This weekend I celebrated Holi in the US for the first time. You know how there are those things that you always want to do but somehow it just never works out? For years I’ve completely missed Holi, each time realizing days later that I had overlooked it yet again! This year, I was thrilled… Continue reading Holi the Festival of Colors
To celebrate Diwali this year, I made these walnut squares. They are my version of Walnut Burfi. I had found these beautiful bright red walnuts at Whole Foods and didn’t know what I would do with them until Diwali came around. I created these walnut bars that are reminiscent of the texture of Mohanthal, a… Continue reading Walnut Bars (Burfi) for Diwali
Happy Raksha Bandhan! It’s Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi), a day to celebrate your siblings. Every Rakhi, I make a bracelet for my brother and tie it on his wrist. The bracelet is supposed to provide protection for a brother in battle. Rakhis were tied to the wrist of warriors when they would go off to battle.… Continue reading Raksha Bandhan – A Sibling Holiday
January 14th is one of the most exciting days of the year in many parts of India, especially Gujarat. Growing up, my brother and I looked forward to it every year. It’s the day of the Kite Festival. The Kite Festival in India is not the peaceful event you may be picturing. In India, flying kites… Continue reading Mamra Chikki (Puffed Rice Brittle) – A Kite Wars Tradition
Steve and I went to his parent’s house for an early Thanksgiving dinner last weekend. We had to work on Thanksgiving day and Steve’s parents were going out of town, so we celebrated early with that side of the family. We had a fantastic traditional meal with turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, sweet… Continue reading Thanksgiving Feast for Two
Ghughras (Gujia or Karanji in Hindi) are an essential Diwali treat for Gujus. To celebrate this festival, my mom always went all out. She made a variety of different snack foods at home and ordered others from specialty sweet and snack shops. There were many different sweets and snacks, but Ghugras were the one treat… Continue reading Ghughras: A Diwali Sweet (Gujia)
October is my favorite time of the year. Not only is it the month of my birthday and Halloween (who doesn’t love a holiday about costumes and candy?!) but it is also when I get to go dancing for nine nights in a row. Yes, I am talking about Navratri! I have always loved dancing… Continue reading Nine Nights of Dancing for Navratri
It’s Indian Independence day today. All day, I’ve been thinking about the difference between how August 15th is celebrated in India and how July 4th is celebrated here. My usual Independence Day routine while in India consisted of my mom waking us up extra early, even though it was a holiday, so that we could… Continue reading Reflections on Indian Independence Day
