new kid on da blog

New Year Resolution

2011-12-31T18:17:00.003+07:00

The year is almost coming to an end, just a few hours to go now. The year 2011 was great, but personally I would like to make this new year even better. So this year my resolution is - to be a better person. Being more tolerant towards other peoples mistakes and more careful to not repeat them myself. I would like to be less selfish and more considerate. Also I would like to respect myself and my body by eating right and being fit.
This is what I wish for myself this coming year, and sincerely hope that I can keep up this promise to myself.

Happy New Year.................and may all good things come to you all in 2012....

Drink up your veggies...

2011-12-13T22:21:00.003+07:00

Yes, you read it right...that's what the title says - Drink up your veggies and get all the nutrients. Even fussy eaters will relish a bowl-full of warm and creamy vegetable soup. Get back at those hunger pangs with this satisfying soup. Here is the recipe...

Creamy vegetable soup ( recipe):

Ingredients:
1/2 potato
1 large tomato
1/2 onion
1 pod garlic
5-6 pepper corns
1/2 cup peas
1 cup spinach
1 cup assorted mixed vegetables (squash, bottle gourd, french beans, carrot, beet, turnip) any vegetable .....you get the idea?
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp cream (optional)

Method:
1. Pressure cook all the vegetables in sufficient water until tender.
2. Let the cooked vegetables cool for a few minutes.
3. Puree the entire mixture with the cream.
4. Sieve the puree, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to serve.

You could use vegetable or chicken stock instead of water.

Enjoy the warm soup when it is chilly outside....

Corn Bhel

2011-12-04T20:13:00.001+07:00

This is a really easy recipe for a light snack. Its is healthy too....

Corn Bhel (recipe) :

Ingredient:

1 cup boiled corn kernals
1 cup chopped boiled potatoes
1 tomato chopped
1 tbsp multipurpose green chutney (recipe in an earlier post)
2 finely chopped green chilies
1 small red onion chopped
juice of one lime
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup roughly chopped coriander leaves
1 cup chopped cucumber
1 cup crushed potato chips or anything that is savory and crispy.

Toss all the above ingredients in a large bowl, mix well and top with the chips before serving.

What a thought........

2011-10-25T22:33:00.000+07:00

1. Start each day with a grateful heart.
2. Focus on the positive aspect of every person you encounter.
3. End each day with a grateful heart.
- Lucy MacDonald

I wish we could all follow this......I try my best though.

Almost Panko........

2011-10-25T22:28:00.000+07:00

It was only last year I got to know about Panko. Its another name for Japanese bread crumbs. And what makes Panko different from our normal bread crumbs? Well to begin with they are absolutely white in colour and a lot more flakier, so the final product is much more crisp and has a lovely golden hue. And it also does not clump up like the regular bread crumbs.

So I used the store bought one for quite sometime until I made my own out of laziness ....literally. I usually make my own regular bread crumbs - you know the drill I guess. Slightly toasting the leftover bread in a low oven and then grinding it all up. Now the other day, I had sliced baguette and another loaf, without the crust which I had kept in the refrigerator and both were rock hard. As usual, I was feeling lazy to get the food processor out. And since the bread was already hard I decided to skip the oven too. Instead I used the mandolin (vegetable grater/ slicer) with the widest slit/ holes to grate the bread. And I got my panko ....just like that. Of course it helps to use a large plate or bowl for the flaky crumbs as they have a tendency of flying in all directions no matter how careful you are.

Roast Chicken ..............as promised........

2011-10-21T23:18:00.000+07:00

Yes, when I make a promise i try my best to keep it. So here is the recipe for my roast chicken as promised. Please note this is my version so obviously it will not be the it is supposed to be. This roast is easy and hassle-free. And to top it, you do not have to stand next to the oven, worried about either burning the chicken or under-cooking it. Because I do not use the oven at all. Yes this is what I mean by my version of roast chicken.....Ohh also I do not use the whole chicken , just the thigh pieces so the result is juicy and the dinner is ready within 20-25 minutes.

Pan -roasted chicken ( recipe):

Ingredients:

6 pcs chicken thighs with the skin
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 tsp honey
1 tsp Italian mixed herbs(dry)
1 tsp ginger paste
1tsp garlic paste
1 tsp coarsely crushed black pepper
salt to taste
2 tbsp olive oil

Method :
1. Wash and pat dry the chicken. Beat the thighs slightly with a meat tenderizer or the base of a heavy pan.
2. Mix all the ingredients and 1 tbsp olive oil with the chicken and marinate for minimum 30 minutes. The longer, the better though.
3. Heat a frying pan or a grill pan and place the chicken thighs skin side down. Let it sizzle for 3-5 minutes on high heat, then lower the heat to medium for 5-7 minutes.
4. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on the un-cooked side of the thighs a 3-5 minutes. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Turn off the heat, let the chicken pieces rest for at-least 5 minutes before serving.

Yum-yum............

Diwali Treat........

2011-10-21T22:29:00.000+07:00

I like Indian festival, almost all of them. And the sole reason being the sweet treats. Even if I do not celebrate them, nothing stops me from preparing at-least one treat exclusive for that particular festival. Like during Ganesh Cathurti I tried my hands at something similar to modak, it turned out well so what the shape was very...very different. Well now that Diwali is close, I chose to prepare something simple and quick.
I started with a recipe for nankatai, tweaked it here and there and came out with my version of coconut macroons. Sounds strange right ? read on and see how a nankatai got turned into a macaroon.

Diwali coconut macaroons ( recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup dessicated coconut
1 cup fine semolina
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/4 cup raisins
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/2 tsp baking powder
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cardamon powder

( I think you have already noticed the tweak ...almond, raisin, dessicated coconut etc..wait there is one more twist)

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven at 180 degree.
2. Mix all the above ingredients to form a dough.
3. Make small lime sized balls and slightly flatten them.
4. Time for the twist- leave the baking tray alone, grab the muffin tray or (even better) a mini cup cake tray, place the flattened dough balls and bake for 12- 15 minutes. I did not grease the tray as mine is non-stick.
5. Let the macaroons cool completely before de-moulding them (a fancy way of saying- remove them fron the muffin tray).
6. Store them in an air-tight container.

The macaroons will be perfectly shaped, at-least their bottoms........hehe..........enjoy !!

Light and easy mashed potato

2011-10-11T20:08:00.002+07:00

Well what can I say .......... I prepared this mashed potato by chance. Hubby dear was in a mood for some roast chicken and mashed potato.So like an obedient wife I started the preparations. The recipe for roast chicken will be featured in another post -I Promise. Lets deal with the mashed potato first...

I began by boiling 3 medium sized potatoes in a pressure cooker( I love the pressure cooker, it saves time and energy). Then realized there is no cream in the house, so looked for alternatives...it happens all the time with me. Anyway, I came up with a plan 'B'. I had unbelievable success, so here is the recipe...

Light and easy mashed potato (recipe)
2 servings, 3 if you really stretch it
Ingredients:

3 medium sized potatoes
1/2 cup low fat high calcium milk
2 tsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp nutmeg powder

Method:
1. Boil the potatoes, drain and peel while the are still hot. Use a fork, to hold the hot potato.
2. Roughly chop the potatoes and put them in a food processor- chopper attachment ( I do not own a potato ricer, never needed one!).
3. Add in all the ingredients and half the milk, pulse the mixture until smooth.
4. Add some more milk if the mixture is too dry. Pulse again.
5. Adjust the salt and pepper before serving.
Yummy!!
The potatoes must be hot / warm at all time.

Multipurpose Green Chutney

2011-10-11T08:42:00.001+07:00

I love this green chutney of mine. I usually make it in large quantities, freeze it and use it as an when i like. This chutney is a chameleon in some ways, use it an a condiment or add it to curries to enhance the flavors. Marinate the fish or chicken in it or mix it with yogurt for a refreshing dip. Thus I call it a multipurpose chutney. So here is the recipe ......

Multipurpose Green Chutney (Recipe):

Ingredients:

1 large bunch fresh coriander, stems included
2 large bunches fresh mint, only leaves
1 cup curry leaves (optional)
1 cup celery leaves
5-6 fresh green chillies ( more if you like it spicy)
2 inch piece ginger
4-6 garlic cloves
6-8 shallots
1 tbsp roasted cumin seeds
1 tsp black pepper corns
1/2 tsp roasted carom seeds( optional)
1/2 tsp rock salt (optional)
salt to taste
juice of 2 lemons
1 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp water
pinch of sugar

Method:
1. Wash all the fresh ingredients, drain and roughly chop them.
2. Blend all the above dry and wet items together, until smooth.
3. Using the lemon juice and olive oil, as a lubricant for blending.
4. If the mixture is still too dry add little water .
5. Store in freezer proof containers and freeze until required.
6. Thaw and use as and when required.

Mini Puff Pizzas

2011-08-22T12:05:00.001+07:00

Here is an anytime snack recipe loved by kids and grown-ups alike. This one is extremely easy to prepare with minimum ingredients.

Mini Puff Pizza Recipe :

Ingredients:
1 sheet of ready-made puff pastry
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers
1/2 cup canned corn kernels (drained)
2-3 tbsp chopped spring onions
salt and pepper as per taste
1 cup grater cheese ( melting type)
circular cookie cutter, a greased cup cake baking tray

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree.
2. Lightly roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface, almost doubling the size of the sheet.
3. Using the cookie cutter, cut out circles from the puff pastry sheet.
4. Place the circles into the greased cup cake slots, press lightly.
5. Mix the filling in a bowl and put 1 tsp in each slot on top of the pastry shell.
6. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and top with the melting cheese.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. De-mold and serve warm with tomato ketchup.

Easy Dal-Ghosht

2011-08-19T20:17:00.001+07:00

This is one of the easiest and quickest way to prepare yummy Dal Gosht. And without much ado ....here is the recipe.

Easy Dal Gosht Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 kg mutton ( with bones)
1/2 cup red lentils ( masoor Dal)
1 large onion (thinly sliced)
3 tomatoes ( finely chopped)
2 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp dry mango powder(amchoor)( optional)
1 tsp kasoori methi ( optional)
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp Ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
1/2 tsp green chili paste
3 tbsp cooking oil

Method:
1. Soak the Dal for 30 mins,drain and pressure cook it until done. Set aside.
2. In a wok, heat the oil and fry the onions until golden brown.
3. Add the tomatoes and the Ginger,chili and garlic pastes. Stir well.
4. Add all the dry spices and mix well. Fry on medium low heat till the oil rises on top.
5. Now put in the mutton and continue frying. When the meat is amply browned transfer to the pressure cooker with the cooked Dal.
6. Add enough water and pressure cook till the meat is tender.
7. Garnish with fried onions,mint and coriander leaves, serve with steamed rice.

