Life Without Roots !!!

                       We are seeds looking for the perfect soil to grow and thrive !!!

We are moving again. This time it also a cross country move from New York to Texas. I have got only 2 weeks to pack our life here. So we won't be seen here for next month or two.

It is just a pain to do all the packing and move and set our life every year. And we loose the friends we made. Now that Aarav has started school he will have to adjust to the new atmosphere ,teachers and friends. When you move you even have to find out perfect store for the things you need at the perfect prices.

Owww.... poor me. Now read this :











Since we are new in USA we wanted to explore the country before we settle down in one place. Our kids are still young so we don't need to worry about proper schooling yet.Best of all my husband is in software industry and can find new project (not easily) in different parts of the country. So we decided to explore all the new places,make new friends and find out what's best for us. Now we move almost every year.



Now most of you are jealous,thinking wow what a great way to travel !!! Well the only thing is we didn't decided to live this way (we are not the adventurous people) but this is something we have to except. So lately I have come out from the moving-is-a-big-pain from moving-is-awesome mood.



Last year I was really in the bad state of mind. But than I thought why ? I have a perfect healthy loving family. Some friends even from far away stick with me all the time and want to see me happy. And if not for moving we wouldn't have seen places or meet new friends or discover new things we as a family enjoy most(instead of mowing lawns or cleaning a big house). If only I can see the brighter side of this than my kids won't feel the negative effects.

So now I am one happy mommy, who is packing a whole house with two little monsters who are as happy as any kids to play with all the random stuffs (bags,tapes,hats,broken toys,pots and pans). All I am trying to teach them (and myself) is letting go of our favorite things (even the most favorite toys) shouldn't be sad or painful. Cause there are more stuff waiting for us at the new destination.

Mushroom Soup with Basil !!!

                               A warm bowl of soup on a winter night (or day) !!!
Just reading this line gives me warmth. Who doesn't like a bowl of soup on wintry nights ???

   

Chef is busy watching snow !!!

As you may know I wasn't into cooking anything special until recently. And most of my inspiration for new dishes comes from restaurants. When we moved to USA I was obsessed with Food Network.I felt like if I keep watching enough food making I will be able to understand western food (something very new for me) and cooking techniques of this new land. But turned out that only you can only watch food on TV,You don't know what it is going to taste like. So many of my Food Network inspirations was a failure.



But Food Network taught me a lot. Names of the ingredients, different processes and best of all experimenting. So slowly I started to take notice of the food we eat in the restaurants. Most of the time ,though unconsciously I tried to imaging what was in the food and how it has been made. And that's how I picked up the recipe for this soup. After eating the same soup twice, I came to understand it is something really simple. And it is time to use my beloved Basil right off the plant.

Mushroom Art !!!

Aarav has only recently started to eat soups. He only loves crunchy things. And there no crunchy  soup in this world. If you know one please give me the recipe. So in efforts to act like a big kid he was ready to eat soup (3-4 TBSP at max). But he loves basil. Most of the leaves from my Basil plants go straight in his tummy.

                                             

                                           Tips :

• Basil is a herb you need to use a lot get the nice flavor. First time around I used almost all the leaves from my tiny plant.
• Using fresh Basil is highly recommended. But if you can't have fresh ,dried is OK too.
• Some stores have frozen herbs too. They are bit expensive. But they are better than buying fresh basil.
• Sometimes fresh basil are not so fresh. And you have to use them within 1-2 days.
• If you can't mix the flour and milk perfectly, without any lumps use an hand mixer to do the job (like I do). Just make sure to add mushrooms afterwards.
• Soup will thicken after 2-3 hours. 
• If you don't have vegetable stock to make the soup thinner,don't add just water. add 1 or 2 vegetable flavor bullion (cubes) . 

Prep  Time   :    15 minutes
Cook Time  :    20 mintues


Ingredients  :

2   cups        sliced Mushrooms
1  TBSP      Olive oil  +   2 TBSP Olive Oil
2   TBSP     All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 Cups  Milk
1/4  Cup     Chopped Basil (or more if you want)
Salt to taste

To make the soup thinner :
 Vegetable stock or Water + vegetable Bullion







1)  Saute the Mushrooms in 2 TBSP Olive Oil till they are tender.

2)  Meanwhile start the soup base in a separate pan. Lightly heat the 1 TBSP olive oil.

