Lasuni Palak Sambar- Garlic Spinach Sambar

Hello dearies!!!! My love for sambar is  shown time and again on this space. Its the most satisfying and healthy soup/ dal/lentil for me. Be it a cold day or a warm day, Sambar and rice with a dollop of ghee/clarified butter is my go to meal.

I have an en-number of South Indian friends who make all kinds of sambar. I was totally alien to the concept of adding different veggies to the sambar. My mom at the most added drum stick, eggplant and potatoes to the sambar.

But the exposure I got from meeting people of mixed cultures, food habits after coming to US, is what I cherish most in my stay here. One such food exposure I got was adding leafy greens to Sambar and lentils.

You will need;
1 Cup cookedToor dal, 
**Pressure cooked with little Turmeric and Hing and mashed well
3-4 Cloves Garlic
1 tspn Tamarind Pulp
1 cup chopped spinach
1 tbspn(heaped) Sambar Powder
** I used 777 brand sambar powder.
Salt to taste
Little Jaggery/Gur-Optional
Water as needed
 
Tempering;
1 tspn Oil 
1 tspn Ghee/Clarified butter
1 tspn mustard seeds
1 Tspn Cumin /Jeera 

In a pot heat some oil+ghee, ad the tempering ingredient let the seeds splutter then add the chopped garlic, let it fry well.
After the garlic is fried well, add some water, add the Sambar Powder and salt and the Tamarind Paste. Add the chopped spinach. Lastly add the cooked dal and Gur and bring it to a boil. Let it boil a few minutes and the Sambar is ready. 
Since I made it for dinner to go along with rice, I did not use any garnishing and even Curry Leaves, as I had none on hand. But feel free to jazz it with curry leaves and cilantro. I drink sambar in bowl fulls, so any lentil with sambar powder will work for me.

 This Sambar is so tasty on its own, that I skipped rice  totally and had it like soup.

Paneer Masala/ Cottage cheese in Indian spice sauce

Hello sweeties!!!! Did you guys miss me, I am very sorry and kindly accept my apologies for being MIA for such along time.

I will skip the excuses and say that even though I was cooking regular food, there was nothing that was worth mention here. Not any more, I am back with a very easy and simple Paneer dish, that won thumbs up from Munchkin. He even asked for the gravy  sans the paneer and that's a lot coming from a 5 yr old foodie.

Another piece of news worth sharing is that Indulge-ashscorner has been nominated for the Indiblogger awards.
I will need your blessings and kind comments to find mention in the list. Please pretty please  check the link, recommend and comment to show your support for my work.

Coming back to the recipe, its fairly simple and easy to put together if you have paneer ready. I get mine from the Indian grocery store, but you can make it at home.

You will need;
 
1 large Onions
3 Tomatoes--Pureed or use 1/2 of the 8oz can
1 inch piece Ginger
3 tbspns chopped cilantro
1/4 tspnTurmeric powder
1 tspn Red chili powder
1 tspn Coriander powder
1 tspn Garam masala powder
1 pod green Cardamom-broken with but with the skin in tact
1 tbspn Cashew Paste
** Soak Cashews in milk with 1 tspn kasuri methi for 1 hour and grind it into paste.
Salt to taste
Paneer around 200 gms.
** soak the paneer in water and milk and microwave it for 25 secs to soften it.

Peel, wash and chop onions and ginger finely. 

In a blender take the onions and tomatoes, ginger and cilantro and grind into fine paste.
Heat two tablespoons oil in a pan and add the above paste. Sauté till lightly browned. Add turmeric powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, salt and let it cook for 2 minutes till the raw onion smell goes away Add the cashew paste, garam masala powder and the green cardamom and let that fry till it leaves the sides of the pot.

Then add little water( Water + Milk from the paneer works well) to make it gravy consistency and add diced pieces of the paneer. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes, taking care that the paneer does not get mushy and the gravy does not stick to the pan.
The paneer masala is ready to be served.

Please also note that August will be vacation time for Ms. Ash and we will be back from interesting tit bits from home and  maybe an awesome giveaway around September. Stay hooked and watch this space to win some sweet notes.

Pivali/Yellow Batatyachi Bhaji- A staple in most Traditional Marathi Menu's.

Hello Sweeties!!! Hope you are doing well. I am a little miffed with some of our attitudes. I mean Why would you take what is not yours? Is this what was taught to us while growing up? Lying and Grabbing have become the new motto of the new world. You are confused with what Ms. Ash is saying, Read this;  and this.

I am not giving links and names out of such low types as I do not want to give them free publicity and let them bask in the fake glory of fame. I also was not asked to do this post to support the initiative and I am doing it as I sincerely feel that such cheapos should be exposed and brought to light and made to answer the enormous WHY's. We bloggers  put a lot in each post, recipe, picture. I do understand that its not  the recipe that we invent, its mostly the way we learnt to make, but the work that we put on our spaces is OURS, in our own kitchens and in our own ways, that excuse me no one has the right to lift.

I am amazed at the level some bloggers or foodies go, to hide their bad deeds. All the Gung ho about Marathi Asmita and how Marathi people should Support Marathi people when you are caught stealing others work does not go down with me. A thief is a thief no matter what language he/she speaks and no matter which part of the world he/she stays. Even my 5 yr old knows not to touch what is not his, so whats wrong with few of us who have double digits in our ages and yet still don't get it. I am taking this medium to point out the need for us bloggers/ non bloggers and humans if we call ourselves to start a blog watch amongst ourselves. We need no Forums no Govt support, we need to keep an eye out for such thieves and once caught, bombard their FB page or blog with comments that will sort of compel them to stop doing the dirty work. Blogger United is what we are looking for. Not just the sects and communities, countries that we each belong but bloggers as ONE  under the same umbrella. Its upon each of us to take on ourselves to stop this Plagiarism and watch for one another. FB is a strong medium where in we all should come together and report the matters in our networks to form a circle.

All this talk about Marathi asmita and Preeti's event (ISingCakes) made me think of some marathi dish that is accepted in all Indian cultures and holds the position of a very kid friendly menu item; what better than regular yellow batata bhaji. No naivedya meal is complete without this bhaji, kids like it elders like it, leftover can be masked easily; if you ever have any leftovers. I for one never have any leftover of this bhaji. Munchkin demands a poori with this bhaji, while Donut is happy with hot phulka and ghee smeared on it. Its the ultimate comfort food in Ashland. My Aaji always added Ginger grated to the mix, so that's what I also do all the time. Basic recipe where Peas can be added or omitted, a crowd pleaser every time. I am sending Preethi a simple and humble entry and joining her in her fight against Plagiarism. You are not alone Preeti, we are all with you.

