Prepping the Thermos for Lunch

Thermos keeps liquid / semi-solid lunches warm for a longer period of time.

1. Bring water to boil and pour them into the thermos(atleast 10 minutes).
2. Keep the thermos closed till it is ready to be packed.
3. Empty the water and pack lunch and seal immediately.
4. On days you make pasta/Noodles, use the water that you use to boiling to warm up the thermos/hot pack.

Vegetable soupy Ramen

Vegetable soupy Ramen:

Ingredients :
Ramen Noodles - 1 cup
Frozen or fresh Mixed vegetables (peas,beans,carrot,corn) - 1 cup
Red bean miso paste - 1 1/2 tbsp
sesame oil/cooking oil/butter - 1tbsp
Hot water - 2 cups
Salt -To taste


1. Cook ramen noodles and drain. Use the water that was used to boil the Ramen to warm up the thermos.
2. On a large pan, add 1 tbsp  oil and saute the veggies for few minutes. let them cool
3. Once cool, grind the vegetables to a fine paste in a mixer
4. Boil 2 cups of hot water and add the miso paste.Let it mix well and cook for few minutes
5. Mix the vegetable paste. Add salt to taste.
6. Once the miso soup is ready, add the cooked ramen.
7. Switch off after few minutes.

Creamy Corn Penne

Creamy Corn Penne:

Ingredients :

Penne Pasta - 1 cup
Corn on the cob - 1
Butter - 2 Tbsp
All purpose flour - 1/4 cup
Italian seasoning - 1/2 tsp
Hot water - 1 cup
Whole Milk boiled  - 1 cup
Parmesan cheese - 1/2 cup
ground Pepper - 1/2 tsp

Salt -To taste


1. Cook pasta to Al-dente. Drain the pasta and use the water that was used to warm up the thermos.
2. Scrape corn from the cob
3. On a large pan, add butter and saute the fresh corn for few minutes till it cooks
4. add the add purpose flour to corn and saute for 2 minutes.
5. Add hot water and let the flour and corn cook without lumps
6. Add milk,cheese, salt,pepper, seasoning and let it simmer for few minutes till all them combine.
7. add the cooked pasta and mix well
8. Switch off after few minutes.

Special day

Special day

The day repeats each year with continuing desire.

My tongue says nothing but my heart longs for one

I want a surprise I don’t know why

I don’t even know if I will cry

May be a wish or a kiss or a special attention...

Lots of hugs to my contentment

My boy turns 6 and we search all stores

Trying to find what he likes in his core.

We were almost home with 2 packs of Pokémon’s

There is something we forgot that would adorn (his birthday).

Back to PetSmart shopping for Snails

The one in blue or golden or black that would not fail!(to impress)

The golden mystery snail finds a new home in our tank

Hope he gets comfortable as he sank

"Sticky" - the name he earns!

While rest of the fishes are still waiting for their turns

What makes someone happy could be a piece of shell

Or little words that you forget to tell.

Comforter lights

Comforter Lights

It was a cold day with very less things to do

Mamma and I watched movies all day from the couch glued 

The kids went to DC for the first time without me

And i planned to use the king size bed just for me

I changed the sheets, arranged the pillows 100 times the way I want

Usually they listen to the boys because they are in demand!

Turned off the night light so there is not even a flash that would disturb!

But was surprised at what i could register.....

As a mom i always wanted a break but felt cold without the boys!!

Who peppered my comforter with lights?

Is it my mind playing games with my plight?

Is it fireflies inside my comforter....it can’t be!

They are not in the winter you see!

Can it be alien lights?? What am I thinking about?

Why would they hide in my comforter though!

I was awakened by the phone call at 4

The boys came back from the tour!

My heart is full of Joy and there is nothing like cuddling warm!

But the flickering lights were sending me alarms!

I hesitate and ask my husband about lights!!

Shut up and sleep tight....they are static (electricity) lights!

Making of my first acrylic on canvas

my baby steps trying colors and combinations on canvas with acrylic paints. Ganesha and a fall tree.

Deepavaliku dress vaangitiyaa.....?

Gone are those days when we eagerly buy new clothes for important occasions.Life in this country has made us forget important festivals. Deepavali would be just another daywith the usual samayal and nothing more.Atleast "Pongal" Might remind us to make "venn pongal" and "sakkarai pongal" but deepavali dint seem to trigger one particular item to make the festival complete.

Rewinding 10 - 12 yrs back...The festive mood would start a month early with the advertisements in TV for the latest designs in sarees,salwars and jewellery.Amma and her friends(neighbours) would start thinking about the sweets and savories that need to be ordered.sundar anna from chari mama's catering service would come in one day to collect the orders for the whole partment.As usual,it would be mine and bharath's favourites ranging from laddu,mysore pa crossing into adhirsam and ending with murukku and mixture.

Unlike other festivals where you get to enjoy the sweets only after the prayers, deepavali is the only one where you start munching even weeks before the actual festival.Amma and her friends would ask the orders to be delivered just a day or 2 before the actual festival to make sure that there will be still something left out for the actual festival day and would store a seperate share for the daily-helpers ranging from the milk man to the post man.

I get to wear the gold earrings, golusu,chain and valayal as soon as the holiday mood starts.Long weekends would be the only ones that I show interest in wearing the jimiki and golusu.Rest of the days would be the most precious ones picked from pondy bazaar or ranganathan street."pandigai naal adhuvumaa kandatha potukkatha dee" would be the comment from paati.

On the evening(day before deepavali), "arattai katcheri" would begin with the neighbours showing their deepavali clothes and last minute purchases.Tales(read it complaints) about getting the salwars and blouses stiched on time or the design change(sodhappal) that the tailor made and the fight to get it altered right on time would definitely be a part of the topic.

There was no strict Pooja associated with deepavali where you'll have to wait and make the offerings to the god and then have your part. The new clothes would generally be the most expensive one for the year and would already be marked with turmeric and arranged in a "kolam podapatta manai" in front of the god. There was no need for an alarm and the street folks would start the cracker bursting competition.The house that has more papers in the "Vaasal" ( from the burst crackers )would be highly looked upon.

By the time we wake up,the "venneer andaa"(hot water boiler)will be ready.The big batch would contain atleast a cup of "Ganga jalam" added to purify the whole batch.A "nalangu" followed by oil bath would be the routine.The goddess lakshmi is supposed to reside in the oil and ganga in the water purifying the body and the soul.New dresses and jewellery follow and the first thing to eat would be the deepavali marunthu or "legiyam" in order to ensure the sanity of our stomachs even when we go overboard.I was never a big fan of bursting crackers(scared!!) and would restrict to the busvanam and changu chakrams.Amma would warn me to be careful with my clothes.It was usually my brother who would burst the lakshmi vedi and the other noisy ones. Exchanging the wishes over the phone would be a major test for the ears and TV would almost be in the mute mode inspite of increasing volume.
The typical pandigai samayal would be the morekozhambu with vazhaikkai poriyal followed by pachadis, vadai,payasam and what not.The rest of the day would be spent watching the TV programmes .Amma would perform a lakshmi poojai in the vening and the day would end with the 10,000-wala saram that kicha uncle burst every year.

Deepavaliku dress vaangitiyaa?.. asked my mama in our daily chat......Anga laam verum mathappu thaan kolutha mudiumaamae...apdiyaa?....

I quickly thought about those golden times and replied..Deepavaliyaa...eppo mama???...mathappoo?...i dont even remember when i saw that last and dressaa...no specific time mama...eppo vaangareno appo potuppen.