Grilled Eggplants

2011-08-18T17:44:00.000+07:00

In my family, we love eggplants. And this recipe just popped in my mind when we had guests for dinner and I was falling short of one vegetarian side-dish. Well the dinner was a success and grilled eggplants were polished off. This has now become a staple in my house. I do hope you enjoy the recipe too.

Grilled Eggplants (recipe) :

Ingredients:
2-3 medium sized eggplants
2 tbsp cooking oil or olive oil
salt to taste
1 tsp red chili powder
juice of 1/2 lemon

Method :
1. Slice the eggplants diagonally, about 1/4 inches thick.
2. Rinse in cold water and drain well.
3. mix the oil and make sure every slice is coated on both the sides.
4. Heat a thick bottomed pan (preferably grill pan) and arrange the sliced eggplants in a single layer.
5. Cover and let it cook for about 3-4 minutes on medium-high heat.
6. Cook both the sides in the same manner.
7. Lower the heat and sprinkle the salt, chili powder and lemon juice. Cover and cook for 1 minute.
8. Turn off the heat. For serving, arrange the slices on top of each other like a pyramid.

This is a very simple and quick to make recipe with amazingly good results, just make sure you don't burn the eggplants.....

Fruity Dessert

2011-07-06T22:20:00.000+07:00

This is my version of fruit cream. Its easy and quick to prepare.

Fruit Cream Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 can mixed fruits (drained) or 2 cups chopped (strawberry, mango, apple and grapes)
200 ml whipping cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
3 cups strawberry ice cream, softened

Method:
1. Whip the cream until thickened. Now add the powdered sugar and whip till soft peaks are formed.
2. Add the ice cream spoon by spoon and fold slowly.
3. when all the ice-cream is incorporated, whip once more for 30 seconds, cover and freeze.
4. Keep the fruits refrigerated.
5. Remove the ice cream mixture 5-7 minutes before serving.
6. Spoon out the fruits in individual bowls and top with the ice-cream mix.
7. Garnish with some more fruits and serve.

Spicy Peas Pulao

2011-06-30T17:59:00.000+07:00

This yummy rice dish is my take on the regular peas pulao. Here the recipe..

Spicy Peas Pulao Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups basmati rice
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 onion, sliced thinly
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 bay leaf
1 tsp garam masala or all spice
3 cups water
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp butter or Ghee
1/2 tsp ginger- garlic paste
3-4 green chillies slit
salt to taste

Method:
1. Wash and soak the rice.
2. Heat the oil in the dutch oven (handi with well-fitting lid) and the cumin seeds.
3. When the cumin crackles, add the onions and bay leaf. Fry until soft.
4. Add the ginger-garlic paste, slit chillies and fry for a minute.
5. Now add the garam masala and salt, fry for a minute
6. Now add the peas. Drain the rice and stir slowly.
7. When the rice and peas are well coated with oil, pour in the water.
8. Bring to boil and then simmer the heat. Cover partially and cook until almost all the water content evaporates.
9. Cover fully and cook for another 10 minutes, on very low heat.
10. Turn off the heat, stir once or twice with a fork and serve with raita.

Beany Surprise

2011-06-22T20:04:00.000+07:00

At our regular restaurant, we usually order this dish, and it vanishes within minutes. Me and my hubby dear love it so much. I tried to make it at home n it turned out really good. So now I am sharing this recipe.

Beany Surprise Recipe:

Ingredients:
300g french beans, stringed and blanched
300g lean minced beef or chicken
6-7 shallots finely chopped
2 garlic pods finely chopped
2-3 dried red chilis finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp soy sauce
2 tbsp cooking oil

Method:
1. In a wok, heat the oil and fry the shallots, garlic and dried chillies.
2. Add the mince and stir fry until done. Season with salt, pepper and soy sauce.
3. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
4. Now add the blanched beans, stir well. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, turn off the heat.
5. Serve with steamed rice.

Note : All the cooking must be done on a med- high flame.

Watching Titanic

2011-06-21T23:01:00.000+07:00

I watched Titanic the movie, in the morning, right after my tea. i did not move from the couch until noon. I did not cook lunch and offered my hubby an instant breakfast. The point is that I was so engrossed in the movie that nothing else mattered for the next 3 1/2 hours. Just so you know I have watched Titanic umpteen number of times and every time is like the first. Each time I am awestruck by the grandeur of the ship itself, the detailed costumes, the tragic love-story and the flamboyant Jack Dawson .

This time though, was different. I realized, through the movie that no matter what ones social status is, we all want to be alive. Money has no value when it comes down to a breadth for a few more seconds. We all, be it rich or poor, young or old are afraid of the unknown and hence of death. Though admitting this fear or dealing with it is different from person to person.

So, like Jack from the movie made Rose promise to live life to its fullest, we all should do the same. Make every moment count.............Happy Living!

Mini Corn- Spinach Pies

2011-06-10T18:48:00.000+07:00

Remember, almost a month ago I promised to do a few tweaks on the Spinach-Corn Delight and make it even more interesting.Well the time has finally come for me to share the tricks.
So, I start with Mini Corn Spinach Pies...

Mini Corn Spinach Pies:
Ingredients:
1 sheet ready to use puff pasrty
1/2 cup flour for dusting
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheese (any melting cheese)
cup cake tray or small ramekins

Method:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180 degree.
2. Roll out the pastry sheets, on a well dusted surface and cut them into 12 squares, approx. 2"x 2".
3. Place each square in the each ramekin.
4. Fill it with spoonful of spinach corn mixture(earlier blog).
5. Season with salt and pepper and top with the cheese.
6. Bake n the hot oven for 20-25 minutes.
5.

A New Enterprise

2011-06-07T19:54:00.000+07:00

I have been busy, busy and more busy these past few months. To begin with , my house help had vanished for almost an entire month. But more importantly I had been making handbags, lots of them. What began as a hobby, ended up in an exhibition, at a crafts bazaar. And my dear friends supported me hugely. Thanks a ton girls...........love you all. Now is the time to share my creations with the rest of you. I have uploaded the pictures of some of my pieces, of course, the best ones are taken.....already.

There is more to come................I take orders for custom made bags too.

Nutritious and Filling

2011-04-17T10:18:00.000+07:00

In a perfect world we all would like to eat healthy without compromising on health and nutrition. So here is one such recipe that would meet both the criteria. It looks great, tastes delicious and is nutritious too. An interesting side-dish, one which can be turned into a snack or a main dish with a slight twist with the basic recipe. Twists later though, lets get on with the basic recipe first.

Spinach-Corn Delight Recipe:
Ingredients:
3 cups finely chopped spinach
1/2 cups boiled corn ( can use well drained tinned corn)
1 onion chopped
1 large tomato chopped
1/2 tsp ginger paste
1/2 tsp garlic paste
3-4 dried red chilies
salt and pepper as per taste
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tbsp cooking oil

Method:
1. In a pan heat the oil and saute the onions until soft.
2. Break the chilies into 4-5 pieces and fry with the onions.
3. When the mixture is fragrant add the cumin powder,salt, pepper, ginger and garlic pastes, fry well.
4. Add the chopped tomato and cook until, the mixture leaves the sides of the pan.
5. Now, throw in the spinach and saute, stir until mixed well.
6. Cover and cook on a med-high flame for 2-3 minutes.
7. Time to add the corn, mix well, cook for 5-7 minutes,stir occasionally.

Spinach - Corn Delight is ready, about the twists to modify it into different meal ideas ....next time.

Easy Cooking...

2011-04-07T19:25:00.000+07:00

This recipe for fried rice works well with left- over rice. And if you omit the egg and chicken, it is a yummy vegetarian alternative. A few minutes in preparation and with practice this fried rice is ready within minutes.

Easy Fried Rice Recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice
1/2 cup of green beans finely cut
1/2 cup finely diced carrot
2 tbsp finely chopped spring onions
2 tbs baby peas
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 eggs
1 cube stock ( vegetable or chicken)
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup boiled chicken shredded ( optional)

Method:
1. In a wok, heat 1 tbsp oil and stir fry the beans, peas, carrots and boiled chicken with the stock cube crumbled, add a tsp of water if required. Fry for 4-5 minutes and set aside.
2. Whisk both the eggs with a dash of soy sauce, salt and pepper. Make an omelet with 1 tbsp oil , cook on both sides and place it on a chopping board. When cooled , roughly cut into small squares. Mix with the stir-fried vegetables.
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in the wok and fry the spring onions, add the egg and vegetable mixture. Fry for 2 minutes and add the rice, mix lightly and sprinkle the soy sauce, salt and pepper.
4. Mix well, cover and cook for 5 minutes on low heat. The fried rice is done. Enjoy it with chili chicken.

A well deserved victory............

2011-04-03T14:04:00.001+07:00

Yesterday was one of the most exiting days of my life. The Indian Cricket Team won the highest honor in the cricketing world The Cricket World Cup 2011. Wow, I still cannot believe it. We won by a good 6 wickets, thanks to the impressive knocks by the captain M.S.Dhoni (91) and Gautam Gambhir(97). Though I wish atleast of them would have made a century. India bowled first and created trouble for the Lankan batsmen, with spot on fielding and a catch by Yuvraj was really outstanding. While the opposition fumbled in that area. So its true that catches win matches! Things could have been a lot different if the Lankans had taken a couple of key wickets or stopped a few more runs through fielding.

Apart from that, it was really thoughtful and rather sweet of the entire team to dedicate the World Cup Victory to Sachin Tendulkar. He deserved it, this probably being his last world cup tournament. But me being the dreamer that I am,who believes in fairy-tales...expected a century from the Little Master so that he could complete his Century of Centuries. After all Mumbai is his home and Wankhede his home ground. Imagine the height of SachinMania then.....Wow the thrill would have been something else.Though it does not matter because Sachin was, is and forever will be the God of Cricket.

I watched the final with a bunch of my close friends, giving hubby dear the ball by ball score via sms. He is in Samoa for his own tournament. I felt so sad for him and missed sharing the thrill of winning the cup with him. All in all, missed centuries, dropped catches, missing hubby does not count , when the bottom line is - India wins the World Cup after 28 years.
Three Cheers for India , Three Cheers for Sachin.............

Cooking in minutes...

2011-03-26T13:22:00.000+07:00

This is quicker version of Chili Chicken and it does not involve deep frying or more than 20 minutes in the kitchen.

Quick Chili Chicken :

Ingredients:

1 boneless chicken breast (cubed)
1 capsicum cut into cubes
7-8 green chilies slit vertically
1 tsp freshly crushed black pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp ajinomoto
salt to taste
2 tbsp cornflour
1/2 cup water (optional)
1 tsp grated ginger
1tsp grated garlic
1 tbsp cooking oil

Method :
1.In a bowl mix the cubed chicken with 1 tea spoon soy sauce, cornflour, black pepper, ajinomoto and salt. Mix well and keep aside.
2. In a deep wok, heat the cooking and lightly fry the slit green chilies and grated ginger- garlic.
3. Now add the marinated chicken and stir to coat all the chicken pieces with the oil.
4. Let it cook for 5-7 minutes on a medium high flame. Stir again and add the capsicum.
5. Cover and cook on a low flame for 5 minutes. At this point you can add water to make a gravy if you like.
6. Check and adjust the seasoning, when the chicken is done turn off the heat.
7. Garnish with chopped spring onions and enjoy with steam rice (gravy version) or fried rice (dry version).