You will need;
5-6 medium potatoes boiled-Diced into cubes
2 medium hot green chillies- chopped into 1 inch pieces
1 inch ginger grated
6-8 curry leaves
salt and sugar to taste
Cilantro to Garnish
1 Tspn Lemon Juice- Optional

Tempering;
3 tbspn Oil
1 tspn  mustard seeds/rai
1 tspn Jeera /cumin
1 tspn haldi/Turmeric
1 stpn Hing/Aesofodita

In a kadhai/wok, heat the oil on medium heat, add the tempering when oil is hot, let it sizzle, then add the green chillies and the curry leaves. Let it fry for 1 minute then add the salt and sugar, and grated ginger, lastly add the diced cubes of boiled potatoes, stir well, cover and let cook for 5-7 minutes. Lastly add the lemon juice and cilantro and  serve hot with hot piping poori's or phulkas or with simple varan bhat and tup( dal/rice and ghee).
     
If you want to participate and win a free cookbook, hop onto Preeti's blog for rules and info. And kindly pray that Ms. Ash does win the awesome cookbook, so that she can learn to cook some authentic marathi food.

Peas Flower Potato Stir Fry/Bhaji- Straight from Moms kitchen.

Hello Dearies!! Its officially the end of the year and the winter setting in. The cold air cracks my bones and all I yearn is for some hot and home cooked food. The bitter cold and the short days  make me lazy and put me in no mood to cook. Memories from the past; my moms humble kitchen make its appearance more often than I wish. They do offer solutions and ideas to quickly assemble dinner but they do leave a strong impact on the way my dishes taste poles apart than my moms. I always blame it on the produce we get here. The fruits and veggies from back home always have a fullness in them, the flavors are intact and they do not seem fiddled with. Few memories of my growing up food habits were the hot Phulka with ghee smeared on it from the stove to the plate, at times too hot to handle, stuffed with vegetable of the day with a cup of chai. This was my breakfast most days. We did not have pancake and waffle or even cereal at breakfast with fruit yogurt by the side. Fruit yogurts and parfaits were unknown to our narrow minds. Mixing sugar with yogurt meant only shrikhand and only fruit allowed to mix with yogurt was mango to make amrakhand.

 I make cauliflower bhaji just like how  I remember my Aai making it. Cauliflower was  a regular on our weekly menu. It cooks fast, absorbs any spice you add to it,  can be made into a curry or a stir fry, and is relatively easy on the pocket also. Adding peas and potato to it was just the need of the hour, you have more hungry tummies add another potato, picky eaters add peas. There are many ways to make the Cauliflower bhaji. Today I am bringing you one of the ways it was cooked at my moms home. This is an everyday subji, so the masalas are kept to a minimum. The flavor and taste comes essentially from the curry leaves and green chilies and at times from ginger-garlic. I come from a humble brahmin family where use of eggs and meat was prohibited. My Family was very modern and secular in thoughts and way of living, that we were never forbidden to eat eggs or meat or fish in the name of religion. We were allowed to taste in restaurants and if we liked we were allowed to eat them. It was however not cooked at our home mainly because my mom had no clue on how they need to be prepared, marinaded and cooked. Once I grew up, I got the fish from the fisher women, she showed me how to clean it, marinate it and make delish recipes from it. They say people teach you in many ways if you are willing to learn. All I needed was to tell her how much I loved Fish and she became my teacher. I had friends all over the market, as I started doing the household vegetable shopping from very young age, so when I accompanied my mom, she was amused at how the vendors got different and fresher produce for me from inside the shacks, asked about my studies and school and how they chatted with me like we are old lost friends. She was even treated to a cup of tea by one of the vendors. Its a big thing for all the demand is respect for their work and some care on your part. Mutual respect is a trait that we are slowly forgetting as we move ahead in science and prosperity. The richer we get, more self centered we become. More on that later, Phew!!! Do my rants ever end!!!!

You will need;
1 whole  Head Cauliflower diced into strips
** Use your judgement on the size of the cauliflower and the size of your guests at the dinner table. The measure I am giving are for roughly 2 cups of diced cauliflower
1 Medium Potato Diced
1/2 cup boiled peas
Salt to taste
1 Tbspn Cumin and Coriander powder
Cilantro to garnish

Tempering
2 Tbspn oil
1 tspn Mustard seeds
1 tspn Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp Haldi/Turmeric
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 inch ginger grated
5-6 curry leaves
2 medium hot green chillies

Take a bigger bowl and immerse the diced cauliflower in salted water to remove dirt and any worms. Drain after 10 mins. Keep aside. In a wok, heat the oil, add the tempering one by one in the same order, after you add the green chilies, add the diced cauliflower, potato and peas and add little water if needed. Cover and let cook for 10-12 minutes. Stir in between to avoid burning. once coked, add the salt and cumin-coriander powder and stir again. Take care as to not mush the florets. This stir fry tastes better if the cauliflowers retain some crunch and the potatoes do not mush. Cook on low to medium heat, and keep stiring in between. Garnish with cilantro and enjoy with some hot phulkas with a dallop of ghee. This was the way my mom served it., this is the way I serve it.

Mirchi Bhaji.. Hot Pepper Fritters

Hello Dearies!!!! What does Rain and cold bring to your mind? Rains in Bombay are always associated with cutting chai, Bhaji and Bhutta and seaside walks, getting soaked in the waves for me. I was in law school when I first experienced the rains on Marine Drive. My classes most times got over by 9AM. After that it was just roaming around the city, south Bombay, Crawford market or watching matinee shows in the cinema halls around that part of the city. My Best friend stayed in South Bombay and was well versed with the small gallis/lanes and shops in that part of Bombay. There were gallis or lanes for specific things, like bangles, knickknacks, spoons, cutlery. YES, I shopped for spoons and cutlery/flatware even then, for my home, my mom's friends passed on their lists and then my train friends were there too, so I was always shopping for people. If you ever stayed in Mumbai, you will know that trains and the friendships one made in those travels last a lifetime. IT automatically becomes a family. They watch for fellow travelers even at time not knowing their names, they are 10am Goregaon local family, or 8am Borivali Fast family. I miss those days when I took casual walks in rains on the Marine Drive, hogged on wada pavs without giving hygiene a thought, shopped for bangles, kadas with 10-15Rs in my pockets. We were rich even with that small amount. We had fun with friends who pooled in all their money and then enjoyed treats together.  I miss these things so much now, that when it rains it kind of leaves a print on my mind that I am not going to go back and do all of that now. I cannot bring the lost friends and lost times in the same fashion now. Change is constant, rest all is fading soon.

