Mamma gone crazy!!

It was continuing to be a heavy downpour with frequent lightning when Tarit and Megh finally reached their much-desired Hotel after being almost 5 hours late.

It was their fourth anniversary and second honeymoon 👫, so they did a lot of research and finally zeroed in on this beautiful hotel in front Nainital Lake. It was off season, so the hotel offered them a very good package with discounts, and they just grabbed it.

They were overjoyed when they left home in the morning; this was a much-needed break they were waiting for a long time. They were still halfway through their train journey, when a torrential downpour started and suddenly the train stopped with a huge jerk. All the lights went off and everybody started panicking. After passing an agonizing hour with no certainty on what is going to happen next, they got to know that a huge tree has fallen on the train and the pantograph of the train broke in that impact, so the train cannot move now. It can only be fixed by an engineer, who will come from a nearby town, but due to heavy rain, he is also stuck.

Finally, after another two hours of wait, from torrential rain it slowed down to a drizzle, and the engineer arrived, but sadly he couldn’t repair it because it was damaged beyond repair. As a stop gap arrangement, the train authorities arranged for a coal engine to pull the train till its destination, can you beat that!!! A coal engine??

They reached their destination after much delay. That's the best the coal engine could do.... They were relieved when they reached their hotel and the staff welcomed them with a nice refreshing drink.

They were soon escorted to a nice spacious room with a beautiful view of the Naini lake. The clouds and the drizzle made the atmosphere enchanting, and both of them were mesmerized by the beauty of the nature outside their window.

They quickly freshened up as the hotel manager called and informed that they had arranged for an open-air candlelight dinner for them. The rain has also stopped by then and they also had made some nice plans on how to celebrate their special day.

They were seated in an open-air balcony with a nice view of the lake. The table was decorated with a nice table runner, a bouquet of roses, and an antique candle stand with three candles. Food was arranged nicely, and the smell of the food made them feel more hungry. But, strangely, they were the only ones there, even the waiters also disappeared, they thought they were being given some privacy to create the romantic atmosphere and enjoy their day. They were starting to enjoy the arrangements, but just before cutting their anniversary cake, Megh remembered that she brought a nice tiara to go with her beautiful dress and she wanted to take pictures in that attire 👸, so Tarit scurried back to their room to get it for her otherwise.... God knows whether he will get to sleep in the room or not…

While Tarit was gone, Megh was sitting alone in their table and enjoying the night view of the Naini valley; suddenly she heard the noise of a bunch pigeons fluttering their wings and flying away, she literally jumped out of her chair but couldn’t see any birds anywhere nearby 👀. She was so scared that she was about to run towards their room, but then she saw Tarit coming back and just as they were about to cut the cake again, both of them heard the same noise, they got literally scared; they flashed their torchlight towards every direction but couldn’t see any living soul nearby. The romantic atmosphere soon turned into a haunted one, and even the lights started looking dim, vibes became darker. They quickly finished their dinner, and with much hesitation, clicked a few pictures before hurrying back to their room.

In the room, as soon as their backs touched the bed, sleep engulfed them, they were so exhausted from their journey 😴.

Around mid-night, in her deep sleep, Megh suddenly heard a loud bang and someone, in a very deep British Accent, said, “Leave the room now.” Megh thought someone in the next room might be talking, so she went back to sleep, but within a minute, she heard the deep voice again, this time closer to her. She sprang up from the bed and woke Tarit up, within seconds, both of them heard the same deep voice again, “Leave the room now,” it sounded quite angry. By then, they were pretty sure the voice was coming from within the room; they switched on all the lights of the room, but there was no one there. Megh started shivering 😱, Tarit got goosebumps, but both of them tried to think logically and tried to go back to sleep, but as soon as they turned off the lights, the voice spoke again, and this time right next to Megh, “Leave the room now.” Megh and Tarit sprang up from the bed and ran towards the door without wasting a second.

Huffing and puffing, they reached the reception and inquired about the boarder next to their room but to their utter dismay, the receptionist was little hesitant at first but finally checked the register and confirmed that there is no one in the next room, but someone is scheduled to come next morning…they couldn’t believe him, so they demanded to take a look themselves and made him open the next room, but to their sheer horror, there was no one there. Reluctantly, both of them went back to their room, but none of them could close their eyes for the rest of the night, even they couldn’t switch off the lights as well.

Their romantic vacation turned out to be a disaster. They were not believer of paranormal activities but how could they ignore what they heard with their own ears. 

