Experiments of the Third Kind

What happens when you open your fridge and see a box containing 10 cold idlis gazing bleakly at you?

You chop ‘em up and make Idli upuma! Easiest thing to make EVER!

And how ?

• Take the idlis  and chop them into random squares
• Bring out the pan , pour some oil , add your seasoning (mustard , tuvar dal) and when it begins to crackle , add some karuvaipella and green chillies and diced onions
• When the onions turn all golden and shiny, add red chilli powder/cayenne/sriracha , turmeric powder, salt and a dash of coriander powder
• Toss them about  and mix the chopped up idli pieces in so it can soak in the spices
• Give it about a minute or 2 and garnish with fresh coriander or mint.

You could do the same with Bread and its Bread Upuma.Child's play.Am feeling rather good about getting the hang of this whole Uppuma shabang and that includes getting even the water consistency right. It all boils down to basic math and proportion, I guessJ

My second question to you – What do you do when you realize you have to leave town tomorrow and have an unused kilo of carrots cooling its heels in your refrigerator? 

You shred them like they’re paper in your grater and make Carrot Pulao! It’s just THAT simpleJ . 
If you said Carrot Halwa, my answer would be to ask you to make it for me. I somehow feel guilty making sweets these days. Watching first-hand the amount of sugar, butter, cream and god-knows-what-other sinful thing going into the dessert makes me ultra-aware of all the calories I’m downloading onto my waistline. Sigh! Ignorance is bliss, peeps! 
'k, enough digression -back to my super healthy and colorful Carrot Pulao!!!;)

How to make it, you ask?

• Grate the 4 carrots and set aside
• Measure 1 cup of Basmati Rice , wash it nicely.
• Take a pan , and grease it with some ghee or butter
• When the luscious dollop of butter melts and froths, bung in the diced onions and garlic.
• Now , let them sweat for a good 2 minutes before you add the grated carrots
• Toss some chives and tarragon if you have them handy
• Add salt and red chilli powder in at this stage. I love my spice and salt. Do as I do or else suffer the blandness that goes into every bite you put in your mouth:P
• Stir the pot for about 2 minutes and add the washed rice in.
• Mix the veggies and spices well with the rice and then add 1 and a half cups of water to this.
• Cover the pan and cook on a medium flame
• Keep stirring the pot every now and then so as to make sure the rice does not stick to the pan
• Once the rice gets done garnish and serve hot with a vegetable curry of your choice.

My last questions goes thus: Do you like strawberries and ice cream?

If you do here’s what I did …

I had strawberry icecream handy that I melted. I then added my brand of nougat to the melted concoction.Froze the mix and added cut strawbeberries as a topping justforjolly! Nothing like savoring a bite of real fruit in an ice-creamJ

Ain’t life grand?:)

What's a Sunday without soulful comfort food ?

All my mad food adventures have one thing in common- Insane, indefatigable cravings!

This day was no different. I felt the need for some comfort food... pasta to be precise:)

I walked into my kitchen thinking I'd make Ziti with garlic-sage-butter sauce but I'd run out of Ziti. All I  had was a box of unopened  Spaghetti staring at me dolefully.And then I remembered the over priced San Marzano tomatoes that I'd bought the previous day. My fancy neighborhood supermarket claimed to have flown them in from Naples. They looked so red and juicy that I just had to give in and pay up. I swear the prices in the store made me sure they were calculating in Yen:S

Anyhoo, Spaghetti Pomodoro it was for dinner!

Ingredients:

• 1 big tbsp Olive oil
• 2 Big Onions
• 1 clove Garlic-finely chopped
• 4 San Marzano or Heirloom Tomatoes (for the puree..There's nothing like a rich, creamy tomato sauce that can bring me down to my knees...)
• Parsley
• 6-7 Mint leaves
• Thyme to taste
• Red Chili Flakes
• Salt and a few grinds of pepper to taste
• 4 ounces of Spaghetti 
• 1/2 cup Grated Cheese (Parmesan/Pecorino)

A simple version of the recipe needs nothing more than tomatoes , a garlic clove and basil. But if you're in the mood to indulge in some veggies feel free to add some mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, baby corn and broccoli! There are no hard and fast rules in my world. I cook as my heart desires...as should everyone with a food pulse:)

So this is how I made my Spaghetti Pomodoro :

For the Pasta:

I cooked the spaghetti in a pot of boiling, salted water until it was al dente. I also added some thyme, rosemary and extra virgin olive oil to the water so that the pasta would smell fragrant while not sticking to each other.

