Happy Feeling :)

How the Queen's milestone b'day at the start of the month got pushed to the day before yours truly's b'day, i will not know. I am not complaining either...Departure Lounge made for an apt setting - jalapeno martinis and prosecco cocktail gave the evening a jump-start. Food was excellent - considering we must have tried almost everything on the menu - would love to whip up such crispy yet cooked brussel sprouts with chili and lime. MeltingPot for dessert was a let-down but i had my fill of chocolate covered straw-berries.

On the day itself, friends sprung a surprise. Thanks to LilC else they would have been stranded in the cold trying to wake up aspirin grogged self. Must say, they are a good-cooking bunch (not to mention artsy)...my first taste of Appams with potato stew, vermicelli upma, poori-sagoo, jalebis and an apple spiced cake with delicious sauteed apples. Amid all the cooking and eating, BigC posts a note for LilC...as if she could read and if she did, as if she'd listen...something tells me she made the note after checking it out for herself - "Don't Touch! Don't Lick! the CAKE!" Given the busy times at work, it was a happy feeling knowing they took out so much time. N made a pumpkin chocolate cake. Closed out with 2 spookalicious parties - what 12 year old requests "her" arugula salad for a b'day treat and how can it not be done justice given all the pomegranates and persimmons flooding the stores?!

All in a day's mail

It was a happening day as i went about the mundane task of sorting through the mail - Baby Appu's announcement card with a box of belgian chocolates, hand-painted postcard from H&M's travels south that took a month to reach, BigC's pony thank-you card from her friend and a hand delivery of Cranberry Gojju. Having missed my chance to make this last year given the short supply period of fresh cranberries, the first sight of them at the grocer's had me reaching for them with a purpose. As i asked the friend for the recipe, it turns out she had made it that very day and ferried some over so i could taste as i cooked.
season oil and saute 12 oz cranberries in it for 5-10 mins until mushy.
Add 2.5tsp salt, 3 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp chili powder, 3 tsp MTR rasam powder and cook for another 10 mins. Voila - lipsmacking goodness.
Cooked pepper chicken after a long time for a non-veg potluck. On a sunny sunday afternoon in October,  it transported us back home with the Biryani coming very close to Mom's.

Of cakes and flowers

Baked cherry upside down cake for over-the-hill requestor and sourced some flowers for his birthday girl from the garden. Baked with the neighbor kids - making their favorite blueberry muffins and snickerdoodles. Refreshing to see such small things make them so happy.

Skamania Lodge

With the sun making for a real spring-break, cashed in on a long overdue voucher at Skamania Lodge in the Columbia Gorge. It was an impromptu break on a sunny blue-skies day with hubby picking up from work in the middle of the day...felt like kids sneaking out. Beautiful hiking through bare, silvery aspen/birch groves watching turtles sunning on the dead logs and trilliums lighting up the forest floor, smores and rocking chairs by a crackling fire and salmon three meals a day made for an enjoyable jaunt. The "bridge of the gods" definitely lived up to its name with an ethereal haze over the river.

A surprise

Cooked up pav-bhaaji for a surprise birthday party after a long time. Remember to never use the south-indian brands of the masala.
Stopped in for a quick dinner at Bethany's table - LilC got down and close to the dog - zoey and followed it right under the tables - the asparagus with balsamic vinagraitte was a hit even with the kids.

Spring concert

BigC's dance school put on a show at the Spring Festival at the Walter Performance Center. Celebrated Sis and B's bdays at Imperial with sis getting carded. Duck meatballs with prunes had all 3 scraping the plate. If only the quail could have been well-fed, it'd have made for a great grilled bird.
Shivaratri had everyone gorging on uncooked fare at S/A's - mix of finely chopped fruits with light custard/icecream is always a winner with adults and kids.

Fleeting february

A SuperBowl chaat party, oscar night rather evening in pajamas with a refreshing Mediterranean salad and more of the blueberry muffins with chai, a crafty valentine's, bowling nightmares, poker night with  beginner's luck, cheapest girl's night out and dinner at Andina to celebrate a newly wedded couple have made for an eventful yet fleeting February