With the first sight of light, they packed their bags and checked out from the hotel. Thankfully, they found one rickshaw just outside the hotel, who offered to take them to a nearby hotel near the opposite side of the lake with good food.

On the way, the rickshaw puller told that locals never go near to that hotel in the evening, it’s believed to be haunted by an old Bitish man , father of a British woman, who fell in love with a local man, which was frowned upon by the society at the time. A fight broke out between the father and the woman's love interest and the next day the both the local man and the British woman was found dead under mysterious circumstances. The father could not tolerate the death of his daughter and committed suicide out of grief and guilt. Many guests and staff have reported flickering lights, hearing footsteps, and shouting, especially near the room where the father stayed.

Megh and Tarit was so scared that they couldn’t gather enough courage to look back at the hotel. They looked ahead and saw the beautiful sun coming up through the mountains…a new day, a new beginning.

The End

Pic credit: Google

Little Brother

The girl woke up in the morning with the letter in her hand, the letter that her brother wrote to Santa Claus, the small-small wishes of a small child, one scented eraser, a car-shaped pencil box, one yellow toy car, a drawing book, and a box of crayons😊. Her brother was sleeping soundly next to her; she wanted to caress him, but he will start crying if he wakes up, thinking about that, she just fondly stared at him for a while and got up after running her fingers through his silky hair for a bit and messing it uu😊😊.

Today is Saturday, so she doesn’t have to go to school but there is a lot of work. Cleaning the clothes, doing the dishes, cleaning the house, etc.; these are all her weekend chores..huh!!!. Thankfully winter vacation is coming, so not many studies, but she must prepare for Christmas also.

Christmas has never been celebrated in their house before but in her brother’s school, they have taught all kinds of festivals that are celebrated all over India so he has become very fascinated about Santa Claus and his gifts, so she wants to be his Santa Claus, and fulfill his small-small wishes.

The girl started her day’s work while still thinking about how to plan and celebrate Christmas. She soaked the clothes in soapy water and began to do the dishes absent-mindedly; only to come back to her senses when her brother’s favorite mug slipped off her hand and broke into pieces, waking up everybody in the house. Luckily, her father was at home so her mother didn’t beat her up, but then she knew as soon as her father goes out, she will not be spared 😔. She quietly cleaned up the mess and after finishing the dishes, she went on to finish her other chores. What an awful beginning of the day…

In the afternoon, when their parents went to take nap after lunch; her brother came to her quietly with a storybook in his hand; he wanted her to read out stories for him and then he whispered in her ears, “don’t worry Didi, I will tell Santa to give me two mugs, one for me and one for you.” She almost felt like crying, but she controlled herself, smiled at him, and started reading out his favorite story. He again interrupted her, “you didn’t post my letter I gave you yesterday right, give it back to me, I will add the mugs also.” She was worried that the amount of money that she has will not be enough to buy two mugs along with the gifts that her brother has already written but couldn’t say no to her brother and gave the letter back to him. He quickly added two mugs in his wish list and gave the letter back, “don’t forget to post it on Monday.” He reminded her.

In the evening also, her brother didn’t leave her side, he wanted to help her make Christmas tree and decorations from colorful papers. Was he trying to protect her?? So that their mother didn’t get a chance to beat her??

Savings

Today, the bus was too crowded, she couldn’t find a place to sit.

At the time of getting off the bus also, she had to squeeze and push herself through the crowd, she was feeling exhausted, but still very happy, she has managed to save 20 paise.

Every morning, before going to school, her mother gives her 1 Rupee and 80 paise, exact to and fro bus fare.

Some conductor uncle takes 70 paise, some take 90 paise.

The day conductor uncle takes 90 paise, she feels very sad ☹, no saving that day.

But other days, she feels very happy to be able to save 20 paise. Also, when she meets some uncles or aunties on the bus, generally they will purchase the ticket, and the fare of that day will be completely saved 😊😊

This way, she keeps on saving paise by paise throughout the year. 

The girl's self-respect doesn’t let her ask for any money from her parents or is she upset with her parents on something. She doesn't get any pocket money, so she keeps saving the bus fares as much as she can, that’s her own money and she buys gifts for her brother with that money, it gives her the freedom to buy whatever her little brother wants.

With just a few days to go before Christmas, she still needs to save some more money to buy gifts (Santa Claus's gifts 😊) for her little brother; her brother still doesn’t know that she is his Santa Claus.

Her little brother is still an innocent boy, he thinks that Santa Claus really exists 😊; let him live in the fairy tale world for as long as he can, the longer he stays in that world, the better.

The world of adults is too harsh, too cruel, seems so unfair to kids 😔.