Now in US, whenever it rains, I am transported to those walks, those times in my mind and I want to experience all the fun again. Marine Drive and Bombay are so special in the monsoons, that you have to see it to feel it. The times you feel cold when it rains, back to humidity and heat after it stops raining, the wet clothes dry before you even know you were wet, joys of puddles and splashing water on the passerby's, by jumping in those puddles, hot steaming ginger cutting chai and loads and loads of kanda bhajji's wrapped in a day old newspapers, is what lingers on my mind. Oh Boy, what fun it is to be a child again, even if in thoughts!!!

One such day, it rained and rained in NJ. The lighting and thundering was enough to scare the wits out, lights flickered and it just continued to rain. The drive from work to home had me craving for something fried, something spicy and something typical of Mumbai. What else then bhaji? Wada pav was not doable in the short time, so thght of making bhaji with whatever I had.

I opened the fridge to see what all I had on hand to make assorted bhaji's, when these long hot peppers stared at me. Since they stared, they had to go first. I am the boss in my kitchen and no one stares at the boss, Right??

You can stuff these with potato masala, or any stuffing you may fancy, but I kept it simple.

You will need;
2-3 Long hot peppers
1 Cup Besan/split Gram lentil flour
1 tspn Cayenne peppers powder
1 tspn Turmeric
1 tspn Carrom seeds/Ajwain
Salt to taste
Watre to thin the paste
Oil for frying
Chat Masala for sprinkling-Optional

Cut the peppers into one inch pieces, de-seed the peppers to remove the heat, if you like it super hot, keep the seeds in. Then in a bowl, take the besan, add the cayenne powder, turmeric and carrom seeds, add salt to taste and little water to thin it into a paste to coat the peppers. When the oil is hot, Take the peppers, dip in the besan paste and directly fry them in the hot oil. While frying it is a good idea to slide the peppers in from the sides as the oil splutters when you drop the peppers.
 Drain from the oil when fried and sprinkle the chat masala over the bhajiyas. Serve with hot ginger chai.

Pav Bhaji Pulav

Hello Dearies!!! Hope you all are safe and bathing in the glory of your loved ones. Life  is something we all take for  granted and forget to admire simple necessities which seem like luxury when they are all of a sudden taken away from us. Yes, Nearly 80% of New Jersey had no heat, no electric or even gas when it was affected by Hurricane Sandy. The houses went from cold to coldest with temperatures dropping to negative. Such times makes you wonder of how you take such simple pleasures for granted. They sure seem like a right, but in reality they are your privileges. Hope this never comes our way or anyone's way for that matter. What matters now is how fast and how soon can we pick the pieces and make a life out the devastation. Diwali is undoubtedly a low key in Ashland as we are still recovering mentally from the huge loss this Frankenstorm left us with. We all are making an emergency wishlist that needs to be updated and stocked for any such future emergencies. that list will now also include with food and water,  hand and feet warmers along with shawls/throws for cold months, and some backup toys for kids.

In preparation for this storm, I had precooked batches of Pavbhaji, which can be eaten with bread, roti or rice. Adding twist to the leftover pavbhaji, I made this rice for our lunch one day. We were lucky to get the power back within few hours, but god forbid days without heat/power or gas, we need to be prepared. Some smart people made the fire in fireplace work double duty by cooking roots and potatoes in them. Such ideas take me back to my Girl Guide days when we were trained to survive on minimum. The Need taking first place and defeating Want. The battle between need and want makes us selfish and asking for more, at times grabbing what is not rightfully ours.

What is your emergency lit and how do you prepare for such emergencies?? Do you panic or stay relaxed and let nature take its toll? I like to be prepared especially when the experts keep buzzing about the severity of the situation, stocking basics like drinking water, some medicines and even stored water never hurt anyone. Some good news in this is that we got leave form work as offices were in blackout, schools closed for more than a week, so with no work, no TV and no light, we  were transported to a age where families sat and chatted together and connected in a unique way.

Having grown up in Bombay which is a coastal city, hurricanes and storms with rains and heavy winds is not new for us, but munchkin and donut being brought up in US are new to the blackouts and no power worlds. We used to gather all kids together whenever we had power outage and sing songs, make spooky sounds and shadows in candle light and scare younger and timid kids around us. It was fairly regular to hear such spooky noises when power went off. It brought back tons of fond memories and images of my childhood that I could see each of them clearly in the dim candle light to feel blessed and find strength to overcome the storm and hard situation we were facing.  So When the power came back, I was reminded of yet another childhood favorite breakfast item, Phodnicha bhat which can be glamorized as Tadka rice. Since we were dealing with leftovers, I combined the pavbhaji and rice and Bingo, we had pavbhaji rice that day.


You will need;
2 cups cooked rice/ vegetable pulav or jeera rice
2 cups  leftover Pav Bhaji
1/2 onion chopped
1 Tsp pav bhaji Masala

Tempering
 1 tbspn Oil
1 tspn Panchporan, tempering mix blend of mustard, fennel, cumin, onion seeds/kalonji, fenugreek seeds/methi.

Water as needed
Salt to taste

In a pan over medium heat, heat oil, add the onions,  fry for 2 mins , then add the panchporan mix, add in the pavbhaji,, add little water if needed and let cook for  1 minute, then add the pav bhaji masala, mix well, add salt, mix well and lastly add rice with little water. Stir well and cover. Cook for abt 3 mins.  The rice should not be liquid but slightly sticky. once you get to this stage, the rice is done...garnish with Cilantro or Spring Onion, add a dash of lime if needed and Njoii Pav Bhaji Pulav.