And now for the sauce:

• I heated 1 big tbspoon of extra virgin Olive oil  in a pan. 
• Over a low flame, first sweat the onions  and then add the garlic.Inhale and savor the whiff of garlic in olive oil...heaven!
• Once the onions are nice and golden add the mushrooms, zucchini, peppers, baby corn and broccoli if you feel like it. It sure is healthy and also gives a nice crunch to the dish.Cook this for another 3-5 minute
• Add some finely chopped tomatoes, Tomato puree ( I usually use Ragu or the tomato pasta paste) and fresh tomato puree to take the synthetic edge off the Puree bought from de store..Yes, I know that its  a lot of tomatoes we're discussing. But remember, its zingy flavor and texture truly makes the pasta come alive.
• Cook on a medium flame for about 5 minutes…
• And then add some salt, black pepper, lots of red chili flakes( I like it hot!) , chopped parlesy and thyme. Nothing beats the aroma that is released when pureed tomatoes meet thyme and finely chopped parsley.* slurrpp*
• Now, if you like a creamy consistency I would suggest you add some organic unsweetened whipping cream. I used very, very little though..cause it gets too sinfully rich otherwise.
• Bung in some chopped parsley or dried parsely (which ever you have)
• Finally mix the pasta in..and finish by drizzling a teaspoon of olive oil over the pasta…
• I also got some nice grated Parmesan and sprinkled it as my garnish!

Serve it with warm and crusty whole wheat bread (so all those watching their weight won’t complain!). Until next time, Happy Cooking ya'll:)

meep...

Heaven served in a soup bowl:)

And so after a really long and tiresome day I came back home to cool my heels and watch some telly and what do I see?

I spy Padma Lakshmi sitting in this really pretty villa, sampling some home-style Gazpacho:) Inspired, I decided to take a stab at making it Andalusian style;)

So here's what I did:
I took 3 big, ripe, juicy tomatoes and chopped them up. I retained the skin, but you could just blanch them if that's your style.
I diced the following ingredients :
2 onions
red pepper(3/4 cup),
cucumber(1/2 cup) ,
2 pods of garlic ,
2 slices of super crusty bread (purists use old stale bread. My response: *shudder* and *Nowayinhelllll*)

Take all these colorful ingredients and stuff them into your blender/food processor and add some salt, a teeny tiny pinch of freshly ground black pepper and some cumin (gives it such a hearty taste). Also pour some red wine vinegar in or just plain sweet vinegar and olive oil into this concoction and blend away. Now, some people soak the bread in water before they blend away, but I added a small amount of water only after nudging all the ingredients into the blender.

So there you have it, a quick recap of the spices: salt , pepper , cumin , vinegar (it could be from the bottle that holds your olives, plain vinegar, white or red wine vinegar..whatever floats your boat) , some water and olive oil!Whew!Don't forget any of them!!!

So once all this is  properly blended in you have your Gazpacho- dry and ready to chill:)

Just make sure there are no nasty, chunky pieces of anything floating around. I didn't grind it in too fine. I like that small crunch factor since its a cold soup and all. Most people cool it for a whole day or at least a few hours to give the cool ingredients some time to mix and meld.

I just put it in the freezer for an hour.What!!?!?! I'm all about the 'instant gratification'...and I blame my generation!:) and No, it didn't freeze or any such thing:S

For the grand finale-serve chilled , drizzle divine olive oil on it and garnish with fresh/dried thyme and parsley. I used mint instead of parsley.Enjoy it with toasted, crisped bread thats been slathered with herb-butter or garlic mayo.... tasted and smelt just the way I pictured heaven would;)

Hellsyeaa.. Modesty sure is overrated!:)

In which Pwi makes them Pancakes!

Of Salad Days, Growing Pains & Wish Lists:)

Dearest Faameeli, Besties and Friends,
Ollllaaa!! ♥

Hmmm..so what's special ,you ask, Jyesss!!!?? Hmmm let's see...Well I turn a teenage 21 in exactly 2 short weeks! It all started when God actually called me eaaaarly in the morning and told me that he was planning to schedule my birthday again this year!!! 

Good Grief.

Doesn't he get that after a certain point he's just being painfully repetitive not to mention supremely vindictive!!! Well, at first his news  was cause for great concern and well, deep consternation, cause heck who likes growin older other than silly 5-16 year olds who , let's be fair, don't know any better! 

