Winter fun

Made these almost-perfect blueberry muffins for a couple of ardent blueberry fans. Perfected them with a streusel topping. For something that begs to be eaten out of the oven, its a plus that its a quick and simple recipe. Even made some as the chai boiled up.        There was also an all oil recipe that i just cannot seem to find again to save. S took BigC and LilM to watch the nutcracker by OBT.

The Dads picked another great day for skiing this holiday season - fresh powder and even BigC can tell what a difference it makes and enjoyed skiing in not so freezing conditions. Closer home, the Moms picked the last day to check out the zoolights and perfected the timing on the 2nd try. LilC's enthralled reaction to the lights and the lit-up steam engine ride was well worth it.  

 

Puppets and chaat

Armed with an arsenal of recipes from Mom's collection of yet-to-be tested recipes, some unknown sources even, it was decided that chaat party it would be for LilC's b'day. The guest list kept growing and on a wet November day, the main-door had to be blocked to ensure we could fit all the people in. A last minute surprise trip by bro/sil meant we'd be firing on all cylinders even with P's almost fractured ankle - a station for masala puri (R), for dahi-vada (P), for waffles (A/V), for orange-juice (R). The piece-de-resistance being B's cake with meringued tops, complete with marzipan bugs, bird and cuddly bear crafted by LilM and the much sought after "ganja" infused tea, fought to the very last drop!!

When visiting MoMA, had picked up a set of balloon animals that were too cute to resist. The older kids put these together and there was just enough for each of LilC's friends to take home. Penney's puppets put on a show "Lilly, the catepilly"  but LilC couldn't care more or less except for the "bussesly".

Giving Thanks

The holiday frenzy is on. Blueberry pound cake from Suzanne Goin, as always a hit, with A's parents- used frozen wild blueberries this time. Its also the time for persimmons and pomegranates and another of Goin's salad recipes that B had me make for girls' holiday lunch last year. No-one minded eating healthy like this. Its also the time when artists open up their studios and we got to see one really neat studio where she'd pinned up all her inspiration.  

On one of the Anthropologie visits, BigC had fun making reindeer using candycanes at their art station.

in the garden - chocolate persimmon tree in its first year

Sparkle and rejoice

 

The cadence of festivals has been well-paced and very enjoyable this year. Just in time for Deepavali, unexpected time-off from work meant it could be celebrated the way festivals are meant to be, on the day of the festival without having to dodge work despite taking the day off. With the sun shining in and out, managed to get some fall cleanup done alongside all the preps. Abundance of mums in the fall garden resulted in rangolis inside and out. Beautyberry, cosmos, chinese lanterns, peppers and even some persimmon twigs made for some fabulous fall displays.

With Amma here, obbattu was inevitable. A work-potluck turned out to be a pleasant surprise with the sportive guys rising up to the challenge of bringing a dish they had cooked - rajma, vegetable korma, paneer burji, mushroom biryani and above all, vada pav - all equally tasty, portions need some more practise.
The obbattus were devoured standing around the table, in the traditional Bangalore style of eating obbattu first ahead of all the spicy/savory food. The dinner was then moved to picnic blankets on the floor with everyone sitting around the spread, passing around the food and enjoying the easy talk.

 Much against the green freak in me, we stocked up on some sparklers and flower-pots over July-4th for this very day. For the first time ever, the kids got to "enjoy" the fireworks...ie, with BigC pinching hard on her nostrils and staying behind the wind to stay away from the smoke and LilC up in Appa's arms. The consolation being this phase too shalt pass with precious nostalgic memories for later.

in the garden - mums
 

 

