Chasing Snowflakes & Sand Dunes: Our Colorado Road Trip Adventure

Disclaimer: This road trip happened in 2023. If there were an award for procrastination, I’d be giving this acceptance speech two years late too 😂

Before we begin, a quick confession.

If you happen to wonder how I am able to recall, in sufficient detail, a trip that happened two years ago, let me assure you that it is not because I've been blessed with an exceptional memory. Far from it! I forget things all the time 😆 But what I lack in memory, I more than make up for in documentation. Before this trip, I had crafted a meticulous (some might say excessively detailed!) itinerary to make sure everything went off without a hitch. I also have this habit of taking way too many photos and then turning them into obsessively captioned albums. Turns out, this compulsive archiving is an unexpected perk of being a travel blogger. It lets me rewind, pause, relive, and now, finally, two years later, share the magic all over again. 

To provide more context, during spring of 2023, my family and I embarked on a 35-day trip to North America. Our trip spanned 2 countries, 5 states, 2 provinces with approximately 5000 miles of road trips, one train journey and 4 domestic flights. This extended holiday came on the heels of us concluding a 17-year chapter in Singapore and re-starting a brand new one in our home country India. It was intended to celebrate a major turning point in our lives. 

I've already chronicled our trip to New Jersey and New York which happened to be the first destination on our itinerary. From there we travelled to Florida to take our (then) 9-year old twin daughters to Disney World and Universal Studios. One of the states in the United States of America that I hadn't previously visited and was most keen on visiting was Colorado. My husband had been there before and was completely bowled over by the majestic mountains, the expansive plains and unique geological features. Colorado was the next stop on our travel agenda and we were looking forward to let nature do the talking.  

April in Colorado offers a mix of winter and spring activities as the snow melts and hiking trails begin to open. It is shoulder season so there are predictably less crowds and little traffic. One can also score great deals on accommodation. Even restaurants and shops may be discounted during this season. 

Book review: Becoming by Michelle Obama

I’ve been meaning to read this memoir for over five years now. When it first came out, it quickly became the talk of the literary world. I repeatedly tried borrowing the book from my university’s well-stocked library in Singapore, but despite housing multiple copies, it was always loaned out due to popular demand. I looked for it on Kindle, but oddly enough, it wasn’t available for the longest time. I reluctantly complied with my vow not to buy any more books because we had long run out of shelf space at home. Eventually, I got caught up with other books on my to-read list, but this one never really left my mind. Memoirs aren’t usually my go-to genre, but when they are well-written and engaging, especially through a female lens that explores the depth of human emotion and experience, they tend to stay with me long after I’ve finished them.

Published in 2018, Becoming is the deeply personal and widely acclaimed memoir of Michelle Obama, former First Lady of the United States, lawyer, and advocate for education and health. In this compelling narrative, Obama traces her journey from a modest upbringing on Chicago’s South Side to her years at the White House, offering honest reflections on race, identity, motherhood, marriage, and finding one’s voice. The memoir not only became an instant bestseller but also won the 2019 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for its audiobook version, narrated by Obama herself. With warmth, wit, and clarity, Becoming invites readers into the life behind the public figure and gives us all something to think about in our own process of "becoming".

Review

Michelle Obama rose from humble beginnings on the South Side of Chicago to inhabiting the halls of the White House in Washington DC. Growing up in a small one-bedroom apartment on the top floor of a house in a rough neighbourhood, with limited financial means and a father living with a disability, it would have been easy to assume the odds were stacked against her. But the deep-anchoring love of her family, a home filled with music, culture, and soul, and parents who held high expectations for her and her brother turned out to be more than enough for Michelle to rise above adversity.

Michelle Obama graduated from two Ivy League institutions, became a lawyer at a prestigious law firm, served as Vice President at a hospital, led a non-profit that helped young people build meaningful careers and went on to become the First Lady of the United States of America. She juggled the roles of daughter, wife, mother, friend, employee, employer and public figure, all while navigating extraordinary circumstances. What I admired most was her journey of self-acceptance because despite many setbacks and seeds of self-doubt, she comes to acknowledge her intellect and owns her unique story with pride.

Baker's Corner: Baked Mango Cheesecake

I'm aware that I'm super late to the party but fortunately, it is STILL that glorious time of year when markets are laden with mangoes, and every Indian home seems to have that irresistible fragrance of ripe, juicy fruit wafting through the air. I've said this before but in India, mango season isn’t just about eating a fruit - it is a celebration, a tradition, and pure nostalgia wrapped in tropical golden-yellow sweetness. 

Every year, we go absolutely bonkers as different varieties of mangoes makes its way into our home and eventually into our bellies! This year, all of our mango haul has come from (and continues to come from) a well-known agricultural university that sells mangoes from its vast orchards, a friend's farm and our regular organic grocery store. Knowing that the mangoes we consume are organic and naturally-ripened is very important to us so having reliable vendors has been reassuring. Depending on what is available, alphonso, mallika, badami, banganapalli, sindhura, neelam, malgova, raspuri, totapuri and my twins' absolute favourite, imam pasand, are the usual suspects that help us do full justice to mango season. 

