Granny (Patti) is a former art teacher, and spends countless hours creating and teaching Origami designs to the kids-—they are now expert makers of star box, parrot, elf, ladybug and numerous other designs.

The kids have also taken to eating proper South Indian fare for lunch—complete with rice, rasam, kuttu,  poriyal etc.  Besides keeping the kids well-fed, my mother-in-law  also has been treating us to many yummy “tiffin” items—some of which I take to my office for lunch!

Today is one such day:-)

Sadly, our feasting days will soon be over—my in-laws are leaving for India in two weeks, and I am dreading the cereal shelf and the cafeteria lunch:-(

The kids joined me in putting together an arugula salad, and we decided to add red grapes and pine nuts for color and crunch. For the dressing, we whisked together olive oil, vinegar, Worchestershire sauce, paprika and a pinch of sugar. Delish!

And the results, so far, are encouraging.

Check out the green tomatoes and the skinny eggplant!

Oh, and we already harvested some arugula last week! I’ll post pictures of the salad soon.

So it was fairly easy for my parents to make sure that my sister and I, second generation Malayalis (as people from Kerala are known) growing up in Mumbai, had an appreciation for Keralean culture.

My mom loves to cook, and the  three major holidays (Vishu, Onam and Tiruvadira) inevitably turn into cook-a-thons for her.

It would be no exaggeration to say that I would rather enjoy the fruits of the cook-a-thon than conduct one myself.

So in anticipation of the upcoming holiday of Vishu ( which was on April 14), we took our kids to an Indian restaurant in New Jersey last Sunday and  treated them to what I should have cooked at home.

My excuse:  Vishu was falling on a weekday and between waking up at 7:30 a.m, sending kids off to school and reporting to work at 9:30, I just don’t seem to have any time.

All you do is pour two tablespoons of coconut oil (any vegetable oil will do, but coconut oil makes it swoon-worthy) into a heavy-bottomed pan, and when the oil heats up, add a teaspoon of mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add half a cup of finely chopped shallots, and two slit green chilies. Wait for the onions to become translucent, about three minutes. To this, add three cups of chopped spinach and cook it down till it looks to be (sadly) about 1/4 of its original quantity. Season with salt. It tastes great with white steamed rice.

I know I am not very scientific in my recipe telling. But I will provide you with the White House Chef Cristeta Comerford’s variation (as I like to call it) of this recipe, which the New York Times recently published. I tried it out last week, and although one is a sauteed dish and the other a soup, they taste curiously alike.

My 8-year-old daughter’s response was equally curious:
“It looks a little disgusting, but tastes good.”

The White House No Cream Creamed Spinach

2 pounds baby spinach, washed and cleaned
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper.

1. Blanch half a pound of spinach in salted, boiling water. Immediately, “shock” the blanched spinach in a bowl of iced water. Drain and squeeze out the excess water. Puree in a blender. Set aside.
2. In a large skillet, sweat the shallots and garlic until translucent. Add the rest of the spinach leaves. Toss and saute until wilted. Fold in the spinach puree. Season with salt and pepper.

Here’s the recipe:

INGREDIENTS for the spread

3 tablespoons Canola or other vegetable oil.
1/2 cup chopped onions
3 cloves of garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon red chilly powder
1 teaspoon coriander powder
2 green chilies (minced)
4 large potatoes (boiled, peeled and mashed)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt to taste

PREPARATION

Heat oil in a frying pan, and saute onions, garlic and chilies, stirring till it turns golden brown. Add chilly powder, coriander powder, and salt to taste.
Now add the mashed potatoes and mix well. Let cook for 5 minutes, turning the mixture over constantly.
Remove from heat and transfer the mixture into a bowl.
Add lemon juice and garnish with cilantro.
Make a sandwich with a generously thick layer of the mixture.
Place a cast iron grill pan over high heat, and melt 1/2 tablespoon butter. Reduce heat to low and add sandwich. Cook until browned and crisp on both sides, about 2 minutes a side. Transfer to a platter and cut in half and serve.

Over the course of the three-day festivities—which included mehendi (henna) designs for the women and a classical music concert one evening—we were treated to many wonderful south Indian meals. And, as is the practice at traditional functions in south India, the food was served on perfectly organic banana leaves.