Easy Fried Rice recipe next time.....till then try your hand at the Chili Chicken.....Happy Cooking!

Cooking time............

2011-03-14T16:37:00.000+07:00

This one is on request, one of my friends asked for the lasagna recipe a long time ago, well here it is. I hope all of you out there will like it and prepare it someday. This a non -vegetarian recipe, but replace the mince meat with finely chopped vegetables (any assorted veggies) and it is just as good.

Chicken Lasagna:
Ingredients:
300g minced chicken
150g tomato puree
1 onion finely chopped
4-5 cloves garlic finely chopped
2 tomatoes finely chopped
2 tbsp chili sauce
2 tbsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf
2 tsp mixed herbs
salt and pepper according to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chili powder (optional)
6-8 instant lasagna sheets
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese or any melting cheese
For white sauce:
3 tsp flour
3 tbsp butter + 1 tsp oil
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp grated cheese

Method:
1. In a deep pan heat the olive oil nand saute the onion and garlic, until soft.
2. Now add the chopped tomatoes and cook. Add the minced chicken, stir well.
3. Stir in all the seasonings, cook for 5 minutes and add the sauces along with the tomato puree.Stir well , cover and cook until done.Add water if too dry , this meat sauce should have a gravy consistency.
4. To make the white sauce,on a low flame, heat butter and oil in a pan.
5. Now add the flour and keep stirring ,till the mixture changes colour slightly.
6. Add the milk slowly ,while stirring.Stir until smooth, add more milk if required.
7. Turn off the heat and mix in the seasonings and cheese.

Assembling :
1. Take an ovenproof rectangular dish, and grease it with olive oil. Now spread a thin layer of the meat sauce.
2. Place the lasagna sheets in a single layer with 2 mm gaps between them ( since the sheets are instant , they will expand).
3. Spread another layer of meat sauce, followed by a layer of cream sauce. Cover with the lasagna sheets.
4. Make another similar layer, if you wish and for the final layer instead of the sheets, cover the white sauce with the grated cheese.
5. Bake it in a pre-heated oven for 25-30 minutes at 180C.

Obeying my sweet-tooth

2011-02-11T16:28:00.000+07:00

I have a problem. Yes, the problem of giving in ....to my sugar cravings. Like I had mentioned in one of my earlier posts, I inquire about the dessert before the food at dinner parties. The past week I was successful in keeping sweets away from me. But one week is all that I can manage. It is really difficult, I am addicted to sweet treats. On a rebound, I gave in and prepared my version of suji (semolina) ladoos. Actually it can be called suji-coconut ladoos, they are cooling in the kitchen right now. As soon as I finish this post I will savor my first glorious ladoo. Here I am sharing the recipe so that someone out there might satisfy his/her sugar craving too.

Suji-Coconut Ladoo Recipe :

Ingredients:
1 cup suji ( semolina)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp rose water
1 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 + 1/4 cup dessicated coconut (dry)
1/2 cup chopped almonds and raisins
2 tbsp ghee

Method :
1. Heat ghee in a heavy bottomed pan,add the chopped almonds and raisins and fry on low heat.
2. Now add the suji and roast until slightly golden.
3. Add the sugar and cardamom and keep roasting for 5 minutes. The heat should be low throughout.
4. Now add the dessicated coconut, mix well and pour the milk along with the rose water.
5. Mix well and remove from the heat.
6. Let the mixture cool for a couple of minutes. Form tiny balls with the mixture and roll it in the 1/4 cup of dessicated coconut. Set aside to cool.

My new ironing board

2011-02-10T11:08:00.000+07:00

Like I usually mention , I like to do things by myself....get a thrill out of it. And this time I re-invented my ironing board, gave it a face lift and also made it slightly more energy efficient.

Well there was nothing wrong with the old board to begin with. It was strong and sturdy and did its job well. But I kind of got bored of its cover. It was orange with tiny teddy bears, cute but I was done with the teddies. Besides, there was an old cotton bed-sheet with a better print and I really wished to re-commission it. If things do not get thrown or given away, I re-use them in a new avatar. So I started this new project. Measured up the board and the sheet, cut according to size and got stitching. Hand- stitch that is... An hour of sitting on the floor with my poor neck craned upwards, not a very comfortable position though, the job was done.

And for the energy efficiency, I slid in a layer of aluminum foil between the new cover and the old one, before stitching. The foil will reflect the heat from the iron and make the ironing process easier and quicker. I had read this somewhere and promptly applied it, I hope it works.

Okra with potatoes

2011-02-09T10:28:00.001+07:00

We Indians call it 'bhindi', the good old lady-finger or okra is on of my favorite vegetables. Green on the outside and sticky-slimy on the inside. Its seeds are like tiny pearls and one might find an odd worm wriggling inside too once in a while. Not many people are a fan of this product from natures garden, but nevertheless it has won quite a few hearts. For those who eat it really love it(you can either love it or hate it ,but cannot ignore it). Here is a unique way to prepare it with potatoes.

Bhindi Aloo Recipe :

Ingredients
200g tender okra
1 large potato
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp cooking oil
salt to taste

Method
1. Wash and dry the okra, cut into 1cm thick pieces.
2. Wash and peel the potato and cut into cubes of 1cm.
3. Heat the oil in a wok and add the cubed potatoes. On medium heat fry for 4-5 mintues or until almost tender.
4. Now add all the dry ingredients, stir for well.
5. At this point add the okra. Stir lightly, cover and cook for 6-7 minutes.
6. Cook for another 4-5 minutes or until done with the lid off.

Delicious Bhindi Aloo is ready to be savored with chapatti or steam rice accompanied with dahi kadi (yoghurt curry).

Spring Cleaning ......and its not even spring yet!

2011-02-08T12:56:00.001+07:00

God knows what hit me today, I have been de-cluttering my home since morning. A little back-breaking exercise that requires some brain exercise too. Got out all the boxes, cartons, suitcases and emptied their contents. Then I made three piles - 1. throwing away, 2. giving away, 3. holding on (until next time). Must say the first two piles were way larger than than the third, and I am very pleased with myself. The job was pending for quite sometime now and it had to be done. Now my storage space is much more organized and my mind is at peace. Even as a young girl I enjoyed the job. It is kind of a de-stressing technique for me.

I have never been a hoarder for things at any point in my life, be it personal items, artifacts, clothes, furniture...whatever. If there is something that does not come in use for a year, it is transferred to one of the first two piles. I love handbags, but each time I buy a new one, an old one is given away or recommissioned. The same rule applies to my clothes and shoes( in a way I make room for newer stuff). I try to do it for hubby dear and my princess too( toys are inevitably rescued).

I feel good about myself and am thinking of newer ways to busy myself for the week ahead.

Restless hands

2011-02-07T11:53:00.000+07:00

Yes, as the title suggests, my hands are getting restless. And this time around I am not re-inventing my blanket. Instead, doing some art and craft, just like in the school days. Lots of glitter and glue, laces and ribbons, scissors and sticky tapes.

I am making some hand-made name cards(I don't know what is the exact term). The ones that you attach on a gift or a bouquet. Actually, last weekend we were buying gifts and preparing for the upcoming occasions. And during the exercise I realized, how ridiculously expensive the tiny tags are, and there is nothing special or unique about them. Just mass printed stuff with a tinge of glitter. I decided to make my own. So now I have 24 pretty name cards that are all unique, made from scratch and totally hand-made. I am happy , and hope the ones who receive them will be delighted too.

Time to put on the reading glasses...........

2011-02-03T08:39:00.000+07:00

A few minutes ago I finished this book, but to honest I was itching to blog about it the minute I started it. Two States by Chetan Bhagat, what a wonderful read. A love-story between two young adults from different communities. One might find many such books, but this one is different, because it is humorous. No heavy duty emotions, very cool and casual, just the way young people are these days. Of course it has a happy ending, but the journey is exciting.

The characters and situations are so real, they remind you of your own relatives. The ones that make you go "geeeezzzzz" sometimes. We all have them, lets accept the fact. Also the conversations the protagonist has with himself in his mind while talking to others, reminded me that I do it quite often too.

The story pushed me down the memory lane and re-visit my own experience of choosing a life partner, sticking to the decision and getting married by hook or by crook (thats one helluva story too, I promise you). And for a split second I thought maybe we could have done things differently. But naa....... even before the thought could form properly, it disintegrated, in our case not possible. Getting back to the book, its a great read filled with self-gyan that makes a lot of sense, a small helping of nationalism, an introduction to the typical features of two different communities(that is really interesting), slightly touching a few social issues. If I say more maybe the fun of reading it all will ruined.

So I stop now and hope you get a copy and enjoy reading the book, because the one thing about this story is that you feel the urge to share it (or is it just me?), read it and find out.

One task, One lesson!

2010-11-25T14:54:00.000+07:00

I love to recycle and then reuse stuff. What i do to my clothes has been mentioned in on of the older posts. Last week again, I gave myself one such task, a new project. On one of our visits to India, we went to Ajmer and Jaipur. With just two days of stay and rainy season, street shopping (my favorite kind of shopping) was out of question. But we managed to find a Handicraft Emporium that had everything under one roof. After selecting Bandini suits and looking at some jewellery,we entered the home furnishing section. Immediately we fell in love with these two handmade quits. So soft and warm, beautiful print and above all really worth the price. Needless to say we bought them both.
Two years down the line, those same quilts looked worn out and the stitchs were giving away. I did not have the heart to give it away. So I got some material and opened up an old bed cover. Combined the two and got a cover made for one of the quilts. Now I can use the same quilt with all the memories in a new avatar. The only sad part in this whole exercise was that the tailor did not do his job to my satisfaction. But then, like it is said - If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Lesson learnt!

Trying to get back....

2010-11-23T12:51:00.000+07:00

Its been almost 2 months since I wrote something, that either happens when nothing interesting is happening around you or one is so busy that there is no time to write. In the last months there was quite a bit of activity in my life. Some exciting, some tiring and some outright boring. First we changed our residence, that was in mid-2010, getting used to a new home and finding a new maid has never been a cake walk. Then there was Ramadan, need I say more?
My little princess started pre-school,that was exciting. A new uniform, books and bag, craft work and regular home-work. Oh yes I also tried to re-visit my gym, for a few weeks, that endeavor was not entirely successful, so I am back to square one now.
We visited Singapore for a couple of days, that was fun. Ate lots of sweets for Diwali thanks to my kind friends. And later attended a super duper party with the same theme.
Also worth mentioning is that my little princess performed in a mini concert at school and won the second place for recital. And I can tell you that it was a proud moment.
Besides that I took up upon me a new project, recycling my old bed-cover and re-inventing a quilt.
I will elaborate about that in the next post soon ..