Every year, I try to share a new way to honour this king of fruits, and this time, I’m thrilled to bring you something I made quite recently - a luscious mango cheesecake that marries tropical sunshine with creamy indulgence.

As much as I adore cheesecake, I can't have more than a few spoonfuls as I find it too rich and heavy. So, when I set out to make this mango cheesecake, I opted for a larger springform pan to spread out the mango-cream cheese layer more thinly. I also made sure the biscuit base was nice and thick, while keeping the jelly layer on top very thin (let’s be honest, jelly looks pretty but doesn’t offer much in terms of flavour 😂). This layering was just right for me to make mango cheesecake slices that were perfect for my twins lunchbox the following week. I was surprised that the slices weren't as delicate as I imagined and held their shape beautifully. 

This mango cheesecake is my ode to India's glorious mango season. It is rich yet light, tangy yet sweet, and a perfect showstopper for family gatherings or quiet weekend treats. It is simple enough for home bakers yet guaranteed to impress, with the fresh, natural flavour of mangoes taking centre stage. If you, like me, cannot resist making the most of mango season before it slips away, this recipe is the delicious send-off it deserves. 

I think we should make the most of our beloved mangoes while they last, don't you? While you are at it, also check out my previous mango recipe posts for more inspiration: mango burfi, mango shrikhand, mango panna cotta, mango chia pudding, mango sorbet, tropical mango vanilla cupcakes, fresh mango cake with whipped cream and dark chocolate collar.

Signing off with a quote (from me) that I think is apt for the season 😊

"When life gives you mangoes, either enjoy as is or make something unforgettable!"

Restaurant Review: Garden by Su, Bengaluru

Despite ticking off at least 60 eateries on my Bengaluru culinary hit list in the past two years, I haven't been able to feature a restaurant review on the blog. I figured that unless I was intentional about it, it most likely wouldn't happen. 

On my mother's side of the family, all of my relatives reside in South Bengaluru, all clustered fairly close to one another. This is a bit of a bummer for me because my family lives diametrically opposite to them in a city where nagivating traffic is almost always a nightmare. 

My solution is simple - whenever my cousins and I decide to catch up (invariably over a meal), we choose a venue that is equidistant for all of us, usually somewhere in the central business district. Sometimes, I coax them to travel all the way to the North, which they graciously agree to and then there are times when it is my turn to make the lonely journey South. 

It is unfortunate (for me) that a majority of the buzzworthy restaurants are concentrated in Jayanagar and JP Nagar in South Bengaluru. I don't mind travelling to Indiranagar but anything beyond that feels like a bit of a haul. Whenever I do have to venture that far, I use the metro by default. Not only is it fast, clean and cheap, but it is comfortable too. I pointedly refuse to feel miserable stuck behind a sea of honking cars so I avoid putting myself in such situations. On a related note, sending my kids to school by school bus and choosing a place of work that is only a 15-minute commute from home are probably reasons why even after two years of moving to Bengaluru, the notorious traffic has never been a point of contention for me 😁 So if any returning NRIs are reading this, you now know my secret to safeguarding my mental health and wellbeing 😆

For our most recent outing, we chose a restaurant that just so happened to be a recent addition to my restaurant wishlist. Located off a main road of Jayanagar, a short walk away from the Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Metro station, Garden by Su is a serene little green escape from the city. This is a plant-filled, airy cafe that strikes a harmonious balance between style and soul. 

I arrived fashionably early (which really ought be a thing btw 😂) so I was greeted by a completely empty restaurant. Not one to waste any opportunity, I explored every inch of the space at leisure. 

True to its name, Garden by Su welcomes its diners with lush greenery, thoughtfully placed potted plants, natural wood furniture, and an overall earthy, minimalist aesthetic. There is a gentle indoor meets outdoor vibe which is apt for Bengaluru's pleasant weather and the soft music and natural lighting create a soothing atmosphere. It struck me as the kind of place where you instinctively lower your voice and lean into conversation. 

There are a few instaworthy spots in the restaurant which I instantly recognized from social media. I do my research folks 😛

As my cousins began to arrive one after the other, we chose a cosy nook in the outdoor seating area and settled down. 

The restaurant is completely vegetarian, offering a good mix of both light, healthy dishes as well as indulgent fare. The menu leans into clean, global café fare with a healthy slant. Jain-friendly, vegan and gluten-free options are available for those with dietary restrictions and/or allergies. There are interesting beverages, nourishing bowls, refreshing salads, appetisers from around the world, artisanal sandwiches, brick oven sourdough bakes, hand-rolled and fresh pastas, creative mains and decadent desserts. 

Since we were a group of five, we decided to order multiple dishes and share. We tried to order from different categories keeping in mind the seasonality of dishes. 

Here is a line-up of what we ordered: