THANK GOD FOR NOW .... BUT , WHAT NEXT ??

It is the 4th day after the shocking incidents that took place in Mumbai. Audacious killers , hotels under siege , hundreds of hostages , gun battles in the heart of the city.
Some may call it India's 9/11 but it seems to be more than that.

Since 26th night I have sat glued to the TV. I just kept swapping channels to keep up with the latest reports.

This time i must say that the media has behaved very responsibly. Apart from a few unbelievable reports,they had managed to control their urge to sensationalize the volatile events and follow the requests made by the NSG and the police,not to give current information on their live telecast , of the activities of commandos , which have helped the terrorists in their plan of action.

I salute to the heroes and my heart goes out to all those people who have lost their near and dear ones in the recent terror attacks. May god give them the strength to accept their losses and carry on with their lives.

Today everyone is saluting to the "NEVER SAY DIE " attitude of the Mumbaikars. But my question to such people is - how long can you continue with this spirit ?

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH... its time that we get together and ask our so called leaders of the nation,to wake up. We have had enough of the blame games.

After every such incident a few things always take place.......

• All the ministers of the state and country including the cm ,pm, def minister,home minister etc.
• will strongly condemn the act
• The opposition will blame the ruling party, who in turn will blame neighboring country.
• The media will criticize the politicians for their statements,the police, for their inaction and the failure of the intelligence agencies.
• The intelligence agencies will claim that they were aware of some activities before hand but did not have the clearance, authority or the manpower to take any action.
• The general public will blame the authorities,politicians,police etc for their slow reaction.

....in this way the buck passing will go on and on after every incident.

But at the end of the day who is losing out every time......
it is the common man...
it is his loss every time and he is still expected to carry on with his life and be prepared to lose everything in the next attack.

In return he is given compensation ,and the promise of a job ,which are hardly ever properly fulfilled. ....isn't it high time to start looking for concrete measures .


As a layman I can think of a few steps to be taken...

• Decentralize the STF - let it be situated in at least all the metros.Large and high speed aircraft should be made available to them.
• their response time in case of an emergency should not be more than 2 hours.
• VIP security is provided to all ministers .What about the safety of the general public ?
• Tightening of security - air ,water and land.
• For this adequate amount of high tech equipments and more manpower should be provided.
• is required.
• Coastal police does not have adequate resources and manpower to guard the coastal areas.
• More awareness among the general public is required.you cannot afford to think that such a thing will never happen to me.
  
• This time its your neighbor next time it could be you...

I hope this time we are able to rise from our stupor and do not let divisive forces weaken. It is time to stop differentiating on the basis of caste, region and religion and face these terrorists as one strong unified nation.

...Moods of a woman...

Saw this in a card a few days back .... couldn't resist blogging it .....


An angel of truth, and a dream of fiction,
A woman is, a bundle of contradiction....

She's afraid of a wasp, will scream at a mouse,
But will tackle her boyfriend, alone in the house.....

Sour as vinegar, sweet as a rose,
She'll kiss you one minute, then turn up her nose....

She'll win you in rage, enchant you in silk,
She'll be stronger than brandy, milder than milk.....

At times she'll be vengeful, merry, and sad,
She'll hate you like poison, and love you like mad......!

SPINACH CORN N' PEAS DELIGHT

This is one of my own mix and match recipes. I keep trying out different combinations . A pinch of this , a dash of that and my version of a recipe is ready .....
Its a pity that my guinea pig is my loving hubby .... who tastes all my experiments and gives me constructive criticism too !!