A Swift picnic

Weekends are a respite from the routine centered around BigC's school. This wknd we had more school to see with the fall festival. With the sun blazing down, it was not what one would expect but welcome. Evening temperatures are definitely Fall but, the days have been sunny and dry. Having signed up for the bake sale, i tried my hand at madeleines but in vain. After 3 batches of not chilling, over-baking and over-filling, it was decided to be mastered another time. Instead baked a peach-ginger tart and cherry-upside down cake which vanished in a hurry.
Took a picnic to see the Vaux swifts roost at Chapman elementary chimney. It was late in the season and despite not as many swifts, it was a spectacle of sorts with a few thousand showing up on their way south (all the way to central America!). Even witnessed a predator of some kind that was chased away by the swarm - a classic example of what a thousand drops could do. Towards the end, when only a few were circling around, the hawk did make a show and made away with a meal. As for our meal, packed a picnic of mushroom pinwheels, sprouted moong salad with oranges and apples and croissant caponata sandwich. Tweaked this a little with sauteing half the red-onions in the start with celery for some sweetness, added some chilli, cumin and garam-masala and only a tbsp of red-wine vinegar. Finished off with whole-wheat brownies that the friend made. The b'day celebration that the picnic was supposed to be getting a rain-check given the disastrous baking period.



in the garden - banana and asters in autumn evening light

Green Ganesha



B's Ganapati

Over the past few years, we have been blessed with a friend who's celebration of Ganapati is to be seen to be believed. There's no effort spared with an elaborate lunch and dinner - including obbattu. Her hubby has been making rather, sculpting the Ganesha from clay for 12 years now and the son made the "cool guitar-wielding" mooshika.
Ganesha is known to be Gana Priya - one who likes talents and there was plenty on display besides the sculpting itself.The mil embroidered a spread for Ganesha's table, the friend made tomato-chutney give-aways for Gowri-Jevan and the kids stamped brown paper bags to hold the jars. Friends brought Maharastrian style lemon pickle, dahi-mishti and pedas moulded as modaks. The rains have kept away means the flower-beds of marigold and dahlias have been on fire taking just one harvest of the front yard to make enough garlands for her. With the kids acting up, could not follow through on promise of more garlands and rangoli from back-yard.

At home, amid all the ganesha-hopping, tomato stashing and long-overdue work on the house, got around to making kadubus for the pot-bellied gourmand a little after, surprising BigC and S who then went on to mold the very forgiving pot-belly with an elephant face from turmeric. All of 10 minutes were spent with promise to do better next year. Only time will tell.





in the garden - lily bowl going strong with water hyacinths

September Cheer

September is the new August, it appears - blue skies, an ever-so-little nip in the evening air and the winds bringing down the pots. With the kids back in school, grandparents visiting are leaving in a hurry. Baked the cherry upside-down cake for the get-together and made punjabi-chole for dinner that was so tasty that i am still in doubt if its the tea when boiling the channa. S wanted to have some panna-cotta while the weather still allowed for it which answered the usual dessert dilemma. Sprouted mung and horsegram for a couple of new recipes - one for a refreshing salad with carrots and apples and another for curry from Amma. Not sure why it took me this long to try these! Better late than never!!

Attended back to back arangetrams from BigC's dance school while also squeezing in BigC's Fall piano recital. Exhilarating performances and choreography suiting the dancers' strengths by a dedicated teacher makes one hope that their kids will also be there one day. Came away from a canning class all set to jam/pickle as soon as i can buy some jars, that is. Planted some long-overdue trees around the yard and hoping they will take off. Ogled at a few beautiful private gardens around town and came away with a list of plants and ideas to implement - a rain-catcher into the lily-bowl being a top-pick.

in the garden - kniphofia

 

Adieu Summer!

Adieu Summer - only if yours lines up with the school calendar! The sun is still shining bright and long while the rains have kept away...the shorts and skirts still getting good use. Mangalorean dinner with friends in the garden with kids entertaining on the violin conjures up visions of what it might be like in a few years. BigC followed up with another dance performance at Art in the Pearl. The first time in 7 years that i did not bring anything home despite eyeing some beautiful hand-blown glasses - what with two tired kids.

