For the love of food and travel

To quote in the words of Dalai Lama - "Once a year, go someplace you've never been before".  School had closed for the summer and we haven't been anywhere for quite a long time.....and I've often felt that it is not good to keep a vacation waiting. The summer heat was really getting on to us and we needed a break.....and us being the splurge of the moment kinda people....we took a spontaneous decision to drive to Ooty, one of the most of the most beautiful hill stations in India, and hence also fondly referred to as the “Queen of Hill Stations”. From north to south, India is blessed with nature's most beautiful creations that turn the country into a heavenly abode for travellers.  One such pristine resort nestled at a height on Nilgiri Hills in South India is Ooty (Ootacamund).  This hill station has splendid green downs and lofty hills of extraordinary scenic beauty and is endowed with a salubrious climate. Located in the Western Ghats at a h

Stir-Fry is one of the most popular Chinese dishes.  It is loaded with delicious ingredients like chicken, noodles, bell peppers, broccoli, mushrooms and more colourful vegetables. For me stir fries are the easiest and tastiest way to use up whatever produce you have on hand.  Just serve it along with some grilled chicken breast or pan seared salmon and you have a seriously hearty and nutritious meal. Enoki Mushrooms Mushrooms are a common form of fungus. They grow all over the world in woods or grassy areas where there is plenty of moisture. They vary in colour and shape. The most commonly grown type, the button mushroom.  These are sometimes considered the true mushrooms. A mushroom is neither a fruit nor a vegetable; technically mushrooms aren’t even plants. They are a special type of fungus—a notion that puts some people off. If you don’t mind the fungus part, though, mushrooms are a great addition to a healthy diet—not to mention totally delicious. Shim

One of the most cutest sights in my house is to watch our little man walk into our kitchen with his little nose held up high to smell the freshly baked warm chocolate chip cookies. Then he patiently waits for it to cool down so that he can grab them and bite into them. And it is simply adorable to see him eat those cookies and having the melted chocolate all over his mouth. It is his favourite of all the treats in the world.  Ruth Graves Wakefield invented the Toll House brand of chocolate chip cookies. She worked as a dietitian and lectured on food until 1930 when she and her husband bought a tourist lodge in Whitman, Massachusetts. The tourist lodge was named the Toll House Inn. Ruth cooked and served all the food for the meals served to the guests at the Inn and became popular for her desserts. One day while making cookies, she realized she was out of an ingredient for the recipe she was using. She had run out of baker's chocolate, so she substituted it with a se