June 03, 2009

Beloved Bengaluru & Mysuru, cooking Rainbow Red Chard and a long Summer break!

Hello everybody, hope life and warm Summer has been great to all of you so far.
Well....for me it was wonderful. I had been in India, to super HOT, humid Summery Bangalore and Mysore to be precise for few weeks and now back home to reality ie dog tired after 19hrs of flying, sniffling with cold and exhaustion, not wanting to start cooking and cleaning again. But I did come back to my beautifully flourished veggie patch, my little "happy to see you" family with not so clean kitchen at home. Although I enjoyed visiting India fully, I am so very glad to be back in clean, cooler and less populated America! :D

Kids have coped well while I was in India. My husband worked, came home as usual and took kids out on weekends as I hear from my kids. Thank God for Trisha, she has been a great "little mommy" to her brother while I was gone! Apparently my son almost had set my brand new kitchen on fire trying to warm a canned food with the lid on in the Microwave! :P

Visiting India, family and friends after many many years (almost 18tyrs!), I had an eye opening experience about life there. Mostly good things with most beautiful visual treats, whether they are clothes, Temples, Artifacts or food and some facts really makes me sad like how kids are pushed relentlessly by most parents there to achieve academically whether kids are capable or not, along with a ridiculous amount of school and college fees as "donation", shocking to hear first hand of blatantly asking us for bribe by most officials without a trace of shame for even a small thing they do which is supposed to be their regular work and not to mention the smells (good and bad!), shoulder rubbing mass of (mostly smiling!) crowd everywhere, deafening noise of honking vehicles every second, death defying traffic and pollution you can almost touch!! I am sure I have partial black lungs now! HeHe!!

I bought back a lot of Indian style "Kurtis" for us, some gold and brought back some of my wedding jewelry and Sarees too which were sitting in India for years. Of course, bought loads of Kannada cookbooks and books written by author BeeChi! Also enjoyed meeting my 6yr old nephew whom I hadn't met before, my beautiful SIL and of course my parents, few aunts and my only brother.

Anyway, now that I am trying to recover slowly from exhaustion, Flu and Allergy, we have a fully engaging Summer this year. Starting with both Kids' graduation in June, a Hawaii vacation in July, a college orientation and daughter's's move to college dorm in August, we are very busy this Summer. I will not be able to blog surf or blog until Fall. I will see you all again soon, starting with my 2009 Summer garden post.

Here are few photos from Bangalore and Mysore:(Click on all the images to enlarge)

Food I ate!! Yes, I need to walk and lose lot of lbs too this Summer! :D
I met Latha of "The YUM Blog" there. She has been a wonderful friend, cooked lunch for me, took me around to meet her friends near her home and took me around to show me places there as well. She has a beautiful house, filled with antique "Thippalai" and "Jhola" etc., loved them all. The first photo you see in the collage is her lunch for me the first day I met her of Adai, Avial, Payasam etc on a solid silver plate!! She also made her popular Rava Idli platter and Pani Puri next time but I was so eager to eat, forgot to take pics! :D
I also talked to Lakshmi, Latha's daughter and SRA on the phone as well, met my college friends and sampled some of the south and North Indian food in B'lore and Mysore.
We sampled Jolada rotti oota, Holige oota, Masale dose in "Nalapaka", "Janata", "Adyar Ananda Bhavan", "Halli Mane", "MTR", "Iravata", chaats at "Thindi Beedi" in V.V.Puram, Gobi and babycorn Manchurian, Gulkan Kulfi and "Siddhartha" in Mysore, Maddur vades, Bisibele Bhath, Poori Saagu, MTR Rava Idli and many many more. I don't like to eat sweets much, didn't sample those really but I gifted many boxes of sweets to friends and family including that delicious Mysore Pak.

Here are some beautiful images which represents Bangalore and Mysore. Temples, Palaces, Veg market, Flower market, colorful powders, Bangles and exotic fruits and artifacts!

I do have more than 250 photos but tried to post some of them just to show you. That was a great trip to India all in all and hope I can make it there in about 4yrs again when my son starts college and stay longer than few weeks! :)

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My veggie garden has grown so much in just few weeks I had been gone!
I had spread some Rainbow Red chard seeds before I left US and now they are grown like a jungle! You can see the Red chard leaves on your left corner on the bottom of the photo.
As soon as I came back home, I ran to the backyard, took this photo and then cooked a simple but tasty dal with a whole bunch of red chard and chana dal, a Red Chard stir fry, right after 2-3 days of sleeping at odd hrs to catch up the time difference betn India and US!