INGREDIENTS :

spinach leaves (chopped) - 2 cups
shelled green peas - 1 cup
fresh corn kernels - 1 cup
khoya/mawa - 1/2 cup
onions(finely chopped) - 2 (medium)
tomatoes (finely chopped) - 2 (medium)
ginger-garlic paste - 2 tbsp
chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
lemon juice - 1 tbsp
green chillies(chopped) - 3
red chilli pdr - 1 tsp
garam masala pdr - 1/2 tsp
cumin seeds - 1 tsp
refined oil - 2 tbsp
fresh cream - 2 tbsp

METHOD :

blanch spinach leaves in 2 cups of water and make a puree.

boil corn in water with lemon juice.

heat oil ,add cumin .when they start to crackle,add onions.cook till they turn brown.

add ginger-garlic paste and saute for 1 minute.

now add tomatoes .cook till mixture leaves oil.

add green chillies, spinach puree.saute for a minute.

now add khoya/mawa.saute for a minute.

add green peas and corn kernels.

add salt to taste and garam masala pdr.

mix thoroughly and add 1 cup of water.

cover and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

stir in fresh cream and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

A Radish Dish !!

MOOLI(radish) KA SAAG

INGREDIENTS :

radish leaves - 2 bunches
radish (chopped) - 2 (medium)
garlic(chopped) - 1 tbsp
green chillies(chopped) - 2
fenugreek - 1/2 tsp
turmeric pdr - a pinch
mustard oil - 2 tsp

METHOD :

Heat oil,add fenugreek. When it starts to crackle add turmeric pdr., chopped garlic and green chillies.

When the garlic turns light brown add chopped radish.

Saute for a minute , when it turns a little soft add the chopped radish leaves.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes or till the water dries up . Stir in between.
your dish is ready ...

A Dream Of A Cream ....

HOME-MADE MOISTURIZER

This moisturizer is very good for dry skin. It’s especially effective in winters. Learned to make it from my mother-in-law. Hubby absolutely loves it. Keeps it in office too.

Few of his colleagues tried it and found it so good that they kept helping themselves from his stock. So last year I made an extra bottle for them.

As winters are beginning here, this Sunday we made this cream again and he has taken a bottle to office today…

INGREDIENTS :

Raw/unprocessed wax - 100 gms

Olive oil - 200 ml

Mustard oil - 200 ml

Aloe vera leaves - 200 gms

any fragrant oil of your choice - for fragrance

METHOD :

• Remove skin from aloe vera leaves. Chop the fleshy inner parts in to small pieces.
• Pour both the oils in a deep bottomed pan and warm them.
• Now add the wax and chopped aloe vera leaves. Partially cover the pan. The mixture will start to splutter and boil. If the foam starts to come up stir in between.
• Let it simmer for 2 minutes. Then switch off gas. Allow to cool a little. Then strain with a muslin cloth and store in a bottle.

Some North Indian Masala !

These are some typical north Indian masala powders that are used in our cuisine.

GARAM MASALA

INGREDIENTS :

Black cardamom - 100 gms

Peppercorn -100 gms

Cumin - 100 gms

Cinnamon - 25 gms

Bay leaves -- 3 or 4 leaves

METHOD :

Dry roast all the ingredients.

Grind them to a fine powder and store.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

KALAUNJI MASALA

INGREDIENTS :

Coriander - 200 gms

Fennel - 50 gms

fenugreek - 25 gms

nigella/Kalaunji/ mangrail - 20 gms

METHOD :

Dry roast all the ingredients except kalaunji.

Coarsely grind all the roasted ingredients.

Add kalaunji. Mix thoroughly and store.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

KACHAURI MASALA

INGREDIENTS :

Coriander - 2 tbsp

Fennel - 1 tbsp

Asafoetida - 1/2 tsp

Black cardamom - 2

Cinnamon - 1/2 inch

Cumin -1 tbsp

METHOD :

Coarsely grind coriander, fennel, black cardamom and cinnamon.

Sauté all the ingredients in a little oil.

Now add the filling (which can be ground paste of any lentil like urad, chana or boiled potatoes or chopped onions) of the kachauri and fry for some time.

Love In A Tub !!

Saw this play yesterday. It was like a comedy of errors. This was my second play as an audience. The 1^st one, I can’t recall much, was by a solo actor, Ashish Vidyarthi. It was hilarious. Had watched it with sis, some 10 yrs ago.

