“Some things you can invent. Some get made, and some get sent”

Sunday, March 30, 2008

All that noise, and all that sound,
all those places I got found.
And birds go flying at the speed of sound,
to show you how it all began.
Birds came flying from the underground;
if you could see it then you'd understand?

What a weekend! We did so much and still I found time to blog hehe. I wish they had awards for persistence….not sure if I would win but I definitely would be nominated hehe. I actually tried out a new recipe for Mansi’s Weekend Balanced Breakfast today and I wanted to share it. It’s also the last day for the entry so here goes. I tried out Heidi's recipe from 101 cookbook’s curried egg salad recipe. I changed it to my taste but I used her recipe for a base to start off with. The great thing about this dish was it covers what Mansi’s considers a balanced meal:
Fruits or vegetables (dried fruits are fine too)
Grains and Cereals (whole grains, oats, high-fiber foods)
Dairy (skim milk, low-fat yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese (paneer)
Proteins (eggs/egg whites, peanut butter, beans, nuts, sprouts, protein isolates)
So here is the recipe for Curried Egg Salad on toast:

Ingredients:
2 eggs
½ tsp curry powder
2 tbl spns yogurt
1 tbl spn mayonnaise
¼ small onion, chopped
¼ pieces of apple chopped
1 tbl spns of Dijon mustard
½ tsp of chilli powder
2 slices of toasted bread
Salt and pepper to taste

To Make:
Boil the eggs. Add all the ingredients and mix well. Add the boiled eggs to it and mash it so its well integrated into the yogurt mixture. Add as much of the salad on to the toast and you are set for a yummy lunch/brunch.

This recipe goes out to Mansi's WBB#20 event.
I made this for myself as a quick afternoon lunch and it hit the spot. Best of all I did not felt like one of those healthy meals where its not overpoweringly filling and it tastes great. Alright people I will be back during the week. I hope all of you had a fun filled weekend :o)

“You're the only reason I keep on coming home”

Friday, March 28, 2008

Sweet pea
Apple of my eye
Don't know when and I don't know why
You're the only reason I keep on coming home
Sweet pea
Keeper of my soul
I know sometimes I'm out of control
You're the only reason I keep on coming home


Hola to everyone out in the blogger world. This entry’s song is dedicated to Bhatji :o) I know I tend to get mushy for no reason….well when you love some one you don’t need a reason to be mushy hehe.
I’m at home in NJ this week and next. I have had quite a bit of work but more than anything else I managed to rest and relax…you can never have enough R&R. Last weekend we went out to a new hot spot in DC called Park, where I met up with what seemed like my entire college. It was a throwback weekend like whoa! It’s always good to see dear friends who you just fit in with….like you never really parted ways. Good times :o) I am looking forward to this weekend with old friends visiting and plans partying NYC style!
I know I’ve slacked a bit with recipes and especially because I’m participating in so many foodie events. So without much ado here is my entry for Sig’s Mixed Drink Event. After scouring all my fav foodie blogger sites I decided to follow a popular Indian drink: Mango Lassi. I am picky about lassi's….they’re often a hit or miss at Indian restaurants. So I was thrilled to see Shilpa from aayis recipes sharing her recipe for this drink. I know mango lassi’s are considered a summer treat but I couldn’t help myself….I had to make this shake right away. So here is Shilpa’s recipe for Mango Lassi with a lil addition of my own:

Ingredients:
Mango pulp 1/4 cup (I used tinned mango pulp)
Curd/yogurt 1/2 cup
Milk 1/4 cup
Sugar 2 tea spns
¼ tsp of Elaichi powder (my addition)

To make:
Mix all the ingredients in a blender until it is the thick liquid consistency you want it to be. If you like it real liquidy, add more milk and if you like it thick like a milk shake then add more yogurt and mango pulp. Serve chilled.
This recipe goes to Sig’s Monthly Blog Patrol – Mixed drinks.


This is a super simple recipe from Shilpa. Thanks Shilpa hehe….you made my tummy very happy. Well that’s all for now folks…I really need to get a lot of cleaning done. I will be back very soon with more yummy recipes :o) Happy Friday to you!

रंग बरसे भीगी चुनार वाली रंग बरसे

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Happy Holi to all my desis!

