tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3716817679357413232024-03-13T21:34:04.805+05:30TouchéFor every thought that hits me...Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-71928042814533986842020-12-13T22:37:00.004+05:302020-12-13T22:39:28.974+05:30American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins<p>Date: December 11, 2020</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h7lKdOPGT6U/X9ZIxn6xXQI/AAAAAAAAHbk/wSamILkAR9QPzJI5Km4Ptn9Q0pzAA0WQACLcBGAsYHQ/s1068/american-dirt-1068x710.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1068" height="427" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-h7lKdOPGT6U/X9ZIxn6xXQI/AAAAAAAAHbk/wSamILkAR9QPzJI5Km4Ptn9Q0pzAA0WQACLcBGAsYHQ/w565-h427/american-dirt-1068x710.jpg" width="565" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Genre: Fiction- Thriller-Suspense</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Overall: The book is a controversial piece which talks about undocumented immigration across US border. Considering it to be a purely fictional work, I was totally captivated by the flow and presentation of the book. I would recommend reading this book in 2020.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yes, You can follow me on good reads now - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/126133300?ref=nav_mybooks">https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/126133300?ref=nav_mybooks</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-13867117988236073062020-11-28T03:42:00.003+05:302020-12-13T22:39:58.973+05:30Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng<p> Date: November 26, 2020</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D9DF0dAGbHc/X8F7hN06bVI/AAAAAAAAHaM/Nb5otjdfy8AA91he35WMWo6BOQ1Jo4vyACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/little_fire.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1357" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D9DF0dAGbHc/X8F7hN06bVI/AAAAAAAAHaM/Nb5otjdfy8AA91he35WMWo6BOQ1Jo4vyACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/little_fire.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p>Genre: Psychological Mystery/Motherhood/Fiction</p><p>There is miniseries as well based on the book starring Reese Witherspoon released in 2020.</p><p>Overall: The book is captivating, it took me 3 straight days to finish - not to forget with 2 young kids, a full time job and house to run (with Covid).</p><p><br /></p>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-37015163967435184692014-12-17T02:06:00.002+05:302014-12-17T02:11:55.585+05:30Spot on Baby!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: 13.5pt;"><strong>"I</strong></span>ts been 6 months since I posted anything in the space. Laziness, thoughtlessness whatever reason :)<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LW_c9oioAME/VJCY8T0Hq1I/AAAAAAAADR8/7BzmcCgNBww/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LW_c9oioAME/VJCY8T0Hq1I/AAAAAAAADR8/7BzmcCgNBww/s1600/1.jpg" height="185" width="200" /></a></div>
Lately, I have been meeting couples married by an arrangement for less than an year. Well, nothing special just they all had a baby in the same year. That's what got my mind boggling, on how???<br />
I feel marriage is a big change in ones life - could be a shock which takes not less than a couple of years to ingest. And having a baby is even a heavier dose which drains not in lifetime.<br />
It took me 4 years to spot on the man I would bear my child with, which really isn't a long enough time but I am a lucky chicken.<br />
Kids are the most beautiful things on the earth and cherishing them with a partner is the most wonderful experience. I understand its lucky if you spot on the right partner from an arranged marriage and luckier if you fall in love with him in coming years. What leaves me appalled is - how can you spot on a right father from an arranged marriage. Does this double leap any good or is it just a trend to save time ? </div>
Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-59179008937035567952014-06-22T03:46:00.001+05:302014-06-22T03:48:29.892+05:30Jazz festCheck out the glimpse of Jazz fest at Regina Canada- <div><a href="http://youtu.be/_YY7VndTjsE">http://youtu.be/_YY7VndTjsE</a></div><div><br><div> <div><br></div><div><br><div><br></div></div></div></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-34476691803902526602014-06-21T22:30:00.001+05:302014-06-21T23:40:41.573+05:30FIFA 2014 live on streaming stick (Roku) - Canada<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After an unending struggle, finally broken the code to watch FIFA 2014 through my internet streaming Roku Stick. Based in Canada, there are rights issue for WatchESPN or CBC or Sportsnet on Roku. Based on the forum discussions in Canada, I tried Plex which didn't work for CBC live, bothering the support team was of no use either - phew!! and I don't have an arrangement for HDMI yet so ...<br />
