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

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

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”

Thursday, February 21, 2008

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….”

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

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”

Thursday, February 14, 2008

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??

 
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