A lot of apprehension about starting a new school for BigC has slowly turned into excitement. 80 degree temps and a half-day of school made hubby's proposal of a trip to the beach seem like the idea of the century. For a change, it was clear and sunny with perfect temps even at the beach. With water as freezing as ever, one could not have known two siblings more different than BigC and LilC. Fussy BigC in her jacket and pants staying miles away from the water while LilC frolicked into the water without a care about wet clothes. Ended the evening with dinner at Vivi's - packed even on a week-nite.

B had given me a taste of a cauliflower cake a while ago and i finally got around to baking it. Its an all-rounder of sorts - served it up as an appetizer, made a meal of it with a salad of cucumber/tomato and basil from the garden, BigC's breakfast given that its eggs holding it together! A keeper for sure.


in the garden - sweetly scented heirloom tiger-lily

Of long drives and...

Nothing is ever impromptu once kids arrive - something that was put to rest this past weekend with an aimless drive through the local wine-country. You do not need to be a wine-connoisseur to enjoy the picturesque countryside. Still in its infancy, the stands of tall conifers speak of the deforestation that has made way for the rolling vineyards - a must given the region's rainy winters. We stopped for lunch at the newer Paulee and were pleasantly surprised by the flavors and portions. A deconstructed nicoise salad had tuna grilled with plain salt and pepper - tastiest ever and Halibut "Fish and" taro "chips" came with a curried apple/cabbage/raisin slaw. LilC polished off the waffles that came with some very ordinary fried chicken. A few interesting antique stores that we could probably return to some time.

BigC had her debut Bharathnatyam performance and with a lot of helping hands, made it through. Took BigC for the class picnic before the school starts and while there, planted up their new veggie garden for the Fall. It was fun to see the kids excited about all the veggies they'd be getting (i hope eating too)soon!

Usually, i never try a recipe as soon as i see it but this one for a pudding/custard brought back memories of the berry trifle we had at Butchart Gardens. Ingredient list was minimalist enough that i had all of it even on a Friday and i set to try with the kids running around the house. BigC scraping down the last bit on the whisk and licking it up while giving LilC a taste was indeed a stamp of approval.
Custards
1 cup whole milk
Seeds from 1/4 to 1/2 vanilla bean (see Note) or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 to 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Berries
1 cup blueberries
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Juice from a wedge lemon, or to taste



in the garden - chocolate cosmos

Feeding the tribe

Lazy summer days still do not mean you can get away from eating. One's got to cook and the joy multiplies when shared. Also, its less of a burden when one is not cooking dinners all week - more cuisines to taste. The magical July-4th did bring the sun and warmth with it. Out came the grills and could not believe 75 degress could be sweltering! Did a take on Susanne Goin's Arugula Pomegrante salad by switching out persimmons with mangoes while the friend grilled some stuffed jalapeno poppers and quesadillas loaded with cotija cheese and grilled veggies. A game of Taboo that brought out some creative stories  had to be followed by a game of Uno to indulge BigC since the words were beyond her.

Dosa nite with some friends was followed by badminton in the backyard until the light ran out (just like when we were kids). A diving catch had saved the big mixed berry cake made from blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and gooseberries. The gooseberries definitely upped the oomphf factor.

Brunch with friends featured idlis and pumpkin waffles.
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup quick cooking oats
3 tbsp brown sugar
2+1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
4 eggs separated
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup pumpkin puree
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder and soda, salt, and spices. Whisk egg yolks in a large bowl with buttermilk, pumpkin, and butter until smooth. Whisk in dry ingredients just until combined. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until they hold soft peaks. Fold them gently into the waffle batter, until just combined.

in the garden - fragrant Lilium Regale and white/purple phlox with stinky yet perky Shasta daisies

