This Saturday we had some magical weather in the midst of winter. It was gorgeous outside…January it is, but it was unbelievably warm. The sun was shining bright, birds cooing & chirping everywhere, the sky spotless & azure, and the temperature was 72 degrees F! It was almost as if Spring has arrived. I saw some buds on the pear tree outside which just shed its leaves. On these days, we try to soak in as much fun as we can. The kids were let loose to play in the backyard.. we could hear voices from all over the neighborhood. Everyone was trying to absorb as much of the day as they could. Knowing how it is here, it could be 40 degrees tomorrow again.
Be it be spring time weather outside now, it is still officially winter & the grocery stores are full of winter goodies, I found some whole hazelnuts the other day, & bought a bag full, & all of us have been cracking & snacking .. They are just delicious! Look how gorgeous these are!
Speculaas is a type of Dutch Spice cookie traditionally baked for St Nicholas’ Eve in Belgium (December 6) and the Netherlands (December 5). Spices used in Speculaas are cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and white pepper. Traditional celebrations of Saint Nicholas Day in Northern Europe included gifts left in children’s shoes (this is the origin of our American Christmas stockings). Children receive treats – candies, cookies, apples and nuts.
I still haven’t got used to this crazy Texas weather. It was 65 degrees yesterday, and today its freezing 25 degrees. The kids have started the winter holidays. During these chilly winter evenings all I want to do is curl up at the corner of the couch with my cozy slipper socks, a throw and a good book. The dinner can wait, but can it really? Well this is what happened…. Some parathas, some really hot stuffed jalapenos on the side & a bowl of yogurt. Quick & Simple.
I had been in search of a perfect Rich Fruit cake for many months now. Just the way we used to have back home, during Christmas time – rich, moist, a zillions pieces of fruit at each bite, bursting with different taste & flavor. And every day the taste got better.
It was only during this time of the year that those enormous bowls would come out, to make the cake batter. For lots of cakes had to be baked for sharing. The whole family got involved in preparation & each had their own role to play – Chopping, measuring, and taking turns beating up the batter. Then the batter all ready would be transferred to even bigger containers to be taken to the local bakery to have them baked. The tiny oven at home was not enough to bake so many loaves at the same time. The bakery, I remember would be kept open all night, on the 23rd of December, for many would take their cake batter there.
Sweet Chutney served after a full course meal is an integral part of Bengali cuisine. Every single day while I was growing up, we would end end our meal with some kind of sweet chutney which would be polished of the plate with fingers & later the fingers licked off clean. I guess that served as a kind of dessert… the Bongs as everyone knows are famous for their “sweet teeth”.. not just a “tooth”. The chutney would be made of any seasonal ingredient. In summer it would be raw mangoes or pineapples, in fall & winter – the irrestible red tomatoes.
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