Life with Extra Mirchi

On this...our Earth day

2010-04-22T14:32:00.002-04:00

Hmm if we are all trying to go green then how come Kleenex has come up with this ridiculous idea of disposable hand towels?
http://www.kleenex.com/HandTowels/about.aspx
I mean seriously. Besides whats wrong with having a towel and you can reuse and wash as needed. Bhatji and I have our own hand towels and smaller face towels. We usually wash them along with the rest of the laundry once in 2 weeks or so.
Folks, going green can start with something as small as using hand towels, filling up water bottles instead of buying bottled water. Recycle and Reuse. Go Green!!

Don't be fooled by the shiny Blue shirts!

2010-04-14T09:36:00.004-04:00

So as I mentioned yesterday....I am in love with my mac. It is true that I don't really use all these cool gadgets that it comes with...but all items that I do use are quicker and smarter :o) BTW how cool is this garage band software. I tuned Bhatjis guitar with its help...unfortunately I can't really play hehe. I am sure Garage band will help with this cause as well. Anyhoo, I want to connect my mac to my tv so that I can watch stuff on Hulu, google videos with ease on a bigger screen. We already have a Blue ray player that hooks us up with Youtube and our netflix instant viewing. Side note: Netflix Instant Streaming is the BEST! They give you soooo many new movies to watch that its totally worth having netflix. I mean I would have been annoyed if I actually waited for Julie and Julia....however it was streaming so it actually made me feel better that I didn't waste my time waiting for this in the mail. Also they have a whole bunch of new Bollywood movies as well...so whenever Bhatji and feel like catching on the Bolly scene, BAM netflix instant streaming baby. OK back to the MAC connection for the TV. So Bhatji and I went to the only apple store here in the Queen City on Sunday...where btw People were waiting in a line to TRY....yes TRY NOT BUY the IPAD! I was blown. Don't people have anything better to do on their Sunday afternoons then stand in a line to just play around with the IPAD? Anyways Bhatji and I flagged one of the Apple store employee. This young guy in a shiny blue shirt and this funky lil gadget, looked like he knew all the answers to all our apple questions. Bhatji specifically asked for the cable for our lap tap and the guy immediately hooked us up with a cable that would do the job and also talked us into buying a remote, so we could be lazier. We get home excited to see how this would look on our tv. Much to our dismay the guy had given us the wrong cable. So I had to make a second trip on Monday to get a different cable. This time I actually took my lap top to make sure they knew what we wanted. I was greeted with another Shiny blue shirt apple employee, who said "oh....this is the wrong cable and you cant really use the remote. Let me give you the right the cables". Since Bhatji couldn't go with me again I had the guy talk to Bhatji on my cell phone to confirm the cables and what they do etc. That evening Bhatji was annoyed that this guy had again sold us the wrong cables again! On Tuesday I went in pretty peeved and a new dude with a shiny blue shirt, said that they didn't even have cables that could connect the mac with a tv! WTF. Then another guy with a shiny blue shirt came over and said that there were in fact 2 cables needed to make it happen. I'm annoyed, tired and I hate that their shirt color is starting to give me a headache. I tell the guy that if I have to come back again....I will be talked directly to their supervisor and they will have to compensate for all my wasted time. He was polite and assured me that this shall indeed be my last trip to the apple store. And thank the stars above, he was right. We got the right cables and Hulu is well and alive on our big screen TV. I love my mac but not these Shiny blue shirt losers..who look like they know what they are talking about but really have no clue.
On a different note: The IPAD is awesome. Since I did had to go 2 extra times on weekdays, I actually play with one w/o standing in line. I am not really a fan of the touch screen typing, but the IPAD touch screen pad is easy to use. Fun and compact computer for sure. I am a little afraid of purchasing one and dealing with the shiny blue shirt people. So no IPAD for me. Come on Apple...You can come up with the IPAD but not hire some knowledgeable workers!! Sheesh.

Where has it all gone?

2010-04-13T17:34:00.002-04:00

I am literally staring at this empty space in this blogger box......for what seems like 5 hours! I have gotten up 3 times looking for bad snack foods, drinking iced tea and checking my email (even though I know when I do get an email beacause I have the the tab open) Where to start!!
Okay so here goes my catch up blog post (if you say this really fast it sounds like ketchup blog hehe) random!
1) My family got me a new mac as a bday present last year and I don't remember what life was like before this Apple gem!!
2) I gained 7 freaking lbs and my Indian mother actually said "dear..you need to lose weight!" say wha say wha
3) Our new house is a lot of work but I love our home.
4) I miss Bhatji when he isnt around and then I OD on our time quickly and crave solace. And again within 5 mins I missing him again. Almost feel like I am schizo. Poor Bhatji doesnt know if hes coming or going hehe.
5) My dance buisness is picking up. slowly but surely and I love my students. I felt satisfied in my new career when my 5 year old student gave me hug after a show and said "all iz well ms. Anuzi"
6) We rang in 2010 with our new found friends and lots laughs and liquor.
7) Bhatji and I resolved to lose weight together. Yeah theres a ingenious resolution hehe.
8) We have cut out white rice from our diet completely and calorie count constantly
9) We joined a gym and I am an avid fan of Zumba
10) I have lost 5 lbs since Feb and I am aiming to lose 5 more. (yeah right!)
11)However Bhatji has lost so much weight that he actually looks emaciated! I hate that men and women lose weight differently.
12) I don't get the hype of the movie "Julie and Julia" Bhatji fell asleep within 15 mins of the movie.
13) I wish I had a green thumb...I would love to wonders with my yard.
14) I want to stop procrastinating........starting next week hehe!

Ok thats all for now. Loving this Spring weather. Fabulous times ahead :o)

In my solitude....

2010-02-03T18:36:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling really alone. And often times I cannot turn to my friends or family about things. Hope I get out of this rut soon.

“Let the music take your mind; Just release and you will find”

2009-07-02T00:47:00.000-04:00

You're gonna fly away
Glad you're going my way
I love it when we're cruisin' together
Music is played for love
Cruisin' it made for love
I love it when we're cruisin' together

It’s been too long and I need to take refuge in my blog starting today. So last I shared I was on my way to India to spend some qt with my in-laws and take some dance classes with the greatest Bharatnatyam dance guru ever right in the birth place of the art itself: Chennai. Needless to say I came back with new love and respect for Bharatnatyam. After coming back to the US Bhatji and I purchased out first house!! Yes we are officially adults….I think hehe. I know we should be excited but there is sooo much work that comes with a house…..why didn’t anyone warn us! Also with a big house we realize that we need more people over. I really wish we had family living around here…sigh. But all negative reviews aside…I love our house. I love the idea of decorating my own place with no rules. So I’ll add pics as I add something to the house. The kitchen is where I spend most of my time so I will posting some recipes soon. But for now I just wanted to let you know that I am alive and well. Busy but well :o) Thanks dear blog for letting me back in.

“Tujhase naaraaz nahi zindagi, hairaan hoon main”

2008-12-12T15:30:00.000-05:00

Tere masoom savalon se pareshaan hoon main
o pareshaan hoon main…..

Nothing like soft slow old school Hindi music while packing to India; I have hit a few glitches with this trip. Last minute changes and some gifts are taking way to long to get here before we leave. Lately I find my self overwhelmed easily. I have always considered myself a very strong individual with a very “take the bull by the horn” kind of mentality. But lately every small hitch feels like a gigantic problem. Ever feel like everything you do requires a phone call or email to confirm, cancel or re-order. I feel like I have been on hold for different customer service for every item imaginable; Phone company, credit card company, gift orders, postal service etc. UGH it’s very frustrating. And dealing with so many kinds of customer service reps has caused me to lose my temper more than once. Why can’t things just happen more smoothly…especially before a big trip? Oh and Air India has the worst customer service ever. Bhatji and I usually avoid Air India at all costs but this year they were the cheapest ticket we could find and man let me tell you it has been infuriating dealing with them. They have 3 services for booking a ticket! You call one number for booking, someone else sends you an email confirmation and if you want to change something in you itinerary, you have to call someone else! Is this a means of providing people with jobs or just a way to confuse and frustrate their customers? To top it all none of the customer service reps are any help at all. It took me 8 phone calls to find out one piece of information and every time it was different answer. I finally had to use the most commonly used to answer as the right one! I am still not sure if it is the right one but God knows if I am on the phone one more time I will throw a fit and break something.
So I end this entry with a quote from Home Alone (when Kevin applies the after shave lotion):
AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Until the next entry…pray that I stay calm and things work out.

“Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements even if it leads nowhere”

2008-12-04T18:51:00.002-05:00

But if I tell the world I'll never say enough 'cause it was not said to you
And that’s exactly what I need to do if I end up with you

Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements
Even if it leads nowhere or would it be a waste
Even if I knew my place should I leave it there
Should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavements
Even if it leads nowhere

Its amazing how music always interprets our moods. And Adele’s lyrics hits home right now; not so much that I am planning on giving up anything but I just feel frustrated like I am going nowhere with this job hunt. It’s been 4 months since we moved here and no one is hiring….in fact people are losing jobs left and right. Ugh I feel like my brain is turning to mush!! I read, I clean, I cook, I surf the net and I watch TV. I know to some this may seem like a relaxing vacation but when you’ve done it for 3-4 months straight it gets to you. Ahh what ya gonna do??
Now on to the cheerful part of this blog; Bhatji and I are really looking forward to our trip to India! YAY. I can’t wait and its happening soooo soon. We leave in less than 2 weeks and there’s much to be done. I have some serious shopping to do for gifts and also pack saris galore for 3 weddings!! I am also excited because this is the first time I am going to Pune, which is Bhatji’s family is from. I get to see where he spent his summers eating pav bhaji and batata vadas hehe. Oh and Im most excited about the food! Hmmm foooooooood! Of course after the recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai most of my friends and family are worried about our trip since we are planning on staying in Mumbai. All you can do is keep your ears and eyes open for suspicious activity.
Speaking of the attacks, the thanksgiving Wednesday that Bhatji and I got so busy with last minute packing and driving the 7 hours to DC that we had no idea that the India was dealing with the terrorist attacks. The minute we reached my parents home the first thing my dad said was “Bhatji call your family in India right now and make sure they are all safe” we were quickly updated with the horrors of the attacks and the rest of Wednesday night was spent in front of the TV watching CNN and BBC and calling family in India to make sure they were all safe. It was painful to watch and how the media was scrutinizing the situation. The attacks definitely gave the holiday weekend a somber feel but being with family cheered our spirits. My mom made an amazing spread for thanksgiving spread and we went to see Slum Dog Millionaire, which is truly a spectacular film. I urge you all to go and watch it. I had a very low key birthday celebration at home with family this year. It’s curious how age sneaks up on you….I feel a year older. At a very dear friends wedding that we attended just before thanksgiving….I could barely keep my eyes open past 2.00 am and drinking more than 1 or 2 drinks made me feel sleepy hehe. Gone are the days of bar hopping with friends till 4 am and dancing the night away. Bhatji and I are creatures of habit. We like to sleep at a certain time….eat at a certain time and enjoy quiet time at home. Sheet…if this is how I feel now I wonder how life is going to be at 50!! Not that there’s anything wrong with having a low key life style hehe. Well I think I’ve gone on and on about anything and everything….more updates to follow. Ohhh and guess what?? We bought a new a camera during thanks giving weekend….so my recipes with pics will be back soon!! Until the next entry….stay healthy and safe :o)

PS(Excited that Arches has rejoined the blogging world:)

“I’m trying to change the rules; you deserve something good in your life”

2008-11-13T15:03:00.001-05:00

We’ve waited for far too long so come get your blessing tonight baby
Wont you come over love, so I can show you love
Promise I got enough to give you all that you need baby
So many search to find, love that is good as mine
I will not waste your time so bring it all to me baby

Isn’t odd how even when you are unemployed you’re “to do list” seems long? Or is it possible that just because you are unemployed, you keep yourself busy and get more done? Hmm I guess that’s like the chicken or the egg question…but either way I’ve been busy. Mostly in the kitchen of course :o) But with so many new recipes also comes errors. Yep Bhatji has had to deal with some pretty inedible meals…hehe. He has started a “never repeat” pile again heh. I just have to make sure that pile doesn’t get too big ;o) Anyway after a lot of recent experimentation I decided that both our belly’s needed something a bit more homey. And the last 2 night I made simple bhajis, upkaris and dhaals. There’s nothing like simple food to comfort you.
The fact that I am jobless has given me an opportunity that I have dreamt about for years; to start my own dance school. The Indian community in Charlotte is fairly large and there aren’t too many Indian dance schools out here so there isn’t much competition. I haven't advertised much lately but I have decided in the New Year the new business plan will move full speed ahead. Its kind of exciting to think of working for yourself and doing what you love but at the same time it’s a bit nerve racking. Until then I am enjoying the few students I have :o)
In other news….Top Chef has started up again; that is one of the shows that always inspires me to cook new dishes. And this season the show is based in NYC. How perfect to have a foodie show in the foodiest city possible hehe. Every authentic ethnic food styles under one big umbrella. NYC is truly a foodie heaven. Sigh I can’t help but miss the city sometimes. And all this talk of food is making me hungry. Alright that’s enough yammering for one day. I’m off to get more stuff done and at some point start on dinner. So until the next entry….here’s some foodie love your way!!

“The sky's blue….just us two side by side; we'll see the world that surrounds us”

2008-11-10T13:54:00.003-05:00

Hey, seize the day
into a beautiful life
'Cause it's a beautiful world
and it's a beautiful time
to be here, to be here

Hey guys!! I know I’ve been gone for a while….I guess it took me a while to reload and get motivated to start up again. It’s great to be writing again….I forgot how therapeutic blogging can be :o) I figured to celebrate my return I would try a new blogger layout. Its so clean and fresh….motivation indeed!
So let’s get right to it. The move to Charlotte has been wonderful! I must say that I was very apprehensive about the move especially since I had never been to Charlotte. I was also a bit sad that we wouldn’t be near my family and friends anymore. But we have truly been blessed to be in such a beautiful city. It is a great mix of the North East and Southern life. People are much nicer and have time to be friendly. For instance our neighbors actually came by the day we moved in to welcome us and ask if we needed anything. Our apt is soooo comfortable and roomy for half the rent we were paying in NJ hehe. The weather has been warm and the fall colors are just incredible. Bhatji loves his new team and he is home by 6.00 pretty much everyday :o) we live about 3 miles from uptown Charlotte so his commute is 15 mins door to door. The city is easy to navigate around unlike NJ….also since the population is a bit low traffic is never a problem and drivers here aren’t as aggressive as the North East. We went to a Network of Indian professional’s event recently and within the first happy hour we were invited to people house for dinner over the next few weekends! The first week we were here at a bar and some random guy was chit chatting with us and giving us scoop on good eateries in Charlotte and he added something so true about the people here “People are genuinely nice here. So you know stop and say hello as well” When Bhatji and I visit our new friends over the weekend, its interesting to see families out and about waving as your car drives by. It took a few days to get used to, but we love the warmth of the city. My parents have also come down visited us and they too loved Charlotte. However my job search has been really disheartening. I know the economy is doing very badly right now so my job search is taking place at a bad time. But I still gotta keep at it. Let’s see what else? Oh I have been very busy in the kitchen since I have so much time during the day now but unfortunately we have not bought a new camera yet so I am unable to share any pics with you. That’s something that’ll probably have to wait till this year’s black Friday. Well that’s all for now folks…I’ve got a few errands to run. But before I forget a very happy belated Diwali and it’s wonderful to be back. Here’s some Love dust for you all!! Muuuahh.

“Keep embracing each day, keep on yearning; you just try….just try”

2008-08-07T13:25:00.004-04:00

Keep on making mistakes just to keep on learning
Keep on giving, you keep on wanting
Keep on fighting, just get up every morning
you just try...try....just try

Maybe your world shakes
you try to hold on
maybe your heart breaks
just keep on loving
maybe you'll find out
it's meant to be this way
maybe you'll learn this
or maybe we'll learn this

Nothing like a soothing jazz song on a hot August day to give you some inspiration :o) How I missed writing…but NYC has kept me busy. Mainly because another change is coming our way; hehe seems like every other blog entry of mine is some big announcement. Ahhh but such is life…. if it wasn’t for these changes…..life would be dull. So here goes: Bhatji got a promotion within his company and the new job is going to be in Charlotte, NC. That’s right folks… Bhatji and I are moving to Charlotte, NC in a few weeks. I’ve never been to Charlotte so I don’t know what to expect but most people who have been there seem to love it. Bhatji’s super excited since he gets to move back down to the south and the work opportunity seems really great. I think we are moving to Charlotte at the perfect time in our lives. I am looking forward to bigger houses, surrounded by lots of mountains and beaches and awesome weather since winters are less harsh. As they say “change is always a constant” so I am embracing this change with a positive outlook on life :o)
Needless to say because of the upcoming move Bhatji and I are taking full advantage of our last few weeks in NYC. We have been trying different cuisines like German fare at this awesome restaurant called HalloBerlin; lots of different kinds of beer, wursts and sauerkraut galore at a cheap price. We also tried a Venezuelan restaurant called Caracas Arepas bar; Arepas are similar to tacos with different kinds of fillings and soooo yummy again at a reasonable price! I also stood in line at the discount Broadway ticket line at times square and scored cheap front row tickets to see the popular Broadway show Avenue Q. It was hilarious and I will suggest that if you are ever in the city and have time you should totally watch this show; it’s the Muppet show for adult’s hehe. I feel like there’s so much more to do before we leave but that’s NYC. You can never fully do everything and see everything that the city has to offer but you can certainly have fun trying :o) I never considered myself a true NYC girl but spending my days in the city sitting in a park…people watching, reading a book, eating pie and drinking ice tea has been pure bliss. And even though I would never actually live in the city….I must say that I will sure miss this city and its vibrant energy. I’ll be back with some recipes in my next entry so until then….enjoy the sun kissed days out :o)
Ahhh to be on the beach in Bahamas again :o)

“I think about you in the summertime, and all the good times we had baby”

2008-07-25T19:32:00.001-04:00

Been a few years and I can’t deny,
The thought of you still makes me crazy,
I think about you in the summertime,
I’m sittin’ here in the sun with you on my mind.
You’re my, my summertime

Ahhh who knew that New kids on the block would ever come back? Lol I didn’t and that darn song is everywhere. Anyway after an awesome vacation in the Bahamas with the girls what a crappy last day on the island to end it :o( Sigh I wasn’t going to moan and complain about this but I need to vent. So the last night in Nassau I lost my beautiful white clutch which had my wallet and my camera :o( Yes my beautiful, sleek camera that I used like crazy for the last 2 years. A camera that was a gift from my in laws and is not sold for cheap in the US. To add to that stress, I had to call Bhatji in the US to call and cancel all my credit cards and needless to say he was not happy to receive a frantic call at 8 am on Sunday morning. On top of it all US airways screwed us over my canceling our flight from Philly to New York so I had to take the train. For someone who hasn’t even lost a credit card or keys….this was a pretty big deal. I mean all of last week I just wallowed in misery and Bhatji had to take serious measures to make me smile. All in all what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation ended in a stressful nightmare. I guess the only positive aspect of it all was that my passport was safe and sound in my bigger purse and everything that was lost was replaceable. It’s hard though at times to look at the positive you know….we take lil joys for granted. I am glad I was able to take such a beautiful vacation and enjoy my time on the beach. So no more sadness :o)
On to the foodie portion of this blog; I had mentioned in my last entry that I cooked a lot when my mother in law was visiting me and one of the dishes that she taught me was Bhoplache raita. It’s a simple Marathi side dish that goes perfectly with hot rotis. It has turned out to be one of my fav recipes. So here is my mother in laws recipe form Bhopla/pumpkin raita:

Ingredients:
About ¼ of a pumpkin slice de-seeded
¾ cup of yogurt
2 cups of water
1 tspn of sugar
1 tblspn of oil
1 tspn of cumin seeds
½ tspn of heeng
2 green chillies chopped
Cilantro for garnish
Salt as per taste

To make:

Cut the pumpkin into small pieces, about an inch or so since the skin is tough to remove, this is an easier way to peel it off. Heat the 2 cups of water and add the pumpkin pieces to it and let it come to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cook further for about 15 mins. Drain the water into another bowl…do not throw the water because it filled with nutrients and you can use it later. The pumpkin peels will come off easily with a knife and mash the pumpkin pieces unevenly. In a separate bowl with the yogurt in it add the boiled water for thinning it to a raita consistency. Add the salt and sugar and mix well. Add the mashed pumpkin pieces and stir well. Now in a small saucepan heat the oil and add the cumin, heeng and chillies and stir well. Once the cumin seeds start spluttering, take off the heat and add to the yogurt mixture. Add chopped cilantro and stir well. And serve with rotis.

This has turned out to be a comfort food for me because it is sooooo easy to make and it tastes really yummy. I am trying my hardest to make more yellow foods at home since they are full of nutritional value. Give this recipe a try and let me know how it turns out. Well that’s all for now folks…have a wonderful weekend and stay cool :o)

“Speak low when you speak love, our summer day withers away too soon, too soon”

2008-07-06T14:12:00.006-04:00

Speak low when you speak, love
Our moment is swift, like ships adrift,
Love is a spark, lost in the dark too soon, too soon
I feel wherever I go that tomorrow is near,
tomorrow is here and always too soon
Time is so old and love so brief

It has been crazy long since I last blogged. I know…I know…but moves are not easy. So forgive me blogsphere for my absence. But let me get right to the point of ramping you up to speed with my life thus far. I am now officially all moved in NJ and the work hunt has come to a halt. Why…well because it hit me that I actually could do with a mini vacation where I don’t have to log into work email or worry about clients and bosses. Bhatji was supportive of the idea as well….so yes I am playing house wife for a few weeks and enjoying it. Just because I took a break from blogging does not mean that I have taken a break from cooking. Actually this mini vacation means I am cooking more than ever :o) so yes I will be blogging about the new recipes in the near future. I am also taking full advantage of summer in NYC. Meeting up with friends, catching up on movies and lots of quality time with Bhatji not just for 2 weeks. I love summers. I love sitting out on my balcony reading a good book, walking up to the local farmers market and taking in the fresh summer air. It has rained quite a bit too but I love summer rains!
So last time I wrote, my in laws over visiting. The house was sooo full of activity. My nephew and niece have grown so much and they kept us all on our toes. Well they came, we enjoyed and they left. Here are the things I have been busy with ever since the last week of May to current day:
•My mother in law and I tried out a Top Chef recipe for Chiles Relenos (stuffed poblano pepper) and it turned out amazing!
•My in laws left and I left to go to DC for my last 3 weeks at work. I trained a new person in my place and my coworkers threw me an awesome going away lunch :o) When I gave my badge away to HR is when I realized that I no longer have a job :o( It was bitter sweet.
•My lap top crashed and its pretty much hanging on to its last breath so I am waiting to buy a laptop soon.
•Bhatji and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary together :o) 2 years!! I can’t believe how quickly time has flown.
•Bhatji and I went to Houston to attend a wedding of a lifetime. It was a lavish wedding and a mini konk convention. Bhatji and I had a blast spending time with konks whom we rarely see and reconnection with some family too. Good times!
•I made a decision that I am going to take time off for about a month before I start looking for a job…..So all of July I am spending time in NYC reading a good book, going to museums, cooking a lot and trying new foods
•I put together a happy hour that had an amazing turn out in the city
•I roasted a whole chicken by myself for the first time!! (I feel more confident that I would be able host a thanksgiving meal!!)
•Bhatji and I attended a salsa class together with another couple which was oh so much fun
•I have started a good work out routine and lost 2 lbs :o)
•I bought some new cooks books that I pour over everyday :o)
•We had an awesome July 4th together!
•I am looking forwards to a girl’s trip to Bahamas next weekend!! HOORAY!

And if all that wasn’t enough there is more excitement planned in the future. I will be blogging and keeping you posted on all the fun :o) But for now……all I got to say is I missed you guys and ITS GOOD TO BE BACK!

Awwww my 2 fav people. Anshul and Rhea :o)

Konkani group toasting to the wonderful couple in Houston!

“No me ames, porque pienses que parezco diferente”

2008-05-15T23:48:00.003-04:00

No me ames, porque pienses que
parezco diferente
Tú no piensas que es lo justo,
ver pasar el tiempo juntos
No me ames, que comprendo,
la mentira que sería.
Si tu amor no merezco, no me ames,
mas quédate otro día

It finally feels like spring! And all I want to do is sit out under a tree and take in the cool breezes. Alas I have some job searching to do so no real free time. Anyway I have a recipe to enter for Dhivya’s AWED Mexican Food. So without further ado I am going to get right down to the foodie portion of this blog.

I tired out a recipe for a simple Burrito recipe from the Williams and Sonoma collection called “Savoring Mexico” Here is the recipe for a healthy Mexican Bean Burrito:
Ingredients:
1 whole wheat tortilla
½ cup of refried beans
½ of a red and green bell pepper diced
3 tbl spns of salsa
3 tbls spns of yogurt (substitute for sour cream)
A few jalapenos
2 tspns of olive oil
1 ½ tspn of cumin
½ tsp of chives

To make:
Heat the oil in a pan. Add the bell peppers and the cumin and make sure that the spice integrates into the meat and veggies well. Add the chives and heat for a 2 mins and take off heat. Heat the tortilla wrapped in a paper towel for about 35 secs. Apply the refried beans on one side of the tortilla. Lay the peppers in the center of the tortilla. Mix the salsa and yogurt in a bowl and lay that mixture on top of the peppers. Add the jalapenos and wrap the tortilla around the mixture. Serve immediately.

Taking the rice and sour cream out of the burrito makes for a healthier version of the typical burrito which is loaded with calories. This version is perfect if you are craving a quick Mexican meal and if you are watching your weight.

Sorry for making this a short entry but my in laws are visiting me for a week and I have to get this place spotless before they get here but if things don’t get too busy I will definitely be back next week with a proper entry :o) So until then soak this gorgeous spring weather!