Bharli Vangi/ Stuffed Eggplant Maharashtrian style-Step By Step

  
Hello Dearies!!!! Who taught you to cook? Did you start early and were cooking under the guidance of your mom/aunt/granny. I was like many young girls who spent carefree days doing nothing, never dared enter the kitchen unless the cook took off and we had people over+ mom working late or hunger striked when no one was at home. Such days were pressure free as I did not have to please any culinary standards, just satisfy my hungry tummy. Besides we never dislike our own cooking, that is reserved for moms cooking at that age. TO sum up, I started early in the kitchen just unsupervised. I did what I liked, mixed with flavors that fancied me that moment. Many experiments and many accidents later I realized that flavors are important to any dish, not in just enhancing the tastes but also they all have a job to do in our system. I matured in understanding the spices and using them wisely. I must credit my mom to never complain the mess I left her with after I was done with my cooking experiments. Not only the mess, at times the inedible waste of food, that resulted from use of wrong ingredients and overuse of salt. I am what I am all coz of my Aai. Her silence was more encouraging than any of her praise.

After marriage I moved to US, where I had to cook 2 meals a day at least and it needed to be edible not just for me, but for Mr. Ash and occasional out pour of our friends here. IT was no age of blogging or google friendliness; the time belonged to reading cookbooks, following your moms tips and cooking with elders to learn. I was lost as no elders at home, no cookbooks with me, as NO one thought I would be needing them to pack me with some. I was left to my own aid. Then I met a wonderful girl "K" who has been with me in good and bad. She automatically became my teacher in a foreign land teaching me the traditional recipes that ideally I should have watched my mom make. So there you have the secret out. My moms cooking and my cooking are poles apart. I have no clue of my moms recipes. Most of my cooking is in signature K's style and K's family recipes, which she willingly shared with me. She taught me the nuances of fine chopping and why some spices are used more than others in everyday cooking. This is her recipe, off course changed to my tweaks, but you will like it if you make it any which way you like.

You will need;

6-7 small Eggplant-- washed and slit at the bottom with  a plus. Keep this soaked in salt water.
** see pictures to get an idea of how to slit an eggplant for stuffing.

Tempering

2 Tbspn oil
1 tspn Mustard seeds
1 tspn jeera

Stuffing
 You will need;

 1 medium onion, caramelized in oil.
**In a hot pan, take 1 tspn oil, add in finely chopped onion. Let it caramelized without getting burnt. Once the onion has caramelized enough, remove from heat and cool.

1/2 cup roasted peanuts powder
1 tbspn Jaggery or Gul
Juice of Tamarind about 1 tbspn
Fresh chopped Cilantro- 2 tbsns
salt to taste
Red Chili powder-1 Tspn
Goda Masala- 1 tspn-- This is a typical Brahman masala...also called as Black Masala
Cumin Powder-1 tspn
Coriander Powder- 1tspn

Mix all of the above, if the tamarind juice is not enough, use very little water. The mixture should be sticky, not wet and easy to hold itself inside the veggie. Now take the eggplants out of the salt water and stuff each one with the above mixture.

Now in a pan over medium heat, take the remaining oil, make the tempering and add the veggies... Note that the lid should not be removed, if needed slightly shake the pan, so as to ensure nothing sticks to the pan. On a low flame, cook the veggies. If you want  a little gravy add little water, and cook for 10 mins.

Enjoy with Steamed rice or fresh hot phulka's....Mr. Ash would eat it as is....it is that good!!!!!!!!! Munchkin and Donut run away from eggplant in general. Reminds of me a sweet friend who does the same.

Bhindi Masala- Okra stir fried with Indian spices

Hello Dearies!!! When I was making the recipe index for indulge, I realized that I for some reason do not have  the everyday home cooked recipes on the blog. I cook one and half times everyday. Excuse me, you do not know what one and half times cooking is, let me explain, I cook full fledged dinner every evening, leftovers are our lunch, our meaning Mr and Ms Ash's. Kids lunch I cook every day in the morning. There you have it, cooking one and half times. So I make these subji's or veggies regularly one because being a vegetarian family, we eat veggies like goats, be it greens, lentils or simple veggies. I try and make the everyday veggies not so boring by changing few spices and techniques of cooking.Similarly so, sometimes chopping the veggies takes them to a different level. The okra or bhindi I got at my grocers was small and thin as compared to the fat ones I have been always buying. They were young and carefree so to say with very less stickiness or glue to them. This seemed perfect to try some stir fry with spices on them. Thew spice blend is very easy essentially only 4 major spices.

You will need;
1.5 lb okra- small and young slit in between after discarding the tops
1 big onion thinly sliced
Salt to taste
Cilantro to garnish

Spices
1 tspn Cayenne chili powder
1 tspn turmeric/haldi
1 tspn Dry Mango powder/Amchur
1 tspn Garam Masala

Tempering;
2 tbspn oil
1 tspn dry garlic powder or use 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped fine

Heat the oil in a wok, add the thinly sliced onions, and saute for a minute, add in the dry garlic powder, than add in the slit okra and saute for a minute. Add the amchur/dry mango powder and cook the okra for 5-7 mins. Lastly add in the spices and salt and stir well. Cook till the okra gets cooked. Lastly add in the garam masala and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot with roti, naan or with rice and dal/ or ambat varan..

This is what screams comfort food for us, what is your comfort food. you might travel the world, enjoy the finest dining experience yet there is something about the home and  simple food, that kinds of de stresses you and makes you go strong in your faith and beliefs.

This is also something that we bloggers cherish and appreciate the time and efforts that our friends shower us with. Gauri of the Runner Girl in the kitchen showered Indulge with. One lovely blog award. Thanks and we truly appreciate it.

The rules are easy to follow.

The Rules for the award are

• Share it with 15 other friends
• Write 7 things about you
• Don't forget to inform the person whom you have awarded by leaving a comment in their space

 
 I have already been tagged before in a similar tag, so answering the same questions again, I might quickly do a recap now. 

I am shy of naming 15, so this award is for all my lovely friends. Pleas efeel free to collect the award from me.

Chole bature- Chandani Chowk to NJ

Hello Dearies!!!! Today we bring to your attention the humble dish on any Punjabi or chat menu card that reads chole and bature. Most dhabas and most udipi restaurants have taken this dish out of Chandani Chowk in Delhi and given it their own tadka and made it into a Indian dish. Like Idli sambar is not  a madrasi dish anymore, so is chole bature not a punjabi dish anymore. Pardon our ignorance, but living in Bombay for 25 yrs does that to you, you kind of divide the lower south into madrasi and upper north into punjabi. There are no individual states and cuisine in Bombay.

