Articles tagged with: festive
Festive bites, food styling, nutri bombs »
“What keeps me motivated is not the food itself but all the bonds and memories the food represents.” ~ M.Chiarello
Running around with cousins from one terrace to another, attending family weddings and eating simple home cooked food on wood fire…childhood was so much fun at granny’s home.
Summer vacations were always welcomed, when extended families and cousins would all come over to our large joint family house for holidays in Bhilwara, Rajasthan.
Lunchbox bites, rice recipes, Veggies/curries »
“Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.” ~ G. Mahler
Not so long ago, Sankranti to me was all about flying kites and gorging on some delectable winter specialties.
Yes, I could not think beyond my crunchy revadis, gajak, til ladoos, Gajar halwa and sinful Panjiri when the festival of Lohri or Makar sankranti approached in mid January.
It was only after my marriage and settling down in South India I came to know that Sankranti is more than our kite flying frenzy and throwing puffed rice in bonfire.
cheesecake, Festive bites, fresh fruit desserts »
“Desserts are made of sugar and love” No wonder most of us like to round off their meals with something sweet.
A delicious meal is great, but a dessert is even better. A handful of fresh fruits, few biscuits, a little yogurt or cottage cheese and you are in for a refreshing and healthy treat everyday. Dessert recipes that are easy on the stomach are preferred anytime in my home to heavy & creamy ones.
Festive bites, kheer, pudding »
“We are stuck with technology when what we really want is just stuff that works.” ~ Douglas Adams
Even though I am not a big fan of “Kitchen Gadgets’ per se, I have bought quite a few over the years. Some of which are an absolute essential in my daily cooking while some others live permanently on the shelf, unused and much neglected.
If only my ice-cream maker, juicer, coffee maker, electric kettle can talk…they would probably shout their heart out and tell you the misery of sitting idle for years in dark, lonely and claustrophobic loft of my kitchen 😉
Festive bites, fresh fruit desserts, pudding »
Firni is a delightful healthy dessert and could be cooked without much efforts. An earthen pot is a perfect vessel to set this dessert, as the porous surface of the pot will absorb water leaving a thick & creamy Firni behind.
The tart small Plums, mildly sweet coconut milk and the nutty almonds give a wonderful burst of flavors and taste to this creamy rich Phirni.
Festive bites, festive medley, mocktails and drinks »
“Holi – the festival of colours, marks the beginning of spring season and is celebrated for two days. The first day eve begins with a bonfire or Holika dhahan which depicts the victory of good over evil. The next day is the time for playing with colours, greeting friends and sharing sweets with them.” Nostalgia started engulfing me as I narrated them my experiences.
And cooking traditional food during these celebrations could be a great way to stay connected to our roots. I wanted to make a sweet Empanada called Gujiyas/Ghughra/Karanji/Karachika in India for them to compensate for the fun and frolic that we miss here.
Festive bites, fresh fruit desserts »
And then came the moment we all were waiting for. I almost held my breath and didn’t move a bit when my children took their first bite. They ate, looked at me and gave a mysterious smile which peaked my curiosity 🙂
I could not make out the taste when I scooped my first bite into Avocado Chocolate Mousse, but with the second bite I was instantly transformed into chocolaty haven. The rich, creamy and buttery taste of Avocado mousse seduced me into taking one bite and then another, till I was scraping the corners and reached the bottom of my ramekin.
The no-cook, easy and quick Avocado mousse taste exactly like how I expect my dessert to be. Food is the most delicious expression of emotions.
Festive bites, festive medley, fudge, nutri bombs »
Various legends associated to the origin of a festival in India leads to different rituals people follow to celebrate it which keeps the ‘amusement quotient’ quite high.
I received a call from the office of a very popular regional magazine Dinakaran, sometime back. The editor informed me that they are planning to feature 7-8 celebrities from various fields in Chennai with a traditional sweet recipe from their respective states in their special Diwali issue. And I am one among them.
“What“!? I almost screamed…err..huh…did I hear it right?
Festive bites, nutri bombs »
“Here is your copy from editors’ desk” said the delivery man and handed over the parcel to me. My heart started pounding faster and my fingers flipped the pages recklessly. “Relax mom, your articles will be there in it” son understood my eagerness and took the magazine from my hand.
Whoosh…a small booklet slipped from inside the magazine and fell on the ground. My eyes popped out to see my picture there.
Hmm…the thrill of seeing yourself in print ….the best adrenaline rush you could ever get I suppose.
Well, adrenaline rush or not, this assignment did make my diet graph plunge into a nose-dive. Yes, I am struggling to ward off those calories I gained after each recipe was done with 🙂
healthy snacks, Lunchbox bites »
“Look at this pretty Idol of Sarawati with Veena, this one is more than 100 years old, it was passed on to me by my mother. And this white Shiva Idol….a friend of your Tatha’s father (great-grandfather) brought it from Sri Lanka about 70 years ago.” She wipes the idol gently and asks my son to place it on the ladder specially created for Navaratri festival.
For a change there is a silence at home for long, as the children are sitting patiently next to their grandmother, waiting eagerly for her to open that heavy iron trunk which is rusted beyond repair. I could see the amusement written all over their faces. The trunk which opens up with a creaky noise is like a Pandora box for them with small bundles of memories, moments and untold stories.
Her face lightens up each time she unfolds the fragile age-old clay dolls wrapped in small muslin clothes. I wonder how she never gets bored of narrating the (same) history of each Idol to my children, year after year… 🙂
And I am sure when they hold some of these Idols which belong to their fore fathers, it gives them a feeling of belonging and reminds them from where they came from.