On the way home from the bus stop, she saw that there is a fair going on in their society ground; different types of cakes, Christmas decorations, gift items, etc. are available. A festive atmosphere is all around. Christmas is coming!!!

As soon as she reached home, her little brother jumped on her and hugged her so tightly that she lost her balance and they both fell on the sofa, giggling. Then he handed her a letter. He has already written a letter to Santa Claus about what a good boy he has been all throughout the year, what all he has done, and a list of what all gifts he wants from Santa was also ready 😊😊.

After her brother fell asleep at night, she was reading his letter to Santa Claus and was wondering how her childhood has been if she had an elder brother or sister like his brother's sister.

When her brother grows up, will he become like her elder brother, will he protect her from the bad world?? indulge her???  God, let him just grow up and be a good human being. Gradually, she also slips into the world of dream, a dream of a better future, a nice world free of cruelty, free of unfair things.

Kickstart another challenging week with lemon & honey water.

Drinking honey, lemon, and water first thing in the morning is a great way to kick start your day, remove toxins and protects the body from catching infections, cleanses the urinary tract, and keeps urine infections at bay. It helps boost energy and especially helps in maintaining energy levels.

Honey is a powerhouse of antioxidants and flavonoids, that help boost one's immunity.

Lemon is a very rich source of Vitamin C and works as a detoxifying agent.

#newchallenge #lemonhoneywater #healthylifestyle #freshstart #detoxify #antioxidants #immunitybooster

A handful of soaked peanuts in my Lil one’s hand… provides her with good amounts of energy keeps her supercharged throughout the day 😊

Peanut allergy is also very common and is a very serious food allergy that a child can develop. It's best to take a test if you suspect you have a peanut allergy.

#kidshealthyfood #healthylifestyle #superchargedkids #peanutbenefits #supermom #superkids #dailyroutine

My sunshine attending her art class early in the morning today!!!

We need vitamin D to help our body absorb calcium and phosphate from our diet. These minerals are important for healthy bones, teeth, and muscles.

Lack of vitamin D can cause bones to become soft and weak, which can lead to bone deformities.

Most people can make enough vitamin D from being out in the sun daily for short periods

But you should be careful not to burn in the sun, so take care to cover up or protect your skin with sunscreen before your skin starts to turn red or burn.

#art #morningsun #vitamind #funtimes #kidsfun

Wipe your stress away like dust on your houseplant’s leaves

Stress becomes negative ("distress") when a person faces continuous challenges without relief or relaxation between challenges

Stress can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety. 

To cope with stress, always keep a positive attitude, practice relaxation techniques, exercise regularly. Your body can fight stress better when it is fit. Eat healthy, well-balanced meals. Get enough rest and sleep. Make time for hobbies, interests.

Taking care of my plants is a great stress buster for me after a long hectic week.

What is your stress buster??

#stressbuster #happyweekend #gardening #healthylifestyle #stressmanagement #relaxation

The arrival of Durga pujo is marked by the beautiful aura of shiuli flowers, it is the seasonal flower of autumn, today morning I saw these pretty little flowers in our apartment garden and felt a little nostalgic about it.

Shiuli, also known as Parijat or Harsingar works as a great anti-pyretic. It cures various nauseous types of fever including malaria, dengue, and chikungunya.

Its medicinal benefits date back to the era where Ayurvedic herbs were the only remedies available for the cure to various diseases.

The decoction of the leaves shuili is widely used in Ayurvedic system of medicine for the treatment of internal worm infections, cough, sciatica, arthritis, fevers, various painful conditions and as laxative.

Due to its anti-arthritic properties, it helps to reduce inflammation and pain. Help treat dandruff, lice, vertigo, and anxiety symptoms, scurvy, and acidity. Additionally, it also treats high blood pressure, sciatica relieves menstrual cramps and is an antidote to snake bites in some cases, and also alleviates piles to a certain extent. It has strong antioxidants that fight against the detrimental effects of free radicals.

Recent studies suggest that Parijat leaf and bark extract are very useful to ameliorate fever instantly. It helps to increase platelet count in dengue and chikungunya fever.

The leaves can be cleaned and dipped in besan and shallow fried like pakora, it is one of the traditionally preferred recipe or home remedies for childhood pinworm and loss of appetite after chronic fever.

You can make tea also from the leaves, take two leaves of basil along with two parijat leaves and a flower and boil them in 1 glass of water, filter it and drink it after it cools down. You can add some honey or sugar to taste.