Necessity is the mother of invention, the solution is here--<br />
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<span style="color: orange;"><strong>Go to Channel LIVESTREAM from the channel store, search for FIFA Live.</strong></span><br />
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<strong><span style="color: black;">Channel LIVESTREAM streams from ESPN3 in Canada.</span></strong><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FFXi506yAwQ/U6XKCBYevgI/AAAAAAAADBk/9nxaNcovGgE/s1600/livestream.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FFXi506yAwQ/U6XKCBYevgI/AAAAAAAADBk/9nxaNcovGgE/s1600/livestream.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GVl_v3dGK5M/U6XKFDEEzqI/AAAAAAAADBs/IvYe4cwZkj8/s1600/IMG_20140621_120200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GVl_v3dGK5M/U6XKFDEEzqI/AAAAAAAADBs/IvYe4cwZkj8/s1600/IMG_20140621_120200.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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Viola!!! <br />
La La La La LEGGO!!! XoXo<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/7-7knsP2n5w" style="height: 183px; width: 230px;" width="480"></iframe><br />
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Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-63745856625668453392014-06-09T00:19:00.001+05:302014-06-21T22:17:32.833+05:30Pawsitively cool!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I had my first experience watching dog show at Regina Canada.<br />
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Sharing the live videos here-</div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmchl4hWji0" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmchl4hWji0" aria-hidden="true" data-group-key="thumb-group-0" data-thumb="//i1.ytimg.com/vi/qmchl4hWji0/mqdefault.jpg" src="https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/qmchl4hWji0/mqdefault.jpg" title="" width="185" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKMpm-q6pGQ" target="_blank"><img alt="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKMpm-q6pGQ" aria-hidden="true" data-group-key="thumb-group-1" data-thumb="//i1.ytimg.com/vi/nKMpm-q6pGQ/mqdefault.jpg" src="https://i1.ytimg.com/vi/nKMpm-q6pGQ/mqdefault.jpg" width="185" /></a></div>
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Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-43871896342580777142014-06-01T09:53:00.001+05:302014-06-01T09:53:50.562+05:3030 Day Ab Challenge for those who need some motivation like me<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: 13.5pt;"><strong>"T</strong></span>his is a promotional post for the Abs challenge starting June 1st for 30 days.<br />
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I am going for it and hope some of my readers too join the initiative :)<br />
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Check out the link to the Facebook event at-<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1426424270959723/">https://www.facebook.com/events/1426424270959723/</a><br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8jdn7RecRdk/U4qp385hNaI/AAAAAAAADBE/_tgsdd1pz6E/s1600/30-day-abschallenge_zps6b51b597.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8jdn7RecRdk/U4qp385hNaI/AAAAAAAADBE/_tgsdd1pz6E/s1600/30-day-abschallenge_zps6b51b597.png" height="207" width="320" /></a></div>
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The exercise how to can be watched at-<br />
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How to do a plank correctly (planks are done in seconds, for example Day 1 is a 10 second plank) <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F3vgG_Zemg88&h=cAQGhOZUa&enc=AZPWz12h7RuyQEmo8iIcmaqBUvYSKb7OuTAsma8-0Mq61rcJegWuAvXnGbzG0GsItqE&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://youtu.be/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>3vgG_Zemg88</a><br /><br /> How to do a sit up correctly: <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2F1fbU_MkV7NE&h=6AQEsVQsw&enc=AZOYG7_tNqRMteX_9S7tfjKpFFe5FtTQc3xA7_zqXuu1NUjHj5hmjkH-pLwCgxI5S-0&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://youtu.be/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>1fbU_MkV7NE</a><br /><br /> How to do crunches correctly: <a href="http://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FXyd_fa5zoEU&h=gAQGnaxyX&enc=AZNv2oKkIm3dNxpFC7slrXBqQBg_9cDpkfHiFEJWYOri6EdKno3Te15yOfBHLtjWhs4&s=1" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://youtu.be/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>Xyd_fa5zoEU</a><br /><br /> How to do leg raises correctly: <a href="http://youtu.be/JB2oyawG9KI" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank"><span>http://youtu.be/</span><wbr></wbr><span class="word_break"></span>JB2oyawG9KI</a><br /><br />
