Happy New Year!

Started the year off right with a hike up the hills- the views, the cows and the silence- what a treat!

Trail near Ivy Hill and Albion

Followed by soccer in the park...

And a few weeks later- Donner Lake and skiing.

Couple of months later..Spring is here :)

An April sunset,feeling nostalgic..how did we get to April so soon?

Mother's day salad :)

What a treat!

Polished off the bowl to the surprise of my boys - YUM!

Salmon Patties, Avocados, apples, kale and chard leaves, olives, tomatoes, raisins and feta cheese.

Getting out of the Bubble - Part 3- China Town SFO!

This SF trip proved to be the best of them all! The sights, the smell, the sounds everything reminded me so much of India. Tiny stores with their colorful wares spilling onto the sidewalk, the numerous bakeries to stop and munch at when your feet get tired and throngs of people, some milling around like me but most driven by their daily pursuits.The constant Cantonese chatter, the permeating smells of BBQ, fish and spices, the bright red lanterns - its interesting to say the least!

The Lion Gate- entrance to Chinatown

Getting out of the Bubble - Part 2- Museums.

Some great places to immerse your child in Tech- the San Jose Tech Museum and The Exploratorium in SFO.
Last week was our first time at The Tech and it was surprising to see how quickly kids get engrossed in most of the hands-on projects there. The museum was not terribly crowded and San Jose downtown looked fresh and appealing :) bringing back nostalgic memories of student days there.
Its a great place to see everything in one day and spend time on the projects that interest you most- the IMAX show 'Flight of the butterflies' was spectacular and how cool is it to grow Jelly fish DNA in the wet labs!
http://www.thetech.org/?gclid=CM6oiazO5rgCFWfhQgodK1AA2w

Summer quotes - "Getting out of the bubble"

The other day one little boy comes up to me and says "Mom,we need to get out of the bubble!" Uh-oh, looks like he caught the bug, I'd heard variations of this from another quarter - "The middle class trap- how do we get out of it" or " This model is not sustainable, we need to find another way!" and many more along the same lines accompanied by loud sighs. But not to worry, it wasn't the 8 yr old trying to make sense of the daily grind - he was quoting his martial arts master who was trying to drum up some enthusiasm for a 4 mile hike on a 100+ hot Saturday!
Of course, I have my own ideas of 'Getting out of the bubble' that doesn't involve a whole lot of sweating and panting- Strawberry Picking, the beach, Tech Museum of San Jose and The Exploratorium which is where we were last week. What better way to get out of the bubble than spend time with family and friends, taking in California's bounty and stimulating the grey cells with a good dose of hands-on science.

Swanton Berry Farms are my favourite- gorgeous views, great tasting organic berries and the best part of it all - their "Honest Till". The whole concept was out of the world to me the first time I saw it and continues to amaze me every time- some things are only possible in the "Republic of Santa Cruz!" Now this idea is culturally impossible back home in India- don't ask me why...
Check this out:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/06/11/154750001/the-psychology-of-the-honor-system-at-the-farm-stand
UPDATE: Here you go, eating my own words and happy to do so :). One of my readers pointed out that there is indeed a version of the 'Honest Till' back home- ' The Gandhigiri Shop' started by a very enterprising MBA student. Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRpFazoNykc

Miles and miles of berries...heaven!

Brownie Points....

Here's something quick, easy and a sure crowd pleaser...made with regular 'in my pantry' ingredients. I wouldn't say its necessarily healthy but its so much more wholesome than a box of brownies from the store. How can you go wrong with 5 ingredients- butter, eggs, sugar, flour, cocoa, vanilla and baking powder...ok that's 7.
I love recipes that use one dish, require no appliances and can be whipped up in 10 minutes (plus baking time) ! And its foolproof at least in my kitchen - all credits to Hersheys.
https://www.hersheys.com/celebrate/summer/recipedetail.aspx?id=5008

Chocolate brownies with white chocolate chips

A stunner from Zaarga....

So I finally got around to giving this piece of art its space, and what a transformation! The sheets are luxurious and soft, the colors pop out and the design elegant! Check it out at
http://www.zaarga.com/productDetails&productId=135&