#healthylifestyle #morningvibes #homeremedies

 Carrots have a wealth of antioxidants and loads of health benefits.

They are good for our eyes, rich in beta-carotene, that changes into vitamin A, which helps keep our eyes healthy, protects our eyes from the sun and lowers chances of cataract and other eye problems like age-related macular degeneration.

Antioxidants in carrots fight off harmful free radicals and can lower risk of cancer and heart disease. Potassium keeps blood pressure in control.

Dietary fibers helps in weight management, and helps in keeping our blood sugar under control thus lowering the risk of diabetes. Munching on some raw carrots can help ease constipation due to the high fiber content.

They boost our immune system. Vitamin C helps our body build antibodies that defend your immune system and helps our body take in and use iron and prevent infections.

Me and my lil bunny like munching on carrots and sometimes we don’t mind having carrot halwa as well  😋

Lil bunny says thank you to Sujju Maasi for the wonderful Bunny ears 😇

#carrots🥕 #healthylifestyle #healthymunchies #yummyfood #kidsfun

Why You Should Try Infused Water?

Infused water, is blended with various fruits and herbs that have enormous health benefits, in addition to just keeping you hydrated. Infused water is not only aesthetically appealing but also allows you to naturally consume more vitamins and nutrients along with increasing your water consumption. Water helps to speed up your body’s metabolism, boost energy levels, prevent cramping, and has many other important benefits. People who normally doesn’t like drinking water and prefer a soda or juice over water now have a much healthy and tasty option.

There’s nothing more refreshing than an ice-cold glass of flavorful infused water with all the goodness of lemon, mint, ginger, and cucumber.

First, simply slice the ginger, cucumber, and lemon into thin slices, roughly chop the fresh mint leaves and put them in your infuser bottle or any jug or pitcher. Finally, fill it with fresh filtered water and store it in fridge for minimum 1 hour so that the flavors and nutrients can infuse in the water. Your infused water is ready to refresh you, flush out the toxins in your system and keep you hydrated.

There are dozens of tasty and healthy ways to flavor your water. Some popular combinations are;

• Strawberry and mint
• Mango and ginger
• Blueberry and lemon
• Lemon and lavender
• Orange and basil
• Orange and Ginger
• Cucumber and Mint
• Apple and Cinnamon
• Blackberry and Orange

You can mix and match your favorite fruits and herbs. What is your favorite combination??

#healthylifestyle #infusedwater #detox #hydrating

Yesterday, while arranging Baby S’ cupboard, I found a plain white T-shirt along with some of her last year’s unopened birthday gifts. It was inside a gift box called Finger painting for kids.

The box contained this plain white T-shirt, some rubber stamps, and some washable watercolors. 

Baby S was super excited to get messy 😊😊, her intention was to get her hands dirty and put paints all over her room. She wanted to paint the T-shirt with her fingers, but I knew if I would have allowed her, the paints would have ended up more on the walls and floors rather than the shirt and then 3rd world war would have started between the father and daughter duo 😨. I didn’t want to waste my Sunday getting caught between them. So, I convinced Baby S that I will do a nice design on the T-shirt and she will get to choose the design from my kid’s collection.

She chose this one;

Art really has a soothing and relaxing effect on your mind, what do you say??

It was during Diwali, my lil kiddo got a DIY project during her vacation, Diya painting or Diya decoration….wow, it was one of my favorite activity when I was a kid. It brought back all my childhood memories….I remembered that I had also put up Diwali stalls in one of my previous organizations along with all my hand painted T-shirts, Diya candles, some DIY crafts etc. 😊….so, when I saw her holiday homework, I got so excited that I bought a dozen of clay diyas to be painted and decorated by my lil one and of course I would also try my hand on a few of them. Kiddo was also super excited 😆. So, first day of her vacation, in the morning, after breakfast, she was all decked up with diyas, paints, decorative items, glitter and what not 😁😁.

We took two diyas each, and got into action;

• First we applied white paint on all of them as a base coat, we used Fevicryl acrylic colors
• Then we chose one color each, kiddo chose light blue and I picked up yellow, all Fevicryl acrylic colors
• Kiddo decorated with some golden glittery paint, she used Fevicryl metallic colors
• I chose to decorate with red.

All of them came out really nice, we were quite happy with the outcome.

The yellow ones, were still with us and we decorated our house with them. We had a wonderful and safe Diwali amidst the pandemic with lots of diyas and lights.

Here is Baby S in action

What was your Diwali DIY??

The COVID lockdown had awakened the creative soul inside me.