Red Chard dal, Red Chard stir fry, Eggplant Pachadi/Bajji and Rice rottis:
I am sending this platter to Indosungod's event "The Chard Challenge-Calling all Gardeners". Thanks for hosting Indo, enjoy! :)
Well.. it doesn't take much work or preparation to grow Swiss Chard or Rainbow Chard in your backyard at all. All you need is a well prepared pot or ground with loose soil with Miracle grow or good fertilizer added and Chard seeds to sprinkle. Water occasionally and there you have it! They grow profusely, just snip only the leaves as you need them, don't pull the whole plant. They grow very well with minimal effort, very nutritious and beautiful to look at too.

To make Swiss Rainbow Chard dal:

1. Wash and then chop a big bunch of Red chard with it's softer stems roughly. If you are not using a pressure cooker, you could precook 1/2 cup Chana dal in the Microwave with 2-3 cups of water until soft but not mashed to paste. Keep aside.
2. Heat 1 tsp ghee and 2 tsp oil in a pressure pan or cooker or a pan. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 2 tsp cumin seeds, let it splutter. Add and fry 1 small onion, chopped, 1 garlic, chopped.
3. Add Chana dal if you are using a pressure cooker, stir, add chopped chard and 2-3 cups of water. Cover and pressure cook this on medium heat just until 1-2 whistles.
If you are using regular pan, add cooked Chana dal and Chard, cover and cook until greens are soft and not much water left.
4. Add enough salt, Chilli powder, 1 tbsp Coriander powder, 1/4 tsp Tamarind paste or 1 tomato and let it cook for 5 mins on medium heat.
5. Serve with Parathas, rotis or Bhakri.

Swiss Chard stir-fry:
1. Chop Chard roughly and keep aside.
2. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan, add 1 tsp each Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds, 2 tsp Urad dal, 2 dry red chillies, until they splutter.
3. Add 1/2 cup onion, 1 garlic, fry until reddish. Add chopped greens, stir once and add 1/4 cup water. Cover and cook until they are wilted and soft. Open the lid, simmer until just a little water left in the bottom.
4. Add enough salt, mix. Turn off the heat and add lemon juice to serve as a side dish or light lunch.

Recipe for Eggplant Bajji or Pachadi and to make Akki rottis are here in this post.

Thanks to all of you who awarded me and tagged me for MeMe(I have stopped doing MeMes long back, but thanks for tagging!), I will slowly add you to my sidebar when I can. Right now, I have to rest and be ready for graduations this month.

That is all from me until Fall, see you all soon. Have a wonderful Summer, enjoy blogging! :)

158 comments:

Finla said...

I am so pleased to hear you had a wonderufl time in India.
And also you met latha there, she indeed had made a feast for you.
I was really surorised to hear you had not been to India in 18 yrs.
Looking to the pic, it looks like you had a wonderful time there.
Take care with your throat and allery and hope you will be feeling much better on satuday for the cermony.

sra said...

Hey, glad to see you back but sad to know you won't be blogging for a while! Glad you mostly enjoyed your India trip - it's hot even for us regulars, just gets hotter and hotter every year.

Priya said...

Asha, I am in line next to u not visiting back home after I landed. Hopefully will visit this yr/next yr. Great pictures and looks like u had a wonderful time.

Saritha said...

Welcome back asha,missing ur lovely comments.Do take ur time and join us.

oh god 18years are too long.

lubnakarim06 said...

Katti...katti...katti....u were here and i din't even know....u met everyone but not me....Allam bellam katti....(hehehehe)...i have to wait 4 more years to meet u i think... :-(.....nice to know that you had rocking time here.....very much suprised to know that u have been to India after so long.....chard looks yum...take care of yourself dear......

Deepthi Shankar said...

You hadn't been to India in 18 yrs .. Gosh, you might have missed so much .. glad that you had a great time .. Take care & see ya soon with some lovely recipes

Raaga said...

Ashakka... had I known, I'd have come and visited you... :-)

lovely post :)

Parita said...

Glad to see you back dear..good that you enjoyed your holidays in india..i m too going back to india in july end:)

Anonymous said...

wow!! sounds like a lovely break... great pictures... have a wonderful time and good luck with doing all that you have to till you start blogging again. will miss you tho...

snigdha said...

Hi, Asha, welcome back ! Had not been to India for 18 years !!!! Must have seen an India quite different from what you might have visualised in the interim. Yeah.. it is sad the way kid n youngsters are being tortured in the name of education .

Kalai said...

So glad to hear that you had a wonderful time, Ashakka! Yeah... Going to India can definitely be bittersweet, huh? Have a wonderful rest of the summer and I look forward to seeing you back in the fall! Veggie patch is amazing!!

Priya Suresh said...

Welcome Back, very glad to see you back and also happy to hear that you had a wonderful time in india...I was very much surprised to know that you havent been to India since a long...Seems u enjoyed much..Take care of ur allergy...Feel like flying to India immediately..will go next year surely..

DIshes with swiss chard looks amazing and fabulous...Have a wonderful summer break too!!!

Laavanya said...

