Wanderberry Tales

While I wish Christmas season would last longer, I still enjoyed the one month that preceded Christmas. That is when we decided to begin our Christmas celebration. The tree was up a month ago with little tweaks and twists whenever we were mood for a change. CBN radio played all along and I lost count of the Christmas movies we watched. Each movie spoke of Christmas spirit, family, love and hope. Put together, it is the celebration of life putting aside all our worries.  Baking also found way into our life and mall hopping to see the Santa Claus and Christmas decor were not far behind.  It's Christmas eve and I hope all of you are all ready for the big day! The climate is chilly in most parts of the world and if you are in mood for a drink (non alcoholic :P) - here is a recipe you can count on. It makes me think of all the days we went to Cafe Coffee day for a sip at Hot Cocoa and it took me years to realise I could make one at home with easily available ingredients. ...

Majority of my Christmas days were spent in Kerala. The routine was fixed for years as far as I can remember. Vacation for us began on the 23rd of December every year on wrapping up the annual day celebrations. Then catch the Malabar express from Mangalore (Soumya -my sister and I loved the train journey) to reach Mavelikara the 24th morning. Christmas day began with a breakfast of appam and chicken stew! A plateful of plum cake adorned the table every meal. Have you tried cake and stew combo? Do I sound crazy? My dad says so - you should probably try to believe it. A slice of cake and a spoonful of stew on it. That is the way I end my Christmas breakfast. Lunch would generally be Biriyani or rice with a lot of non veg items - chicken, beef , seafood, mutton,  name it and you have it. Dinner was more or less on the same lines. Christmas is not exactly Christmas without the lip smacking food!! I have chosen one such recipe that could form a part of your Christmas menu thi...

I am not a fan of Dubai summers and eagerly wait for the winter to arrive. Every time it does I swear to make the best use of it. From evening strolls in the park to sitting out in the balcony and enjoying the breeze, I love it all. I am on high spirits this season - so my kitchen often has new dishes. If you are looking for something warm to make your winter nights cozy, look no further. Here is a tried and tested recipe which you will grow to love. Its absolutely not complicated and all you need are three ingredients. While your chicken roasts and your cake bakes, you could have your drink made as well. So here you are - Spiced Apple juice! I got this recipe from Shibin and he got it from his brother, Shinoj. Ingredients Apple Juice - 4 glasses ( You could pick up a can from the supermarket) Cinnamon sticks - 1 whole stick Cloves - 6 Method Pour the apple juice into a saucepan along with cinnamon sticks and cloves. Simmer this for 10 to 15 minutes...

The long weekend has heralded a hopefully long winter in Dubai. The winds are chilly and my hands are invariably reaching out to the woolens. The sky is clear and occasional clouds pass by as I look up and pray that at least one would sprinkle showers as they go by. I have not been that lucky yet! It is that time of the year when we reach out to those soothing hot drinks and soups. Yet the crazy part in each of us would want to grab hold of an ice cream or something chilled. ( although the angel in your head would speak of possibilities of falling sick - the devil in you doesn't care) The call for making a cheesecake has been there since the last mango season. The season passed by and no cheesecake was made. While discussing the menu for Christmas, Shibin was quick to suggest a cheesecake and since mango is not in season now, I was left pondering on the flavor. I was quickly taken back to one of the episodes of Dhe Chef - a Malayalam channel cooking reality show where one of ...

It has been long since I played the game of Secret Santa - I am sure most of you are familiar with this game. It is not the gifts you wrap or unwrap that gives the happiness. It is more about the suspense, the secret letters and the guessing games as to who could be your Santa. I was introduced to this game when I was in hostel where every year we religiously play  - we did have our semester exam during this time of the year but that never dampened our spirits. Nothing could possibly be a hindrance to this game when you have a whole hostel - 100 odd girls playing this game. We had a letter box where we could drop in letters addressed to our secret friend. The thrill of finding a letter addressed to you or small gifts that would mysteriously appear on your bed or a messenger getting it for you. Aah!  Shopping for the gifts weren't easy either. It was always last minute purchases and all the 100 girls end up at the same store every time. We had to dodge our secret frie...

It is winter, it is Christmas and baking just happens this season! Listening to the carols, there I went baking again.   My mind began wandering to 'Long time ago in Bethlehem', In the 'Silent Night' I envisioned 'Hark the herald, angels sing'. The bright stars guiding ' We three Kings of Orient are' Led them to the place where ' Mary's boy child Jesus Christ ' lay.   ' O Come All Ye Faithful' and spread the word. 'Go tell it on the mountain' and spread 'Joy to the world' . It is a 'Merry Merry Merry Christmas' And 'Santa Claus is coming to town ' 'Dashing through the snow' here he is With 'Rudolf the red nose reindeer' by his side and 'Frosty the snowman' to welcome him I 'Decked my halls with boughs of Holly' , and keep dreaming about a 'White Christmas'. Looks like an overdose of carols!! Oh Never mind, like Shibin sa...