Baby S got an invitation to a birthday party yesterday. The parents of the kid decided not to make it an elaborate one, it was a simple cake cutting and snacks for the kids. Also, as it was in our apartment only, I had no objection and the birthday kid’s mother is a brilliant cook, so both cake and snacks were homemade. Basically, there was nothing that I could worry about 😊😊. But you know, we mothers could not spend a day without worrying, if you don’t have to worry about your kid's health and wellness during this pandemic, you have to worry about what would you give to the birthday girl. Thankfully, my creative soul saved me, gave me some quick idea. I thought of making a candle matching with her birthday theme and this was the result. 

In the evening while Baby S was making a handmade card for her friend, I started preparing the candle. I had all the supplies; it was just a matter of putting it all together.

What all you need:

• Clean mason jar
• Candle wax
• Colorful wax crayons (optional, I used pink and blue)
• Candlewick
• Essential oil (optional)
• Candle mold (I used a small paper cup)
• Double boiler
• Yellow ribbon for decoration (optional)
• Cinnamon sticks for decoration (optional)
• Golden glitter (optional)

How I made it:

• Put the required amount of candle wax in a double boiler and melt it
• Add the colored wax crayon of your choice and mix well
• Add a few drops of essential oil in the mixture, mix well again
• In the meantime, put the wick in the mold (I used paper cup) and set it with a drop of glue
• Pour the melted wax in the mold, carefully setting the wick with the help of a stick or pencil
• Let it cool and solidify completely
• Again, take some candle wax and melt it in the double boiler
• Add another colored wax crayon and mix well
• Add glitters (optional), I painted a few golden streaks on the candle at the end
• Pour the melted wax again on top of the solidified wax
• Let it cool and solidify completely
• Put it inside the mason jar and decorate as you wish

I surrounded it with cinnamon sticks, sprinkled some cinnamon powder on top and tied a yellow ribbon on the neck of the mason jar to go with the gold and yellow theme of the birthday party. The birthday girl was really really happy that I made her a personalized candle 😍 

This awesome cake was made by the kid's mother, my friend Vidhya, hats off to her creativity, and I can also vouch for the taste, it was really really yummy 😋😋

Today afternoon, I was putting away some stuff in the overhead storage in the kitchen and found an empty wine bottle safely stashed away. I was wondering what is this empty wine bottle doing here? Then suddenly, I remembered ohh! This was my brother’s gift to me after he got his first job.

It was in 2017, he joined a company in Hyderabad and one fine morning called me, “Didi, I am coming to Bangalore, it’s a long weekend for me, will spend some time with you,” and when he came, he got me a bottle of white wine 😊😊. We had a nice celebration in the evening with wine and roasted peanut masala. Later, we finished with chicken rezalla and whole wheat paratha.

That’s why I couldn’t throw it away even after finishing the contents inside 😊. I thought someday I would make something out of it.

What all you need;

• Empty wine bottle or you can take any nice shaped empty bottle
• Satin ribbon, you can pick any color, I chose pink
• Glitter tape, the same or nearby shade of the ribbon that you chose, I chose red
• Fevicol

How I made it;

• Cleaned the bottle thoroughly with warm water and liquid dish wash
• Wiped it dry from the outside and kept it aside for some time to air dry
• Stuck the ribbon in a spiral fashion to cover the bottom part of the bottle
• Stuck the glitter tape around the neck and ta-da!

My planter is ready to display, thanks for the gift bro!! 😊

When the bottle was full the "D" meant "Diya", now it means "Didi" 😊

Do you have any nice shaped empty bottle, why don't you give it a try to recycle and let me know how it went...

I am meeting my little brother almost after five years😍. My little brother, for whom I used to buy gifts on behalf of Santa Clause 😊😊, has grown up so much. He has completed his studies and now he has started working also. He has shifted to Hyderabad for his job and now he is coming to visit us!!

It was raining heavily the day he reached Bangalore, so me and my hubby, went to pick him up from the bus stop. I was elated to see him in person after such a long time, I almost cried!!

 As soon as we entered the car, my brother said, “let’s go to the nearest liquor shop,” hubby dear happily agreed 😊, God, these boys are crazy….

The liquor shop was only two blocks away, didn’t take much time to reach. Hubby dear got his favorite one and brother got a bottle of white wine, and to our surprise, my brother paid for both and said, “I couldn’t buy anything for you guys, this is my gift to you from my first salary.”

