Poetry, Mushroom Crepes and A Weekly Meal Plan

 

.Choosing the Slow Life

I have chosen the Slow Life 

Letting go of the unnecessary and needless strife

Living in the moment and being present

Not rushing through life and later repent

Appreciating the little joys and being grateful

For a roof over our head and plates full

Stopping to smell flowers and soaking it all in

To be not effected my judgments and growing a thick skin 

Their life isn’t better than mine nor they have more

The joy is in not comparing for, only then happiness pours

Multitasking sounds great, running a million miles an hour

But life isn’t a race, slowing down is power

Doing less and doing it well

And it is okay if sometimes I fail

The endless to-dos can wait

I am not getting anywhere at this break-neck rate

Disconnect, munch slowly, do nothing, and  just breathe

These reminders we all once in a while need

My body is a temple, I need to appreciate 

I will value this gift and never forget 

I have chosen The Slow Life 

The Slow Life has chosen Me

That is the way to be. 

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These are a few things that I remind myself of time and again. With every passing year, grey hair, and the wisdom that comes with it, I realise how precious this gift of life is. This gift that we take for granted, waste it away doing things which have nothing to do with our joys and happiness, spending precious energy carrying futile grudges, hoarding things which we would probably never use, forever struggling to either do it all or fear of missing out. In the long run, how much of it would actually matter?

Another year that just whizzed past yet again has not been an easy one-emotionally, physically, mentally. But you know what they say? What doesn’t break you only makes you stronger. Not only does it make you stronger but it also gives you time and perspective to think things through. Think things through and figure about what matters and what not; you learn to prioritise and you learn to let go; let go of feelings, things, and people that do not serve a purpose. Easier said than done I agree. But journaling one’s priorities and constantly reminding yourself to be kind to you does help.

Getting out of my comfort zone was one of my priorities this year. It involved teaching myself how to shoot in artificial light, go out and meet more people in person (and not just social media), especially the ones who I look up to and get inspired by, and last but not the least, trying out more non-Indian recipes. And that is how these savoury crepes happened.

Crepes, Béchamel Sauce, and mushrooms, they are all family favourites. So, these mushroom crepes were no brainer. Making the crepes themselves was definitely an exercise in patience, but watching the watery batter turn into silky, soft, melt in your mouth goodness was actually quite gratifying. And when the mushroom crepes emerged piping hot out of the oven bathed in gooey béchamel, mushrooms folded within, it was all well worth the wait.

3 Steps to Make Mushroom Crepes

1. Cooking the mushrooms in butter and seasoning them salt, pepper, and parsley and if no kids involved then some brandy would work wonders too.
2. Making the Béchamel Sauce: Melt butter over medium heat.Remove pan from heat and whisk in flour to make a smooth paste.Gradually stirring in milk with continuous stirring making sure no lumps remain between two additions. 

   Return the pan to heat and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until it starts to boil.

   Season with salt, lower the heat, cover, and simmer gently over low heat, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes.

   The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon.

   Remove from heat, taste for salt, and season with pepper and nutmeg.

   If too thick add a little more milk, if too runny boil for a bit longer.

   For making it lighter, add half milk and half water; for making it richer replace half milk with double cream.

3. Making the Crepes: Add sifted flour and lightly beaten eggs in a deep bowl.Stir in 3-4 tbsps of milk stirring gradually.Melt butter and bring to room temperature.

   Add salt and cooled melted butter to the batter mixing well with a wire whisk and then let it stand for at least an hour.

   Brush the base of a crepe pan or any good quality nonstick pan with oil or butter and heat.

   Bring the heat to medium and pour in 2 tbsp of batter.

   Working swiftly, tilt and gently swirl the pan so the batter evenly spreads on the pan.

   Cook for 2-3 minutes until light golden brown, then flip and repeat for the other side.

   Repeat the same process for the rest of the batter.

4. Bringing it all together which is nothing but baking the mushroom crepes covered with béchamel in an oven for 10-15 minutes till cheese starts to melt and crepes start to turn slightly golden along the edges

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