I didn't realize you were going to India - looks like you had some great food and had a nice time meeting family and some blog friends too :) Your veggie patch looks great and the red chard dishes are yummy. That sure does sound like a busy summer so take care and see you in Sept.

Suparna said...

hi asha,
welcome back :) :)glad to c u!! nice to know u'd been to B'lore and mysore. nice of u to share lovely pics and ur trip in a nutshell :)
Take good care of ur self and rest enough. Wish to c u in full blast as usual...actually missed u kanri :)

Gita Jaishankar said...

Welcome back dear :) Its so nice to read your post. Great photos...you must have had so much fun since you went to India after such a long time. Love you veggie patch! Take care :)

Vishali said...

Welcome Asha dear. We missed u a lot. Very nice to hear that u had trip to India. Hope u had a nice time for urself. I am going to India too on June 6th and will be returning with my hubby in Aug. Kind og big vacation for me but I am gonna learn some courses there :). Thank you for letting us know everything from India. Take care! Hope to see you in blogging once I return.

Pavani said...

Welcome back Asha.. Hope everybody is doing well in India. Good to see you blogging again. Happy Summer.

Nithya Praveen said...

Hey Asha...missed you here! Glad to know abt ur vacation.I can relate to ur views on India....the traffic,noise,pollution kills me.I jes get back 2 weeks back and havent stopped cribbing abt it to my husband.But however it is,thats a place i come from so no regrets:-).Weather must have been too hot in bangalore & mysore.Great pictures and also lovely recipe on the chads to.Take care and do join us back ...will wait for ya!

EC said...

Omg..How did u stay for so long from ur native and parents..I feel so homesick every 2-3 months..Glad u had a nice trip and enjoyed urself..And ya, like many other bloggers in India complained, had u informed us, atleast we could have spoken to u..Enjoy ur break

indosungod said...

Glad to have you back Asha and happy to hear you had fun in India. It is a shock even when we visit India every year after 18 yrs it must have seemed like a different world.

Thanks for the chard dish. With all the rain for the past few weeks mine have been growing like crazy too.

Sakshi said...

Very very happy to see you back and that too you were in the most beautiful country in the world...INDIA. I know am obsessed with that place and can survive even in the pollution, crowd and all that comes along with it..Glad to see all your photographs. It makes me yearn to go back and click all that chaos and beauty there. Ohh you won't blog till september?? does that mean you won't even visit our blogs?? sobs...

chef and her kitchen said...

Welcome back Ashakka....Glad to see you back with a bang....but again u will be on a long break...!!
hmm...Good that u enjoyed ur vacation with ur relatives n frens after a long long time...

Vani said...

18 years is too long a time. So very glad you got to visit India and have a blast there! Meeting family and friends. Nice pictures. I went to the thindi beedi this time too. It had been pouring that day so you can imagine the kochche! But the food was fabulous.
Feel better soon. Have fun at the graduation and in Hawaii.

Manasi said...

Glad to see u back! looks like u had an awesome holiday!and ur narrative is just what I wanted to hear!! for a moment, I felt like I was with u in India!!!
Hope u have a wonderful summer!
Goodluck to Trisha!

Sunshinemom said...

I was there too, Asha! I wish I had know you would be there:). I met some friends too - Lubna, Sweatha and Valar:). Glad you enjoyed your trip. Regarding pollution, it is manmade so we are responsible for it. Remember the USA gets most of its harmful semi-finished materials made in India and other developing countries in order to try and keep itself clean!! There are so many ways our Country is much better (smiling faces like you said), so I focus on the good points and I love it too! It is a very beautiful Country!

suvi said...

Glad to know you had a good time. But hey...I missed you!! And now you are going off again :(

Have a blast on your break and come back soon! Hugs

Ashwini said...

18 yrs is a long time..but i am happy that u enjoyed ur trip and had a great time.. i wish i could to india for a vacation...

Recipeswap said...

ohhhh wow sounds like you had a wonderful time..........18 years gosh thats such a long time....but good to know u ate well,met family and friends.......I miss Good old Bangalore.
Asha I was thinking we should meet up once since we both live in NC.Do let me know over a mail if thats ok with u :)

Pooja said...

Gald to see you back and to hear that you had a really wonderful time in India. Oh and after 18 yrs..that must have been a great reunion! Hope you recover soon. Enjoy your vacation. Will wait eagerly for your arrival :)

Love the dishes! Everything looks so healthy n delicious! Have never before made something with chard. How nice it would be to have something fresh from the garden!

Recipeswap said...

Sure Asha you get back from your vacation /break and then we can plan.

Kannada Cuisine said...

Ashakka,

Sounds like you had a great deal of fun back home.. me too just back from Bangalore of course bringing back cold and cough as well. Looks like we had similar stops as well.. I had been to V.V.Puram (we call it Chat street in our family), Halli mane, Janata hotel along with Siddhartha in Mysore. There were many more stops as well...though I would not wait 18 months to go back..