“Nothing can compare to when you roll the dice and swear your love's for me”

2008-05-08T14:13:00.012-04:00

I was crying over you
I am smiling I think of you
Misty morning and water falls
Breathe in the air if you care, you compare, don't say farewell
Nothing can compare
To when you roll the dice and swear your love's for me

Start Rant< I’ve been in an odd mood the last few days. I go from happy to sad to angry within minutes. I think my analytical mind is to blame for this temper variation. Just writing about this makes me laugh at how silly I have been. Good news/advice makes me happy and then I analyze the heck out of it and MAKE myself sad by flipping the news to dreadful tidings and then this sadness progresses to anger like “how dare they/he/she say that”. Then I have to calm down and ask myself “whats wrong with you!! That wasn’t what the person meant” To top it off I feel like I have started sifting my feelings and opinions while conversing with people. Why? Because of how my mood changes and how people may react to me. Maybe it’s because I am scared of leaving my job and the fact that I still do not have a job offer. All the initial excitement of starting over has worn off and now I am worried. I am trying my best to be positive... >End Rant

All these mood changes haven’t really affected my hunger or curiosity in the kitchen. So I will stay true to my foodie nature and share a new recipe that I tried out recently. I rarely come up with recipes on my own. I rely heavily on my fellow foodie bloggers and cook books and prepare food according to directions. But sometimes if I know that certain flavors will make for an awesome dish then I start the experimentation. Of course I’m not brave enough to have Bhatji as the guinea pig because I like being absolutely certain before feeding people new dishes. I mean I don’t even take people to restaurants unless I am positive that the food is worth trying…so my kitchen and cooking is no different. Anyway a few days ago I bought some brie and was thinking of how to use it in anything other than fondue. I know that the salty flavors of the cheese works well with sweet flavors of fruits. So I thought of trying out a sandwich of pears and brie. And the result was YUMMMM! Here is the recipe for Pear and Brie Sandwich:

Ingredients:
1 Pear long and thinly sliced
Slices of brie
2-4 slices of Bread (I used wheat)

To Make:
Toast the bread in a toaster over or toaster. Lay the slices of brie on top both the slices of bread and head in the toaster oven till the cheese melt. If you do not have a toaster oven heat in the microwave oven till the cheese melts. Spread the cheese evenly on the bread. Lay the slices of pear on the bread and voila! Sandwich is done.

The cool thing about this sandwich is that you can cut them each sandwich into 4 small pieces and serve as appetizers for a small gathering or just make it a grab and go snack. You can also make it a part of a healthy lunch along with a salad or soup. Anyway you slice it….its a delicious sammich ;o) I am sending this recipe over to Anupama's Sandwich Festival.

Until the next blog entry…stay positive and keep rolling the dice :o)

“Stop and stare...I think I'm moving but I go nowhere”

2008-04-30T12:35:00.002-04:00

Yeah I know that everyone gets scared
But I've become what I can't be
Stop and stare
You start to wonder why you're 'here' not there
And you'd give anything to get what's fair
But fair ain't what you really need
Oh, can u see what I see

This town is colder now, I think it's sick of us
It's time to make our move, I'm shakin off the rust
I've got my heart set on anywhere but here
I'm staring down myself, counting up the years
Steady hands, just take the wheel...

The lyrics to One Republic’s new song “stop and stare” are mirroring my current feelings about the “big” move and change. I am leaving what I know (DC, my family, my job) but I guess what One Republic says is true “Its time to make our move, I’m shaking off the rust. I’ve got my heart set on anywhere but here” The formidable conversation of me leaving took place between me and my clients, boss and co-workers yesterday. And man was I surprised of how well they took it and how much they care for me. Their reaction was totally unexpected, instead of moaning about how they’ll need to find someone new and train them….they said that it was about time that Bhatji and I decided to cut out the distance and be together :o) I am truly lucky to have been surrounded by such warm and kind people. It makes it worse that I am leaving the company and clients….sigh…well the next job I get, I hope to luck with just as kind coworkers.

I have been trying my hand at several foodie events such Easy Crafts – Fun ‘n’ sun event. Although we are the very beginning stages of spring….certain warm days call for a cooling meal or drink. I always think back to the hot summers in Mysore…where my mom would give us buttermilk or honey dew juice to beat the heat. I know I wanted to attempt a new recipe so I flipped through the many cook books my mom have given me and I like a simple Mint & lemon soda from my Costco cook book. This entry goes out to Easy Crafts Fun n sun event. Here is the recipe for Mint & Lemon Crush:
Ingredients:
¼ cup of mint leaves
2-3 tsp of sugar
Juice from a fresh lemon (as per your taste)
1 cup of cold water
¼ cup of club soda
Fresh mint for garnish

To make:
Place the mint leaves in the bottom of a small pitcher, add the sugar and crush with a pestle or use the back of a wooden roller. Crush until it’s a smooth mixture. Add the lemon juice, cold water and club soda mix well either in a blender or just stir. Add the mint leaves for garnish and serve in a glass with crushed ice.

The flavors of mint and lemon make for a harmonious taste. It is a perfect spring or summer drink. Well until the next entry enjoy the spring weather!

“There’s nothing like you and I……..So why do I even try?”

2008-04-28T15:15:00.004-04:00

We spent some time together walking
Spent some time just talking
About who we were
You held my hand so very tightly
And told me what we could be dreaming of
There’s nothing like you and I
Nothing like you and I

Hello Beautiful people! I know I’ve been gone for a minute but I’m back. I was on a mini vacation in Houston for a wedding and getting back to reality has sucked all the energy of writing a blog entry. On top of it all….I’m making a big change in my life. After months of back and forth between DC-NJ, Bhatji and I have decided that the distance thing isn’t really working out. So this May will be my last month at my project in DC and the job hunt in NJ has officially begun! I am excited, nervous and scared because I don’t have a job offer in hand, but looking for a job IS a full time job so it’s kinda hard to look while working for a busy client. The current US economy is terrible and this means that the job market is definitely at its worst but since I am close to a thriving metropolis like NYC it shouldn’t be too bad. Well we’ll see how it all pans out. If you are in the NJ/NY area and know of companies hiring….please keep me in mind ;o)

That’s it for personal updates and on to the foodie portion on the blog. Well in my short time in NJ this past week…even though I kept busy by pretty much by surfing through monster and career builder, I did manage to try out a few new recipes and try my hand at the Jaibee’s click event. So here is my entry for the Click event-Au natural.

Brown Eggs in a Nest

“So just take me home where the mood is mellow and the roses are grown, M&Ms are yellow”

2008-04-15T17:22:00.003-04:00

If you are what you say you are, a superstar
Then have no fear, the camera's is here
And the microphone's
And they wanna' know oh oh oh oh

As foodies we not only cook different varieties of meals that range from many ethnic backgrounds we also love trying new foods…..be it vegetarians or non. And if the fare smells and looks good and the restaurant is surrounded by rave reviews then it’s the perfect combination for foodie heaven. I am very much into trying new foods…..especially Asian foods. I can honestly say that I have NOT tried every single type of Indian food….I mean every state has a very particular way or preparing their food and the dishes also vary in taste…so I got to keep searching for these authentic Indian state restaurants. India’s neighboring countries also have foods with Indian influences in them. I think most Indian folks love Thai food for this reason. The curries, the spice and the flavors…all remind us of Indian fare but with a twist. But have you ever tried Burmese food? Well what do we know of Burma?

In current times we hear of the political upheaval caused by the country’s military dictatorship. People are not allowed to express themselves through religion and the corruption is rampant. So who would have guessed that this country neighboring India and Thailand with all its political and religious turmoil has some of the most amazing food!? I sure didn’t. There was a little Burmese hole in the wall restaurant called Mandalay, outside the university gates run by a Burmese family. My friends and I used to go there sometimes if we were sick of the usual Chinese and Thai food. It was love at first bite! I was sad to hear that they decided to move their restaurant because of their booming business to a location further from school. I recently found out that Mandalay expanded into a bigger restaurant in the Silver Spring area (suburb of DC) closer to my parent’s home. So on Saturday my family (minus Bhatji) decided to get a taste of Burma. And the food did not fail me again. So what does Burmese food taste like? Well it’s the perfect blend of Indian and Thai food. So you get your curries and such but with a hint of basil. But since Burmese food is heavily influenced by Bengali cuisine they have a lot of dishes made with mustard. So if you ever miss or want to try Bengali sea food dishes and don’t know where to go…..Burmese cuisine can fill that void. We ordered a fish dish, a chicken dish and a pork dish. All 3 with different sauces and we ordered it spicy. When Burmese say spicy….they mean SPICY!! I mean its perfect for us Indian folk who love the green and red chilies galore :o) So be warned do not say Extra spicy because there is a chance you will be drinking more water then eating the delicious food. They serve the curries along with rice. There are tons of vegetarian options as well. If you are ever in DC then definitely give this authentic Burmese restaurant - Mandalay restaurant a try. Its metro accessible (downtown Silver Spring metro stop) so don’t need a car to get there. If there are any authentic Burmese restaurant around your neck of the woods then definitely let me know….if ever I visit the area then I wouldn’t mind trying it out ;o)

“Time is waiting. We only got 4 minutes to save the world!”

2008-04-10T22:26:00.005-04:00

The road to heaven, paved with good intentions, yeah
But if I got a night
At least I can say I did what I wanted to do
Tell me, how bout you?
If you want it, You already got it
If you've thought it, It better be what you want
If you feel it, It must be real just...
Say the word, and I will give you what you want

I am big fan of almost all songs produced by Timbaland and it seems like he is everywhere! I’m in hip hop heaven :o) that and the gorgeous weather are keeping me happy in DC this week. Work has been busy as usual and I can’t wait for next week when I’m done with the 2 weeks and sneak in a mini vacation with Bhatji. Well technically it won’t be a vacation since we are going to one his best friend’s wedding where both of us are going to be busy working away……but ya know anything is a vacation if you are breaking the monotony.
When Bhatji and I visited India en route to our honey moon, we had a 2 day visit planned in Delhi. My father in law’s friend was showing us around and for lunch one day he suggested pizza hut. At first both Bhatji and I were thinking why would we try pizza hut, I mean we get Pizza hut at home. I wanted some serious Moghali khana, Delhi chaat, falooda’s, Kulfi’s and any authentic cuisine that Delhi had to offer. So needless to say I was lil disappointed that we were going to Pizza hut. But both Bhatji and I didn’t want to be rude so we agreed to go for a late lunch…and boy were we happy that we went! The Pizza hut menu in India is unlike the one in the US. In fact if I dare say it….its better! It’s spicier and has more options then the American menu. I got the Paneer Tikka pizza and Bhatji ordered the Chicken Tikka Pizza and we wanted more!! Why hasn’t US Pizza Hut added these to their menu so that the desi’s and non desi’s into Indian food can indulge! The next time we go to India, we are definitely getting some more Pizza hut….YUMM. Ok enough drooling. Since we don’t get that kind of pizza here…I decided to attempt a recipe for Paneer Tikka Pizza. I used several recipes to make it my own but it turned out amazing! In fact Bhatji keeps asking me when I’m going to make it again….you know when you’re hubby is asking for more, the recipe is a success. So here is the recipe for Spicy Paneer Tikka Pizza:

Ingredients:
1 large store bought pizza crust (I bought mine with cheese on it)
1 ½ cup paneer cubed
1 green bell pepper cut into long pieces
1 red bell pepper cut into long pieces
1 red onion cut into long pieces
½ cup of yogurt
2 tsp of red chilli powder
3 tsp of garlic paste
1 tsp of ginger paste
1 tsp of green chilli paste
1 tsp of garam masala
2 tsp of tandoori masala
1 tsp chaat masala
2-3 tbl spn oil
Shredded mozzarella to top the pizza as per your taste
Salt to taste

To Make:
Combine the yogurt with the garlic, ginger and green chilli paste. Add the tandoori masala, and the paneer and then add salt to taste and set the mixture aside for 30 mins. Pre heat the over to 300 degrees and cook the paneer on a baking sheet for 30 mins. In the mean time prep the vegetables. Heat the oil, add the onions and cook until translucent; add the bell peppers stir for a few mins. Add the chilli powder, garam masala and chaat masala. cook until the veggies are well integrated with the spices and cooked then set aside. Add the paneer and the veggie toppings on to the pizza crust. Add more cheese as needed. Pre heat the oven for 350 degrees and cook the pizza for 20 mins or so until the cheese melts and you are done! Serve hot.

It was spicy and soooo delish! I mean I added more red chilli flakes on it hehe but man it was tasty!! Come to think about it maybe it isn’t just Bhatji that wants me to make it again hehe. The best thing about this recipe is that you can play with it…like add more veggies, add other spices…experiment away!! Give this recipe a try and let me know of other versions floating out there. Alright you beautiful people….until the next entry....enjoy the weather. Oh anyone know what Madonna means by “you only got 4 mins to save the world” ;o)

“This is right where we belong. Turn up the music”

2008-04-07T15:33:00.003-04:00

Oh oh oh oh
This is the dance for all the lovers
Takin' a chance for one another
Finally it's our time now
These are the times that we'll remember
Breaking the city's heart together
Finally it's our time now
It's our time now

I am trying very hard to recuperate from a fantastic weekend! As I had mentioned my best friend was visiting and we partied like we were back in college; only we got tired much sooner, and weren’t as crazy as the college years. So I guess not really like we were in college hehe. But it was soo much fun to see the gang back together again. Luckily it was a beautiful warm weekend in NYC. We shopped all day; ate dinner at Anthony Bourdain’s Les Halles restaurant and went bar hopping and ended up in a club where we ran into more DC folks! What are the chances that you would run into someone you know in a big city like NYC but clearly the chances are pretty good :o) All in all a wonderful weekend. I miss being around these wonderful people already. But it’s the distance that makes these meet ups all the more special.
Its spring time and time for new changes so in honor of this wonderful season I am thinking of changing my blog name. I know Anuzi is unique….especially since the name was bestowed upon me by my old dance crew. But I figured since I do have a foodie blog maybe I should gear the blog name towards a more food related term…..what do you guys think? Or do you like Anuzi…since it provides some ambiguity…where it could be a foodie blog or just a blog for my thoughts. What say you folks?

“Dreams are nothing more than wishes”

2008-04-03T23:54:00.003-04:00

And a wish is just a dream you wish to come true
If only I could have a friend
Who sticks with me until the end
And walk along beside the sea
To share a bit of moon with me
I'd take my friend most everywhere

There are times when I feel like I do more for people around me than they do for me. And let me tell ya its infuriating! Ok enough whining.

I am super excited about this weekend. My best friend is coming into town and we have a full packed weekend ahead. Secrets will be shared, gossip (the good kind) is inevitable and good times will be had by all :o) I am also a bit sad that my time in NJ is almost coming to end for now and I will have to go back to DC for a week and a half. I know it’s not that long, but I am not really excited about going back to DC. I like it here in NJ, I love my own kitchen, I love my own bed and I love my hubby. I am beginning to cherish our time together…even if it’s us just vegging out on the couch :o) sigh. I am starting the job hunt so I can be in NJ permanently. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Pray for me people and wish me luck.
Ok now on to the foodie part of this blog. Well I am not really sharing a recipe but I wanted to share my fav wine with you guys. Bhatji and I have started getting into wine…we aren’t really connoisseurs but we enjoy good wines. So here’s a dessert wine that is Bhatji and my favorite: Sutter Home’s Moscato. It’s the perfect light wine for after dinner and great for chilling out on the balcony during good weather. It isn’t expensive but the taste is definitely rich! Give it a try and let me know what you guys think :o)

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

2008-03-30T23:08:00.004-04:00

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”

2008-03-28T17:10:00.006-04:00

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

2008-03-22T14:08:00.008-04:00

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”

2008-03-19T13:57:00.003-04:00

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”

2008-03-17T16:46:00.001-04:00

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”

2008-03-13T16:50:00.006-04:00

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)

“Well I’m not paralyzed but, I seem to be struck by you”

2008-02-26T17:52:00.005-05:00

I want to make you move
Because you’re standing still
If your body matches
What your eyes can do
You’ll probably move right through
Me on my way to you

I am back in NJ with Bhatji and it feels good to be back to being a homemaker and working from home. This means that I will be spending some quality time in my kitchen. I just wish it was a lil warmer. I am officially sick of my coat and this never ending winter. I can’t wait till its summer again. I am afraid I’m suffering from a bit of the winter blues….luckily the many foodie events out there has been keeping me a bit busy and motivated to try new things out in the kitchen. Last month I wanted to participate in Jugalbandi’s click event but Bhatji got sick and then I
got sick and by the time I recovered….the event date had passed me by. But this month when the announcement came on that the click event was going to be flour….I knew I had to come up with an interesting pic idea. So I started racking my brain through out the month and then finally while listening to some old Hindi songs from Mr. India….this really cool concept hit me. Mr. India was invisible so I got this story of an invisible person making a mess with the flour and leaving my kitchen in disarray. So here is my entry to Jugalbandi’s click flour event.
The messy invisible person with my flour

Here are additional pix for the click flour.

“All the boys think she's a spy she's got Bette Davis eyes”

2008-02-21T14:55:00.009-05:00

She's ferocious and she knows just what it takes to make a pro blush
She's got Greta Garbo stand-off sighs
She's got Bette Davis eyes

Can you believe my lil sis is turning 24 today!! When I was 4 ½ years old, I vaguely remember my pregnant mom asking me if I wanted a brother or a sister. And I specifically remember demanding a brother. When asked why, I said “I don’t want to share my clothes with a lil sister”. Well my mom didn’t agree with my reasoning and I was forced to the idea of a lil sis who cried all night, craved my moms’ attention 24/7 and only wanted to play with dolls and make believe house. I on the other hand was a pure Tomboy. Today all our differences has not only made us good sisters but best friends as well. I have never been ashamed to admit that my younger sis has always been the more mature one out of the two of us. She is always the one with a strong head on her shoulders, the one who is always neutral during any family feud and absolutely loyal to her friends and family. She never makes hasty decisions, incredibly patient and is unbelievably talented!! I am almost envious of her genius and yet shamelessly advertise her forte everywhere :o) I have always felt that I can be myself around her without worrying about her judging me or criticizing me… unless I’m making dreadful choices in my life….then she will never hesitate to whack me on the head and tell it as is. So cheers to you Mzswats….HAPPY BIRTHDAY sweetie! I will try my hardest to be the “bestest big sister” possible ;o) “try” being the operative word hehe.

Ahh Typical swats. Would you trust a baby sitter sippin beer while playing with the kids? hehe

Now on to the foodie portion of this blog entry. Bhatji and I love spicy food. The more green and red chilies in a dish, the better. If you love hot and spicy food like we do and live or visited NYC then you probably have heard/tried the food at Kati Roll Company or Mamoun’s Falafel. Kati Roll is known for its Frankie style wraps where they make it spicy as per your taste and Mamoun’s makes yummy Falafel sandwiches but it’s their kick ass hot sauce that makes them stand out from other Falafel vendors. We don’t really go to NYC once Bhatji gets home from work unless we have plans to meet up with friends or a show to catch etc. So this past weekend when Bhatji had a hankering for Kati Roll, I decided to make our own version at home. In the past I have made Kati roll combining 3 different recipes but I wanted to try a new version of the recipe with Shrimp. So here is my recipe for Spicy Garlic & Ginger Shrimp Roll.

Ingredients:
½ lb of shrimp (peeled and deveined)
2 tbl spn of olive oil
3-4 medium sized wheat tortillas or rotis
1 small onion diced
1 tbl spn ginger paste
3 cloves of garlic finely diced
½ tsp of turmeric powder
½ tsp of garlic powder
1 tsp of chili powder
3 tbl spn of soy sauce
Salt to taste
A few drops of lemon juice (garnish)
½ tsp of red chili pepper flakes (garnish)
A few chopped scallions (garnish)

To make:
Marinate the shrimp in the chili powder, turmeric powder and garlic powder in the fridge for about 30 mins. Heat 1 tbl spn of oil and on med heat fry the shrimp until it is well cooked in the marinate juice and set aside. Heat another tbl spn of oil and fry the onions until it is browned. Add the ginger and garlic and mix well into the onions, fry for about 3-4 mins. Add the cooked shrimp and soy sauce to the pan and blend well. Cook for about 4 mins and take off heat. Add the lemon juice on to the shrimp mixture as per your taste. On a flat tortilla, place the cooked shrimp mixture in a straight line in the center of the tortilla. Garnish the shrimp with a few chopped scallions, red chili pepper flakes and more lemon juice if you want and it is ready to be devoured!

This dish satisfied both our cravings for spicy Kati roll without actually travelling into the city. It makes for a great dinner or a filling snack. And it goes great with a cold beer :o) Well until the next scrumptious blog entry…..eat, drink and……umm celebrate birthday’s ;o)
PS (Mzswats. The song is dedicated to your compulsive love for this record when you were a kid hehe. Enjoy!)
PPS (Swats...plz dont kill me for using the pic. I know we were at a party and you weren't really baby sitting but its a funny thought and I couldn't help myself hehe)

“Love's a shoulder to lean on; love is you….”

2008-02-20T12:37:00.004-05:00

What's your definition of it?
How does it make you feel?
Tell me what you say that truly makes it real
Kings and Queens, Philosophers have tried so hard to find
Tell me what it means to you dear, never mind
Love is kind when the world is cold
Love stays strong when the fight gets old

What a splendid weekend! I wish I could do it all over again. Here is recap of Bhatji’s most romantic v-day weekend plans! He told me that he had it all planned 2 months ago since everything in NYC gets booked pretty quickly. On Saturday we had reservations at a pre-theater restaurant called The District. I had never been to a pre theater restaurant so it was exciting to try out my first one with Bhatji. Both of us have lately been trying out different wines so he decided that we should do the wine pairing with each course. And the food was amazing!! I mean we eat out quite a bit but this place is definitely is up there in terms of the food quality and ambience. The wine pairing was picked for each entrée so we got to try 5 different types of wine. MMMM man I will be having dreams about this dinner hehe. After the yummy meal we headed over to watch the new Broadway musical Curtains (I had been hinting about wanting to see it for a while) it was pretty good.

There was humor, drama and tons of dancing. The best part was seeing David Hyde Pierce on stage. I have always been a big fan of the series Frasier. Partially because I was raised on Britcoms and even though Frasier isn’t really one….the humor is very similar to British wit. So to see “Niles” again on stage…was a thrill! We both enjoyed it very much. On Sunday, Bhatji took me to see the new Hindi movie: Jodhaa Akbar.

I have been a huge fan of Ashutosh Gowrikar’s after his master piece - Lagaan. I knew I was in for a feast for the eyes…since Gowrikar’s known for his cinematography. And with the addition of A.R Rahman’s musical score…how could it not be a feast for the ears? Aishwarya Rai looked good and acted well…but Hrithik stole the show! He was a very believable Mughal emperor, Akbar...and it also helped that he is gorgeous ;o) I gotta admit that before this movie, Hrithik didn’t really do it for me; I mean he is a good actor but his movie choices are a hit or miss. But in this movie, he is a hit! The outfits and jewelries in the movie were absolutely stunning! The scenes with the war and fighting made Bhatji happy. For me the romance and storyline were points of interest. The plot flowed well and the cinematography was truly breathtaking. I wish I could take a trip to Rajasthan!! The movie is a bit long just like Lagaan…but I think Gowrikar is a great story teller…weaving in the history of the Mughal empire in India and details of the Rajput rule in Rajasthan. He has shown the correlation between religion, politics and power. All in all an entertaining film filled with grandeur, romance and history. If you get the chance to see the movie…definitely see it and let me know what you thought of the movie :o)
Will be back soon with recipes to share with you…until then stay warm.

“Mil jaaye is tarah, do leharen jis tarah . kabhi ho na juda haan ye vaada raha”

2008-02-14T23:57:00.003-05:00

tu tu hai vohi dil ne jise apna kaha ...
tu hai jahaan main hoon vahaan
ab to jeena tere bin hain saza

kisi mod pe bhi na ye saath chute
mere haath se tera daaman na chhute ...
kabhi khwaab main bhi tu mujhse na ruthe
mere pyaar ki koi khushiyaan na lute
ho mil jaaye ...

kabhi zindagi mein pade mushkilein to
mujhe tu sambhaale tujhe main sambhaalu
ho mil jaaye is tarah ...

I am all smiles today!! Bhatji sent me the most beautiful surprise as a Valentines day gift. FLOWERS!! 2 dozen roses….and the cutest note that made me tear up a lil and laugh a lot :o) Even though I am going up to NJ to be with him tomorrow he still sent me flowers to sweeten my day. I am the luckiest girl I tell ya! Bhatji scored some major points for this weekend ;o) I hope the rest of you celebrate such sweet moments with your better half or family. Muuuuuahhh Bhatji ;o)
Oooh btw for those of you who remember this song…..they don’t make tunes like this anymore huh??

“That’s the way love goes. Like a moth to a flame burned by the fire…”

2008-02-13T00:00:00.009-05:00

My love is blind
Can't you see my desire
That's the way love goes
I'm gonna take you places
You've never been before and
You'll be so happy that you came
That's the way love goes
That's the way love goes

This week is for the lovers….yep its Valentines day and there are flowers and red hearts everywhere :o) Unfortunately I will not be with Bhatji until the weekend...but I know he has a very romantic valentines day/weekend planned for us :o) I’m so excited!! He was able to make a short trip down to DC this weekend, so we got in lots of quality family time. We played cards, made plans for the future, Mzswats, Bhatji and I also managed to do a chill night out in DC with friends. All in all a good weekend I must say.
Creative Pooja is hosting a valentine’s day foodie event and I had to come up with a romantic meal/dessert idea as an entry. I was scratching my head for a while but finally came up with the perfect concept for my entry. Usually I would go all out and make a 3-4 course meal but this year I decided to tickle our sweet tooth. Baking isn’t really something I’m good at….I know I know…I need to start venturing into more baking so I can be a versatile cook. But past experience of burnt cookies and flat cakes have left a bit jaded and unmotivated. I need to get over myself and just do it! One of these days, I’m sure to get around to it. This weekend my family was going to be hanging out at home and it was going to be ridiculously cold. So I thought what would be a fun way of getting the whole family together and enjoying a warm dessert together. So my recipe idea for a valentines day with your loved one or your family night in is…..Hot Fondue! Just the thought of hot dark chocolate along with the sweetness of yummy fruits and cake got me drooling. I didn’t have a fondue pot at my parent’s home but I knew a saucepan would do the trick. I couldn’t wait to get home and start on the dessert. So on my way home from work on Friday, I made a quick stop at the grocery store and picked up all the ingredients and after dinner got started on a delectable Chocolate fondue with cake and fruits recipe.
This is also my entry for Pooja’s theme of the week – Valentines day entry

Source: Food and wine magazine Dec 2007
Ingredients:
8 oz. of semi sweet chocolate or bitter sweet chocolate
½ cup of heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
15/20 strawberries rinsed (optional)
2 bananas cut in 1 inch pieces (optional)
¼ piece of pound cake cut in cubes (optional. bake if you got time. I went the store bought route)

To make:
In a saucepan warm the cream on medium for about 6-7 mins. Remove the saucepan from heat and add the chocolate and stir in all is melted in a thick sauce. Add the vanilla essence and mix well. In a separate plate arrange the strawberries, bananas and the cakes. Using fondue forks or regular forks dip into the heavenly chocolate sauce and indulge!!

