I am off to Pune today for a friends wedding and we are driving!!
Couldnt get better right…
See u soon folks 
I love all beans or dal in normal terms and moth aka matki is a favorite… And I love greens and topping the list of greens I love is methi…. I can eat it in any form…
I am always looking & trying to make some innovative recipes with methi
This recpie happened last week when I was in such a mood… to have methi differently… I had sprouted Moth with me and I think sprouts can be the healthiest way to eat any dal, protein content the highest…. and digestion the easiest.
So I mixed them both up… and here is what I made… and it was the yummiest… got over in a jiffy
Ingredients
- 1 cup spouted moth/matki
- 1 cup chopped methi leaves
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- 1 tsp jeera seeds
- 1 green chilli
- 1/2 tsp dhaniya powder
- 1/2 garam masala powder
- salt & chilli powder to taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1 tsp oil
Method
- Heat oil and add jeera and fry for about a minute till they turn a little brown
- Add onions & green chilli and fry till they turn golden brown
- Add tomatoes and fry for another 3-4 mins
- Add the dry masalas (dhaniya powder, turmeric, salt, chilli powder)
- Add the sprouted beans and cook for 5 mins… dont overcook them
- Add the methi leaves and cook for another 3-4 mins
- Add garam masala and serve with hot chapathis
PS: spoiler ahead, if u havent see Paa yet u might want to skip the post, it does divulge a lot of info
Just one, just one would do… Ideally one in every state but its ok to start with one in he whole country will do…
U guys do know who I am talking about right? I am talking about the dynamic young aspiring politician ready to take the world of corruption and dirty politics head on potrayed by Abhishek Bachan in Paa
What a character… A character in a hindi movie I fell in love with, A character I am desperately wanting to see become real, A character that our nation desperately needs
A character who has the means to go study Political Science in swanky foreign university but wants to come back to India to change the political system
A character who doesnt hesitate to tell his girl friend that we BOTH need to focus on our career right now and the baby can come later & no I didnt find anything wrong in that.
A character who when becomes a MP ACTUALLY works hard for the people
An MP who thinks out of the box and gives the award for the vision of India to a white globe
A MP who has the guts to do sting operation live on TV initially calling it his confession, he could have been written off even before the program began
A MP who finds time to actually fulfill the wish of a child suffering from a very very rare illness
A MP who when comes face to face with his child he didnt know comes boldly on the TV and says “I should have used a condom”
A MP who goes further and admits publicly that its his child…
I was blown away by the character, one such politician can probably help change the face of nation… atleast start the change
Also Paa helped me look at the dyansty issue in politics from a very different angle…
Amol Arte in the movie was the son of a well known and established politician, now think of any normal person who has no connection in the political world but has the same zest, same will power, same strength… infact for a moment lets forger Arte in Anmol Arte… how many of you think he did have the chances of becoming an MP at the age that is shown in the movie?
May be 10 years later he would have… but think about whaat would have happened in those 10 years… his josh, his youth would have died, he would probably have at some point have to succumb to the corruption to rise as he doesnt have the backing to do otherwise.
Does anyone of you remember Lok Paritran… a political part formed my ex-IITians… a brilliant idea which didnt really take off, now imagine one of them having some political lineage, do u think it would have made a difference?
I do agree that lineage gives an undue advantage but if we have someone like Amol Arte coming out of it do we mind? I dont what about you?
So here is my xmas wish to God… Give us on Amol Arte please….