Happy working out!! <br />
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All the best :)<br />
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Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-20588986900539178122014-06-01T09:16:00.002+05:302014-06-01T09:16:32.713+05:30Tuna sandwich<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: 13.5pt;"><strong>"I</strong></span> came across an Indian style tuna sandwich recipe some days back. I am going to share mine with some more variations which would be good for a high protein meal for kids and adults.<br />
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First variation is <u>pickled tuna sandwich</u>, for this we need 2 tbsp of pickle oil (I used mango pickle), quarter can of drained tuna (I used light tuna chunks in brine), a quarter red onion chopped and 1 tbsp. of low fat mayo (optional).<br />
In a bowl, drained tuna and pickle oil are to be mixed and rested for 5 min. Meanwhile, the whole wheat or any kind bread can either be dry toasted or butter toasted on the skillet. Mayo has to spread on the toasts (optional) and set aside.<br />
Then onions have to be mixed with the pickled oil-tuna mix. The final mixture has to be spread on toast and covered with another slice. Viola!! you have a desi tuna sandwich ready :)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PHbbESpVs5g/U4qepEJIBII/AAAAAAAADA0/O0_IFSKNUp4/s1600/photo+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PHbbESpVs5g/U4qepEJIBII/AAAAAAAADA0/O0_IFSKNUp4/s1600/photo+2.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LlXQuP8gS58/U4qeoqrM--I/AAAAAAAADAw/PO2HsVHRwfs/s1600/photo+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LlXQuP8gS58/U4qeoqrM--I/AAAAAAAADAw/PO2HsVHRwfs/s1600/photo+3.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0znwrcmPJ8/U4qekp7L6PI/AAAAAAAADAo/3JZxofgjcMg/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-b0znwrcmPJ8/U4qekp7L6PI/AAAAAAAADAo/3JZxofgjcMg/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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Second variation is for kids - <u>tomato tuna sandwich</u>, mix in 2 tbsp. of low fat mayo with quarter can drained tuna and chopped tomato. Butter toast the bread slices and spread the mixture between the slices and cut it in half. Serve with tomato ketchup for a yummy snack :)<br />
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Third and final variation in my list is for breakfast, its a <u>high protein tuna sandwich</u> - beat one whole egg with quarter can drained tuna and a vegetable of your choice (I tried with tomato and onion). Pour it on the hot skillet smeared with little oil (sprayed or brushed). Make a patty omelette of size good to fit on the toast. Spread low fat mayo on toast and place the omelette between the slices.<br />
Put the assembled sandwich on the preheated skillet and toast the sides of sandwich till brown.<br />
Serve it with dip of your choice or as is with a cup of black coffee :)<br />
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p.s. I didn't add salt in any of the above variations as tuna will be salty because of the brine.<br />
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Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-59184180527479959972014-05-31T00:11:00.002+05:302014-05-31T00:13:06.016+05:30Sally Hansen french manicure<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: 13.5pt;"><strong>"I</strong></span> was a big fan of nail paints before marriage, name a colour and I had already tried it. Later, with hectic schedules and baby - my choices got more sophisticated and I preferred to have at least clean tips, if not anything jazzy. Since then, I am a French manicure lover - its simple, clean and workable do.<br />
I used a white and a beige nail paint for a French manicure for quite long time. I agree the brushes need a little art and is difficult to put on the right hand.<br />
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I came across a not-so-pricey ($5) product in Drug mart known as a felt tip French manicure pen from Sally Hansen and just the idea of it wowed me as it would definitely be quick, would not require ambidexterity and a simple skill drawing a line :)<br />