Bong Mom said...

So there you were !!! Glad you had a great "me & India" time

What you won't be around till Sept ??? Oh no :(

TBC said...

18 years is a long time! I cannot imagine staying away (without visiting) that long!
Good to hear that you had a fun time celebrating with food, friends & family.
See you in September, Asha! :)

Manju said...

its soo good to see you back, even if its for a little while!! Man, you had tons of fun while in India!!! all that food and people and places..im sooo jealous!!

take care and get better soon to enjoy the summer..waiting to see your summer garden! :)

Kay said...

Asha!!! so good to see you back. 18 yrs is a loooong time.. How did you stay away from India that long?

Do check this out when you have a chance.
http://desimomzclub.blogspot.com/2009/05/it-washes-it-rinses-it-even-dries.html

FH said...

SJ, as they say "Home is where the Heart is" and my heart is here and this is "home" for me! I never feel at home anywhere if my little family is not around. I guess I am too emotionally dependent on them ie my kids and husband more than India and my parents! :D

Varsha Vipins said...

Glad to see u back Ashakka..:)
I see u had loads of of fun in India n am glad u enjoyed ur needed break..:)Loved all those pics..:)
I go with Harini as I miss India too..n yeah u told rite..Its all about that home feel,but our place has its own good things too n I'm looking forward to my vaccation as well..:)
Hope to see u soon n miss ur comments..:)

A journey called Life said...

hello ashaji.. looks like u had a fun trip.. nice :)
take care.. looks like a hectic next few months..

Anonymous said...

Glad to see you back dear Asha.It is always a pleasure to read your posts.Good to know that you had a wonderful time in India.

Shalini

Unknown said...

Glad to see all your pics! Great to know u had a great time in India. Was excited to see ur post in my reader but u say u will not be posting till Sep! Will miss ya! Have a great break Asha ji!

Meera said...

So glad you are back. It must be fun to visit after such a long time. I am planning to go too. I consider both India and United States as my motherlands - one natural and the other adopted. Both the countries have given me a lot. When I am here, I miss India. and when I go there, I miss US. :-D

Take care. It must be a tiring journey.

Soma said...

Welcome Home dear Asha!! Sounds like you had such a great time, tho' short & this was a beautiful post. You already started cooking & blogging.

Raks said...

Good to see u back,enjoyed reading the story :)
I am surprised to hear that u are seeing ur nephew only now after 6 years frm his birth!!

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Glad to see you after a long time and nice to know you had a wonderful time back in India, after 18 yrs oh gosh thats a long time for sure!!! Looks like you had a great time there!!!! Take Care of yourself the dhal sounds very healthy!!!

Savi-Ruchi said...

Man!, It is hard to believe that you had not visited India from 18 years!!! I haven't been to India from 1 yr & I'm missing it damn soo much. Seems like you had a gala time there. Enjoying Mysore, Bangalore food. Welcome back Ashakka. Also, take care & see you soon :)

Red Chillies said...

So good to have you back Asha. You went to Bangalore?? You can almost hear me scream saying "YAY" Namma baengaluru. It has changed so much isn't it?
So glad your family managed. LOL at Tusahr trying to burn the kitchem microwaving a can :-)))

Welcome back and hope you recover soon.

Keshi said...

ur bak yeyyyyyyyy! *HUGZ*

Im glad u had a good break girl. Looks like u had a ball!

btw I hv something for ya in my 'On a blanket with my baby..' post...check it out!

btw did I say I missed ya!


Keshi.

jayasree said...

Glad that you could make it after 18 years. Never thought you will be visiting India. Happy that you have some wonderful memories to take back after your visit to last till your next visit.
Will surely miss your posts and comments in our blogs...

veena said...

Hi Asha ..
Its great to knw that u had a wonderful time in India tht too after 18 long years ...Pics are too too good and nce to see ur garden to ...So get well soon and see u soon

Indian Khana said...

Gud to see you back and glad to know you have enjoyed it..went to India after 18yrs ! hmm that's something....nice clicks....

bird's eye view said...

Hey good to see you back. was thinking of you yesterday and popped by to be pleasantly surprised. wish you had told me you were in India - would have tried to coincide a Blr trip to meet you - was there last to last weekend. Enjoy your busy summer and see you in fall.

Reeta Skeeter said...

wow...that is like a fairy tale post!!!
hugs!
all the best for all the upcoming events!
P.S. dilli aana tha na :|

Sharmila said...

Welcome back dear Asha! Your post sounds exactly how you have felt ... happy happy. :-)
Love all the recipes ... and the snaps. Will miss you again. :-(

Srikitchen said...

hope u had a great time in India!
rainbow red chard name itself is so unique!

Sia said...