And that's when I saw the silver lining- I'd be of legally drinkin age in the US and eligible to receive 21 whole gifts by a rare breed of thoughtful kinds( you know who you are!!!).Well, more gifts are welcome 'cause God knows a girl like me could sure do with some cheering up and a super sugar high to tide over such exasperating times...

Anyway the whole B'day announcement got me thinking... it was time to whip out a wishlist and soften the blow:D
So here is my short wishhh list...feel free to splurge on mee, ppl :D

1.Loads and loads..no , make dat roomfulls of balloons.

Like a zillion-kadzillion balloons..so when zealous kids snatch away MY balloons n smile their crafty , wiley, okiefyne innocent smiles at me that I fosures won't be able to resist , I ll have a whole surfiet!!! Dontcha just love plannin in advance for any situation!!

2. Soapy Bubbles..so I can run around n burst em...

What!?? There is no such thing as "enough fun or enough cardio".Let's keep me fit and happy peeps:).And while we're on the whole fun subject- I want sheets and endless sheets of bubble wrapping as well to pop to my heart's content! Ahh the sweet sound of bubble wrap crackling.I do love my pop !:)

3.My fave Bvlgari Parfum- Aqva. So its a men's perfume...but it's what floats my pheramoney boat! Be nice n deal with it!

(Please?)

4. A watch...

A Guess watch in white straps with glittery white stones on the dial.It can be Chopard's happy diamonds too , u know , I wouldn't mind that in the least;).I did scour the Dubai Duty Free stores in its entirety for something like that. But, there is something called buyer's luck that must favour de smitten , so all my lovely mitten- kittens , shud u find one..pls know that u will never regret having bought that for moi:). *Mumbles*Or even sharing the 411 on where I can buy one would suffice

5.Ice ice baby.. Ice of the  Diamonds kind  in any accessory shape.. 

I accept em all.. Here's a smile with a tinggg to prove my commitment n love for dat piece of treasure..Such is my undyin fascination for all de beauty dat this hard rock brings ...*Trillin alladin style* You can open my eyes... shinin, shimmering , splendidddd...laadidaaa

Sigh! Such endless possibilities !!!

6. The downloaded first season of Glee so I can hear de song 'Total eclipse of the heart' by New Directions ( orginally by Bonnie Tyler ) over and over and over again.

You can never hear that version often enough!

7. A 21 tiered miniature Cake...

Ok ! I just had to try.. I did add miniature....so gimme points for atleast reachin for realism at some point of my wish...Cupcakes*drool*. Fine , a cake that's a total wicked delish made of  chocolate would do too. Maybe one that's shaped like a chocolate Labrador.Shapes add character and the caprice stems from being completely charmed by how adorably innocent labs look!:)

8. Movie tickets to the movie Raavan just in case I haven't been fortunate enough to watch it by then.And in case I get lucky and watch it before said day make it a pink Umberella ♥!

9. An original Blackberry skin for my BB curve in hot pink. 

I've sadly seen the ones they sell here.They look cheap and sad. I want the original which has blackberry printed on the backside. Shame on you ebay.in for mailing me a fake! Shame on you!:x

9.5. An awweesome real estate agent's number or a tip off on prospective sellers of a super lookin appartment in namba Singara Chennai.No outskirts Anna Nagar , Kilpauk stuff..hard core center of de city!

10. A genie who ll hook me up with a hot shot job that involves tons to travel to europe , australia n japan n... u get de drift.. A tip wud be nice if a genie is hard to come by;)

Oh! and on a serious n very firm note I want : hugs and more warm hugs , wishes and more wishes for a nice happy life , prayers and more heartfelt prayers that my big dreams come true ,  promises and bigger n huger  promises of  undying friendship , love n loyalty and finally hopes and bigger hopes for me to be in a place, this year, to reciprocate all those emotions and more for my wonderful family n friends.. 

Ya'll mean so, sooo, sooooo much..
Much lowee ...

