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

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

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”

Friday, February 8, 2008

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”

Thursday, February 7, 2008

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”

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

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)