Ah, u r back and i am soooooo pleased to see u :)
and only thing i have to say is WOW!!! u visited India after 18 yrs???!! That must be some shock for u. every year when we visit India we feel like so much has changed and u visited after 18 yrs!!!
is that first 2 pics taken in commercial street, b'lore? I remember the Kashmiri emporium there.
and what a spread!!! glad u got to enjoy so many delicacies. and good to know u met Lata.
and before signing off, BeeChi is my fav writer too. i like his black humor :)
take care. and don't let Tushar cook canned food in MW (LOL!!!).

Unknown said...

welcome back Asha glad you enjoyed the trip and nice recipe take time and come back soon.waiting for your lovely posts.

Nandinis food said...

Welcome back! The stay in India must be gratifying! The dishes look good! The pictures of Bangalore and Mysore look beautiful and pretty! But I'm going to miss you again!

Purnima said...

Asha, sooo glad to see you back.Loved the details of your trip and back!And yes, thats our INDIA! We love it! I missed precisely all these when new here, even now I do! :D U hv already cooked n blogged! Wow! Now the kitchen is back to its (rightful) owner! (I m scared to hand over kitchen to hub for these same reasons..mess+change in place of all the pantry ingr! Sorting this takes abt a week or so!:D)Going this 19th wd b back by mid sep! Happy Vacation to you n fly!

FH said...

Hi Purnima, at least you have a such a short flight to India from there unlike us! 19hrs of flying from here to there, it's crazy tiring. Believe me I am flat out exhausted now!:D Summer there even made it worse, should have gone in December but did have a good time though, loved visiting family and friends.
Enjoy your trip too, it would be nicer in Monsoon season! :)
Yeah, I am glad my kitchen is intact too!:P

sunita said...

Welcome back Asha...glad to know that you had a wonderful time in India.

Archana said...

Wow, seems like a nice holiday...Loved the pics...how did you manage not going for so long ? Have fun at Hawai and th graduation !

Sandhya said...

Kids must be so happy to see you back! Can't wait to see your regular Wednesday posts! Have a nice summer Asha!

ARUNA said...

welcome bac Asha......nice to c u back! Looks like u had an awesome trip!!!After seeing those pics, i really feel like visiting my home rightaway......wish i had wings :((

Uma said...

I thought I was the only one who didn't visit India for 8 yrs. Now I have company :) Good to see you back and sad that you're taking a break again!! Have a fun-filled break Asha!! Enjoyed all the pics. Take care of your health!!

Vikis Kitchen said...

oh dear, u havent been to India for 18 yrs! Looks like a penance for me. I understand the pain n tolerance u have for the family. Lot to learn from u including gardening:)
Chad leaves look delicious in stir fry.
Enjoy ur vacation dear.

DK said...

Yeheyeheyeheyeh!!!!!! YOU ARE BACK! I missed you a lot, sent you a mail too - dunno whether u got it or not :)

18yrs!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Whoa ! Thats really soemthing..but its great that u had a fantabulous time out there....its been only 2 yrs since I last visited India - so I do know about the pollution that u r talking about..sigh!

Cant wait for september and see you blogging again and try out many of your dishes! I went on a massive rampage and cooked many of ur dishes! awesome....

I have moved to my own domain by the way

Pooja said...

Nice to see you back asha..Looks like you had a great time in india..Hmm you have been there after 18 years thats a long time..love india trip but horrible part is the journey..

Jaya M said...

Asha,
good to see you back :)..i am glad you had a nice time...and take rest spend time with family..i am sure you missed them as much as they missed you...will see you in Sep ..
hugs and smiles

Pavithra Kodical said...

Welcome back Asha akka..Beautiful snaps and Mahishasura nanna nodi nanu hedarutta edde chikkavaliddaga :)

Malar Gandhi said...

Nice to see you back, hope you had a great vacation, picture speaks for itself. As usual very impressive collection.

Love ur garden, so green and nice.

Srivalli said...

ah...you came here and you didn't tell me...:(((...bhooo...

but glad you enjoyed your trip...

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

So you've been holidaying in India? 18 years is a very long time. Everything would have been totally different. Can see you had fun shopping! :)
And Bangalore is nothing at all like it used to be. Now its very dirty, crowded and a mess! Mysore would have been better.

You certainly have some busy times ahead. Have fun, take care and see you when you get back.

Gattina Cheung said...

hello hello hello :) Asha, what a great trip! and so many good fotos you brought back! 18 years, that is really very loooong time! Hope the allergy (from hay fever?) won't bother you for too long, and have a super summer!

Finla said...