Mee♥ 

My rendezvous with Hema Malini and trysts with Poha-makin:)

I've met the actress Hema Malini twice in my whole time on this planet...Once at my best friend's wedding and this other time at this airport security check (she was right in front of me in the queue and  we collected our belongings in, what I'd like to consider, companionable silence). The first time I laid eyes on her was at the wedding, when she and her youngest daughter/son(couldn't tell going by the size of the shoulders) were walking towards me...The starlet looked stunning in her elaborate Zardosi adorned Sari.Visions of goat/snake/pigeon sacrifices and the many deals with Satan/Lucifer/ his ilk drifted in and out as I marveled at   just how she managed to look this drop dead gorgeous in her 60's!. But when she drew closer I discovered that she was a perfect Monet...a sight to behold from afar but not so stunning when you saw her face upclose ( what with the makeup caking up around the lines under her eyes and the crow's feet!). It was  kinda hard  not  to notice the tell-tale signs of ageing on her face but when your gaze dropped to those mesmerizing, shiny and very youthful looking cheeks of her's you soon forgot all about the lines. And when she walked away you couldn't help but notice the dignified air with which she carried herself -the arched back, dancer's poise - plain winsome...

Plus in addition to all her well preserved allure she had the warmest smile I ever saw. It reached her eyes.

...and I'm gushing...I blame her aura and the bewitching spell she cast! 

So smitten kitten that I was, I never dismissed a single article on filmi mags that featured her. Be it her Satvik diet , her dedication to dance, her aspirations as a Rajya sabha member , her political leanings , her dreams and hopes for her sturdy son daughter, Esha Deol. I read them all with relish...and that's when I stumbled onto a tit-bit that had her proclaiming that she could not make Upma to save her life.I never get the water proportions right either. She claimed she was a rasam expert... well, so am I !!!(AND the similarity stops there..so u can breathe..I DO NOT suffer from any grandiose delusions of inflated worth:P)...

Anyhoo..it felt nice to have some company out there as far as epic debacle's in Upma-making went... Sigh! even a picture perfect dream girl had suffered a life filled of issues with it!gleeee was meee...But fear not, my few but faithful readers, I'll get there someday...

For now, it's all about the baby-steps. My brother helped me figure out how to cook poha(Upma's northie cousin)! Couldn't believe just how simple it was to make it... (Learn Upma , learn!!!:x)

Ingredients:

2 cups flattened rice or poha

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 tbs mustard seeds

2 green chillies

2 Onions- chop them up

1 cup finely diced red pepper

1/2 tsp turmeric

7-8 curry leaves & mint leaves

a bunch of unsalted peanuts (for the peanut tolerant)

So here's what you should do:

Place the flattened rice on a colander and pour some water thru it. Once the flattened rice meets water some strange phenom happens that miraculously makes the rice ready. Water touches it and it's ready. It's almost magical. Don't let the water sit for too long as it tends to make the rice very soggy. So it's all touch and go to the next step kinds...

Next take a wok, pour some oil in and roast the unsalted peanuts until they turn a nice golden color and set aside. Wipe the wok, add some oil, bung in the mustard seeds, curry leaves and  green chillies.

 In go the diced onions and red pepper to add to  the spluttering.Once the onions get all translucent and golden, add a pinch of turmeric and salt to the veggies.

Next pour the poha in and mix well for 2-4 minutes on a medium flame.Add salt to taste. Once it is properly mixed and radiating a nice rich yellowness garnish with roasted peanuts & coriander or mint:).

When it rains...it pours!

It rained today! After many , many , many hot and hyper-humid days the Rain Gods finally decided to give us all a break!Well , thank heavens they have a kind bone somewhere...

Went for a loooong walk in the park and then went to this store to buy a mattress.Turns out  this particular store- Seating World,  loves inflating prices. Mattresses that are priced at 600 dollars in the US are sold from anywhere between 1 lakh to 6 effin lakhs! Did the greedy owner sell his/her soul to the demon? Well , your guess is as good as mine cause the surprisingly affable sales lady at the store, told us that they were doing very , very well and seemed to mean it! 

I was seriously looking forward to getting a Simmons mattress ...have heard their stuff is the bomb and can make any light sleeper snooze like sleeping beauty!:(And I desperately need my forty winks!Waaaaaaaaaah:(( These are the times you wish you had lightening bolts to spare! Bloody greed!

Anyways to stem the disappointment I turned to my kitchen for solace and whipped up some Egg Fried Rice. It was really simple to make!

