Comfort- Day 1- Christmas Eve 2009

I have always had a love-hate relationship with food as long as I can remember. I was never naturally skinny like my parents and unfortunately I was constantly made aware of it. So I loathed food as I felt that it was the root cause of all my problems but at the end of the day when I felt lonely, disappointed or bored for that matter, I found myself in the company of food. Vicious cycle and I know I am not the only one in this boat.

So it doesn't come to me as a surprise that I was craving for some comfort in the form of something sweet anything sweet on Christmas eve this year- a day after my visit to the dentist-(wisdom comes with a price and lots of agony). It also didn't help that I was watching Domestic Goddess Nigella make gourmet delights out of thin air and looking pretty happy about it as well. And thus the idea of the Boiled Fruit Cake suddenly became very urgent. After all it was Christmas and there should be Christmas cake!

The good news is that my kitchen is always fully loaded with supplies and so thankfully I did not have to run out to the store- which would have probably thrown me off track and lure me into buying a

souless-sweet-something. The only thing I didn't seem to have were cranberries so I replaced them with dates which turned out to be quite a good idea. Isn't it a miracle that the desert despite of being so barren can be home to Dates- a fruit bursting with sweet goodness. So no matter how dark the sky might look at the moment, there is always a silver lining somewhere, I seem to be telling myself.

Anyways back to the cake. It does say that you need to soak the fruits in rum a few days in advance but I am someone who is always looking for instant gratification and so I put everything in a saucepan and put it on gentle heat till it bubbled and then I mixed the flour in and dished the mix into a cake tin and right into the pre-heated oven.

There is something so therapeutic about baking I must admit. It makes even the most impatient person (i.e me) to sit still and wait to watch magic in the making. And it is at this point where my mind wandered to a thought. I feel that if you are craving for comfort food be it for any reason, making that object of desire from scratch with your very own hands gives you far more joy than just buying it from your local bakery. For one, it makes you feel in control and also the sense of accomplishment you get when it tastes great gives you far more joy than just eating a slice of souless cake. Plus when you make something with so much love and care and hope that energy nourishes you. It gets even better when you share it with friends and family which is exactly what I did and I must share this with you- that seeing happy and content people around you because they enjoyed your creation brings you more comfort than you can ever imagine.

PS: Ping me if you need the recipe for this gorgeous cake :)

The Missing Ingredient...

All of us seek meaning in our lives at one point or the other, to find out who we really are and what we stand for. And for most of us, work or what we do helps us give purpose to our existence. Something that makes you look forward to tomorrow, something that excites and motivates our minds, something that makes you jump out of bed every morning, something that makes you feel alive.

Sadly, this economy has taken the meaning out of so many lives, so many of us struggle to face the day, me including, so many of us dont know who we are anymore, so many of us have locked ourselves in a cave or built a wall where they cannot be reached.

It doesn't help that we are constantly prodded by Facebook and Twitter as to whats on our mind or what are we doing especially since we might be doing nothing. We might be just waiting for the moment where are lives are returned to us and we just squander precious moments in the bargain.

I have embarked on this Project because I want to find my purpose or the missing ingredient in life. The one that makes me happy, the one that creates joy and abundance in my existence. I want to be inspired and inspire others during my journey so that maybe they can find the secret ingredient that might be missing from their life.

So thus cooking as my weapon of choice. Because the fact is that I cook almost every other day but I don't look forward to it atleast not lately thanks to the fact that I am just a housewife instead of I am a successful career woman and I also cook. When it should, because food touches your life in so many other ways apart from just nutrition. Food can provide comfort, security and it can also make you social! I find myself calling my friends over everytime I have cooked something that has turned out delicious. Notice how the kitchen is the centre of attraction during a house party. Food is like background music, it sets the mood without dominating it and you will only notice its absence when you pay more attention to the details. Food creates a feeling of abundance and this leads to you wanting to share it with the people you care and love. So I am hoping that by transforming each monotonous mealtime into a wonderful experience some of that positivity and excitement seeps into my life and make me a better person..

Food for Thought?

Being very inspired by Julie & Julia (the book and the movie), I have embarked on the Nisha-Nigella project. I know it does not seem very creative or original, but sometimes life is about doing the same things differently. It has been a crappy year, nothing seems to be happening, my life has become topsy turvy and yet there are so many things that I am grateful about- my husband for instance..who manages to ignore all my flaws and loves me unconditionally and tries so hard to bring a smile on my face. So this is for him, a firm resolve that I will live life with joy and celebrate every minute of it no matter what. And whats a celebration without great food?

So one new recipe a day, made my way. Follow me on my journey that hopefully brings comfort to my bruised and hungry soul and perhaps throw an interesting perspective on a trying situation that you might be facing. Bon Appetit!