One of the things I would like to start doing on the blog is to dedicate a post every month to just looking back. Seeing what has happened through the last thirty days and what I am looking forward to in the days to come. The reason I want to do this is because I genuinely live a very busy life. Even during the time of a national lockdown, I am still working full time, still building content on the blog, and spending social capital with friends and family. So while the country has come to a standstill, the only thing that has changed for me is the lack of change in my surroundings. And I understand the privilege that comes from saying something like that. I am so thankful that I function in an industry that can still function in such times, that I have the financial and health (both mental and physical) support of my family; and most importantly that I have outlets that allow me to survive a time of such deprivation for so many around me.

That said, this has been a busy month to look back into. I want to start with the lows and then move into the highs (I am more of a glass half empty kind of a guy):

The Lows

• The lockdown has changed how I function. I work odd hours now, I cook during lunch, workout when I can. I was very good at following that in the first week. But I am sitting on Day 7 as I write this and its 5 PM— I am yet to work out, shower, post new content, finish this blog, closeout reviews, and plan my day for tomorrow. So clearly, things have moved from the structured to complete mayhem

• Besan (our 18 month Rottweiler) had an incident over Holi which has caused a rift within the larger family. I dont want to air private laundry out into the public sphere but I think it has made us more conscious of how to take better care of a large dog. Right before the lockdown, we did begin training Besan to be better with his surroundings and behave better with strangers. But I do feel horrible about the incident. That being, said there what I find personally offensive is how the larger family is reacting to the said situation. Its actually taught me that age and maturity may not be directly proportional. Good learning I guess!

• Lastly, I miss Natasha! We haven’t met for a week which is rare but what’s annoying is that we still have 14 days to go. Its literally like a long-distance relationship but in the same city which kind of makes it worse. Onwards and upwards, I guess.

The Highs

• People are FINALLY cooking! I haven’t seen such a huge hit on the blog since… ever! In March alone 750,000 people consumed content on Instagram weekly. Of this, 14,000 of you have visited the website! I am SO happy that you have enjoyed the content. I think seeing others make my food, gives me the most joy so thank you for making my social distancing so valuable. I got some news coverage this month too. I was cited in an article by The Print and also in print in the Times of India (the largest English newspaper in the country!!).

• Went live twice! I celebrated crossing 16k followers by going live with Natasha. Together we made the yoghurt pasta! Then the largest men’s magazine in India— MensXP hosted me for a live where I made hangover eggs with them!

Okay, enough about the highs and lows. There are only so much you can do about the situation we are in. These cupcakes are essentially a pantry cupcake since none of the ingredients are really things you need to go out and purchase. For the most part, you will have everything in your kitchen. The cupcakes are naturally sweetened with honey or maple syrup and the strawberries. TBH if you can’t find strawberries you can sub it with apples, gooseberries, or any dried fruit you might have! Check out the recipe and please stay safe, healthy, and keep cooking!

Glimpses from the week

Ingredients

• 2 cups of Strawberries

• 1/3 cups of Honey or Maple Syrup

• 1 cup of yogurt

• 3 eggs

• 1/2 cup of whole flour

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/3 cup of rolled oats + 1 tablespoon for the garnish

• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon of salt, I used Pink Himalayan Salt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius. If necessary, grease all 12 cups on your muffin tin with butter or cooking spray (my pan is non-stick and doesn’t require any grease).

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir with a whisk to blend.

3. In a medium mixing bowl combine maple syrup (or honey) and eggs. Beat together with a whisk. Add the yogurt and vanilla, and mix well. 

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a big spoon, just until combined (a few lumps are ok). Gently fold the strawberries into the batter. The mixture will be thick, but don’t worry.

5. Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (I used an ice cream scoop with a wire level, which worked perfectly). They will be quite full!

6. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the remaining 2 tablespoons of oats, followed by sugar (optional).

7. Bake the muffins for 19 to 22 minutes, or until the muffins are golden on top and a toothpick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

8. Place the muffin tin on a cooling rack to cool. You might need to run a butter knife along the outer edge of the muffins to loosen them from the pan.