And finally my list is ready, after days of digging into archives of the blog, sometimes even forgetting that its for nominating a post and just reading to my delight 
what a activity this has been…. loved it to the core
so here is the list
Best Short Story Post
The homecoming by Pixie – http://mytakeoneverything9.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/the-homecoming/
The house of the SUNK by Pal – http://writerzblock.wordpress.com/2009/09/22/the-house-of-the-sunk-fiction/
A week of life by Prats – http://prats.co.in/a-week-of-life/
I am a ghost by Shail http://shailsnest.com/wp/fiction/i-am-a-ghost/
Best Off-Beat Post
Bimbo and other sports by ritu http://www.phoenixritu.com/2009/11/19/of-bimbo-bashing-and-other-sports/
Pangi a true story by Sols http://mesoliloquy.wordpress.com/2009/09/29/professional-mourner-rudaali/
Free Hugs by Crafty http://craftyshines.wordpress.com/2009/10/05/free-hugs/
Best Book Review
Pallace of Illusions by Mad Momma – http://themadmomma.wordpress.com/2009/12/09/the-palace-of-illusions/
Multiple book reviews in one by Smitha – http://books-life-n-more.blogspot.com/2009/11/time-to-justify-name-of-my-blog.html
Best Movie Review Post
Kurbaan by Rakesh http://rakeshzone.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/kurbaan-movie-review/
Kaminey by Ritu http://www.phoenixritu.com/2009/08/18/signs-that-we-are-finally-coming-of-age/
Most Interesting Personal Rant Post
We wake up late here by Mandy http://churningthewordmill.wordpress.com/2009/08/21/we-wake-up-late-here/
Most Humorous Post
Sach Ka Samana by Don Soli http://mesoliloquy.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/bloggers-in-sachai-ka-saamna/
Times of Fatherhood by Hitchy http://hitchwriter.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/the-times-of-fatherhood/
Best Travel Post
Travel to Munnar as told by N http://highwaytravels.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/tea-heaven-munnar-the-journey-from-bangalore/
Best Visual Post (Photos, Cartoons, etc.)
Munnar thru swaram’s eyes – http://thesongoflife.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/straight-from-gods-own-country/
We are same but different by Mama Mia http://amateurabe.blogspot.com/2009/10/we-are-same-same-but-different.html
Best Culinery Post
at mandy’s baking buddies http://bakingbuddies.wordpress.com/2009/08/18/beans-cauliflower-casserole/
Best Poetry Post
An amorous antithesis by Prats – http://prats.co.in/an-amorous-antithesis/
Ode to my once slim waist http://www.phoenixritu.com/2009/05/25/ode-to-my-once-slim-waist/
Best Public Interest Post
A commendable post by Ra on alternative education in india – http://www.likhati.com/2009/09/27/alternative-schools-in-india-some-advantages-and-disadvantages/
Best evocative Post on Parenting
A post that still gives me shivers by Goofy http://impassionedchronicles.blogspot.com/2009/10/can-we-hear-sobs-of-tiny-voices.html
I want I want I want by Kiran http://karmickids.blogspot.com/2009/07/i-want-i-want-i-want.html
Blog Awards
Most Beautiful Header
Life of our Darling Prince http://ourprinceojas.wordpress.com/
Color Me Sunshine http://colormesunshine.wordpress.com/
Indyeah http://indyeahforever.wordpress.com/
Best Blog Design
Weaving a Web http://www.phoenixritu.com/
The Self love project http://www.theselfloveproject.com/
Most Disciplined Bloggers
Most Networking Blogger
Without any doubts this has to be Hitchy
Most Responsive Blogger
So time is running out have u nominated yet? if not then head here NOW
Who doesn’t like a bit of fame
So guys time to say congratulations…. I have been interviewed… About 2 months back I had got a mail from them saying they would like to interview me and I really couldn’t believe it, was mighty excited about it but was traveling and totally forgot about it till I got a reminder from then…. Go read it here
And yes go ahead and say the kind words I am all ears today
Pratically the last weight loss update I did was on Oct 13 and is Dec 11 today… sigh thats almost 2 months 
I feel ashamed of myself but its so damn difficult to get into the groove after you come back from a vacation that too a long one…. Every day I would think that I will start today and everyday something or the other will hold me down… basically its nothing but the will and the damn laziness but last week I decided that enough is enough and started back…
I feel so good to have got back in the routine that I cant tell u, I think there is a great amount of satisfaction u get when you do what u want to do and when u see results even better… hope to stick to the routine now
and as for the numbers here they are
Initial Weight : 94.3 kgs
weight before the break : 84.2 kgs
weight after the break : 85.8 kgs all this is due to mom’s food I tell ya
Current weight : 84.6 kgs
The good thing about this is that I put only around 1.5 kgs after doing no workout at all and binging on the food like crazy for about 7 weeks or so and out of which I was able to shed almost all in a week… So in the long run I dont think I will put back all the weight I lost immediately after I stop like people are scaring me
Isn’t there is this rule that you if you bake a fancy cake for your son you go straight to mommy heaven well then I have secured my place there he he
I made a train cake for Ojas this time… and here I present it to u….