Its’ really amazing how all the artistes’ voices could reach to an entire hall, filled to capacity. These were veteran actors. The best thing about the play was Amir Raza Hussain and the Chinese waiter, both of whom’s comic timing and expressions were too good…

Since the name had aroused a lot of curiosity ,I wasn’t sure what I should be looking forward to .Hubby had also been joking that I should stay at home with one of his friends’ wife and they ‘ll go and watch the play …..

But it turned out that three of the men in the play were in a towel… for the most part of the play and all the women were fully dressed…..

The secretary, who was the cause of all the drama, was a bit of a disappointment. I think she should have been a younger lady, coz her husband in the play looked younger than her !

The Manager (a sardarji) was exactly like the sardarji in ‘Mind Your Language’ (an American serial).

The story of the play goes like this….

In the opening scene, was Mr. Willey, about to go for a meeting, when his wife asks him to spend a romantic afternoon with her. He refuses, so she plans to go watch a play instead.

The husband tells his secretary George, to book a room under a false name (Charles Easter), where he can have a secret rendezvous with one of the pm’s secretaries. George, being a very simple man, is aghast but after much persuasion, agrees and books it under the name of Santa Christmas.

At the some time Mrs. Willey finds out about the room and assumes that George is having an affair. When he denies, she tells him to have one right now, with her. Now he is stuck coz he can’t tell her the real reason for booking the room.

So while Mrs. Willey is preparing for her adventure, George finds out that he has booked the room opposite to Mr. Willey’ s suite and tells him so He says he’ll some how manage . Then the secretary comes and Willey sends George over to his room to get some stuff.

Mrs. Willey finds George in her room and convinces him to stay there.

One thing leads to another, with all the characters going from one room to the other and explaining their presence with varied reasons. The confusion reaches its peak when the secretary’s husband also lands up in the same hotel…..

We were so engrossed in the play that we didn’t know when 2 hours (the duration of the play) had passed. The play was preceded by high tea. There was such a wide variety of snacks that we were full by the time we had tasted all of them. There was a 15 minutes’ recess during the play, in which we had some yummy cookies and coffee and then went back to laughing our hearts out.

All in all, had a wonderful time and now looking forward to watching more such plays…..

Mehendi patterns !!

A combination of geometrical and floral patterns is used in this decorative art.

Decorating the hand and feet with the application of henna or mehendi is symbolic of the auspicious occasion. Besides decorating the hands and feet it is a popular dye to color hair too. It is also used as a home remedy for various minor ailments. .

Preparation and Application

• A fine paste is prepared with the mehendi powder and black tea or coffee to increase the intensity of coloration.
• In the past, mehendi was applied with the help of small sticks. But today, plastic cones are used instead of stick and the mehendi paste can be pressed out in the shape of a fine strand through its nozzle.
• After the formation of design, the mehendi is allowed to dry, for more intense and durable coloration it should be kept for five to six hours.
• During this time the drying paste is prevented from flaking off by periodic dabbling of cotton soaked in a mixture of lemon juice and sugar.

To make a Mehendi cone,

Ingredients:

One pack mehendi powder,

strong black tea - in enough water to make a thick paste,

eucalyptus oil - 1 teaspoon

Sieve the dry mehendi powder and add all the above mentioned ingredients and keep it for seven hours. Then fill the paste into a thick plastic cover and tie it tightly. Make a small hole with a pin at the tip of the cone. The fine mehendi paste can be squeezed out in a thin strand.

Zardosi mehendi :

By this method one can sport beautiful designs on the hands and feet with different colors according to the persons choice in 30 minutes.

The art of putting zardosi is the same as mehendi- a specially prepared black henna is filled in a paper cone. With this the design is drawn on the hand and feet. After twenty minutes it can be washed off. This leaves a black imprint which can be later filled with different colors, nail polish, glitter sprinkles etc. to make it more colorful. This gives a tattoo effect on the hands and feet, and it lasts only for a few days.

Today's Menu !!

Bombay Toast with Cold coffee.

The recipe will follow soon.....

CHOCOLATE WALNUT CAKE

This one is for chocolate lovers .....

This is my favorite cake and I can make it at the drop of a hat. I made it yesterday and its already half finished.... coz its yummy....