Holi is a 3 day Indian celebration of the upcoming spring and harvest season. In India we would all wear white, get together and play with colors. I remember coming home looking like a kid dipped in colord paints. It would take 3-4 washes before the colors would come off of my hair. Schools would be closed and the kids with colors would run rampant! In north India they would drink "bhaang" and then have a huge fire on the 3rd day of Holi. Its cool how Holi coincides with first day of Spring according to the western calendar. So lets celebrate the onset of Spring....with lots colors, yummy food, family and friends. Happy Holi!!!!



Update:
Soooo many engagements soooo many good wishes:
Congrats to Megs and Umma :o)
Congrats to Ranju and Reena :o)
Congrats to VA and SS :o)
Wooooo hooo let the wedding season begin!!

“I'll stop the world and melt with you”

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

You've seen the difference and
It's getting better all the time
There's nothing you and I won't do
I'll stop the world and melt with you
The future's open wide…..


To the sweetest husband in the world, wishing my Bhatji, a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I know I’m not physically there to celebrate this occasion with you but I promise I’ll make it up this weekend :o) True to his Piscean nature Bhatji is very charming, flexible, emotional and playful. He manages to make me laugh even during the hard times and supports me in all my interests. Maybe a lil too much support….up to the point of harassment hehe (I will one day open my own dance school damn it!!) And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Life is definitely more interesting with a better half like Bhatji on my side. So here’s to many more years of love, life and happiness Bhatji…..Happy Birthday.

I have mentioned in my previous posts that Bhatji isn’t really a fan of chocolate. So many of my favorite desserts (anything with chocolate) I usually end up eating alone. I have to be more creative while making desserts in our house. Recently while watching Giada’s “Every day Italian” I was inspired to re-create her min Italian doughnuts for dessert. The recipe seemed simple and I had most of the ingredients. I also liked that it wasn’t too sweet….both Bhatji and I don’t like anything too overtly sweet. Here is the recipe for Mini Italian doughnuts:

Ingredients:
1 cup of vegetable oil
1 cup of olive oil
½ lb of prepared pizza dough
¼ cup of sugar
2 tsp of cinnamon powder
2 inch cookie cutter
1 inch cookie cutter
Flour to roll the dough out

To make:
Pour both the oils in a deep frying pan and heat on medium high for about 7-8 mins. Roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface till it’s about 1 ½ inches thick. With the 2 inch cookie cuter cut out a doughnut round and then with a 1 inch cookie cutter, make a hole in each of the 1 ½ inch doughnut round. Make as many doughnut rounds as you can with the remaining dough. Working in batches, deep fry the doughnuts for about a min until they puff up and rise to the top of the frying pan. After the frying let the doughnuts rest on a paper towel so all the extra oil is drained. In the mean time mix the cinnamon powder and sugar in a bowl and set aside. Add the doughnuts to the bowl and make sure all the doughnuts are coated with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Serve while still warm.


Bhatji said that it was tasty but a lil doughy….which I agreed with. As per Giada’s instructions she wants the pizza dough rolled out to 2 inch thickness but I think if it’s a lil thinner than that (1 ½ inch) it would be perfect. It’s a tasty treat and the sugaring is up to you. So you can make it sweeter or not as per your taste. This dessert goes great with Chai or hot chocolate. Until the next yummy entry….celebrate your near and dear ones :o)

“Kho Na Jaaye Ye Taare Zameen Par”

Monday, March 17, 2008

Jaise Aankhon Ki Dibiya Mein Nindiya
Aur Nindiya Mein Meetha Sa Sapna
Aur Sapne Mein Mil Jaaye Farishta Sa Koi
Jaise Rangon Bhari Pichkari
Jaise Titliyan Phoolon Ki Kyari
Jaise Bina Matlab Ka Pyara Rishta Ho Koi