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Here goes my first impression on this pen. The packaging is simple, pen is sleek and handy.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MAsuxMFrqQA/U4jPFWAQIhI/AAAAAAAAC_0/pBK2opSIba8/s1600/image_1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MAsuxMFrqQA/U4jPFWAQIhI/AAAAAAAAC_0/pBK2opSIba8/s1600/image_1.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q8Tf_4gM_c8/U4jQmqAAT0I/AAAAAAAADAU/s-i60F_4v40/s1600/image_4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q8Tf_4gM_c8/U4jQmqAAT0I/AAAAAAAADAU/s-i60F_4v40/s1600/image_4.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
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The instructions are clear, a little tapping on a surface would get the ink flowing to the tip within seconds. Its easy and intense application with lean chances of mistake. The coat dries off quickly saving time and any chances of smudging.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WB0BWYQHwP8/U4jPFfop9zI/AAAAAAAAC_w/FkQ1-8D7sr4/s1600/image_6.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WB0BWYQHwP8/U4jPFfop9zI/AAAAAAAAC_w/FkQ1-8D7sr4/s1600/image_6.jpeg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JJyklCBE3lI/U4jPEN-3j3I/AAAAAAAAC_o/39ylC_xCeBc/s1600/image_5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JJyklCBE3lI/U4jPEN-3j3I/AAAAAAAAC_o/39ylC_xCeBc/s1600/image_5.jpeg" height="150" width="200" /></a><br />
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I finished it with Revlon multicare base+top coat enamel which is also decent enough for the brand.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pamsK6hP4M8/U4jPIXEyvTI/AAAAAAAADAA/AjQDTnz6YSM/s1600/image_7.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pamsK6hP4M8/U4jPIXEyvTI/AAAAAAAADAA/AjQDTnz6YSM/s1600/image_7.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_tzrrnxzgFY/U4jPITd-YZI/AAAAAAAADAE/biVKObkvuuY/s1600/image_8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_tzrrnxzgFY/U4jPITd-YZI/AAAAAAAADAE/biVKObkvuuY/s1600/image_8.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a><br />
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Overall, I loved this buy and would definitely find an alternative in India, if not - this is going with me in bulk ;)<br />
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Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-3550999103058527082014-05-28T23:45:00.000+05:302014-05-29T23:25:08.279+05:30Canada Vanada - Food-oh-lick!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: orange; font-size: 13.5pt;"><strong>"A</strong></span>s mentioned in my first post under the Canada Vanada series, that I am determined to be personally useful now. The best I could think of to start with is Food. Back in India, I had a wish list of food items, I wanted to eat or inhibit in my diet but couldn't do for various reasons (I shall talk about the same later in the post).</div>
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I have experimented with the available superstore food items in Canada which I think, am habituated to now. Most of them were available in India but I didn't try then and the ones I think were not, if otherwise should have made my life in kitchen much easier.<br />
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Lets start with my must-haves in the kitchen or refrigerator -<br />
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1. Yogurt<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9AEdg1Lz7ZQ/U4ZMMF7t9QI/AAAAAAAAC6g/LDFstNbsLdk/s1600/image_4.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9AEdg1Lz7ZQ/U4ZMMF7t9QI/AAAAAAAAC6g/LDFstNbsLdk/s1600/image_4.jpeg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
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I have always been a big fan of yogurt. More because of my Punjabi genes, I end up using yogurt in all of my recipes or mixing it to save an unpalatable dish. Difference being, in India I used to have full fat home made curd and now I have guilt free options with zero fat or probiotic or protein laden greek curd varieties. Yogurt tops my list as I almost have 500 gms on daily basis with cereals or just like that :)<br />
