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

Sunday, March 30, 2008

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

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

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

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

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

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

Friday, March 28, 2008

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

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

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

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


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

रंग बरसे भीगी चुनार वाली रंग बरसे

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Happy Holi to all my desis!

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



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

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

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

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

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

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

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

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


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