Summer Soiree

Father's day request, ever popular upside down cherry cake. I cut back on the brown sugar that cherries cook in due to the sweetness of the Bings frozen at their peak last year. After the cherries softened up, i drained off the juices and made a sauce that i used over the cake once baked. 1 cup of sugar for the batter could also be reduced to 3/4cup.                                Came upon aqua-fresca as we were looking to make juice at home for BigC's birthday a few years ago. Its only as good as the fruit that goes into making it and this time around, the water-melon was as red as can be and just as sweet. Undiluted strained juice with just a spoon of sugar per glass and lime to taste (8 cups fruit juice+8tsp of sugar+ juice of 2 limes) left an empty pitcher in no time. Methi Pulao with methi from garden, chapathi with sagoo, cabbage and beans, vethakolumbu and rasam finished the menu.
Everyone appears to be cooking from Yotam Ottolenghi. This soiree hosted by a friend featured a 3-course menu with dishes pulled from his cookbook: Roasted vegetable tart with spinach and mango salad; Saffron tagliatelle in spiced butter; Riccotta fritters. While we cooked and ate the evening away, the riccotta fritters were the highlight given how unencouraging the batter looked when we started out to fry them. But the donuty goodness, more like a beignet, was to die for.
Every spring, when its time to think about the annuals, the whole goal is to have enough for all the festivals towards the end of the summer. I had been contemplating getting waterlily flowers online when S put together a water-bowl complete with lily and water hyacinths. The algae i had so longingly admired at the nursery also have made it into the bowl (i did not pay or steal). The frog-spawn that the gardener had educated us about are now little tadpoles.

in the garden - Lily bowl

First Summer/vacation

 Although the calendar says its summer, as has been the norm around here, summer has been playing peekaboo. We have had the odd HOT day this month and that seems to be consolation enough. For LilC, this is the first real summer - no longer dashing off into the street as soon as someone opens the door. The trip to the berry patch was quite happening as it was figured one was allowed to eat stuff off the plants, getting some not so good berries and spitting them out and learning to say 'stawbewy'. Luckily, it was cloudy and I even broke a sweat being the sole picker for the tribe. Having always wanted to extend the life of the berries, tried my hand at jamming this year. Being a minimalist, the whole preserving process always felt like overkill. Its amazing how little jam 3 pounds of berries make! This recipe uses about a cup and half of sugar and 3tbsp of lemon juice. The berries are definitely the star - the most brilliant jam (color and taste) you'll ever happen upon!

For BigC, this is the first summer vacation - no waking up to alarms, no hurry to get anywhere, making daisy wreaths from those picked on a walk, icecream in the middle of the day. It was quite the eye-opener that even left to their own, they are up and ready to go roughly at the same time as school. A hectic week ensued due to poor scheduling but, all have made it through with energy to spare, enough for a engagement party at a new Indican restaurant-bollywood theater (best to keep to the street food selection) Drama camp has been a great outlet for BigC's stories and crafts (rose for Briar Rose as Twelfth fairy) - even narrating a skit BigC wrote while older kids enacted it. 

in the garden - heirloom roses, alliums, pink spanish lavender and heirloom gladiolus - the flowers have a light and feathery look than the much maligned hybrid staples in bouquets

New beginnings

A celebration with the luxury of dining out sans kids should be reason enough to start blogging? No??? Maybe a menu item that makes you want to re-create some at home can be my reason. While i am not a big fan of recipes with a couple dozen ingredients when cooking at home, there's no reason not to try one that someone else put together...especially when you might happen upon one where the different elements hit all the right notes at all the right pitches. This was the case with the salad course that simply read Insalata di fragole aka strawberries.

Red juicy local berries interspersed with pickled green ones were complemented by the almost spicy micro-Basil (almost like Tulsi) and the milder Persian cress. Dehydrated black-olives added a salty touch to the docile Juniper Grove goats’ milk feta. All of this atop a black pepper fromage fraîche and dressed with basil gel. A beauty to behold! A crescendo!!

12th at Genoa

in the garden - fragrant herbaceous peonies