Burnt green Brinjal, and salad

The burnt Brinjal is a versatile vegetable. You can make different dishes with it.

Today I made burnt Brinjal chokka. 

Ingredients 

3 burnt green Brinjal 

1 tsp ghee

Salt as required 

2 chopped green chilies 

A pinch heeng

Chopped onion and tomato are optional 

Method 

Roast and burnt tge green Brinjal.  Remove the outer skin. Mash it, add chopped green chilies,  salt and ghee. Mash well.

Eat with roti or rice.

Notes

You can add mustard oil instead of ghee, if you like it's pungent smell. 

Chopped onion and tomato can also be added, in today's recipe I have not added it.

Coconut burfi

Coconut Burfi (Nariyal Barfi) Recipe

​A traditional, homemade sweet made with fresh coconuts harvested right from home—perfect for celebrating festive seasons like Navratri

​Ingredients

​500 g freshly grated coconut (use only the white part)

​400 g sugar

​100 ml water

​4 tsp ghee (plus a little extra for the tray)

​½ tsp green cardamom (elaichi) powder

​Method

​Preparing the Mixture

​Choose a medium coconut it should be firm, neither very tender nor very old coconut, as selecting the right coconut is the key to the best results.

​In a large kadai (heavy-bottomed pan), pour the water and let it come to a boil.

​Add the grated coconut and sugar. Cook on a slow flame, stirring continuously to prevent the coconut from burning.

​ Cooking to Consistency

​Keep stirring and cooking for about 20 minutes until the mixture thickens and the sugar begins to crystallize.

​Add 4 teaspoons of ghee and the cardamom powder, then toss and mix well.

​Continue cooking until you notice the coconut mixture starts leaving the sides of the pan. This entire cooking process takes approximately 25 minutes. Turn off the stove.

​Setting and Cutting

​Line a tray with butter paper and grease it lightly with ½ teaspoon of ghee.

​Pour the hot coconut burfi mixture onto the tray, flatten it evenly, and gently press the top for a smooth finish.

​Allow it to cool down at room temperature for 30 minutes.

​After 30 minutes, invert the set burfi onto a flat surface and carefully peel off the butter paper.

​Cut into your desired diamond or square pieces.

​Serving Suggestions

​Serve at room temperature and enjoy this fantastic, budget-friendly, and easy-to-make homemade sweet.

Happy Navratri. 

Sunday workout plans

Happy Dussehra to you too! May your fitness journey involve fewer wrestling experiences with massage therapists and significantly more festive workout and healthy balanced diet.

​

​The Sunday Chronicles: From Wresting Chambers to Dhunuchi Naach

​Sleep Status: Secured a glorious two hours of sleep. I am officially calling this my revolutionary "advanced recovery technique" and completely call it blissful. 

​Yesterday's Spa Experience: Decided to treat myself to a relaxing Balanese massage. Instead, I accidentally signed up for an elite wrestling training camp. The therapist tried to fold me into a human origami swan, bent my legs into dimensions physicists haven't discovered yet, and evicted some ancient stress knots from my neck. I spent half the session screaming and the other half wondering if I should close my eyes tight and say Hanuman chalisa!

​Today's Workout Plan: Durga Puja pandal hopping! My official cardio will consist of aggressive dancing to drum beats (Dhunuchi Naach).

​

I’ll try to capture the performance practice on video, provided my newly cracked-open neck doesn't snap off first.

​Wishing you a fantastic, healthy, and knot-free Dussehra!

Banana bread from overripe bananas.

Simple and Delicious Banana Bread

Transform your overripe bananas into a cozy, comforting loaf that pairs perfectly with a hot cup of filter coffee or ginger tea.

Ingredients

• 3 overripe Robustas or Nendrans (or about 5 smaller bananas)
• 2 cups Maida or whole wheat atta
• 1 cup Brown sugar or jaggery powder
• 2 Eggs
• 1 cup Butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking powder
• Optional toppings: A handful of nuts or pumpkin seeds

Step-by-Step Method

Preheat the Oven

• Turn on your oven and preheat it to 180°C for 20 minutes while you prep the batter.

 Dry Ingredients

• In a large mixing bowl, combine the maida, salt, and baking powder. Mix well with a fork and set aside.

 Wet Ingredients & Bananas

• In a separate bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar together (a hand blender works great here).
• In another bowl, mash the bananas thoroughly using a fork.
• Beat the eggs and gently fold them into the dry maida mixture.
• Add the butter-sugar mixture and the mashed bananas to the bowl. Gently fold everything together just until combined—avoid overmixing to keep the bread tender.

Prepare the baking Tin 

• Line a bread loaf container with parchment paper, making sure to fold and press the sides neatly.

 Bake

• Pour the batter into the loaf pan layer by layer until done. Sprinkle your choice of nuts or pumpkin seeds on top.
• Bake at 180°C for 1 hour.
• Important: Do not open the oven door midway through, as sudden temperature drops will cause the loaf to deflate. Because the batter is rich and moist, it needs this uninterrupted slow bake.

