The festival of colors continues.......

See what I mean?  Two days in a row, we have had such beautiful skies now.  Let's see if this will continue tomorrow.

Beautiful Skies: There is something about Texas clouds!

Who doesn't like beautiful skies.   They come in so much variety, not one is like another.  Clear blue skies, blue skies with white clouds, a gazillion shapes thereof, pink clouds, red clouds, and shades too numerous to count.

Archana thinks I am crazy because I shoot skies every single chance I get.  They have this remarkable ability to take me to a different world.  It's like a fantasy every time the sun sets and rises over the horizon.  Some of you may have seen photos of early morning Tennessee skies in one of my orkut.com albums.  With airplane smoke lines filling entire skylines, the view was almost like from another planet, something you'd see in an artist's rendition of celestial scenes.

Recently, on a trip to India, I happened to witness some of the most beautiful skies I had ever seen.  At 35,000 ft., the perspective is totally different.  You're used to seeing clouds against the backdrop of blue sky.  And now suddenly you're seeing them against the backdrop of the earth.

It is marvellous to say the least!  Tiny clumps of white clouds, with a backdrop divided almost halfway between a landscape full of farms, rivers, interstate highways, scattered houses and bright blue sky.  Take  a sip of coffee, relax and enjoy the scene.

Ever since we moved to Texas, I have been noticing how much different Texas sky is from anywhere else I have been to.  The numerous patterns of clouds you see here are just breathtaking.  Every single day (unless it's raining of course), I wish  I had my Rebel with me.  This evening I got the perfect opportunity.  I was just getting ready to pour the sparking Lambrusco in two glasses, when I peeked outside the study window and immediately noticed the festival of colors that was happening that very moment across the sky.  You know what they say.  A picture is worth a thousand words.  So without getting into a detailed description, I will let you all devour the beautiful Texas sky.  Enjoy!!!

Holy Molly, Guacamole!!!

Guacamole! One Word! Enough to tantalize your taste buds. How many of you had your mouth watering the moment you read that. Me too guys. And gals.

If you are like me, you also don't like the store bought Guacamole. I first tasted Avocados after I came to US and did not like them initially. But slowly they closed in and got me. Now I love them so much that I have started wondering why doesn't India have commercial production of these fruits. They are just too good to pass up. So here is my version of the spicy Guacamole. Enjoy! Drop me a line if you like the recipe.

Ingredients:

Avocados 2
Cilantro
Ripe tomato 1
Mint 2 large leaves
Garlic clove 1 or 2
Black pepper
One large lime
Salt to taste

1. Fine chop Cilantro leaves and the tomato. Set aside.
2. Grind the garlic cloves and mint leaves together in a paste using morter/pastle if you have one.
3. Chop or mash ripe Avocados depending upon how you like them.
4. Mix Avocado paste/pieces, tomato, cilantro and mint+garlic paste together in a bowl.
5. Add black pepper and salt to taste. Squeeze half a lime in the bowl. This will add some tangy flavor to it.



6. Add two tablespoons of olive oil. This adds a very rich flavor to the guacamole. It's just not the same without olive oil.
7. Garnish with some leftover cilantro leaves and serve with potato or corn chips. My favorite is Kettle's Salt and Crushed Black Pepper Potato Chips.

Archana's Shahi Pulao

Mix 1:

Ginger & Garlic: 10-12 cloves and lots of ginger
Green chillies 5-6
Coriander
Spinach
Grind into a paste


Chopped veggies:

Shimla mirch
Flower


Saute 1:

Cashews & Raisins
only in ghee


Mix 4:

Cinnamon stick small 1
Bay leaf or curry leaves
2-3 cloves
4-5 black peppers
1 cardamom
1 tablespoon cumin


Take 2 tablespoons of ghee
Add mix 4 except cumin & curry leaves which are to be added at the end
Add chopped vegetables and saute for few mins
Add green mix masala.
Once garlic starts smelling good, add rice

The Starbucks Blog...

Yes! Finally, the ever evasive WEP internet connection at Starbucks has given in. Do you ever wonder how much pleasure simple things in life can give you? I am online 24×7 at home or at work, but how happy a connection at Starbucks makes me. Life is good.

I can’t imagine the number of times over the years, I have craved for having a little wonder that laptop is, and now I have it. A trivial thing in today’s world, but still makes me so much happy. I am sure Archana would feel none different. As a matter of fact, she’s already working on dhapofying my laptop when she moves to piya ka ghar :).

So it is that I am sitting on a Sunday afternoon at Starbucks sipping a Verona bold blend and enjoying the simple pleasures in life. Today is a special day indeed. Today, I wrote my first blog which appears below. I have noticed that I will usually have a lot of ideas and thoughts going in and out of mind, a lot like spur of the moment kind of ideas, but if I don’t write them down, I will forget them quickly. This can be unproductive in many ways. You will forget things to do, or pass onto any brilliant ideas you may have had to improve your life. This is happening to me all along. So I think blogging will at least partially cure me of this laziness of not writing things down. I am sure a lot of tech savvy people will agree with me. I don’t even need to say that, just look how much success the blogging industry have had in just a few years since it’s inception.

So, perhaps, behind every successful man, there is a woman and A BLOG?

Amen!

A mystical morning on the trace...

Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, the alarm bell rings, 3:30AM, Monday Morning.
Time to get the act together and head back to Nashville. I quickly refreshed myself; Archana somehow was trying to get up so she could kiss me bye, she looks very cute in a half asleep state. We held each other for a few moments and then it was time to leave.
Ever witnessed the forest waking up to the first rays of Sun? Whether you love being in nature or not, this is a must-have experience for anyone. You will have memories to cherish all your life. Natchez Trace Parkway, A National Parkway, connects Natchez, Mississippi with Nashville, Tennessee. I am taking it all the way to Nashville, which is exactly 200 miles.
The fall is here, weather is slowly cooling down. Of course, in the night, its always cool on the trace. I made it to the trace around 4:30am. It was completely dark and patches of fog every few miles. What an ethereal experience going through dense fog in wee hours when its still dark! It sort of feels like you’re flying and the plane going through clouds. The fog was so dense in some places, I had to slow down to a crawl (Who would have thought Adrenaline rush was possible at slow speeds?).
When you’re away from cities, is the time to gaze into the night sky and marvel at the beauty of the milky way. About a quarter of the way through, I took a break from driving to do just this. When there is no artificial light from anywhere, try taking a look at the night sky. It is an experience that cannot be justified with words. Literally zillions of stars glimmering brightly all over. I really did not want the stargazing to end, but you gotta do what you gotta do.
Slowly, twilight started appearing on the horizon. The forest slowly started taking shape in this light. First the boundaries of the hills appeared, then came tree shapes, then the green foliage started becoming obvious. Dawn was here. Soon the East started glowing with orange colored clouds and in a matter of minutes first golden rays of the Sun touched the Earth. What a beautiful moment that was. Lush green branches of White Pine seemed like they were dancing to the magic of the beautiful union of light and earth.
Mile marker 440 I noticed. Wow, the trace is almost over. Time flew by so fast and it was time to get to work. But the magical moments I witnessed will remain forever in my memory. I just wish the love of my life was with me to share these moments. Of course I know that will happen soon too……