That time of the year...

2010-09-08T19:06:00.001+07:00

Long time I know, been busy doing nothing, really. Just plain old lazy I guess.......Any ways now that Ramadan is almost over, thought of writing something. So here I am, sitting next to my little princess, typing away while she is engrossed in watching Peter Pan.

It is 'that time of the year' when we Jakartans ( at least me and my friends) are distressed. No maids, we all feel the pinch. Actually a big poke as well as a shove. I bid farewell to mine yesterday. So now my house has a new maid ...somewhat clumsy and irritable, yes you guessed it right ME. And as far as I know some of my friends have been bestowed with the same title.

Apart from the work, which get done somehow anyway, there is something else that turns us all into a nervous wreck - the wait for the maids, be it new ones or the older ones coming back. One cannot predict them. It surely is a mystery what makes them tick. Now that there is no one to lend more than a helping hand to me all my chores will be done in short-cut mode. One dish meals, quick sandwiches and soups, less consumption of tea and so on.

But we are to be blamed entirely for such a situation. We get so used to the luxury of having maids that we take it for granted. These are the times when I think of my friends living in the U.S, U.K, New Zealand and Australia who do not have this luxury at all. And to top it all they are all working as well as managing their homes. I do believe their husbands help with the chores. In any case, Bravo! Girls you are the one to give me courage and inspiration to go through the drudgery of these 10-15 days.

Thus, while I am still waiting for a temporary part-timer to knock at my door, I gotta go and do my some dishes. Bye.

To Watch a Sleeping Child | Gomestic

2010-08-28T09:38:00.000+07:00

To Watch a Sleeping Child | Gomestic

In one of those quite afternoons, when everything is quite and peaceful, I think like this like this..........and then I write it down.

Stuffed Potato Cutlets | Notecook

2010-08-23T19:39:00.000+07:00

Stuffed Potato Cutlets | Notecook

Ramadan has begun and apart from fasting and praying, one more aspect about Ramadan is the evening feast. The breaking of the fast at sunset is an event in most households. The preparations for the evening begin since morning. Different types of sweet and savory delicacies are prepared. Fresh fruits, dates and a cool drink (sherbet) are always a staples. Different types of cutlets, samosas, pakodas, chaats etc. both vegetarian and non-vegetarian make the spread even more enticing. New recipes are tried so that the evening spread does not become monotonous.
Here is one snack I prepared this time.

Spinach – Potato Fritters | Notecook

2010-08-10T14:26:00.000+07:00

Spinach – Potato Fritters | Notecook

It was raining last week and hubby dear felt like eating some pakoras. Needless to say, I prepared some. Besides the usual onion pakoras mom in law and myself tried aloo palak pakoras. It turned out good enough for the recipe to be shared...

Dealing with Left-over Food

2010-08-05T11:11:00.000+07:00

The Left-over Labyrinth

Last week we had quite a few dinner parties at our place. Naturally there was a lot of food and eventually a great deal of left-over the next day. Earlier I would simply re-heat and consume it as the next meal, but one does get bored of eating the same thing again. So these days I improvise, this way the food is not wasted and it is savored with delight as the look and taste get a makeover. I mash up the veggies from mixed vegetable korma, add a few boiled potatoes and pav-bhaji masala, saute it all and convert the korma into instant Pav Bhaji. And if the pav bhaji is freshly made and some of it remaining is turned into a lasagna, by layering it with cheese and lasagna sheets alternately and baked for 15-20 minutes. Palak paneer can be pureed,mixed with flour and made into a dough for delicious Palak Paratha's.
There are many more such tricks that can be put to use to reduce food wastage. I would have added more, but hubby dear thinks that my friends would have doubts about eating at our place the next time. The below link has a few more ideas,do go through them as well.

Dealing with Left-over Food

P.S : Left-over food is best used the next day itself and its new version consumed immediately.

Mango – Peach Sorbet | Notecook

2010-07-31T20:55:00.000+07:00

Mango – Peach Sorbet | Notecook

Well last time I said something about a sorbet that turned out great, here is the recipe. The first time it was a fluke, but I made it again just to make sure...and again good results. Do try it.

Its been long...

2010-07-28T15:54:00.000+07:00

Its been a long long time since I sat down and wrote something. No this does not mean writing little reminder slips. I mean writing my blog. This month just seemed to fly away... I don't even remember when it began, and its almost the month-end now. Its like amnesia, I cannot remember anything but the last two weeks. Is it only me or it happens to others too?

Had a few dinner parties, enjoyed a lovely lunch with friends. Celebrated hubby dears birthday, it was simple and quite, that was good. A few of my new creations were appreciated by my friends, it felt good. I tried my hand at a sorbet and it was a hit. Setting up home, all over again was exciting even though a bit tiring. My mom in law is back in town, so there is a month of long chats, shopping sprees and recipe swapping in store. Little princess is enjoying the extra attention from her grand-mom. Now that that I see a few less hectic days ahead, hopefully I will be able resume writing again.

When Children Start Speaking | Gomestic

2010-07-11T20:02:00.001+07:00

When Children Start Speaking | Gomestic

There are loads of anecdotes that I can write about and all the moms out there will agree with me. And they will remember how their little ones also had some funny and some nerve wracking questions all the time. But we all miss these same silly conversations once the kids grow up.

When Children Start Speaking | Gomestic

2010-07-11T20:02:00.000+07:00

Part of Being a Mother

2010-07-10T11:15:00.000+07:00

Part of Being a Mother

Raising a child is not the easiest thing, but a little bit of fear for precaution's sake can go a long way in maintaining our peace of mind.

New Movies...

2010-07-01T10:23:00.000+07:00

Just when I thought that there were no more good movies and one will have resort to animated ones I watched three recently released movies almost back to back.
The Karate Kid, whoa what a movie. Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith were so good, it was difficult to decide who was a better in the movie. An enjoyable movie that can be watched again and again. The plot was similar to the older movie but refreshing. Jaden Smith is making his father proud. Mr.Chan has matured in to more serious acting while letting the youngsters do most of the jumping around stuff.
Knight and Day, well with stars like Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz no one would like to miss this flick, but one is more hype than matter. Quite a plot but could have been better. Mediocre acting by big names is a disappointment in itself. The name was somehow confusing/misleading, if anybody solves the mystery related to the name of the movie, please let me know.
A-Team, well this one was a surprise package.We did not expect a lot from this movie, but it did have a lot to offer. Sort of an action flick with some very witty dialogues and comical moments. The movie started with a bang and went on in the same way throughout. Not a moment of boredom, the pace was fast and engaging as was the end.This movie can be watched again.
So movie-wise it was a good week, lets see what other movies come up next.

Crispy Bhindi (Okra) | Notecook

2010-06-25T13:21:00.000+07:00

Crispy Bhindi (Okra) | Notecook

I love bhindi and of all the ways I prepare it ... this is my favorite. I know deep frying does raise a few eyebrows, but a little bit of indulgence for the sake of the Yumm Factor is okay sometimes. Hope you agree with me.

Movie Time

2010-06-21T19:48:00.001+07:00

These days I much rather prefer to watch animated movies than the normal ones. Little Princess has her own enviable collection of animated movies and she likes to have company while watching them. Besides, since a long time none of the normal movies are worth a watch. Be it Hindi movies or English, one is worse than the other. Though I do hope I haven't missed any good ones.

Last weekend we watched Toystory-3, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Who said cartoons are for kids only? This movie had all the ingredients of a block-buster, minus real actors. But no one missed them, at least we didn't. A slight roller-coaster of emotions, we laughed,were scared and had damp eyes too. A job so well done by the makers, that even Little Princess understood what is going on in the movie.

I don't know what is the next movie that I will watch, but I am looking forward for another animated movie to release soon, because then I will be sure of not being disappointed.

Grilled Baby Potato Skewers

2010-06-21T10:16:00.000+07:00

Grilled Baby Potato Skewers

Last weekend, we had some friends over and I prepared the Grilled Prawn Skewers for them. This got me thinking that what do I do for my vegetarian friends who would also like a grilled starter. So I tried my hands at baby potatoes and it turned out really well. And the Grilled Baby Potato Skewers were a though competition for the grilled prawns.

Tricks to Save Time in The Kitchen | Gomestic

2010-06-18T21:19:00.001+07:00

Tricks to Save Time in The Kitchen | Gomestic

This is how I manage to cut time from the kitchen. Though I love to cook I definitely do not fancy spending hours in the kitchen heat.
There are many more small, silly things things I do to save time and get my meals and myself out of the kitchen as soon as possible.

Re-inventing Your Wardrobe | BeyondJane

2010-06-18T08:49:00.001+07:00

Re-inventing Your Wardrobe | BeyondJane

Here are a few general tips at being creative and creating a new look for your wardrobe. An extension of the earlier blog .

Coco-nutty-raisin Squares | Notecook

2010-06-17T13:46:00.000+07:00

Coco-nutty-raisin Squares | Notecook

This is my take on the regular coconut burfi. It is easier, quicker and definitely yummier.

CREATING A NEW LOOK

2010-06-17T12:47:00.001+07:00

These last few weeks all I was doing was cook and then write about it. Nobody will disagree with me on that, I am sure. Now I am kind of done with it, at least for some time. No more experiments in the kitchen. Although there will be experiments...this time with my sewing kit. My hands simply cannot stay still.
I have got a load of stuff that needs to be revamped. Not that they look bad now, but its just that if something more can be done, I will do it. Sometimes I buy things because I can see revamping potential in them right away. So after I buy it, the first thing I do is open the sewing kit.
In the past I have recreated one of my straw handbags by changing the handle from woven straw to an embroidered lace, it looks great now. I had also chopped up a casual harem pants to make it a 3/4 semi-formal trouser. Those pants had been bought on whim, but I rarely wore them. Now in the new avatar I look for opportunities to wear them. Another success was this beautiful Ritu Kumar kurti that hubby dear bought for me. I wore it as it was for quite some time, and then my hands started itching to do something. After a lot of thought I picked up the scissors. Yes I redesigned a designer outfit, halved the sleeves and created a few pleats. One of my friends didn't even realize that it was the same kurti. And for your information, it is all my handiwork, hard work no doubt.Unlike the new look of this blog which was changed with a few clicks.
Now its time to get my sewing kit out and see what new looks I can create again.
Lets see whats in my closet......

Grill Pan – an Underated Kitchen Essential | Gomestic

2010-06-15T14:14:00.000+07:00

Grill Pan – an Underated Kitchen Essential | Gomestic

It is in fact almost a year that I have been using my pan. Sometimes instead of frying I use this pan and with a few tablespoons of oil I have got some yummy and guiltless treats. I highly recommend it, if you are on a home-shopping spree.

Green Chicken Cutlets (Hariyali Kebab) | Notecook

2010-06-13T14:33:00.000+07:00

Green Chicken Cutlets (Hariyali Kebab) | Notecook

This is one of my favorite cutlet recipe ...although sometimes I simply skip the spinach and add chopped spring onions instead.

Chickpea-spinach Salad | Healthmad

2010-06-13T08:20:00.000+07:00

Chickpea-spinach Salad | Healthmad(click here)

This is something that I prepare mostly when hubby dear is not having lunch/dinner for with me. And I usually have my frozen stock of boiled chickpeas.Its quick and does not require a whole lot of ingredients. Initially the yogurt was not in the recipe and it happened by mistake first. The flavor changed so much and the entire dish could be savored cool as well, thus the recipe stuck. And now I always use yogurt.

Delightful Dips Four | Notecook

2010-06-11T12:22:00.000+07:00

Delightful Dips Four | Notecook( Click Here)

I had tasted this condiment as part of Manado Cuisine. A few weeks ago found the green tomatoes in the local wet market, so guess what I did...
Yup tried out the Green Tomato Sambal...

Mix Fruit Melody | Notecook

2010-06-09T08:28:00.000+07:00

Mix Fruit Melody | Notecook(click here)

A beautiful mixture of the two earlier melodies.....Kya Sangam hai !!

Pineapple Melody | Notecook

2010-06-08T10:14:00.001+07:00

Pineapple Melody | Notecook Click Here)

In the Melody series, here is the pineapple version. This one tastes great too...and it has a story behind it as well.

Last week we dined out and had ordered fresh juices, little princess asked for watermelon (she calls it towmelon) and I ordered for pineapple.
As it turned out, she could not finish hers and one juice was not enough for me. So quietly, I poured some of her watermelon juice in my almost finished pineapple juice. Hubby dear did make a face, but after a sip the frown turned into a smile. I tried it again last night, with conventional methods obviously and it turned out great again. Thus was born Pineapple Melody.

P.S : Since watermelon is the common fruit this has become a Melody- series.

Curried Scramble Eggs | Notecook

2010-06-08T09:56:00.000+07:00

Curried Scramble Eggs | Notecook

Angrezi name for desi anda bhurji ...

Grilled Prawns Skewers | Notecook

2010-06-07T14:22:00.000+07:00

Grilled Prawns Skewers | Notecook ( Click Here)

Yet another seafood recipe that I enjoy preparing. Even though I do not eat prawns, it does not stop me from experimenting with them.
Prawns are as versatile as chicken or for that matter potatoes, a very good quality in foods, giving scope for a variety of dishes.

The Perfect Kitchen Knife

2010-06-04T14:42:00.002+07:00

The Perfect Kitchen Knife ( Please click here)

Hi guys ,
I wrote this based on my experience in search of a perfect kitchen knife. All Iwanted was a sharp one which did all the jobs and without any fuss. Because lets face it, who has got the time really and besides our mothers and grand -mothers made delicious food with no modern tools.
It was the basic stuff for them that worked wonderfully. Sometimes, 'Old is Gold', what do you say??

Skin Care From The Kitchen | Quazen

2010-06-02T22:21:00.000+07:00

Skin Care From The Kitchen | Quazen

I made a slight twist in the regular home remedies ....and it works.

Skin Care From The Kitchen | Quazen

2010-06-02T09:32:00.000+07:00

Skin Care From The Kitchen | Quazen

Hi folks here are some of my ideas for skin care from the kitchen.

Easy Cheesecake

2010-05-31T14:16:00.000+07:00

Easy Cheesecake

Delightful Dips One

2010-05-31T14:15:00.000+07:00

Delightful Dips One

It hurts to say 'Good-bye'

2010-05-27T14:34:00.002+07:00

I really enjoyed the last month and a half. My mom in law was in town and we always have a great time together. We really do enjoy each others company. Be it shopping, recipe swapping or plain gossiping time flies when we are together. This time too I felt that time flew. Well yesterday was not one of my best days, because we dropped her off at the airport. Though we did not say much to each other, both of us knew exactly how the other felt. Our moist eyes did the job. Even little princess felt that something was not right.
Now we are back to our daily routine, which even sounds boring. No more long afternoon chats or the thrill of window shopping. Will definitely miss mom in law's special cooking yummy and oozing with love. My poor little princess, searches for 'daadi' and then reminds herself that she has gone to India. She is missing a playmate too. All I hope for now is that time flies again till either we go home or mom in law comes back.

If Shrek Was Never Born.. | Cinemaroll

2010-05-25T15:04:00.001+07:00

If Shrek Was Never Born.. | Cinemaroll

Posted using ShareThis

Strawberry Melody | Notecook

2010-05-25T14:12:00.001+07:00

Strawberry Melody | Notecook

Posted using ShareThis

10 Unique Stress-busters

2010-05-18T17:03:00.001+07:00

10 Unique Stress-busters

This one of the articles I wrote for an online magazine ....go ahead and check it out.

Apple-raisin Pockets | Notecook

2010-05-11T16:11:00.001+07:00

Apple-raisin Pockets | Notecook

Posted using ShareThis

City of Malls

2010-05-09T23:13:00.000+07:00

When I first arrived in Jakarta, I was overwhelmed. There was no one we knew and hardly understood the language. So while hubby dear was busy at work, I visited the malls. Suddenly a whole new world opened up. The polite salesgirls were like friends, trying to decipher my Bahasa, while speaking their version of English. And time flew.
Now I have settled here and know some of the malls like the back of my hand. There are so many malls here, I call Jakarta-"City of Malls". That is how I describe it to friends and family back home. Naturally when they visit us here, we take them to as many malls as possible. That is what we are doing these days, mom-in-law and myself, repeating what we did back home a few years ago. Finishing off the chores by mid-morning, off we go, returning just before hubby dear does.
Going to the malls almost everyday, does not mean we buy all the time. We enjoy window-shopping ( I call it-"Malling") as much as the real thing.Checking out the latest trends in clothing and accessories is great. It gives us a lot of ideas to revamp our wardrobes. And when really shopping we enjoy bargaining as well. That is a different thrill altogether.
Obviously, I miss my gym sessions due to these outings, but I guess walking the corridors and aisles of the malls does burn a few calories.

Eggless Strawberry Mousse | Notecook

2010-05-07T21:25:00.000+07:00

Eggless Strawberry Mousse | Notecook

Posted using ShareThis

Dessert time... again!!

2010-05-07T21:22:00.001+07:00

Hi ,
This time I have posted my recipe for my Egg-less Strawberry Mousse in another site;
www.notecook.com. Please check it out, and let me know what you think. I promise the site is worth a visit.
Ciao.

PIE IN A POCKET

2010-04-30T10:43:00.001+07:00

Its been a long time since I have penned down a recipe. And today I decided to do something about it. As always, it is quick and easy, as well as sweet. I had nothing to do in the afternoon and taking a nap did not appeal me. So I tried out something that was on my mind for quite sometime - Apple pie. The usual apple pies are full of butter and lots of white flour, definitely not my kind of wholesome food, other than the apples. My version tastes as good as the real thing, with minimal butter and flour.

Pie in a Pocket (Recipe) :
Makes 6 pockets.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. sugar
1 cinnamon stick 1"
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
2 tsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. corn flour
6 spring roll pastry sheets approx. 8.5"
1 sheet grease proof paper

Method :
1. Peel and core the apples, quarter and slice them.
2. In a pan place the apples, 2tbsp. sugar, cinnamon stick,1 tsp. butter and lemon juice.
    Heat on a low flame until done (there will be some liquid remaining). Add the corn flour
and mix well. Remove the cinnamon stick and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven at 200 degrees Celsius.
4. Grease the pastry sheets with a little butter and place a tbsp of cooked apple mixture
     near one corner of the sheet. Fold it over and tuck in the sides, and roll the pastry like
    a spring roll, but not too tight. Repeat the same to make 6 pockets. Grease the top of
    each pocket.

5. Mix the remaining 1tbsp. sugar with cinnamon powder, and sprinkle on top of the
    pockets.
6. Place greaseproof paper in a baking tray, slightly oil and arrange the apple pockets on     the tray. Bake for 10-15 mins or until golden.
7. Serve warm ...Yumm!!!

Enjoy the lighter version of apple pie, I am sure you will like it.

THE REAL FACE OF MODESTY

2010-04-28T00:29:00.002+07:00

This past weekend was one of the best and most memorable to me. The Jakarta Cricket Association held its dinner along with the closure of its current seasons cricket league. The guest of honor was Mr. Syed Kirmani, who had come down all the way from India to give away the awards. And being the secretary of JCA hubby dear and myself were fortunate enough to know Mr. Kirmani and Mrs. Habiba Kirmani closely.

We did not know what to expect before meeting them. A cricketing legend, who was the best wicket-keeper in the '83 World Cup and a key member of the '83 World Cup winning squad. But we were in for a pleasant surprise. Despite being celebrity, both of them preferred not to behave like one. In fact they were so kind -they made us feel like we were long lost friends, though we had just met. There was not an ounce of pride in their words and actions throughout the three days. It takes a lot to remain grounded even after achieving so much fame and fortune. And this quality has been excelled by the couple. In their eyes everyone is equal, and to think first class cricketers around the world are their bosom buddies.

We had a great time with them - did some shopping, sightseeing and watched the JCA League final match. It was all very exciting for us and I sincerely hope they had a good time too. The reason I am writing almost two days late is because I needed sometime to sum up what I felt and put it into words. Though I still think I have not done justice. No doubt, earlier we respected Mr. Kirmani for his experience and achievements. Something which most of us can only dream of. But after meeting him and Mrs.Habiba in person and knowing them, we have been awed by their humility. We got to learn a lot from them in a short period of time about sportsmanship, companionship, positive thinking and being thankful of whatever life has to offer us.

I do not know how to end this post, I have so much to say... All I can say is , thank you Mr.and Mrs. Kirmani for inspiring us to lead a simple life , which is indeed the most foolproof way to live happily ever after...Thank You.

THE ALTERNATE WORLD OF DAILY SOAPS

2010-04-21T15:27:00.000+07:00

Its been a long time since I have posted something. This is because I have been living in an alternate world these days - the world of daily soaps. They are not my cup of tea, but mom-in-law is a fan so I keep company. Truly speaking they are more interesting if there is someone to discuss the plots with. And we have had our share of discussions.

Pretty ladies in full make-up, beautiful sarees and fine jewellery - that would put a real-life bride to shame, plot and plan. The men on the other hand simply nod their heads to whatever their mothers/wives/girlfriends have to say. Go! Woman Power Go! The daily soaps are addictive, just a week in and I am hooked. Cannot help but wonder what is Rano up to next or how will Suhana cope with her new life. Besides getting a peek at the latest fashion trends back home is another plus.

