October 2018

Dr Rupal Mohan, who runs her own clinic, providing Urgent and Family Care in Phoenix, Arizona, started participating in... Half- marathons not too long ago. In Jan of 2011, she first did a half-marathon primarily to keep the high cholesterol under control. Having a family history of high cholestrol, she always followed a strict control of her diet, but was still taken by surprise when a routine examination showed more than marginally high levels. After walking the first half-marathon, there was no turning back for her. She went on to do about six more that year.

Here in America, we often get requests from our kids' elementary school teachers to do a presentation on Diwali for the kids in their class. And our elementary-school-going kids love it. We go to their school equipped not only with lot of information on Diwali (all done up in the form of a power-point presentation), but also with Diwali sweets, 'diyas' (little lamps), pictures of Ganesh & Lakshmi and some hands-on activities like painting the 'diyas' and coloring the 'rangolis' (floor art). Our kids are enthusiastic about the event and we're happy to do it!

A Hindu Festival for the Beloved
(by Sonal Kulshrestha)

[Photo credits: (Left) Sapna and Manoj Gupta from NJ; (Right) Sangeeta and Sanjay Awasthi from CA.]

HAPPY KARVA CHAUTH to all the wonderful women all over the world celebrating this very glamorous festival as you pray for your husband's long life!

A week long trip (or at least a 4-5 days long trip) to Boston, Massachusetts, was a perfect time-frame for us to admire the beautiful architecture (17th/18th century  and modern) and to explore the very rich history that is embedded in the by lanes of the city as it had the honor of hosting some of the critical events that led to the American Revolution against the Britishers in the 17th century. You instantly feel the difference in the architecture of the city that is so different from the fairly newer architecture that you come across in the other cities of US.

As my 15 year old daughter drives herself to her band camp with me at the passenger seat, I pick up on a conversation we had couple of years back. "Remember the story of that beautiful Cincinnati teen, Jesse Logan, who had committed suicide after a nude photo that was meant for her boyfriend's eyes alone ended up being circulated around her high school?". She did remember our discussion. The incident had occurred in 2008, sending a shiver down the spine of every parent. I told her, sadly, incidents like these are happening everywhere.

Sravi Wadawadigi has a delicious spread planned for you for the coming week. Follow her and do please give your feedback BEFORE and AFTER trying out her recipes. Got questions? Do please ask.

MONDAY MENU

Pineapple Kadhi 

Serve with White Rice

1Can Pineapple chunks
1 can Cocunut milk
1 tbsp coconut powder
Salt to taste
turmeric
Red chilli powder
Jeera
Green chillies
 

Ingredients:

Kala Chana: 3 cups

Water: 6 cups

Black cardamom: 3

Bay leaves: 3

Cloves: 6

Cumin seeds: 1 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon sticks: 1 1/2 in

Onions: 1 1/2 medium sized

Tomatoes: 3 small sized

Ginger: 1 1/2 in

Garlic: 6 cloves

Green Chilies: 3 small sized

Powder masalas- Coriander pwd, Garam masala, Cumin pwd, Anardana pwd, Red chilli pwd- all 3 tsp each.

Steps to make

(Geeta is a mother of two teenage daughters, both of who love good gourmet food. So of course, Geeta cooks delicacies that is pleasing to the most refined palate. Here are her quick fixes for the week)

(Photo Credit: Neha Sule)

Monday Menu: Shrimp Taco

Four Weeknights of Dinner ......with Bijal Haria 

Bijal Haria is a mother of two. And here are her recipes that her kids love! Make sure you get the grocery done during the weekend, so you're ready for the week!

Monday Menu:
 
Pesto Panini
with Tomato soup 

Keema Mattar - Serve with Hot Rotis and White Rice

Special Dinner with My Mom, Sushama Varma and I (Sonal Kulshrestha)

Ingredients: (Serves 6 people)

2 Tomatoes
1 Medium Onion
2" Ginger
2 Cloves Garlic
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Blend to make Puree
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