3) Add flour in the oil and stir it till it turns light brown. Keep the heat low.
4) Once the flour is cooked add milk ,while adding the milk stir rapidly with a whisker so there are no     lumps of flour left. (check Tips to avoid lumpy flour in your soup).

5) Let milk cook for 3-4 minutes.
6) Add cooked Mushrooms and Basil. Let them cook for 2-3 Minutes.

Our Tiny Winy Celebration to Welcome The Sheep Year !!!

                                               Happy Chinese New Year !!!

Sorry, We don't have a recipe this time. But I wanted to share this fulfilled day with you all. From few weeks we are bringing books related to Chinese New Year. And Aarav so wanted to make the Dumplings to bring the good luck and wealth (he has no idea what that means). So we decided to do exactly that. But the idea was so prompt we wasn't able to do any decorations. Maybe Next year !

Now My brother asked me that what do you have to do with Chinese New Year? And I was like isn't word celebration enough to cheer a kid who is stuck in house for days. I guess he will celebrate every single festival (even fool moon ,no moon days on calender) once he has his own little monsters.

As an Indian you grow up with lots and lots of different festivals from all the religions followed side by side. And major festival of each religion has a national holiday. So we are used to celebrate festivals to which we are not directly connected. And I was lucky to get a chance to travel to many countries with my dance troupe since I was 14. It gave me a broader view of the world which I have read in books or seen on TV. And I so glad my son is open to except which come across his life. 

I wanted my kids to learn about different culture not only because there are so many opportunities to stumbling upon people or places totally different from you, But I also want him to feel comfortable , rather confident about being different too. I want him to know that how important it is to respect other cultures too. Since he started school, many time he has felt that why we do thing differently form his English friends (anyone who is not Indian). Sometimes he has even refused to do things our way. So I hope teaching him about different cultures will make him comfortable both here in USA and when we visit India. 

Do you celebrate or include customs from other cultures ? Why ? What customs ? We would love to know about your adventures in adopting new customs.

Roasted Red Papers in Balsamic Vinegar !!!

I wouldn't have made them till summer or at least spring , until the insane prices of papers would come down a little. Only last week I was talking to my friend about how expensive all the papers are in winter and how we love to have them in salads and everything.

But maybe the people at grocery store heard my prayers and lowered the prices , so I bought a whole lot of papers for my Roasted Red Papers in Balsamic Vinegar.

We first tastes this (or something like this) at a small cozy family style Italian Restaurant. Though I have never tasted Balsamic Vinegar by the color and taste I assumed that the Papers are marinated in Balsamic Vinegar. So I thought about giving them a try.








You can use them in salads, sandwiches or eat just like that.

Prep Time :  10 Minutes
Cook Time : 30 Minutes + 10 minutes

Now 30 minutes doesn't sound like a quick fix , But that's the time for roasting them in the oven. Practically all you have to do is watch TV, Cook actual Dinner or watch the papers while they are having fun in the sun (well Oven).

Ingredients :

4  Big      Red Papers




2  TBSP  Balsamic Vinegar
3  TBSP  Olive Oil
1  Clove of Garlic
Salt to taste

Preheat the Oven 350 Degrees F / 175 Degrees C

1) Cut the papers in half. Put them on the baking sheet lined with aluminium foil.
2) Oil the skin of the papers. That way the skin will peel of easily once the are roasted.
3)  Put the baking sheet on the Oven and let the paper roast for 30 minutes. Or until the skin start turning black on some places.
4) Take them out of the oven and let them cool.
5) Once cooled peel the skin off and cut them in to strips.
6) Mix all the other ingredients onto a bowl or a jar and put the papers in.

Let them sit and sip all the vinegar and garlic flavor for and hour or so before serving.

My Mom's Tomato Soup !!!

This soup is more like a Tomato broth than soup. But all the aromas from cumin and clove makes it so irresistible in winter. Well it took me few years to figure out that why my soup didn't had any color when I made it in winter in USA. Because in India tomatoes are winter vegetable (or fruit) and in USA they are in season in summer.

Prep Time :  5 Minutes
Inactive      :  10-15 Minutes
Cook Time :  15  Minutes

Ingredients : 
2   Medium size tomatoes
3   Cups   Water
1  Green Chili (to taste)
1-2  TBSP   Tomato ketchup or puree (for color)
Salt to taste
Pinch of sugar

For Tempering /Tadka  :

1  TSP  Ghee or Oil
1/2 TSP Cumin
1-2 Cloves

1) Boil the tomatoes.
2) Crush the tomatoes and chili.
3) Add The tomatoes  to water.
4) Boil it for 8-10 minutes. Add salt and sugar.
5) In a small pan heat the ghee or oil. Add cumin and cloves. Ones the get brown (in 30-45 seconds)
    pour it over the soup.