Bhatji isn’t really a fan of chocolate but the Shenoy family loves their chocolate. So while the non chocolate lovers can enjoy their fruits….the chocolate lovers can go all out :o) It’s a super easy recipe that gets you and your loved one to huddle over a hot pot of chocolate…and that my friends, can make any night a valentines night ;o) Happy fondue making!!

“Whoop whoop! When you run come around, cuz I know you’re the talk of the town yea”

2008-02-08T15:06:00.000-05:00

Easy now no need fi go down
Just walk it gently and no break nah bone,
Cool end-it-ly, you have a style of your own,
Me never know you saw ya master the saxophone
easy now no need fi go down,
easy now no need fi go down,
walk it gently and no break nah bone

How I love this song!! If you haven’t heard it….click on the play button on my seeqpod player on the top left of my blog. Most dance hall tunes invoke the dancer in me. I’m so excited that the weekend is finally here….there is new recipes to try out this weekend. I am planning ahead creating a brilliant recipe for Creative Pooja’s upcoming V day entry :o) Depending on his work schedule, Bhatji may come down to DC and I really pray he does.
Bhatji and I are both non-vegetarians….but for some reason lately both of us prefer consuming vegetarian meals. Indian vegetarian food is awesome. The use of all those yummy spices, masalas, onions & garlic adds flavor to vegetables and in turn makes it a feast. But there are times when Bhatji and I crave my mom’s chicken biryani or fish fry. Well I can’t just go visit my mom when I’m in NJ or attempt making any of her famous dishes. I know that I cant out cook my mom …so I don’t try hehe. Instead I try out new recipes from food network chefs or from the bazillion foodie blogs and cook books at my disposal. On a lazy Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago…while laying on the couch watching a marathon of food network shows…we happened to catch an episode of Guy Fieri’s Guy’s big bite show. He was preparing a Cuban feast with Pork Chops with mojo, Sofrito mashed potatoes and a Double apple mojito. Bhatji started salivating and looked at my pleadingly with those light brown puppy eyes to recreate the dish for him. I agreed and so grocery shopping during the week, I bought 2 pork chops and white wine as per Guy’s recipe. I decided that instead of making mashed potatoes (although they looked divine!) I was going to make a simple Spinach salad. The results were phenomenal! I followed Guy’s recipe but added and substituted some of my own ingredients. So here is the recipe for Cuban pork chops with Spinach Salad:
Recipe source: Guy's big bite, a Cuban meal
Ingredients:
2 bone in pork chops
1 small red onion finely minced
2 cloves of garlic finely diced
1/4 cup of white wine
1 cup orange juice
½ cup lemon juice divided into 2
A little less ¼ cup of vinegar (eyeball it)
1 tsp of cumin powder
1 tbl spn of garlic powder
1 tbl spn of onion powder
2 tsp of dried oregano
1 ½ tbl spn of olive oil
1 tsp spn of pepper
½ tsp of red chili powder
Salt as needed

To make:
In a large Ziploc bag combine the orange juice, ¼ cup of lime juice, vinegar and pork and marinate in the fridge for about an hour. After an hour take the chops out of the Ziploc bag and set aside. In a small bow add the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and chili powder and mix until all the spices are blended well. Rub the dry spice mixture evenly on the chops. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan on high heat and sear the chops well on both sides for a few minutes. Bring the heat down to a medium and add the onions for a few minutes. Then add the garlic and cook until brown. Add only half of the marinate mixture of OJ, lime juice and vinegar. Then add the white wine and simmer until the liquid is reduced and thickened. Make sure the chops are cooked through. Take out the chops and continue to cook the liquid until it further reduces. Pour the cooked liquid on the chops and serve.

Spinach Salad Ingredients:
A bag of baby spinach
One small onion diced
1 tbl spn of olive oil
2 tbl spns of vinegar
Raspberry walnut vinegar dressing as needed

To make:
Wash the Spinach thoroughly. In a pan heat the oil and cook the onions until browned. Add the spinach and cook until they wilt on low heat (for about 3-4 mins) Add the vinegar and mix in well. Take of heat and place on a plate or bowl. Add the Raspberry Walnut dressing as much as you like.

The combination was too good. The salad itself was bursting with flavor and the pork chops turned out very well :o) All in all, there was a satisfied hubby and a cheery cook. What’s even better was that my mom called me last weekend to get this recipe from me. Dare I say it…Have I joined the big leagues. Hehe hardly! But it was indeed a proud moment when the best chef ever called lil ole me asking for a recipe ;o) until the next entry…Have a wonderful weekend folks!

“Habibi, ya nour el ain, ya saakin khayali”

2008-02-07T14:26:00.000-05:00

Habibi, ya nour el ain,
Ya saakin khayali.
Aashek bakali sneen,
Wala ghayraak fibali.
Agmaal eyoun fil koon,
Ana shoftaha
- Amr Diab
Translation: My darling, the glow in my eyes is my fantasy of you. I’ve loved you for years; No one else is on my mind

Reading has always been one of passions. My mom used to tell me that when I was very young and growing up in Nigeria, before my sis was born…I was displaying “only child” characteristics. I would talk to myself, dress up in my mom’s clothes, sing and dance in front of the mirror but most of all I used to read a lot. My mom encouraged this habit by buying me tons of books. I used to read the Dick and Jane series by Dr. William S. Gray, Mr. Men series by R. Hargreaves. My mom also bought a lot of classic books by Mark Twain. Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott etc. At a very young age I was able to quote dialogues from David Copperfield and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens and 20,000 leagues under the sea by Jules Verne. I’ve continued reading literary works by new and old authors. Last year I fell in love with Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner. The book is about 2 best friends with different backgrounds, growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan before the Russian invasion and the Taliban rule. A life changing incidents separates the 2 friends….one moves to the US and the other stays in Afghanistan. The book follows the protagonist’s life….through his decisions, his ups and downs and finally his atonement for his past mistakes. The Kite Runner instantly became one of my favorite books. I loved Hosseini’s writing style.....he is great with descriptions and you cant help but immerse yourself in his rich story of friendship, loyalty, salvation and a country ravaged by war and religious hypocrites. I was ecstatic when I found out that the book was going to be made into a movie!!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Kite_Runner_film.jpg
I started looking up the release dates and theater showings. I wasn’t sure that it would hit mainstream theaters but I figured I would be able to catch it in certain theaters in DC or NYC. I was glad to find out that the movie would be shown at mainstream theaters and I made plans to watch it with my folks. Unfortunately Bhatji got sick and then I got sick and our plans for watching the movie were pushed back. My sis and my parents saw it and raved about how good it was. Luckily the movie wasn’t completely out of the theaters so this past weekend Bhatji and I finally got to see the movie. It was incredible!! I mean the book is good but the movie was well done and was almost as good as the book. There were scenes in the movie that tugged at my heart and soooo much of the old Afghanistan reminded me of India. The street vendors, the kite flying contests etc. We couldn’t help but be nostalgic. The other interesting tidbit was that their language (Pashto) had similar words to modern day Hindi. So Bhatji and I sat picking out those words hehe. I really hope all of you get to see the movie and definitely go grab the book: The Kite Runner

“And I, in time, will come around, come around. I always do for you”

2008-02-05T13:43:00.000-05:00

Suppose I said
you’re my saving grace?
Would you want me when I'm not myself?
Wait it out while I am someone else?

Yes I am back…with a looming cough but doing much better. No fever or weakness. I am also back in DC for some work this week. I miss Bhatji. I know I just got here last night and I am probably going to be seeing him this weekend…but still you can’t help missing your better half at any given point when he/she isn’t with you. I am however glad to see my folks again and get some much needed mommy time in :o) Yea that’s right I’m an overgrown kid and I am proud of it hehe. By the way did you all catch the super bowl game on Sunday? I’m not really a football fan but the game was soooo good that I found myself cheering for the Giants. It also helped that Bhatji and I were surrounded by 15 other Giants fans at an awesome super bowl house party at one of our friends places in NJ…so you couldn’t help but get into the game <- more on that later.
Last week I had updated my blog with the Indian republic day foodie event sponsored by Creative Pooja but due to my illness, I was not able to elaborate on the recipe or my memories of Indian Republic day when I was in India. So I guess today’s entry is a part deux of the previous post and more. I went to a Catholic Convent school in Mysore and even though we would technically had the day off in celebration of Indian Republic day, our school would have a mini parade where there would marching competitions…..yes that right…marching competitions. Not fun! But then we would have volley ball tournaments, An Indian game called coco (sp?) involving a lot of running and then we would be released early from school :o) My friends and I would go to the near by street vendors and gorge on samosas, spicy toast or sour gooseberries. Ahhhh the sweet, innocent days of childhood. Well anyway this year with all the love and encouragement from my new foodie community, I was to recollect those days and come up with an orange, white and green foodie blog entry. I had written about the spicy rasam, okra bhaji and rice as my entry. Here is the recipe for the simple okra bhaji/upkari:

Ingredients:
5-6 okra cut in small pieces
1 tsp of mustard seeds
3 dried red chilies
3-4 tbl spns of water
3 tsp of cooking oil
Salt to taste

To make:
Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds. When the seeds start to splutter add the red chilies and cook for about a minute. Throw in the okra and cook stirring occasionally. When the okras start giving off the gummy consistency, add the 3 or more tbl spns of water, cover and cook for about 5-6 mins. Add the salt and stir in well and serve hot with rotis or rice.

Okra isn’t really my favorite veggie but it’s very healthy and so I try to include it into our dinner plans often. This is such a simple and quick dish and Bhatji seems to enjoy it. Give it a try and as always…let me know what you think. Until the next blog entry…keep warm.

PS (Ms. Pooja…I hope you are doing well. I’m sorry to have sent you the “sick bug” through the net ;o)
PPS (Congratulations to Ms. Shenoy on her engagement and upcoming wedding. Can’t wait to celebrate with you this summer)

"Koi humse jeet na paave Chale chalo, chale chalo"

2008-01-26T22:39:00.000-05:00

Koi raah mein na thaam jaawe, chale chalo
Toot gayi jo ungli utthi
Paanchon mili to ban gaye mutthi
Eka badhta hi jaawe
Chale chalo, chale chalo
Koi kitna bhi bahekaave, chale chalo
Koi humse jeet na paave
Chale chalo, chale chalo
Mit jaave jo takraave, chale chalo

Hello all….I know I’ve been missing in action….but I’ve been sick. Yep that’s right Bhatji is all better but poor me….I’m down with a bad cold and a slight fever. The only reason I’m here blogging today is to enter my blog entry for Pooja’s Theme of the week -Orange ,White and Green.

My entry is a very simple Okra bhaji, rice and spicy rasam. I will share the recipe in a later entry. Happy Indian republic day :o)

“I'm in this boat alone, floating down a river named emotion”

2008-01-20T18:42:00.001-05:00

Will I make it back to shore
Or drift into the unknown

I'm floating down a river
Oars freed from their holds long ago
Lying face up on the floor of my vessel
I marvel at the stars
And feel my heart overflow
Further down the river
Further down the river
Further down the river
Further down the river
Two weeks without my lover

I’m going to start off this blog with a brrrrrr! The temperature is below freezing and I want winter to end already. As I mentioned Bhatji has been very sick and I have been playing “mommy” to him. As much as I enjoy taking care of people….it can get a little overwhelming; let’s just that I have a new found respect for nurses. On a positive note I am very happy that it is a long weekend and am looking forward to the 2 weeks in NJ. I am also happy that we were around my parents this weekend who basically did a lot of the running around and preparing Kichadi and Nimbu Sharbat for Bhatji. He is definitely doing better than earlier in the weekend but not a complete 100% yet. He has been sleeping in and trying to get his fever down. As long as he rests, eats some home made food and continues his medications and home made remedies…I think he will be up and about in no time
This weekend I thought about my bapama (my dads mom who passed away when I was 13) who didnt beleive in modern day medication of any kind and depended solely on herbal medication. She was well known for a garden full of herbal plants and her Ayurvedic knowledge. Be it a common cold or arthritis pain….she had a plant and a remedy for it all. These home made remedies didn’t always sound, smell or taste appetizing but they worked quite well. She was a strong believer in natural healing and there are times like today that I wished I had taken interest in her teachings and picked up all her remedies. But I was too young and impatient when she was around. I think it’s hard to grow an impressive garden such as my grandmothers here in the US. The winters are too cold for some of the tropical plants and I think we also lack in time and energy to tend a garden. Back in India we had hired a mali (gardener) who would take care of the garden 3-4 times a week. But it was my grandmother’s love that really made our garden a medical treasure. Well I can’t entirely say that I didn’t learn anything. I learned that ginger was a life providing root. It relives pains and if added to a hot drink is soothing for a congested chest…which makes it perfect for colds. Garlic is another spice that provides cures for heart problems, diabetes and if cooked and added to rice makes for a fever reducer. There were many other home remedies that I can recall and I think I will write about each of them in a journal soon. But I see that as our days and lives get busy, all these remedies take a back seat to pills and antibiotics because they are easily obtainable and are also quickly effective. However their effect is short term with certain side effects and we are too short sighted to see this as an issue. I am trying to get better at eating and drinking healthier rather than popping a Tylenol for each and every pain. So when Bhatji fell sick…it was easy for me to pump him with different kinds of pills…my ma however, has been trying home remedies. We boiled hot water and added eucalyptus oil in it and had him steam his face so that his nasal passages would open up. We’ve made him hot tea with ginger and pepper to ease his sore throat and decongest his chest. Another dish that we have prepared for him is my moms simple Kichadi (boiled lentils, rice and lots of pepper) because it easy for digestion and pepper helps with decongestion. In addition we made him a big batch of my moms Nimbu Sharbat (lemon drink) with lots of ginger to ease his congestion, the elaichi clears his nasal passages and the lemon boosts his immune system with vitamin c. I think that these remedies do work….slowly….but I can definitely see a difference in Bhatji. This brings me to the foodie part of the blog. My mom’s nimbu sharbat is just toooo tempting not to blog about. You know how certain drinks or foods remind of you being sick…well ma’s nimbu sharbat is one of those drinks that you crave all the time…no matter the weather or your well being. So I am sharing this recipe for my ma’s limbiya/nimbu sharbat:

Ingredients:
Juice of 1 large lemon or lime (or 2 small lemon and lime)
1 ½ inch piece of ginger
5-6 tsp of sugar (more or less to your taste)
2 tsp of salt (more or less to your taste)
2 pieces of cardamom (elaichi)
2 cups of water
3-4 cubes of ice

To Make:
Juice the lemon/lime into a glass, fish out the seeds and set aside. Add the ginger and cardamom in a food processor/mixie and grind well. Add the cubes, lime juice, water, salt and sugar and grind further until all of the ingredients are blended well. Keep in mind that there will be ginger pieces visible. You will need to sieve this mixture once more to separate the ginger and cardamom pieces and serve.

Bhatji has been putting away about 3 glasses a day so far. Once I get back to NJ…I will probably make a large jar of nimbu sharbat so that he will get his daily vitamin c intake until he is fully recovered. I am looking forward to going back to my kitchen and whipping up some new recipes that I learned from my mom. She also gifted me her very first cook book and I am very excited about trying a few dishes out from that as well. Alright that’s it for this blog entry…I have a sick hubby to feed. Until the next blog entry…stay warm and healthy!!

PS (Photography by Swati Shenoy. I love my super talented lil sis :o)

“If you are chilly, here take my sweater. Your head is aching, I'll make it better”

2008-01-17T14:31:00.001-05:00

Cuz I love the way you call me baby.
And you take me the way I am.
I'd buy you Rogaine if you start losing all your hair.
Sew on patches to all you tear.
Cuz I love you more than I could ever promise.
And you take me the way I am.

DC is experiencing the first snowfall of the season and I gotta admit…I LOVE IT!! I mean I’m not really a fan of the cold winds and winter blues but there’s something quite delightful about snow. Snow brings me thoughts of hot chocolate, laughing over a small pot of fire and smores at Cosi, snow fights when we found out that there would be no school and old Hindi or English movies with loved ones. I wish I was with Bhatji in NJ sharing a blanket on and taking our nth nap together. Speaking of Bhatji…he has been extremely sick and actually decided to take off work. This is another reason I wish was with him so I could take care of him. I cant wait till tomorrow when we can be together again…5 days is long enough ;o) Ok enough of my sappy chatter.
Bhatji loves Mexican food….I think it’s got a lot to do with his days in Houston. TX does have amazing Mexican restaurants; come on this is the land that came up with the phrase “Tex Mex”. In fact I think that you could probably go to a Chinese restaurant and manage to order at least one Mexican dish hehe. So preparing a “really delicious” Mexican meal for me has always been a daunting task. I mean who wants to please a Tex Mex tasting expert. Unfortunately even though I would express my nervousness of making Mexican food for him but Bhatji would still request quesadillas, enchiladas etc. So I started slow with simple quesadillas that he would wolf down and shower me with compliments. Well this gave me the motivation to try other Mexican treats. While I was on my cooking binge last week…I came up with a yummy recipe for veggie enchiladas. It took a while to make but it was worth it to see the face on a satisfied Tex Mex fan ;o) so here is the recipe for” Vegetarian Enchiladas with green sauce.

Ingredients:
8-10 wheat tortillas
1 cup low fat ricotta cheese
¼ cup sour cream (or as per your taste)
Store bought Salsa
One can of refried beans
One can of green enchilada sauce (divided)
1 cup of shredded 4 cheese Mexican cheese
1/2 cup of red onions diced
½ cup of bell peppers diced
1 tbl spn of olive oil
1 tbl spn of cumin powder (divided)
1 tsp of chili powder
A few jalapenos (optional)
Salt to taste

To Make:
Preheat the oven at 375 degrees. Heat the oil and cook the onions and bell peppers until browned. Add 1 tsp of cumin powder, mix well and take off heat. In a large bowl add the following: Ricotta cheese, ½ cup of salsa, the remaining cumin powder, red chili powder, ¼ can of enchilada sauce and mix well until it is all integrated well with each other. On a large baking pan covered with foil, lay each tortilla out and in the middle start the stuffing process. First take a large spoon of refried beans and spread thoroughly on the tortilla. Then add little of the onion and bell pepper mixture and spread well. In the center of the tortilla add the ricotta/salsa mixture in a straight line. Add a dollop of sour cream and a few jalapenos on top of the ricotta mixture. Roll the sides of the tortilla into the center and repeat with other tortillas and line them on the baking pan. After you have filled the pan with 8-10 stuffed tortillas, pour the enchilada sauce evenly on top of the tortillas and add the shredded cheese roughly as much as you like on top as well. Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins until the cheese melted and the stuffing is warm. Serve hot.

I can’t say that this was as good as an authentic as a Tex Mex restaurant but it was very tasty and healthy since a lot of the ingredients were low fat. Give it a try! Until the next the scrumptious entry…..enjoy the snow with a bit of fiesta on the side ;o)

PS (I heart Ingrid Michaelson's song....All warm and fuzzy sounding ;o)

"Jyoth se Jyoth Jagaa. Pyaar se pyaar badaa"

2008-01-15T12:51:00.000-05:00

Loose translation of the words, Jyoth and Pyaar which represents any of the following and more:
Light up the Love
Light up with Knowledge and
Use Love to grow Love
Use Love to grow peace

Wishing my fellow desis a prosperous and fruitful Makara Sankranti. Sankranti is a festival celebrating the upcoming harvest year. People in India during the olden days would mark this day with a prayer for healthy and abundant harvest. Today it is considered an auspicious day to start over with a new life style and give thanks to all that the earth has provided us. Different states in India have various names for this festival but it is observed for the same reason.
One of my fondest memories of growing up in India is the way we celebrated each festival in a distinct way. During Makara Sankranti, schools and offices would be closed and most streets would be hustling and bustling with people visiting each other with goodies. My mom would wake up very early in the morning and wash her hair. You would think that because it was a holiday Mzswats and I would sleep in….but most festivals meant that we would actually be up and out running errands with mom. Sankranti was one of those holidays that I wouldn’t mind getting up for…because this was the day that I had a lot of fun things to do. My mom swats and I would circle the Tulsi plant asking for the long life of our family, good health, knowledge and peace. Following this my mom, swats and our maid would start on the rangoli in front of our house. I of course wasn’t really artistic and did my best to stay out of the way and be a good spectator.

Picture from google images
Then my mom would scamper around the kitchen preparing yummy traditional festive Konkani food: Mantapa saaru, Channa gashi, bibba upkari, Daalitoy, Alsanda upkari, Batata Vaagu, Pulihaar, Paayasu, etc. As long as the dish did not contain meat, onions and garlic…it was servable on this day.

Picture from: http://www.sailusfood.com/2007/04/09/pesara-pappu-payasam-moong-dal-payasam/
My bapama would decorate our Gods room and the idols with new jewelry etc...preparing for an evening puja. Mid afternoon my mom would make til god or tila laddu (sesame seeds laddu) and sakre bombe (sugar dolls or sugared sweets). Swats and I would dress up in our new Indian outfits and then visit out neighbors and friends with a box or plate full of these sweets. We would exchange them and get more sweets and then get back home in time for the puja. Following the puja we would have more yummy Konkani food and eat til gol and chant: Til god ghyaa ani god god bhola <- Eat sweet and speak sweet :o)
So please eat something sweet, say something sweet, think of this day as a day where you strive to be a better person and thank this earth for all that it has provided so far.
Happy Sankranti to all!

“I got to shine…now throw your hands up in the sky”

2008-01-11T15:20:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the good life
Fifty told me
Go head and switch them styles up
And if they hate then let them hate
And watch the money pile up

A very, very belated Happy New Year to you and yours. I know I’ve been MIA and I won’t make any excuses for not writing thus far. Post holidays and working from home has left me…apathetic to everything except sitting on my couch watching a marathon of HGTV, Food network shows and spending loads of time trying new dishes out in the kitchen. And I guess the writers strike has motivated me to have one of my own ;o) or maybe I’m just lazy….but personally I like the latter thought.
We never grew up celebrating Christmas or exchanging presents but this year Bhatji and I felt that this would make a good year to give something back to the family. So here is a quick recap of our Christmas gifts: I bought a Garmin for Bhatji, a Zune for my baby sis and a Macy’s gift card for my mommy and a trip that Bhatji and I are in the process of planning for my dad. This year I also received some really nice surprises from Bhatjis friends: I got a new Saki tasting set, a coach wallet (woot woot! Those boys spoil me :o) and I had asked for a donation in my name to AARDA to which my secret Santa generously obliged. Bhatji and I decided to spend New year’s eve at one of his friend’s places in NJ. A group of us watched the ball drop on TV and celebrated with lots of alcohol and a riveting game of charades – Men vs. Women (the women won!!)
I usually don’t do resolutions….because as my past has shown, I never stick by them. So this year I decided to make a resolution that I would actually enjoy retaining: To make new friends, maintain my older friendships and to keep in touch with my family more. I plan on emailing and calling people more and invite more people to join in my life and hobbies. Another small resolution I have thought up for myself is to: indulge in activities that keeps me happy like cooking and dance. Dance has always been my ultimate creative outlet….but more than that, it has also been a medium that bring about a sense of equilibrium in my life. I think every one needs that outlet or a way of feeling at peace…..Ms.Chai meditates, my mother in law chants and goes on walks, my sister draws or paints, my aunt is a part of a knitting club and my mom cooks. I take inspiration from all these women…props for doing whatever it is that makes you joyful and at peace.
Now on to the recipe part of this blog: Weekends are really precious to us….especially because Bhatji and I love sleeping in and then waking up to eat brunch. We don’t always go out to brunch so I am always up for the challenge of coming up with new and interesting brunch dishes. After rummaging through some cook books that my mom gave me, I found this simple recipe for a breakfast tostada with waffles. It turned out to be extremely delicious. So here is the recipe for brunch tostada with waffles (yep I changed the name)
Adapted from The costco cook book

Ingredients:
4 eggo waffles
3 eggs
4 slices of turkey bacon
2 medium tomatoes diced
½ cup of cheese any kind (I used shredder cheddar cheese)
2-3 tbl spns of salsa
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

To Make:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the waffles as you normally would. Cook the bacon slices in a frying pan until crispy and then crumble into small pieces. Make the scrambled eggs and add salt and pepper to taste. Top each waffle with 2 spoons of scrambled egg, a spoon full of bacon pieces, a spoon of diced tomatoes, cheese as much as you like. Bake in the oven till the cheese is melted – for about 8-10 minutes. Now add a small spoon of salsa on top and serve hot. This recipe serves 2 but you can add more waffles and eggs to serve more.

It’s a simple and tasty way to start your mornings…err…afternoon off. Well until the next entry…. Compose resolutions that make YOU happy.

Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight

2007-12-25T22:57:00.000-05:00

Santa baby, just slip a sable under the tree, for me
Been an awful good girl
Santa baby so hurry down the chimney tonight
Think of all the fun I've missed,
Think of all the fellows that I haven't kissed
Next year I could be just as good
If you check off my christmas list

Happy Holidays folks. Will be back in full swing once the Xmas fruitcake is all gone ;o)

“I know you little libertine, I know you're a cannonball”

2007-12-18T16:11:00.000-05:00

In the shade, in the shade
Want you coocoo cannonball
Want you coocoo cannonball
Spitting in a wishing well
Blown to hell
Crash
I'm the last splash

Is it the weekend yet? Time has (on purpose I think) slowed itself down in an attempt to torture us with anticipation for the upcoming very long weekend. I recently found out that we get Dec 24th off as a paid holiday as well…soooooo its going to be a 4 day long weekend! Bhatji and I are going to be in Houston starting this Friday until Dec 25th. I am looking forward to the warm weather (its going to be in the early 60’s to 70’s!!) and quality time with lots of Bhatji’s friends. Also I will be trying my hand at some new dishes once there….probably something in the appetizer genre for an Xmas party.
Speaking of appetizers, have I ever told yall how much I love love love Tapas. I know I have mentioned my love for little things and Tapas fall under this category….that and they are an amazing concept because you get try different dishes and not feel like a fat cow! When I was younger growing up in India, my mom had a bought a mini kitchen set for me and my sister. This kitchen set included a small gas cylinder, little plates and cups, little cooking spoons, spatulas and steel cookware. I was never much into playing with the set because I was such a tom boy. My sister however convinced me a few times to play “house” with her and we would cook real rice with salty water (we would call it daal) and serve dinner to all our friends. When I tried my first Tapas restaurant called Jaleo, all those childhood memories of little plates and food came flooding back. Although the food wasn’t served in plates like the ones we used to play with, the quantity of the food was similar. I managed to get Bhatji hooked on to Tapas as well and we would enjoy a good round of Tapas alongside some Sangria. Our favorite dish at any good Tapas place is Patatas Bravas literally meaning Brave potatoes. It’s a basic recipe of roasted potatoes topped with strong garlic flavored sauce called Allioli. It makes for an amazing appetizer/finger food and recently I tried my hand at making this dish. Bhatji was surprised how close the taste of my version was to that of Jaleo or La Tasca. I think its going to be one of those repeated dishes in our household :o) so this is the recipe for Patatas Bravas adapted from here with a few tweaks:

Ingredients for the roasted potatoes:
3 large potatoes
1 ½ tabl spn olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for the Allioli:
1 egg yolk
½ tbl spn vinegar
1/3 cup of olive
¼ cup peanut oil
3 tbl spns garlic paste
Salt and pepper to taste
Warm water as needed

To Make:
Preheat you over to 375°F. Halve and then quarter the potatoes and place them on an aluminum foil sheet in a baking pan. Spread the oil, slat and pepper on the potatoes and mix with hands to make sure that the oil, salt and pepper is evenly covered on all the potatoes. Arrange in a single layer and bake in the oven for 45-50 mins until the potatoes are brown.
Now for the Allioli, add the oils in a bowl and mix well. Separate the yolk from an egg (I saved the white for next day’s breakfast) and add to the bowl. Whisk until the yolk is completely mixed in with the oils. Add the garlic paste, vinegar and salt and pepper and whisk it some more. Add warm water to liquefy but keep in mind this is supposed to be a thick milk shake like consistency.
One the potatoes are done, add them on individual serving plate and drizzle the Allioli on top of the potatoes. Or you can serve the sauce on the side and serve potatoes in small bowl with tooth picks.

It’s a very simple recipe and very popular with most folks who like potatoes and garlic. I was tempted to serve Sangria along with this but didn’t have the right ingredients for it. Bhatji enjoyed the dish with beer and the game while I nibbled away enjoying a good book on a cold Sunday afternoon. Definitely give this recipe a try. Until the next blogging inspiration…..Stay warm :o)
Just entered this in the THINK SPICE - THINK GARLIC event promoted by Sunita :)

“All hot gals put your hands up and say, Om Shanti Om”

2007-12-12T23:45:00.000-05:00

Dilbar hai dilkash hai dildaar nazare hain
Aaj zameen per utre kitne sitare hai
Atlo hosh na mi danam, hum hai dil hai aur janam
Bas deewangi deewangi deewangi hai
Na koi rahe sam rahe per, yeh ilzaam lage kisper
Bas deewangi deewangi deewangi hai

Ahh yes the FOB in me is bursting and all out! I’ve been meaning to write my review for the new Hindi movie Om Shanti Om for a while now. Last month on one of my many long weekends in NJ with Bhatji, I was able to convince him to check out this new Hindi movie that was all the rave. I wanted to see and support the hot new actress, Deepika Padukone, who just happens to be KONKANI!! Bhatji was a lil apprehensive at first…Hindi movies aren’t really his thing although he grew up watching a few classic Hindi films…but after much coaxing and promises to make his favorite dishes, he agreed. One of the good things about our move to NJ is that if we ever crave anything Indian…anything…including Hindi movies, it’s all a hop, skip and 3 exits away. So no excuses, we were going to the matinee show on a lazy Sunday afternoon. The movie itself was entertaining…definitely not the best movie I have seen but not bad for mindless amusement. The dances sequences were interesting representing choreography from English and Hindi movies circa 1960's. Shah Rukh Khan….well he sucked! True he built up this macho body for some top less scenes but he couldn’t hide his age and actually looked ridiculous playing opposite someone so young as his leading lady. Deepika Padukone looked amazing portraying a 1960’s-1970’s era Hindi actress. However she looked a lil too ditsy as a current actress wanna be but still not too bad for a new actress. My favorite feature of the whole movie was definitely the costumes, hair and jewelry. They definitely captured the feel of the 60-70’s hair and outfits and Deepika carried it all beautifully. The songs were pretty good too…so all in all not a total loss of a Sunday afternoon. Bhatji was happy with his eye candy…I wish we women had more to see :o( I am just glad to see Konkani folks doing it big in Bollywood.

“If they can't raise my interest then I have to let them be; Coz every body’s….”

2007-12-10T12:02:00.000-05:00

Living in a material world
And I am a material girl
You know that we are living in a material world
And I am a material girl

It feels odd to be back in the MD/DC area again since pretty much all of last week I was in NJ. All the road trips back and forth have lead to lots of cd collections…and this weekend’s drive down included Madonna’s all time hits…hence the blog song ;o)
In more news my parents got back from India this past weekend and brought back tons of goodies like Indian snacks and desserts, clothing (for all the weddings I have to attend next year) and lots of old school Hindi dvds and cds. Yay for trips to the mother land! My folks have already got back into the groove of life….they unpacked, cooked huge meals and pretty much are back at work like they never left. I wonder if I’ll have as much energy as they do at any point of my life. I mean after driving 3 hours for NJ…all I wanna do is lay on my bed and wind down. Ahh I guess I’m ok with my lazy right now :o)
As I have mentioned in my previous posts that this winter is too cold too soon. It snowed a bit last week and the temperatures have been low since the start of Nov. With the arrival for winter not only do we dress accordingly but we also start to cook and eat accordingly. Soups, hot drinks, hot and spicy entrees and sides are just some of the many dishes I crave…so last week I made piping cauliflower pakoras or as us konkani’s call it, cauliflower bajho (fritters). Along with tea this appetizer is sure to be a pleaser during the short winter days. Here is my recipe for Cauliflower fritters:

Ingredients:
A small head of cauliflower
1 cup of besan
1 tbl spn of corn flour
½ tbl spn of green chilli paste
2 tbl spn of garlic & ginger paste
1/3 – ½ cup of Canola oil
Salt to taste
Water as needed

To Make:
Make a paste of the besan, corn flour and salt using water. Make sure this paste is not too thick or too thin. If it is either just add more water or besan. Add the 2 tbl spn of ginger and garlic paste and mix well. Add the green chilli paste and more water if needed. Mix well and set aside. Break the cauliflower head into smaller florets (you can make these as small or big as you’d like) In a deep frying pan heat the 1/3 to ½ cup of oil. Dip the florets into the besan paste and fry till browned well. You will have to work in batches and make sure the oil does not splatter while you drop the florets into the hot oil. Serve hot with hot and sweet sauce and tea :o)

This is perfect for the winter weather and a great snack for a day of movie marathon, cuddling with your better half under the blanket. Maybe winter isn’t such a bad time after all ;o) Until the next blog entry…anticipate the holidays!

“Work it harder make it better, do it faster makes us stronger”

2007-12-06T17:48:00.000-05:00

Now that that don't kill me
Can only make me stronger
I need you to hurry up now
Cause I can't wait much longer
I know I got to be right now
Cause I can't get much wronger
Man I been waitin' all night now
That's how long I've been on ya
I need ya right now

I am sitting in my jammies all day and working from home! I am in NJ with Bhatji since my work from home finally came through. I have to be in DC every other week but this is still better nothing. So this whole week I have been working away and getting some much cleaning done around the apt. I have also been cooking up a storm because Bhatji has been pretty much fending for himself the last 2 months and I knew he would love to come home to some real home cooking :o) Obviously this means that I have some new recipes to share with you guys.
Growing up in Mysore, India I was very used to my mom preparing authentic Indian meals that wowed us. One such dish was Stuffed Bell peppers, which is typically a very Marathi dish but I know many other Indian communities make their own, as did my mom. After I married Bhatji, I learned his likes and dislikes in cooking and one day while I was reading some recipes for Marathi dishes I saw Nupur’s recipe for Bharli Mirchi which is stuffed bell pepper. I asked Bhatji if he liked stuffed bell pepper and he immediately responded with a big yes and that he hadn’t eaten it a long time. So of course I took it on as a challenge and looked up my mom’s recipe. I was very nervous since I have never made anything stuffed…..and it looked complicated; but to my surprise it was actually easy and it came out quite well and Bhatji liked it a lot. So I think I will be making it more often now. Here is my recipe for Stuffed bell peppers:

Ingredients:
3 large green bell peppers
1 medium onion chopped
4 tbl spn of besan
½ tspn of sugar
½ tspn of turmeric powder
½ tspn of chilli powder
1 tspn of cumin powder
1 tspn of coriander powder
A pinch of hing
2 tbl spn of olive oil
Water as needed
Salt

To Make:
Cut each large bell pepper in 2 equal halves so it shapes like a cup for the stuffing and keep aside. In a saucepan add the besan and “roast” it on low heat for about 5 mins to get rid of the rawness…do not add oil or water. In another pan, add a 1 tbls spn of oil and cook the onions for a few mins add the roasted besan to this and mix well. Add the sugar, turmeric powder, chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, hing and salt and make sure all ingredients are mixed in well. Add a little less than ¼ cup of water and make sure that the mixture is not too liquidy (if it is add more besan). Mix well so it would make a good stuffing. Add lime juice to the mix and set aside. Take a big spoon full of the stuffing and stuff into each half of the bell pepper. Do not over stuff as the bell pepper when cooked is going to soften and break. Just one table spoon full should do. In a deep pan add one tblspn of oil and add the 6 half pieces of the stuffed bell pepper and cook them on medium heat with the lid on for about 15 mins. If the bell pepper browns and softens, then the dish is done!

Needless to say Bhatji will be asking for more. Now that I have mastered bell peppers I think I am going to try eggplants, okra etc. and of course I am going to share those recipes as well…..but for now definitely try this recipe out. Until the next blog entry….enjoy the almost holiday season ;o)

“Right across from where I'm standing, on the dance floor she was landing”

2007-11-28T12:09:00.000-05:00

She's just a cosmic girl
From another galaxy
My heart's at zero gravity
She's from a cosmic world
I need you, I want you to be my cosmic girl
For the rest of time

Another year has come and gone. I don’t feel like I am 28 today. Life is good though…no complaints other than the distance thing with the hubby which will end soon. I’m happy to have another year of good health, a wonderful husband, great friends and family and hope that it continues. Hopefully I will be dancing the floor off for the bday celebrations ;o)

Thanks to everyone who remembered and called/emailed with all the heartfelt bday wishes. You are all so…..cosmic!!

“We do what we do and we do what we live”

2007-11-26T13:11:00.000-05:00

The scent of a room that reminds me of u
A hint of perfume it remind me of u
Take a look at the moon it remind me of u
Hope the stars and the gods
Align me and you

Happy post Thanksgiving! I hope that all of you had a wonderful, safe and food filled thanksgiving. I am currently reeling from a 4 day food comatose and missing a house filled with kids. Sigh. After every Chicago trip…I miss my niece and nephew like crazy. I sometimes think I hear my 3 month old niece crying or my 3 year old nephew knocking on our door around 9.00 AM asking us to play with him. Ahhh I love kids! Although I am not ready to have my own just yet, it’s good to know that I will enjoy parenthood when the time comes. But as of right now I am enjoying just being a couple.
Recently I was looking at my group of young friends and family that have moved for college and Post College for jobs. I must say that I give all of them credit for building a new life in a new place. Some have friends in the areas they end up moving to, but some actually know no one and start a new social life. I have realized that building a new social scene is very tough….especially because you don’t know venues to meet new people or are afraid of being the new face trying to break through in an already existing clique. Most of all it is hard to find one or two like minded people who you can go out with and expand from there. Bhatji and I were thinking recently that we are lucky that we have each other….we can chance going to a happy hour or to a bar and even if we don’t meet a group, we look at it as time well spent together. So far Bhatji and I have a few couple friends in the NY/NJ area that we know from each others past. But I can see the challenge in meeting new people if we moved to some random place like Ohio, Georgia etc. I think it’s hard to meet couples but it’s definitely harder for single people in new areas to meet other singles. Is internet the only way to connect with folks? Or are you doomed to the option of finding someone in college to date and marry? Or is the ever popular bar scene still a venue to meet young interesting people? When I was single…I was always out and about. Every opportunity I got to go out, I would. I would be the event planner of my group. Even if it was me and one person I would make the best of it. I would look at every outing as a possibility to grow in to a group or meet someone. I have a few good friends that are single and well….a little bitter. Past dating experiences have left them jilted and or they have given up all hope of trying to go out of their way to meet new folks. Some also feel that their friends don’t take the initiative to go out either. I have thought about setting them up with groups or some potential dates but…I myself don’t have a big single group to dip into. So here is my question to everyone who had the fortitude and energy to move to a new city, new coast or a country: How do you get out and meet new people? Where do you start…especially if you don’t know anyone in your new surroundings? Are joining new activities and clubs the way to go?

“Oooh what’s the fun in playing it safe? Oooh I think I'd rather misbehave”

2007-11-19T16:39:00.001-05:00

I've got a bad boy and that's alright with me
His dirty laundry is nothing that I can't keep clean
And when he needs an alibi
He can use me all night

Where the heck did fall go? I mean we had a gorgeous summer and then an abrupt onset of winter! Its 40 degrees every morning when I leave for work; I feel unprepared for the frosty winds. Most of my sweaters and winter wear are in NJ…so I keep borrowing long sleeved shirts and sweaters from my sis. Luckily we fit into each others clothes for most part…but I am sure she’ll start getting sick of me going through her closet. Damn you winter! I guess on a more positive note…winter also means the beginning of the holiday season. Thanksgiving is this week and by the time you finish basting that turkey and gorge on all that wonderful thanksgiving sides and desserts, its time for Christmas. Usually my mom would host thanksgiving but my folks are attending weddings and enjoying a much needed vacation in India. So this thanksgiving Bhatji, Mswats and I are all going to Chicago to spend time with my sister in law and her 2 lil ones. I sometimes wonder…if I’ll ever grow up and host thanksgiving dinners myself. I really doubt it though…my mom and my sister in law are fabulous cooks, so I actually enjoy doing the eating rather than the cooking. I play a pretty good chef’s helper :o)

What do you guys think of the new blog design? My sis was gracious enough to take an hour of her time and redo it for me. She thought it would be neat to go with a foodie style theme to match my foodie style blogging personality ;o) I am really envious of her talent…this probably would have taken me weeks. But she sat down and typed up a whole bunch of code gibberish and voila!! A new foodie blog is created. God, I love being connected ;o) Let us know what you guys think.
Now on to our recipe corner of this blog.
Bhatji loves Garbanzo beans…..he loves any kind of beans but I have noticed that Garbanzo/Chickpeas are by far his favorite. Garbanzo beans are a great source of proteins so I try to make as many dishes as possible with Garbanzo…especially if I am not preparing any meat dishes. One such simple yet an Indian favorite recipe is Channa Chole. Chole is very popular in Punjab, India and is actually consumed as a breakfast with Bhatura and lassi. Although we never eat it as a breakfast since it’s a lil heavier for our taste….we still enjoy this dish for lunch or dinner. Here is a simple Chole recipe that my mom gave me. It’s quick and absolutely delectable.

Ingredients:
1 canned garbanzo beans
1canned tomato
1 medium onion finely chopped
1 ½ tsp of Shaan Punjabi Chole Masala
1 tbl spn olive oil
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish

To make:
Heat the oil in a deep pan and add the onions. Sauté until the onions are a little browned. Add the canned tomato and sauté until the juices start to let out for about 5-6 minutes. Add the Garbanzo beans and fill the empty garbanzo beans can with water about ¾ ways and add to the pan. Add the Punjabi Chole Masala and stir until the Masala is mixed in will all the ingredients. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes. Add salt to taste. Take off the heat and garnish with coriander. Serve with rotis or toasted bread. You can also make channa chat but I’ll save that for another post.
Try this yummy recipe out! That’s all for this blog entry; till the next time, bundle up!

PS (Love this band called Bitter::Sweet. And its founded by a fellow desi who also plays the keyboards and electronic instruments for all the songs. Check them out!)

“I feel like I’m drowning in the ocean, somebody come and take me away”

2007-11-13T21:13:00.000-05:00

Uh uh uh uh oh ooh
why’d you have to go-oh
away from home
me love

I figured that since its Diwali and all, it would be a good time to jump start my blog again. Also some of you have emailed and Imed me to check and see where I am and what I’ve been up to. First of all thank you for all those who were inquisitive enough to motivate me and tell you about my whereabouts and such.
Before I left on vacation I had told everyone how I was going to be moving to NJ with Bhatji in Oct and that I would be able to work from home. Well after we came back from vacation I was sad to hear that the project that my team was supposed to start on was given to another group. My boss basically said that there was no chance that I was going to be able to work from home. Instead he said that I might have to stay for a while in the DC area and finish off a project before I moved anywhere. After some discussion with Bhatji, we decided that I would stay back in DC with my folks….temporarily…until the end of Nov and he would move to NJ. I will be joining him in NJ in early Dec but as of right now we are doing the distance thing again! All through summer I was miserable because of the distance and I can’t believe that I am going through it all over again. The only solace is that I am not living by myself this time around. I am surrounded by family and I don’t really feel the loneliness that I felt during the summer. This also means that I have been spending tons of time with my sis and my folks until they left for India this past weekend. So it’s not all bad. However it’s Bhatji who is feeling lonely in a new city…all by himself. Every other weekend he comes down to visit and I go up weekends as well. But no matter how wonderful each weekend is….come Sunday, both of us are miserable knowing that we will be away from each other for a full week until the following weekend. I am counting days when I will complete my project here and head up north. In other news…I am working on a project in Germantown which cuts down on my commute time immensely. There is nothing like getting to and back from work in 10 mins and going against traffic each time :o)
I will be writing another entry soon containing recipes and such but for now I had promised that I would share pics from my Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand vacation; I have finally uploaded my pics from Singapore. I will post the pics one country at a time…so for now check out the pics from our Singapore vacation. Enjoy!

PS (I know the pictures are kinda small and fast so just double click on the slideshow to see the pictures in a larger format and slower speed)

Happy Diwali to all my fellow Desi's!!

2007-11-09T09:37:00.000-05:00

Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram
Patita Pavan Sita Ram

I pray that this new year bring you all prosperity, knowledge, good health and peace. Happy Diwali!

“Yehi sach hai shaayad maine pyaar kiya”

2007-09-25T17:14:00.000-04:00

Aate jaate hanste gaate
Socha tha maine mann mein kai baar
Tum kaun ho batla to do
Kyon karne lagi main tumpe aitbaar

HELLO WORLD!! How have you all been?? I Just got back from my wonderful vacation from Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. I have a few pictures to share and lots and lots of recipes :o) In fact most of my pictures will be of food! The food in all three countries was fantastic…but Bhatji and I hands down loved Singapore food and culture. The country is so modern and well maintained that we didn’t miss the US once through our 5 days there. It’s so clean that everyone eats at hawker stalls because they’re cheaper and offer authentic Malay food. Singaporeans rarely go to restaurants unless it is to celebrate something. And eating out at a decent restaurant is ridiculously expensive. Fortunately we had a wonderful driver who showed us all that we needed to see in Singapore and we ate at the most authentic Malay food stalls ever. Bhatji and I were in foodie heaven. Singapore’s night life is hoppin poppin with lots of beautiful people and interesting bars and clubs. Alcohol is expensive in comparison to the US…for example a bottle of the local beer called Tiger beer...is about 10-15 Singaporean dollars = US$ 7-10. But it’s still worth checking out the night life especially in the area called Clark Quay. I recommend Singapore highly as a fun travel spot.
Malaysia was fun as well. Kuala Lumpur is definitely a must see for the majestic PETRONAS towers and Genting highlands. We had heard in Singapore that Malaysia is not as clean as Singapore and to avoid eating at the hawker stalls, so Bhatji and I were a bit weary to trying the local foods at smaller stalls. However we still enjoyed some good food at decent restaurants that weren’t too pricey. And we also checked out the night life since there was a row of restaurants, pubs and clubs right across the street from our hotel. Again all the young Malaysian know how to have a great time and the music was awesome! Malaysia and Singapore has a big South Indian population that are settled there for years so we also indulged in some super authentic south Indian food such as enormous paper dosas and the softest idlis that you can probably only get in Chennai. I know you can get these even in the US but trust me when I say that you cannot compare the tastes at all! The Tamil population there know how to make their dosas :o)
Thailand was the least of our favorites. Probably because it was over populated with horrific traffic and the dirtiest out of the 3 countries and because I was comparing it to Singapore and Malaysia (I know it’s a completely different country with a different culture but I couldn’t help it!) Nevertheless, the people are kind, the country is brimming with culture and the food is amazing. But you can get really great Thai food here in the US as well. The only difference was that there were things on the menus there that I hadn’t seen in the US. I tried a few new things and they were delicious! However the curries are pretty much the same here. The other thing that wasn’t tourist friendly was that everything in Bangkok is a 3 hour drive away. In one day we spent almost 6 hours total in a car, getting to the floating market, river Kwai, elephant trekking and the tiger temple and getting back to the hotel. Also we made the mistake of booking a one day flight to Phuket and back to Bangkok. Phuket is experiencing the monsoon season right now so when we got to the hotel we only got a few hours on the beach before it started pouring rain but Bhatji and I made the most of it and relaxed in our amazing hotel room. And yes we had taken the One Two Go airlines to Phuket the day before the dreadful crash! In fact I believe it was the same plan that had brought us to Bangkok that crashed on its way back to Phuket. Bhatji and I were definitely shaken up a little and we vowed never to take discount flights again…..well at least for right now.
All in our entire trip was marvelous and I am really glad that we took the time to make such an incredible trip before Bhatji begins his busy work life. There is lots more I would like to share but I just wanted to pen some quick thoughts into my blog…just so that people knew that I am alive and back....safe and sound :o) Keep an eye for some pictures that I will posting soon. That’s all for now folks….Happy autumn.

“Here comes the sun, here comes the sun, and I say it's all right”

2007-08-29T14:48:00.000-04:00

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun, here comes the sun
And I say it's all right
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes...

Love this Beatles song posted on my blog “Here comes the sun”
Ahhh…I can’t hold it in any longer….now that everything is confirmed I am finally able to share our wonderful “secret” that I have been eluding to in most of my blog entries the last few weeks. Bhatji and I are about to experience a huge change….actually it’s more of a huge change for me. So drum roll please!! Bhatji and I are moving to NYC area this Oct! :o)
Yea, yea I know that most of you must have thought that I must be pregnant…especially with the opening sentences of this blog entry. But no babies until Bhatji and I are growed up our selves.
So here are more details about the move: Bhatji accepted an offer with the company where he was doing his summer internship. The offer was too good to give up because the experience at such a huge financial firm will only open up more future career opportunities for Bhatji and the pay is great as well! Now most of you know that I am not the biggest of fan of NYC. Don’t get me wrong, I love visiting it every chance I get; the people are busy but nice, the food and shopping is awesome! But living in the city is not really something Bhatji and I want to do….especially not for the ridiculous high rents for the smallest apartments. So after doing some serious apt hunting we decided on living in Rutherford, NJ. It’s a cute suburban town about 8 miles outside NYC and the apt we found is right across the street from public transportation so the commute to the city will be about 20 mins. For an added bonus we already know some friends who live in the building. Our one bedroom apt's rent is definitely much cheaper than a small studio or one bedroom in the city. And it has all the amenities such as parking included, washer dryer in the unit and a gym in the building...so I guess a luxury apt if you will with the added benefit that we can go into the city whenever we want. We are very happy with our decision. This way we also save some money for some major traveling we are planning on doing in the coming year. I am excited!! This will be my first big move within the US. When we moved from India we moved to Maryland and I have been here ever since. I was never averse to the thought of moving but never really needed to. So moving to NJ which is only a 3 ½ drive from Maryland is still a pretty big deal….for me. I also lucked out because my company is allowing me to work from home and to commute back to DC every other week and work on site for 2-3 days! The pressure to find a new job (at least for now) is off and I am happy that I am able to stay home for the majority of the working month.
Our upcoming vacation is fully planned out, our hotels are booked and I am contacting guides in various areas. Our first stop is Singapore, where we are spending 4 days at my father in law’s banks guest house. Then we are going to take a fun train trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and stay downtown for 3 days. I did some research on what places to see and the best restaurants etc. We will then be taking a flight into Bangkok and staying downtown for 2 days and then one day in Phuket, Thailand. I have read reviews on how beautiful Phuket is and that this lil beach town is a honeymooner’s favorite spot in Thailand. What I am truly excited about this vacation is not just the culture filled countries endowed with natural beauty but the FOOD! I love Singaporean, Malay and Thai food! I have full intentions to consume as much food in all three countries as I possibly can. Even if this means that I will be gaining tons of weight…although I hear the food there is like eating in India….you can eat in plenty and not gain an ounce. We leave next Wednesday and get back on the 19th. 2 Weeks of awesome vacation time with Bhatji…it’s been a long time coming.
Whew….so glad that I was finally able to share all the good news. The future calls for new adventures and I for one am getting in the front seat to see what life will throw my way.

“Summer rain whispers me to sleep and wakes me up again”

2007-08-23T10:27:00.000-04:00

Storming outside, rain
She keeps me home
Quiet conversation makes me warm
So
Summer rain
Whispers me to sleep
And wakes me up again
Sometimes I swear I hear her call my name
To wash away the pain
My summer rain

Did yall miss me :o)?? I am super busy with….well life! Bhatji and I have been taking full advantage of his time at home with no school and no work. He is soooo different. He’s more playful, fun, sweet, and just an absolute pleasure to be around. He drops me off and picks me up from work. When I get home, the house is spotless and sometimes even plans for dinner have been made. Best of all he sleeps in with me since he has nothing to worry about….no school work. Sigh…I love being married to him.
It’s been raining this whole week….its sooo gloomy but Bhatji and I spend most of our time lying on our futon. I am so glad that Bhatji and I decided to grill last week. Our apt comes with an awesome state of the art grill that we can use as residents anytime. So last week Bhatji decided to make his famous Turkey burgers. Now Bhatji can’t really cook. I mean he can do the whole microwave thing but cooking….where you need to cut veggies and pick out spices….yea that’s not really his thing. But his burgers are phenomenal!! I mean they are by far the best burgers I have ever eaten…and I am not being partial. Best of all he enjoys making them; maybe because he’s working meat and usually he uses his George foremen grill. So he was super excited to use the grill and play with fire. I don’t know what it is about men with meat and fire…but they love grilling! Anyway here is the recipe for Bhatji style burgers:
Ingredients:
3 lbs of ground turkey
Cajun seasoning
Black pepper
Cayenne pepper
Chili powder
Mince Garlic paste
Garlic seasoning
Season all salt
Lemon Pepper
Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
Worcester sauce

To make:
In a big bowl empty out the 3 lbs of ground turkey. Pat and knead the meat like you would dough. Then on the top of the meat start adding each spice until it covers the top layer of the meat. For example, spread the Cajun seasoning on the top layer of the meat until it is fully covered with the seasoning. Then add the black pepper until it fully covers the meat followed by cayenne pepper and so on and so forth. Save the Worcester sauce till he end. And go easy on the chili powder and crushed red pepper. Also feel free to add extra minced garlic paste. One you have added all the spices, mix and knead the meat so all the spices get integrated well into the meat. Then pat the meat again and start the process again. Add each spice again and then mix and knead. After the second round of spice adding, mixing and kneading…you can start making the patties. Take the meat and ball it up into any size you would like your burgers to be and then pat to make the patties. If they are a decent size you should be able to make 4-5 burgers with 3 lbs of meat.Keep in mind not to make the patties too small because when you cook them they shrink.

