serious flavors to make mealtime exciting, along with a sprinkling of creative dishes and unique ideas from around the world, especially Indian, influences.
I also focus on including an overview of why the recipe works, with valuable tips, step-by-step photos, and videos to guide you along the way. My ultimate goal is to help you in satisfying everyone around the dinner table with unique, captivating, and also familiar dishes.
A little background about me
Born and raised in Chennai, India, I call sunny California home with my husband, two beautiful children, and my four-legged baby who eagerly volunteers as a dedicated taste tester.
My love for cooking began as a toddler when my parents gifted me my first kitchen play set. It further evolved observing my grandmother's exceptional culinary skills, which involved masterfully baking cakes in a traditional wood-burning stove, showcasing her expertise ahead of her time.
Although my formal education is in mathematics and statistics, this blog emerged as a creative outlet, allowing me to pursue my true passion while embracing the most cherished role of my life, being a mother.
The recipes on my blog are curated from decades of experience in my home kitchen, figuring out ways to please fussy eaters yet keep things flavorful and also being creative as often as I can.
What you'll find in my blog?
- No blandness here! As an Indian, flavor-packed dishes are a given, so you'll be guaranteed every recipe will be flavorful.
- Tried and tested recipes to achieve the best results. I make all the mistakes in recipe development so that you won't.
- Mostly fast and easy recipes that come together in a flash using your air fryer, Instant pot, or in 30 minutes.
- Guilt-free and indulgent sweet treats to satisfy your sugar cravings.
- Nourishing breakfast inspirations to energize your family throughout the day.
- Every new recipe will feature comprehensive step-by-step photos and a concise video, to guide you along the way. Moreover, we remain committed to consistently refreshing our existing recipes to ensure they stay current and relevant.
- Invaluable insights and expert tips delve into the reasons behind each specific technique or ingredient, empowering you with a deeper understanding of the culinary process.
Good cooking involves using advanced techniques, such as achieving perfect lemon blueberry muffins with evenly distributed blueberries, a fluffy texture, and a crusty top. Moreover, I'll explain why using the same ingredients won't necessarily lead to ideal outcomes when making mini blueberry muffins.
You'll learn not only how to make exquisitely soft homemade donuts but also unravel the wisdom behind cooking them in moderately low, 325-degree oil—a key factor in achieving their irresistibly fluffy texture.
More about the blog and me
That's where it all began! Decades ago, I embarked on my cooking journey in a charming apartment building called Hoskins, which always held a special place in my heart. Enchanted by its unique name, I ultimately chose "Kitchen at Hoskins" for my culinary endeavor, as it beautifully encapsulates the origin and story behind it all.
In Merriam-Webster, the definition is "refinement or delicacy of workmanship, structure, or texture". When it comes to cooking, finesse entails meticulous attention to detail, encompassing flavors, textures, and techniques, all harmoniously combined to yield exceptional results that are not only tasty but also visually captivating.
I currently shoot with a Canon 5D Mark IV and Canon 70D. The three lenses I use are a Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro for the gorgeous close-ups, Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 for overhead shots, and occasionally my Canon 50mm f/1.8 STM lens.
That's hard to choose! There are a few recipes that I often turn to like the ultra-creamy kulfi recipe, rasamalai tres leches cake, which is a mashup of Indian rasamalai and Mexican tres leches cake or butter chicken pasta combining the classic butter chicken and pasta.
My work
To see what goes on behind the scenes, check out my Facebook, Instagram or TikTok for exclusive updates, video tips, and much more also on Youtube. You can listen to my podcast. I’ve been featured in Parade, Buzzfeed, Tasty, MSN, PureWow, and much more.
Drop me an email and say hi at kitchenathoskins@gmail.com.
I hope you find something on here to your taste!
Maria Doss ♡
Click here for NON-DISCLOSURE POLICY
Anand Lourdes Ignatius
Excellent I did not know that you used to cook in college days. Did you? Not able to remembered
Lailah Edwards
Love your ideas. My son's favourite is your owl sandwich
Maria Doss
Thank you so much:)
Eva
I found your website today while searching for InstaPot recipes!!! I also started following you on Instagram. I will be making one of your pasta recipes today and I know my family is going to love it!!! Thank youso for sharing your recipes with us!!!😃🙏
Eva
Typos!😳😁
*Thank you so much*
Maria Doss
Hope they like it:)
Monica Joseph
Dear Maria,
I browsed through Google and came across your website...
Love your Almond Flour cookies and some Indian recipes too...
Please add me to your newsletter...
Thanks
Maria Doss
Hi Monica, We do not have an official newsletter yet. In the mean time, you could follow us on Instagram or Facebook for the latest updates. Thank you for the support, Maria
Kimberly Cates-Meraz
Hello, a few years ago, I saved one of your recipes on my Pinterest board, it was the butter chicken inspired roasted tomato soup. It was one of my favorite recipes, I went back to make it and now the Paige is not there I get a 404 error. Would you be willing to send me your recipe for your butter chicken inspired roasted tomato soup? I can’t find any other recipe like it.
Maria Doss
Hi Kimberly, Our website went through some changes and we had delete a few pages. Here is the recipe you are lookin for -
Butter Chicken Inspired Roasted Tomato Soup
Ingredients:
5 medium roma tomatoes, halved
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
1/2 small red onion, cut into big chunks
1 x 14.5 ounce can chicken stock
3 tablepoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
additional heavy cream, for topping soup (optional)
Preperation:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Have a 9-inch cast iron pan or any other oven safe skillet ready.
2.Combine first 9 ingredients (tomatoes through onion) in the cast iron pan, toss well and bake for 30 minutes. Place pan on a wire rack to cool.
3. Add everything ( scrape every bit of spice from the pan) into a blender along with chicken stock, heavy cream, honey and salt. Blend until very smooth.
4. Serve soup at room temperature or transfer the blended soup into a saucepan and bring to a gentle boil (over low-medium heat) and serve hot with a swirl of heavy cream.
Makes 2-3 servings
Hope it helps, have a wonderful weekend
- Maria
Jaap
I can not subscibe
Maria Doss
Hmm.. Not sure why! Feel free to email me at kitchenathosins@gmail.com, so I can add your email to the mailing list. Hope it helps - Maria