Ingredients: 

2 eggs ( if you are vegan I would suggest you use scrambled tofu)  

2 tbs vegetable oil ,

2 red chillies ( varied depending on your spice palette) ,

2 cups finely diced vegetables (beans , american sweet corn ,carrots and red peppers)

3 tsp dark soy sauce (vary based on how dark that brand of sauce is..if it is very strong use only 1 large tsp)

2 tsp light soy sauce

1 tsp of white pepper (really makes the dish come alive)

2 cups jasmine rice 

3 cups of water

And now for how I went about the whole thing... Cook the jasmine rice by throwing in 3 cups of water in a rice cooker. You'll know when it's done when the heady aroma greets you! It brings me to my knees!I love the smell of jasmine rice!My mum actually used to bring back Jasmine rice from the US every time she visited the states! Now , I understand why! So take the cooked rice and spread it out on a plate and let it cool for a bit. Make sure the rice doesn't stick to each other.

Moving on , take a big wok , pour some oil in and scramble the eggs. Keep aside. Next wipe the wok clean and pour some more vegetable oil in and sauté the chillies and  finely diced veggies until crisp on a high flame.Cook for about 3.5 minutes following which you add the 1 tsp of dark soy sauce and light soy sauce in alternation.Add the scrambled eggs and cooled rice to this mixture. Now on a high flame , mix in one more tsp of light soy sauce , white pepper and 2 tsps of dark soy sauce and cook for another minute or 2. Finally garnish with sliced scallions if you have any!:)

I really liked how the dish turned out ...almost made me forget the debacle that was Seating World as visions of  uber-inflated mattress prices were replaced by memories of the yummy chinese take-out food we used to get in Sfo !

The pictures with the flash and without...

Happy Mommy's dayyy!:D

I made a cake to tell my mommy dat I love her to kutti , kutti , kutti , kuttiiii , bite-sized bitssss!!!And for someone who has never baked a day in her life.. de cake came out very well ! ( the super expert supervision went a long way in making this happen , ofcourse;)

Love you , Mommyyy!!! You're my hero! The best ever...

Ode to Mommy

Feeding the Void

I woke up this morning feeling empty. No more IPL. Just the thought of not having my daily entertainment fix to complete my day made me all sad. The IPL was the perfect ruse to get my Bossy Brain off it's high horse.Well , you see , I usually have these super-noisome heart vs brain conflicts...and this once even my brain allowed me to binge on my biggest weaknesses that are embodied by the sinful chocolates & cakes , sans any guilt.The thing is , when I get all overwrought with emotions & nervous I tend to crave sugar more than I normally do...and during the IPL season I was on pins and needles about something or the other so that explains why I ate my weight in junk food.


Now , just why  I can't be like those anorexic teens who starve themselves when they're upset is beyond me...instead I'm driven to eat my feelings and mourn de fact that I don't own considerable shares at  Cadbury & Lindt  whom I singlehandedly keep afloat....Bah!


So , feeling an odd mixture of defeat and relief  about the prospect of returning to a healthier lifestyle , I ambled toward my refrigerator and found spinach and corn staring at me. It was God's way of begging me to stay healthy. We'd just polished off an entire French double chocolate truffle cake to celebrate yesterday's spectacular win* Yum Yum Yum *. To continue with my craptacular binging would have just been wrong.Plain WRONG.

I decided to make some Malai Corn Palak sabzi with very little Malai ( I still had some organic whippin cream which I thought would make the gravy taste great and add great flourish to the look once I finished with it!). Again , like everything I make , this was also very simple and super healthy (given how its Popeye's panacea- spinach that I'm cooking and also by how sparingly I use oil).People don't add coconut at all while making this BUT I gave in to  my  unusual coconut hankering of the day and added some slices of freshly cut , minced coconut to the dish. But seriously , the Maki (corn) and plump coconut shavings seriously added to the crunch factor to this otherwise pureed concoction.I need my food to have some teeth.some bite. Trust me, this dish if made well can earn you respect from even the most hardnosed kind.

Here's how I did it-

• Dice some onions nicely & bung it into a hot pot which has some oil & seasoning ( mustard , cumin & broken black gram dal) and cook till it looks all shiny &  translucent. 
• Next , add the cleaned and finely cut spinach  (you obviously remove the tough stalky parts) to the onions. Add some water , turmeric , red chilli powder & salt to taste. 
• Bring the contents to a boil, then lower the flame to a simmer and close the lid. 
• Cook for about 5 minutes until the greens are absolutely tender and dainty in a spiffy green shade.
• Once this is done take the pot off the stove and let it cool for a bit.
• The palak is all ready to be pureed now , so bring  out that  food processor , add some desiccated coconut to the greens and whisk away.
• Now pour the puree back into the pot , for , its time to add the corn and coconut chunks and a spoon of pepper! The pepper really adds  the necessary zing to this entrée!:) 
• Finally , add some organic whippin cream as a garnish  and the Malai Maki Palak is all ready!:)