Almost all of these soaps have women protagonists. None of them are happy, despite being the ideal woman. While the vamps are always having a good time, enjoying the other persons misery. So what message do these soaps convey, I wonder.

Message or not, but the title songs and music are catchy and hummable. It is no surprise then, that little princess keeps humming Bidaaiii ...bidaaiii and many more.

Ciao.

JUST CHILL!

2010-04-13T14:15:00.000+07:00

It was a perfect day, last Sunday. We had a late night on Saturday as usual, and woke up early Sunday morning. Hubby dear was to play a cricket match on the Cibubur Grounds and we ladies were looking forward to spend the day outdoors. Clear skies and a cool breeze were the order of the day, a perfect day for cricket as well as a picnic.

I usually accompany hubby dear to his matches, been doing so since the time he started playing club cricket in Jakarta. I like to watch him play as much as I enjoy to spend sometime away from the city. Just idling away time in the near wilderness, watching little princess play her version of cricket on the practice pitch, while hubby dear sweats it out on the ground.

This time around my mom-in law also accompanied us since she is in town. It was great to cruise through the traffic free roads and actually enjoying the view outside. In no time we reached our destination, and thus began our picnic. The weather was cool and the sky cloudless, what else does one need. While we watched hubby dear play, little princess was already exploring the wilderness, and enjoying it too. We had packed our lunch, there was also an Indian stall serving samosa, tea and lassi - for those snack pangs. Of course we indulged. Usually at the Cibubur grounds I find my monthly stock of curry leaves, but unfortunately this time the tree was chopped off. That was disappointing indeed.

Besides us there were quite a few spectators, a few kids too. By the looks of it everybody was enjoying the surrounding as much as the game. The game itself was very exciting, the competitors giving each other a tough time. Hubby dears team defended well but not enough, a very good effort altogether, could not sustain it though. The opposition won, it was a well deserved win. The return journey was marked by silence - little princess was asleep and we were tired. We did not feel like discussing cricket either, no surprises there.

All in all we had a great day outdoors, something we we do not do always. Winning and losing is part of every competitive game and we too took it in our stride. Next year, I will be there again and hopefully write about an exciting win.

WEEKEND DHAMAL...

2010-04-07T00:13:00.003+07:00

I know its been a long time, but I had no time to sit down to really put my thoughts into words. Not that I was on to something really important, still time just flies... . One day its a Monday and by the time you get a grip on the week ,its already Friday night. This time I did not even realize when March got converted into April. And then it struck me that I had not even visited my blog-site, much less added something new to it.

My weekend was great though, as is usually the case. Two back to back potlucks and a movie. It was the Easter weekend, we had Friday, Saturday and Sunday. So after attending the church for Good Friday we had an all vegetarian Chinese themed potluck. Saturdays theme was Indian and Easter Sunday we watched the movie Clash of the Titans. Thus my friends I was busy, the weekdays is another matter lets not go there.

There was Fried rice, Gobi Manchurian, Corn soup and we started with a Vegetable kebab served in Chinese style. I had prepared Vegetable Chow-mien and Paneer chili. Now I am really confused as to which recipe to share with you. Lets do Vegetable Chow-mien, its easy and a good way to make the kids eat their veggies.

Vegetable Chow-mien Recipe ( serves 4) :

1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/4 cup diagonally sliced baby corn
1/2 cup cauliflower cut into bite sized florets
1/4 cup cabbage coarsely cut
1/4 cup snow peas or regular peas
1/2 cup french beans, sliced diagonally
1/4 cup mushrooms sliced( optional)
1/4 cup green bell peppers sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1/4 tsp ajinomoto
salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp light soy sauce
2 packets plain noodles
cornflour slurry - 2 tbsp corn flour mixed in 1/2 cup water
a few spring onion stalks finely cut
water to make the vegetable stock and boil the noodles
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil

Please cut all the vegetables to approx. an inch in size.

1. In 3 cups of boiling salted water, add all the vegetables except the mushrooms,bell peppers.

2. Par boil the vegetables and drain. Reserve the liquid , this is the stock.

3. In a wok, heat 2 tbsp oil and add the ginger and garlic. Stir till fragrant and put in the mushrooms and bell peppers. Stir fry on high heat for 2 minutes.

4. Add the soy sauce, a pinch of ajinomoto salt and pepper.

5. Now put in the par boiled vegetables and stir fry until mixed well and almost cooked, cover and simmer for 5 more minutes.

6. Heat the stock, add the remaining ajinomoto and thicken with cornflour slurry. Bring it to boil and keep aside.

7. In a large pot roll boil water and put in the noodles, when done drain and slightly fry in 2 tbsp oil in a large wok, so that the noodles do not stick to each other.

8. Serve individually; place the noodles first, lay the vegetables and then pour the thickened stock on top. Garnish with spring onions.

The recipe is originally my mom-in-laws, I simply converted it the vegetarian version by excluding the chicken and adding a few extra veggies and maybe a few details here and there. In any case its worth a try.

Cheers.

DONE WITH EARTH HOUR....EARTH DAY COMING RIGHT UP!!

2010-03-30T12:53:00.005+07:00

March 27th 2010 Earth Hour was observed in the evening from 8:30-9:30 local time. The good news was, around 126 countries and territories participated in the event. So between the given time period most of the business organizations, households and institutions switched off the lights. Imagine the amount of saved energy just by going dark for an hour.

Next comes 22nd April , the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Yet another day dedicated to Mother Earth . It is all great, but is it enough ...maybe not. But doing something on a large scale once or twice a year is just not enough. Creating awareness is fine, but how many really do something about it? We have inhabited this planet for thousands of years, and all that we have done is take from it. And after all this time we give back only a day or two. Can we not have Earth Day every month , or an Earth Hour every day ? Just an hour a day without electricity might not affect us that much but it will make a vast difference in preserving our planet, creating a better world for our children. If we have brought them into this world, we may as well give them a livable one.
Three cheers to WWF for organizing the event of Earth Hour, to the participating countries as well as the general public who took responsibility. Everybody talks about saving the planet earth and our leaders hold much publicized conferences to tackle this issue, but I guess most of us forget to simply switch off the bathroom light while talking on our cellphones. It is these small daily acts that will eventually help in making everyday Earth Day.

SUPER SALADS......................6 and thats it for now!!

2010-03-27T13:28:00.001+07:00

When we came to Indonesia , initially everything was new(obviously) and the only people we knew were hubby dears office staff. And they introduced us to the Indonesian cuisine ........starting with Gado-Gado(mixed vegetable salad with peanut sauce) and I still don't fancy it much. But what blew me over was the Rujak(mixed tropical fruit salad with sweet n spicy peanut sauce). And I ate it almost everyday (its not really expensive).Sometimes I find some foods very good if only for that one ingredient which does not fit well to my palate. This is why we actually love some foods and dislike some. Like the Thai Raw Papaya Salad.....its yummy if only it didn't have the dried shrimps or fish oil in it !! And the Malaysian Raw Mango Salad which has dried fish bits in it. For me it just isn't right (lots of people love it though).Even the Caesars Salad is great minus the anchovies in the dressing.

So taking ideas from the three South East Asian Salads I came up with my own version. I call it the Culture Mix Salad, so named because it has some parts from all the three different salads to suit the Indian palate.

Culture Mix Salad Recipe :

1 whole raw mango (peeled n julienned)
1 small carrot (julienned)
5-6 baby french beans ( julienned)
1/2 cup bengkoang (peeled n julienned........again!!) ** jicama in English & mishrikand in Hindi
3 thinly sliced shallots or 1/2 red onion
2 tbsp grated jaggery or brown sugar
2 tbsp peanuts
1/2 lemon (for rind and juice)
2-3 fresh red or green chillies
salt to taste
a pestle and mortar if possible!!

1. Dry roast the peanuts without burning it and take off the skin ,cool and put in the mortar or blender and make a coarse powder.
2. Add the chillies (remove the seeds first) jaggery and salt to make a rough paste. Add the lemon juice and rind.
3. Mix all the fruit and vegetables in a bowl and top with the peanut dressing. Mix really well or put it in the mortar and pound it slightly( better results).
4. Garnish with a few sprigs of coriander leaves and peanuts.

P.S : This salad serves 2 .
       Bengkoang-Bahasa Indonesia , it has high water content and a good source of    carbohydrate as dietary fiber its other names are as below
         Jicama -English         Mishrikand -Hindi
        Shankalu -Bengali
        Kandha- Telugu

LETS TRAIN A DRAGON !!!!!!!

2010-03-25T10:09:00.001+07:00

These days I watch a lot of animated movies.......the little princess makes me sit next to her while she watches them!! Some of them I must have seen over 20-25 times. And she actually chooses the movie herself!! So one day she watches UP, the next day Shrek and the next Monsters Inc. The point being that my princess is turning into a movie buff( I hope its just kiddie movies).

Then last week a new movie released (animated ofcourse!) How To Train Your Dragon. And we wanted our princess to watch that one too. Here comes Saturday and there goes Sunday and nothing happened.......we didn't watch the movie! Finallly Hubby dear decided to come home a little bit early and take us to watch it......(wow). And as it turned out for 5:45 show we were stuck in the traffic until 6,obviously we missed that show!!! But living in city of malls (as I call it) we luckily had another theatre option, so we changed our direction and headed towards it(yippeeee!!). We reached at the nick of time an managed to not miss even the promotional advertisements.

The movie itself was not bad , it was quite good actually !! But coming from the makers of Shrek and Kung Fu Panda, I expected a lot more( no idea what?? ........hubby dear liked it ). Again the movie was good enough for a single watch (kids might differ though).
Probably what didn't sit well with me was the fact that it was a 3-D movie ( dunno if normal version is available). 3-D gives me a headache.......so I was taking off the glasses at regular intervals, maybe thats why I did not enjoy the it as much. There was enough violence and lets not forget the sound-effects . However the plot and the characters were quite good , the dragon was cute and I really liked the character of Astrid. The friendship between the main character (Hiccup) and the dragon is sweet as well. In any case my little princess had fun(though she was scared a few times) and was mimicking the dragon later on.

All in all a movie which the kids( 4yrs-12yrs) might appreciate much more the their parents. And I still feel the 3-D effect was not really needed ( but i didn't make the movie!!)
But atleast we learn that compassion can tame even a ferocious dragon.........so watch it for the message !!!!