This dish was not a most wanted dish in Ashland until Donut tasted it at his friends lunch date. Suddenly it became the most awaited and most wanted go to food. Like I said while growing up, I always thought that my friends moms were the best chefs around and my mom had a long way to learn things. Sadly so Donut thinks the same for his old ma, and claims he never tasted  chole better than what his friends mom had prepared. Was I happy? Yes certainly so; very happy that Donut was willing to finally shed his motto that Indian food is Spicy  and try tasting and even liking Indian spicy food.

More happy that someday when he will be older, he will start liking my food better than his own, after all we all agree that Moms food is always the best.

This dish will require some planning unless you are cracking the can of chick peas open, yet give it about 2 hrs to finish off this elegant dish, that will leave you craving for more.

We will see stepwise recipes for each of the dishes prepared. First starting with Punjabi chole.

Punjabi Chole

You will need
1 14 oz can of chick peas/ Garbanzo Beans
** Alternatively soak 1.5 cups of Chickpeas overnight and drain and pressure cook the beans with the  following spices.

Wash and drain the beans and in a pot take some water till the beans get soaked, add in whole spices like cinnamon sticks, 5-6 cloves, 1 inch ginger sliced, 5-6 peppercorns, 1 black cardamom, 1 bay leaf and 2 Assam tea bags, let it boil for 10 mins. Discard the ginger and tea bags after cooking.

**If pressure cooking the beans, add in all the above spices and pressure cook till the beans turn soft but not mushy.

Masala;
2 Medium Onions
2 Medium Tomatoes
1 Tbspn Cilantro
1 Tbspn Mint-Optional
3-4 cloves Garlic
1 green chili
* The one I have on hand are really hot, adjust heat level as per your liking.

Seasoning
1 tspn Garam Masala
1 tspn Amchur/Dry Mango Powder
1 tspn Chole Masala
Salt to taste

Tempering
1 tbspn Oil
1 tspn Cumin Seeds/Jeera

In the blender jar add the masala ingredients,and blend into a fine paste.

In a wok, take the oil and add the cumin, let it sizzle, add in the blended masala and fry till the masala gets fried and oil starts leaving the sides of the wok, add in the cooked beans. cook on medium heat till the beans get cooked with the masala, add in the seasonings and adjust it to taste. Garnish with onions and cilantro and ginger. Serve with batura and rice.

Whole Wheat Batura

You will need;
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup All Purpose flour
1 cup Sour Yogurt
Salt to taste
water , ONLY if  needed to knead the dough.
1 Tspn Clarified butter to grease the dough. -Optional

Oil for Deep frying

In a bowl add in the flours and the curd, salt and mix well, Add water only if needed to knead into  soft pliable dough. Grease with clarified butter and Set aside for about an hour or so. The more you keep is better for the batura to be light. Since we had hungry kids hovering over with "is it done yet!", we kept it for an hr only. Heat the oil for deep frying in a kadai/pot, and let it smoke once, once it smokes, reduce the heat to medium. Roll out the batura or poori as big as you want or depending on the size of your fryer. Since I have  small kadai, I made small poori to fry. Be extra careful when dealing with hot oil and frying and not splash the batura and spill oil all over you. Fry one side of the batura and then turn and fry the other side to ensure a full cooking of the batura. Enjoy with spicy and tangy Chole.

Jeera Rice

You will need
1 Cup Basmati Rice
1 tbspn Cumin/Jeera
Salt to taste
2 Cups Boiling water

Wash and drain the rice. Keep aside for 30 mins. In a pot, take the water, add salt. Once it comes to a rapid boil, add in the drained rice, jeera and cover and cook on medium for 10 mins. Switch off the gas and keep it covered for another 5-7 mins.

Enjoy the meal with you loved ones and cherish the memory that this plate is offering you. You might not have the best of everything, but to make the best of what you have is everything!!!!!

Pepper Medley-Mix of Red, Yellow and Orange Peppers stir fried with chick peas flour.

Hello Dearies!! I am back again with a favorite at my home.There are some veggies that my kids actually wait for me to cook.  With all the festivities associated with Ganpati and all the sweet that we have been eating, I made this spicy and tangy subji for  a quick dinner. I know using peppers can go in any way, it is one of the veggie that you either like or dislike. But it is the most flexible veggie I have known after Potato. I use peppers on a pizza, noodles, pasta, subji or grilled. My grocery list seems unchangeable and few veggies are  a must have on the list. This is because at time, I send Mr. Ash for grocery shopping and if he knows what he has to shop it is easy for poor Ash during the week with less food fights and grumpiness at the dinner table. I just have to keep changing the tastes and styles of cooking the veggies. I have observed that simply by changing the way you chop the veggies, you can actually make a  lot of difference in the taste and texture of the dish. I have been making peeth perun bhaji with spring onions, and it is well accepted  by all. So, I tried making the same with peppers but changed the way I chopped the peppers. Instead of dicing them, I cut them lengthwise into ribbons. Result, I needed less of besan to make the subji which is always good and easy on our tummies.


You will need;
3 Peppers, any color or single color, I took one each of red, yellow and orange peppers.
3 tbspn besan/chickpea flour

Tempering;
2 tbspn Oil
1 tspn mustard/rai seeds
1/2 tspn Cumin/jeera
1/2 tspn carrom/ajwain seeds
1tspn Turmeric
1 pinch hing/aesofodita
Salt to taste
Sugar a pinch, Optional

In a wok, heat the oil till hot, then add the mustard seeds, let them splutter then add the jeera, ajwain and let that sizzle for one second, then add the turmeric, hing and the chopped peppers, cover and let it sweat the water out, reduce the heat to low. Add in the salt, sugar and let it sweat a bit. You will need to add a bit more salt than regular as we will be adding besan. Once the salt is incorporated and the peppers are wilted well, add in the besan spoon by spoon. The quantity of the besan will depend on how much water the peppers have given out. Adding spoon by spoon helps in judging how much flour would be needed. Once the mixture looks wet and the peppers get covered with the flour, stir it well and cover and let cook for 5 minutes, on low heat. After 5 mins, stir once and see if the flour is cooked, if not let it cook covered for anr 2 minutes. The subji will stick to the pan, use more oil if needed, or use non stick pan to cook. I like the burnt scrapping so I let it stick before scrapping it into a serving bowl. The peeth perun bhaji is ready for your loved ones.