There are no spoons or forks in use either; everyone is expected to wash their hand thoroughly before sitting down to eat.

My daughter, who is growing up to be quite the traditionalist, savored the whole experience, wiping her leaf clean each time. My son, not as adventurous, unfailingly demanded a spoon.

But both the children loved the experience of eating in a large dining hall, surrounded by family and friends, soaking in the sights, smells and sounds of India.

Although this was the first big traditional celebration they were attending, they seemed to be at home 10,000 miles away from their “yellow house” in New York.

Loyal readers of my posts (yeah, the two of you) know that I run a vegetarian household, and will not be stuffing a turkey.

We’ve invited a couple over (who are also vegetarian and therefore will not be bummed by the missing traditional centerpiece) for Thanksgiving dinner.

Every year, I find myself cooking up new plans for a tasty centerpiece dish. We’ve tried Tofurkey (Tofu Turkey) before and found it not to be very appetizing. So this year, I’ve settled on Basil Pesto Lasagna.

Here’s what I’m planning (both appetizers and desserts will be store bought):

(And because this is a blog about kid nutrition, let me quickly add that my kids love every item on this menu!)

HORS D’OUEVRES / APPETIZERS
•Spincah puffs
•Samosas

DINNER
•A thick harvest soup (made with onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, corn, pumpkin and V-8 juice).
•Basil pesto lasagna.
•Spicy roasted red potatoes with garlic.
•Roasted asparagus with Parmesan cheese.
•Mashed potatoes with sour cream and chives.
•Basmati rice pulav with carrots, beans and corn, topped with cashews and raisins.
•A spicy coconut milk stew with potatoes, carrots and tomatoes.
•Raita—a bowl of yogurt into which I add diced cucumber and freshly chopped cilantro.

DESSERT
• Pumpkin pie
•Cranberry tart

Suggestions for future centerpiece dishes, anyone?

Photo Credit: Seth Harrison, The Journal News

There was hardly a day when she didn’t pack an apple in my school lunch box. So much so that I earned the nickname “apple girl” from a classmate’s dad.

But the apples we ate in Mumbai didn’t grow locally. They came from three mountainous states with temperate climates in northern India.

So when we went apple picking last month to one of our neighborhood orchards, my mom turned into more of a kid than my kids.

She gasped at the sight of the low-hanging fruit, and then proceeded to compete with her grandchildren to pluck the red McIntosh apples.

When I began taking pictures, she dove into the ground and lay flat on her back, stretching her hand ever so slightly, to pick the fruit.

Sanjana and Krishna looked puzzled by their Granny’s apple madness, but they were too busy filling their bags to the brim to comment.

After three weeks of happy munching, we are finally back to adding apples to our grocery list.

My mom, meanwhile, is still basking in her afternoon’s worth of sweet autumn memories.

Photo Credit: Peter Carr/The Journal News

A land where the grocery store aisles are crowded with women dressed in sarees, speaking a multitude of Indian languages. They jostle to sniff and squeeze vegetables they’ve been denied by their local A&Ps, and all of a sudden, I am transported back to the general chaos that is Mumbai’s bustling Dadar market.

Drumsticks (the green pods of the Moringa tree) vie for shelf space next to fenugreek leaves, ridge gourds cozy upto white pumpkins and the latest Bollywood music thumps through the speakers, lending to my faux India experience.

Nostalgia takes hold every single time, and we walk out of the store with our cart overflowing with Maggie Noodles, Glucose biscuits, Tutti-Frutti ice cream and vegetables I have no idea how to prepare. (Meanwhile, my younger sister, Rekha, loads up her cart at the Haiko Supermarket in Mumbai with Emeril’s Home Style Marinara sauce, but I digress.)

By the time the groceries are crammed into the van, the smell of samosa chaat wafts through the air, and we head to the closest eatery serving chaat (snacks) from the streets of Mumbai and Delhi.

But nothing beats the pleasure of watching our American-born progeny gobbling up pani puris and wolfing down the spicy dahi papdi chaat.

“Can you make this at home?” is a question I’m asked every time.