Manu's Medley

Hope you all had a great thanksgiving !!! It's been snowing since yesterday ❄❄❄  When I woke up to see the snow laden roads, cars and trees, I wished I could laze out reading a book and have piping hot spicy pulao. But my little one's shrills brought me to reality and reminded me of my mommy duties.  Nevertheless, I will treat myself with my favorite mushroom pulao today and try to carve out some time to continue with my current read - A memoir by Barack Obama. It is voluminous and I might take couple of months to finish it. Will definitely publish a detailed post on it!!! How do you like to enjoy your snow time??? Do comment. Follow me on  Instagram  and  Facebook  to read my latest articles!! Follow me on  Instagram  and  Facebook  to get notified about my latest articles!!  

Hello Readers, I received few requests to post the recipe for masala vada. There are multiple ways to prepare this yummy tea time snack. I am sharing how it is made in our house. Ingredients: Split chickpeas (chana dal) - 1 cup Fennel seeds (saunf) - 3/4 teaspoon Cloves (lavang) - 2 Cinnamon stick (dalchini) - 1/4 inch Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon Green chillies - 3 Onions - 1 medium sized (chopped) Ginger - 1/2 inch Garlic - 5 cloves Mint leaves (pudina) - 1 tablespoon (finely chopped) Coriander leaves  - 1 tablespoon (finely chopped) Salt, as per taste Oil, for deep frying                               Follow me on  Instagram  and  Facebook   to read my latest articles!! Procedure: Soak chana dal for at least 2 hours Grind the dal without water (or by using maximum of 2 tablespoons), till it attains coarse texture. See to that at least 10% of the dal is not well ground. Yes, you read it right. This gives a good crunch to the vada while eating Powder fennel seeds, cloves and cinnamon

First snow fall at our place, was technically yesterday. But all we had was only flurries (light shower of snow). Today though we had flurries since morning, the real deal started now. Yay, it is snowing. This is just the beginning for the season. Sharing a glance of the snow fall for my readers.  I had my first snow experience in the USA and it was surreal for a person like me, who hails from one of the hottest places in India. First time snow is always fun. But honestly, it isn't as enticing as it appears. Especially, commutation becomes really challenging during and after snowfall and this season witnesses a lot of road accidents. Cleaning snow is a very critical task and physically tiring. It is a punishable offence if we don't clean up snow on our cars before hitting the roads. Personally I am not a fan of bundling up, but we are left with no choice, if we have to step out.  Irrespective of all these, year on year I look forward to snowfall and marvel at it.  Follow me on 

"First They Killed My Father" was on my To Be Read (TBR) list for sometime. Finally, I read it as part of my book goals for the year 2021. It is a heart wrenching memoir written by Loung Ung, who survived the Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge Regime in Cambodia.  The story starts off with Loung narrating her family and life at Phnom Penh before communists took over Cambodia; their family fleeing Phnom Penh due to Khmer Rouge’s attack; the struggles their family encounters while travelling from one village to the other, concealing their identity for survival; their ordeal working for Khmer Rouge. In the due course, Loung’s father gets killed, her family gets separated with Loung ending up in the Khmer Rouge troop as a child soldier. By the time Cambodia is liberated, Loung also loses her mother, 2 sisters and finally unites with rest of her siblings. The books ends with Loung migrating to the United States along with her elder brother and sister-in-law. It is a very well written book

We attended a Halloween party, organized by Schneider Haus National Historic Site along with our friends, in their neighborhood. Entry was based on pre-booking, with timed slots and limited to only those who are fully vaccinated. They decorated the place with haunted forest, cemetery, ghosts, witches and vampirinas. You can find few photographs from the venue, here. It was held outdoors and due to heavy rain, the place was muddy and slippery. But it didn't stop the kids from enjoying the evening. They put up their best show in spooky costumes and played trick-or-treat.  Just to give a little background, Halloween is celebrated by many countries on 31st October of every year. It is the time of the year dedicated to remember all those dead. Initially, Halloween was celebrated in Ireland and Scotland. As people started migrating, it was brought to the US in 19th century and to other countries in 20th and 21st centuries. When it originated, Halloween's rituals were influenced by an