Masoor chi Usal/ Orange lentil curry

Hello Sweeties!! I am back with one of my family favorite. Its what rajma chaval is for a north Indian. My family loves this amti/usal with rice and phulka or just as is like soup. This dish is full of good stuff for you and tastes equally good. The masoor is kind of a lentil, which is orange brown in color and packed with protein. This lentil is good for your heart, skin and even in illness, a soup made from this dal has proved beneficial. It helps loosen cough, we were given this dal/usal almost 2 times  a week in different forms for its many uses.

Know more on the health benefits.

Health Benefits of Masoor dal (Lentils)

• Lentils are extremely rich in soluble fiber, which forms a gel-like substance in the digestive tract, thereby helping in removing bile from the body. It further helps in eliminating and reducing blood cholesterol levels.
• The higher fiber content of lentils helps in increasing the size of stool; hence, speeding the journey of waste products through the gut. In short, lentils are useful for alleviating constipation. The fiber content also reduces the risk and the symptoms of diverticulosis, a condition in which small pouches form in the colon wall.
• The soluble fiber in lentils has the property of trapping carbohydrates. It slows down the digestion and absorption process, hence preventing major changes in blood sugar level throughout the day. This helps diabetic patients.
• The insoluble fiber in lentils leads to the feeling of early satiation; hence, people eat less and gain fewer pounds. Besides, insoluble fiber is indigestible, which passes through the body adding just a few calories.
• Lentils are rich in flavones, a class of antioxidants with antioxidant properties. Studies have proved that regular consumption of lentils can reduce the risk of breast cancer.
• Lentils prove to be significant for a healthy heart as they prevent heart coronary problems. Fiber in the lentils reduces blood cholesterol levels and plaque forming on the walls of the arteries, thereby eliminating the risk of stroke or other cardiovascular diseases.
• Apart from providing low burning complex carbohydrates, lentils increase energy levels by replenishing iron stores. This is particularly very important for menstruating women, who are at a higher risk of iron deficiency.
• Besides fiber which contributes to the health of the cardiovascular system, lentils contain folic acid and magnesium, significant for reducing the level of homocysteine, a compound known to be dangerous for the heart and artery walls. Also, lentils promote better blood flow and passage of oxygen and nutrients to the organs.
• Rich in the antioxidant, molybdenum, lentils assist the body in breaking down harmful substances hence reducing allergy symptoms. This antioxidant is also essential for preventing impotency, particularly in older men, and avoiding anemia.
• Researches indicate that the vitamin E found in lentils helps prevent the risk of Parkinson’s disease, though the exact connection is not yet determined.

so now that we have done our study about the goodness of the masoor dal, we will go towards making it.

You will need; 

1 cup dried Masoor/Orange lentils - 

1 small onion diced small

1 medium size tomato diced

1 inch ginger grated

(soak the dal in hot water for 1-2 hours and boil with 2 cups water in a pressure cooker  with onion, tomato, ginger for 2-3 whistles.)

1 tspn Usal Masala- Substitute with 1/2 tspn Garam masala + 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper 

1 tspn Goda Masala- Black Garam Masala commonly used in Marathi speaking homes.-Optional

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

Tempering

1 tbspn oil

1 tsppn Jeera/cumin seeds

1 tsp rai/mustard seeds

pinch of hing/asafodita

1tsp turmeric/haldi

3 cloves garlic mashed

Heat a wok on medium heat and add oil, add the tempering ingredients, rai/mustard seeds and jeera/cumin seeds, let it sizzle. add this to the pre-cooked dal with onion, tomatoes and  add more water if needed. Then add the usal masala, salt and lemon juice and cover and cook for 5-7 mins. The usal is ready.

** The Usal masala I have is very spicy, so adjust the heat levels as per your liking. Generally it is wiser to start with less amounts and increase to you liking.

Baingan Bharta-Vangyache Bharit-Eggplant Mush

Hello hello hello!!! I am back from a small vacation to the beach. After many years of running away and finding excuses to not get in the water, I finally had to give in. We are a bunch of super excited friends, who make such plans like renting condos on the beach or camping in truly American style, Although I am not so sure of how I do qualify in the excited group, as I get tired watching other person run, jog or even throw a pitch. I am a set of laziest bones I have come across. I mean why stress with packing unpacking cleaning the sand off the clothes and toys, when you can just relax by couching in the nice cold A/C living room. But no longer, I guess the laziness is shedding and I am getting to enjoy the rush of the waves and floating in salty water just as much as them.

I am blessed with a few but very nice friends, who not only care for me, but also correct me without hesitation. I do not have to tell them if I had a bad day or bad week. If Mr. Ash is traveling and am a single parent, I automatically get food dropped off at my home. No Gift is better than food gift on  a tiring day. This dish is one of such gift that I received from my friend K. She made this bharta or eggplant mush, not by roasting but cooking the eggplant in  a pressure cooker. This technique was obviously new for me, that I had to get the exact recipe from her. Mr. Ash loves eggplant mush, but the mess roasting the eggplant makes on the gas range pushes me off from making it. I tried broiling it covered in foil, roasting it in the oven, but the taste is never there. Ultimately I stopped making this. Until, K introduced me to this way of making the mush. When I ate it the first time, the eggplant was so soft and it almost melted in my mouth; I sincerely doubted if it was eggplant that she used or something else. So if that someone who dislikes eggplant is listening, do make this once for me.


You will need;
1 Medium eggplant - get the fatter and slightly bigger eggplant from the market; not the small ones or long thin ones.
1 small tomato diced
1 small onion finely chopped
1 tspn each ginger and garlic paste or chopped very fine
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp cayenne pepper powder
1 tsp mix of cumin and coriander powder
salt to taste
1/2 tspn Sugar optional

Tempering
1 tbspn oil
1/2 mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric/haldi
pinch of hing/ aesofodita

In a cooker vessel, peel and chop the eggplant into dices and pressure cook for 3-4 whistles. cool and mush around. In a wok, heat the oil, add the tempering ingredients one after the other, once the seeds sizzle, add the onions and fry for a couple of minutes till they sweat, then add the tomatoes, ginger and garlic and let the mix cook, till oil starts separating from the sides. Then add in the eggplant mush, Garam masala, Cayenne pepper powder and salt and sugar if needed. Let the mix cook till the mush and the masala gets incorporated, cover with lid and cook for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with onions and cilantro. I like to add a dash of lemon juice while eating, but again it's completely up to you. We have had this as  a dip with some pita chips like a Babaganoush, or even as a filing in a wrap. Personally, I love this with simple varan bhat tup mith and limbu( Translated as rice, dal, ghee, salt and lime)

Sprouted Beans Biryani- Blend of 12 Bean Sprouts Biryani.