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2. Quinoa<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YcqoEHmHGF0/U4ZOU64u2aI/AAAAAAAAC6w/zToQdwcliok/s1600/image_1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-YcqoEHmHGF0/U4ZOU64u2aI/AAAAAAAAC6w/zToQdwcliok/s1600/image_1.jpeg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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This super grain was introduced to me from a celebrity diet overview published in 'Prevention'. I grabbed the copy for the coverage on losing post-baby weight acknowledged by the gorgeous Shilpa Shetty. I searched for the grain in Hyderabad just to be disappointed by the price of it (somewhere around Rs.600/Kg) :O<br />
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Ever since, I had the wish of inhibiting the grain in my diet which got fulfilled in Canada. I wouldn't say its not pricey here but proportionately affordable as the grain comes from North America (not sure). Quinoa is super light, high in protein and an excellent substitute for rice. It helps in weight loss and also good for the overall health. I prepare this by boiling on medium for 15 minutes with spinach.<br />
Loving it and am surely going to miss it back in India.<br />
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3. Berries<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rKOLqN_OfKE/U4ZQym5YCtI/AAAAAAAAC64/2Vc2r2MCwzw/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rKOLqN_OfKE/U4ZQym5YCtI/AAAAAAAAC64/2Vc2r2MCwzw/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I remember how I hated fruits and rarely had any. The only compensation for fruits was the lemon water which I take as the first thing in morning. Though, I bought loads of fruits for my daughter especially strawberries and apples. But, berries were too tart that I wondered how she finished off the pack. <br />
<br />
Now, I would like to mention Canada is the best in terms of variety of fruits especially berries. I get all the fruits suffixed with berries aka strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries etc. The taste is awesome and has better shelf life. I am not sure how healthy is it for they are not the organic varieties, but whatever I am having Vitamin C and loads of fibre.<br />
<br />
4. Meat<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IKFLjsp1KSo/U4ZeMrEtRVI/AAAAAAAAC7I/3znTZh-Y6Es/s1600/image.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IKFLjsp1KSo/U4ZeMrEtRVI/AAAAAAAAC7I/3znTZh-Y6Es/s1600/image.jpeg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yAE3OicAXrk/U4ZePzHzRiI/AAAAAAAAC7Q/oh5KdjniP5o/s1600/image_2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yAE3OicAXrk/U4ZePzHzRiI/AAAAAAAAC7Q/oh5KdjniP5o/s1600/image_2.jpeg" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
<br />
I am not shy to admit, I was born carnivorous :) But, time and availability restricted me to have non-veg only on weekends. More because, it took at least an hour to cook the meat and it required a lot of effort with spices and mandatory marinating to mark it to the level for our choosy palates. The American recipes always made me wonder as they were labelled 'quick' and were mostly non-vegetarian. <br />
<br />
The secret unveiled - its the quality. The meat here is fleshy, soft and chubby ;) and it takes not more than 20 minutes or even lesser,if marinated in lemon juice, to cook fully. I have seen the difference as I have tried making whole roast in India and should admit the poor chicken was suffering from malnutrition :D<br />
<br />
I cook meat from Saturday through Wednesday- easy way for daily protein requirement and its yummy delight of course!! What more - its wine and chicken for weekend parties and quinoa for weekdays for that extra protein :)<br />
<br />
5. Tortillas<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q2Id2U2zgH4/U4dgfJl2n5I/AAAAAAAAC7g/3JHfS7V-iGE/s1600/image_5.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q2Id2U2zgH4/U4dgfJl2n5I/AAAAAAAAC7g/3JHfS7V-iGE/s1600/image_5.jpeg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Frankly, this Italian 'Roti' (flatbread) is an excuse for not making indian flatbread. I find it hectic and messy for the number of equipments required to name a few.. rolling pin, rolling surface, flat spatula, skillet, oil, flour, water etc etc phew! <br />
<br />
So, tortillas are a big help in lunch or dinner for me and my husband and my daughter likes it seasoned and baked :)<br />
<br />
6. Bakery items<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xBfkPhUTYp0/U4dkT5V2riI/AAAAAAAAC70/h6Qj9FmMrt8/s1600/image_14.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xBfkPhUTYp0/U4dkT5V2riI/AAAAAAAAC70/h6Qj9FmMrt8/s1600/image_14.jpeg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rLKJx1MCcYY/U4dkSi_F6-I/AAAAAAAAC7s/bq1yRWlnK-A/s1600/image_10.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rLKJx1MCcYY/U4dkSi_F6-I/AAAAAAAAC7s/bq1yRWlnK-A/s1600/image_10.jpeg" height="150" width="200" /></a>I was a baking freak with my new microwave oven in India but not here. I realised the effort and the expense put in to bake a cake was way more than the price of a big muffin pack in Canada ($1). I gave up on baking after the first stove oven disaster and have muffins and breads in my grocery list.<br />
