Manu's Medley

Basundi is a very famous dessert, made in India. It needs few ingredients that are readily available at home.  Ingredients: Full fat milk - 1.5 liters Sugar - 2 tablespoons Cardamom powder - 1 teaspoon Dry fruits (almonds, cashew, pista) - 3 tablespoons (finely chopped)                                              Follow me on  Instagram  and  Facebook   to read my latest articles!! Procedure: Boil milk (on high flame), in a heavy bottomed pan Once it starts to boil, reduce the flame to medium and keep stirring every 2-3 minutes, to avoid burning of the milk Scrap the milk solids from sides and put it back to the pan Once the milk starts to thicken, add sugar and continue boiling Add cardamom powder and dry fruits after the milk reduces to half and switch off the flame Refrigerate and serve cold Tips: Those who are in short of time, you can replace half the quantity of milk with condensed milk (approximately 200gms). This helps to thicken the milk soon. Skip sugar when using condensed

As the fall has set in, options for outings get limited, especially when we have kids. We recently visited a Butterfly Conservatory, at Cambridge, Ontario. It is completely indoor, so a plus for us to visit during fall and winters. It was re-opened in July 2021, after Covid-19 restrictions were relaxed. Entry is based on timed tickets (to be purchased online, as walk-ins aren't entertained these days due to Covid-19). 2 hours slot is allotted per ticket and face masks are mandatory, to ensure safety of visitors.   Now, coming to the Conservatory, it is set up in a tropical environment, which is essential for the survival of butterflies. It houses large varieties of free-flying butterflies and moths, tropical plants, birds, turtles, waterfalls and pond. Highlight is, one gets to see the four metamorphosis stages (i.e., egg, caterpillar, pupa and butterfly) of few varieties of the butterflies at the center. There is also a live display of insects and arthropods in the rooms adjacent

It was 6am and the sky was pitch dark outside. I woke up to another lazy and gloomy day. For those who are wondering why, it is currently fall season here at Canada, followed by winter. So the upcoming 4 to 5 months will be so, except for a very few sunny days in between. If it had been India, by now I will be in the kitchen helping out mom for Durga Pooja!! Since it is Vijayadasami at Canada today (though we are nine and half hrs behind India, almost all the festivals arrived a day in advance at Canada this year) per astro-calendar, I pushed myself out of the bedroom and got ready.  Initial plan was to make a small portion of sweet for prasadam and pav bhaji for lunch (as it is quick to make). Another reason is the guilt of eating lot of sweets and cakes over the last couple of months.  Before entering the kitchen, I texted my friends at Canada and US. Surprisingly everyone responded the same - "Thank you. But it is tmrw". We exchanged couple of texts, mostly me explaining t

Hello Friends, Welcome to my blog!!! Apparently this is my first post.  Why a blog, while Vlogs and Instagram are ruling the cyber space? If you had read 'About Me' section, by now, you know that I am fond of reading. So I chose writing to present my views and experiences. I am sure, it is the same passion to read, brought you here. You can expect posts on parenting, cooking, books, life experiences etc. in short, "A Medley of my Life" !!! Though I planned to launch a blog, almost an year ago, I was skeptical whether I will be able to provide enjoyable, readable and consistent posts for my readers. Everything needs to begin somewhere and someday. So finally, I am here today, publishing my first blogpost.  Follow me on  Insta  and  Facebook   to be up to date about my articles!!!