6) Enjoy.....

Palak Pulaav (Spinach Pilaf) !!!

                              Green Rice .... Palak Pulav ..... Spinach Pilaf !!!

Whatever you call it, It's a fancy rice dish with a healthy kick. And just one spoonful of this rice takes me all those years back to my parents' home.All four of us enjoying our dinner on those cozy winter nights,watching some cartoon (yup...my addiction to cartoon is hereditary), talking about our busy days.This is not a quick or easy everyday rice recipe but it's totally worth all the efforts.

My mummy adopted this recipe from one of our neighbors. I love this custom of  "Vatki Vehvaar" (literary Bowl Custom) ,where one share a bowl of their all-time favorite dishes to experimental dishes with their neighbors. Even if each family member gets only a spoonful from that bowl, we look forward for the next bowl. I think sharing food with someone is the greatest way to show you care for them, you like them being around you and like any family there are some of those melting moments between you and your neighbor. But still you want to share your most special experience (sometimes fiascoes) with them. And that's how this" Palak Pulav" found it's way into our winter menu.

Spinach is the best snack !!!

For Aarav anything with spinach is a treat. And he truly believes spinach is a super food (remember Popeye !!!) . For some unknown reason my son prefers row leafy vegetables and herbs over sweet fruits. he even gets to cut leafy veggies with scissors, so overall it's a much awaited dinner for him too.

Little one also wanted to get involved ,so he woke up from his nap .....

                                             

                                                                   











                                                                         







                                                                  Tips :

• We don't want to boil the spinach ,just blanch it till it's softens a little. No more than 2-3 minutes in hot water.
• And we need remember not cooking the spinach through whole Pulav Making process ,that way we will have green rice instead of somewhere-between-green-brown-rice.
• It's good idea to use left-over rice for any Pulav or fried rice. Freshly made rice will break during the cooking.
• I prefer using mostly green chilies for the heat. Red chili powder will make the color darker.
• Add spices according to your body's tolerance levels. To mild the spices eat yogurt or Raita (yogurt dip) with your rice.
• All the ingredients for tempering is optional.But highly recommended for the wonderful aroma.....

Prep Time :  30 Minutes
Cook Time:  20 Minutes


Ingredients :

2        Cups  Cooked Rice
3        Cups   Fresh Spinach

1        Cup   Finely chopped onions
1        Cup   Crushed Tomatoes  (fresh or tin)
1/2     Cup   Green Peas
1/2    Cup   Papers
2-3    Green Chilies  finely chopped
1       TSP    Ginger-Garlic Paste
1        TSP   Red chili powder (to taste)
1        TSP   Coriander  Powder (optional)
1/4    TSP    Turmeric  Powder (optional)
Salt to taste (Spinach is a salty vegetable,so taste and add salt)





For Tempering / Tadka :

3     TBSP    Oil
1      TBSP   Ghee
1     TSP       Cumin
2-3  Whole  Cloves
1      Small piece of Cinnamon
4-5   Curry Leaves
8-10 Cashew Nuts

1)   In wide pan heat the oil and ghee. When Oil and Ghee is lightly heated add cumin followed by all       the other ingredients for the tempering. Add Green Chilies and Ginger-Garlic paste. Let it all               cook on low heat for 1-2 minutes.

2)  Add Onions ,Peas and papers. Saute them until onions are translucent.

3) When the onions are busy making themselves translucent ,start working on the spinach. Add                chopped Spinach to hot water. Let them sit there for 3-4 minutes. Until the spinach softens.

4) When the onions are cooked add tomatoes,Red Chili, coriander and turmeric powder to the pan.         Cook it for 2-3 minutes.

5) When the Spinach has soften , blend it to a puree.
6)  Add pureed spinach . Cook them until most of the water evaporates. But make sure not to cook for     a long time or the spinach will start loosing all the nice,fresh green color.

7) Spinach puree has tendency to splatter. To save yourself from cleaning and burning, cover the pan       with lid. One with holes is the best to use.

8) Add rice and  mix everything together.Add splash of lemon if desired.

Serve it with Yougurt or Raita.

In winter we prefer it with tomato soup. Click here for the recipe of "My Mom's Tomato Soup"