In my last blog post I told you about our anniversary celebration and how the day got even more gorgeous once we got there. This was the sunset as seen from the park. It felt like a bliss to be alive and see this golden hue with Rohith!
Biggest accomplishment in the recent past:
Last summer, we had planted greek oregano, which unfortunately did not last. I tried to plant Indian green chilly (
dhani launka/hari mirch) from old chillies seeds. Almost 30-35 sneezes later, I cannot begin to describe the ecstasy we felt upon noticing the saplings for the first time. Gardening is definitely therapeutic!
 |
| Day 1 |
 |
| End of 1st week |
 |
| End of 2nd (last) week |
 |
| Today. They look happy! |
I also gave a makeover to our plants from last year. The mint (the shorter in the picture) is like me. Its tendrils also have a mind of their own like my strands. Rohith says we both have hair like those of Medusa. LoL!
 |
| All trimmed and tied |
Another notable achievement for me, personally, was to be able to get back to my old workout regimen. I accomplished my target despite the lower back ache and other things going on with me.
 |
| Tired but rejoiced! |
I am doing at least 10-15 minutes of cardio everyday; followed by Sun Salutations 1 and 2; combined with a different yoga sequence, depending on my mood and requirement, on a particular day.
Summer in NYC:
Out of the many advantages of living in a place like NYC one is the opportunity to be out and about during summertime. At every street corner there is concert
 |
| @ Union Square |
Or an interesting sculpture
 |
| @ Union Square |
Or a free ice cream truck
 |
| Free is the key here |
 |
| My friend Laura @ Bryant Park, You can notice the ice cream truck in the background |
 |
| It felt like we were in high school once again ;) |
Over the last weekend, we also got to meet our most favorite cousin in NYC, Ritu Di and her family. She had arranged a barbecue in her backyard. It seemed like forever since we got together, so that was nice. It is always a treat to meet her boys, Dhruv ( almost 9) and Neal (almost 5). I forgot to click pictures, so here are recycled ones from last summer.
 |
| What a treat to be able to spend time with them |
 |
| Di and I always (try to be) ourselves when together ;) |
My friend Winslet also happened to join us for dinner on Sunday. I saw her after more than six months. It made us feel happy and sad at the same time. Despite living in Brooklyn, we are not able to see each other as often as we want to.
 |
| Do you notice my shoes? They are a reflection of my personality! |
Anniversary celebrations continue:
Rohith kept surprising me everyday by popping one gift after another from his office bag over the past weekend.
 |
| I needed this one badly |
RR made sure that all the items are worthwhile to be added to my professional wardrobe. He shops like any male would though, so here you go. Two of the same in different colors. LoL!
However, that did not keep him from adding cherries on top by the following for summer outings
 |
| Flattering summer dress in my all time favorite color |
 |
| The cowl neck is the accent on this one |
Summer is here, so it’s time for a change of toe rings too. My sister gave these to me in 2011, when I was coming to NYC and these are my most favorite pair.
 |
| Traditional+trendy |
Breakfast:
We got this interesting bread from our local bakery and I made myself a variety of sandwiches along with smoothies for breakfast all of last few weeks.
 |
| Fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil sandwich with blueberry smoothie |
 |
| So healthy, so yum |
 |
| PBJ sandwich |
 |
| PBJ sandwich with banana |
 |
| Add caption |
 |
| Breakfast staple |
I must confess having some carb loaded brunches after working out, as I was about town a few times too.
 |
| Pasta with spring veggies and jalapeno salsa toast- Courtesy RR |
 |
| I got it made fresh at Subway. LoL! |
I cannot seem to have enough of the Viva La Papa, Andean Native Potato Chips, seen in the picture above. We get them every time from Marshals. I love that they are baked not fried like most other potato chips/snacks.
Last night:
We went to our
local farmers market on Sunday and bought all these delicious fruits and veggies. I made
baigan ka bharta for dinner with
kheeray ka raita (Indian eggplant dish similar to babaganush with cucumber in yogurt Indian style). I served it with whole wheat pita bread.
 |
| When Indian meets Middle Eastern |
We have been really big on succulent fruits for desserts too, which we got from the market.
 |
| Pear and Pineapple for dessert |
Rohith, as always with his eye for all things unique, spotted this amazing honey at the market. I cannot describe here how different and flavorful this one is from all the honeys that I have eaten till date.
 |
| We think that this could be called as barbequed honey |
A unique honey called for a unique preparation. I set out to make these sticky figs for dessert by using the honey last night. Let me know if you would like the recipe as it is literally a piece of cake!
 |
| Sticky figs served with vanilla ice cream |
Rohith was all smiles after a satisfying home cooked meal last night.
I will catch you next week now folks xxx
Questions of the afternoon:
- How did you celebrate your holiday weekend?
- Do you support your local farmers market?
- Which summer fruits and veggies have you tried so far and which ones are your favorite?
- Have you tried making any new dish/dessert lately?
Do write to me at pallavibhar at gmail dot com or comment below.
No comments:
Post a Comment