A cup of Assam Tea

  What if life is all about fun and happiness. Perfect but a bit boring. My Dad used to say life will throw you in situations where you have to face problems but that does not mean you can't get over it,  you face it and resolve it as well. 2020 hasn't been the best year for my family. First, we lost our Dad , then one of my Aunt got hospitalized and now another Aunt is severely ill. Yet, does it mean we don't celebrate or rejoice the beautiful and simple things in life? As simple as eating a good meal with the family, taking a walk, a hearty conversation with friends, and dressing up can lighten up your life when things are not going accordingly. Just the other day happiness was wearing an old pink traditional kanjivaram saree. I teamed up with a turquoise blue banarasi blouse that went well with the border of the saree and pink matte lipstick on my lips and soft wavy curls on my hair. And I accessorized it with large hear shape Ruby and gold pendant and a light gold bangl...

     Last year around this time, I was bombarded with so many outfit posts especially, Indian inspired as this time kick starts the Indian festive season. As now we are coexisting with Covid-19 , social appearance is really limited and of course, dressing up as well.  But, the other day I was invited to my neighbor's place for Lord Krishna's birthday, which we called Krishna Janmashtami. As Covid-19 is in my mind,  with full precaution, I decided to attend, as I have wonderful memories of Krishna Janmashtami celebration of those idyllic days of childhood and growing up. Also, took the opportunity for dressing up. Interestingly, I have kurta and skirt in Banarsi Silk motif of Vrindavan, the birthplace of Lord Krishna and blue Banarasi Dupatta and antique silver necklace and earring with a silver bangle. The look is simple enough for casual get together and dressy enough for any low key celebration.  I finished with silver sandals and a blue bindi. Do you kn...

"Light-enchanted sunflower, thou Who gazest ever true and tender On the sun's revolving splendour."  Pedro Calderon de la Barca I have been a sunflower enthusiast, but not as much until I visited the Buttonwood Sunflower Farm. Tucked away from the claustrophobic city, this serene scene of sunflowers in the quaint town of Griswold, thousands of sunflowers blooming in 14 acres of land, is surreal. About 50 miles away from the capital of Connecticut, Hartford, this picturesque farm, enhanced with meadows and barnhouses, historic stone walls, cows, and, of course, farm-made ice cream, also contributes to a great cause.  A bouquet of fresh-cut sunflowers will cost you a $10.00 donation, and 100% of the proceeds will go to  Sunflowers-For-Wishes  for children with critical illnesses.  If you live nearby or visit this area, be sure to experience the beauty of this gorgeous farm and also contribute to a noble cause.  It was m...

There are days when my taste buds ask for something rustic, rugged, totally country style, something that brings that nostalgic flavor, more precisely, brings me to our home kitchen in Assam, my grandma's kitchen, my mama's kitchen. Yup, sesame chicken is in my mind. My Assamese taste buds are so amicable with till or sesame seeds; name a festival or staple cooking time, and it is a desirable ingredient. I love that in today's new age, healthy cooking promotes and incorporates seed-eating, especially sesame, for numerous health benefits, which I was fortunate enough to grow up eating. Once you taste this exotic dish with its rustic and nutty flavor, you will definitely try it again. Today I am sharing my recipe.. Have you tried Assamese Chicken Curry . Ingredients 2 lb chicken cut into medium-sized pieces with bone 5 tablespoons of till or sesame 3 tablespoons mustard oil or olive oil, you can use any other cooking oil too but I love to use thick oil as...

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, most of us are almost losing our sanity. However, going outdoors with proper precautions and spending some time in nature can help unwind and uplift the mood a little.  A few weeks back, I was mesmerized in the  Rose Garden .    Behold...about 30 miles south of Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, enfolds a little slice of a dream called Lavender Pond Farm in Killingworth, CT.  Well, bedded with demure, scented, delicate, and colored thousands of lavender flowers, they bring smiles to anyone's face and enlighten the mind to melt away your stress level. In a white gazebo in the center, where you can gaze at the lavender or capture photo moments, benches to sit, and colorful beehives, smitten by the beauty of flowers, are just not the only facts that make you fall in love with this place. But an exotic pond with water lilies and a little covered bridge, a scenic walk to unfold the se...

The alluring and entrancing architectural delight on both sides of Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, as you approach Elizabeth Park, evokes a sense of serenity and peace within. Elizabeth Park's greenery and lots of unique and interesting variety of tree tapestry and ponds are a nature lover's or hiker's delight, or someone like me who often, at this time of the year, visits when the blooms of the roses create a rhapsody of colors in the Rose Garden at Elizabeth Park.                 Meticulously and aesthetically put together rose arches, gazebos, and a vivid variety and color of blooming roses can take your breath away at first sight. Widely known for wedding and engagement photoshoots, this park can be an ideal picnic spot. Home to 15,000 rose bushes and 800 varieties of roses across 2.5 acres of the park, it is the oldest municipal rose garden in the United States and the third-largest in the country. It was opened i...

There are those wispy winter evenings or sultry summer evenings in our wide courtyard ; my brother and I used to wait eagerly for  Deuta  (Dad) to come back from work and bring something for us to eat. Piping hot samosas to aromatic dry fruit ladoos from the local joints. After years of moving to the USA, when I visit my parents, Deuta eagerly waits at the airport with the happiness of meeting me in teary eyes, looking at my face steadily and lovingly.            Over the past 18 years, I often spoke to him, but I never had the urge to wish him a Happy Father's Day. Probably in our generation, growing up in India, celebrating Father's Day was not the norm; however, my two children here in the USA celebrate Father's Day with great zeal alongside their wonderful dad.  Deuta  was always there in my failure, in my success, in my happiness, and in my sadness.  It has been almost six months since losing him, and life has suddenly...