Post Thanksgiving post :)

This is my last week in Austin and I am back today after a whirlwind trip to New Jersey after I spent an amazing thanksgiving with my two beautiful sisters and friends. We spent a lot of time cooking, eating, and playing board games. It was way too much fun!! We also went Ice skating at the Rockafeller center; something my youngest sis wanted to do for a really long time. None of us really know how to skate but it was fun nevertheless and  laughed a lot.

I want to give thanks to my beautiful family and old friends that keep me going no matter what and new ones who make life interesting. I never thank my parents. They are most supportive parents anyone could ever hope of having.Today, I just want to say how grateful I am to have them.

Much Love Mommy and Papa!

I am sharing a picture of the Thanksgiving feast we all had. 

Took all day to cook this meal:)

Me, Akhi (my lil sis) and Aakriti with help from Manoj and Maneesh made the Turkey, Chicken 65, Onion Pakoda, Butternut Squash soup, pasta, Veg Biryani and Pecan pie.

Everything was a success except my butternut squash soup. I was disappointed that it did not turn out the way I hoped. On the other hand, the pecan pie was a rave. Everybody loved it. We ended up eating it out of the pie dish with Ice cream. YUM!!

I hope all of you had a great thanksgiving!!

Holiday season is almost here!

This year, me and my sisters decided that were going to make Thanksgiving dinner and for dessert I want to make pecan pie. I have never made any kind of pie before so, this is kind of my dry run for the actual day. It actually turned out pretty good; if I can say so myself.;) I took it to work for my colleagues and they liked it. Mission accomplished. The pie crust I used was store bought, but here's what I used for the filling.

2 cups White sugar
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup pecans
3 whole eggs
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup butter
1/2 tbsp salt.

The recipe is so simple, I could make it all the time. Just mix all the ingredients except the pecans. Pecans go in the pie shell and then I put in the mixture in top and baked it for about 1 hr 10 min and cooled it overnight. and DONE!

Ready, set. eat!

Bang! Bang!

There is something about a hair cut that just renews you. I got myself bangs this weekend and I feel sassy! A blow dry just makes a girl feel great. I love my new hair and I could not stop asking my sister who went with me to the salon how I looked all weekend.:) Here's a peek.

Pictures from my phone- Thanks to Instagram!

To all my fellow Indians-- Happy Diwali- The festival of lights!!:D

Evening snack: Dhokla

Dhokla is a traditional Gujrati (West Indian) snack famous for its sweet and sour taste. It is a fluffy sponge like bread normally made with fermented chickpea flour. It is normally served with some coriander/mint chutney. I have not had Dhokla a lot, me being from Southern India and all. The most clear memory of  having Dhokla was actually after I moved to the US. One of my then room mates was an amazing cook and she had made it one evening. Today, I used the instant Dhokla mix that can be bought at most Indian stores.

Instant Dhokla mix

There are instructions on the box, but I did add a few of my ingredients to make it more flavorful. I added ginger paste, yogurt, oil and some water to make a paste. I made sure that the mixture was not too watery. I then transferred it to a container and then steamed it. You can also use a microwave if you prefer. But, you will have to be careful to cover the container as the microwave can easily dry out your Dhokla.
For the tadka/ dressing, I used mustard seeds, some green chilies, curry leaf, asafoetida and some cilantro.

Fluffy Dhokla all dressed!

Ready to eat!:)

Enjoy! Have a great rest of the week!