Escape

Lately, I have been so burned out and so overwhelmed with life. I feel as if I keep shoveling the snow out of the driveway while its snowing out and the process is never ending. That was the best analogy I could find. It seems as I am not getting anywhere. I know, of course, that hard work always pays off, but I am so ready for a vacation! I want to, no, I need to get away to a place where I don't have to worry about anything. Even if its just for a few days. I need to be able to admire the beauty around me and to experience LIFE. Yes, I am experiencing life first hand right now, and don't get me wrong, I am very thankful, but also very very tired. Family, school, and work are putting a HUGE toll on me. I am so ready to just lay on the beach under a coconut tree and enjoy the beautiful breeze with the smell of the ocean! Yes, that would be sheer bliss right now.

Homemade Lip Balm

With the cold weather that we have been having, I have been needing lip balm more often now. I usually use burts bees or carmax but I was out of both and honestly, was too lazy to go to the store. I also tend to lose a lot of those pricey lip balms because my niece likes to play with them. So I decided to find a way to make my own lip balm at home. We always have petroleum jelly at home so this lip balm was very easy to make!





Ingredients:

1-2 tsp Petroleum Jelly
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp Almond oil (or any other essential oil you have/want)
couple of drops of peppermint extract
a little piece of beeswax *optional*

Melt petroleum jelly and bees wax (if using) in the microwave for about 2 mins, stirring at 30 second intervals. once the mixture is completely melted, add all the other ingredients and mix well with a fork. Make sure all the ingredients are nicely incorporated. Pour in a clean jar/container and refrigerate until mixture solidifies.

This lip balm is easy and it works! keeping my lips nice and soft. You can experiment with the "flavors" by using different oils. Hope this helps!

Chai the Indian Way

I have been asked by a few friends to post up my chai recipe and honestly, I thought I had done this a long time ago but I can't seem to find it on my blog, so here is how I make my chai. There is much wiggle room with the spices. You can either focus on one specific spice like cinnamon or cardamom or you can add a little of all them (like I do most of the time). This chai is soothing, delicious and quite refreshing. We usually have at least a cup of chai daily. The tea leaves we use is Brooke Bonds Red Label loose tealeaves. Any good, strong. black loose tealeaves will suffice. We buy ours at the Indian Grocery Store. Most of the ingredients can be found at many supermarkets and your Indian Grocery store as well.

Ingredients for 2 cups of chai (because who really makes only one cup right)

2 cups of water
1 cup of whole milk (you can use 2% but use half water and half milk (1.5 of each)
4 teaspoons of loose black tealeaves
2 inch piece of ginger (adrakh) sliced
4-6 green cardamoms (ellachi)
1 piece of cinnamon
1/2 tsp of fennel seeds
3-4 whole peppercorns
1-2 whole cloves
sugar to taste


Method:

Boiling with spices

Heat water, loose tealeaves and spices and bring to a boil. Let mixture boil for about 5 minutes. Add milk and boil. As soon as the mixture boils, turn off the heat and let the chai sit for about 5 minutes. Strain and enjoy.

Tips: you can add mint, lemon grass, black cardamom and nutmeg to this mixture as well. The above recipe is how we make our tea daily but we do add some variations at time. Tweek this to your liking. Every new ingredient adds a new dimension but also remember that simpliticity sometimes is the best choice :)

Give this a shot and let me know how you like it!

Easy Pakora Recipe

Enjoying Pakoras with Cha[i] 

This cold weather is perfect for these pakoras/bhajias/fritters. They are quick and easy and very delicious. The perfect companion to a cup of hot chai! You can easily substitute the vegetables ** listed below with anything you prefer. I have successfully added grated carrots, small cauliflower bits and even broccoli pieces to this and it tastes wonderful! Give this recipe a try and let me know what you think! I love these on rainy days/nights and especially when I am studying!







Ingredients:

1 cup gram flour (chick pea flour/pea flour/besan)
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 onion julienned
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 green chillies, finely chopped or 1 tsp chili powder (adjust according to preference)
1 cup cabbage, spinach, or green amaranth (Choraiya) finely chopped**
1 medium potato grated into small bits**
handful of cilantro chopped
salt to taste
1 tsp cumin powder
water (enough to make a dropping batter)
oil for frying, approximately 2 cups

Pakora batter before frying.

Method:

Mix together gram flour, all purpose flour, cumin powder and baking powder thoroughly. Add all the other ingredients except oil and water. Add water a tablespoon at a time until dropping consistency, making sure you don't add too much. Mix well. Deep fry spoonfuls until golden brown (approx. 2-3 mins on each side for larger pakoras). Drain on paper towel. Best mserved with chai and tamarind chutney!

Maybe...

Sometimes we try to find the words to describe how we feel, yet the words seem unclear. 

Maybe its my thoughts racing leaving me wordless or....

maybe I just don't have the words to describe how I feel right now.

But then again, maybe I don't even know how I feel.