Wednesday Thoughts?

Well, the past 5 days have been total craziness of family, fun, and traveling! I didn't get back home until pretty late Monday night so yesterday literally was a blur! Instead of my usual Tuesday Thoughts, I figured I would share some of my favorite pictures from my weekend in Detroit!

authentic Detroit soda! I broke down and stress drank my first soda in 3+ months!

sisters! I hope my sister and I have a picture like this in 30 years <3

Brother and Rachna all ready for the party!

bro & momma

ring ceremony

she wouldn't eat so my brother fed her. so sweet, these two!

fur-nephew Dr Dre!

peace out motor city! See you in 6 weeks!

A Quick Picture Update!

Things have been pretty insane since I got to Detroit yesterday but thanks to Starbucks I've been surviving the minimal sleep! It's been great seeing all the cousins! I was even able to get my last August run in this morning so its been a pretty good day overall!
We're headed to my brother's fiancée's house for a little get together tonight so that should be fun! Here are some pictures from my first day and half here in Motor City!

A Sunday Shower!

So this weekend, I'm in Maryland for my bhabhi's (my cousin's wife) baby shower! We spend the night at my uncle's house and stayed up late catch I g up and joking around since it's been so long since we were all together!

I went to my parents' house Friday after work and then we all drove up from there Saturday morning. No lie, it literally took us 8 hours for a drive that is usually 5 hours.  We were so exhausted by the time we reached Maryland but glad we made it in one piece/safely with all the traffic!!

Today, we were up super early to get ready,especially in a house filled with Indians and limited bathroom space hah! My cousin was nice enough to drive me to a local Starbucks so I could feed my skinny vanilla iced latte addiction and get some coffee for my other cousins too!

We were on India time hahah so everything was about an hour behind schedule but the baby shower was still fun and all of the cultural ceremonies were done. A few games and dancing later, it was time for dinner! We had some great food options and I think for the first time in forever I ate everything in my plate!!

We're headed back to my parents' house and then whatever time it may be, I'll be on my way to my house since I have work tomorrow!! It's been a crazy 48hours but I'm glad I made it for my cousin's wife!
Here are some fun pictures from today!

Sunday Recipe! Veggie Nachos!

Ahhhh the long awaited return of Recipe Sunday! I haven't really been cooking much since I mean, I hate cooking for just me and then having leftovers for like a week but today I made an exception. For Father's Day, I offered to take my dad out to lunch wherever he wants, on me, and if he wanted I would make something too.  We went to lunch and before I left town, I made him some of my nachos that my whole family loves! I did make some alterations as to how I usually make them but he loved it nonetheless!

Here's the ingredient list, method, and some pictures I snapped today!

Veggie Nachos

Ingredients

• Your favorite tortilla chips (my dad loves On the Border)
• 1 can light red kidney beans (as prepared HERE)
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• ½ large or 1 small/medium white onion, diced
• 2 fresh jalapeños, diced
• small handful cilantro, chopped
• Pace Picante Sauce (Medium)
• Hot Sauce (Cholua all day every day!)
• ½ jar Pace Queso con Salsa
• handful shredded cheddar cheese
• (Other items I didn't use but you might like- sour cream, pickled jalapeños, black olives, etc.--I usually add shredded lettuce too but my dad doesn't like it so I didn't add it today)

Method

1. Preheat the oven for 400 deg F
2. Spread tortilla chips on a non-stick cookie sheet
3. Prepare the kidney beans like I did for the Mexican Pizza recipe HERE
4. Spread the kidney bean mixture on the tortilla chips
    
5. Spread the queso con salsa over the tortilla chips (be conservative here because more cheese is coming later)
    
6. Sprinkle the tomatoes, onions, and jalapeños evenly over the entire tray 
    
7. Add in any other veggies or spreads you like!
8. Add the Cholua hot sauce and picante sauce LIBERALLY over the veggies!
9. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over all your veggies and toppings 
10. Finally, add the chopped cilantro on top of the cheese 
     
11. Bake Nachos for 6 minutes or until cheese and toppings are all bubbly and yummy
12. STUFF YOUR FACE AND ENJOY!
     

My dad LOVED these nachos! If I were making this just in general (UM YES SUMMER FIESTA) I would have added shredded lettuce, not used the queso con salsa, and more tomatoes, onions, and cilantro! 

BONUS PICS FROM SATURDAY

He loves me!

a hot Saturday morning!

 

Did you make anything special for your dad this Father's Day??

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the dads, stepdads, & grandfathers!!!

I came to Danville for the day to spend some time with my dad, especially since my siblings are working so I'm the only kid left! My dad and I don't always see eye to eye on a lot of life's issues (he called me his argumentative child once haha but now I take that as a compliment) but we do have one major thing in common- how we feel about our family.  He cares very deeply for his brothers and sisters and us and so I think I definitely got that gene from him (and my mom duh) in that I care very deeply for my close family members.

Daddy & I on his 60th birthday in August 2010

I think what I love most about my dad is how much he loves my Rusty! He is the typical grandpa and spoils Rusty so much whenever he's in Danville.  He always sneaks Rusty treats and gives him the longest belly rubs! True story: he asked to make sure Rusty would be coming this weekend, not me haha!

I hope all the dads (and dog dads), grandpas, etc have a wonderful day! I'll be spending the day with mine and hope everyone gets a chance to tell their dad how much they mean to them!

One Year Later

Today, I'm taking the time to remember my amazing grandmother who suddenly passed away last year on this date.  

She lived primarily with my aunt in Concord NC and we visited quite often and spent many holidays/occasions together.  My mom and I have spent a LOT of time together, especially in the past year and she often shares stories about my grandmother when she was growing up. I've learned so much more about what a strong and driven woman my grandmother was.  Growing up, my mom's family wasn't very well off so my grandma would run a lunch business and would earn money for the family by feeding local college students and they would pay on a weekly or monthly basis. My grandma's food was that good hah! She did everything she could to raise my mom and her brother and sisters and make sure they had the education to be successful in life.  I really think that is where my mom got the same quality and her drive and encouragement of my siblings and I to do well and succeed in school so we would ultimately have successful careers and lives.  My baa was an amazing woman and this is just one of the many stories my mom has shared with me over this past year. I affectionately called her "little baa" and she literally lived for her children and grandkids.  In her memory, my mom and I have been doing the Ekadashi fast in her honor for the past year (tomorrow is a fasting day) and I plan on continuing as long as I physically am able.

I just wanted to share a little about my grandma today and take the time to remember her and at least share with others how amazing she was.

 

Saturday Wedding Events

So many of my close friends k now that I'm in New Jersey for my cousin's Hindu wedding ceremony and I thought it would be fun to share a few pictures from my trip so far! It has definitely been super hectic/busy so far but for me its been interesting seeing a lot of family members on my dad's side for the first time from anywhere from 4 to 12 years! The last time I saw a lot of my dad's relatives I was just a small child so its crazy to see their faces when my parents introduce me as an attorney to them hah!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from today's pre-wedding events! The ganesh puja this morning, the pithi, doing the matli,etc puja, the granshanti puja, and the garba from tonight! When I get back to my computer I will definitely post an explanation of a the different parts of a Hindu wedding and why I would elope if I ever were to get married hah!

Tomorrow= Hindu wedding!

Xoxo Manisha