A Cooked up Story

Hello Folks!!! It was yesterday that I completed my exams and now I have all the time in the world to do things that make me happy. So overjoyed that I had finally completed my degree, I couldn’t wait to celebrate. We planned to have a long night filled with movies and chocolates. But just before that, Rule no. 1 - Grab some snacks to binge eat. It was then that my eyes fell on a packet of chocolate chips.   This brought in a rush of memories and scenes of three years ago, when my sister and I were at our native. We stayed at our cousins’ for over a week and had the best time ever. My aunt and uncle were at work so, we were by ourselves at home- the best thing that could ever happen when you are with your cousins, because that’s when you are known by those three very dangerous words- ‘Partners in Crime’. Dancing, singing, playing, cooking, watching movies, staying up late at night… if there was a to-do list of “all things fun to do with your cousins”, we had achieved more than th...

Hello Folks!!! Festivities are a smorgasbord of religious traditions and fine food. From mouth-watering cuisines and delicacies from different parts of the globe to fusion dishes, sweet and savory, there is a certain charm that surrounds a festive season. Easter is one of the most fun celebrations in any child's life - with a basket full of chocolates, nests full of colourful easter eggs, super cute Easter bunnies and lots of sticky buns.  In Africa, Easter means a long weekend, which creates the perfect opportunity for a large family gathering. We would have lunch parties in our friends house, play in the swimming pool and also have 'eggs'changing.  As children, we had so much fun at the easter treasure hunt game, picking up easter eggs and presents specially kept for us at each doorstep. After the treasure hunt, we used to have the perfect get together! All families, friends and neighbours at home. Every year a different house would host the party.  There was a very bea...

Hello Folks!!! "Christmas cookies and happy hearts, this is how the holiday starts!" Tucking all those cookies into your tummy, soon you will fit into Santa's costume. Ho Ho Ho! Cookies, cookies, the baker's pride!!! Have you heard of  the 'Baker's Dozen'? There are many stories behind this legend, so I will narrate to you the one passed down to me. Well then, sit back and enjoy reading. Long ago, in a Dutch colonial town, the present Albany in New York, there lived an honest baker, well known for his Saint Nicholas Cookies. His shop used to be busy throughout the year and even more busy on days before December 6, St. Nicholas Day, when people flocked to his shop to buy those perfect cookies. Every morning, before he would start to bake, he would check his weights and balances and give exactly what his customers paid for. Never more, never less. However, one morning, there came an old woman in a yellow dress, who asked him for a dozen of his famous cookies...

  Hello Folks!!! Travel and great food is an integral part of African life. Like a ritual, all the weekends, are dedicated for travel. From Friday evening till Monday morning, people prefer to stay somewhere far away from their homes. This time we were travelling to Kasane. Kasane is a town lying in the north-eastern corner of Botswana, touching the borders of Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The place is known for its diverse wildlife, safaris and boating in dangerous waters with hippos and crocodiles. Anyone who loves adventures and seeks thrill should definitely drop in here. After reaching Kasane, we drove to the Chobe National park, met a number of wild elephants, giraffes and kudus on the way, went for a safari and saw numerous lions and cubs, giant crocodiles and so much more. After an eventful day and  a campfire dinner, we slept peacefully. The next morning, we decided to go back home. On our way back, we stopped at Nata, close to the well known Nata Bird Sanctuary...

 Hello Folks!!! Who can say no to a fluffy, soft, juicy and crisp doughnut? Well, I'm sure no one can.   Two summers back, my sister and  I thoroughly enjoyed our vacation. Experimenting, creating and inventing new dishes and more than anything, baking beautiful memories day after day. The best part was that, we were left alone at home, while our parents went for work. The 'Home Alone' kids with a big home at our disposal.. hurrah! Our daily routine was to get up at whatever time we felt, have a quick breakfast and then sing songs and dance, make fun of each other's mistakes and lie exhausted on the sofa to watch TLC. Our favourite programs are 'Say Yes to the Dress', 'Cake Boss' and 'Zumbo's Just Desserts'. We love eating food and watching these programs simultaneously, maybe because we love rule-breaking when left alone at home.  It feels great to cook food with your little sibling, your partner in crime. We usually get creative around the ...

  Hello Folks!!! Yesterday I was arranging my bookshelf and I found one of my favourite nursery stories- Mr Wolf’s Pancakes lying on the bottom rack with all the other books that were meant to be given away. As I turned the pages filled with drawings, colours and huge letters, I could feel myself once more sitting on my little chair and asking my mother to read it to me. The story is about a wolf who is very hungry and wants to eat some pancakes, but because wolves can’t read from a recipe book, or make a shopping list, he asks for help from his neighbours – the ginger bread man and the three little pigs, but they were so rude to him and finally, he had to manage everything all on his own! This story made me imagine I was Mr Wolf whenever we had pancakes for breakfast or at tea time. But now, the story repeats with a different hero. My sister’s favourite cartoon is Doraemon, a cat robot (not a raccoon) who is crazy for his pancake, the Dorayaki cake and falls for any trap inv...

  Hello Folks!!! “Travelling leaves you speechless, and then it turns you into a story-teller” -Ibn Battuta This sweet is so luscious that a small diamond or even two can take you to realms unknown. Its perfumed, sweet and tender layers soaked in honey and crowned in nuts is a delight for the soul. Whenever I have travelled with my family to Dubai, we always break at a beautiful sweet shop to enjoy those delicate baklavas. It’s best to eat them as soon as you buy them since, they will be warm and crispy and secondly, its tempting aroma won’t allow you to wait a second more. My love for this sweet has a very long story and since the first bite until now, I never miss a chance to grab one as soon as I spot it. I remember, as a child, I would fill my plate with as many different Middle Eastern deserts as it could accommodate, one among my favourites  being the baklava. When I was abroad, I had very beautiful Egyptian friends- ‘Didi’ and ‘Caroline’, two sisters who use...

Hello Folks!!! Right now I am enjoying myself listening to Nancy Mulligan by Ed Sheeran and eating heartening Apple Crumble, the best way to bring happiness to your soul by mingling the heavenly combination of music and food… This takes me back to a lazy Thursday evening when I went out to play with my friends. We had begun skipping two at a time on a long skipping rope and praying not to strangle our feet lest we should go out and wait again for our next chance. All six little girls happily enjoying themselves like how the handsome horse- Black Beauty used to on the meadow. All of a sudden, it became so windy that we couldn’t play any longer and were forced to return back home, only wishing that we could play for some more time. I was so sad and kept looking outside only to see that the weather became worse and worse. At such a time, Black Beauty would have gone searching for apples that fell down from the trees. That was when mom brought this pretty looking cream coloured sweet d...