They were sooo good. I bought wheat buns, cut tomatoes and onions. For the condiments I had ketchup, hot mustard and Bhatji loves his A1 sauce.
Try this recipe out and tell me what you think. Of course wait till it’s a beautiful sunny day...until then enjoy the summer rain.

Happy Indian Independence day!

2007-08-15T14:39:00.000-04:00

Happy Independence day to all my fellow Indians :o)

“Summertime, and the livin' is easy”

2007-08-15T12:04:00.000-04:00

Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry

One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky
But till that morning
There's a'nothing can harm you
With daddy and mamma standing by

Summertime,
And the livin' is easy
Fish are jumpin'
And the cotton is high
Your daddy's rich
And your mamma's good lookin'
So hush little baby
Don't you cry

I know I have been gone too long but I have been way too busy these days. Bhatji is home full time now but the decision making and work load has not reduced. If anything it is the busiest we have ever been! I have lots to share but unfortunately everything is up in the air right now so until things are solidified. Just like the adage “don’t count your eggs” Id rather not write about something then have to retract it.
The best news that I would like to share is that I am now a new aunt of a beautiful baby girl. Rhea Ganpule was born on Aug 4th at 12.05 pm. My sister in law and the baby are doing well. Our upcoming trip to Chicago should be so much fun! My mom and I have been shopping for lil baby clothes and baby goodies. Awww I love babies!!
I know short blog entry but soon I will be sharing several pieces of good news!! Until then have an easy summertime :o)

Anshul and his new lil sister, Rhea
PS (I love Fantasia’s version of the “Porgy and Bess” summertime song. It’s so hopeful…which is what I am feeling right now. It fits Rhea’s birth announcement too:o)

“Summer came like cinnamon, so sweet”

2007-08-03T16:19:00.000-04:00

Maybe sometimes, we've got it wrong, but it's alright
The more things seem to change, the more they stay the same
Oh, don't you hesitate.
Girl, put your records on, tell me your favorite song
You go ahead, let your hair down
Sapphire and faded jeans, I hope you get your dreams,
Just go ahead, let your hair down.
You're gonna find yourself somewhere, somehow.

I really have nothing to share other than the pure fact that I am looking forward to planning out our Pan Asian trip coming up this September. We have a few more hotels to book in Thailand and I need to do some serious research as to what are all places I should see when I am there. I also need to talk to a few folks to plan out our trip in Singapore and Malaysia. Once we get it all done I will update my blog with all the juicy details :o) So yes this is a really short entry but I wanted to wish you all a wonderful and relaxing summer weekend.

A beach in Patay...Thailand!! WOOT WOOT!

“In the summertime when the weather's high”

2007-08-01T00:50:00.000-04:00

You can stretch right up and touch the sky,
When the weather's fine,
We go fishing or go swimming in the sea.
We're always happy,
Life's for living, yeah, that's our philosophy

Its amazing how my days are going by so fast…even if it means spending time lazing outside :o) Bhatji is back! And needless to say life has resumed itself as if he had never left. This also means that I am cooking again and busy spending time with him. It is super hot during the days but in the evenings you can catch me and Bhatji lounging in our balconies with a beer or lemonade. Ahh there’s nothing like lounging on your papasan, enjoying a warm evening breeze while the sun is setting. I am super excited because today Bhatji is making his famous turkey burgers and we are actually gonna grill outdoors! Of course I will blog this event so you won’t miss on the juicy recipe. Men get so excited when it comes to grilling and it will be interesting to see him cook something without any help from me :o)
Last night all Bhatji was craving was soup and salad. Basically one thing that I have noticed that the summer weather makes you crave lighter meals and cool drinks. So I made a very summer salad. Here are the ingredients I chose that will guarantee a perfect meal to enjoy out on your balcony.
Ingredients:
A Salad bag from your grocery store (Fresh express salads have lettuce, carrots and radishes)
1 medium cucumber thinly sliced (farmers market product)
1 small red onion cut thin and long
1 small banana pepper cut thin (farmers market product)
2 tbl spn of olive oil
1 tbl spn vinegar
1 can of garbanzo beans or red kidney beans
Parmesan cheese as needed to sprinkle on top
Salt and pepper to taste
And any dressing you like. I love the red vinaigrette and Bhatji loves Italian dressing

To Make:
In a big bowl mix all ingredients listed above except the banana pepper, cheese and dressing. One all the veggies blend well you serve the salad in a bowl. Add the banana pepper if you like some kick to your salad and sprinkle cheese according to taste. Finally add the dressing of your preference and enjoy.

You can also add pickled jalapeno or banana peppers for a sourish tinge but personally I prefer a spicy kick to my salad. It goes perfect with the sweet red vinaigrette. You can also throw a few pieces of apples and walnuts for a sweeter taste. There’s nothing like a sweet and tangy salad and a cold glass of beer or buttermilk to create a seamless summer evening. Until the next spicy blog entry…indulge in a perfect summer meal :o)

“In the summertime girls got it going on, shake and wiggle to a hip hop song”

2007-07-27T14:19:00.000-04:00

New Kids On The block, had a bunch of hits
Chinese food makes me sick.
And I think its fly when girls stop by for the summer, for the summer
I like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch,
I'd take her if I had one wish,
But she's been gone since that summer
Since that summer

I am so happy that it is finally Friday!! Bhatji will be home soon and for good, 2 of my favorite lil girls, Sumi and Tina are staying with me and I love my dance class students! Whew…I am not sure how I have been able to contain all this excitement but I think that the summer sun has also put me in an extremely good mood. It’s very hot outside but I love it! I just went to the farmers market right outside my building and bought plums, cucumbers and banana peppers and it cost me only $3! Can you believe it? I mean I know farmers markets usually are a lil on the pricier end compared to super markets but you know you are getting quality veggies and fruits and you also know you are doing a small but very valuable contribution in saving the environment. Most supermarkets ship their produce from all parts of the country and import from other countries as well. These ships require tons of gas and also they emit masses of terrible waste and gaseous matter that pollute our environment. Also by the time the super markets get these products, a lot of them loose their freshness and some go bad. The local farmers usually drive no more than an hour to set up shop in your neighborhood which means they are using less petroleum and you are getting fresh quality products that have been picked out just the day before. These products taste yummy and they last longer in your refrigerator as well. Also at the farmers market you will see a lot of the local farmers with signs that say “no Pesticides” which means that their veggies and fruits are healthier for your body and for the Earth :o) I know its hard to shop at Farmers Markets all the time….especially if you live in a city where the colder months are long and Farmers markets can be a little harder on your wallet. But even if you buy a few fruits, flowers, veggies or even their baked goods you can be healthier while going green. So visit your local farmers market today!
Ok enough commercials about bettering your self and the environment and on to the foodie section of the blog. This past week I went out to lots of social dinners but on Wednesday all I wanted to do was to eat an easy and homemade meal. I noticed that I have some left over pasta (no sauces) and I thought I might make an indo Chinese version of the fried rice and substitute the rice with pasta. It came excellent and I think I am going to have make some more for Bhatji. I am sure it will be a hit with him! So here is the recipe for Spicy curry pasta:
Ingredients:
2 cups cooked pasta (any kind will do. I used farfelle)
1 cup frozen peas, carrots or veggies of choice
1 medium onion chopped
1 ½ tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp haldi powder
1 tsp red chili powder
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 tbsp light Soya sauce
2 tbl spn of chicken or veggie flavoring
1 tbsp oil
Salt, to taste

To Make:
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onions till transparent. Add vegetables and cook for a minute or two. Add salt, pepper, curry powder, chili powder, haldi powder and chicken flavoring and cook till all ingredients are mixed in well together. Add pasta and Soya sauce and stir fry for 2-3 minutes and make sure everything is blended well.

I also added some extra red pepper flakes for added spice and it was excellent. I had it for dinner and I packed the left over’s for lunch the next day. Definitely try this easy and spicy dish! It is a great one pot meal. Until the next delectable blog entry…have a wonderful summery Friday!

PS (I know this LFO song is absolutely stupid, but you gotta admit it you love to hate this song)

“This just can't be summer love, you'll see”

2007-07-24T17:21:00.000-04:00

I can't wait to fall in love with you
You can't wait to fall in love with me

Ross: According to Chandler, what phenomenon scares the bejesus out of him?
Monica: Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance!
Ross: That is correct.
Joey: The Irish jig guy?
Chandler: His legs flay about as if independent from his body!

I love that dialogue from friends!! Speaking of dances….I wanted to share some exciting news. A local cable tv channel taped my dance class for a segment about Indian culture in mainstream America this past Thursday. I was interviewed and so were my students and then my class was taped for a few minutes. I am so thrilled that my class was picked for this opportunity. I will post a blog on timings and such once they decide on the date and time.
This past weekend was a Shenoy style NYC weekend with my sis and it was wonderful! We shopped, ate at our favorite Thai restaurant and indulged in new restaurants. We took naps, got all dolled up, hung out with fellow konks and ended the night with some hard core dancing! In the midst of all this we also managed to pack some of her stuff so she could get a head start for her move back home. While all that packing and moving, I realized that it was the end of an era for Mzswats. She loved, hated and assimilated into a very NYC lifestyle during her 4 years in college. I must say that it was the city that helped her become a confident, smart, social butterfly and a fashionista that she is today. I am sure that she will miss NYC and NYC will miss her as well :o) But the selfish side of me is also very glad that she will be home in DC…where she can spend more time with me! So once she moves back home this upcoming weekend, all I can say is DC better be ready for the Shenoy sister reunion DC style ;o)!!
More exciting news….Bhatji is also coming home this weekend for good. No more 4.00 am Monday morning drop offs to Union station, No more long train rides to NYC, no more sleeping alone for the both of us and no more lonely days and nights!! Yay!!
Expect a foodie blog entry soon and until then dance your summer nights away!!

“Summer, summer, summertime…time to sit back and unwind”

2007-07-19T17:23:00.000-04:00

Here it is the groove slightly transformed
just a bit of a break from the norm
just a little somethin' to break the monotony
of all that hardcore dance that has gotten to be
a little bit out of control it's cool to dance
but what about the groove that soothes that moves romance

Work has been too busy and the office politics has gotten way outta hand. Its times like this I was 10 again and enjoying my summer vacation at home. Ahh well…the best thing about summer so far is all the social get-togethers I have been busy with. I guess the summer weather is a good enough reason for people to call each other and hang out. I have been steadily hanging out with a new fun group of friends that I met at a random happy hour, I have also been keeping in touch with the dance instructors from my new dance company and a lot of my old friends are making time and efforts to meet up….even if it’s for a drink. Last night I hung out with Ms. Pai and talked about her upcoming wedding. We had dinner at Tandoori Nights in Clarendon and the food and décor were superb! I have eaten at the Tandoori Nights in Germanton, MD but the food and décor at the Clarendon location was way better. Definitely give this place a try. It looks like this weekend I am making a trip to NYC to visit my sister. I am excited because the last time I went was for her graduation and I didn’t really get a chance to hang out with my sis and do our usual NYC stuff since it was short and our parents were with us. But this weekend….we will paint NYC red…Shenoy style ;o)
Now on to the foodie part of this blog. My mother in law and I made this simple potato dish last week and we then turned the leftover into a raita (yogurt dish) both the dishes were excellent. Here is the dry version of Garlic potatoes:
Ingredients:
4 small potatoes
4 tblsp olive oil
1 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
2 tspn chopped thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

To Make:
Boil the potatoes and peel off skin. Cut the potatoes in quarters. Pour the olive oil into a roasting pan heat on medium heat for 5-6 minutes before adding the potatoes.
Roast the potatoes 30 minutes, until crisp. Shake the pan several times during cooking, so that the potatoes roll around to brown evenly. Remove from the oven. Drain the potatoes on paper towels or a cloth to absorb the excess oil, and then place in a serving dish.
In a sauté pan, melt the butter, and then add the garlic and sauté until light golden brown. Add the chopped herbs to the garlic butter, stir together quickly, and remove from the heat. Pour the garlic-herb butter over the potatoes, season with the salt and pepper, and serve.

This was an easy and yummy dish. We had some leftover garlic potatoes which my mother in law turned into a raita. For this, you just add the potatoes in a little bit of yogurt add some salt and you are done. I loved the raita so much that I didn’t even wait to take the picture….it was all gone within a matter of seconds. This could be used as an appetizer or even as a side dish.
I can’t wait till dance class tonight….I am so excited because some of my coworkers have decided to attend :o) Well that’s all for now…until the next mouth-watering blog….enjoy your summer, summer, summer time ;o)

“It's a cruel, cruel summer leaving me here on my own”

2007-07-17T13:48:00.000-04:00

It's a cruel, cruel summer
Now you're gone
The city is crowded
My friends are away
And I'm on my own
It's too hot to handle
So I’ve got to get up and go

"Waiting for her love to return"
- ©Linda Bergkvist - http://www.furiae.com/

You know the worse part of being away from your better half…..is not being able to share in their joys or sorrows. Usually when Bhatji calls me from NYC he is either super happy about a successful project or dejected about a project gone awry or stressed about the upcoming job hunt. And me being here…I feel…helpless. I can’t celebrate the good times with him or comfort him during his rough times. But the positive event that I am looking forward to is the last day of his internship which is next Friday and he will be finally home with me :o)
This past weekend my mother in law left for Chicago to spend the new few months with my sister in law and my apt is empty again. I immediately made plans so my mind wouldn’t focus on the loneliness. Last night me my coworker and his gf went to see Spiderman 3. I know it’s a lil late…but I really didn’t get a chance to watch it when it first came out and then I heard a lot of negative reviews so I decided to wait till it came on DVD. Well yesterday it was showing at the Arlington draft house for the Monday $1 special so I decided to see it. I agreed with the negative reviews…the story line was a bit choppy and it felt a lil melodramatic (almost like a Hindi movie...where the bad guy “suddenly” decides that he is gonna help out the hero after all) And every time they portrayed a villainous Spider man, it was foolish that they had him wear eyeliner and bangs so the audience could distinguish between evil and good. But the positive highlights were the superb action sequences and the graphics were mind-blowing. It also made me wonder how I never noticed James Franco before…I mean yes he was in both Spider man 1 and 2 but it wasn’t until the 3rd that I actually thought he was cute. Maybe because in this movie he actually had scenes where he was a good guy portraying kind of a renaissance man, who paints and cooks (yes he’s only making an omelet but still!) a good listener and a fun loving normal guy. He seemed to be great boy friend material. In any case I am glad that I finally got to see the 3rd and possibly the last installment of the Spider Man. Also this past weekend I saw a very entertaining Hindi movie (paradox?) called Honeymoon travels Pvt. ltd. It was a comedy with some serious points about 6 couples that are traveling on a bus for their Honeymoon destination, Goa. The storyline revolves around how these 6 couples interact and deal with problems, solutions, secrets and revelations. Unlike the old school candied Hindi movies…this movie actually illustrates real problems that young couples who have met their better halves through various situations, endure in a new marriage. I highly recommend this movie!
I will be back with my foodie blog soon…since my mother in law is gone and I will have to start cooking again. So until my next entry….enjoy the weather :o)

Add on:
Happy Birthday to the best Mommy in the whole world! You are truly the rock of our family. I hope you have a very very very wonderful birthday!

“This ain't nothin but a summer jam”

2007-07-13T17:38:00.000-04:00

Bronze skin and cinnamon tans, woah
This ain't nothin but a summer jam
We're gonna party as much as we can
Hey, woah woah, hey
Summer jam alright

I was really sad mid week when I realized that I will not be able to attend the Konkani Youth Convention this year taking place in San Francisco :o( I am going to be missing out on one of the most anticipated weekends this year but my life around that time is going to be far too busy. So before I get lots of comments as to why I am not going, scoldings and advices galore….I want to share reasoning as to why I can’t make it. First and foremost, my sister in law who lives in Chicago is due the first weekend in August which coincides with the konk youth convention. Although Bhatji and I are not going that very first weekend since the new baby could come early or later….we are going for a long weekend at the end of August. It is top priority for me to see my new niece/nephew. Secondly, my parents have never been in the city of Chicago so Bhatji and I are surprising them with tickets for that end of August Chicago trip. Sure my parents have driven through the city and we even attended the konk convention a few years ago which was held in Elgin (outskirts of Chicago and quite a distance from the city itself) but they haven’t actually seen the downtown area, the beach, Michigan Avenue or any of the fun sights. So for all the nice things that my parents have done for me and Bhatji, we decided to buy tickets to a well deserved trip to see the city and see the new baby :o) thirdly, the prices for airfare to San Francisco is ridamndiculous! I mean right now flying from Washington Dc to San Fran, San Jose or Oakland is going to cost $400!! I was able to buy 4 tickets to Chicago for less than that!! And finally Bhatji and I have booked tickets to an awesome vacation to Singapore, Malaysia and Bangkok in early Sept (More on this later) Seeing how we have these 2 big upcoming trips…I will not be able to add another trip to my itinerary. I am sad that I will not be seeing my konk friends and family or party it up San Fran style but I am sure I will be seeing them at other gatherings throughout the year. And I guess a trip to San Fran will have to wait. To all my konk friends going to the event….please take a moment of silence to show how much yall will miss me and follow it up with a shot ;o)
On to the foodie part of this blog. My mother in law loves pasta so I thought I would make a simple one pot Italian/Indian pasta dish from Meenas blog that I knew she would love. My mom used to use noodles in this recipe but I used bow tie pasta. You can use any pasta you have and it will turn out just fine. So here is the recipe for Spicy Veggie one pot Pasta:
Ingredients:
2 cups bowtie pasta (or any pasta) cooked and strained
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large tomatoes diced
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp of garam masala
¼ tsp of turmeric
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
To Make:
Heat oil in a deep pan and sauté garlic and onion till fragrant and browned. Add in tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano cook till tomatoes begin to pulp and turn liquidy. Add turmeric powder, garam masala, chili powder, peas, carrots and macaroni and mix to coat well with sauce. Cover cook for 5-7 minutes. Take off heat and serve.

This dish was a huge hit with mother in law since it was an Italian dish with an Indian twist. It’s the perfectly spicy and hearty weekday meal and very healthy.
This weekend promises to be a beautiful summer weekend and I am super excited to do some outdoor activities! So until the next blog entry…have a safe and warm weekend :o)

“Summer days driftin' away to uh-oh those summer nights”

2007-07-11T12:33:00.000-04:00

Summer lovin' had me a blast
Summer lovin', happened so fast
I met a girl crazy for me
I met a boy, cute as can be

Summer dreams ripped at the seams,
But oh, those summer nights

It’s truly funny how the weather affects our daily lives. I have noticed that I actually feel like getting out of bed when I see the sun light through my window. If it isn’t too humid outside I love walking to run my errands, even if it is a 15 minute walk vs. a 5 minute drive. Can you tell its summer? The warm sun beating down, birds chirping, flowers in full bloom, people hanging out poolside, bbq parties, kids out of school enjoying their summer vacations and of course a lot of the bloggers taking a break from blogging…coz most of us either on vacation, have guests visiting or just spending more time outdoors. Well as of right now summer is my excuse for being a lax blogger lately :o) I cook very minimal for just moi and the most interesting thing that I am doing right now is choreographing for my dance classes. I know I promised to give more info on where I am working so here it is: I am an instructor for Dhoonya Dance and I teach a walk in/session Bollywood/Bhangra class on Thursday nights at 8.30-9.30 PM in Chinatown, Washington DC. So if you are ever in the area and want to learn a new dance or just want to get some fun exercise…just drop on by!
My mother in law is visiting me and Bhatji so we have been seeing a lot of family members who have invited us to dinner. This past Sunday we were at my Mama’s (Mother’s brother) house in VA and we played carrom! If you grew up in India then I am sure that you have played this game. It is similar to pool but instead of the pool balls you have black and white flat coins, a red coin which is the 8 ball. And instead of a pool table you play it on a flat board and you use your fingers instead of sticks. It was tons of fun!
I recently took my lil cousins to see the new Disney cartoon Ratatouille...if you love Disney movies then you’ll definitely enjoy it!
OK enough blabber..I am going to eat lunch under a tree with my coworker. And for our viewing pleasure we have the monument on the left and the DC Capital on the right and tons of tourists. Ahhh Summer days…

PS (For the next few days…all the songs on my blog are going to be summer related. Mzswats and I love this song from Grease…so here’s to you Mzswats ;o)

“Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind”

2007-07-05T16:26:00.000-04:00

See the smile a waiting in the kitchen
Food cooking and the plates for two
Feel the arms that reach out to hold me
In the evening when the day is through

Ahh summer is in full swing and the remake of the Seals and Croft song by Jason Mraz summarizes Bhatji’s and my summer perfectly! Usually our Friday nights consist of me picking him up from his class and then bringing him home for a hot home cooked meal :o) followed by cuddling up on the couch for a movie. Sigh I truly look forward to Fridays. But this week Bhatji is coming home tonight! My mother in law is visiting us this week….so he wants to spend some extra time with his mommy. This means that there will be some serious Marathi home cooked meals and lots of mother in law and daughter in law bonding time ;o)
Unfortunately I am going to have to make this a really short blog since I have to rush home to teach my first class dance class today! So here’s a recipe I wanted to share for Meena’s Pepper chicken:
Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, sliced
7-8 curry leaves
3 green chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp garlic, crushed
1 tbsp soya sauce
salt, to taste
½ tsp crushed black pepper
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp light cooking oil

To make:
Mix chicken pieces with salt, turmeric and chilli powder and set aside to marinate for about an hour. In a non-stick pan, heat oil and fry chicken till brown and cooked through. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pan, add more oil if necessary, and sauté curry leaves, green chillies, garlic till fragrant. Add sliced onions and fry till lightly transparent. Add green pepper, salt, and pepper, a fry for another minute or two.
Add fried chicken pieces and soya sauce and cook for 3-4 minutes, allowing flavors to blend well.

It was excellent! Try it and let me know how it goes…until the next yummy blog…enjoy the summer breeze!

“Hey- I had no choice but to get down, down, down, down”

2007-06-28T16:38:00.000-04:00

Dance, nothing left for me to do but dance,
Off these bad times I’m going through just dance
Got canned heat in my heals tonight baby

So to bring everyone up to speed on some fantastic news that makes me smile from ear to ear….I am officially a dance instructor for an amazing dance company! I can’t believe I got it...especially after that miserable audition! But I guess they liked whatever they saw and said that I had great talent so yes folks…the Dance Nazi is back! I am also excited because the new team of instructors seem like amazing dancers and wonderful people; possibly a group that I could see myself hanging out with during the weekends. I’ll give more details on the dance company and where and what time are my classes once I get all the details tonight. I also wanna make sure I can advertise their name and class details on my blog since I know they would love to have more people show up for these dance classes ;o) I believe Jamiroquai says it best “ There’s nothing left for me to do but dance!”

PS (T minus one day for Bhatji’s arrival!!)

“Aaja Sohneya…Ghar Aaja Sohneya”

2007-06-27T01:04:00.000-04:00

Tere Baajon Jee Nain Lagda
Main Tay Marr Gai Thaan
Aaja Sohneya
Ghar Aaja Sohneya

I know I know I have been awful about updating the blog but I can’t help it! I have been busy at work and then I have been booked with social engagements. Yes that’s right! After all the moaning and complaining that I don’t have a core group around…I have made efforts to meet new folks and then try to go out as often as possible. Bhatji isn’t home during the week and so I have nothing else to do but be a social butterfly. In other news, I auditioned for a Bollywood dance teacher’s position, and I am pretty sure that I screwed up! I can’t fathom why I was so nervous and why I messed up so badly in front of 2 girls. I love to dance and perform. Crowds have never made me nervous but I guess I have been out of touch with dance and it took me forever to choreograph a one minute piece :o( By the time I got in and out…I pretty much knew I lost my shot at it. Ahh but it felt good to get back into the groove of dancing. I miss my dance crew soo much. If I could I would love to gather those girls together and have one big reunion performance…but for now I guess I have to keep trying out. I’m used to trying out girls to join my team and not me trying out for another dance team. Let me tell you it’s a nerve racking experience. I even replayed the dance sequence in my head and was disappointed at how many mistakes I made. Sigh.
Well on to the foodie part of this blog. My mom had given me this dry spicy potato dish that goes perfectly with roti or yogurt rice. I had this idea of making a wrap with some leftover rotis, cheese and onions and it turned out superb! It made a perfect meal for just lil ole me :o) So here is the recipe for spicy potato wrap:

Ingredients:
4 medium size potatoes
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp ginger paste
¼ tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
Lemon juice
1-2 tbsp oil
salt to taste
2 rotis
One small red onion chopped
Shredded cheese as needed
2 green chilies chopped

To Make:
Wash and peel potatoes. Cut into wedges or large cubes and boil them in salted water until tender. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When they begin to splutter add cumin and sesame seeds. Add ginger paste, turmeric and red chili powder and sauté for a few minutes. Add potatoes and season to taste. Stir until they are well coated with spices. Sprinkle lemon juice and serve hot.
Take a roti and add the potatoes in the center of the roti. Top the potatoes with onions and then cheese and a few green chilies. Use a sandwich maker to heat the wrap in it and it will turn out to look like an empanada. MMMM soo good!

Try this recipe and let me know how it turns out for you. So until the next yummy recipe… Happy Blogging!