Hi Asha saw the pictures from Trishas graguation ceremony. She looks beautful and tll her our congrats to her.
You all must have been really proud.
Here we don't have ceremonies like this which I think is a realy pity as it is something the kids can remember for their rest of the life.
Hans went to UK in the weekend for a concert andhe bought loads of mangoes, drumsticks etc........I will post a picture of themangoes inmy place in my post.
Hi hi if you see how much he bought you would think he is gone mango crazy.
Really so sweet of him to buy that, can you guess whathe also bought in one of the shops he saw dosa mix and on the packet it was written in malayalam and said product of Trissur / Kerala so he bought two packs of that too.
I have this big huge smile each time i go to the kitchen and see those two packets because it was so sweet of hime to buy that :-)
So tommorw it is going to be dosa, sambar and chutney after a long in our place.
Don't forget to say congragulation to Trish.

Lakshmi said...

I am glad to hear about your wonderful India trip. Nice pictures Ashakka. I am still in Mysore now, will be flying back to Singapore on Saturday :)

UjjU said...

Great trip! Awesome photos! I'm feelin home sick now :(. I'm kinda shocked to hear that this was your trip after 18 years to India! :O Anyway, relax now & take care. :)

Anonymous said...

Welcome back Asha :) Nice to know u had a lovely trip! But you went after 18 years!!! its been 4 yrs since I last went and I am already irritating my husband to send me for a vacation :) Get well soon.

AnuSriram said...

Welcome back Asha! Looks like you enjoyed to the utmost! Lovely snaps and a delicious dish.. Seeing all your pictures, makes me home-sick. Enjoy ur summer!

Mansi said...

hey, looks like u had a fun time in B'lore Asha! thanks for sharing the pics..I haven't been to B'lore yet, and that's going to be my destination next time I visit India!

your garden looks lovely too....hope you find time to send something in for the SHF-Fruit & Nut event I'm hosting this month, before you set off to enjoy your summer break!!

mommyof2 said...

Welcome back! I am surprised that you didn't for that long.. feel better..

Mallika said...

Hi Asha, sounds so wonderful. You are making me nostalgic for back home. Hope this year the hayfever isn't too bad. Enjoy your break and I'll keep an eye out in September for your return. Much love

ChrisB said...

Glad you had a lovely trip, lovely pictures. Enjoy your summer break.

Yasmeen said...

Summer may not be best time in India,but with family and friends to meet,it sure is joyful.Blooming summer garden,must be a wonderful site ,can't imagine the flavors of the garden fresh vegetables Have a relaxing break and take care:)

Bong Mom said...

hey sent you a mail, take care

anusharaji said...

wish i can go to India too. 16 yrs is too much to see lots of changes. i could never imagine that happen to me though. glad u had a great time. njoy ur summer and ofcourse hawaii trip. take care of ur help as well.
bye sis. miss u.

Rekha said...

wah, asha, see u don't have to go visit ur family only, nxt time u must make a trip just to meet bloggers across the country, or maybe organize an event...LOL...u r so popular! anyways, glad u enjoyed the trip.

Sig said...

Hey Ash, didn't realize you are back! I have 1000+ unread items in my reader, so I stopped looking at it completely. But looks like this post has become quite a sensation around the blogosphere! I can't believe how clueless and stupid someone will have to be to take offense from this post!!!!!! Anyway, glad you had a great trip, love the pics! Hugs!

FH said...

Hi Sig, I too am surprised to see the reaction of some and even I read my own post twice to see where is the "crime scene"? ;D
Yeah, there is a huge immature blog mafia out there but that shouldn't stop us from being ourselves.
I get 70+ blog posts everyday too, doing the clean up everyday until I come back. My blog roll will be very small when I come back and keep few of my blog buddies closer and keep toxic people out.

Have a great Summer, see you in Fall, hugs to you! :)

Usha said...

So good to hear that you had a wonderful reunion with your family and enjoyed your trip there. I just got back from a similar trip to India, only not after as long a gap as yours :-) Great pictures and the red chard looks very healthy and yum....

Srivalli said...

Asha..I came back to check on you...:)..already on the vacation..will surely miss you..take care...and what you said about home is where the heart is...simply true..enjoy with your family..hope to see you soon...did I tell you that I saw Trisha picture..she was looking very good in her dress..take care then..

Mona said...

wow! after 18 years! That's a lot of time...and the change must have been shocking for you indeed!

Red Chillies said...

Asha, hope you are doing well now. The long flight must have been exhausting and with the things going on in the blogosphere, just dropped by to give you some hugs and support.

Kajal said...

WOW...you have nice trip to India. After long time i visit your blog. I think i miss so many things. Rocking blog dear. Nice to see your all photoes.

Have a great weekend dear.:)
Kajal

FH said...

RC, thanks sweetie. I am doing great, hugs to you for asking! :)
Trisha's college orientation went very well, was busy with all that. As for stupid things going on in blogs, they are just that! STUPID!!!;D

Kajal, so good to see you after so long, take care. Yes, 18yrs are long time, so it's natural to find my homeland in a different light but loved meeting family and friends!Hope you start blogging again regularly! :)

Lisa Johnson said...

