Our new boss.

You hypnotize me with your coos. You know all the tricks to drag me near. It is getting merrier with your presence. You know to keep me busy working for you one after the other. I am lost in your thoughts when am away from you. When am near you fill up my brain like a shower.

You are getting smarter than ever. Taking any slight chances of my weakness of love for you. You have us all at the tip of your pinky. Am eager to see what more you will be giving me for the years to come.


My life with my Little One.

Oh my!! I am one of them!!

Staring at the television and snoring till noon falls,
Now, staring at you and watching your chest rise and fall.

Scrumptious meal was in the making for joy,
Now, munching something nutritious for you.

Trying on different dresses before my step outs,
Now finding the one that could bear all your puts.

Working out to keep myself near size zero,
Now, eating up to save energy and be your super hero.

Stepping out at dawn and say out till dusk,
Now, running faster than the second's to reach you back quick.

Roaming carefree all these days to experience the world,
Now, experiencing it through your eyes shows us a new world..

We cant be any perfect but  ll try as much as can be.

No matter how our life has changed,
You will be the sunshine that brightens our gray sky.

Oops, I have never seen me deploy love as this, guess I have become one among the dominant population of the world -" A PARENT"

Avacado egg rolls

I had these at cheese cake factory and it has beena favorite for both me and my better half. I am finally trying this at home and luckily it was as delicious as it was.  Here is the recipe.

Makes 14 rolls. 

Filling

• 2 avocados
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 onions, chopped
• ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 8 to 16 egg roll wrappers 
• Oil to fry

Instructions for the filling:

Cut all avocados in half and scoop out the center. Chop the tomato, onions and garlic and toss into a bowl with the avocados. Put cumin, chili powder into the bowl. Mash gently until creamy, but there are still chunks of avocado.

Instructions forthe egg roll:

- Peel off one egg roll wrapper. 

-Place about 2 tablespoons of the avocado mixture at one end of the wrapper.

- Roll once. Fold in the sides. Continue to roll. When you get to the end wet the wrapper with water. Finish rolling and press the wet end of the wrapper closed with your fingers.

- Heat the tava with oil. Fry the rolls till golden brown on each side.  

Rasmalai

Rasmalai has been my favorite sweet since childhood and it came out very well in my first attempt which was about two years back. I tried it again after a long craving and it dint let me down. Came out as yummy as it looks.

Makes 20


Ingredients for Rasmalai Patties:

6 cups milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups sugar
5 cups water
Pressure cooker

Ingredients for Milk mixture:

4 cups of milk
2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar (adjust to your taste)
1/8 teaspoon crush cardamom
1 tablespoon sliced almonds and pistachios to garnish

Method:

Paneer:

-Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed over medium-high heat, stirring frequently making sure milk do not burn on the bottom of the pan.
-As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice slowly and stir the milk gently. The curd will start separting from the whey, turn off the heat.
-Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer line with cheesecloth or muslin cloth.
-Wrap the curd in a muslin cloth, rince under cold water, and squeeze well.
This process takes out the sourness from the lemon.
-To take out the excess water squeeze the cloth. Taking the right amount of water out of the paneer is the most important part of this recipe.
-To check if enough water is out of the paneer, take a little piece of paneer on your palm and rub with your fingers. After rubbing the paneer for about 15-20 seconds, you should be able to make a firm but smooth ball.
-If the paneer is too dry, add a few drops of water, using the water squeezed from the paneer.
-Once the paneer is drained, knead the paneer for 3-4 minutes until the paneer is almost rolls into smooth soft dough.
-Knead the paneer by dragging the palm of your hand hard on the paneer.

Making the Rasmalai:

-Divide the dough into equal parts and roll them in smooth balls and flatten them a little.
-Mix the sugar and water in a pressure cooker on medium high heat and bring to a boil.
-Add the paneer balls and close the pressure cooker. After the pressure cooker starts steaming, turn the heat to medium and cook for about seven minutes.
-Make sure the cooker is large enough to accommodate the finished patties, as they will expand to about double in the volume while cooking in the syrup!
-Close the heat and wait a few minutes befor opening the pressure cooker.
-Take out the patties from the syrup and squeeze them lightly,and keep aside.
-Boil the milk in a frying pan on medium heat until the milk reduce to about 2 cups.
-Make sure to frequently stir the milk as the milk burns easily in bottom of the pan.
- Add the sugar and the Rasmalai patties in milk. Let it cook for few minutes.
-Add the cardamom and mix in. Garnish with sliced almonds and pistachios.

