park city, utah & A's 30th birthday celebration

During MLK weekend, A and I headed off to Park City, Utah to celebrate his 30th Birthday as well as partake in an annual ski weekend tradition our friends have been hosting for almost 10 years! It was great to meet new friends as well as create more memories with our great friends.

Our first stop after we landed at SLC airport was to Squatters, a brewery/restaurant that A and I visited during our last trip to SLC.  We started off with a beer sampler and some yummy salads.  We then headed to our fabulous home we rented for the weekend equipped with a huge theatre, jacuzzi spa, private home gym, huge kitchen and probably 5-6 bedrooms...I lost count :)

beautiful scenery but horrible snow levels!

huge theatre!

Each night we cooked food together, played games and had fun.  The majority of the weekend (aside from skiing and watching football) was spent playing either beer pong or flip cup.



hook 'em!



During the second day while everyone, except Ashima and I, went skiing/snowboarding we ventured into the Park City downtown square for massages/facials and explore the shops by foot.  It was such a cutesy town area with gorgeous views of the slopes.  Maybe next year I'll actually go onto the slopes...tbd!



Later that night after everyone cleaned up from their time on the slopes we cooked dinner together then ventured back into the downtown square for some bar-hopping.

To end the trip with a bang, we celebrated A's 30th birthday during our last few hours at the house before catching our 7am flight.  Happy Birthday A!!!

terry, A, me, neilesh



Goodbye PC!  See you next year in Whistler! 

soba noodle bowl with tofu and veggies

soba noodle bowl
inspired by boom noodle

The weather has cooled down a bit after our springlike weather a few weeks ago.  Both A and I were craving something hearty and healthy so I decided to take a spin on a meal I had at a great noodle restaurant in Seattle.  This meal was absolutely delicious and I could not wait to have it the next day for leftovers.

2 bundles of buckwheat soba noodle (3 per package)
1 small broccoli crown, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 shallot, sliced
1/2 tofu block, diced
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
1 tbsp sriracha sauce

In a large pot, boil 8 cups water.  Add soba noodles when rapidly boiling.  Let cook for 5-6 minutes until tender.  Meanwhile, in a nonstick pan on medium high heat, saute shallots in the vegetable oil.  Once fragrant add the tofu and let brown for a few minutes.  Add the bellpeppers and broccoli.  Cook for an additional 2 minutes then add the cooked (and rinsed in cold water) to the pan.  Pour in the hoisin/sriracha sauce and combine well.  Make sure the sauce has evenly coated the veggies and noodles.  Turn off heat and serve. 

Serves 2-3 people.

baingan bartha

baingan bartha
adapted from Sinfully Spicy and my mom

I've been wanting to make this recipe for awhile so when my parents were visiting from Austin last weekend, my mom and I made this together (actually it was more her making and me supervising!).  Aside from doubling the recipe, we followed this recipe mostly except mom added 1/2 tsp hardar (tumeric) and 3 tbsp dhanajeeru (ground cumin) for a gujurati flair :)  On the side, mom prepared vegetable pulao (recipe to come later) and chili paratha.  As always served with gunda pickle and greek yogurt. 

Serves 4-6 people.