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

Monday, November 10, 2008

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”

Thursday, August 7, 2008

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”

Friday, July 25, 2008

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”

Sunday, July 6, 2008

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!