50 Ways to Never Waste Food Again : Planet Green

2010-03-23T23:15:00.001+07:00

50 Ways to Never Waste Food Again : Planet Green

Posted using ShareThis

GOING GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-03-23T15:27:00.000+07:00

As usual I was flipping channels yesterday, and came across a program on Discovery Channel. Well I just saw the tail end (thanks to flipping channels every minute), but what I saw was very interesting indeed. It was something to do with vertical farming. Vertical Farming weird I thought.........but I could really see our future in it!! Very innovative and forward thinking I must say. Theoretically the concept really works. According to it a 30 floor building can produce food for a population of approximately 50,000, right in the cities. Great !!!! this absolutely reduces the transportation costs and not to mention the energy consumption as well as the carbon emission in the process. So I guess the cost of the products also comes down. And with that much greenery (if there are such farms spread throughout the city) the oxygen levels will increase and the temperatures will decrease to some extent. For your information, this project was a competition winner (Romses Architects), which was held by the City of Vancouver" to address climate change plans and to guide greener and denser development,reducing carbon emissions for the future".

This was about the future maybe the next 20 years or so, and that too only the "rich and developed countries" might be able to afford the technology behind it. But what about today???? are we doing enough ......so that our children can breathe purer air, drink safe water or not have to deal with the ever soaring temperatures. I guess not, its sad i know. I am sure we all try to use less water, save paper, use less plastic, use energy saving electrical equipments etc.. but the question is, is it enough? Maybe in a minuscule way...... thats all I can say !!
One of the reason I think is coz being eco-friendly is costly.....lets admit it. Plastic bags are cheaper than eco-friendly ones, at supermarkets we pay to get the eco-friendly bags but plastic ones are free.....this is just one example if one looks more closely we will find many more!!!
And double standards, last weekend we went out malling (hehe window shopping in a mall), and bought coffee from a famous coffee joint ( its really hip and has branches all over the world). While they served the coffee in plastic cups, they also spoke about saving trees and provided recycled tissues!! I didn't know if I should feel good about the recycled tissue or bad for using plastic which if not treated properly could end up in a landfill or even worse .......pollute the oceans. But atleast they are trying.

And during one of my flipping through the channels sessions I had come across another program which featured eco-friendly homes. Well that was something I really liked, people had actually cultivated gardens (it needed really solid water-proofing) on their rooftops. They harvested rainwater and some even had arrangements to recycle used water from the kitchen and washing machines for watering this garden. They claimed that the temperatures in their homes had reduced and the view on the roof was refreshing!!
(

I would love to have such a home myself( though I do not posses a green thumb so to speak). Install a solar panel (supplemented by normal electricity of course) , and definitely grow my own veggies!!! Wow I am thrilled already ..........hypothetically speaking its really good( in reality its all about money honey!!) Needless to say these installations and all don't come cheap. Which makes me ask these questions.......why can't eco-friendly products be cheaper? Solar panels, biogas installations , rainwater harvesting equipments, hybrid cars etc..etc..do not come at subsidized rates (enlighten me if they do). Why don't supermarkets give out reusable carry-bags and no bags for smaller items or easy to carry stuffs. And why can't we take our own bags while shopping ( I rarely do it myself ...but will work on it). All these change will be unwelcome initially, and not convenient (convenience is the main culprit actually) but sure we can all get used to it. As consumers we do enough damage already!!

To sum it all up, I think the Vertical Farming is a great idea and we can all take inspiration from it. Lets not wait for some multinational to implement it, rather we do it all in our own backyards. As far as I am concerned , I try to follow the three R's ......reduce,reuse and recycle.
Reduce- Try my best !!
Reuse- Do all the time (an entire new blog topic!)
Recycle-Try to use the right coloured garbage bins (if they are available)

Hope you do the same!!!

SUPER SALADS......................5

2010-03-19T14:24:00.000+07:00

It struck me today that I am only giving out vegetarian recipes (dunno if you noticed), so today we will talk about chicken. According to me if vegetarians have potatoes then non-vegetarians have chicken.........its that versatile!! One can do anything with it fry, bake, boil, sautee and so on and it will almost always be a success.

My little princess likes to eat soup once in a while and without a doubt I give her chicken soup and add a few veggies to it. The boiled chicken is then used up for my sandwiches, pizza toppings, fried rice /noodles etc. On with those later, today we will continue with the salad series.This time round with chicken. So presenting to you Simple Chicken Salad. As the name suggests its is simple ( most of my cooking is)..........

Simple Chicken Salad Recipe :

1 whole chicken
1 large carrot
1 large potato
1 cup cooked corn kernals
1 small lettucehead
3 tbsp Thousand Island salad dressing
1/2 onion
1 tomato
2 stalks spring onions finely chopped
8-10 pepper corns
1/2 tsp ajinomoto
salt and pepper according to taste
1/2 cup broccoli (optional.....I am not a fan but add it for the nutritional value)
4 cups water

And finally we cook!!!!!!!!!!

1. In a large saucepan put the whole chicken (cut in 4 pieces),onion tomato , peppercorns,ajinomoto,salt, peeled carrot and peeled potato, let all the vegetables be whole do not chop them add the water.

2. Bring the above to boil and simmer until the chicken and vegetables are cooked through. Keep aside.

3. If using broccoli chop it to bite size pieces blanch it in salted water for 5-7 minutes and set aside.

4. Remove the carrot and potato from the stock(cooking liquid) and cut to bite size pieces.

5. Take out the chicken and get the meat off the bone, shred it to bite size. Strain and save the stock for soups.

6. In a bowl mix around 1 cup of chicken , the chopped carrot and potato, corn kernels, broccoli ( if using), spring onions , thousand island dressing and the salt and pepper.

7. Tear the lettuce leaves by hand and add just before serving. This salad can be served cold or warm. Serves 3-4.

P.S : There will be enough leftover chicken to prepare something else as mentioned before.

SUPER SALADS......................3 n 4

2010-03-16T10:54:00.003+07:00

What do you do when you don't want to do anything??? Feel too lazy to do go through the daily chores............just wanna watch T.V (flip channels) all day long or stare at the ceiling(quite a funny sight). Speaking of me I go through this weird phase every once in a while ( mostly when hubby dear is busy at work n little princess is playing on her own). And these are the times when the last thing I want to do is cook!! But since The Almighty has given us a stomach, its our duty to fill it right. Coaxing hubby dear to dine out is mostly successful though lunch is a different matter altogether. And these are the times when I attack my freezer with full force. In one of my earlier posts I had mentioned boiling large batches of cholay, well I do the same for rajma and kaala chana and I freeze them too. So I get through my lazy n crazy moments by making my own salad combination's. Here are two such crazy ways with which I beat my blues away (it also beats Monday Blues after a hectic weekend)..................

Triple Bean Salad Recipe :

1/2 cup boiled rajma
1/2 cup boiled kaala chana
1/2 cup boiled mung bean
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped cucumbers
1 tsp finely chopped green chili
1/2 cup coriander leaves
1 tbsp lime juice
1tsp dry roasted coriander seeds (coarsely ground)
1tsp dry roasted cumin seeds( coarsely ground)
salt to taste.

Yes you guessed it right ..........as always, going by my tradition of 'assembly' mix all the ingredients (life is soo much sweeter when the gas is not turned on) season and savour!!!

And as for the second recipe just add 1cup of thick yogurt with some chopped mint leaves to the above (omit the mung beans for this version) and you get a Minty Beany Raita........ enjoy!!!! ( I also find them both to be a better replacement for chaat cravings!!!)

Its quick, easy, filling and healthy .....what more does one want anyways. After this satisfying treat I usually take a catnap!!

Meeoooowwwwww.

SUPER SALADS ..........2

2010-03-13T23:00:00.001+07:00

Does it ever happen to you?? Sometimes we go to a restaurant and eat something(obviously) thats simple yet amazing. You can see the ingredients right before your eyes, but still can't figure out that special flavour. Must admit ......happens to me all the time!!! A few months ago we went out dining with a couple of our friends and there was this salad (amazing). Garden Salad ( or so the restaurant called it) which had onions, bell peppers, tomatoes, red kidney beans and some macaroni ....simple right, but it tasted so good we were all blown away. Definitely we were tasting the dressing, which changed the entire dimension of the salad. Well that was another day,and the memory lingered.

Last Thursday I was buying groceries and got a nice plump avocado not yet ripe though. Thought it will ripen in the two next days and I will prepare a nice dip (guacamole) for a weekend snack. But since that didn't happen, the now ripe avocado ended up in the refrigerator. I had to do something before there was a tree growing in my fridge, hence the twist on the Garden Salad that I had tasted months ago. Hubby dear liked it (of course he gave a few valuable suggestions) and so did I !!! Thus was born Avocado Delight.

Avocado Delight Recipe :

1 ripe avocado (roughly chopped)
1/2 cup shallots or red onion(chopped roughly)
1/2 cup capsicum (red or yellow) chopped roughly
1/2 cup red kidney beans or edamame beans (boiled)
1/2 cup tomatoes (you know how to chop it)
a few sprigs of coriander leaves

Dressing :
1/2 tsp honey
1 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin if possible)
1/2 lemon (for rind and juice)
1/2 fresh red chili finely chopped (seeds removed)
salt and pepper as per individual taste

1. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing thoroughly and refrigerate.
2. Mix all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Pour the dressing on the salad and mix well (bare hands do a great job!)
4. Garnish with a few more coriander sprigs.

P.S : Please chop all the ingredients in more or less similar size .
Eat within half an hour of preparing for maximum flavor.

This salad is extremely healthy as well as filling. Serves 2. Preparation and assembly 10- 15 mins.

SUPER SALADS ..........1

2010-03-12T16:43:00.001+07:00

Beginning today I will be penning as many (I hope there are many) salad recipes as possible. I love salads and find them extremely easy to make (assemble). Mostly healthy , usually colorful, and definitely tasty, thats my definition for salads.

Today it will be Pineapple Salad. Yummy, I like it and so do my friends n family (or so they say). But one thing I have noticed is that the kids really love it. Its a staple at most of my do's, and hope it becomes a favorite at you home too. So get set to cook!!! (ha ha there's no cooking involved)

Pineapple Salad Recipe :

1 cup sweet pineapple (chopped to bite size)
1 cup apple (chopped to bite size)
1 cup boiled potatoes (chopped to bite size)
1 cup macaroni (boiled and drained)
1 cup capsicum (red, yellow , green mix and chopped ..you know what size)
4 tbsp mayonnaise
4 tbsp milk
salt and pepper to taste

Once all these ingredients are ready simply mix them together in a large bowl add the seasoning and keep it to chill.
Before serving if the consistency is too thick add some more milk and enjoy.
Serves 4-6, I like it as a meal in itself or a mid -meal snack. But no matter how you savor it do try it out and let me know what you think.

P.S : The pineapples have to be sweet or use tinned pineapples instead.

EVERYTHING'S FINE!!

2010-03-08T21:30:00.001+07:00

Hey Everybody,

So what did you do last weekend??? I for one watched movies and two really good ones at that, at least according to me. Some movies really do leave an impact on us, they force us to think about the way we live our lives or conduct ourselves. I had heard somewhere that 'art imitates life' and then we are inspired by movies......whoa thats deep I guess!! In any case, these two movies that I am talking about both have the leading men in their twilight years . Its about seeing things from their perspective (I know that it already sounds boring).