Well, I guess "hi" and "bye" at the same time! I'm glad you enjoyed your trip. Have a great summer! ; )

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Welcome back , and hope u have enjoyed to the utmost.. Pictures are so good and we too enjoyed seeing it. See you soon with lovely recipes.

Pragyan said...

Hi Asha, Wow, was I right in reading that you visited India after 18 yrs? So happy for you. It's been 5 yrs for me now and I am ready to go anytime now. All the best to Trisha for her new college life!

Madhuram said...

Hi Asha, hope things are fine at your end. Saw your comment in DK's blog and yes I too came across the issue. Sometimes people can get over sensitive. I didn't find anything offensive at all in the post. Congrats to Trish and everybody in the family. Waiting for fall (you).

Chitra said...

Hello asha, u came and posted this two weeks b4 but i dont know how i missed this....glad u visited blore and mysore..fotos look awesome..Red chard is new to me and the dishes looks yummy yumm..Missed ur posts and ur sweet coments in my blog so far:(

FH said...

Thanks to all of you for welcoming me back girls. Have a fun Summer, see you in Fall! :)

Madhu, isn't it funny? I don't see anything other than my experiences written in here and how I felt but some saw whole another thing in this post!! :D

Dalicia said...

that's so cool!! isn't it nice to be back :) do you feel you're home? or is US now your home?

LifenSpice said...

Hi Asha, Look i'm the last one to read that you had been to India! (101st comment!)..Nice to know that you had a great time in India..Hope you are doing fine and have gotten over the jet lag and all..Seeing that spread and the list of restaurants/foods made me want to run to Blore for a week! Take care and hope to see you resume blogging soon..hugs:)

Anonymous said...

hello... hapi blogging... have a nice day! just visiting here....

CiCi said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful trip. I will make your Swiss Chard stir fry.

vidhas said...

Welcome Back Asha akka. Glad u have enjoyed in India. WE are used to this traffice and pollution now. It has become a part of our life. Missed ur comments and see u back soon.

Sum Raj said...

hi asha..h r u?..missed u all a lot...ur each and every dish makes me drool eveytime...soo tempting as usual...

Kristen said...

What a glorious trip, Asha! I'm so glad you were able to make it back to India. I bet your friends and family were so happy to have you back!
Enjoy your summer and your kids. They are growing!

Divya Kudua said...

Hi Ashakka..I know you are on vacation and having a great time with your folks..still,thought of saying a Hi..:).As Sig said,this post has created such a ruckus in the blogosphere.I went through the post many times and couldn't find the "crime scene" as well.

Anyway..hope to see you back in action soon,probably in September,right?Chao till then..:)

FH said...

Hi Dalicia, yes! I feel that wherever my kids live feels it's home for me. You could say US is home now. If my kids and husband lived in India or any other country, that would my home for me too! :D

Divya, yeah! That's what I did too!! Read my own post twice over to find the "fault"!Strange reactions, isn't it? :P
Just back from Hawaii, very tired and resting now. See you in Fall! :)

Jayashree said...

Nice post and lots of lots of good pics. Hope you are having a good vacation....look forward to your posts in Sept.

Vanamala Hebbar said...

Glad to see u back..

Shah cooks said...

good to hear abt ur India trip.Hope u have a good summer. will catch up with u later.

Sunshinemom said...

Hi Asha,

Please accept my apologies for my harsh words! It is not my nature but I guess sometimes I too go off the handle. Even if I did find anything objectionable I think I should have discussed it before reacting. I do not know you personally and to insinuate you was wrong and completely not my nature! SORRY!!

Not apologizing like this through a comment and only mailing would have left me with a sting forever!! Sometimes little things get so blown out of proportion.

Have a great break.

Hugs,
Harini

Pravs said...

wow,after 18 years ? This must be some visit for you then. Pics say you had a good time. Hope you are doing fine now.

Dibs said...

Hello Asha - had not blogged for a while (mom fractured her leg!!), and then yesterday I suddenly realized I must have missed a dozen great posts by you. Looks like you have gone off on a looong break! Look forward to Sept to see you back.

Hey this post is super as usual! Love the collages. Must be really emotional meeting family after soooo many years! I have been away from Blore / Mysore for nearly 13 years now...and sadly get to see it perhaps for just 2 three days max once in a blue moon. Waah ..really miss the place. But everytime I go back, I am even more horrified by the changes!!! Must have been a big shocker for you after 18 years!!

See you in September! Take care!

ramya said...

Hi Asha,
Nice to hear about ur trip to india.looking at the pics i think u did enjoy lot and did lot of shopping. we will visit india in sep.
Take care

FH said...

Ramya, Sept is the best time to visit India, I visited there at the wrong time! Enjoy, see you when you come back, hugs! :)

Prajusha said...

happy to read abt ur india trip.. hope u enjoyed it by meeting ur friends and relatives.
oh..my God u went to india after 18 yrs. here i can't even think abt it without seeing my parents once in a year.
Enjoy ur summer break.
tk care.bye.

cyberkitty said...