Wow…my brother just gifted me a bottle of wine from his first salary, this is really a proud moment for me 😊

So, it’s time for an evening celebration with wine and roasted peanut masala!!!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of roasted peanut, skin removed
• ½ cup of steamed and sautéed green peas, you can use either frozen or fresh green peas
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ¾ cup chopped cucumber
• ¾ cup chopped tomato
• ¼ cup freshly chopped coriander leaves
• ½ tbsp finely chopped green chilies (optional), you can add or reduce the quantity as per your taste
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ½ tsp chat masala
• ½ tsp rock salt
• Salt as per taste

 Method

• Dry roast the peanuts in a thick bottom kadhai or pan till the skin starts peeling off
• Once roasted nicely, remove the skin and keep aside
• Steam the green peas with a pinch of salt and sauté them
• Chop onion, cucumber, and tomatoes into small cubes
• Take a large mixing bowl and put the roasted peanut, sautéed green peas, and diced veggies
• Mix all the ingredients nicely
• Add rock salt and normal salt as per taste
• Squeeze the juice of half a lemon and mix well
• Sprinkle the chat masala
• Finally, garnish with the freshly chopped coriander leaves

Roasted peanut masala is ready to be served with your favorite drink or as a small snack in between meals.

And once the wine was over I made a wine bottle planter or vase out of it, best out of waste as well as a memoir 😇

Last weekend, I was doing some decluttering and work from home cleaning. Found a very nice light green linen shirt in my hubby’s closet. He had lost some weight; hence the shirt was of no use to him and he almost forgot about that shirt, he happily agreed to donate it, lucky me 😊😊

I always had a thing for linen fabrics, they feel so comfy during the summer months.

Now action time; I chopped off the collar and the sleeves of the shirt, made a round neck, refashioned it to my shape, made a side slit on both sides and now it’s ready to wear. Wait! it’s too simple and plain, let’s be a little bit more creative. 

As the shirt is light green, I took some long-pointed leaves from my garden and did some dark green leaf prints with fabric paint on it, added some orange dots here and there, and voila!!! I got my own linen shirt.

Photo courtesy: Baby S

Do you have a few men’s shirts lying around? Let me know, I can help you to refashion it 😊

Last year, my Maasi visited us from Kolkata during Durga Puja. Durga Puja also called Durgotsava is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess, Durga.

As per mythology, the festival marks the victory of goddess Durga in her battle against the Mahishasura, symbolizing the victory of good over evil.

Durga puja is a ten-day event and a widely celebrated festival, shopping season for communities celebrating it, with people buying gifts for not only family members but also for close relatives and friends. New clothes are a traditional gift. 

My Maasi, in the excitement of meeting us during the puja did a lot of shopping and gifted me a couple of nice sarees, she knew how much I love sarees 😊😊.

One of the sarees came with a running blouse piece; however, I paired that saree with a different blouse, so this blouse piece was lying around my cupboard. 

It was a nice comfortable piece of cloth, so I made a short Kurti out of it and hand-painted it fabric paint.

Its looks ethnic isn’t it, now I paired it up with a grey cotton trouser 😊

Did you like it, leave your comments below...

It’s my Baby S’ birthday, how can I not prepare something that she loves. Though she is a picky eater, she is a foodie after all. So, for my picky eater, pre-teen young lady, I made sorshe pabda, one of her favorite dishes.

Baby S was very specific about the way she wants the dish to be prepared, thanks to our cook aunty back at my Dad’s place in Kolkata. Our cook aunty is not just a cook, she is more than that…but that is a different story…

Baby S was very clear that she wants the dish to be like how “Alu bhaja Didu” makes it. “Alu bhaja Didu” is our cook aunty and she spoils Baby S like anything whenever Baby S visits Kolkata, and she will make sure Alu bhaja (fried potato) is there for lunch every day, that too in a very specific way, thinly sliced crispy potato fries 😊.

Coming back to sorshe pabda (butterfish in mustard gravy)…it is a very simple and easy dish but mouth wateringly delicious and goes very well with piping hot steamed white rice.