I knew this recipe was a hit when my otherwise consistently phlegmatic maid did her version of whooping with delight when I asked her to taste the dish to check the salt level.Of late she hasn't even flashed even the bleakest smile my way and is always mumbling unpleasantly to herself as she goes about her chores. But after the tasting session she did something with her face...like her mouth twitched ever so slightly at the corners and I saw 2 gleaming teeth ..and then I realized what it was!!!-It was her smile!!!. No sooner had I recovered,  from this ,  than she uttered the magic words - " Manchi ga undhi*"( *It is good!) and asked if she could give her son some to taste! She NEVER does that!!! I was happy to oblige:). You must be wondering why I'm making such a big deal out of this... well , its just that she usually   reserves her best and most unwarranted  "ur a kid playing house" look for me. (I can't help it if god made me drink from the fountain of eternal youth when I was a baby * hugggwood*... gawd, could she BE more jealous!!!). So all's well that ends well... I was immensely happy to see that infamous look of hers change to one of approval and grudging admiration (maybe!;)).


Ah well! Hope floats eternal... To many more rare smiles and tasty treats!:)

Ah! The sweet smell of VICTORY over snobs...or is that my Thai Yellow Curry?:)

Will the Ghosts of IPLs past haunt?

Dear God , 
    I'm Riding on so much hope here!

The Chennai Super Kings are in the finals. Once more. We have to …and I can't stress more on the word 'have to' ... WIN!

So much hope, faith , excitement and love riding on this game. I hope the ghosts of IPLs past don’t haunt us this year. It's just that for as long as the IPL has existed...Fyne…all of the 2 years of its existence a team wearing a shade of blue has always taken home the cup. So I'm just rooting for a sea-change! Break this monotonous norm, God, and pray make my boys from Chennai shine and glow in all their yellow glory.

And I'm not reaching for the stars here or talking through my hat..am only asking for what we deserve..we lost the first IPL by 1 godforsaken run! And this year , we have awards for the most number of dismissals (courtesy: Raina de Naina) , the highest total (246) , the highest individual score (127 awesome runs by my current heart-throb Murali Vijay) & finally the best bowling in an innings by thalaivaaa Doug Bollinger. Don't think anyone in Australia ever cheered as hard for Doug & Hayden as they did in Chennai... Our Chennai crowd oozes heart & a never-say-die optimism that borders on being almost bovine-but they're also unbelievably knowledgeable and brilliantly astute in sizing up talent. And talent our lions exude!

Our Chennai team pushes boldly- past every hurdle thrown at them till now.It's seriously about time the boys in Yellow claimed their rightful place under the sun! It's their time, God.

Loads of Love ,
Me
P.S: Here's a picture of what I expect !:)

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee- CSK!

Pretty , Pretty

A friend of mine just sent me this picture. I wish I could use this picture as part of my blog's header. Still struggling to make the blog look pretty... Long way to go I guess!

And while on the topic of pretty...I just love how colorful salsa looks! And the blessing that is -Corn , Oregano & Pepper !!! That's right you.... am on this total food and nature appreciation trip:) , so much so that I am willing to accede that cooking is actually a very magical & stimulating process ( as long as I'm cooking an informal meal ...am a crazy , bundle of nerves if it is for fellow-foodies' who know their pecorino from their cheddar !).

Did anyone say 'Surface of the Sun'?

Welcome to India! It's a furnace.

It's only April and my skin already feels like it's on fire every time I step out to run an errand.Just the thought of the summer sun glowering at me makes me see red (common side effect when you stare back at the sun with your naked eyes n all..What?! I like matching glares)!

What better way to irritate your perpetrator than by ignoring him...So I made this ice-cream concoction that my sister taught me , to beat the heat. It was deliriously simple. All you need is a nice handy hammer/ food processor , the mixed nuts-peanut brittle bar made with jaggery (Mixed nut chikki) from the neighbourhood supermarket and some delicious ice-cream.And Voila !C'est Glace est prêt :)

So you take the icecream and put it in a bowl and let it melt. Nature and its blithering heat will take over and make your job very simple. Now break the caramelized mixed nut into tinier squares unless you want the blades of your processor to die an unnaturally gruesome death. Make sure it's finely ground. Once that's done...mix the nuts in with the melting icecream ...blend well and freeze...It is THAT simple people! And seriously yummy!