Last time when I asked you guys for some icing recipes in my mind I was wanting to make a car cake but when I searched the internet for some pictures and TMM sent me this link, I got really scared of the shaping involved. This being the first time I was going to try anything so elaborate I was just not getting confidence on looking at those cakes
Then I remembered that she had made a lovely train cake for the munchkin’s first birthday and I told her I might just pick up her idea and generous soul that she is smiled and said go ahead thanks avanti (its a different story that my cake is not half as pretty looking as her’s but I am happy with mine too )
So with that lead and the icing recpies you lovely guys had sent me… I started out to bake the cake for Ojas….
The bogies and the engine are actually all baked in rectangular break tin’s or tea cake moulds. I bake in total of 5 such cakes and assembled them together.
The engine is Chocolate Temptation (for those of you who asked I have updated the post with the rec) in which I have layered half of the second cake on top of the first to give it the engine look. There is a ginger bread man sitting as the driver of the bogie on the side and the chimney is half cut ice cream cone filled with gummy bears and on top of that I put the 2 year candle
The three bogies are plain pound cakes with this butter cream icing (which I modified to replace shortening with white butter as the shortening was not really available anywhere near my house and later when A sent me her frosting recipe I realized its the same ) flavored with Green Apple essence and green color
On the first bogie I put some chocolate rolls as logs, the next one I lined up with gems and wrote Happy Birthday, the next one had Ojas written on it…
The last one the guard box is the left over half of the chocolate part of what I put over the engine… again there is a ginger bread man sitting there as a guard and the icing is the same as above but an orange flavor.
All the bogies and the engine are joined together with chocolate wafers and the wheels are the coin chocolates.
I would be kidding if I say that oh it was very easy there was a lot of effort that went into it, I baked all the cakes and made the icing ready on Sunday evening and then put together the cake on Sunday afternoon but the end result gave me an amazing amount of satisfaction and ofcourse the place in mommy heaven may be next time I will really be brave enough to try the car cake.
I finished reading My sisters Keeper quite sometime back and have been wanting to do this review forever but somehow was not able to get to it. I was not able to put my thoughts together for this one.
Its surely a book that was very good but not sure that I can say it was a book I loved… A book that dealt with a very sensitive subject in a very sensitive way…A very very strong book, infact I think its one of the strongest book I have read in a very long time. It moves you from within…. Its a very sad book probably that is the reason I am not able to say its a book I love there were times when I just kept the book in the side to cry or to think
Its a book about a family who is torn between death and reality… What happens when a happy couple Sara and Brain with two lovely children suddenly comes to know that their younger one “Kate” has a very rare form of leukemia, apart from being devastated they decide to bring in another life in this world to save the existing one. A designer baby people ask but for them its just about saving their daughter… And this brings in “Anna” to the world…
A child brought into the world to be her sister’s keeper… how does she feel all through… The book deals with multiple dimensions of the issue – Anna’s side who keeps doing whatever she is told to till she gives up one day and walks into a lawyer’s office to file a law suit against her parents…. Kate’s Side who doesnt know how long will she live and when she’ll have to rush to the hospital again and ofcourse the parents side who really only want the best for all their children… how the eldest one becomes hostile and the destroyer because he cant be the keeper.
