White Radish Pods Thoran

Hanging around my mom’s apron strings has taught me invaluable lessons. I learned culinary tips and tricks just by observing without the pressure of learning new skills. Accompanying my mom at the local market to buy vegetables was another enjoyable learning experience. The sight of any unusual produce out there would stir my little curious mind. My mom would not only enthusiastically answer my questions but bring those novel produce home to make something she learned from her mom. Thus, recipes were passed on from one generation to another.

One such produce that rarely made into the market back then was these refreshing green pods that sort of looked like green chili peppers. Mom introduced these intriguing pods to me as

Purslane and Lentils Curry

Some of the most unwelcome guests in any garden are mysterious weeds appearing in the most prized beds. Some are easy to get rid of, while others can be stubbornly  invasive. One such weed that has been showing up in abundance in my husband’s vegetable garden and my flower bed is purslane weeds. Their thick, succulent stems loaded with tiny leaves branch out

Sprouted Black Chickpeas Salad

The goodness of legumes couldn’t have been emphasized enough during my childhood days. Having to eat it often for breakfast was not something I enjoyed. However, tastes like many other factors in life change over time.  My adult taste buds started to evolve and enjoy flavors that I once detested.  So, legumes found its path into my kitchen to kindle a new adventure. In addition to cooking it traditionally, I now enjoy sprouting them and making salads as a refreshing side dish.

Cooking legumes is not

Pointillism Painting – Blue Bird

The art of painting usually connects one’s thinking to an artist brushing strokes with a range of colored pigments. But going back to the 1800s, one would find art that was not only astounding visually but the style of art itself was enough to make one’s jaw drop in disbelief. Georges Seurat, a French painter from that period, introduced ‘Pointillism’, a  technique of painting which like the term speaks for itself, uses dots.

Inspired by Seurat’s famous painting, ‘A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte‘ in which he uses pointillism technique, I decided to do my version of this technique to create some magic

Making the Best of a Long Layover at Singapore Airport!

International travel may sound exotic until you are half way across the globe on a long flight. Top this with long layovers of six hours or more and then time will seem to move at a snail’s pace. My last trip to India via Singapore had a twelve hours layover and I cringed at the very thought of it but sought out to take advantage of the many services Singapore airport had to offer.

The airport has many interesting features to keep both adults and kids entertained

Negative Tidepooling

How connections between the Moon, Earth, and the Sun play their part in unveiling the magic of life under the ocean, is a matter of science. But when this magic happens, I don’t dive into the scientific aspects, instead I let the child in me unite with the curiosity and wonder of my daughter, and together we venture out to take advantage of this phenomena, explore and enjoy the extravaganza.

High tides and low tides are not eventful enough to write about here but negative tides are something that tug at my heart, inspiring me to blog my experience with it. Last Sunday, December 3, 2017 saw this happen at the world-famous

The Call of the Mountains

Heading down towards the central valley of California, views of the vast agricultural lands of almond trees, orange orchards, and lush vineyards competing with varieties of dry grass is all that will greet you . Who would ever imagine that there are nature’s own breathtaking niches somewhere hidden beyond? Thanks to the inquisitive, daring and relentless people who have gone ahead and explored such wonders of nature.

A visit to Yosemite National Park has been on my to-do list for a long time, but has never made it to my priority list until recently. So, my family and I decided to hit the roads and do a day trip to Yosemite to

Junkyard Treasures: One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Treasure

Something about eras gone by, stirs both the conscious and the subconscious depths of mankind. Is it mystery of the past kindling one’s curiosity or the need to connect with times of old? Whatever the reason, I succumb to it, to learn, be inspired and sometimes restore things that are lost.

Who would imagine that junk cars from bygone times could inspire the art world? Not me, until one day, I had to venture into the junkyard to stimulate some creative juices to flow, so I could get my art assignment started. I will blog on that some time later, but for now I will continue to write about the beauty of old automobiles, some made more interesting by the natural elements in the environment.

It is interesting to find two people from different walks of life being drawn to the same thing for distinctively different reasons yet feel

Farm Weed – Lamb’s Quarters or Bathua Dry Curry

The beauty of  country cooking lies in its simplicity and innovative way of  dishing something out of ordinary ingredients while teasing the palettes of the most finicky eater. While the urbanites might find some of these exotic, their rural

Kale with an Indian flavor

Kale Poriyal

Kale smoothies, soups, and even chips have flooded the health-and-fit avenues. How about experimenting it with ingredients from the land of spice – India? Not just generic Indian