                                    

P.S: You will just have to wait for the fancy china & fancy cam to come to me soon to see better pictures! Ciaobelllaaaaaaa:)

Happy Tamil New Years Ppl:)

I woke up all chipper this morning even though nocturnal-me went to bed at 4 a.m! Anyhoo, it was the beginning of a new year (at least for the Mallu's and Tamizh's of the world)and it felt wonderful to hear my mum's voice first thing in the morning! I love you MOMMyyy!!! I do.

So , after calling my family and wishing them all the joy and happiness in the world , I decided to cook something fun to usher in the New Year.. Made my first Semiya Payasam (Kheer) & Mysore Rasam ! For dinner I decided to whip up a non-alcoholic pasta creation- Fusilli Pasta with a Tomato Basil & Creamy Mushroom sauce (Thank the sweet Lord for organic whipping cream.. it seriously made the dish come alive and did god knows what kinda grave damage to my waistline:S). The key is to bung in a huge pile of thinly sliced mushrooms.This way with every bite you take there are some meaty m'shrooms waiting to make you smile with its earthy & smooth textures!* closes eyes and remembers..... Sigh! *

But seriously people! I could have hugged myself at the end of the day...I don't know how to say this without coming across as mega-vain but the food was seriously, seriously , SERIOUSLY so good!!! I actually caught a certain somebody (YOU know who you are;)) licking the platter clean!!!! And.. you know what they say right...about the proof of the pudding being in the eating and all- see..i rest mah case!:)

Here are the pictures from a hard day's work......................nawwwwwwt:))
This goes out to all my disbelieving friends who can't picture me in a kitchen- eat your heart's out ye people of little faith!* insert sardonic smile *

P.S: I don't have my fancy china & kickass Sony SLR camera with me just yet! So please don't be snooty in your judgement of these not-so-professionally shot pictures!:P

Yummy In my Tummy

Sooo....I finally decided to stop moping around today and chronicle all my exploits in the kitchen! You see , after years & years and dogYEARS of being pampered , I'm finally fending for myself. I'm cooking!!!:) My parents can cook like a dream as does the rest of my family , so , I always presumed I had it in me. I mean, the apple doesn't fall very far from the tree , Right? WRONG. Or so it felt when I tried making my very first Dosa (that dish needs skill, damnit!).....You see , truth be told , my brother got all the cooking genes..why stop there , he got ALL the good genes(sports, studies, maths *shudder* , cooking.. the sense of perfect proportion , flair , everything!). He's a natural. So , after my first tryst in the kitchen proved to be a veritable disaster ,  I decided to give the whole deal a big rest.....Until now.

I find myself in a new place in life where I don't have a cook , chauffeur , personal masseuse ,a Man friday who carries my pink parasol(haha, I just pictured it....that is so Diddy-esque) & gardener...(Okiefynee i have a tendency to exaggerate a teeny-weeny bit!Who doesn't?:P)...so needless to say a cook was hired. She came well recommended. Turns out she specializes in cooking for people with Blood Pressure  and other health related problems! Her food was completely lacking in spice , salt , flavour AND she was overpriced. After a quick cost benefit analysis it was concluded that I could make better food for free. Now , I may not be an expert cook but a gourmand I am! I LOVE good food - am a true-blue , hardcore connoisseur of all things yummy & delectable( Thank you family , for instilling in me some seriously high standards!Love yaaa:).

Anyways, needless to say , the very first cook I hired also ended up being the very first person I fired.Ever. Always a first! And I finally rose to the challenge my grumbling tummy gave me and decided to cook it some yummies!

Having never been a big fan of slaving away in the kitchen , I must say , that a lot of effort has gone into creating all the dishes i have uploaded below!Lo and behold- a pictorial compilation of my culinary adventure during my 1st week of grappling with the big wonderful world of cooking!

Creation ONE : Vodka Penne Pasta with a Creamy mushroom sauce

A look at my first ever Vodka Penne Pasta along with the poison du jour-



The creamy mushroom sauce was super luscious! Definitely, my favorite of all the dishes I've made so far!:)

Yummy2shoes creation #2: Vegetable Rice , Channa Masala & Sundal( reminded me of Navaratri & Golu....Quelle Joie:)!)