Holy Moly, Guacamole!

It has been five months since my return from the most fabulous vacation of my life to the US. And ever since I'm back, there has been but one change in my old routine. I miss my niece to bits. She is my doll, my princess, the daughter I never had. And I always find myself wanting to get her that dress at the mall or the pink glittery book that she might like. But there is one more thing that I miss. And that's guacamole. Having eaten the Chipotle rice bowl many a times during my stay there, I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to replicate it at home. The thought had been haunting me for a while and I had almost given up the hope of finding avocados here in Pune and even did some googling for some pathetic substitutes. Well, what can I say, desperate times!

You know what they say about dreams coming true at the time you least expect it, and all that? That really happens. I was at Dorabjees for my Diwali shopping and there, among the fruits, I caught sight of the most beautiful green avocados. The were like eighty rupees a fruit but if you remember, desperate times...yeah. So, I just grabbed a couple and couldn't wait to try them at home. I scooped out the pulp and mashed it well. Then I added some chopped onions, tomatoes, chillies, coriander leaves, salt and lime juice and.... tadaaaa!! There it was! My creation, my favorite - a creamy, yummy guacamole!

The family loved it. We paired it with some chips and it was all finished in a jiffy. Now that I know where I can get my hands on the avocados, I can make them whenever I crave for some Mexican twist. I felt so ecstatic after my success that now my mission is to recreate the Chipotle rice bowl at home. The hardest part was the guac and with that sorted, the rest is going to be easy. Surely, if the recipe is a hit, I will be posting it on my blog for all you guys to try. Believe me, it is a delicious and healthy meal and you'll comeback for more. So, I leave with the taste of that guac lingering on my tongue but not without posting a picture of it. Do give it a try and enjoy!

Happy 12th to Us!

You make me laugh, you make me cry,

You make me strong and coax me to the extra mile,

You support me, like no one I know,

You've watched me fail, you've watched me grow (literally!)

You taught me to be happy

in the truest of sense,

You taught me to be myself

and come out of my fence,

You showed me a new world where happiness was always possible,

You let me into your life to create memories, cherishable.

I cannot begin to describe my lucky chance,

These past twelve years have been a blissful trance,

You make sure that I have the very best,

For that I'm grateful, I'm eternally blessed.

But more than anything, I truly respect the fact
that you take me as I am, strengths and weakness intact,
This unconditional love you have for me
is beyond what I had imagined, so you see,

I won't thank you as it would mean farewell,
I admit, I enjoy your attention quite well!
My only wish is to be with you forever,
If I have you I'm happy, wherever!

This life and beyond, I promise you this,
You'll always have me, We'll always be together!

Let's Put A Smile On That Face

I would like to relate a true incident when I was rescued by McCain snacks. It was a few years back, when my elder son, Varun, was all of six years. He was this extremely active kid (still is, actually) who could either run or jump, but couldn't sit still. Every evening he would love to go down and play with his friends and that would give him the ultimate joy with which he would go to sleep, awaiting more action and fun the next day. Until one day, when he caught the flu. A nasty one.

With fever running about a 102 degrees, he was extremely tired and the blocked nose and sore throat didn't make it any easier. He slept through the days and nights due to the medications and in the evenings, he would just sit on the couch, pretending to be watching TV but all he would think about was not being able to join his friends. He didn't like being stuck at home. His friends would call asking for him and I would turn them down while looking at his sad little face. By the third day, he felt a bit better but was absolutely bored. As a mother, I couldn't bear to see him that way. My cute little jumping jack was now sitting still, quietly. I couldn't take him out either as it was quite cool and I feared it might worsen his condition.

So, I came up with a plan. I thought, why not invite his close friends home? He could play with them and probably that would perk him up a little. I called his friends, whoever was available, to come home and play with Varun. I then told my son of my plan. His face instantly brightened! I eagerly headed to the kitchen to fix some snacks for all the kids. I scoured my kitchen top to bottom but couldn't find a single thing! Not even a biscuit. Now, I didn't have time to go to the shops to buy something, his friends were on their way. I was so disappointed. Just as I was wondering what to do, I chanced upon an advertisement of McCain’s snacks on TV. I remembered that I might have some McCain snacks in the freezer. We all love these snacks and keep them stashed, just in case. I quickly opened the freezer and there it was. A full pack of McCain smiles! Varun’s favorites! Phew, that was close! No sooner did his friends arrive, Varun’s mood changed and they all began playing in his room. After about half an hour, I called them out for a snack.

