The hills are alive with the sound of music...

The hills are alive with the sound of music
With songs they have sung for a thousand years
The hills fill my heart with the sound of music
My heart wants to sing every song it hears

My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds
that rise from the lake to the trees
My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from a church on a breeze
To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over stones on its way
To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray

I go to the hills when my heart is lonely
I know I will hear what I've heard before
My heart will be blessed with the sound of music
And I'll sing once more

Yes, the hills were alive with sound of music… I was skeptical when K said he will take me to Switzerland to celebrate my birthday. Being a Bollywood movie buff for so many years I had seen enough of snow, mountains and valleys in numerous movies where hero and heroine never get tired of singing and dancing around the trees. And more than that, the trip was more expensive than any other European country. I would be lying if I say it did not cross my mind about getting a return trip ticket to India.

Everything changed suddenly once we landed in Zurich on Saturday morning. Just one look at the captivating landscape with numerous springs and hill-sides covered with trees, I got lost in the world of fairy tales and fantasy land. Every place we went, we were surrounded by breath taking beauty - blessed with tall trees, snow-capped mountains, lush green fields, gently flowing rivers, clean water, moderate climate and bountiful flower gardens. At one moment I was like Maria singing and dancing in the valley and next moment I was Heidi yodeling with my Peter :) Before I go on and on let me share with you all some of the snaps we clicked during our stay. I must tell you friends that these pictures can not do justice to the real breath taking beauty of this wonderful part of the world.

Climb ev'ry mountain
Search high and low
Follow ev'ry by-way
Every path you know

Climb ev'ry mountain
Ford ev'ry stream
Follow ev'ry rainbow
'Till you find your dream

A dream that will need
All the love you can give
Everyday of your life
For as long as you live

Climb ev'ry mountain
Ford ev'ry stream
Follow ev'ry rainbow
'Till you find your dream

A dream that will need
All the love you can give
Everyday of your life
For as long as you live

Climb ev'ry mountain
Ford ev'ry stream
Follow ev'ry rainbow
'Till you find your dream

Cooking from Other Blogs and Flower 'n Fruit Photography

I thought it's a high time I posted recipes I tried from other blogs before everyone start thinking I always cook and post my recipes;) These days I have been busy trying and testing recipes from other blogs and trust me I enjoyed it a lot. So here are three dishes I cooked from my blog buddies Asha of Foodie’s Hope and Manjula of Dalitoy. I am also posting “some” pictures I clicked during my India trip.

First is the Onion Pakodas which I made using Asha’s recipe. They were crisp, tasty and everything Asha said. We both enjoyed it a lot. Thank you Ashakka for this recipe. Here is another recipe of Onion Pakoda’s which I have posted earlier in my blog.

Asha's Onion Pakodas

Second dish is also from Asha’s blog. It’s her grandma’s recipe of Beetroot Palya and Grandma's recipe can never go wrong:) Beetroot is our favourite veggie(apart from another dozens of other veggies;). This recipe is a sure keeper for us as we enjoyed it simple rice and yogurt.

Asha's Beetroot Palya

Third recipe of Potato Saung is from Manjula’s blog. Boy!!! If you like tangy and spicy potato curry with very less ingredients and even very little preparation time then I highly recommend this for you. It was so delicious that we cooked it again in a same week. Thank you Manjula for this wonderful recipe.

Manjula's Potato Saung

Today I am posting flowers and fruits and vegetable pictures from my Amma and Atte’s much loved and nurtured garden. You will understand how much they love gardening once you see these snaps.

PS:
My good friend Trupti’s blog ”The Spice Who Loved Me” is nominated for best Indian food blog by IndiBloggies with other five beautiful blogs. My good wishes to Trupti and other bloggers who have been nominated. So friends what are you waiting for? Go and start voting for your favourite blog here at Indibloggies Poll.

!ncredible !ndia...

Hello to all my lovely blog friends,
Wishing you and your loved ones A Happy New Year:) May this new year brighten your each day with joy and happiness.

Celebration means......

A winter evening.

Four friends.

One barsaat.

Four glasses of chai.

Celebration means......

Hundred bucks of petrol.

A rusty old bike.

And an open road.

Celebration means......

Maggi noodles

Your friends

A hostel room.4.25 a.m.

Celebration means......

3 old friends.

3 separate cities.

3 coffee mugs.

1 internet messenger.

Celebration means......

Rain on a hot tin roof.

Pakoras deep-frying.

Neighbours dropping in.

A party.

Celebration means......

You and mom.

A summer night.

A bottle of coconut oil.

A head massage.

Gossiping about absent family members.

You can spend

Hundreds on birthdays,

Thousands on festivals,

Lakhs on weddings,

But to celebrate

All you have to do is spend your Time with your loved ones.

This New Year lets promise to keep in touch with our loved ones........

- Anonymous

I'm still busy with unpacking and getting over with homesickness... So just posting some snaps I managed to take from our busy schedule:) Will upload more photos ASAP. Cant wait to share the recipes from my Amma and Atte's kitchen. Till then enjoy a sneak peek at few snap shots:)
Cheers
Sia

See You All Next Year

Friends, I won't be blogging for a while. Well, to be precise for one month. It will be my winter hibernation for which I was waiting since long time:)
I want to wish in advance a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family...
See You All Next Year;) Till then, Happy Cooking and Blogging:)
Lots of Love
Supriya

My First Year of Culinary Adventure

It’s been close to a year (well to be precise it will be 1 full year tomorrow, coz it’s our 1st wedding anniversary…blushing…he he he) since I have started cooking full time in kitchen. My journey in the world of cooking has taught me one thing: never be scared to try new things. I love playing with ingredients; enjoying the different texture, taste and smell of spices; colour and shape of vegetables; sound of spluttering spices in kadai/pan; clinking noise of vessels; heat, steam and moisture fighting with each other to dominate the kitchen… I have put all my heart and love whenever I cooked, even while cooking a simplest dish.
Although I did enjoy cooking for my family before marriage, it feels like a distant memory compared to what I cooked in the past one year. I used to run a mile away whenever my mom asked me to cook one whole meal… Now all those days feels like blured images… When I actually started full fledged cooking, first few days were nightmares as what to cook; will it be ok; should I cook this or that; how much of ingredients to add; what to add; have I forgotten something; mmmm…something is missing; god!!! I added more salt than required; what am I going to do??? He he he… Thanks to my Amma and Atte who were there for me 24X7 on phone and chat room whenever I needed them. And also to my “much” better half who always encouraged me even during my blue days…
I must confess that there has been up ‘n downs… There is a moment or two when I felt cooking is not my cup of tea. But there are many more memories to relish when I felt I was on top of world because I could cook something so complicated. In the end it’s been one heck of culinary journey for me and I still love each and every moment of it….