Meals and Stories

Loud thundering woke me up.  It was a rainy Sunday and it had rained cats and dogs the previous night too, just like it had on the day we got married. The sky was overcast and there was a weird dullness all around me. Chetan was fast asleep as we had had a party at our home with a few close friends to celebrate the eve of our 15th anniversary. He who is not much of a drinker, drank more than he could handle. He was clearly happy and enjoying himself. The kids had been packed off to granny's home. I checked the time on my phone...it was 3. 45 a.m. My eyes fell on his calm sleeping face and suddenly as if the entire 15 years of our journey together flashed in front of my eyes.   15 years....yes it had been 15 years since we were man and wife. Not an easy journey, but then who said life was easy. Our marriage had its own share of ups and downs. The seven year itch as they say, wanting to walk out on this relationship, run away to an unkown place etc. etc...  I come...

Mornings are the busiest time of the day, especially on working days..from tea to breakfast to lunchbox for office or school..its a routine for most from Monday to Friday..sometimes even Saturdays.. Sharing a recipe that not only can be given to your child in his/her lunch box, but can also be enjoyed by others in the family in breakfast.. Tried and tested or rather tasted recipe.....everyone at home loves it. Saves a lot of time on a really busy day plus its healthy and home made.  Does mimic the taste of pizza too 😊 Roti Rolls with pizza toppings. Choice of veggies is completely as per your liking:  Onion/tomato/green capsicum/other (red or yellow) bell peppers/sweet corn*/mushrooms* /broccoli*  etc. Chop or mince all the veggies. (how you prefer) In a pan take oil and stir fry the veggies on high flame for a few minutes. We do not have to cook them completely. Just to evaporate the moisture and crisp them a bit. Also  raw might spoil ...

The last 2 months were ...'can drive anyone crazy' worthy for me. Finally, atleast I will not be setting an alarm to wake me up and can sleep late. Exams are over.  Yessssss... they have suddenly become the most dreaded in today's times. (I have an OCD of repeating things and exams might feature in many of my posts 😁)  I don't remember my mother being so stressed when we had our exams that too with 4 of us. I forget that its not my exam but my daughters...lol.  A day without a to-do list, a day when I can just sit and read or write or bake or do just nothing, is a luxury I had or all of us had when we were younger.  It's only now that I understand what the poet, W. H. Davies, in his poem 'Leisure' meant when he said 'What is this life if,  full of care, we have no time to stand and stare'.  Life was so different when we were students as compared to when we got a job or started our own business or got married or had kids. Our priorities, wan...

Ever wondered why we have to appear for an exam and disliked the very thought of its existence?  Well, l guess most of us have and many would disagree with me too. Its not an opinion I hold, but yes when my daughter has her exams, I land up asking myself " Did I not have enough of my own share in school and college?" I guess Saraswati, the Hindu Goddess of Knowledge, Art, Learning, Music and Wisdom thinks I probably need some more knowledge or I didn't do justice to it in my growing up years. We didn't have the Internet and the World Wide Web when i was in school and even college..(ya ya I belong the pre internet era and you can keep guessing how old I am) to help us with our studies the way we do today. Now, I take a lot  of help from Google to make sure I am teaching my daughter the right concepts..(read - I don't trust my brains anymore). So many explanations are easily available on any subject or topics that I never studied in school.  With changing tim...

I couldn't think of a better way to start my  journey than by sharing a favourite sweet dish of all in my family and one of the easiest Indian desserts -   Lachchedar Kesar Rabdi Its a very simple recipe and can be made as easily by a first timer as by an experienced cook and makes enough for 3 to 4 people and that too with ingredients that are easily available at home.  Ingredients Milk - 1.5 ltrs Sugar - 2 tbsp initially *+ 1.5 tbsp  Kesar or Saffron 1/2 tsp each** Elaichi or Cardamom - powdered or whole Ghee (Optional) Almond and Pista for garnish *Initially put less sugar than required. Adjust according to taste when done as it may become very sweet once the milk reduces.  **Before you begin, soak kesar or saffron in milk and after it has softened mash it with a spoon...brings out a lovely flavour. Method Take a heavy bottomed Kadhai and just rub it with a little ghee (its optional)  Pour milk and a dd kesar and elai...

13th September 2017 My first ever blogging experience...I will try my best to share my experiences through read worthy posts.  Food, both cooking and eating is something I enjoy truly with all my heart. I love delectable smells, colours of vegetables and fruits, flavors of various spices and generally everything that is related to food. Falling in love with red kidney beans from the time they have just been soaked to all the way till they are eaten is who I am and I often end up questioning myself if thats really normal 🤔  For me food doesn't have to only taste good even if it is just an everyday meal..it has to look good and smell amazing too. Almost all our senses play a major role in deciding what to eat and at times bring back memories too. In a world where restaurant style food has entered our homes, home cooking style is being adopted by many eateries for people who miss it.  My cooking style is very simple. My mother Shama B...