<br />
Moreover to acknowledge the variety of breads available, I am a big fan of sandwiches now - tomato, cucumber, chicken, tuna...you name it!<br />
<br />
7. Cereals<br />
<br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--VfJwVetxIU/U4dmB6lCIgI/AAAAAAAAC8A/BVJC2YXStIY/s1600/image_8.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--VfJwVetxIU/U4dmB6lCIgI/AAAAAAAAC8A/BVJC2YXStIY/s1600/image_8.jpeg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2uIi_8GHmRw/U4dmCEh8jSI/AAAAAAAAC8E/I_yWg3BV_ew/s1600/photo+1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2uIi_8GHmRw/U4dmCEh8jSI/AAAAAAAAC8E/I_yWg3BV_ew/s1600/photo+1.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a><br />
I always wanted to have cereals in the breakfast; first, they are convenient; second, they are wholesome and non-oily. I tried many times but in vain, I couldn't have more than a couple of spoons that too gulping with water. I found the root cause, its because I don't like it with milk as I have always been a yogurt fan. I mix it with my low fat yogurt - top it with lots of berries and viola!!!<br />
<br />
I am loving the guilt free breakfast :)<br />
<br />
<br />
8. Crackers<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4RPlvvD06Ro/U4dngo1u2vI/AAAAAAAAC8U/cAdeYCcZayQ/s1600/image_9.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4RPlvvD06Ro/U4dngo1u2vI/AAAAAAAAC8U/cAdeYCcZayQ/s1600/image_9.jpeg" height="200" width="150" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CP7xy8eqqBA/U4dnpsyRr1I/AAAAAAAAC8g/nr4JqMU7O9E/s1600/image_13.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CP7xy8eqqBA/U4dnpsyRr1I/AAAAAAAAC8g/nr4JqMU7O9E/s1600/image_13.jpeg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Snacks has always been an integral part of my kitchen shelf, fridge top, night stands :D Courtesy- My husband. The difference being we have some good healthier options like muti- or whole- grain varieties which are baked and can be relished with some low fat dips :D<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
With this I would like to mention about the commendable low fat options in dips and spreads apart from tartar dip and high fat mayo which we had in India. None of the dips gift me a more than 40 calories per serving..so am all up for the tea sandwiches and a few friendly crackers with guests :)<br />
<br />
9. Frozen foods<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
You can't escape frozen vegetables in America especially if you have a baby and a super busy husband waiting for his lunch box. I stock my freezer with frozen mixed vegetables to mention, frozen spinach cubes and carrot-corn. I just have to defrost in running hot water, stir fry and voila!<br />
<br />
I am going to miss this way back for sure :'(<br />
<br />
10. Canadian Lager Beer<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sushhh!! I am a pun(fun)jabi girl who doesn't mind having few cheers with friends occasionally.<br />
I have tried a variety of beers to end up liking Carlsberg 'only'. Congrats! I have found a big brother in Canada its a Molson Coors Canadian lager beer. I bet you will love it chilled on a hot summer day. My two cents for this one - you can have it staple if you are a beer lover!<br />
<br />
11. Multivitamins<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
This one is an odd, I found the multi vitamins to be abundantly over the counter item in west. More because of the weather conditions, where you don't get much sun. Despite, I like the fact that health and food association in Canada has the guidelines for every food item manufactured for humans. It will have added Vitamins to compensate the natural deficiencies. I have started taking multivitamins as a precaution for my age and the place.<br />
<br />
12. Canned Beans<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Canned beans is the result of the failure to find cheap kidney beans :P I was looking for the Indian kidney beans to find them to be too expensive around $5 for half kilo and then I noticed the cans for 85 cents - advantage being it saves energy required to pre-cook the beans in pressure cooker. My 2 cents for this product too!<br />
<br />