P.S (I can’t wait till Bhatji comes home this weekend so I can cook up a storm. I miss him too much :o( Hence the song on my blog)

“Hey hey hey, I’m losing you yeah, ain't love the sweetest thing”

2007-06-21T16:43:00.000-04:00

Baby’s got blue skies up ahead
But in this I’m a rain cloud
You know she likes a dry kind of love
Oh oh oh, the sweetest thing

Yea I know it has been long…but what to do? sometimes work life is not so easy. On a happier note Mzswats is staying with me for the next 3 days before she goes back to NYC. She has had a lot of decisions to make but whatever she decides I will support. Its what makes her happy :o) I have decided to cheer her up by taking her out to dinner and getting her a lil drunk at happy hours. Nothing like sisterly bonding over some liquor!
Last weekend my parents hosted a graduation celebration picnic for Bhatji and Mzswats. Lots of good family, friends, food and beautiful weather made the picnic successful. We played bingo, balancing a lemon on a spoon game. For one day we were all big kids running around not worrying about the real world. Ahh good times!
Last Friday, I made one of Bhatji’s favorite dishes, Hakka noodles. I had bought some pork chops a while ago hoping for a bbq. Since that hasn’t happened yet, I decided to make Indo Asian style pork chops and mint yogurt chutney to go along with the Hakka noodles. It was soooo good! I don’t usually prepare pork so this dish turned out to be a success and Bhatji was inhaling it! I have shared recipe for Hakka noodles in the past so here is the recipe for Asian Grilled Pork chops.

Ingredients for broiled Pork Chops:
2 lean Pork chops
3 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon of veg.oil
1 tablespoon of dry rosemary
1 tsp pepper
2 tsp of dry Thyme
Salt to taste
To Make:
Combine soy sauce, mustard, Wostershire sauce, veg. oil, pepper, rosemary, thyme into a ziplock bag. Add the pork to the bag. After squeezing the air out, seal the bag and make sure the meat is well coated with the marinade. Refrigerate for 2 hours (the longer the better or even 30 mins could work for quick marinade) Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Remove the chops from the marinade. Pan sear the chops on a pan for 3 mins on each side. Place the chops in an oven safe pan and add the extra marinade on top. Season the chops with salt and pepper. Broil the chops for about 7-8 mins on each side until done. Remove and cool for a few min before serving.

Ingredients for Mint yogurt chutney:
½ cup fresh mint leaves, well rinsed
½ cup cilantro leaves, well rinsed
2 cloves garlic
¼ cup onion, chopped
2 tablespoons lime juice
¼ cup plain yogurt
Salt to taste
Water as needed
To Make:
Blend all ingredients in a blender. Add water to liquefy if needed. Serve with chops.

You can also cook the chops on an outdoor grill. It will add smoky flavors to the meat. Hopefully one these days Bhatji and I will get some time to grill outdoors. The weathers too nice these days and there’s nothing like the summer breeze and yummy bbq! That’s all for this entry…until the next delectable entry…Happy Eating!

“I guess if I can let the night just drift away so baby whatcha gon' do?”

2007-06-15T16:24:00.000-04:00

Cause I don't wanna lose it
come on keep it movin
All I really want is
for you to back it up
go on and put your weight on it
cause it's alright
do what you wanna
make me believe ya
ooh I wanna see ya
Get it shawty, get it shawty

I am too excited about this weekend! Of course Bhatji is coming home today and also my lil Tina is coming to visit! I haven’t seen her since a short dinner in April so needless to say there will tons of fun with the family and good friends. Also this weekend we are having a family picnic celebrating Bhatji and Mzswats graduation and just enjoy the summer sun. There will be plenty of food, drinks and games. I haven’t seen some of the folks that are coming to the picnic for a while now so it should be fun catching up with everyone.
Ahh I love picnics! In my younger days in Mysore, summer meant a lot of picnics and game time with the family. Mysore was a beautiful city with lots of greenery and the surrounding villages and towns were just as beautiful. We used to drive to different villages and towns and stop at a quiet corner near a lake or a pond, eat mom’s yummy food under a tree, and then play Frisbee or card games. Often my cousins would visit us or our family friends would bring their kids for their summer holidays. Those were some good times. No worries, no stress, summer was full of innocent fun, imagination and adventure.
Bhatji and I love indo Chinese food. I know I have already posted my recipe for Gobi Manchurian, sweet corn soup and Hakka noodles. Another favorite of ours is Chili chicken. This simple and spicy recipe for will definitely satisfy. I referenced Meena's recipe for Chili chicken and just added extra veggies. Here is the recipe:
Ingredients:
2 chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium-sized onion, sliced thin
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 tbsp ginger paste
1 tbsp garlic paste
2-3 green chilies, finely chopped
2 stalks of green onion, chopped
2 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp crushed black pepper
1 tsp red chili powder
1 cup water
2 tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp of corn flour mixed with 2 table spoon water
Salt, to taste

To Make:
Heat oil in a non-stick pan and sauté chopped green chilies, chopped onions and fry till lightly brown. Add the red bell pepper, ginger and garlic paste and cook till fragrant. Add chicken pieces and cook on medium heat. Once the chicken looks cooked add salt, pepper, chili powder and Soya sauce and cook for a minute. Add water and let it come to a boil. Add corn flour mixture and stir till sauce thickens. Cover cook for a few minutes and garnish with chopped green onions.

It was so good that Bhatji keeps asking me to make this dish over and over again. Also you can throw in mushrooms if you like. Even though this is a spicy dish, Bhatji and I always add extra hot sauce on top of the rice…its not spicy if you aren’t tearing up a lil ;o) Well until the next lip-smacking blog…have a great weekend everyone!

“I know it's up for me, if you steal my sunshine”

2007-06-12T16:31:00.001-04:00

Making sure I'm not in too deep
If you steal my sunshine
Keeping versed and on my feet

It is incredible how attached you get once you are married! I mean you live, breathe, eat and sleep with one person by your side so it’s natural to feel attached. Anyway I know I have harped on how much I miss Bhatji during the week but I can’t help it and I can’t wait till the last day of his internship hehe. I know I am being selfish but I don’t care….I want him home and with me :o)
Ok enough of my sappy blabber. This past weekend was a lil rough. Bhatji and I had some major decisions to make…. our apt lease is ending and we weren’t sure what our future holds for us. We decided to resign our lease and take it one day at a time. If we move (depending on our jobs) then our landlords have asked to find them tenants who will take over our lease and we should be good to go. But for a short while there it didn’t look like our landlords would negotiate a deal where we could be released from our lease if we needed to move. I was really worried…especially because I am such a planner. In college I had to know well in advance which dorm I was going to stay at and which one of my friends was going to my roomie. I had a friend who would wait till the very last minute and people would plan for her! I can’t imagine being that way; it would irritate me to no end. Regardless of all the weekend stress, I am very happy that Bhatji and I will continue in our fabulous apt :o)
On Sunday Bhatji and I finally hung out in old town Alexandria. A lot of my coworkers are amazed that we have been living in the DC area and not visited Alexandria. And so Bhatji and I decided to see if it lived to all the hype. And it did! It was beautiful…reminded me of a typical European town with outdoor cafes, cobble stone roads and a gorgeous water front. The weather was also absolutely perfect. We sat outside and enjoyed a very tasty Thai meal. I can’t wait to go back again one of these days; I am probably going to be taking my parents, sister and my mother in law when she visits. Fun times!
Also this past weekend I had bought a honeydew melon thinking that it would make for a morning snack, but instead I decided to make honeydew juice. During the rough summer months in India, my mom used to make cantaloupe juice which was soooo yummy and refreshing….perfect during the unbearable heat. My mom told me that melons produce a cooling effect within our bodies when we eat them. This is probably why we love watermelons, cantaloupes and honey dew melons during the summer. The honeydew juice turned out very good! It took me back to my summers in India….yes the summers were brutal but my mom, my sister and I used to play cards and consume tons and tons of melon juice to cool down :o) Bhatji too loved it and it was all gone within the weekend! I am going to have make some more. Here is the recipe for a refreshing honeydew juice.

Ingredients:
1 honeydew melon
½ cup of lemon juice
½ cup sugar
¼ cup of honey
2 cups sparkling or plain water, chilled
Ice cubes as needed
Couple of crushed mint leaves
4 slices of lemon for garnish
To Make:
Cut the honeydew melons in half and remove and discard the seeds. Working in batches, puree the honeydew melon, mint leaves in a blender. As each batch is finished, transfer it to a bowl. Add the lemon juice, sugar, honey, water and ice cubes to the puree and mix in a blender to combine until the sugar is dissolved. Cover and set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours to blend the flavors. When it is ready to be served add some sliced lemons to the juice.

Definitely give this juice a try! It is worth the work :o) and perfect for summer outdoors gatherings or while you laze away a summer afternoon. Yay! Mzswats is coming into town tonight and we are doing dinner with my favorite kind of Brownman Neil ;o) Summer is pretty good so far…only wish Bhatji was here! Until the next delicious blog entry...celebrate the sunshine!

PS (the Len song makes absolutely no sense! But it’s catchy none the less)

“You can't live with 'em, you can't live without 'em”

2007-06-07T09:29:00.000-04:00

There's somethin' irresistabullish about 'em.
We grin and bear it 'cause the nights are long.
I hope that somethin' better comes along

I love summer! Its perfect weather right now and I am spending as much time on my balcony as possible. Yep you can catch me with a book or laptop and a glass of wine lounging on the papasan. Of course Bhatji is away during the weekdays and I have nothing but time. I am looking forward to the next few weekends….I am going to have lots of people visit me and I can’t wait!
So on to the foodie segment of my blog. This past Sunday when Bhatji was home…it was raining so we decided to eat at home. My mom had bought me some ready made puris from the Indian store and so we decided to enjoy a pani puri evening :o) Pani puris have several fillings depending on the different regions of India. But since we decided last minute we sorta made our own version of Pani puri fillings. I didn’t have to make puris so that was helpful.
Fillings for the Pani puri:
1) mashed potato with salt and pepper
2) a can of garbanzo beans
3) chopped onions (well I like it with onions :o)
4) Pani – jaljeera mixed in water

Ingredients for Tamarind Chutney:
6 tbl spns of Tamarind pulp
3 tbl spns of Jaggery/sugar
½ tsp of Red chilli powder
¼ tsp of Black pepper powder
1 tsp of Roasted cumin powder
1 ½ cups of Warm water
Salt to taste
To make:
Mix the tamarind pulp with the warm water and let it sit for about 10 mins. Add sugar, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, roasted cumin powder, and salt. Cook the tamarind mixture for 5 minutes on medium heat. Cool and serve.

Ingredients for Green chutney:
½ bunch ( 8 to 9 leaves) Mint Leaves
½ bunch of cilantro
4 cups of Cold Water
3 teaspoons Black pepper powder
3 teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Cumin powder
1 inch piece of Fresh Ginger
1 ½ tspns of Lemon juice
To make:
Wash the mint and cilantro leaves and grind all of the above ingredients in a blender with the cold water and serve.

Well Bhatji and I gobbled down as many puris as humanly possible. MMMHMM we love chaat and if I had it my way (and chaat was healthy) I would eat pani puris every day. Well since I am able to make the chutneys by myself, I guess we will be eating chaat more often :o) until the next blog, Happy Eating!

PS (The muppets song is dedicated to Bhatji hehe)

“Cause in my head there’s a greyhound station where I send my thoughts to far off destinations”

2007-06-04T16:45:00.000-04:00

I do believe it’s true
that there are roads left in both of our shoes
if the silence takes you
Then I hope it takes me too
so brown eyes I hold you near
cause you’re the only song I want to hear
a melody softly soaring through my atmosphere
where soul meets body

It’s raining and will continue raining this whole week. But because of the rain Bhatji and I had a much needed relaxing Sunday. In fact this whole past weekend was relaxing for the both of us. Especially since the 2 weekends before this one was absolute traveling madness. I cant believe that 2 weeks of his 10 week internship are up! Yep time is flying. Bhatji and I went to Bebo Trattoria for a good Italian dinner on Saturday, followed by the movie, Shrek the Third and it was really good :o) Well we liked it because we are 2 big kids at heart. I had originally planned to do something outdoorsy on Sunday but unfortunately when we woke up it was grey and raining. So we decided to do a big brunch at Whitlows on Wilson and then settled onto our cozy futon for an afternoon of Entourage marathon. This past Friday I picked Bhatji up from the train station and took him directly to school. I was soooo happy to see him. I really wanted to make a dish that was super yummy and would remind him of his I decided to make one of his favorite Marathi dishes: Pav Bhaji. I didn’t have any Pav so we had to make do with toasted bread. It was my first time making it and I was a little nervous because there are several steps to making it but it really wasn’t as hard as I expected. The Bhaji turned out fantastic and Bhatji chowed down like he had never before. So I am sharing the Pav Bhaji recipe with you folks :o)
Ingredients:
1 small head of cauliflower or half a head of large cauliflower cut into florets
2 Large potatoes
1 medium onion chopped
3 large tomatoes chopped
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
3 tbsp pav-bhaji masala (you might need more)
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
To Make:
Boil the cauliflower and potatoes in a pressure cooker until they are soft. You can also throw the cauliflower in a big pot of water and boil until soft. You can throw the potatoes in a large microwavable bowl filled with water and heat for about 8-10 mins. One they are boiled and soft. In a big pot heat oil in and add the onion and cook until slightly brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste and tomatoes mix well and cook until the tomatoes are turn into a pulp. Add turmeric powder, chili powder, salt (and peas if you are using them) and sauté for a few mins. Add the boiled potatoes and cauliflower, pav-bhaji masala and make sure it all mixes well. Add about ½ cup of water and keep mixing and cook for about 8-10 mins. Then take this mixture from the pot and put into a food processor and “grind” or “mix”. Make sure that it is not a complete paste because then it will be too liquidy for the bread. I only mixed for about 30-40 secs. I could still see some solid potato and cauliflower pieces. I took this mixture and put into back into the pot. I added about 1 tsp of pav bhaji masala and ¼ cup of water. Cook on Medium heat for 15 minutes and keep mixing so the masala is blended into the veggies. Keep tasting and adjusting salt, masala until it tastes like its well balanced flavor of the masala and the tomatoes. Serve with Pav.
I didn’t have the typical burger buns so I used the regular wheat bread. I applied butter on both sides of the bread and toasted it on a pan for 2 mins on both sides. Do not use a toaster. When you toast it on the pan you can really taste the butter. I served the Bhaji on top of the bread with some raw red onions and a small dollop of butter for Bhatji; this is the typical way most Marathi folks like their Pav Bhaji. I however like my bhaji on the side with all the toppings and dip my pav into it. Needless to say Bhatji came home from his long class and gobbled down lots and lots of the bhaji. Even I was surprised at how good it turned out! Nothing compared to my mom’s but still a close second :o)

More recipes to come, maybe not a feat like the Pav bhaji since I am alone during the week but small, one pot meals that will get me through the week. So until then, Happy Eating!

“Se baila así, se goza más, Se baila así, se goza más”

2007-05-31T10:10:00.000-04:00

Oye de aquí para allá
Eee...de allá para acá
Es que se puede vacilar
Es que mi swing es tropical

Last night I felt like eating home made food. I have been eating out a lot lately due to all the traveling. I mean I love eating out, especially food that I am unable to prepare at home or consumes too much time, but last night I wanted something that my mom would make…simple and easy but super delicious. When I was growing up in Mysore, my mom would obviously prepare a lot of Konkani food that was influenced by Karnataka (Kannadiga) cuisine. Tomato rice was one such meal. Now I know a lot of you grew up on Tomato rice…but in Karnataka this was a staple. I remember during lunches my classmates would often bring tomato rice and dhai rice (mosaru anna) with pickle on the side. I was too lazy to go grocery shopping so I rummaged through my fridge last night to see what I could prepare with the groceries and left over I had at home. I had some left over cooked rice, 3 juicy tomatoes, ½ a red pepper, onions and green chilies. I found a recipe for Tomato rice from my mom and combined it with Meena’s recipe for mixed beans and tomato rice. Instead of making the rice with mixed beans, I decided to just use kidney beans (rajma) which is high in protein and iron. So here is the recipe for Tomato rice with beans:

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked rice
1 can of kidney beans
1 medium onion sliced thinly
1 large tomato chopped
½ red bell pepper chopped
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp mustard seeds
¼ tsp garam masala
1 sprig of curry leaves
2 tbsp cooking oil
Salt, to taste
2 green chilies, finely chopped

To Make:
Heat oil in a deep pan and add curry leaves and mustard seeds. Once they start to splutter, add garlic and sliced onions. When lightly browned add green chilies and tomatoes and cook till tomatoes soften. Add turmeric, garam masala, chili powder and mixed beans, red bell pepper and mix well. Cook for 5 mins with the lid on. Mix in cooked rice and make sure the beans and spices blend in well with the rice and cook for about 3 mins on medium heat. Add salt per taste and mix well. Serve hot with lemon pickle.

This meal took me back to my younger days in Mysore. I love the fact that this is a one pot meal that’s healthy and tasty. Until the next yummy recipe, happy eating and blogging :o)

PS (Every time I see the new Ipod commercial with this song (blog radio) I wanna get up and dance!)

“You'll always be a part of me and I'm a part of you indefinitely”

2007-05-30T17:15:00.000-04:00

Boy don't you know you can't escape me
Darlin cause you'll always be my baby
And we'll linger on
Time cant erase a feeling this strong
No way you're never gonna shake me
Darlin cause you'll always be my baby

Sigh. Cali was soooo much fun and Ms. Masalas wedding was absolutely breathtaking! This was my first ever outdoor Indian wedding and the diamond bar hills provided the perfect backdrop to the beautiful occasion. Ms.Pai and my dance turned out well and most importantly the bride was happy :o) Bhatji had an extremely rough time attending 8 hours of class and then flying 6 hours to LA and then driving an her hour to get to our hotel by 2 AM but I was happy that he was able to make it. He got to meet more of my konk friends and family. In the end a good time was had by all.

Start rant-> I am alone again. I miss Bhatji very much and I realize how I hate being alone for long periods of time. The only positive is that he will be home every weekend :o) I also think its hitting me that I do not get to spend time with a set group of friends. It feels like work…. calling people and setting something up. It’s weird for me to feel this way. I have always been a very social person…I love to talk and meet new people but lately (especially since I got hitched) it feels like it consumes too much of my energy. I try to be friendly and go out of my way to do nice things or to set up get-togethers but I feel like people don’t reciprocate or take advantage of my time and niceness. For once I want to meet people that are not out to make friends in quantity but in quality. My friends and Bhatji’s friends are not only fun to be around but put in efforts to come down and see us and plan things just like we would include them in ours; Too bad that none of them live locally. I would love to have some local friends who I can call to go catch a movie with or to go shopping with. Maybe I have been watching too much “Friends” to think a group like that actually exist post college life. I know I can meet people, that’s not my problem…I would like to know how to find the ones that share similar interests with me. I have been giving way too much time to the non receptive folks so maybe I just need to get out there and make efforts with newer people and see where it takes me. Currently I feel like I am in high school all over again. Which lunch table do I belong to? <-End rant.

On a non rant topic….I know I haven’t cooked in ages, it’s all this traveling I have been doing lately. Also since I am alone at home now I do not have the same motivation I did when I have to go home to feed Bhatji. However, I should really make simple meals for just myself. The weather is amazing and I plan to eat out on my balcony more often so I will be back with more recipes to share. Speaking of which, I am having my lil Sumi stay over for an authentic Mallu meal and some QT :o)

“California! Here we come!”

2007-05-24T10:50:00.000-04:00

On the stereo
Listen as we go
Nothing's gonna stop me now
California here we come
Right back where we started from
Pedal to the floor
Thinkin' of the roar
Gotta get us to the shore
California here we come
Right back where we started from

I LOVE LONG WEEKENDS! And this long weekend is a special one for one my dearest friend has decided to tie the knot with one of the sweetest guys ever. Congratulations Ms. Mala and Dr. Ashwin. I am soo excited for you guys!
The wedding is on Sunday in LA so I am leaving today and Bhatji will be joining me on Saturday. Ms Pai and I have been practicing our dance for the Ladies Sangeet and I’m a lil nervous but I know Mala’s gonna love it! I am excited to hang out with most of my konk crew. The last time I was in California was in 2004 for the Konkani convention. And since most events were in the hotel I didn’t take pleasure in LA’s weather, greenery etc. Since I will be there for 5 days, I have full intention of doing just that. There will be lots of pics, lots of bonding with konks and lots and lots of running around for Mala’s wedding. I probably will not be blogging till I get back next week so until then…I hope you all have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Ps (I HEART WEDDINGS!)
PPS (My carry on bag is huge but I am not checking it in...this promises to be interesting:o)

Adding on:

I almost forgot with the chaos of packing and coordinating with rides and such that today is one of best friends bday! I know its awful...but hey I remembered and thats what counts.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MA! I know you are partying your butt off down in Nashville but save some of that energy so that you can party hard with me and soon :o)
Muuuuahh!

“Somewhere over the rainbow, Way up high”

2007-05-22T16:53:00.000-04:00

Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney tops that’s where you'll find me oh

Well I see trees of green and
Red roses too
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
what a wonderful world

Happy Anniversary Bhatji! Can you believe it has been a whole year since the day we exchanged our wedding vows? Time has just flown and in a wonderful way. I hope we have many happy years together as long as we live.
Thanks to all those who wished us yesterday. I was sad because we weren’t together on our first anniversary since he started his internship in NYC. But the sweet heart that he is, he surprised me with a beautiful anniversary plan by sweeping me off to NYC for a day on Sunday. He told me on Saturday that he had a surprise and then sprung the whole plan on me. He had purchased an airline ticket along with his to NYC on Sunday afternoon and that he had reservations at Tavern on the green that night. Naturally I was giddy with excitement. I have always wanted to go to Tavern on the green, I’ve seen it in movies, and the pictures on the website look like fantasy and so romantic. I was blown that he had actually been planning this for a month and he was able to keep it a secret and he used the help of my sister in NYC! So I packed the perfect outfit and shoes, makeup, accessories and a set of PJ because I was only gonna be up there for one night. He had bought a one way ticket back to DC on the train for me for Monday morning. The flight was short and I slept though all of it and then we get to baggage claim at LGA. He had packed 3 bags of stuff since he will be in NYC during the weekdays for the next 10 weeks. Well as crappy luck would have it….US airways decided that they would send my bag on a later flight! So there I was in airport with the clothes that I had on and that’s it! I was furious that they had lost my bag and at how apathetic the baggage claim personnel were. Apparently since US airways has a plane every hour coming to NYC they don’t put the luggage on the plane according to the people on board. They just have a room full of suitcases that are going to NYC and they throw them into the plane randomly. Then if your luggage doesn’t make it on your flight they have a baggage delivery service that goes around delivering your stuff as it arrives. The lady tells me that it could potentially be on the next flight so Bhatji and I wait for the first plane….nothing… we waited for the one after that and…nothing. I was tired and upset so we just told the baggage claim lady to deliver it to my sister’s address as soon as the bag comes in. We get to my sisters place tired and hungry. I get on the phone and kept calling the baggage claim center ever 30 mins to check the status and the response was “nope no sign of your bag yet”. Thanks! So around 9.00 Bhatji and I give up hope and assume that the bag is lost and decide to cancel our dinner plans since neither of us were in the mood for a romantic evening after the bag fiasco. But Mzswats talked us into it and said that maybe the dinner will cheer us up and not to let this bag thing dictate our plans. I borrowed a nice outfit and make up from her (thank god she wears the same size and uses the same make up) and headed out to the restaurant. I am so glad we did! The staff was super nice and they gave us the seat we wanted in the Crystal room. It was beautiful. The wine was perfect, so were our dishes and we got a free dessert! We both started feeling so much better and we took tons of pictures.
On Monday morning I left bright early at 6.30 to the train station. I got to work in DC and immediately call US airways to see if there is any word on the bag and the guy said that it came to NYC on the 1 am flight and it was being delivered that day around noon. WHO THE HELL IS HOME AT NOON ON A MONDAY?! My sister works, my hubby is working and I am in freakin DC! So the guy tells me that there will be another delivery made around 7.00 that evening. Around 6 I call Bhatji and tell him to curb his hunger and stay home so he doesn’t miss the freakin delivery guy who arrived at 8.30! We got our bag back and everything in it. The bag situation has left me jilted and I am writing an angry letters to US airways. And to all of you: refrain from flying on US airways for short trips and if you do, do not check in your luggage.
All said and done I started focusing on the fact that Bhatji planned something so exquisite. Planning isn’t really his forte so I know he put a lotta thought and effort into it. And I consider myself to be the luckiest girl ever :o)
“If I know what love is, it is because of you”
Herman Hesse

Cheesecake at Tavern on the green

Look! Pretty lighting!

