Truffles – fungi or sweets?

Do you know your truffles? At a dinner table, if you hear truffles will be served, would you expect the pungent scented expensive mushroom or delectable round, confection?

Natural truffle is a subterranean mushroom found growing near tree roots and thought to be an aphrodisiac by the ancient Greeks and Romans. I am not talking about these sensual, mysterious and one of the most expensive natural food. I am talking about the other kind that resembles the fungal namesake, the quintessential luxury confection of the modern world. Traditionally, this other kind is made with velvety smooth chocolate ganache filling. The Latin term truffle means “swelling” or “lump”. Both the mushroom and sweet gets the name from the unusual shape they hold. Just as the natural truffles, the sweet truffles are synonymous with luxury and finest delicacies.

Last minute Kids Activities for Thanksgiving

Thanks taking wouldn’t have been much of a holiday, would it? On the other hand, giving thanks can be celebrated in many ways without any religious or national boundaries.

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on all that we are thankful for, for gathering family, friends and near ones. The holiday evokes images of reunions, large turkey feast with stuffing, pie, football, parades and busy travel plans. Last but not least, the long lines of “Black Friday” shopping.

Thanksgiving, today, is predominantly celebrated as a secular holiday in the United States and Canada. This tradition of being thankful began as a celebration for the harvest of the year. Many other countries around the world have harvest festivals and festivals known as Thanksgiving though traditions and origins are different.

 

Do you sign?

Have you ever wondered what that short, bald, nonsense babbling person, who fascinates your world, is trying to tell you?  Don’t you just wish you could understand what your infant needs and wishes for?  Call it motherly love or whatever; I felt R is trying to communicate either by gazing into my eyes or giving me a smile since she was few weeks old. I realized my infant had a desire to communicate her needs and wishes but, naturally, lacked the cognitive ability of speech during the first year.

I was very intrigued by the possibility of baby sign language and thrilled that American Academy of Pediatrics(AAP) also approves this communication channel.  I thought; why not try giving R a tool she can use to communicate; if it works, great! If not, there’s no harm.  According to AAP, baby sign language has been picking up momentum for the past 20 years and becoming mainstay of mainstream parenting. I can totally relate why significant handful of proactive parents and child care providers are using it. Learn more why experts agree sign language is beneficial.

Sandwich, Wrap or an Art Piece?

Is this a sandwich, a wrap or an art piece?  That’s the first reaction I get when I assemble this sandwich. People just stare at it instead of trying to gobble it. You be the judge and let me know if you would like to have a bite or just stare.