Serve the Rasmalai chilled.

My ray of hope!!

You are here with us and now have become a part of our lives. It was difficult for us to understand our needs now we have figured it out. I am killing my time gazing at you, at your beautiful toes and tiny fingers.

There has never been a beautiful expression even by great artists than yours; the way your stretch, the way you yawn, the way you stare, the way you doze, the face when you burp.

I feel elated to converse with you through the oos and aas. I wish i could understand your thoughts and language better.

They say I make you feel secure by my presence, I think it is the other way round. When you nudge your head on the nook of my shoulders and sleep, you make me secure, confident, you make me whole.

It took quite sometime for you to smile at me, but it vanished all my pains and hardships. It was all worth to see the "toothless grin". I can do anything for you to see you smiling.

This is the way all the parents would have felt seeing their little one. Now it is my turn and am loving it.

My debt!

A dedication to my parents whom am always indebted to. Love you till I can fill this universe, which I am unable to express.

I had been a vigilant owl
Now I am a relaxed pup

I was taking good care of us
Now You are here for it

I have been impatient many times
You always understand me

I know I am not being right at times
But you know I am not so

You taught me to seek refugee in god
But I don have the need now

You sent me to hibernation as a bear
But it's time I rise swift as a sparrow

To help you not for all that you did
But at least a drop in your ocean of your love

I always feel I have not did justice
For all those you have done for me

May be I can reach half of it
In my next birth as your parent.

On Our way to meet you!!

Excited about your arrival after a long wait of gestation.
Preparing your nursery and learning to care for you.  Feeling the time crunch and overwhelmed about what more I could have done these days with you inside of me. Our life is going to revolve around you and has almost already begun. It has sure been a long wait to meet you face to face. But wondering who is going to be with me like you did all these days? 
Quiet as a cucoon yet boisterously kicking and reacting with me to the surroundings. You were such a beloved company and I loved every bit of these nine months.  
Oh dear I can't look at you as another individual. You a part of me and now I understand why mothers lose patience when kids turn away from them. But you are and will be an individual who you are destined to be and it is my duty to understand you. You will be caring,responsible and well aware of all your decisions. I wish you health, happiness, success, prosperity and also the strength to overcome your hardships and make your own future. I will stand beside you to help, guide and encourage you in all walks of life. Love you loads.

Its not the two anymore.

Change of body language;
My swiftness reduced;
Moving away from self,
And closer to the new comer.

Change in my own form,
Feeling beautiful at times;
With the new popping bump,
Showing me the new self.

People ogling at you;
Some with a smile,
Some with an exclamation,
I still don't get them

Exciting most of the times,
A bit overwhelming too;
Fastening our seat belts,
For the new roller coaster ride.

Old age is this!

I am the Focus of the wheel
With many spokes born out of me
As the wheel moved faster and faster
The spokes disappeared in the air
I still stand here all rusted and worn
In the speed of life, spokes have no time to spare for my well being.

Left alone amongst the family
Not a soul here to talk with patience
Answers in haste and disgust
Even though I was patient with them
They have no time to spare
I wait to see if they could spare tears for me.

The art of forgetting!!

All of us have been there. Been a kid, was so immaculate, unadulterated in thoughts and looks. We were close to nature, just the way god wanted us. As we grew up we learnt to live, learnt to talk, learnt to face people around us. As we gain various experience from the society, we learn the tricks and trades of survival.
Now we can be diplomatic, learning to handle all kinds of people though still a few can come as a shock to us. While we were that young, we dint know how to handle many situations. We ran to our teachers or parents for help. Now we cant do that too. We blow up our emotions are hide it forever. Sometimes we think we better not talk than to express it.

Just imagine how calm this world would be if we had not lost the art of forgetting.
The kids are adept in it. They play with their best friend all the time, help them, and push them away showing their anger of no reason; which might seem as a humongous excuse to ignore them. They go around, play with other friends, and come running back looking for their best friend, forgetting their pent up anger. The friend also accepts it and they walk along together again. Wouldn't it be great if all of our lives were such a beautiful fairy tale?

