Diwali
is just round the corner. Twinkling diyas, homemade mithais, strings of
marigolds, fragrant incense sticks, rangolis and torans. It is such a magical
time of the year; one that we wait for all year long.
Planning
the décor, deciding the menu, handcrafting gifts, observing family traditions some
that our parents made and we love to observe and some that we are creating
for Sara each year.
But what
I love most about this festival of lights is putting together handmade edible
gifts for family and friends and for all the people who help us get through
each day. The guy who comes over to help me with the cleaning each week, our
security guard who makes sure we sleep well each night, the laundry guy who never forgets to say hi to
Sara when he comes home to drop our clothes. Diwali is only Diwali when you
share your happiness with everyone around you and sometimes it is so easy to
forget that amidst all the bling.
A
box of besan barfi (chickpea fudge) one year, moongphali and til gajak (peanut and
sesame brittle) the next and gulkund (Rosepetal) chocolates the year after.
Sara
has been observing this tradition for the last couple of years (just like I saw
my mum doing the same all these years) but it is only now she is understanding &
more importantly experiencing the joy of thanking people who she values for
being there and I am happy to help her make them a part of her big day.
That
big smile when she slips in a box of homemade truffles into a friend’s hand and
wishes her a Happy Diwali or that hug from her teacher when she gives her a
handmade Diwali card or that awww from masi when she paints her a terracotta
diya is what makes Diwali truly special. No store bought gift can ever match up
to handmade love and this is one tradition that I’d like my little girl to take
away from us.
This
year she is making Diwali cards and these chocolate truffles for all the people
who matter to her (I have been helping her make a card for everyone ever since
she turned two and it has a become a ritual of sorts).
Just
like the previous year the cards won’t be perfect; probably she will get tired
after making a few and will ask me to help her, she will “sign” her name in her
“royal” handwriting and later feel shy giving them. The truffles won’t be all
round, there will be chocolatey mess in the kitchen, some will land in her
mouth before we end up packing them, some will land on the floor and I will be
spending a better part of the day cleaning but what a wonderful day it will be.
We
will both acknowledge all the kind and loving people in our lives, we will talk
about why and how much we appreciate and value them and how our lives will be
incomplete without them and how giving a piece of our heart in the shape of a
truffle will make them grin ear to ear.
Do you have any family traditions that you observe or any traditions that you would like to create this year? Are handcrafted presents one of those? I would love to hear about it.
Chocolate nariyal laddoos (Chocolate coconut truffles (Makes 20 balls)
Ingredients
- Two 100 grams bars of dark chocolate (we used 70%, if you’d like take a 50 % or even milk chocolate)
- 4 tbsp of cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp of soft butter
- 1 cup of desiccated coconut
- Cocoa powder and desiccated coconut to roll (drinking chocolate/ sesame seeds also work )
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, break the chocolate into small pieces with your hand.
- Micro it on low for about 2 minutes. Checking and stirring every thirty seconds.
- Add the cream, vanilla and butter and stir. You will now have a glossy chocolate mix.
- Add the desiccated coconut and stir.
- Shape them into tiny balls on a tray lined with foil or parchment.
- Roll some of them into drinking chocolate and some in desiccated coconut
- Put them into mini cupcake cases/boxes.
- Gift them to your friends and get ready for lots of tight hugs.
Before I end this post, I wanted to share that a couple of us have gotten together for a Diwali Festival of sorts on our blogs. One post a day to inspire you to make Diwali cards, decorations, read Diwali books, try out Diwali recipes and make Diwali goodies with your little ones (Yes, that would be me:))
Hope to see you guys drop by everyone's blogs and share the love.
Images: If you like any of the pictures on the blog and would like to use those please write to me. I put in hours of work behind each post and would love to share it with you but it would hurt me if use those without my permission. Just ask!
Images: If you like any of the pictures on the blog and would like to use those please write to me. I put in hours of work behind each post and would love to share it with you but it would hurt me if use those without my permission. Just ask!
Come join a set of fabulous bloggers sharing their Diwali moments , easy Crafts, DIY ideas, Recipes and book recommendations with you .
Starting from today till Diwali and beyond, each one of us will be writing a post related to Diwali.
Participating blogs
Artsy Craftsy mom . Reading Rabbits Library . Food and fads . Cherish Dream Live . My little Moppet . On-board the Mommyship . Roohi's Collection . Colours Dekor . Bumps n Baby . Hello Mommyhood . A spoonfull of ideas . CraftIsland . The Keybunch . ParentingMantras . Whats Cooking Mom . Orange kitchens . Quilts & Quills . Fun Activities for Children . Something’s cooking . Obsessivemom . The Design Enthusiast . Fantastic Feathers . Little aadi ali
So sit back, relax and check out all the fabulous Diwali Dhamaka posts from the participating blogs in the linky.
Link in your Diwali posts here