 

Ingredients

·  4 medium-sized pabda fish

·  2 tsp mustard seeds, I mixed white and black mustard seeds in equal proportion, but you can use any one as well

·  1 tsp poppy seeds

·  4 green chilies, you can adjust as per your taste

·  1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced

·  ¼ tbsp salt, adding salt while grinding mustard seeds reduces the chance of the paste getting bitter

·  ½ tsp turmeric powder

·  ½ tsp kalonji or nigella seeds

·  Salt as per your taste for making the curry

·  Mustard oil

 Method

• Wash and clean the fish thoroughly and drain the water. Marinate the fish with turmeric powder and pinch of salt and keep aside for 10 minutes. Add few drops of oil on the fish, to prevent the skin from bursting while frying
• Now, add mustard oil in a non-stick pan and a pinch of salt, this will prevent the oil from spattering. 
• Heat the oil sufficiently.
• Carefully place the fishes one by one to the oil for frying. Lower the heat and let them fry a little bit on one side for 2 mins and then turn and fry the other side as well.
• Transfer the fish on a plate and keep aside
• Now, in the same oil add kalonji seeds and let it saute for a few seconds
• Add thinly sliced onion and let them fry till the onions turn little brownish
• Add mustard and poppy seeds paste and mix it with little water add turmeric powder. Add this mixture in the pan
• Cook it for few minute and add little warm water, bring the water to boil
• Add the Pabda fishes one by one and allow it to simmer for 3-4 minutes or until reach the desire consistency.
• Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and with steam rice.

What do you do when a strong craving strikes somewhere around mid-afternoon?? Think 💭 about a piece of cake 🍰or doughnut 🍩 or a packet of chips or French fries 🍟?? irresistible right?

Hey! what about your healthy eating resolution??

Don't worry, good newz is that we can snack guilt free on something that's healthy and at the same time yummy as well 😋

One of my favorite is stir fried steamed veggies. 

Ingredients

• 1 bowl of cubed veggies of your choice (I took carrot, sweet potato, and papaya)
• 1 green chilli (optional)
• 1 tbsp. cumin seed
• 2 tbsp. ghee (I took my homemade one)
• Rock salt to taste, you can take normal salt also unless you are fasting
• Black pepper powder
• Garnish, 1 tbsp. cilantro chopped (optional)

Method

• Steam the cubed veggies in such a way that they are still crunchy.
• Heat 2 tbsp. ghee in a wok, add cumin seeds and allow them to crackle.
• Add the sliced green chili and sauté it.
• Add all the steamed vegetables and sauté a little.
• Add rock salt and black pepper.
• Your yummy and healthy mid-afternoon snack is ready to munch on 😊

My other healthy munching options are;

• Raw or steamed veggies with hummus
• Handful of dry fruits
• Yogurt with fruits
• Baked banana chips
• Roasted peanut masala
• Any kind milkshake with fruits, banana milkshake is the easiest one 😝😝

Let me know which one is your favorite??

Ghee is a traditional Indian superfood and has been enjoyed for thousands of years. It’s also frequently used in Ayurveda and other healing medicines. It is an amazing powerhouse 💪.

Mostly in all Indian households, milk is consumed in some shape or form and a typical by-product after boiling the milk is cream. 

We are no different, but in my family, no one prefers to have the cream along with milk, so I collect the cream for a few weeks in a glass container and store it in the refrigerator and then churn the cream and boil it on low to medium flame to make ghee.

Yes 😊, it's that simple!!

Step by Step process to make ghee;

 

Ingredients

• 1-liter heavy cream/malai/cream of milk (straight from the refrigerator)

Method

• Take out the cream from the refrigerator.
• Put it straight into a large kadhai or wok and switch on the gas
• With the help of a ladle, stir continuously so that there is no lump and then let it simmer
• As the butter simmers, it will start foaming and spluttering
• Continue cooking on low to medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the milk solids don't burn at the bottom
• It will gradually start changing color from a bright yellow to slightly brownish and then to a light golden brown
• Gradually it stops foaming, ghee becomes clear and separates from the milk solids at the bottom, milk solids turn brown; make sure they don’t burn
• Let it cool for a few minutes and strain the ghee with a steel strainer or cheesecloth.

Your ghee is ready! Store it in an airtight jar.

Tip: You can use brown milk solids in different kinds of gravy to make it thick and flavorful or make sweets. I made milk-cake out of it, me and Baby S loved it 😋.

Ghee has a very long shelf-life, it can be stored at room temperature for three to four months. In the refrigerator, it can be stored up to a year.

You can use ghee for tempering dal or curries or you can top idli, dosa, rice, parathas, rotis, etc. with ghee to add more flavor to them. It is also believed to aid digestion if used in moderate quantity.

Baby S and I love warm rice with ghee, a little salt, and mashed potato or Bengali style alu bhate 😋.

Steamed white rice with homemade Ghee

Alu bhate or mashed potato

Ghee is also very nutrient-rich and contains vitamins A, K2, and butyric acid.

It is also a fantastic homemade moisturizer. Just rub a little bit between your palms and apply it to your skin. Applying it regularly will make your skin soft and radiant.