Spring Rolls

I recently relished in home-made spring rolls from a neighbour. Was just delicious and perfect. I found that there are spring roll sheets available at the chinese market nearby. I got them and here they are, my home-made spring rolls.

Ingredients:
Spring roll sheets - 1 pack
Onion - 1/2 medium sized
Carrot - 1 grated or chopped
Beans - a handful chopped finely
Potato - 1 small, chopped finely
Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Salt- as per taste

Method:
- Remove the spring roll sheets from freezer before an hour to fry.
- In a pan heat oil and when it is heated, add the onion and saute till translucent.
- Add the carrot and beans and let it fry for a minute.
- Then add potato and fry along with chilli powder and salt.
- Remove the sheets separately and fill it up with the masala.
- Roll it and seal it as shown in the figure.
- Deep fry it in oil and serve hot.
 

You are Three!!

Here is a tribute to my blog which has been a very good friend till date. Of course friends are with you forever, but they have their lives too and they get busy. This is when blog will be your best company, you can cry to it, or not even that, just write; it will wipe off all your tears. Scream your frustration away, it will soothe you. It will even find you new friends through blogger network who will be very supportive to your scribbling. (Thank you Indiblogger!!)

You have been here for Three,

Bringing out my artistry;

Turning my thoughts to phrase.

You have brought me friends,

Showed me the world trends

In all its faces.

Long live you, my blog,

I Love you for being,

And me in the making.

What every girl wants!!

What does every girl want in a guy?
A guy with heroic smartness?, a rich fellow who provides everything except himself?, someone who showers her with gifts, money and keeps the rest with phone call? NO!!!! We know all this right? Of course...

A simple man, with a passion at heart, an art to create fascination in his speech, activities sprinkled with a pinch of humor, who is awaiting to see her face glow on surprise/happiness, a shoulder to cry/bite when she is irritated, whom she can never get bored in spite of their lonesomeness,  one who trusts her all times, one who believes in her ability even when she doubts, at last a smile that welcomes the togetherness.

A New Start, A New Opportunity!

A new start to life,

To be a wonderful wife;

Reach out to my parents,

And be a caring daughter.

A new slate is here to scribble,

All my hits and miss;

To turn back on 31st,

And cherish the best.

I thank god for a new opening,

And this experience of life;

Which makes me unique,

With best and specks on me.

Spring Onion & Potato Soup

A hot soup on a rainy day!! What else can you ask for? It was a perfect evening to cook some different soup.
It is a combination of potato and green onion.

Ingredients:
1 Large potato- washed, peeled and grated
Spring onion - 1 bunch
Butter - 2 tbsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Lemon extract - 1/2 tbsp

Method:
- Boil two cups of water.
- Heat butter and saute green onion and potato for 2 to 3 mins.
- Add the boiling water to the pan and simmer for 5 - 6 mins.
- Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Raindrops!!

Raindrops on a cobweb!!

Raindrops over a fallen leaf!!

Eggless Fruit Cake

Festivity is in the air!!

Here is my Christmas Baking for this year. I adapted this from Aayi's Recipe. Thank you!
This is an egg-less cake with some dried fruits and nuts that would make our taste buds want more.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour- 1 cup
Sugar - 3/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tbsp
Butter - 4 tsp
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Milk - 1/2 cup

Fruits & Nuts - Chopped
Prunes - 1/3 cup
Dates - 1/3 cup
Raisin - 1/3 cup
Cashew - 1/4 cup
Almond - 1/4 cup

Method:
- Preheat the oven to 350F.
- Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix them.
- Melt the butter in microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute and add the dried fruits to them.
- When it cools add it to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix them.
- Heat the milk in microwave for about a minute and add it to the mixture.
- This will give a mixture of a sticky consistency.
- Grease the baking pan and transfer the contents to it.
- Bake for 30 min until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool it in wire rack, slice and serve!

Merry Christmas & Happy Baking!!

Beautiful Blue

Shrubs on barren land

Shot with Miniature  effect.

A Pine Cone!!

A fallen pine cone, near Lake Tahoe.