Serve

• Once fully baked, remove the loaf from the oven. Let it cool slightly, slice into desired pieces, and enjoy!

The Great Closet Excavation- Decluttering saga!

​The Great Closet Excavation: A Tale of Loss, Reunion, and Betrayal

​Decluttering is advertised as a peaceful journey toward "inner bliss and discipline." In reality, it’s an emotional roller coaster disguised as spring cleaning.

​The Unexpected Archaeological Discoveries.

​Opening a closet for a "quick tidy" immediately turns into a full-scale excavation site where you unearth:

The Lone Sock: Missing since 2021, looking slightly confused to see daylight again.

The Stealth Dupatta: Mysteriously lurking in the dark void behind four heavy winter jackets.

The Forgotten Shirt: Still wearing its original price tag, glaring at you with silent judgment for ignoring its existence.

​The Short-Lived Illusion

​For about twenty glorious minutes, the decluttered corner looks like a frame straight out of a luxury interior design magazine. You stand back, admire your life choices, and pretend you have transformed into a disciplined minimalist... right up until the next laundry day strikes.

​The "Donation Bag" Hostage Rescue

​The ultimate rule of wardrobe decluttering is simple: The donation bag must leave the house immediately.

​If that bag stays in the room past sunset, your brain initiates a stealth rescue operation:​"Wait... what if I get invited to a neon-themed party in 2032 and need this exact shirt?"​"This jacket isn't old, it just has 'character'!"​"I drank a extra glass of water today, so these jeans will definitely fit by next Friday."

​By bedtime, 80% of the rejected clothes have been lovingly unpacked and sneaked back onto their hangers, officially bringing the decluttering saga full circle

Jayanthi 

11/10/2026

Nut enriched besan ladoo

A quick ladoo for evening.  We require a bunch of things for this ladoo. 

Nut enriched ladoo 

Ingredients 

4 tablespoon ghee

1 cup besan 

1/4 cup roasted almonds

1/4 cup Pecan

1/4 cup Cashews 

1 cup sugar 

3 elachi 

2 cloves

Method 

In a thick bottomed kadai dry roast almonds, pecan and Cashews. In very slow fire, it should become just roasted. Off the stove, cool down.  

Nut Consistency: Pulse the roasted nuts briefly instead of grinding continuously to prevent them from releasing their oils and becoming nut butter

Powder the sugar, elachi and cloves in mixer jar. Keep aside

​Patience with Besan: Pour ghee in the same heated kadai, Roast the besan on low heat continuously stirring so it cooks evenly without burning. It should turn a golden color and release a nutty aroma

 Off the stove allow the besan completely reach room temperature. 

Slowly add sugar, powdered nuts and mix well.  Until the mixture has turned into soft lump. Take small portions and make small even sized ladoos.  Enjoy as a snack

. 

Notes

Cooling is Crucial: Ensure the besan-ghee mixture is completely at room temperature before adding the powdered sugar. Adding sugar while it is warm will cause the sugar to melt, turning the mixture runny and making it impossible to shape into balls.

.

The family tree- Marriage, bonds and relationship

​Roots, Bonds, and the Beautiful Chaos of Belonging

​Entering a large family as a new bride is an exercise in loving adaptation. Suddenly, you are surrounded by half a dozen uncles and aunts, a sea of brothers and sisters, and a crowd of cousin brothers who somehow share remarkably similar names—adding a humorous layer of confusion to an already overwhelmed bride! The initial introductions feel like a grand memory test, learning to match every warm smile to the right name and relationship.

​

Then comes the fascinating discovery of interconnected histories: learning that your great-grandfather and your husband’s family share a lineage, or that your mother is your husband’s Chithi’s sister. So many in the family knew your grandfather, having shared roots in the very same ancestral village. It truly feels like a wonderfully small, intertwined world.

​Every family event, whether a poonal or an engagement, feels less like a gathering and more like an entire village assembling in joy. The air fills with laughter, rich conversations, and the unforgettable aroma of traditional delicacies cooked collectively by the family. Every meal becomes a celebration of presence and togetherness. 

Through these gatherings, culinary traditions are passed down organically; we learn distinct cooking styles from one another, turning everyday home cooking into an art of shared heritage.

​At the heart of these memories rests the enduring presence of Tathappa. His intense warmth and affection left a lasting imprint on all of us. It was truly incredible how he remembered every single grandchild's name and nurtured an individual, fond relationship with each one. 

As a newcomer entering the family, being welcomed with that same genuine fondness immediately transformed unfamiliarity into a sense of home.

​Though our family tree has grown many branches and we have lost several cherished elders over the years, their gentle presence remains deeply felt. 

We continue to honor them in every story re-told and every gathering held.

​Today, even as our children live far away, the bond remains unbreakable—a testament to the core values our elders quietly instilled in us.

 Each of us represents a distinct branch on this family tree, but it is their love, warmth, and wisdom that keep our roots firmly grounded