“Snap ya fingers, do the step…you can do it all by yourself”

2007-05-17T17:15:00.000-04:00

Lets Get Gone
Walk It Out
Just Like That
Thats What Im Talkin Bout

I have been tagged by Arches to work on an interesting meme. I started on it 2 days ago and it has taken me sometime to come up with these interesting facts about me. So today I am sharing…
7 things that you did not know about me:
1) I share something similar with Arches, in that my best friend other than best friends from school is my sister. True that she is 4 years younger than me and it is also true that we are very different in our personalities (if you met us both you would know what I mean) Unlike Arches and her sis we never used to be close or have twin moments…actually I don’t remember us really hanging out when we were younger in India or agreeing on anything. We became much closer during my college years. After my first heart break and going through a rough time of making friends, I realized that I could lean on her, make all kinds of mistakes, say anything, do anything and feel like I wasn’t being judged. And honestly that is the best feeling…when you can be your absolute self with someone and its even better when that person is your sibling :o)
2) Other than my first bf and last bf who is now my hubby ;o) all the guys who I dated through college were all younger than me. That’s right ladies! I am an anomaly because all the women I know dated older or men their own age. I liked guys who were a year or 2-3 years younger than me. Maybe it was coz I felt like they would be treat me better since I was a bit older or the fact that I just liked dating for the fun of dating and not coz I was looking for a full blown relationship. Who knows? I am happy that Bhatji is only 10 months older than me and mentally we are both 5!
3) I don’t like mixing my groups of friends. This definitely started after my first break up. People had to end up choosing sides and I lost a lot of “friends”. Of course now that I am grown woman I know that they weren’t really my friends or else they wouldn’t have chosen him over me. But this experience left me a lil scarred and since then I have never been able to mix my group of friends. I have my dance crew, my Desi crew, my boys, my girls, my coworkers, my family, my hubbys friends, my Konk friends etc. I hang out with all of them but separately. I have thrown bday parties, house parties or just dinner events where I have invited people but I find it really hard to balance. I also think it’s a bit of insecurity <=SHARING A FLAW. I used to worry what if one group hits it off with the other and I get left out in the process….I know this is childish...but I am ok with it. I have gotten better in recent times especially because my group of friends have become much smaller (most of them moved away) and I know that I am coming home to the one person that will always be MY friend ;o) I don’t feel like I am left out anymore.
4) I share a similar quirk as Ms. Pai I too have a narrator in my head. Its more like a conscience. I usually hear it after I did something good or bad. Like if I said something stupid the voice goes “AHHH WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!” or if I help someone out I hear “isn’t this a great feeling?” Or if someone catches me off guard and I have to be quick witted I hear “maybe if you close your eyes, he/she wont know you’re here” or “quick say something say something”. The best is if someone makes me angry I hear a whole lotta konk cursing (Pisshi/Pisso, Bod sukla, Pisanta etc.) and then I end up laughing because the narrator actually sounds like my mom :o)
5) I have a super, super active imagination but unlike chai, my imagination plays out in a choreographed dance. I know this may seem weird but its so true! The first time I ever fell in love, I had me and the guy running around trees and gardens to some old school Hindi song hehe. I loved books because I was able to imagine myself as the characters. Everything from Nancy Drew to the Kite runner. When I was little mom caught me talking to myself, but not just jabber, actually acting out a scene from either a movie or a book that I loved. I would play the characters and change the stories however I would see fit. Many people have caught me with a glazed look while listening to certain songs that’s because I am dancing to them…in my head :o) Imagination is the reason I was able to tie my two passions together choreographing dances and stories/reading.
6) I get along with men better than I do with women. In every phase of my life I have always managed to have guy best friends. One of my best friend’s since my early college years, Neil, was also the “man of honor” at my wedding. Even when I was little, my mom told me that I was a Tom boy who didn’t play with dolls or play house with the girls, instead I would hang out with the boys playing cricket or coco (Indian game involving a lot of running) or dodge ball. I have 5 best female friends, but with most other women I feel like I have to make a lot of effort, watch what I say, it almost feels like I am not myself. Its not that I don’t want to get along with women…but I feel like friendship is similar to love. You cant force yourself into a friendship…it should just happen. So where have all the simple, non catty and fun loving women gone? Ahh well pass that beer and lets watch the bball playoffs!
7) I love sad songs. I mean I love dancing to hip hop or rocking to my rock songs collection but there is something very endearing about sad songs. Slow, sad love songs end up giving goose bumps. I love the lyrics, the pain in the singer’s voice and I absolutely love that I can hear all the musical instruments not being drowned out by heavy beats or screaming background singers. I especially love if the singer is singing the song with a single instrument like the Spanish guitar or piano. By far one of my favorite sad song to date is: Audrey Hepburn’s Moon River. There are plenty more but that song just gets me.

Whew!I had to do quiet a bit of thinking. Hope yall still love me despite my obvious craziness! And I leave you with a quote from Sex and the city:
Carrie Bradshaw: “Somewhere out there is another little freak who will love us and understand us and kiss our three heads and make it all better”

If you have not done this meme...DO IT!

“You know there's always more than one way to say exactly what you mean to say”

2007-05-14T15:08:00.000-04:00

Was I out of my head? Was I out of my mind?
How could I have ever been so blind?
I was waiting for an indication
It was hard to find

2 trips in one long weekend….not bad if I do say so myself. I will say this though, it was mighty hard to come back to work today and on top of that I feel the day is going by way too slow :o( My trip to NYC for my sis’s graduation was short but fun! It was awesome to see all those short animated movies that her and her classmates put forth. Some stories were a lil tooo….mm…artsy, some were just awful and a few amazing ones looked like they already worked with Pixar and Dream Works. Her graduation was at the Radio City Music Hall and the venue was absolutely stunning. I felt so proud to see her walk and get her diploma. We celebrated at a quaint Italian restaurant called Maria Pias with some wonderful wine and lots of good food…BELLISIMO!
On Saturday Bhatji and I decided to celebrate our one year anniversary a lil early…since on our actual anniversary (May 21st) He will be in NYC at his first day of his internship. We decided a short trip to VA beach. Neither of us had ever been and since it is only 3 hours away from DC…it was the perfect short trip. We stayed at a hotel by the beach and ate at the best local seafood restaurant, Catch 31. The weather was perfect, so we hung out at the beach for a few hours, walked along the boardwalk and had a romantic evening just the 2 of us :o) We got back on Sunday in time for Mothers day celebrations and the entire family had dinner at Caribbean breeze where we toasted to my mom with amazing sugarcane mojitos and lots of good food.
Arches tagged me with a meme and I will be posting that tomorrow since today is my catch up day at work. That’s all for today!

The Amazing venue: Radio City music hall!

The happy parents and their lil graduate :o)

Me and my sis

“I'm digging you, I'm feeling you and you know what's up”

2007-05-08T15:22:00.000-04:00

Said I'm big on you
And I'm wanting you
So tell me what's up

I will be in NYC for my sister’s graduation towards the end of this week. I am excited, not only because she is finally done with school but also coz they will be showing her final project, a short animated cartoon film at the Radio City Music Hall! I feel like a proud mama. Yep you can expect me to be that loud annoying family member who goes camera happy and cheering like I am in some wild Las Vegas bar! Graduations are so exciting, because you are truly done with a big chapter of your life or maybe you can start pretending to be a grown up. In my family, as any typical Indian family, anything related to education is considered a big deal. And as we are hardcore Konkani family, we will be celebrating with food and drinks. Congratulations MzSwats. You are a “growed up”! Well….sort off ;o)
This past Saturday, while Bhatji was off taking his last final for this semester, I decided to make him a scrumptious brunch. I knew he was going to be in dire need of sleep, since he didn’t get much of that during his finals week. But I knew that most of all he was going to be hungry! Usually he isn’t around on Saturdays since he has class all day and so When I am all by myself at home, I am content with some toast and coffee. But because Bhatji was going to be home by noon I knew I needed to make something really yummy and satisfying so I decided to make a Frittata, which is a baked veggie omelet. I know I have mentioned before that Bhatji loves eggs…so I knew this was a sure fire way to please him. And indeed it did! I referred to Ashwini’s recipe with just some minor changes and also used my mom’s Indian omelet recipe to make the perfect Veggie Frittata:

Ingredients:
5 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 medium onion roughly chopped
1/2 red bell pepper cut in cubes
1/2 green bell pepper in cubes
1 tsp dried basil
1-2 tsp Italian seasoning
2 green chilies cut into small pieces
3 tbsp shredded cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp of Olive oil

To Make:
Pre heat oven to 400°F. Whisk eggs in a mixing bowl with salt and pepper. Add milk and cheese and whisk again and let it sit. Heat the oil in a pan and cook the onions till they brown. Add the red peppers and sauté for about 3 mins. Add salt, pepper, dried basil, Italian seasoning and green chilies, cook for about 2 mins. Spoon the cooked veggies into a baking pan and pour the egg mixture on top. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. You can slide you knife to make sure the eggs are not runny which will indicate that the Frittata is done. Take out of the oven and serve hot!
Since Bhatji is neither a coffee nor a tea drinker, I served his slice of Frittata with a cold glass of light Cranberry juice. I, of course could not do without my coffee. We followed the big meal with some grapes for dessert. It was the perfect brunch! It’s such wonderful Saturday afternoons that I love!

Not sure when I can blog again….probably not until next week. But don’t fret my blogtastic friends; I will be back with more yummy recipes to share, until then…Happy eating and blogging!

“And it's all because of you. Never get enough coz she's the sweetest drug”

2007-05-04T00:33:00.000-04:00

And I know this much is true
Baby, you have become my addiction
I'm so strung out on you
I can barely move...but I like it

School is out! Yay! If you come around our house, Bhatji and I are rejoicing that his finals are done and we get to spend some time as a normal couple…minus the books and worrying about exams etc. The next 2 weeks should be fun and I wanna do 10 different things that we haven’t been able to do in the past couple of months. We haven’t been able to watch any of the Netflix movies we have been getting either…we have been saving them on Bhatji's computer, So last night we watched “The Departed”. It was a decent movie because the suspense was well built and all the actors did a great job but the ending was….disappointing. The last few scenes reminded of a Hindi movie: An ending that dragged and a plot that started to weaken. I guess my expectations were pretty high so I didn’t really see the hype. Definitely happy that we waited for the DVD.
Being Konkani means that we will use everything and anything and turn it into a meal; not just any meal but a delicious meal. We are capable of using leftovers and turning it into a feast. When I was younger my mom would make tons of idlis and after we were tired of the idli samabhar/chutney combo she would turn the idlis into usli (which is a sort of upma). Idli usli is a great snack or breakfast and is perfect of lunches. Here is the recipe as per my mom.
Ingredients:
5-6 leftover idlis broken into pieces
1 green bell pepper cored and cut into small pieces
2 table spoons of olive oil
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of jeera or cumin seeds
1 tsp of urad dhal
3 dry red chilies broken into halves
Few curry leaves (karabev)
A pinch of hing
Salt to taste
¼ cup of water

To Make:
Heat the oil and fry the mustard seeds, jeera, urad dhal, red chilies, curry leaves. When the spices start to splutter add the hing and green bell pepper. Sauté for a few and add the broken pieces of idli, add a few table spoons of water so the idli doesn’t burn and cook for about 3-4 mins. Take off heat and serve.

It was sooooo tasty! Until the next blog and recipe…Happy eating!

“Dear, love is a burning fire. Stay, cause then the flames grow higher”

2007-05-04T00:30:00.000-04:00

You're no good, can't you see Brother Louie, Louie, Louie
I'm in love - set you free
Oh, she's only looking to me
Only love breaks her heart Brother Louie, Louie, Louie
Only love's paradise
Oh - she's only looking to me

If you were born in the early 80’s or even before (Late 70’s), were raised in India or anywhere in Europe and were into Euro pop you will definitely know the song on my blog. I was randomly going through some old tapes (yea that’s right magnetic old school tapes) at my parent’s house and found this tape from the 80’s that my sister and I used to listen too. Sigh! Memories.....
YAY Its Friday! And Bhatji will be done with his finals tomorrow evening. Yes folks, I will finally see what my husband looks like without a book attached to his face. And trust you me, I will be planning dinners and couples time out of the house. I just gotta be patient tonight. I know the NBA playoffs are in session and I have been following the western conference (since the Wizards lost all hope when Arenas and Butler were hurt) but tomorrow I hope that Bhatji and I don’t get bogged down at home in front of the TV. The weather is going to be absolutely amazing and I wanna do something outdoorsy :o)
Last week my mom gave me homemade idlis (Indian steamed rice cakes). Now I don’t know how to make idlis from scratch just yet, because the idli batter requires lots of patience and time…neither of which I have; Especially when I have a husband who walks in and starts rummaging through the fridge and doesn’t want to wait for any batter to set. So I use the idli mixes by MTR or Priya. I also have this nifty plastic idli maker. It has round moulds and it can be used in the microwave. That’s right! You can make idlis in a microwave. Now I know most of you (especially southies) are probably thinking “How authentic or good can these idlis taste?” Honestly they taste the same. It’s amazing how technology can help us novice cooks to make quick meals. I do want to learn the authentic way of making idlis and dosas, but for now I am content with short cuts :o) Anyway, since my mom gave me those yummy idlis, I decided to make a simple chutney that both Bhatji and I love. This is my mom’s recipe…not sure if it is Konkani or an Andhra recipe but it tastes great with idlis and even dosas. So I wanted to share the simple recipe for Chanapeeta chutney (Besan/Chickpea flour chutney)
Ingredients:
One small onion chopped
3 green chilies
½ tsp of mustard seeds
2 tsp of Urad Dhaal
¼ tsp of methi seeds
1tsp of tamarind paste
1 tsp of haldi
2 tbl spns of Sambhar powder
2 tbl spns of besan/chickpea flour
2tbl spns of oil
A pinch of hing
3 cups of water divided
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnish

To Make:
Heat oil and add the mustard seeds, when they start to splutter add urad dhaal, methi seeds and the hing. When they start to splutter and they is a strong aroma add the onions, green chilies and fry for about 4-5 mins. Add one cup of water and cook for about a min. Add the tamarind paste, haldi, salt, sambhar powder and one more cup of water. While this is cooking, take another bowl and add one cup of water to the 2 tbsl spns of besan. Use a whisk and mix together and make sure there are no lumps. Add this mixture to the heated pan with all the other ingredients and bring to a boil. Take the pan off the heat and add coriander for garnish.

This was such an easy chutney/sambhar type of dish. It took me all of 10 mins to make and it was gone in about 10 mins too! Bhatji and I must have ravenous. Or the chuntney looked so good that we couldn’t contain ourselves. Either way it was excellent and I have more idli secrets to share…but in my next blog. Hope all of you have a wonderful weekend. Happy Friday!

P.S (Thank you wonderful people for the “your not fat” compliments. I promise I am done with the fat madness…well at least for today :o)

“I still don't have the reason and you don't have the time”

2007-05-02T09:33:00.000-04:00

And it really makes me wonder
If I ever gave a f*** about you
Give me something to believe in
'Cause I don't believe in you anymore, anymore
I wonder if it even makes a difference to try
So this is goodbye

Busy, busy me…and I'm loving it! There is nothing more stimulating then a job that keeps you busy where you leave work at 5.00 PM and not worry about the project once you clock out. It is even better when your boss is an awesome personality who emails you on a slow Friday with “you can go home if you have nothing to do and if you wanna thank me for being so generous, I love cake!”
Speaking of cake…I can’t help but notice the weight that I have gained since all these cooking experiments are in full swing. Bhatji seems to think its very becoming…since he always thought I was too skinny but I think he is just being a sweet liar ;o) I try hard to work out at least 3 times a week and if I am not too tired then I manage 4-5 times. But there have one or two weeks where I either have no energy or motivation to do anything more than just sit on my balcony on my papasan with a good book. I blame this gorgeous spring weather; Insert fake outburst => Damn you Spring! You are the reason I am fat! <= End fake outburst.
Speaking of cake (again) since today is Ms. Pai’s bday, I wanted wish her a very happy bday. Girl, I will contact you soon for a bday dinner plan. Hope you have a wonderful birthday full of laughter and joy!
As I mentioned in my last 2 entries, I hung out with my breaker crew this past Thursday night at Modern. I tell you I couldn’t keep up with the dancing! Either I am too old or I am just out of touch with the clubbing scene…or maybe I am too fat :o( alright I am going to stop this fat nonsense before I start wallowing in more self pity. Tonight I am excited to hang out with Tina (here on work from NYC) and Sumi pocket for dinner. I haven’t seen these 2 ladies in a while and I am super excited. That’s all for now folks, see ya at the next blogging session. I am sharing some pics from the fun night at Modern.
P.S (Please feel free to leave me comments telling me that I am not fat…no matter how much of lie it is ;o)
P.P.S (I heart the new Maroon 5 song!)
Mini UMBC reunion

Me and my favorite breaker Vince before he gets married this weekend!

“Overground, watch this space, I'm open to falling from grace”

2007-04-30T16:20:00.000-04:00

Calm me down
Bring it round
Too way high off your street
I can see like nothing else
In me you're better than I wanna be.
Don't think 'cos I understand I care
Don't think 'cos I'm talking we're friends

What a week/weekend…in my last blog entry I had mentioned that my best friend Steph was down here in my area for a conference/visiting me. So I soaked up as much Stepheezie time as I could. We had a small UMBC reunion at Modern and I also got some time in with my breaker boys. I can’t believe that they were all there and nothing has changed…well except one of my favorite breaker, Vince is getting married! All in all it was grand time, dancing away and diving into nostalgia of all the good ole time. Sigh. I feel old…it all seems so long ago. We have all grown up and are doing grown up things but at least we all managed to bring out the college kid in each other…even if it was for one night :o)
My sis Mzswats was also down in DC this weekend and we partied it up like 2003 ;o) and Bhatji was partying with his boys in Chicago…I guess this weekend was all about mini reunions and I wish we all had more weekends like this past one. Now on to the recipes; Bhatji loves eggs. He likes them scrambled, omelets, egg fried rice but most of all he looooooves egg curry. So after looking through recipes and finding Nupurs recipe...last week I made an excellent meal called Egg rasa (Marathi style curry), peas and carrots pilaf and raita. Needless to say it left Bhatji drooling for more :o)

Ingredients for Peas and Carrots pilaf:
A cup of frozen peas and carrots
2 cups of basmati rice
1 tsp of Jeera
1 tbl sp of oil
Salt as needed
To make:
Heat the oil in a pan and add the Jeera, when it splutters add the peas and carrots and cook for about 2-3 mins. In a rice cookers add the 2 cups of rice to 4 cups of water add the salt and mix well. Then add the peas and carrots mixture to the rice cooker and cook till it’s done. Once it is done make sure you fluff the rice to ensure the peas and carrots are evenly distributed in the rice.

Ingredients for Raita:
One small onion
2 green chilies
A pinch of hing
½ cup of yogurt
Water as needed
Cilantro for garnish
Salt to taste
To make:
Slice the onion into thin long slices. Add the onions and all the other ingredients from above. Use water for desired consistency and garnish with cilantro.

This meal did not long to prepare because while you are making the curry the rice will be cooking on it own. And the raita take only about a few mins. But never the less this simple meal felt like it was fit for a king….well Bhatji felt like one for the night :o) Until the next scrumptious blog, happy eating and happy blogging!

“Break it off boy, Cuz ya got me feelin naughty”

2007-04-26T13:26:00.000-04:00

I wanna know boy
If I could be ya shawty
Set if off boy
And make me hot all ova my body
Break it off tonight

I can’t believe that April is almost coming to an end. Summer is almost upon us…and Amen for that! So my best friend Stepheezie is here in VA for work this week and this obviously means that I have some serious catching up, bff quality time planned out and couldn’t spend as much time on blogging. This past Monday, Steph, Darrell (another one of our college buddies) and I went to the Arlington Draft house for dinner and a movie…we saw Pan’s Labyrinth and I must say it lived up to the hype. Don’t be fooled into believing that it is some sort of fairy tale or something like Harry Potter. The protagonist is a little girl whose imagination straddles the line between fantasy and reality during the gruesome Spanish civil war. The story shows the horrors of the war and how we as humans, need to question what is truly good or bad. The movie is very gory and dark, so leave the kids home for this one. The director of the movie, Guillermo del Toro, did an excellent job with the story line and direction and I recommend this movie as a must see.
Now for the foodie section; Bhatji and I always try to make healthy but quick lunches so last week I made vegetable upma/uppito(Kannada). I have started buying the quick mixes by MTR or Priya to make my job easier. I recommend the MTR upma mix, because all you need is 1 tblsp of ghee, one medium onion, a cup of the frozen veggies like carrots and peas. Boil the veggies including the onion, add the mix and stir the ghee and you have an awesome quick lunch that will remind you of your mom’s upma. One of these days I will make it from scratch but if you ever need to make a quick snack, breakfast or lunch then don’t hesitate to use the MTR or Priya mixes. I made half the packet of upma and we were able to eat it for 2 lunches. It was super tasty! More recipes to come in my next blog...until then happy blogging!

“Such a lonely day shouldn't exist. It's a day that I'll never miss. Such a lonely day and its mine”

2007-04-20T11:46:00.000-04:00

The most loneliest day of my life
And if you go, I wanna go with you
And if you die, I wanna die with you
Take your hand and walk away

Start Rant-> I woke up so tired today…I know I should be excited because it’s Friday, but I am way to exhausted and all I want to do is go home and take a nap.
Happy Freakin Friday! Now…where is that darn Advil?? <-End Rant

“Tamally maak…we law hata ba eed any, fe alby hawak”

2007-04-19T09:07:00.000-04:00

I am always with You
And even when You’re far away from me
Your love is in my heart
-Translation of the Arabic song “Tamally Maak” by Amr Diab

This weekend is finally going to be warm (highs of 70s!) and I have full intension of shopping around Georgetown and enjoy a big dollop of ice cream at Hagen Daaz! The thought of new shoes and clothes….all I can say is YAY! Aside from that I plan on finally coming up with a menu that Bhatji and I can enjoy on our balcony. So far I have a light salad and gorgeous blush wine, but then I am also thinking a tapas style menu. So we’ll just have to wait and see what tickles my foodie fancy :o) No there’s no special reason for this balcony dinner…its just because the weather is going to be beautiful and I think Bhatji and I both find it relaxing to sit out and enjoy a delicious meal and exquisite wine. I also think it would be good to break our habit of sitting on our couch eating dinner and watching TV and instead sit out enjoy the breeze and great food. I mean I like my share of the boob tube sometimes…but I have always felt the best way to have conversations is to just avoid it all together and instead indulge in good company.
I recently made a wonderful typical Konkani Egg plant (vaingan) dish. I have been meaning to add more vegetables in our diet so during our last Harris Teeter shopping trip, I bought a large purple eggplant…with absolutely no idea how I was going to prepare it, All I knew was that I wanted to buy it because it looked so good and my mom always tells me that Vaingan is the one of the best vegetables because it has so many nutritional values. So after doing some research and checking with my mom, I made Vaingana Sagle. Konkani folks make a lot of veggie Sagle’s which is a dry coconut based curry. I made a simple Daal (dalitoy), rice and Vaingana Sagle. Here is the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 Large Eggplant
1 cup Grated coconut
8 red chilies
Marble sized Tamarind
2 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Fenugreek seeds
1tbsp Mustard seeds
2 tbl spns of oil
Salt as per taste
To Make:
Wash and cut the eggplant into large square pieces. Grind the grated coconut, red chilies, tamarind and salt in a food processor. Fry the coriander seeds and fenugreek seeds and add to the existing masala, and grind further into fine paste. Smear this masala on eggplant and let sit for about 10 mins. Heat 2 tbl spns of oil in a pan and add mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter, add eggplant and just sprinkle a few drops of water and cook on a low flame for about 15-20 mins till the eggplant starts to soften.

Definitely try this dish! its very simple to make and very very konkani :o) Enjoy!

“I must be strong and carry on…”

2007-04-17T11:38:00.000-04:00

Coz I know
I don’t belong here in Heaven

Bhatji and I were glued to the news all night…stunned by the details of the horrendous Virginia tech shootings. Maybe because we live in VA or maybe because I know many of the local VA, MD and DC students attend Virginia tech, or maybe because it all just feels surreal. 33 people dead….but why? What kind of deranged person would just go on a shooting rampage, murdering people the way he did; just shooting away at everyone in a classroom and barricading the doors with chains so no one could escape; And what about the parents who were going about their Monday like it was another work day to find out that their 18-22 year old child has been brutally shot…whilst attending their class? 30 some funerals taking place in the next few days and all because some insane guy decided to take out his frustrations, anger and bitterness out on innocent people.
About 2 years ago on Christmas night, when I was living with my parents, our house got broken into. The scariest part was that we were all home…all including me, my sister, my parents and my grandparents. The other scary part was that my sis and I were awake when the guy decided that he was going to break in, around 2.30 am in the morning. I was on the phone, my sister was on the computer, our TV was turned on and we had our door open and I am positive the robber knew that we were awake….because there was no way he didn’t hear us! We even considered going downstairs for water, but our laziness prevented us and we decided to sleep around 3.00. A few minutes later I heard my dad scream “Someone is in the house! Someone is the house!” My dad had heard footsteps out side my room and he knew it was too late even for me and my sister to be up so he decided to check it out. He saw a guy opening the door to my bedroom and started to scream! I jolted up and my first thought was to run down after him but I wasn’t sure if he was armed, so I called 911 and waited till the cops came. We never found the guy and nothing too precious or expensive was stolen, but I was scarred. Even to this day it takes me a lot of time to fall asleep. Normal noises such as the settling of the house, pipes, heavy winds, worries me that someone is trying to get into the house. Poor Bhatji has had to deal with many a nights when I have woken him up and asked him to check to see if someone was outside or to make sure our door is locked. Mind you we live in a very, very safe apt building. But the mind plays tricks on you and that robbery has definitely affected me. If a robbery can leave me so paranoid, I can’t imagine how the students that have survived this massacre, this terrifying episode of random shootings in their classroom can go back into a classroom. There were a few students that actually watched as their classmates and teacher got shot and lived to tell the tale. I am sure that psychologically nothing about their classrooms, schools will ever feel safe again. My condolences go out to the families who have lost their children, to the students who have lost their friends, to Virginia Tech and to this nation for losing a future generation in such a gruesome way. May God rest their souls in peace.

“The more I see the less I know, the more I like to let it go... hey oh”

2007-04-16T15:17:00.000-04:00

Deep beneath the cover of another perfect wonder
Where it's so white as snow
Privately divided by a world so undecided
And there is nowhere to go
In between the cover of another perfect wonder
And it’s so white as snow
Running through the field where all my tracks will be concealed
And there is nowhere to go

The weather sucks! We have been in the middle of the Nor’easter storm and all this rain and wind is just starting to make me angry. After a really cold February and March, I was hoping for a warm spring time. So I am praying that I can hang my winter jacket away for good and soon! Anyway this past weekend, even though it was cold and rainy, Bhatji and I made plans to meet up with Ms. Pai and her cousins Mrs. Karavande (sp?), Mr. Pai and his gf for dinner at Jaleo….not the one on 7th street downtown DC, but the one in Crystal city :o) Sangria, Tapas, and fun company followed by more drinking at Mackie’s…overall a wonderful time. We all discussed food (come on a whole bunch of konks sitting around talking…you know food will be a big part of discussion) specifically how much we all loved Dosas (crispy Indian pancakes). Its amazing how everyone just loves dosas. Maybe because it actually takes skill to make it, its almost like an art. My mom makes the dosa batter from scratch keeping it overnight and that’s why her Masala Dosas are famous! Well I have never attempted to make the batter let alone the skill of ladling it into a fine thin pancake consistency. Luckily a lot of Indian food companies are now making it easier on the girls who live away from India ( My mom believes that the tropical weather in India also helps with the consistency of how the Dosa Batter turns out), leading busy work lives but have hungry husbands to feed by making pre made Dosa batter packets. Yep companies like MTR, Swad, Priya make these Dosa batter mixes and all you need is water and yogurt to make it work. Obviously there is nothing like making it from scratch…but when you are short on time, or you just wanna practice ladling dosas (trust me you need practice to get it just right…this aint your American Pancakes!) you can always use these mixes. Anyway I decided to take it upon myself to try the Rava dosa mix by MTR. All I needed to add was 1 cup of water, 2tsp of cumin seeds (moms suggestion), 3 tbl spns of yogurt and chopped coriander (also moms suggestion) in the mix; After the first 2 failures (those landed in the trash) the 3rd one looked decent, the 4th one came out even better and the ones that followed actually looked and tasted great. Bhatji was happy and so was I. I served it along side some chutney pudi (dry spicy chutney that goes great with a little bit of olive oil) One day I will have to actually make it all from scratch with my moms help, but as of right now, this novice cook was supremely satisfied with the way the Rava Dosa’s turned out. Maybe after a little more practice I’ll be able to have a Dosa Party :o) Make sure to try em out! The MTR or Priya (south Indian companies) mixes work the best.