I cannot, till date, forget the expression on their faces when I laid the platter of those beautiful, delicious smiles in front of them. Normally, I wouldn't prefer to feed my kids fried food during illness but this time, I made an exception. Just looking at his excitement while gorging on the smiles in the company of his friends, made my day. Thank goodness for the pack of smiles in my freezer! The kids enjoyed and had a great time. Varun was back to his active self and I was relieved, to say the least.

But that was not the miracle. That night as I was tucking Varun in, he unexpectedly got up and gave me his special sloppy kiss. Pleasantly surprised, I asked him what it was for. He said,” Because I could eat smiles with my friends today! Thank you!” I felt a warmth within myself with all the love that I was soaking in. But at the end of the day, all that mattered was that Varun felt great because he could share his favorite smiles with his friends. And I couldn't thank McCain snacks more for making him happy!

Check out the wide range of delicious McCain snacks here.

******   Post written for the Let's Put A Smile On That Face contest on Indiblogger  *******

The Sparkle of Festivities

The onset of the festive season changes everything. Our drab routine life gets a midas touch and turns beautiful and exciting, albeit for a short period. And no, I'm not talking about the sale that is practically everywhere (although it is a reason to party, no less!). The city gears up for the celebrations with pandals out in every street, every corner. The deities get a makeover and so do our homes. Cleaning, clearing out the clutter, planning things from decor to sweets and snacks.....what a busy but lovely ritual it becomes for kids and old alike!

Here in Pune, celebrations begins with the Ganesh Utsav, followed by Navrathri and then Diwali. And that's not all, even Halloween is celebrated in the colony now. And then comes Christmas, all magical and surreal. Evenings during this period is a sight to behold with colorful lighting and decorations.

But it is not just about the glamour of it all . The real celebration can be seen when people come closer to each other not as a group of the same religion or caste but as humans. Muslims celebrating Diwali or sharing their meals with Hindus during Eid is what festivals are all about. The true meaning of festivities is realized when friends and strangers, rich and poor, gather to share each other's happiness, each other's lives. When one heartfelt wish from John on Navrathri makes your day or when Sita joins her friends for the midnight mass, that's when you are actually celebrating. No matter what the festival, if the people who love you are with you, you genuinely celebrate.

And when you do that, up above all our Gods celebrate the festival of humanity, rejoicing and relieved that their purpose behind the creation of mankind has been saved.

May the sparkle of this festive season be with you, always. Season's Greetings!

Write India by TOI

Have you heard about the Write India initiative by Times of India yet? If not, then let me tell you that it is a fantastic opportunity for aspiring writers to have their stories read and selected by some of the celebrated authors of today, and get published. The contest is for 11 months. One short story will be selected each month as the winning story and at the end of the contest, they would be published by TOI! Isn't that just awesome?!?

I have submitted my story for Chetan Bhagat's preface. It seemed doable at first but boy, was it tough! It took me days just to create the story line and more days to edit it! But I must say, it was an exciting challenge. Eagerly awaiting the next one.

The contest begins on the 7th of every month and closes on the 30th of the same month. So, visit the website, follow it on twitter to keep a tab on the updates.

For more details on this initiative, click here.

Happy Writing!

Knitting Supplies in Pune

I have spent some time during my early days in Pune looking for good quality materials to satisfy my knitting itch back when I was a beginner. It seemed impossible at first but after some research I found a couple of shops that I have been regularly visiting  for some time now.

There is New Galaxy General Store in Clover Center, Camp which has everything from embroidery threads to needles to knitting supplies to laces. For knitters, you can get your basic colored yarn here but they don't have much choice in either colors or types of yarns. I go here only when I want some basic stuff for my work.

I would always prefer going to Samrat Store in Tulsibaug for a more extensive buy for yarns. They house a variety of different colors and types. Be it bulky yarn or fingering yarns, you can get it all here. They keep some knitting books too. It also has a lot of stuff for crafters.

Recently, wen I visited the US I noticed that they have many shops that cater to a variety of hobbies. For knitters, they have regular workshops at yarn shops where you could go take a few lessons and even trying out different yarns to get a feel of it. Not only that, the quality of yarns is great. Different textures, so many beautiful colors and even more accessories to make knitting easier, comfortable and a pleasure. I really wish we had something like that here in India. Not only for knitters but for other crafters as well.

Until then it is just buying local yarn and satisfying myself by creating projects; with the help of some YouTube videos, of course!

Sometimes...

Sometimes, it is better not to have a clear eyesight. Sometimes, you don't want to see things so clearly. The lies, the mockery, the hatred, the fear, the irony and the hard truth. Sometimes, it feels better to have a blurry image in front of you beacuse then, you can imagine. And not know.

Sometimes, it is better to not know.