The BIG One!

Being pregnant really puts you in a flashback mode. I try to keep remembering the first few memories with my first one and some stand out more prominent than the others. One of the big ones were her first birthday celebration. Never was as excited for any of her birthdays like this one, the first year - a birthday a celebration more for me, a realization of being a great parent and have survived the most difficult part - the first year. I did celebrate her each month but this was even more special! The theme, the invitations, the decorations, the food, the custom goody bags - I had a great time planning the fun event at home...even the thank you cards! Sharing some decoration pics of the Spring theme birthday!

The goody bags!

The decorations for the Spring Theme.

The Easter candy eggs.

The paper-art fireplace aquarium with fishes.

The view of the Sun on the ceiling with handmade streamer rays from the den.

The different colored flowers out of popsicle sticks and stars.

Each goody bag was customized for the family invited!

The Sun in layers of yellow, orange and red.

The kitchen window adorned with  more spring flowers and bugs.

Shrikhand (Indian milk dessert)

I don't know how long it has been since I love Shrikhand. Since I was born...maybe!
I attempt to recreate my food based on my childhood memories and how my mom would use dessert to make each occasion memorable. Now don't get me wrong. I don't have memories of fond motherly cooking here. But Aai (my mom) is very creative on making small moments special with these sweet treats. Maybe a good grade, an unexpected but welcome visitor would trigger a Shrikhand-puri and our day would be made.

My dad would like the variations, the Aamrakhand (mango version), the pista-badam (pistachio-almond) and even the strawberry version (which came so much later in the game). I like the luscious feel of shrikhand - the rich, thick but creamy and malleable. It has to be just the right consistency. My love for velchi (cardamom) is also responsible for loving this Maharashtrian dessert to eternity.

Shrikhand puri, modak and carrot yogurt for Ganesh Chaturthi 2010

Coming from that childhood memory to making one with my three year old. We introduced her to Shrikhand a while back, but she got the love and liking for it recently. I love it when she so sweetly calls it, "Shleekandh please Aai!". I know that dessert love is for life.
My mom never made till later in my twenties so never really got the recipe from. Once in the US, I searched my way out for Konkani and other recipes liked and Aayi's recipes, maybe 5 years back.
Here is her recipe which I use as the basic recipe for Shrikhand.
But my version is slightly different.

• I use a combination of  Greek and Indian yogurt. It gives the hung yogurt a thicker consistency and does not thin down easily with time like the other yogurts too.
• I add less sugar than her's (I am not the sweet tooth kinds - just enough is perfect!) and no sour cream for me, either.
• I grind the cardamom myself (Totally my take, but you can differ - gives a better taste with ground cardamom)
• I also add some charolis (you would get these in the Indian store), ground pistachios and ground almonds in the yogurt to give that extra crunch, color and texture to my Shrikhand.

Pista (Pistachio)-Badam (Almond)-Kesar (Saffron) Shrikhand in its full glory!

And yes, I can lick this one to the last lick! Just like my daughter does!

Milestones

I have been updating Facebook at different times in the last two and a half years with my daughter's milestones. Its funny how you tend to remember the most unusual things about your baby!
Here are some of them:
July 4th, 2011 - She now uses 3-letter and one letter alphabet flashcards very well!!
June 20th, 2011  -She actually made up her own little story about her little sibling which made people in her school think that we delivered the baby and got the baby home!
June 1st, 2011 - We started reading her real storybooks - making up stories with imagination!
Mar 7th, 2011 - We shared the news with her about her little to-be sibling!
Oct 15th, 2010 - Her first potty success!
Oct 4th, 2010: Still can't get over the fact that my girl wrote her first few letters (V, U, O) on her blackboard and also identified them correctly...time goes way too fast for a two and a half year old!
April 19, 2009: She actually walked from chair to chair without support! And she does this when Dad's just about to leave for in International MBA colloquium to Chile and Argentina!
June 15th, 2010: Her first word was Dadaaa (which meant Daddy) but she was calling everyone that!!!
Here favorite color has been blue (she started calling it "booo")
Here first distinction between similar sounding words came when she told me the difference between "eye", "I" and "Aai" (in our language it means mom) and it took her almost four months to explain me that in her baby language!!! She still calls her gummies "num-num"!
I wonder how we make meaning of certain words, names, things and places. My dad told me for some reason I would call our home radio, "echo" :)
Sweet childhood memories indeed!

Heeaww!!