Tomato and Olive Upma

Tags

breakfast, Friday Feast, olives, recipe, semolina, sooji, upma, wheat

What a way to do fusion I say…. I love olives and I love upma so when I saw this at Sanjeev kapoor’s I knew I had to try it 🙂

and it was yummy and very healthy.. Everyone at home enjoyed it quite a lot

Ingredients

• Semolina (rawa/suji) – 1 cup
• Tomatoes, chopped – 2 medium
• Black olives, sliced (i used green) – 12
• Yogurt – 1/2 cup
• Olive oil – 1 tbsp (the recipe asked for 3 I made it 1)
• Split black gram skinless (dhuli urad dal) – 1/2 tsp
• Mustard seeds – 1/2 tsp
• Curry leaves – 5-6
• Onion , chopped – 1 large
• Carrot, grated – 1 large (my own addition)
• Green chillies, slit – 2
• Fresh coriander leaves, chopped – 3 tbspn

Method

• Whisk yogurt with salt and two and half cups of water to make very thin buttermilk. Set aside.
• .Heat olive oil in a kadai (wok), add split black gram and mustard seeds and fry for a minute
• When the mustard seeds begin to splutter add curry leaves, onion, tomatoes, carrots and green chillies and sauté for a minute
• Add rawa and continue to sauté on medium heat for four to five minutes till it is lightly coloured and fragrant.
• Add buttermilk, bring to a boil, reduce heat and continue to cook uncovered, stirring continuously, till all the liquid is absorbed
• Adjust seasoning, cover and cook further for two minutes on very low heat. Add olives and coriander leaves. Stir and cook for a minute. Serve hot.

And in a seperate news did I tell you I am most excited… I have signed up for a 6-week baking course 😀 😀 😀 from Institute of baking and caking art Bangalore… I am so excited that I all I can think of is when will Monday come… Its after a really long time I am going to take a class for learning something new wish me luck

And threw him down the stairs

Tags

kids, parenting, rhymes

Dont know that rhyme, here is it for u

Goosey Goosey Gander

Where shall I wander

Upstairs and downstairs

and in my lady’s chamber

Where I met an old man

Who would not say his prayers

I took him by the left leg

and threw him down the stairs

And those who still don’t know it its a nursery rhyme, supposed to be for KIDS… what the fuck hell? I mean whatever anyone does you can’t take an old man, infact you cant take any man and throw him down the stairs…. And what was the old man doing in the lady’s chambers is left to your imagination….

What kind of rhyme is this? We all agree that TV has all kinds of things and spoils kids etc etc but these are the rhymes which are made for kids… Do we scan them? Frankly I did not till about some months back someone gifted me a nursery rhymes CD and I heard this one. I was shocked is to underplay it. Then I sat on a mission with my laptop and his CD’s and what I saw even shocked me… I am not sure I would want him to hear quite a lot of the rhymes that I saw…

See this for example…

Teaching eve teasing right from childhood are we?

and there is I had a little Pony which goes like

I had a little ponyhis name was Dapple Gray

I lent him to a lady to ride a mile away

She whipped him, she slashed him

she rode him through the mire

I would not lend my pony now

For all the lady’s hire

anyone heard of gender equality here?

and then there is three blind mice, so much cruelty for three blind animals??????

and this one, I thought we are supposed to respect our elders

Hindi Rhymes are not behind BTW… this one for example

and there are many more like this……..I thought we were supposed to take care of our pets and not beat them with a danda

Ofcourse I am not saying that all rhyme are bad they are the joy of childhood…  but what fails me is the reason why people even try and make rhymes which are supposed to be for kids with such horrible messages. What our children supposed to learn from them?

Do u let your child watch all the rhymes because they are rhymes or u censor them? So how do u deal with this considering one gets rhymes in CD’s usually and how much ever I have tried I haven’t found even one CD in which I approve of all the rhymes..

O

Tags

Abc Wednesday, Abc Wednesday Round 6, Ojas, picture, wordless wednesday

can’t be anything else but for OJAS… my shining star….my son 🙂 love u baby and I guess this qualifies for a wordless wednesday too 🙂

for more o’s visit the abc homepage

Tanned and Back

Tags

cousin, family, fun, memories, Ojas, summer vacations

Back from the small disapperaing act I did on the blog courtsey the lappy not working well and being busy at home… not that anyone noticed and missed me 😦 Warning to self *Update your blog more regularly else people will totally forget u and that is the biggest nightmare of a blogger*

And tanned yeah that is how I look right now… Tanned…Before you guys also ask me “what u went to Goa? ” let me tell you I hate that question right now… No I didnt and getting that question asked by some many people is not at all fun I tell u 😦 I want to go to GOA now

So how the tan u ask, its a result of 3 mad kids that dragged me to the pool everyday at 12 noon in blaring sun for the past 5 days and refused to come out of the water before an hour…

and yeah any recommendations for tan removing creams are most welcome 😉

My sil’s kids were with us for the past 5 days spending some part of their summer vacations with us and needless to say we all had lots of fun… The days were filled with swimming, making block towers longer than our own height, moudling clay and making burgers with them, finding hanuman in  “”Where is Hanuman” book, fighting and yeah cooking dish after dish on demand 🙂 and the evenings spent playing monopoly with the main motive being that the other person should not win… if we lose its ok 😉

Anything with kids is fun isn’t it… we also took them bowling and go karting one day and it was bindaas fun… Ojas also enjoyed their stay so much that since yesterday night he has been asking where is didi? where is bhaiya?