Although I have given its recipe but i keep making a few changes. like in this cake (in the snap)I have added cashew nuts almond and cherries instead of walnuts .

Here is the recipe ....

CHOCOLATE WALNUT CAKE

INGREDIENTS :

Flour - 1 cup

Eggs - 2

Cocoa pdr. - 2 tbsp

Butter - ¾ cup

Sugar - ¾ cup

Baking pdr. - 1 tsp

Milk - ¼ cup

Chopped walnuts - 1/3 cup

METHOD :

1. Preheat oven on convection mode at 180 degrees.

2. Grease the cake tin with oil/butter.

3. Sieve flour , cocoa pdr. , baking pdr. together in a bowl. Keep aside.

4. Beat eggs , butter and sugar in another bowl , till mixture becomes creamy .

5. Slowly mix the sieved flour mixture and the beaten eggs. Add milk to make smooth mixture. Also add chopped walnuts to it.

6. Pour the cake batter into the greased tin and bake at 180 degrees at lower rack for 35-40 minutes at convection mode. Allow to cool. Garnish with icing ,walnuts or fresh fruits.

SPECIAL TIPS :

1. Preheating of oven is very important.

2. To avoid a dry or dehydrated cake ensure that the cake batter is of ribbon consistency i.e. the batter should fall from a height in a ribbon shape.

3. You can adjust the consistency by adding more milk.

Rangoli In Diwali !!

This is the rangoli I made this year in diwali. I just love to make a rangoli in all festivals .


I have been making one especially in Diwali since I was in 3rd standard along with the help of my younger sister.

There are many mediums that i have used in my rangoli . In fact we tried to use a different medium every Diwali which at times required a lot of preparations.


A colorful design called a Rangoli is made at the entrance of a house to welcome guests. Traditionally they are painted or created out of colored sand/rice powder.

How to create the rangoli?

• Choose a design that you want to draw. You may find designs from books and magazines or you may create your own design.

• If you want to try out a design of your own, first draw it on a piece of paper and fill in the design with colored sketch pens to get an idea about how the rangoli will look.

• Wipe the floor, where you want to create the rangoli, with a wet cloth and let it dry.

• With a piece of chalk, draw the outline of the rangoli design.

• Now it's time to fill in the outline with rangoli powder, the most challenging part of the whole exercise. Pick up some powder with your thumb and index finger and fill in the design by sprinkling the powder on the floor. Take care to sprinkle the powder carefully; don't let powders of two different colors merge with each other.

• You may create spaces within the rangoli design to place diyas .Flower petals of different colors can also be used.

• Once all the colors are filled, its time to draw the outline .It can be drawn as a border between two different colors or it can be drawn as the perimeter of the design.

Finally,light up the diyas in place them in the designated places and viola…… your Rangoli is ready.

My Kitchen Decorations (part 2)

This is one of my favourite time pass when I am working in the kitchen. There are t-shirt quotes in the form of a t-shirt and the square ones are graffiti.I am sticking them on my kitchen door. I started collecting these 4 years ago , but then I should have a much larger collection....isn't it ?



This is becoz I have shifted 4 times in 4 years and once I stick them they don't come out.

I really like the graffiti on top which says "My Decision Is Maybe And Thats Final ".
This is really true for me .

Being a piscean I am always confused when taking a decision and I procrastinate so much that at times my decision is actually ' maybe' ......

It may sound funny but this is the truth...



Can you guess where I have taken them from......
Well it will be a familiar sight for those who read the news paper "The Times Of India".Both of these appear in the supplementary magazine called "The Delhi Times".





I really love.. this cartoon of Garfield. It really proves the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words".




Tomorrow I am planning to go through the last three months' stack of newspapers for more of these stickers and soon my kitchen door will be filled up completely....

My kitchen decorations !!

I made this collage  a few years back and now I keep adding more and more cuttings to it....

But I find it really hard to cut from glossy magazines coz they are so expensive.

May be now I should start doing that bcoz in reality this collage looks gud....but a photograph like this shows how some of the pics have come out really dull...or maybe i m not that good a photographer !  

Can anybody tell me wat to do  ???