That was a very long slumber!

I have been away from blogosphere for a very long time. New home, Job change, couple of trips to hometown (unexpected!) and soon to come exam have kept me occupied.
Cannot wait for summer and I promise to be active again! Meanwhile stay tuned for some occasional changes and updates on my weblog.

Too many things going on...

Just not finding time to blog with lot of stuff going on .... However found time to bake a Chocolate chip banana cake with white chocolate shavings on top for R. :) Hopefully will blog in detail soon ! See ya till then.

My sister's handiwork

R surprised amma with Chappathi / Kurma and Pal-Adai Pradhaman for her B'day. Fantastic for someone first time even entering kitchen with "cooking" in mind. :)
You go Girl !!

Idli Disaster

We all have good days, bad days and "the usual routine" days. But sometimes bad days hits you in a way as if it was designed to be the worst - whatever you do has a negative impact. I have had bad days at work - I even remember the date November 27, 2006 - Monday : every thing I did , talked , reported was error ! Well.. you learn, and move on.

Last night was a disaster. I made the worst idlis in the world. May be I could have been awarded - " Best prize for the most awful idlis anyone can make". Well... we all have disasters in the kitchen, especially when we start a fresh. I have had my bad days in kitchen but I shrug those off because of the excuse " It is my first time". First time it was for me with idlies. But my ego doesn't allow me to shrug this one - Hello... Iam a South Indian for God's sake ! How can a " thachi mammu" (curd rice) like me go wrong with idlies ? This is like a North Indian making bad phulkas or Italian making bad tasting pasta !

To be honest, in my 2 years of cooking record, I have not made Idlis. I did not have idli cooker / moulds at home till now. Yesterday I wanted to try my new idli cooker. Try I did - and ended up with half cooked idlis. Well , all I can think of now that may have gone wrong is my urad dal quantity and the consistency of batter. Hmmm... even a chocolate cake that R got for me at 11 PM last night to compensate did not pamper me. Anyway now that I have returnted to my sanity, I will surely give my try until I make idlies like my amma - soft , fluffy like a " mulla poo" ( Jasmine Flower) without any baking soda added ! I promise to follow up with a post. :)

We all write about the fancy dishes that we make, proudly showcase artwork, achievements, but c'mon... we are human beings and we make mistakes ! I thought why not vent out my frustration.

So much for my first post after blogging break !

Cartoon Credits: http://www.feebleminds-gifs.com

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Update:

Tip to use the leftovers:

As I mentioned the reason for my disaster was slightly more urad dal which made the dough overly fluffy. In case that happens to you, just add some roasted rice flour (or any rice flour) and make either dosa or Uttapam. I added some rice flour, grated carrots, onions , green chillies, made some mini uttapam, gave it a new look and the dough was over in 30 minutes !

Also I disguised the half cooked idlis too - you wanna know ?! - I cooked them for a longer time in the cooker, till they were holding their idli shape, then I put them in the fridge overnight. Next day, I mashed them, took a nonstick skillet, seasoned it with a teaspoon of oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, curry leaves, sauted some chopped onions, added the mashed idlis, a teaspoon of molagai podi (spice powder), sauteed for a while and devoured it with a dollop of yogurt!

Did you think I will give up and waste food ! Sorry, No wasting entertained . :)

On a BBB - Brief Blog Break

Short break - Will be back soon! :)

A quick peek into the strange list

I have always wondered what those ingredients mean ? Iam talking about the long list of strange sounding ingredients on the flap of your frozen burgers. We don't welcome Frozen / Packed foods to our home very often. But I do have maybe a pack of noodles or burger for any emergency ( that happens when my mood is sour ! ). But I think a lot before getting them. I have purchased such veggie burgers from TJ twice in last 2 years. But Iam always skeptical and lost when it comes to the list of ingredients. This article explains the unknown. Looks like once a while should be okay if not highly nutritious. At least I won't collapse eating this ! :)

Hunger Attack ... Binge Eating and a Rip off....

It is 4:30 PM , you are at work. There is a feeble grumbling noise. Very feeble that you don't notice. The clock is ticking and you are working your way through. It is 6 PM now. You are almost done for the day. You realise that you hear another grumble and for this time it is more powerful. You become aware - Your stomach is grumbling with hunger ! All you can think of now is FOOD. Just about anything.

Iam positive that every human being goes through this Snack Attack every single day. It happens to me . I come back home frantically searching for some food. Tear apart the refrigerator. Iam usually good when it comes to eating consciously . But this is the time my brain just doesn't listen to me. It becomes a slave to the tummy.