Being a parent myself today I shudder ( infact I cant even imagine to think and pray to God that no one ever comes in this situation) at the thought… What would I have done? Would I have let go of the child? Its not a easy situation I know as a parent we want to do everything that we can to prevent our child from the smallest damage and then this is death but would one put another child in danger to save one? I really dont know… Probably Sara was the only character I really couldnt identify with in the book
But on the whole a very strong, brilliant but a heartwrenching book, I think a must read for everyone
Rating 4/5 *
Book My sister’s Keeper
Authors Judi Picoult
Price Rs 295/-
*interestingly when I finished this book I gave it a rating of 5 at goodreads but now I really dont feel like giving more than 4, may be I have anlaysed the book too much
Saw this lovely presentation on twitter today and I knew had to share this
We all procrastinate… and there are good and bad of it…
According to Wiki
Procrastination refers to the deferment of actions or tasks to a later time.
I think I do it all the time,sometimes for good and mostly for bad specially the routine mundane tasks… this presentation made me think about it, sit up and decide…
So whats ur take on it?
PS: At a side note I got cross posted on Tiku’s wonderful blog.….. I love the way she writes and tiku its a honour to be featured on your blog… thanks a ton… love u girl
T is for temptation… chocolate temptation
Need I say anything else and that makes this post eligible for a Wordless Wednesday too
PS: thank u all for sending in those icing recipes, i am having a ball trying all those out blogsphere does rock
Edited to add : recipe on popular demand
Ingredients
Cake
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup pwd sugar
- 2/3 cup ordinary sugar
- 2/3 cup curd
- 1/3 cocoa pwd
- 1 tsp vanilla essence
- 11/2 cup(200 gm) plain flour
- 1 tsp soda bicarb
- ½ cup (90 gm) oil
To Soak
- ½ cup cold milk
- 1tbsp sugar
- 1tsp rum/brandy (optional)
Chocolate Cream Filling
- 150 gm cream (3/4 cup)
- 3 tbsp pwd sugar
- 3-4 tbsp cocoa pwd
- ½ tbsp vanilla essence
Topping
- 50 gm fresh cream
- 1 tsp butter
- 2 slabs (40 gm each) dark amul/nestle/bournville
Method
- Grease an 8-9 inch round tin. Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees F
- To prepare cake, mix ordinary sugar, curd, vanilla essence and cocoa in a pan. Beat well till sugar dissolves. Keep aside
- Beat pwd sugar and eggs till frothy and double in volume.
- Add oil to the eggs gradually, beating all the time
- Sift flour and soda together
- Add ½ the flour and ½ the beaten eggs to the cocoa mixture. Mix well. Add the left over eggs and flour and mix gently till smooth. Bake at 180 for about 40 mins. Remove from oven and cool.
- Cut through the cake horizontally with a sawing motion with a serrated knife. Separate it, keeping the inside surfaces facing up.
- Mix ½ cup cold milk with 1 tbsp sugar and rum. Soak the cake pieces with this milk.
- To prepare filling, beat chilled cream with sugar, cocoa and essence till soft peaks form. Beat further carefully till stiff peaks are formed
- Place a piece of cake on a serving plate. Spread the chocolate cream and invert the second piece of cake on it.
- To prepare topping, break softened chocolates into small pieces. Heat cream in a heavy bottom pan on low heat. DO NOT BOIL. Add chocolate pieces and butter and stir continuously till chocolate melts.
- Pour this over cake immediately. Spread with a long knife dipped in cold water. Keep in fridge for 30 min for icing to set.
- Decorate as you want
Recipe Source : originally Nita Mehta’s bakes and cakes, sent to me by gracious Uma
bundle of contradictions, a working independent women, a mom, a wife, a daughter, a friend, a traveler and ya a blogger :) 