The first one is called 'Road To Sangam' starring Paresh Rawal, a very well made movie with a message of communal harmony(whats new). But its a good watch for the sheer simplicity with which the story was handled. The characters are very real and believable as well as the plot. I wouldn't want to say much about it, coz I much rather you watch it.......though I must say that its not like MNIK and might not really break any records at the box office, chances are that you might have heard about the movie just about now (I hope not).

Now for the second movie, this ones a Hollywood flick by the name 'Everybody's Fine' starring Robert De Niro. It also boasts of Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale and Sam Rockwell (big names huh!!). This one is for parents and children and when the children become adults. A recently widowed father (DeNiro) travels all over the country to meet up with his kids ( four of them). And in the process he realizes that not only are they trying to avoid him they are also lying to him. In fact what he doesn't know is that they are doing so to protect him from hurt and disappointment. A beautifully made movie, with deep emotions subtly portrayed. It got me thinking, if I had lied to my parents or elders so to speak just so they wouldn't worry too much and in the process hurt their feelings for an entirely different reason. I am sure we all must have at some point, but speaking for myself I suffered a major guilt trip, shed a few tears too.

But also isn't it true that when we lie with a good intent at heart its not a lie ??

Well then, when we say 'Everybody's Fine' so that somebody else stays fine and stress free then I think 'Everything's Fine' !!!

One more movie I would recommend is Gracie's Choice (Kristen Bell, Anne Heche) its an Hallmark T.V movie based on a real life adaptation ................on the occasion of Women's Day!

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY !! YOU'RE LUCKY TO BE A WOMAN .

Cheers.

OF PARTIES AND ALL

2010-03-02T15:11:00.001+07:00

Hi,
Wondering where I was..? Resting !! We all enjoyed a long weekend. And I am sure many of you must have partied hard and had a great time. It was Holi yesterday so I assume the merrymaking was inevitable through the weekend. Some of my friends were out of town for Holi celebrations, while some of us preferred to stay put at home and have some unadulterated family time and later meet up with friends.

This long weekend was quite simple as compared to usually what we do. Most of the times we get-together go for movies, picnics, arrange pot-lucks and of course one of us definitely throws a party. Thats because someone or the other surely has a birthday to celebrate or an anniversary coming up. So its party time...... Hoorraayy!! I love parties, whether I am giving them or am invited to them. Organizing a party is a thrill in itself. What new food will you cook, how will you present it , what dessert etc.....I love doing all that !! And when I had organized my daughters first birthday the preparations had started two months in advance. But even if its a dinner party at home with ten or so guests my excitement is the same. And as a guest too I have seen that each one of my lady friends puts her heart and soul into her own parties. I guess all of us thrive on it, showing off our culinary skills and efforts that is, and its an added bonus if we are well appreciated.

Some of the foods I have eaten at my friends places fascinated me ........the presentation and the thought behind it. Simply cannot forget the veggie sticks with the unique yogurt dip (want to know more about it), veggie skewers and chicken malai kebab. Or the veggie canapes (what was in the filling I wonder) and the yummy gajar halwa. And of course the roasted eggplants, enchiladas (can i get the recipe) and chicken cordon bleu (hubby dear still thinks of it).

All in all I gather that we love to have a great time with good company and amazing food. These are the times to be cherished , having a long weekend to do the same is an added advantage, coz you don't have to worry about office and school the next day. So we all are relaxed. Children have a great time too. Plus the leftovers help you survive the next day!! And then after a restful weekend we are ready to face the real life, fully recharged (Monday Blues is another matter).

So I say three cheers to weekends (long or otherwise), a great bunch of friends to enjoy them with and the spirit to celebrate, at any given time for whatever reason.

WE ALL CAN DO IT

2010-02-27T15:36:00.001+07:00

Hi,

Guess what happened yesterday?? No sooner than I posted FIRNI PE FIDA I regretted it. The post has a recipe for firni , and I thought who dosen't know how to prepare it.........we all do !!!!!!!!!! So why am I doing this ??? writing blogs .......giving recipes.....

Anyways I slept over these nagging thoughts. In the morning it dawned to me, I am writing these blogs as an outlet to all those ideas that keep on dancing in my head.
And I would like to share it with my friends......We all can cook and do too, but if one little tip /trick saves somebody 20 minutes then why not pass it on. And its not only about cooking, it is anything that revolves around our daily life. Or simply discussing something that takes place around us and we have an opinion on.

Everytime I sit down to write , I think about who might read it and does it really do any good to them ........ I sincerely hope it does! Besides this is just a beginning, I hope to have a larger readership and receive feedback so as to enhance my own knowledge. Because I am pretty sure that all of you have a treasure trunk full of ideas that can be shared and appreciated by the rest of us.

So friends this is my request to all of you to send me what you have in mind or really like and I will broadcast it on the blog. Comments and reviews are more than welcome. If you have any queries or recipes that are your specialties or a tip /trick that saves time and energy....... simply e-mail it to me on nafisanoronha@gmail.com and i will try to do the needful. And not to mention that the more readers we have the more exchange of information will take place , so let your friends know about this blog-site and widen the circle. To me it looks like a win-win situation.............how about you??

FIRNI PE FIDA

2010-02-26T14:59:00.002+07:00

Life's good , especially if I know that there is dessert after a meal. Call me what you like, but the truth is that at a party I am more interested in knowing whats for dessert rather than the main course. In fact instead of having a sweet tooth , all my teeth are sweet.............how about that ??!! All I need is a reason to make something sweet, I can do it at a drop of an hat.

So thanks to the great cricketing feat by Mr. Sachin Tendulkar, I celebrated by making Firni. And the reason to prepare it was basically that it requires no more than 4-5 ingredients which are readily available in any regular Indian kitchen. So are you in mood to be firni pe fida.............

BADAAMI FIRNI RECIPE

2 tbsp basmati rice washed and sooaked
500ml milk
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp blanched almonds (slivered)
2 tsp rose water

1. Boil the milk and keep the heat low while stirring.
2. Grind the soaked rice (after draining) to a medium-coarse powder.
3. Add the rice powder to the milk and keep stirring on low heat until the milk thickens and the riced is cooked.
4. Add the sugar, almonds and the rose water. Cook for 5-7 minutes and take off the heat.
5. Fill 4 dessert bowls and let it cool down to room tempreature before refrigerating. Serve chilled when slightly set.

Earthen ware will work wonders by further enhancing the flavour but glass is fine too.

Now that my firni has been chilled and set I will take your leave and enjoy my dessert, hope you too do the same soon and let me know .

UNPARALLELED TALENT

2010-02-25T15:29:00.000+07:00

Yesterday I had a spring in my step knowing that I am a certified blogger now and have a few followers. I received a few appreciative and encouraging comments on Facebook too. It was a good feeling and a good day overall.

     That was until evening, when I received a call from hubby dear asking me to switch on to the news channel. Not sure as to what I might find I did as I was told................and immediately jumped with joy (for a change it was good news ). Yes Sachin .................THE SACHIN TENDULKAR had scored a double century in an ODI and in the process set a new record. The feat is a first in one day cricket history as far as i know. I was and still am thrilled just thinking about it, got goosebumps and all. Wow I have no words............

     A long time ago I had noticed a poster during one of the matches where India was playing, it said "GOD PLAYS FOR INDIA....HE BATS AT NO.4 " , well do I need to mention who was batting at no.4. In any case that guy who made the poster surely knew what he was saying.

    Ofcourse I am a Sachin fan for his game but also for his conduct on and off the field. With whatever knowledge I have of cricket and the buzz around it (courtesy - hubby dear and news /sports channels ) I can safely assume that he does not have any controvesies with any other players ( national /international ). This itself takes tremendous mental stability and a good dose of maturity not to mention modesty, which is ever present in him. Even when a few so called "enlightened cricket experts" said that he should retire, Sachin did what he does best......kept playing!! They said he is way past his prime , he should retire ...blah ..blahh..............whoa what an answer he gave them.

    He has always been the greatest cricketer ever (atleast for me) and now there is no denying that fact. He is a LEGEND.....and will always be an INSPIRATION to the younger generations who aspire to reach to great heights relying on their talent and hard work.

BRAVO ! BRAVO! YOU'RE THE BEST!

SACHIN THIS ONE IS JUST FOR YOU.....................

HEALTHY N LITE

2010-02-24T14:08:00.000+07:00

Hi ,
      Yesterday I mentioned about my love for cooking, what I didn't say was that I am really not that crazy about slogging long hours in the kitchen. Its just not me, contradictory i know.............so i have some tricks under my sleeves to reduce my kitchen time to some extent. Like when I boil chickpeas for Cholay, I usually do it in a big batch maybe a kilo at a time, I know what you're thinking ..........thats a lot of chickpeas especially if its for two. Then I divide it in 4-6 equal parts and freeze it, with some of the cooking liquid. And next time when I need to use chickpeas, all I have to do is defrost. Ofcourse while boiling I always add 2 tsp of salt and 1/2 tsp of turmeric.

   This brings me to my latest twist on a lite n healthy lunch, coz if its just me for lunch I usually assemble rather than cook. Icall it the Healthy Hummus Sandwich.

Healthy Hummus Sandwich Recipe ( serves 1 )

1/2 cup cooked chickpeas with a little cooking liquid
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil (extra virgin if possible)
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1/2 tsp of tahini paste or roasted seasme seeds
salt to taste
2 slice brown bread or 1 whole meal pita bread halved ( even better)
1 cucumber thinly sliced
1 tomato thinly sliced
some lettuce leaves
1 boiled egg sliced (optional)

1. Use a hand blender to make a paste of the chickpeas, garlic, a little olive oil , tahini and salt. The paste      should be very fine.
2. Garnish with the remaining olive oil and paprika.This is the Hummus.
3. Slather the the Hummus on the bread slices or in the pita bread pocket.
4. Arrange the veggies and the egg (optional) on one slice and cover with the other slice.As for the pita bread pocket, fill it up with the veggies and egg , yeilds 2 pockets.

There you go a lunch, healthy and light is ready to be savoured. It took me hardly 15 minutes.

Do try it and let me know your verdict.

A NEW BEGINNING

2010-02-23T15:05:00.000+07:00

Hello All ,
                   Today I have done something quite unlike my usual self. I have kind of come out in the open!!

My near and dear ones know me as a quite and mostly private person..............but here I am writing a blog!

And this blog will be dedicated to all those women who really would like to do something on their own but are not courageous enough to take the first step . This my friends is the first step for me , although a small one.

The contents of this blog may vary from a new recipe i found or created ( i love cooking)
or my opinion on a movie or some tips and tricks , maybe even a funny incident worth sharing.

And I would love to receive advise and inputs from all of you out there because as the name suggests I am a NEW KID ON DA BLOG !!!