Yeh To Aasha Ki Lehar Hain
Yeh To Ummeed Ki Sehar Hain
Khusiyon Ki Nehar Hain




Over the weekend I finally got to watch the Hindi movie, Taare Zameen Par. It was directed by Aamir Khan and although he is in the movie….the protagonist is a little boy, Darsheel Safary. The storyline revolves around a boy whose world is full of imagination, colors and stories. However he is failing in school and is unable to comprehend simple instructions from teachers or peers. His family isn’t able to help him and decides to send him to boarding school. Still it seems no one is able to gage his problem and he starts to sink into depression. The new art teacher (Aamir Khan) realizes that the child is dyslexic and starts helping him cope with this learning disability and brings him back to life. Let me start off by saying…not many Hindi movies can move me like this movie has. Sure most movies portray the typical family melodrama or unrequited love etc. But Taare Zameen Par brings to light how fragile childhood can be…especially if the child does not have a strong support system, like a caring family. The movie also explains a learning disability like dyslexia. In an educationally competitive country like India where it seems that every kid is trying to rank #1 and thinking outside the box is not an option….its truly commendable that Aamir Khan decided to shed light on a much needed topic like dyslexia. I also noticed that although the movie is directed by Aamir Khan and he has a role in the movie…I loved that the focus was not on the big name star. It was all about the little kid who is a newcomer to Bollywood and he stole the screen :o) Aamir Khans direction was definitely phenomenal! Seriously this is a must see movie. Even if you are not really a Hindi movie fan...I really hope that you rent the movie (with subtitles if needed) and watch it!! In fact I made a copy of the DVD so Bhatji can watch it too. It’s a great family movie too…so feel free to watch it with the kids. Let me know what you thought of the movie or comment once you do watch it…which is soon I hope ;o)

“Freedom…You've gotta give for what you take”

Thursday, March 13, 2008

All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me
Freedom
You've gotta give for what you take

I’m Back!! I know I was gone a while but work life has been ridiculously busy. I mean I was in NJ last week…working from home and I barely got time to make dinner or spend time with Bhatji. This week I am back in DC and I was finally able to finish a big project…well at least for now so I decided to blog a lil. I missed it so…..and I love my new foodie bloggers world for leaving concerned comments/emails regarding my whereabouts. I am doing well folks just been crazy busy at work.
This past weekend Bhatji was in Houston for a bachelor party and I was left home by myself. I decided to venture out into NYC to meet up with a friend for dinner and a movie. Boy did I pick a crappy weekend to make plans in the city. It was raining cats and dogs and my friend was caught up with work for longer than she had planned. I think NYC is fun but a lil chaotic at times…and let me tell you, adding rain to that equation means more chaos. First she was at a different theater than I was…which meant that one of us had to walk to the other theater. And I noticed that the movie we wanted to see had already started at the theater I was in so I had to walk 11 blocks to meet her. Generally I love walking…especially in NYC where blocks mean nothing because you are surrounded by tons of people doing the same thing. But in the heavy rain 11 blocks felt like miles and miles. Anyways I made it in time to catch the next showing of Step up 2. Adi and I loved the movie…not because of the story line (yea don’t expect plots from dance movies) but purely because of the dance sequences in the movie. Adi and I are both dancers and after the movie, we even contemplated going out to a club. But that idea went out the window when we realized that it had not stopped raining. So we just grabbed dinner and went home. On Saturday I cleaned the apt and cooked up 5-6 meals for Bhatji’s week. I made the usual dhal, beans upkari, saru upkari and even made a pasta dish. Then I remembered Sia’s ode to potato event that I have yet to send an entry for. I had 4 large potatoes remaining so I decided to make my moms recipe of a simple spicy potato bhaji. Bhatji has mentioned in the past how much he loves that dish so I called up my mom and got the recipe for Spicy Batata Bhatji:

Ingredients:
4 or 5 medium/large potatoes
4-5 curry leaves
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp sambhar powder
2 tsp chilli powder
½ tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp curry powder
Salt to taste
2 tbl spn olive oil

To make:
Boil the potatoes till soft. I made slits in the potatoes and placed them a large microwavable bowl filled with water and heated in the microwave for 10-12 minutes. Let it cool, then peel and set aside. While the potatoes are cooling, in another bowl add all the powders: sambhar powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, garlic powder, garam masala, curry powder and salt as per taste. Once you peel the potatoes, quarter them and throw in the bowl with all the masalas and mix. Make sure the potatoes are coated well with the masala mixture. In a large pan heat the oil, add the mustard seeds and cumin seeds and heat until they splutter. Add the curry leaves and heat for a few. Add the potatoes and cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are completely cooked and softened. Serve with rotis or a side dish with rice and dhaal.

This recipe is going to Sia’s ode to a potato event
Well I am not in NJ to eat alongside Bhatji this week but I hope that he is happy with the fridge full of goodies :o) Oh and can we say SPRING IS IN THE AIR!! Woohoo….I can feel the days getting warmer and my winter blues melting away. Until the next recipe…keep smiling :o)

 
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