Custard Cravings

Recipe: Vla (Dutch Custard)

The food cravings in pregnancy can be really specific and sometimes weird. Some days I'm craving for the authentic Arabic shawarma and another day its my puttu (steamed rice cake) and kadala curry (curry made with bengal gram).... (that's really weird considering that I never really liked my kadala curry before this pregnancy...)

And then there are those days when I just need to get a chocolate fix - and not just any chocolate, but specifically deep, dark chocolate... and preferably Lindt with 60% or more cocoa :) You may be getting the feeling that I'm using this pregnancy as an excuse to over-indulge.. but trust me these cravings just don't go away with substitutes....

The Ride Called Motherhood

Recipe: Hershey's Perfectly Chocolate Chocolate Cake
Motherhood is like a roller-coaster ride... for a lifetime! It's full of ups and downs.... 
From the highs of being pampered in pregnancy and the patient 9-month long wait to see your cuddly little one to the extremely intense and unforgiving pain on the D-day. 
Finally after all that you are so happy and thankful to see your little baby and hold him and take care of him.
Before long your bubble of joy bursts as you can't take any more sleepless nights after about 10 in a row... and your ears keep ringing all the time after hours of relentless screaming/crying by the little one... Even small things like having the time to pursue a hobby or even grocery shopping seems like a luxury.
But then the happiness associated with watching your little one grow, give you the cutest toothless smiles, learn new things and play is surely unmatched... Amazingly enough, as you learn to love your child unconditionally, you discover new things about yourself too...
And as you are basking in the content thoughts of doing the best you can for your little one, then suddenly there comes the battery of criticism and opinions from total strangers as well as near and dear ones! Of how you are not doing enough... followed by clicking of tongues and shaking of heads.... 
These highs and lows do not stop... as the child grows, there are different kinds of them..... One day your eyes are brimming with tears of pride as your 3 year old just gave his favorite packet of candy to a poor needy child on the street. And at another moment, you are probably wishing you could disappear into thin air as your child throws a really nasty tantrum in a very public place which is full of people you know and you are not sure how to take control of the situation.