Hello my Sweetpeas!!!! hope you all are doing fine, taking out time for your family and kids and showing your loved ones that you indeed appreciate them and care for them. Love from family is so easily taken for granted that at times we forget to appreciate the things our parents, siblings ever did or do for us. I never liked my mom sneaking veggies in my food, making me that horrible glass of milk every morning, or my brother watching me like a hawk while growing up, making me do my own things like keeping my shelf's clean, arranging my school work the night before or even ironing my own clothes. But they made me do this from a very early age so that I need not depend on anyone. This small routines build a kind of discipline in me that even now when packing for any trip, I kind of pack a couple of days ahead that in case I forget anything,. I still have a day on hand to pack that. Having a mental checklist of things to do is always helpful, when you have a demanding full time job and young boys to tend to. "No surprises at closing" is a very apt term for me. I dislike surprises, so no surprise birthdays ever worked for me, I mean why hide, when we can better prepare them to enjoy their special event. Most birthdays I went to where such Surprise was offered the birthday boy or girl said had they known they would at least have dressed appropriately. Most boys said at least they would shaved today!!!!! Ahhhh..boys will be boys..age no bar...

But one thing I absolutely love is when old and new friends drop by for a surprise visit. There is so much fun in the hassle that comes  with such guests. You have nothing to do and nowhere to go and suddenly someone calls, I am in your area, I am coming for Tea, if you are at home....The joy such calls bring know no bound and can never be measured. We live in a plastic world we created for ourselves, best friends need appointments to visit and catch up, calls have been pushed back by texts...I never had a Sunday morning as a kid, when we did not have our neighbors for Tea and breakfast....it was either we visiting them unannounced or they coming over. no need to dress up as it was the next door.. the wedding in anyone's home was  an apartment affair, even we were gifted new clothes and bangles like family by the hosts. Now you might be thinking what is the context of such surprises story and bean biryani...Coming to your questions and doubts, we  had a surprise BBQ in a park a couple of weeks back. Nothing planned, just few calls of what are you doing today and answer being nothing much, this picnic was decided. Since it was undecided and everyone got one item from the menu, I was allotted a rice item. Now that I am a Mom who takes her role pretty seriously I also sneak stuff/veggies in my food that my kids would otherwise not eat. They like rice and sprouts separately but if I had told them that I am asking sprout rice, I would have got negative response. So I made this bean biryani, which is packed with protein and a hit with all ages.

You will need;
2 Cups rice washed and drained.
1 Cup mixed sprouts-- I have a  12 bean mix packet. I always have sprouts ready for my use.

Making Sprouts;
In a big bowl take one cup beans, soak them in water for 8-10 hours and then drain the water, tie them up in a cotton cloth and keep them to sprout in a warm place for another 5-6 hours. Alternatively use the sprout maker.

1 finely onion chopped
 2 small tomatoes
1 Tsp Ginger/ Garlic paste
1 Tsp Biryani Masala
1 Tbspn Green chutney
4 cups boiling water
Salt and Sugar as needed

Tempering;

2 tbspn oil
1/2 tsp ghee/clarified butter
1 tspn paach phoran-( Blend of Mustard seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek seeds,  black onion seeds and Cumin seeds.)
5-6 Peppercorns
3 cloves
1 Cardamom
1 inch stick cinnamon
 
In a pan over medium heat, heat oil, add the tempering ingredients, heat for a minute, do not allow the pepper and cloves to burn, add the onions, little salt, tomatoes and  ginger garlic paste, and fry till the masala gets cooked, and oil starts separating from the onion tomato mixture. Add in the biryani masala and let cook for a minute, then  add salt and sugar, mix well and lastly add rice and sprouts and the green chutney and fry till the rice and sprouts gets coated with the masala. Add the boiling water, cover with a lid or cook in a rice cooker til rice gets done. garnish with Cilantrio or Spring Onion, add a dash of lime if needed. Since I was taking this along I did not add in anything. Enjoii this healthy rice with some yogurt or as is.

Linking this to Gayathri's WTML event Guest hosted by Sizzling tastebuds

Spring Onion Paratha- Guest post for Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey

I am back again with  a quick lunch or  an easy lunch box menu.item. Also, I am asked to do a guest post for JCO. JagsBen as I call her is a dear blogger(Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey), who I came to know recently through FB. I was drawn to her b log due to its screen presence, awesome food and easy to make gujarati recipes. I was super thrilled when she asked me to do a a guest post for her. Being new in this game, I was lost, as to what I would do that she has not yet done ..so I came across this. As this is  A Moms day Week, I am posting a recipe that My dear mom always made. She made this Subji a lot.. But being a MOM today, I am always in search of extra time and less efforts recipes. I turned  the leftover bhaji/subji into parathas.

Peeth perun bhaji  was posted last week. Today's post is an innovation that I did when I had some leftover subji and needed some stuffing for kids lunch parathas. I have seen most kids make faces, wiggle noses when you ask them to eat roti-subji, but give them parathas with the same subji stuffed in the roti with KETCHUP and down their throats the food slides. The reason for making ketchup go bold is that all kids love ketchup, I have seen eat kids ketchup with rice too. I know weird kids, maybe they all in my family alone. But we as kdis loved varan-bhat tup mith limbu and ketchup. it was like the salt on our plate.  Must have kind of go to food.


You will need;

For the stuffing/Subji

2 bunches spring onions, after you clean them and chop them, they should fill approx 2 cups.
We get 3-4 spring onions in one bunch.
2-3 tbspn besan/chickpea flour
Again this will depend on how much water the onions give out.