These 5 days just took me back in time to my summer vacations when I was kid, how we used to be parked in badi mummy’s (my nani) house permanently with lots of cousins… no sun used to bother us and how much we used to play… those were the days… the days where games were endless and food cooked by badi mummy in abudance…

It was so heart warming to see ojas enjoy with his cousins as much as we did with ours… Whoever said that seeing ur kid grow up is like living a second childhood was indeed right… 🙂

But gosh in all that excitment I really forgot that I am not a 11 yr old anymore and I do get tired 😉 right now my state is like a zoombie with every part of my body aching who just needs to sleep and rest and needless of say its khicdi for lunch today

So how are your summer vacations going? Wanna share some memory from your childhood?

Dhondo Dhondo Re Sajna

Tags

fun, tag

is what I eventually sing when I lose anything… stupid song yeah I know but old habits die hard 😉 Imp’s mom tagged me to list down five things that always disapper when u need them… I would say everything I never find anything I am looking for… 😦 but anyways Iwould try and list the top 5 🙂

• The Cell phone : like it everyone’s list my cell phone tops here… its mostly in silent hidden under some pillow or in my handbag and never to be found… u see ringing doesnt help either… there is only so much u can strain ur ears na

• The Book I am reading : I read and I put it anywhere and then when I want to read I never find it 😦

• Keys : My handbag like anyother ladies handbag is a pandora’s box it has everything but searching anything is so difficult… everytime I have to take the car out of parking I take 5 minutes to search the key

• My camera/phone chord : Everytime I have to download some pictures the chord goes missing… baah

• Last but not the least undoubtely the sajna 😉 sigh just when I need him…. to taste the dish in the house, to check my outfit outside the try room, to ask whether he wants to eat a veggie while grocery shopping… everytime I need him he is out of sight

And now I tag

1. Vandana
2. Prats
3. Swaram
4. Aasan
5. Pixie

Papa Kahtein hai bada naam karega

Tags

music, songs

The Mad Momma did a collection of songs from 90’s that she is embrassed that she liked 😉 and it took me back in time, remembering all the evening and afternoons when we were in school and college and used to play the music on the small tape recorder that I had… what fun it was… though most of the songs when u hear them now… u go like what? but what a rage they were than… and dear MM i am talking about Delhi no small town so its all the same everywhere 😉 when it comes to crazy music teenagers all across India are the same.

So here goes my list of music that I still remember enjoying… ofcourse it was a tough task considering she had already covered most that I wanted to… every song mentioned there is here in this list haan 😉 but still as she there are plenty of embarrassing songs left 😉

Who can forget the fresh young aamir khan so handsome, so cute singing Papa kahte hain in a movie which changed the course of Indian Cinema… bring on the young mushy romance….I know its a song for guys but all u girls out there tell me truly didn’t us all want to be the girl that he sings about in the last para…

mera tou sapna hai ek chahra dhekhe jo usko jhume bahar…

gallo main khilte kaliyoon ka masaum

hothe main jaado aankhoon main pyaar

banda ye khoobsoorat kaam karega

dil ki duniya main aapna naam karega

meri nazar se dhekho tou yaaroon ki meri manzil hain kahan

gosh I still remember the lyrics by heart 🙂 I think I still remember each song of the movie word by word

And then came Maine Pyar Kiya who took QSQT’s legacy forward and also created the never ending khan clash 😉 and another movie whose songs were there on every young person’s mind and like MM mentioned no antakshri completed without having the full sequence in it…. but if there were two songs I went head over heels with in this movie…

the first one… main ladki hoon, tum ladke hoon…. how silly but how cute… ki aaya masuam dosti ka 🙂  and yeah ho forget that this is the movie and song which invented the famous dailouge.

