Vrindavan: Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple

My husband had a friend’s bachelor party to attend over the weekend. It was the perfect opportunity for me to visit my parents, since he had to cross my zone.

Now my family already had plans of a day trip to Vrindavan on Sunday. Since I had not visited Vrindavan in a long-long time I decided to go with the flow. I mean I decided to tag along with my family for the day trip.

Khushi's creative gesture

It is beautiful how sometimes little gestures make your day special and unique; little gestures that emanate from unconditional pure child like love. 

I had really not planned to write a post today till I met Khushi, my husband’s eleven year old cousin and my youngest sis-in-law. 

Navratra Special: Tikkad

I celebrated ashtmi (the eighth day of navratra) today but those of you who celebrate navmi (the ninth day) would still be fasting and so today’s post is just a tiny bit of help from my end to assist you decide the menu for dinner. The help is called tikkad.

Do not mistake them with tikkis (cutlets).

Navratra Special : Kaddu ka Halwa

I have always enjoyed my mom’s cooking and one major reason behind it has been her keeping it healthy. The butter and ghee (clarified butter) is avoided wherever it can be. Every navratra before I got married I used to binge on the kaddu ka halwa (close to a pumpkin pudding) she used to make for us. It was extremely plain and simple; no nuts and yet I was in love with that simplicity; the smooth blended texture that used to just melt slowly and give itself away to my taste buds once it touched the tongue. And the best part about it was that it was made in just a spoon and a half of ghee and yet looked and tasted so luxuriously rich.

Navratra Special: Sabudana Kheer

A lot of us choose to fast during the nine days of navratras. Navratri is generally celebrated twice a year. Once during the spring and the other during the onset of autumn, which is why the one celebrated during this time of the year is also known as Chaitra Navratri and the one that is celebrated during the latter half of the year is known as Sharad Navratri.

While some people choose to abstain from non-vegetarian food and alcohol during these nine days the others are forced to do the same, like my husband :p…(I am probably going to get killed for putting this down). Nonetheless, I love him for doing this solely for the faith I have in God (butter butter butter!!!).

Every year I generally fast for two days out of nine but this year I have chosen to fast for all eight days, The Eighth day because we celebrate ashtmi (the eighth day) instead of the navmi (the ninth day). Since most of us are confused about what to cook for a meal during these days, I thought of sharing what I cooked for myself last night. It was the sabudana (sago) kheer. 

Eggless Wholewheat Apple Cinnamon Cake

So…yesterday I got a reason to bake again (though I do not really need one :p..I love it anyway). It was my father-in-law’s (FIL) birthday. 

As kids all of us always chose the cake of our choice; chocolate or pineapple, decorated with a doll, a car or the epic pair of bat and ball. Now with the evolution in cake baking, as adults boy don’t shy away from bottles of wine with bikini clad women at the pool and girls love to adorn their piece of cake with Louis Vuittons, pair of heels and the little black dress. The gist of all this is that a birthday cake is all about customization. 

The Gift of Nature

image source: google

The lush green trees

They stand tall and proud

The almond shaped leaves

They whisper, they swish with the music of the winds

The fragrance of wet mud

It’s earthy, it’s rustic

The mighty tides of the sea

They go high; they go low, just like various phases of life

The sound of chirping birds

It’s happy, it’s melodious

The colourful flowers

Blushing pink, calm lavender and radiant yellow

They are vibrant; they are effervescent, never failing to bring a smile on the face

Such is the beauty of Mother Nature

This precious gift should not be wasted but be embraced

A feeling of peace is what one gets when he/she is close to nature. A very common example that each one of us must have experienced is that a tree’s cool shade always brings respite on a hot summer day. Walking at the beach or on the grass bare feet is unique and incomparable to a walk on the road with the shoes on. The gift of nature is very special and thanks to my parents who have inculcated in me a sense befriending that gift from the early days.