Now that you know how to make ghee easily at home, why don’t you give it a try? 😊

When the whole lockdown thing started in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and cooks & maids stopped coming; Alu bhate became my favorite side dish 😊😊. Me, as well as my whole family, realized how much we love alu bhate 😘…warm rice with ghee, masoor dal, and alu bhate… quick, easy, tasty, and healthy lunch.

In the pre-pandemic era, it was Baby S and my favorite breakfast before rushing out for school and office respectively 😊. I used to pressure cook everything together; Gobindo bhog rice, moong dal, grated potato, chopped onion, and salt and then serve hot with a dollop of ghee on top. It used to keep us full until our lunchtime. Daddy S also never said no to this healthy and tasty breakfast 😋.

Actually, to be very honest, it has always been our quintessential comfort food. After coming back from a vacation, we would always long for dal, alu bhate, bhat (Lentil soup, mashed potato, and rice) to give our stomach a break. While recovering from illness, we will have plain rice and mashed potato as it is easy to digest and tastes good.

Alu bhate simply means potatoes boiled with rice. Once the rice is fully cooked, potatoes were taken out and the extra water with starch is drained out from the rice. The boiled potatoes were then mashed and mixed with salt, little mustard oil, green chili, and fresh coriander leaves… and that is it, our side dish is ready. Also, if you have some leftover, you can use it for making Alu Parathas or sandwich 😊😊

Ingredients

• 2 medium-sized potatoes
• 1 tbsp mustard oil, you can use ghee also instead of mustard oil
• 4 tbsp chopped onion
• 2 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro
• 1 tsp finely chopped green chili (optional, you can add more as per your taste or completely omit it)
• Salt as per taste
• 1 tsp lemon juice (optional)

Method

• Wash the potatoes very well to remove all the dirt from the skin
• Boil the potatoes with the skin on, you can either boil it with rice or you can pressure cook it till tender
• Let them cool down completely before peeling off the skin
• Mash them well
• Add all the other ingredients together and mash well again.

Serve with warm rice topped with ghee or butter

This is perfect for bachelors also, easy to cook and goes well with plain rice and ghee 😃

Please visit my post if you want to know how to make ghee athome, step by step process.

Appe is a typical South Indian breakfast recipe which also goes by the name of paddu, guliappa, gulittu, yeriyappa, gundponglu, ponganalu in different parts of South India.

I first tasted it after coming to Bangalore while sharing lunch with one of my colleagues, and instantly fell in love with it.

So, I had to learn the recipe and prepare it myself and to my surprise, my experiment was successful 😊😊, my whole family loved it; especially Baby S, she was so excited when she saw me preparing this, she was already aware of this dish, thanks to her school, this was one of the most popular breakfasts that were served in her school. Apparently, Daddy S also had tasted it in his office and liked it…wow!!!

Appes are shallow fried dumplings prepared in a special appe pan or mold which typically has 7, 9, or 12 shell-shaped grooves. 

These are perfect healthy breakfast or snack choices with minimal usage of oil and also perfect for go-to breakfast during morning’s rush hours. Typically, it's prepared with leftover idli or dosa batter. You can add veggies of your choice like capsicum, peas, beans, carrots, etc. to pack more nutrition into it or hide the vegetables in it for your picky eaters 😊😊; it tastes great when served hot with a choice of chutney or even sambar. You can also pack it for lunch box.

Here comes the recipe for a quick and healthy breakfast;

Ingredients

• 1 cup idli rice
• ¼th cup urad dal
• 5-6 curry leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 green chili (finely chopped)
• 1 tsp mustard seeds
• ¼th tsp asafoetida or hing
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onions
• ½ cup finely chopped vegetables of your choice
• Oil for greasing the appe pan
• Salt as per taste

Method

• Wash and clean rice and urad dal, soak them separately in water for 5 hours.
• After 5 hours, drain excess water and grind them together in a grinder jar to a fine paste, use water as required to make a thick-consistency batter
• Allow the batter to ferment overnight or for at least 8 hours
• Heat a kadhai or tadka pan and put 1 tbsp oil. Add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, hing, green chilies, and curry leaves. Fry for a couple of mins
• Pour this tadka on the batter, add salt and mix well
• Appe Batter is now ready, consistency should be like a spoon drop
• Heat the non-stick appe Pan.
• Grease the molds with some oil.
• Pour a spoonful of batter in each mold, cover, and cook on medium heat
• Once the appes are cooked from the bottom, flip over and cook from the other side

Your quick go-to morning breakfast is ready to serve with chutney, sambhar, or sauce.