Frienship main no sorry, no thank u

and

dosti ki hai nibhani tou padegi hai

and there was Mere Rang main range walli… which re-defined the sexiness… gosh I used to dream of that song and a BF as sexy as salman 😉 the way he moves in this song… to die for

Next up is Mohini mohini mohini… main I still remember the crazy number of hours I have spent with this song in a closed room trying to copy every step of madhuri

and dont laugh when I tell u that I have probably spent equal number of hours imaging Anil singing this song.. kahdo ki tum ho meri warna 😉 they formed a sexy on screen couple isnt it?

and u cant talk about anil and madhuri and not talk about the landmark.. dhak dhak karne laga

and while we are talking about Anil how can we forget the magic he created with Sridevi…

Does anyone remember Ronit Roy? yeah the same who became bajaj in Kasuati Zindagi Ki… he actually did a movie “Jaan Tere Naam” if anyone recalls… there was a phase when I was all over those songs… 🙂

And do u guys remember a guy called Kishan Kapoor… yeh yeh acha sila diya tune mere pyar ka guy… but somehow that song never sat in my head… it was a song from another disaster called Aaja Meri Jaan that stuck with me like fevicol…

and another jewel from the movie – it even talks abt bathing and changing clothes 😉

Any such list I do will not be will not be complete without the song… Hawa Hawa e hawa khushbo luta de 😉

the chirpy juhi singing for the handsome but stupid aamir… lovely one this

Though this one is there as embed in MM’s comments but I love it so much till date that I cant help but put it here… the pool, naghma, the sexy Sanjay voice…

and then there was kya ada kya jalwe tere PARO oh PARO

do u guys remember the movie baaghi – salman and naghma… i dont know how many times I watched the movie just for its songs… the prostitute and the nice boy romance…

and on the same subject there was Sadak… of the famous pooja bhat and Sanjay baba.. tumhe apna banane ki kasam khaayi hai

Man I can go on and on and on… so I stop here now, this is probably one of the longest post I have ever did and one more song and WP will tell me to stop… so guys go ahead and tell me your list of such songs… write a post, leave it in the comment… lets recall the times and laugh 😀

Happiness Is…

Tags

happiness, small joys of life

If u think title is stolen from Swaram’s post who stole it from Titaxy’s post… think again… chor ke chor ghar chori ko chori nahin kahte dost 😀

So happiness is

• When u get ready to go to somewhere and the little boy in your life comes and tells u “Mumma u are looking sweet, very pretty” 🙂 atleast on the one of the boys gives me compliments now 😀

• When you are fed up with the Windows Vista in your laptop but cant change it to any other OS because u hate piracy, N comes to u and suddenly tells u that all MSDN software are free for personal use for the employees of the organization he works for… As a result u have a shiny Windows 7 CD installer CD lying right next to u and the installation begins as soon as the backup taking is over 😀

• When you suddenly find yourself depressed for no reason and without thinking much head out of the house driving to the nearest supermarket thinking if nothing u will pick up some veggies and find out that there is nice LUSH counter which has opened up there.. needless to say the wallet some thousand rupees lighter bag heavier by a shampoo and conditioner, you are very happy girl

• When you come back after finishing some chores on a very hot afternoon and open the fridge to find a sole chilled beer on the shelf… Bliss I tell u 😀

• is stealing a gems or two from your son’s bowl and then realizing that he can figure out the loss of even a single gem from his bowlful…. and happiness is also just looking at the colors of this picture…

• When while searching for a book, you find a letter from a very old friend whom u haven’t spoken for like years now…. and reading the letter brings a strong yearning to talk to him, u know he has moved to US years back but still dial the Delhi landline number written the lon etter, only to hear his voice on the other side and the fact that he is in India vacationing… u speak for about an hour without any hesitation the call only ending with his plan to visit Bangalore with family fixed 😀

• And I save the best for the last… happiness is when u haven’t seen the face of the gym for about 2 months now because of the neck pain and then with great courage you step on the weighing scale expecting a disaster and voila what u see if what u don’t believe… your weight is still the same... 🙂  its time to hit the gym again

So come tell me, whats happiness for you?

Muruku conquered : ICC

Tags

indian, indian cooking challenge, muruku, recipe, snacks

Yeah I made the yummy snack muruku first time in my life… thanks to Srivalli and Indian Cooking Challenge... and that too Sago muruku no less 😉 it was yummy and I think it came out decently well… though I was not very happy with the first one I made… the thick one in the photo below, the inside of it was not as crisp as it should have been. Then I changed the mold and made the thick sev like ones, they came out perfect. Wondering why? Anyone has a clue?

so here is the recipe I followed given by Srivalli… my comments as usual in blue 🙂

Sagu Biyyam Muruku / Sago Muruku
Ingredients

• Rice Flour  2 cups
• Besan flour  1/2 cup
• Fried gram flour – 1/2 cup
• Sago – 1/2 cup
• Salt to taste
• Curd – 50 gms (half of half cup) I used the store bought amul butter milk rather than making butter milk at home
• Chilli powder – 1/2 tsp or as per taste

Special Utensil

Muruku Achu

Method

• Soak Sago in Butter milk for 3 hrs, please ensure that you soak it enough else you may risk having the sago burst. (I soaked it overnight but somehow the stupid sago I had was not softening at all so I grinded it a little along with the butter milk)

• Mix all the flour together, heat 50 gms oil (u know I forgot this 😦 may be that was the reason the thick ones were not as crisp?), mix to the flour along with salt and chili powder. Then add the buttermilk soaked sago slowly and knead to a chapati dough consistency

• Heat oil for deep frying.In the muruku achu, add the dough. When the oil is hot, press down directly as as murukus. (I tried doing this though it was happening, I was feeling the direct oil heat too much to bear, so I made them on the polythene and then transferred them to the oil)

• Cook on medium flame to ensure the muruku is cooked well.

