There are a few moments in life when you are truly & completely happy. My yearly visit to hometown in Udaipur, Rajasthan is one such occasion when I wish I could stop the time and live in those moments forever. Though many old familiar houses have given way to high rise apartments now and there are very few familiar faces to greet, but every visit is worth preserving the childhood experiences and keeping them afresh…..from authentic Daal Baatis to exotic Gatte ki subji filled with nuts and dried fruits…they leave no stone unturned to pamper me with their love and let me indulge in my favorite food.

‘Our house is clean enough to be healthy, and dirty enough to be happy’. Yes, we decided to repaint the house after putting the long due project to back burner for years. The house is in total mess, but this exercise is a good lesson not to collect things which we may never use in life. There are sackful of such useless articles peeping errr..sleeping in the cupboards and overhead lofts, and I am on a disposing spree…finally.

On a positive note, painting your house is a good chance to do some spring cleaning as well. My old oven, box TV, stone age printer, bangle boxes, speakers, toasters, fluffy teddy bears, bagful of plastic kitchenware…looks like I have a real Pandora box…and believe me some of these have never seen the light of the day. Getting attached with these not so useful objects which were a part of my life some years back is inevitable, and I really feel sad to part with.

Home is where the heart is….my heart belongs to Chennai, the place where I got married and have been living since 1996. I have wholeheartedly accepted the city and have accustomed to the traditions, climatic conditions and the food here.

But even after spending a good 17 years in Chennai I feel that a part of my heart still lives in Udaipur. The place where I grew up, studied and spent the most beautiful years of my life with family and friends.

And why not, if one is the place of my birth than the other made me a complete woman! I take it as a special privilege of belonging to the two different cities at once.

I don’t know to roll a perfect Sushi and I get cold feet when I bake Macaroon and probably will never be able to appreciate a glass of wine alongside my dinner plate…but still, cooking to me is a way to unwind. I am in my most happiest of moods when in kitchen, cooking for family and friends.

Did I hear ‘Old school’?  I accept it with pleasure

I was added to this group by Charan Sarvanan a versatile blogger and a treasured friend now. Back then I ignored this group on the pretext of  just another FB group where bloggers drop in to give a shout out for their new blog posts or share the….

World is celebrating International Women’s day today. Hmm…Is a single day enough to celebrate womanhood? May be, who cares…
Though a little late but am glad that I came out of the veil of a daughter, a wife and a mother to appreciate in broader perspective, the most precious gift of God – womanhood!

‘It’s the simple things in life that are the most extraordinary.’ Paulo Coelho.  Life is harder when you complicate the simple things and my cooking follows suit to a greater extent. Most of the days I prefer dishes which need less time to cook, have fewer ingredients and still retain the freshness & nutrient quotient intact. These simple recipes are a perfect antidote for those busy days when you are hard pressed for time and need something healthy and filling which can be thrown in just minutes.

This warm Chickpea and Veggie Salad falls in the same category. I defer to call this recipe just a simple salad, with Olive oil, mixed veggies, bread croutons, herbs, spices and protein packed chickpeas, this recipe makes a complete meal in itself. I could happily start and end my breakfast, lunch and dinner with a bowl of this chickpea and veggie salad.

‘ If you truly love Nature, you will find beauty everywhere‘. ~ Van Gogh.  Early morning walk with my hubby is one activity I eagerly look forward to each day. Its a wonderful time I see some of the miracles of nature unfold as we walk along the narrow lanes and parks nearby.

The dim sky, the fresh morning air, quietness and the gentle pace of life is so enchanting.  The thumping of joggers zipping across, symphony of chirping birds, cling-cling of the milkman and the newspaper boys on cycle break the silence of nearly empty roads.

I have started appreciating these simple and small beauties of nature more and more after my new found love for photography. During one such walks I picked a few colorful leaves dressed in morning dew.

”The 3 C’s of life: choices, chances, and changes. You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.’ Unknown. Choices I did make and chances I did take in the year 2012. Some were good…some were bad. While the good ones are carried forward to 2013, the bad ones are buried then and there.

Life has been a roller coaster ride to me, just when I thought I have had enough of it and its time to sit back and relax, I find myself ride the roller coaster all over again.

Hats off to whoever said that ‘Life begins at the end of your comfort zone!’ Am glad that I stepped out of mine for doing things I always wanted to do. Coming out of the comfort zone and jumping into the corporate world again was a big decision of 2012 in my life. Nevertheless I am enjoying every moment of it and I’m game, as long as it does not hamper my family life.

“Travel wasn’t fun if you didn’t get to see or do what you wanted.” Though we have traveled extensively to many beaches of South India, there still are a few things left in my wish-list. Sit on a beach and gaze a ship leave the shore till it meets horizon, observe a day in the life of fishermen and wander in marshy Mangrove forest are a few of them. Our recent trip to a few places in South India last weekend made it happen.

Most of our trips are decided on the spur of the moment. But these unplanned vacations have a special magic in it such that the enthusiasm & suspense remains till the end and our recent trip was no exception. More about the same here.

Each night we would sleep with dreamy eyes to see some other horizon the next day. Waking up at 4.30 am each day, sipping tea overlooking the sea, seeing busy fishermen on the job, walking in the woods and watching the world go by…ahh, the feeling is yet to sink in…am still mesmerized.

‘Life is full of surprises. Just say ‘never’ and you’ll see.’ I did say ‘never’ to this Samsung Notebook after posting my entry for a recipe contest by Del Monte. And today when I open the parcel marked with ‘Winner - 1st Prize’ I understand that it takes more than just magic to make any dream a reality. These are the moments when all those unseen tiny efforts you put in to keep your passion alive seems worthwhile.  Thanks Del Monte and IndiBlogger for making it happen! The winning recipe a  No-Bake Chocolate Brownie is an easy treat you can make well ahead of time during festive season.

Some news travel faster than lightening. I found myself standing near my oven, baking goodies for friends way before the feeling of winning this pretty Notebook could sink in