Happy Birthday Stepheezie!!

2007-04-11T11:51:00.000-04:00

"Seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're very lucky, a plane ride away"
- Carrie in "Sex and the city"

I am little late with this wish on my blog since her birthday was yesterday but HAPPY BIRTHDAY Darling Stephanie, the bestest friend a girl could have. Even though I don't see you or talk to you as often as I would like, I know that the next time we speak we will both know everything that there is to know about each other.

“The very thought of you, my love”

2007-04-10T16:14:00.000-04:00

The mere idea of you
The longing here for you
You'll never know
How slow the moments go
Till I'm near to you

" Christian: You like Billie Holiday?
Cher: I LOVE Him!"
- Clueless < I heart this movie!
Ahh another weekend came and went. I was unable to do my Cherry Blossom picnic because of the unusual cold this spring! So I got some much needed R&R and cooking time. I also met up with Ms. Pai to practice our dance for Ms. Malas upcoming wedding. It took us a while to pick a song and I also realized I had been out of touch with dancing, so I was slow to start choreography. But once I got my niche, the dance Nazi was back in the game and poor Ms. Pai is probably regretting doing this dance with me hehe. I am such a perfectionist when it comes to dancing…timings, hands, expressions etc. No wonder my old dance company girls would call me a Nazi. I realized how much I loved to dance and how much I missed it. Bhatji has always pushed me to start teaching but I don’t know why I have hesitated….maybe soon :o)
In one of my older blogs I had mentioned that I was going to share some interesting/exciting news soon…so here goes: Bhatji has accepted a summer internship in NYC at a really great financial firm. We are both excited about the opportunity, but also anxious about the time that we will be apart and worried about the weekends full of commute as he will be traveling back and forth from DC to NYC since he will still have weekend classes here. I’m happy that he will be staying with my sister in Manhattan, who better to live with than family!
Well this past weekend I made another Thai dish since the garlic shrimp dish was such a hit with Bhatji. I found an easy and yummy recipe for Red curry chicken. And again it was welcomed with pleasure by Bhatji, so I am sharing it with you.
Red curry chicken
Ingredients:
2 skinless chicken breast fillets cut into bite-sized pieces
1 onion finely chopped
3 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
4 cloves garlic chopped
1 can of coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 eggplant cut into thin pieces
1 red pepper cut into thin long pieces
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt to taste
2 tbl spns of peanut or canola oil
2 cups of Jasmine rice

To Make:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion for 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and garlic and cook, stirring, for a minute. Add the coconut milk, chicken stock, oyster sauce, salt and bring to the boil. Add the red pepper, chicken and eggplant and cover with a lid, then heat on medium and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, checking to see if the chicken is cooked properly. Stir in the lemon juice and take off heat. Serve with Jasmine rice.

Another simple yet yummy dish; until the next recipe Eat happy and healthy.

“If you see us in the club we'll be acting real nice”

2007-04-06T15:38:00.000-04:00

If you see us on the floor you'll be watching all night
We ain't here to hurt nobody
I'm the type of girl that'll look you dead in the eye
I'm real as they come if you don't know why I'm fly
Seen ya try to switch it up but girl you ain't got to
I'm the wonder woman let me go get my ropes

I love Indian food. I used to think it was really hard to make, but now that I have been dabbling quite a bit in Indian cooking, I must say it is super easy as long as you have good instructions or a good teacher to follow. I get most of my recipes from my mom and some from my mauma (maternal granny) but a lot of recipes I get from my fellow foodie bloggers. The great thing about the foodie bloggers group is that everyone hails from such different backgrounds that you get recipes from different cultures; even amongst the Indian foodie bloggers we have the southies and the northies. You get so many different recipes from every sub culture that with something as simple as a can of black beans you can make 15 different dishes!
Bhatji and I also love Thai food…any of the Asian foods actually, we try doing sushi Sundays, and have Thai food at least once in 2 weeks. I decided that since I have been making so much Indian food at home, I would try my hand a simple Thai dish. A couple of weeks ago we had dinner at Mai Thai with some friends and one of the dishes called Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus was super yummy! So I decided to recreate this dish at home. I was able to emulate it with a little help from a Thai recipe book I have at home but I added my own ingredients and I must say it turned out extremely good. Definitely a keeper according to my Bhatji :o) I served it alongside some Jasmine rice.

Thai Garlic Shrimp and Asparagus:
Ingredients:
½ lb of large shelled and deveined shrimp
1 lb of Asparagus
2 tbl sp of oyster sauce
½ tbl sp of fish sauce
½ tsp of pepper
1 tbl sp of lime juice
2 tbl spns of olive oil
8 garlic cloves chopped
2 tbsp of red chilli garlic ginger paste
½ cup of chicken stock
1/2 tsp of red chilli flakes
Salt to taste
For the rice:
2 cups of Jasmine rice (found in any grocery store in the Asian food isle) to 4 cups of water or you can use Basmati.

To Make:
In a bowl take the shrimp and mix it with the 2 tbsp of red chilli garlic ginger paste, lime juice, and salt and marinate for about 5-10 mins. While the shrimp is marinating, cut the wash and cut the asparagus in about 2-3 inch pieces diagonally. Heat a big pot of water and when it comes to a boil add about 2 tsp of salt and drop the asparagus in it. Let it continue to boil for about 3-5 mins. When the asparagus turns bright green or starts to soften, take it out of the hot water by using a colander and then run some cold tap water over it and then let it sit. Take the 8 cloves of garlic and chop into very small pieces. Heat a sauce pan and heat the olive oil and add the chopped garlic pieces and cook till it starts giving off aroma. Add the marinated shrimp and let it cook for about a minute and then add the asparagus, the fish sauce, the oyster sauce, the chicken stock, the red chilli flakes and the pepper and cook for about 3-5 mins total or until the asparagus is tender and the shrimp starts to shrivel up and turn opaque. Check to see if there is enough salt because all the added sauces and the shrimp already should have enough salt but if it is lacking add some salt to taste. Serve with Jasmine rice.

This was the perfect simple Thai recipe to make at home. And the key thing was that it was also very healthy. Until the next delicious blog entry, Happy Friday!

“Ay! Amor es una tortura...perderte!”

2007-04-05T16:26:00.000-04:00

Yo sé que no he sido un santo, pero lo puedo arreglar, amor.
No sólo de pan vive el hombre y no de excusas vivo yo!
Sólo de errores se aprende y hoy sé que es tuyo mi corazón.
Mejor te guardas todo eso, a otro perro con ese hueso y nos decimos adiós!

I am sure the weather Gods are laughing at me. Yes I put way to many eggs in my Easter basket and now I am being punished…for celebrating the fake me out spring warm breezes that came and went. Sigh. It’s cold again and when I say cold I mean freezing temperatures. I was thinking of planning a picnic during the cherry blossoms, but alas that will have to wait until next weekend.
Today during my usual short commute to work, I had so many comments in my head about people, specifically tourists that were here to attend the Cherry Blossom festivities. They were dressed in light sweaters, some in T-shirts while I was rocking my heavy wool pea coat. I liked a girls red tote bad and I loved this dude’s hair…and I was missing Mzswats to share these thoughts with. We would be chattering away in Konkani and no one would know what we were yapping away about them! Soon though my dear sister, we will take NYC subways by the Konkani storm and no one will know what hit them ;o)
Lately I have been trying to make as many healthy meals at home as I can…so along with a simple Palak dhaal I made an easy Broccoli upkari. Its not only yummy, it takes all of 8 mins to make! And Bhatji loves this healthy side dish. So here is the recipe for it.
Ingredients:
2 cups of frozen broccoli heads and steams (Fresh broccoli is better)
3 dried red chilies
1 tsp of mustard seeds
2 tbl spn of olive oil
Salt to taste

To Make:
Heat the 2 tbl spns of olive oil and add the mustard seeds. When they start to splutter, break into halves, add the dry red chilies and heat for about a minute. Add the Broccoli and mix well. Cook for about 5 mins and add the salt. Heat on low for about 2 minutes and you are done. Serve with a dhal or saaru and hot rice.

Hopefully the weather warms up soon and I will start that planning of light meals and sitting out on the balcony. I’m looking forward to my cherry blossom picnic :o) Until the next yummy blog…Happy Eating and Blogging.

“A little bit more, A little bit more”

2007-04-03T15:30:00.000-04:00

All I want is the best for you but
There’s only so much I am willing to do
And the rest…You gotta find someone else

I wanted to share pix from the weekend in Chicago of the amazing view from Rakesh and Sheetal’s apt downtown.

I really love this city! Ahem Bhatji - Are you Listening? ;o)

“This is a different type of commitment. I’m talking bout a true friendship”

2007-04-02T15:21:00.000-04:00

It Would Be Fly If You Were B-U-D-D-Y
Don’t Be Shy, Give It A Try I Could Be Yours And You Could Be Mine
I Cant Lie It Would Be Fly If You Were My B-U-D-D-Y
Don’t Be Shy Give It A Try I Could Be Yours If You Could Be Mine

After a full 2 months of the dreary cold and the food that comforts you during those cold months blog fest, I am happy to say that spring is here and I have some fabulous recipes to share that are very “springy”. I find it interesting that our bodies crave for something a little cool and light during the spring season. Light meals are easy to enjoy outdoors either on a park bench or even on your own balcony. Even though Bhatji and I had planned to out on our balcony this past weekend, it was a bit on the chillier side and so we decided to postpone the outdoor meal when it’s a little warmer. Usually Thursday and Friday nights are the best times for me to prepare big meals, since Bhatji is in class till almost 9.30 PM. So this past Friday I decided that I was going to surprise him with a typical Marathi meal. Even though I am Konkani and he is Marathi, our foods are fairly similar, but one of the main differences I noticed in our cultures is that rice is a staple diet amongst Konkani folk and Rotis, Paratha’s and Puri’s (breads) are the staple diet amongst Marathis. Growing up in a very Konkani household in India, my mom rarely mad Rotis and puris…infact puris (deep fried puffed up bread) were made during special occasion or only for specific curries. When Bhatji and I got married and we had a chance to visit his family and his grandparents in India, I noticed that puris were made almost every other day if not everyday. I had never ventured into making puris because I had always assumed they were hard to prepare, but this past Friday I had the time to make these yummy, deep fried goodness. And the whole meal turned out exquisite! So I wanted to share the recipe for these very, very easy puris.

Ingredients:
3 cups of wheat flour
1 tsp ghee
About 1 tsp of salt
½ -3/4 cup of oil for deep frying
Water as needed, I used about 1 ½ cup of water.

To make:
In a big bowl mix all the ingredients from above except the oil for deep frying. Add the water little by little while mixing all the ingredients to make the dough. Make sure the dough is not too watery, if it is keep adding more wheat flour to make the dough firm. Take a small amount of dough and roll into tiny balls (size of a golf ball). With a rolling pin roll the ball into a thin round sphere. Heat the oil on med high and drop the dough in. Once the dough starts to fry, gently coax the dough with your ladle as if you are pushing it down to the bottom of the pan. Do not use any weight or force on the dough during the coaxing, this motion will cause the dough to puff up and fry. Turn over to the other side of the sphere once it puffs up and cook for a shorter time on the other side. During this process of deep frying, make sure to be very careful while dropping the dough into the hot oil and during the coaxing as well.

I made a simple potato/batata bhaji and opened up a tin of mango pulp or Aamras to eat along with the puris, exactly like the Marathi folks would love it. And as I predicted, we forgot all about the healthy diets and indulged! Bhatji ate 6-8 puris that night and I myself ate about 4-5 puris with tons of Aamras! It was sooo yummy! The hot puris and cold aamras is a great combination for the perfect spring meal! I have more recipes and photos to share, so stay tuned for the next tasty blog.

“Say that you stay a little, don't say bye bye tonight. Say you'll be mine just a little, a bit of love is worth a moment of your time”

2007-03-27T00:32:00.000-04:00

Save room for my love
Save room for a moment to be with me
Save room for my love, save a little
Save a little for me
Won't you save a little?

It’s the end of March already? I am glad that I was able to take the weekend off and do something a bit different then my usual routine. I had a wonderful time in Chicago celebrating Mala Masala’s bachelorette party. The weather was a high of 65-70 degrees! That’s right folks. It was warmer than DC. I spent some quality time with some good friends of mine, Rakesh and Sheetal and they were kind enough to host me at their apt for the weekend. They live downtown Chicago and the view from their window of the lake and downtown was incredible! I will post pics later. Mala wanted a very girly weekend so we (total of 8 of her gfs) got pedicures, went shopping on Michigan Avenue, indulged on wine and Italian meal, followed by dancing the night away! It was soo much fun. On Sunday I spent time with my sister in law and her family. My 2 and ½ year old nephew was my main entertainment. I had delays on Monday morning and getting back to DC on Monday felt like eternity...but the trip was sooo worth it. I can't wait to attend Mala's wedding in May. Congratulations Chica! You too will be an old married lady like myself ;o)
Before my trip I made an authentic Marathi dish for Bhatji called Palak Pathal bhaji. My mother in law shared this recipe because it’s yummy and very very healthy since it’s made with Spinach. Bhatji loves this dish!

Ingredients:
Fresh Spinach bunch or one frozen packet
A handful of unsalted peanuts
2 table spoons of besan or wheat flour
2 cups of water
3 table spoons of yogurt
1 Tsp of sugar

Ingredients for tempering (phanna):
2 table spoons of oil
1 tsp of mustard seeds
1 tsp of cumin (jeera)
Pinch of hing
½ tsp of haldi
1 tsp of chili powder
3-4 cloves of chopped garlic

To make:
Wash, chop and boil the spinach in a pressure cooker with the 2 cups of water for 2 whistles. You can even boil it in a big pot for 30 mins…but the pressure pan or cooker works faster. After the 2 whistles, take it off heat and let it cool for 10-15 mins before opening it up since the pressure in the cooker can be hazardous. Once it has cooled for the allotted time, open the cooker/pan and drain the water only into a bowl. We will be using this water later, so do not throw. Mash the spinach leaves with your hands to a slight pulp (not too watery). Add the 2 table spoons of bean and mix well with the mashed spinach. Now add the 3 table spoons of yogurt and mix well. Add the water that was set aside back to the spinach mixture in the pressure pan. Bring the pan back to the stove and cook on Med-high heat. Add salt to taste and the tsp of sugar. Keep stirring every few mins to ensure that the bean does not become lumpy. Bring this spinach mixture to a boil and continue to cook for 5 additional mins. Once this mixture starts to boil, start the tempering (phanna) process. Take a really small pan and heat 2 table spoon of oil. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, haldi, hing, chili powder and garlic and cook till it’s fragrant (about 3-5 mins). Take off heat and add to the Spinach mixture. Take the Spinach mixture off the heat and make sure the phanna is mixed well into the spinach and you are done. This goes great with rice! It’s almost like a daal.

The weather is finally warm and I plan on making some easy to carry dishes so Bhatji and I can sit out on our balcony and have dinner one of these days. Stay tuned for the next yummy blog, until then enjoy the warm sun and spring flowers.

“Sometimes it's soft as a misty rain that gently touches my soul. It cools the fire that burns in me and I simply lose control”

2007-03-21T11:31:00.000-04:00

So just
Rain down on me
Let your love just fall like rain
Just rain on me

It was raining so heavily this past Friday that through my wet and cold walk home from work, I grew nostalgic of my younger days in Mysore and started craving onion pakoras and chai. MMMM I grew up in the gorgeous city of Mysore in Karnataka (India). Our monsoon season was long and warm, it was the verge of winter and power would constantly go out (this isn’t unusual in most Indian cities) We would light candles and spend out evening outside on the verandah (front yard) playing with neighbors kids and quality time with the family playing cards or just talking until it was dark. My mom would make hot pakoras or Bhajiyas and chai or my dad and bapama and I would sneak some tea into my system and chow down on the pakoras. At that blissful moment I wouldn’t be bothered by the mosquitoes, the power being out, the heat or even the fact that my mom was cautioning me from the dangers of being addicted to tea or coffee (which clearly fell on deaf ears considering I am very much a coffeholic and enjoy my hot tea every so often)
I managed to get home before Bhatji and decided to take on making some onion pakoras and tea. Bhatji does not drink tea but sometimes I can coax him into a small cup (I know I’m awful to tempt him but I love company when I am treating myself to tea) The pakoras came out excellent, if I do say so myself. And Bhatji was surprised to come home to the hot treat. Let’s just say that we filled ourselves with so much that we couldn’t fathom the thought of dinner till late. So here I would love to share the recipe for the onion pakoras/bhajiya as per my mom:

Ingredients:
1 large onion
3/4 cup besan (chick pea flour)
3 tbsp sooji flour (optional but this makes it extra crispy)
4 green chilies
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp coriander powder
½ tsp chili powder
Salt to taste
½ -1 cup of water
Oil for deep-frying

To make:
Cut the onion into long thin slices. Mix salt into the onions while you make the paste. Make a paste of the green chilies. Mix the besan, sooji, green chili paste, turmeric, coriander powder, cumin seeds, chili powder with some water, making sure the consistency a thick enough batter and not too watery. You may add more or less water Add the onions to this batter and mix well, making sure all the onion slices are slathered with the batter. Heat the oil and scoop the onion batter with your hand or a table spoon and deep fry in the oil. Fry until the batter is browned and the pakoras are crispy. Lay the parkoras on a plate with a paper towel so it can absorb any additional oil. Serve with ketchup or sweet and spicy chilly sauce along with the hot chai and you will be transferred back to the mother land.

Until the next hot recipe, anticipate and celebrate the upcoming spring!

“When I get you all alone, I'm gonna move in nice and close. Ain't nobody gonna interrupt my game”

2007-03-20T14:10:00.000-04:00

'Cause I like the way you're making your move
I like the way you're making me wait
At the end of the night, when I make you feel mine
You'll be coming on home with me, yeah, yeah, yeah

So many changes coming my way! I’ll go more in detail in another blog entry but for now I will recap the wonderful weekend of food and fun. To celebrate all the new changes Bhatji and I had dinner at Sequoia in Georgetown this past Saturday night. The ambience was breath taking and food was exquisite! To top it all off we had complimentary wine. Following dinner we celebrated with some wine tasting at Sonoma and spent 3 hours talking. It’s the best feeling when you have non stop conversation with your best friends but it feel even better when you have similar rousing conversations with your better half over glasses of delicious wines. On Sunday, for additional celebrations, we met up with my parents at Café Deluxe in Bethesda for a long brunch, followed by catching of the sold out movie "The Namesake”. We had wonderful seat (lady luck was smiling down on us) and the movie itself was pure inspiration! The beginning dragged just a little but once it picked up it sped through the brilliant story line provided by Jhumpa Lahiri and noteworthy acting by all the actors. To me, Mira Nair is a good director but definitely not the best; I loved the movie “Monsoon wedding” but did not enjoy the slow and borderline irritating “Kamasutra”. She has validated her role as a great director through “The Namesake”. I encourage everyone from my generation and younger to go with your parents to see this movie. It gives a very honest view on how Indian American kids deal with the duality of our cultures and how it affects our parents.
Well now for the yummy part of this blog. Last Thursday I made another Indo Chinese dish: Veggie Hakka Noodles. It was a combination of my mom and my grandmothers recipe.

Ingredients:
Half a packet of wheat Spaghetti Broken in half, boiled as per the directions on the packet
2 tbsp light cooking oil
1 large onion, sliced thin and long (use a mandolin if you have one)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
½ cup broccoli (I used frozen)
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 tsp ginger paste
2 tsp garlic paste
3 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp chili powder
¼ tsp of garam masala
1 tsp pepper
Salt, to taste

To Make:
Heat the 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add onions, ginger and garlic paste until the onions brown a bit. Add broccoli and the bell pepper and cook for 2 mins. When the broccoli starts to cook (softens up) add in the noodles and mix well with the veggies. Finally add the Soya sauce, pepper, garam masala, chili powder and mix thoroughly.

I have a few more recipes to share...so I will be writing soon; until then be eat happy, eat healthy.

Go Bhatji, it’s your Birthday! We gonna party like it’s your birthday!

2007-03-19T17:29:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Mr. Bhatji!

“If ever two were one, then surely we.
If ever man were loved by wife, then thee.”

- Anne Bradstreet

And Happy Ugadi to all my fellow Southies.

Fictional excerpt

2007-03-15T12:27:00.000-04:00

Me, myself and I:

I hate the word “my”…especially when he is referring to something that is ours. The house, families, friends, interests…all this is ours. Its our home, our kids, our friends, our family..or so I thought when we decided to exchange vows and pledge eternal love. Still this is what I hear from him for the last 5 or so years. Its almost like he has pissed around “his” belongings/people to claim territory. Conversations of “my” are beginning to drain me. “why are you calling my friends to ask that question? Do you see me calling yours to talk to them?” “My mom says she is sending something for my son’s birthday” “I paid my bills last night including the rent”. I have repeatedly told him that it bothers me when he refers to our things, friends and family as his. I have even asked him what in our life together is “mine”. He said that I take it too personally…and he doesn’t really mean any harm by it and its just a habit. So I say it makes me uncomfortable..this habit of his…and 5 years has gone by in this argument.
So today I packed my bags today and told him that I am taking a trip with my girlfriends for the weekend. I gave him a list of things that need to be done around his house and what his kids need while I was gone...maybe this whole “my” thing isn’t so bad after all!

I work all night I work all day to pay the bills I have to pay, ain't it sad. Still there never seems to be a single penny left for me that's too bad

2007-03-13T15:49:00.000-04:00

Money, money, money
Must be funny
In the rich man's world
All the things I could do
If I had a little money
It's a rich man's world

The weather is gorgeous and all I want to do is sit outside and enjoy the breeze. This weekend was soooo much fun. Bhatji and I spent Saturday evening with one of my dearest friend and his fiancé. We had dinner at Mai Thai and came home to finish the night of with lots of laughter, stories over a cup of tea. On Sunday we had a small konk gathering for brunch which was fun as well. After so much fun Bhatji and I had to get down to some serious planning…vacation planning that is. In the next few months we have plans to travel quite a bit but it looks like we will have to pick and choose since there is no way we can afford taking lots of trips. When we first got married, one of the wisest advices we attained was to travel as much as we could, because once we decide on having family…it would be hard to plan out vacations. Well Bhatji and I are still finding it hard to take vacations as often as we would like. School schedule, work schedule, health and financial contingency such as accidents, car insurance, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries etc. are big factors before we can plan any vacation…even a short weekend trip. Also another issue is when we do get the chance to travel, should we visit people in the places we have been before or should we focus on seeing new places. I am girl who likes to balance so for me the best situation would be visiting a new place with old friends. I also know that this doesn’t necessarily work out all the time. Sigh…I can only hope that our travel stars align and soon!

“Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage, le soleil passe son bras par la fenêtre. Les chasseurs à ma porte, comme les p'tits soldats qui veulent me prendre”

2007-03-08T16:20:00.000-05:00

Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas déjeuner
Je veux seulement l'oublier
Et puis je fume

I saw this interesting foodie blog about 5 Dishes to eat again before I die. It made me think back to all the yummy dishes I have enjoyed and would love to all over again. I will quote Arches here “Making sure my love affair with food will continue”…So here goes:

1) Frankie or Kati roll in the little Mumbai stall:
I lived in India till I was about 15 years old but was only able to enjoy my mom’s version of Frankie (which I LOVE) but it wasn’t necessarily authentic since its not really a south Indians dish. Oddly enough I had my first true Bengali style Frankie at Kati roll company in NYC. It was sooo good that I had pegged it as the most authentic Frankie I would ever consume. Fast forward 2 years and I had the opportunity to visit and stay in Mumbai (my first time actually in Mumbai) with my mother in law. On one of our various shopping trips she wanted to take me to this Frankie stall near the mall (the name is escaping me right now) I ordered a chicken tikka Frankie roll (extra spicy) and my mother in law ordered the potato and channa roll since she is vegetarian. It was the best thing I had ever tasted! The chicken was marinated perfectly and the roti was thick, buttery and packed with lots of flavor! I enjoyed it so much the rest of my trip in Mumbai, I kept harassing my MIL to take me back as many times as possible. I also realized that Frankie is almost a staple in Mumbai since you can take out and eat on the go (Mumbai lifestyle is very similar to NYC) I believe that this was the most authentic Frankie I had ever tasted and I will love to be corrected…since that’ll mean I’ll have to keep trying new Frankie places :o)

2) The “Shorisha Hilsa” authentic Bengali fish dish in mustard sauce at the “Oh Calcutta!” restaurant in Kolkata
I have heard that most Bengali fish dishes are absolutely heavenly! Luckily this past year Hubby and I were able to make a trip to Kolkata because my in laws were based there for about a year. When we got there my father in law has asked me if there was anything specific I wanted to eat while was there and I told him that when I was little I heard that “Hilsa” this Bengali fish was yummy and so I wanted to try a Hilsa preparation. He asked around for a good seafood restaurant and his secretary made reservations at “Oh Calcutta”. When we got there for dinner, since none of us were Bengali we asked our waiter to help us pick the best Hilsa dish for us. He suggested the “Shorisha Hilsa” a mustard based fish curry. True to what I had heard..it was heavenly! Being a Konkani girl who grew up on good seafood (Mangloreans and Goans are known for excellent sea food since they are sea port cities) I have very high expectations of seafood dishes and I think that Bengali seafood is definitely high on my list now.

3) Any authentic Andhra food. I haven’t actually ever been to Andhra Pradhesh even though I was born there. But the Andhra food at the restaurant “Bheema’s” in Bangalore was excellent and I would definitely like to go back there again.

4) Any good Sizzler place in India, especially restaurant “Samrat” in Mysore

5) Sushi at restaurant “Dragon Fly” in Washington dc

6) My moms masala dosa! And I am going to cheat here because this is number 6 and I can get this meal whenever I want right now but I can’t imagine going too long without these. MMM.

I am going to tag people to see different responses that way I know where to eat the next time I visit different places or try new recipes at home.

1) Arches
2) Swati
3) Malavika
4) Maya
5) Chai
6) Megs

PS (I love this old time classic sounding Pink Martini song!)

Missing....

2007-03-04T11:37:00.000-05:00

I miss my friends today. My sister, my girls and definately my college buddies. I got my hands on some throwback pics yesterday and it left me feeling very nostalgic. Sigh...I miss it all :o(