Notes:

Ensure sago soaks in buttermilk well and is soft or else it will burst when you press it down in hot oil.
Cook on medium to ensure even cooking.
Fried Gram flour is fried channa dal that is available commercially. It is general sold as the dal, we have to powder it at home. This is also referred as chutney dal as it is used in making coconut chutney.

And they were enjoyed with tea for 2 days before they got fully over

This post is off to ICC and to drool over everyone else’s Muruku go here

M is for….

Tags

Abc Wednesday, Abc Wednesday Round 6, mathyam, mysore, native, vilage

M is for Mathyam… the lovely small hometown of N…. and the most awesome small village house 🙂

M is also for Mysore… the heritage city of India…which has the gorgeous palace…

For more Marvelous M’s gothe ABC Wednesday page..

I am officially mad now

Tags

blogging, fun, tag

Tiku tagged me with this one… the tag which shouts in your face that u are officially a mad person now 😉 specially the part where u make accessories out of food… yeah the recent one doing the rounds… the tag of 5s 😀

5 pathetically horrible movies you’ve seen

Yaadien – man what a torture that movie was… I still remember we went as a group from office along with the India head of  the company I was working in (small startup it was)… all of us bunking office to watch this movie on the first day…and gosh it was horrible the only saving grace was that we saw it as a group and had loads of fun making fun of it 😉

Chandni Chowk to China – there is something about me getting totally excited about the movie and it totally disappointing me, this was one movie for some reason I was really excited about and guess what I booked paid preview premiere tickets for it… yeah go on have ur laugh 😉 sis and N who went with me still curse me and pull my leg on it 😦

Laga Chunri Main Daag : I was so disgusted and angry after seeing the movie, is there only one way a woman can make money? Prostitution. The movie had no logic at all and felt like a movie from 10 years back… was very disappointed that Rani did this movie. Though I must admit I absolutely love some of the songs in the movie.

Basic Instinct2 : after the fantastic fabulous part 1, this sequel was a big big big disappointment

Meet the Spartans : Can someone please explain why was this a movie anyways 😉

5 accessories you can create out of food

Cookie Earrings – a small cookie with a cherry in the front as a earring :

Donut pendant  – imagine a chocolate donut hanging with a chain in ur neck… yummmm

Lettuce Hat – couple of lettuce leaves tied together as a hat and u are ready for the jungle

Cashew Raisin bracelet – cashews and raisins alternatively stringed together to form a lovely bracelet

Strawberry broach – a tiny strawberry used as a broach

phew… done 🙂

5 places where you won’t be seen dead at

Anywhere in 10 km radius of where himesh reshamiya is, i hate that man

A place which doesn’t have good food… i am foodie and can’t live without my dose of food

A place with cockroaches and lizards… I detest them

A place which is very very very hot… I hate heat and would go live in a ice country any day 😉

I can’t really think of a 5th place… so may be where my son is not with me 🙂

5 people you’d love to hit, anytime, anywhere

People who raise hand at children (specially teachers)… i cant stand them… not at all

People who employ small children to take care of their small kids and the house… damn cant u see that they are kids too… the other day I saw a 10 yr old taking care of a 2 yr old while the mom was shopping

The eve teasers… i can kill them

The so called NRI’s coming back to India or still living abroad and visiting and behaving as if its a shit hole they have come back to… everything they say about the country is like what nonsense… damn it u guys have grown up here… stop throwing attitude (I know I know my friends u are not like that but there are a lot of people like this)

People who are not ready to listen and give a hearing to another person’s point of view. If u are not open to views you are not worth talking. Full Stop. Its upto u to agree or not but being closed to even hearing it out. I dont get it.

5 things you’d do to scare anybody

wear a white saree, take a candle in my hand… play some strange music and start walking really slowly in the dark and yeah a payal might help too… if it works in a hindi movie it must work in reality too na 😉

tell them I know some black magic and can do things… weave a story or two to scare them

tell all kind of scary ghost stories in the night

blank calls, mysterious mails….now i think that would work

tell them all the horror stories of the kids that we dont write on the blog 😉

And now to tag… so here it goes

Mandy

Suma

Iya

GM

ArtNavy

Starry

Chandu