Hi..welcome back..nice pics..would have liked to meet u...take care of ur health :)

kavithA said...

hi ,

please can you post the other recieps wchich used to do with tamarind and with masala like (guttonkaya curry ).my mother used to do that curry i love that curry.

FH said...

Kavitha, I do have stuffed Eggplant recipe in this blog. Pleas go to my recipe index and search in side dishes section, it will take you there! :)

http://fh-aromarecipeindex.blogspot.com/2008/03/palya-masala-bhaji-subzi.html

Sia said...

Sept is not very far :) Hope u r doing gr8 Ashakka.

Margie said...

Hi Asha
I do hope you are having a great summer & look forward to seeing u back in the fall.
As always, this post was wonderful...thank you!

Wishing you & your family lots of happy times together!

Margie:)

Sukanya Yogesh said...

Looks like you had a wonderful time in India. Seeing the write-up and the pics makes me feel nostalgic...I have some awards and a Tag for you. Please collect them from my blog.

Ramya's Mane Adige said...

hey Ashakka!! hegidiraa? glad to know you had a wonderful time in India. We r back in India now.... finally got internet connection and put up a post today. You enjoy your vacation!

Meera said...

Hello Asha,
Hope you are having a wonderful break. Just came here to say Hi to you.

Divya Kudua said...

Knock knock..:):)

suvi said...

hey hope all your probs get sorted out. Come back soon. Take care. Hugs

Christina said...

You are such a wonderful blogger who encourages others to blog and appreciates them. Hope everything works out okay for you. Have faith. Sending good energies your way.

FH said...

Thank you C, I appreciate all your support. Hopefully I will be back soon. Hugs to you. Have a fun Fall season! :))

mommyof2 said...

read your recent post.. was wondering where you were.. I hope everything is fine soon and you are back like before.. hugs

Anonymous said...

Ditto, Ditto Christina.
come back soon. We are waiting for u Asha.

Bharathy said...

Miss you !!

Unknown said...

Hope everything is fine. Come back soon!!

FH said...

Hi Girls, thanks for caring. Yes, I am doing lot better and I will be back soon, probably this month or the next. Hugs to all of you, take care! :))

Recipeswap said...

Hi Asha,how are u doing?hope all is well.Take care.

FH said...

Doing okay, Neema. Weather these days is not helping my mood either. Have a great weekend! :)

Manasi said...

Hi Asha, it's been SO long since u last posted... missing u.
Hope all is well with u and yours and we will see u back in actions real soon.
Take care.

FH said...

Hi Manasi, I am doing okay.Winter like weather making me a bit depressed but I will be back soon. Take care, hugs! :)

Cilantro said...

Hope you are doing good and also hope to see you blogging soon.

FH said...

I am doing okay Cilantro, I will be back soon.

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody, enjoy your blessings! :))

suvi said...

hey..how are you doing? sent you a mail this morning, hope to see you soon.

Deepa Kuber said...

hi asha, when wil u be coming back? waiting for ur recipes.. I too started blogging after 1 year break. No clue what going on in blogging world.. :) so m trying to get in touch wid all my old frens..

FH said...

A and Anjali, I will be back in Jan. I know it's been long but I am almost ready! :))

Happy new Year to all of you.

Champa said...

Wow, your garden looks stunning.

FH said...

Thanks BB. Love red chard. I haven't posted my Summer garden yet, will do soon! :)

Nithya Praveen said...

Hey Asha...r u back? How've u been?Missing u here in the blogging world...Wishing you and your family a wonderful New Year.

FH said...

Thanks girl, you too have a wonderful 2010. I am doing okay. Kids are at home now, I will be back soon! :)

Shionge said...

Hiya Asha...been a while since my last comment just wanna pop by to wish you a HappY new Year with Good Health & Happiness PLUS Good Food heheheh :D

Mona said...

Missing you Asha! Hope you are doing good!

TBC said...

Here's wishing you and your family a happy and prosperous 2010, Asha!

Anonymous said...

Good to see you back Asha.

Unknown said...

Hi How r u ? Happy 2010..
Hope will see u in the new year.

FH said...

Shi, Mona, TBC, Anon and Madhu, thank you all so much, I am doing okay now.Hope you all had a great New year's day as well. I am getting ready to post on Wednesday, so see you soon! :))

Bong Mom said...

Hi Asha

Happy New year dear. Come on, get back and post, right now :)

FH said...

Haha! Will do tomorrow morn', Sandeepa. Hope you are having a great start. Hugs! :))

Ann said...

Hi Asha, wanted to wish you a Happy 2010, hope to see you soon in the blog world. You are an inspiring cook, blogger, mother and all around TRUE LADY for some of us out here...!

FH said...

Thank you so much Ann, I need to hear those words, specially now! :))