Today when I was going through this hunger battle - I ended up going to a Mexican joint . Ordered a burrito in a bowl (lots of beans , veggies and low on fat) . I ate like a glutton. When my stomach calmed down and my brain got back to normalcy . It all came back to me. I paid $ 7.99 for a bowl of not so fresh veggies , old beans that is soaked in preservatives and rice which God knows when it was cooked ! Was this all necessary ? How do I handle this ?

I should do something to attack the Snack attack ...!

All that Glitters is not Gold !

( From a very frustrated human being )

Ok here is the deal - I made a very simple dal with chopped onions and veggies for lunch. I kept wondering " Oh dear ,Did I go wrong with anything . Well , how can I - it just is a dal" . But I constantly thought there was something missing. This would not leave my brain. It just dawned on me that when I was back home (in India) , I found that veggies tasted different . The legumes , spices , flavour and aroma of rice , all tasted so very different. Iam not sure if this would be something anyone would notice , but a picky eater like me will sure agree.

When I was a newbie to this country , I was amazed at the fresh vegetables - huge with not a glitch or flaw. As if someone crafted each and every tomato , cauliflower , onion , apples and all other veggies / fruits. I was singing praises to my parents back home , about how healthy it is here in the US. Well... the day wasn't too far when I realised all that glitters is not gold - DEFINTELY NOT.

The closest that I can find is the organic produce and the locally grown produce at the farmers market. Sure is a bit expensive - but I would rather spend a few extra bucks for what goes inside my tummy.

I miss my home sweet home ! :(

Mother's Day Tribute

Like every living being on this planet earth, my amma ( mother) holds a very special place in my heart. She is my source of strength and inspiration .

She is one woman who has never ceased to amaze me in every aspect of life. From sending us to school , coming up with delish food to her very hungry kids , helping us with our homework , and after a tiring day at her office making fresh , healthy dinner ... and all this without a single word of complaint. I can't help but wonder how she managed it all !

Need I tell, to me ,she is the most amazing cook on earth. Getting recipes out of her is never easy. When I go to her with my little recipe book , and try to note down , it never was a success. She says - "Just go by your intuition , feel the taste in your head and work the proportions". She just trots into the kitchen , and comes up with delicious stuff on the table in no time with whatever is on hand.

Amma - Love you and Wish you a very Happy Mother's day ! On this special day , featured are just a few of the wonderful delicacies that my amma prepared when we were at home for vacation :

Special Uttapam....




Uttapam , Chutney and Molagai Podi



Aappam...

Aappam , Stew and Pazham....

Scrumptious Lunch.... Molagootal , Mango Pachadi , Stew , Pulli Inji and Pappadums


Puttu , Kadalai Curry and Pazham

Going Back to my roots...

Settling in a new country is an experience by itself , especially when it is soon after marriage. Unlike home , where there is ' been there and done that ' people advising you on the Dos and Don'ts when you start afresh in a new family , here it is all self learning by experience.

When I came to this country, we had our own trials and triumphs in various aspects of life. Especially when it came to setting up kitchen it was a saga by itself. Neither had I been in kitchen before marriage nor did my hubby had any wisdom to impart.

My kitchen practices have gone through several makeovers and pitfalls and finally there are some things that has become a ritual. To name a few pitfalls - My only grocery shop was Albertsons ( most expensive ! ) , Going out to eat was a routine , Frozen food had always some place in my freezer. Well.. these definetely changed and now as I constantly look for areas to improve and hone my homemaking skills , I find myself going back to my roots - things that my amma advised me as a little kid is coming into reality after self realisation.

So what's new in my kitchen ?


1.Go Organic.

2.Seasonal Cooking.

3.No bulk buying and stocking.



....... Will ramble on these topics soon. :)

Welcome to my Dining Table !

I remember those good old days as a little girl , when my sister and I came home from school , my paatima greeted us with a hot cup of Nutra-amul ( I hope I spelt right...our favourite cocoa of those days ). Then it was play time until amma and appa got back from work. After which - freshen up , prayers and homework till amma's delicious dinner invites us to the dinner table.

This was the most important part of our day - dinner time . Everything that happened during the day from things as silly as getting into fight with my benchmate ( well.. not so silly at that time ! ) , to the exams... teachers and all possible things under the sun and that mattered !

Well.. sometimes when I look back - this simple , comforting routine made me what Iam today. Sharing my feelings ( anything from silly to serious ) with folks close to my heart was never difficult , on the contrary it was one thing where I found solace and peace .

These days when life is so mechanical , and when Iam miles and miles away from my folks I have started to feel the void . Sure we have phone , email and the likes , but do I really get my childhood dinner time with my folks ?

So here Iam, to share with people close to my heart , all those unspoken crazy feelings and random childlike thoughts that never dies in me . Folks , Buckle up and enjoy the ride !

Iam sure my hubby cannot agree more to what I said , simply put - This is just another platform for a nonstop nonsense to rattle away her thoughts ! :)