Tempering;
2 tbspn Oil
1 tspn mustard/rai seeds
1/2 tspn Cumin/jeera
1/2 tspn carrom/ajwain seeds
1tspn Turmeric
1 pinch hing/aesofodita
Salt to taste
Sugar a pinch, Optional

In a wok, heat the oil till hot, then add the mustard seeds, let them splutter then add the jeera, ajwain and let that sizzle for one second, then add the turmeric, hing and the chopped onion springs, cover and let it wilt and sweat the water out, reduce the heat to low. Add in the salt, sugar and let it sweat a bit. You will need to add a bit more salt than regular as we will be adding besan. Once the salt is incorporated and the onions are wilted well, add in the besan spoon by spoon. The quantity of the besan will depend on how much water the onions have given out. Adding spoon by spoon helps in judging how much flour would be needed. Once the mixture looks wet and the onions get covered with the flour, stir it well and cover and let cook for 5 minutes, on low heat. After 5 mins, stir once and see if the flour is cooked, if not let it cook covered for anr 2 minutes. The subji will stick to the pan, use more oil if needed, or use non stick pan to cook. I like the burnt scrapping so I let it stick before scrapping it into a serving bowl. The peeth perun bhaji is ready for your loved ones.

 For cover;
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tspn salt
1 tbspn oil
water as needed to knead into a soft dough

For cover;
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tspn salt
1 tbspn oil
water as needed to knead into a soft dough

In a bowl, mix the oil and salt and water and knead into a soft pliable dough.

Make equal size balls of the dough and stuffing. Roll a small ball/poori and stuff the stuffing and close the ends, dust some flour and roll into  a roti/paratha of about 5-7 inches in diameter.

Heat  a skillet/tawa and roast it while applying some oil/ghee/butter on both sides. Enjoy with some ketchup/yogourt/pickle or chutney of your choice.

Sending this to Gayathris WTML event hosted by Sizzlingveggie

Kandyachi Peeth-Perun Bhaji- Spring Onion with Chickpea flour Subji and my 200th post and an award

Yes Lovelies its 200th post for Indulge-ashscorner. Hence this long title and what better way to celebrate it with than an traditional maharashtrian subji. Ideally it should have been a sweet, but savory is the way to go for me now. Ever since cutting down on sweets, I am finding ways to curb my sweet and salt cravings. Replacing papads and pickles with such side dishes has helped me make the transition better.

Peeth perun bhaji is a type of preparation that can make any maharahstrian go weak in his knees. The peak of the ultimate comfort food, is what it is for me. This is a way of making any green leafy vegetable most common used  are spring onions, or radish leaves with chickpea flour or besan. Capsicum is also used for some added variation. Peeth perun is a technique where the flour is incorporated into the vegetable after it sweats a bit.This is ready in very few minutes and take no time. So if you have less time and need to use up those radish leaves, make this today,. But there is one caveat. The amount you start with and the amount you end with will be very dicey. This is ideal when you just need to add one more side to your platter or better when you simply need to supplement the veggie of the day, make this. This is  a dry preparation and goes well with dal rice and bhakri or roti or any flatbread.

I was very picky eater and choosy when it came to food. I was not very willing to try new foods, new ways of cooking and always liked food at my friends place better than what my Mom made. I am amazed at how good my boys are who do not ever say that my friends mom cooks better than you ma. I was not the case for sure. For me the grass was always greener on my friends lawn. I am sorry for the pesky kid I was Mom. Some things however I did enjoy at my home was this bhaji/subji. I try to get the taste my mom gets, but am not there yet. I use her recipe to the T but still its  a miss at times. My mom always made this peeth eprun bahji using spring onions, radish leaves and capsicum to name  a few, when we were traveling in trains on long journeys and as this made meals a less messy. She made wraps form pooris or phulkas and stuffed them with dry subji's most times it was this subji. Only if she knew that what she called as poli-folds was today's kathi rolls, she would have been a famous chef. The next post will be the innovation I did with this subji, But for now, lets see how to go about making this.

You will need;
2 bunches spring onions, after you clean them and chop them, they should fill approx 2 cups.
We get 3-4 spring onions in one bunch.
2-3 tbspn besan/chickpea flour
Again this will depend on how much water the onions give out.

Tempering;
2 tbspn OIl
1 tspn mustard/rai seeds
1/2 tspn Cumin/jeera
1/2 tspn carrom/ajwain seeds
1tspn Turmeric
1 pinch hing/aesofodita
Salt to taste
Sugar a pinch, Optional

In a wok, heat the oil till hot, then add the mustard seeds, let them splutter then add the jeera, ajwain and let that sizzle for one second, then add the turmeric, hing and the chopped onion springs, cover and let it wilt and sweat the water out, reduce the heat to low. Add in the salt, sugar and let it sweat a bit. You will need to add a bit more salt than regular as we will be adding besan. Once the salt is incorporated and the onions are wilted well, add in the besan spoon by spoon. The quantity of the besan will depend on how much water the onions have given out. Adding spoon by spoon helps in judging how much flour would be needed. Once the mixture looks wet and the onions get covered with the flour, stir it well and cover and let cook for 5 minutes, on low heat. After 5 mins, stir once and see if the flour is cooked, if not let it cook covered for anr 2 minutes. The subji will stick to the pan, use more oil if needed, or use non stick pan to cook. I like the burnt scrapping so I let it stick before scrapping it into a serving bowl. The peeth perun bhaji is ready for your loved ones.

Now time for some drum roll please. Aparna from Square Meals has again gracefully shared an award with me. This time it's  a little fun fact game along with this award.

Here are the rules for the award
Thank the person who nominated you for this Award and link them back
Then state some 5 random facts about you.
Spread the joy by nominating fellow bloggers, as a way of appreciation.
Finally inform the bloggers about the awards.

5 Random Facts About Ms. Ash

I am a MOM-24/7. meaning you will always find me nagging my kids with Do's and Dont's
I am a Survivor, I do not quit easily.
I am a Gardener..OK new found hobby, will share the pics when my garden is in full bloom
I am a Blogger, yes I heart white plates, blogware in stores and first thing I say is This will look great on my blog.
I am a very positive human. I try to find good things in all people even those who have been bad with me, hurt me and ditched me when I needed them. Trying to see only good and negate the bad helps me sleeping well at night.

Now time to share the joy, Feel free to collect this award from me to you as a return gift for reading 200 posts, supporting me when life was not going great and for just being there for me.Reaching 200 posts would not have been easy if not for your love and wishes and good vibes. I appreciate all that has been showered on me.


Linking this entry to Srav's CC event Moms Recipe