Disclaimer 1 - the list is totally out of my convenience and doesn't consider the health quotient. Considering the fact, canned , processed foods and alcohol are unhealthy options - I am neither recommending nor promoting any of the above. <br />
<br />
Disclaimer 2 - The post doesn't indicate lack of resources in India, its more about how accessible they are! To mention, there are hundreds of things in India which are untraceable in west. So, proud to be an Indian :)<br />
<br />
<br />
Keep watching the space for more on what I found different or presumptuous in Canada...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
</div>
Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-87586222965330466882014-05-28T02:29:00.003+05:302014-05-28T02:33:09.183+05:30Canada Vanada<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: orange; font-size: 13.5pt;"><strong>"Hi</strong><span style="color: black;"> W</span></span>orld!<br />
<br />
There has always been a trend of using a 'starting from the scratch' (as if it would erase or rectify the bygones) tool, if something is uncontrollably erred. But, I have adopted a new perspective called 'Revival' lately - hence forgiving myself for the long break of no posts, here I go reviving 'Touche' with my latest experiences.<br />
Starting with the big updates on my life, bulleted as -<br />
<br />
1. I have left my home country in March 2014 and tagged on to explore the world abroad.<br />
2. On lieu of the first update, I am currently 'Jobless' (not workless mind it!)<br />
3. Following the second big update, I am now a fully saksham (efficient) home maker.<br />
4. Adding to the mentioned big changes, I am on the journey to adopt or relieve myself of some good and bad habits (courtesy- Canada).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--UFmbVu6vJs/U4T8Yt90tWI/AAAAAAAAC6I/w01NG4TKdG0/s1600/Canada.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--UFmbVu6vJs/U4T8Yt90tWI/AAAAAAAAC6I/w01NG4TKdG0/s1600/Canada.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a></div>
I tried to be economically useful from the last couple of months, but when I found the horizons are not too wide for me - I determined to be personally useful. How? I shall be writing on the things I feel, I should have done way back but I did it now...or...the habits I have been trapped in now which I think would make me suffer when I return etc etc. :( <br />
With all said now, I am geared up for the subsequent posts on my Canada Vanada life :)<br />
<br />
See you, take care till then eat healthy - live healthy !!<br />
</div>
Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-81449951474647253332014-01-11T14:17:00.001+05:302014-01-11T15:47:26.388+05:30Whole wheat jaggery cake<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13.5pt;">"M</span></b>y 2-
year old has a fetish for birthday cakes, from her play school. Though my work
schedule tags me as an once-in-a-while chef, I try not to disappoint my little
one with her sweet demands.<br />
The whole wheat cake without sugary calories is a solution to a healthy
satiation for my daughter as well as me. I did a little innovation with the
regular recipe and the results were evident from the speed with which the cake
disappeared from my cookie can :)<br />
<br />
I shall make it easy to grab by listing the dry and the wet ingredients
below:<br />
<br />
Dry ingredients (to be sifted):<br />
<br />
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour<br />
1-1/2 cup organic jaggery powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking powder<br />
1/2 tsp baking soda<br />
1 tsp choco powder<br />
<br />
Wet ingredients (to be whisked):<br />
<br />
2 eggs<br />
1 tbsp honey<br />
1 tsp vanilla extract<br />
3/4 cup refined oil<br />
1 cup milk<br />
<br />
Nuts for sweet surprises (optional):<br />
<br />
3/4 cup raisins<br />
1 cup water<br />
1 tsp butter (any - I used Amul butter)<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2v0bRuuhAVM/UtEX2C3V9_I/AAAAAAAAC2A/Nkggrk9OqSQ/s1600/IMAG0611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2v0bRuuhAVM/UtEX2C3V9_I/AAAAAAAAC2A/Nkggrk9OqSQ/s1600/IMAG0611.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LpxFG2OU1rY/UtEX2HJJAJI/AAAAAAAAC2M/rTOxI3v_A9s/s1600/IMAG0613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-LpxFG2OU1rY/UtEX2HJJAJI/AAAAAAAAC2M/rTOxI3v_A9s/s1600/IMAG0613.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3CFvTkgFDOE/UtEYLrCgdmI/AAAAAAAAC2k/qFf_HCU1bEI/s1600/IMAG0612.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3CFvTkgFDOE/UtEYLrCgdmI/AAAAAAAAC2k/qFf_HCU1bEI/s1600/IMAG0612.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a></div>
<br />
Step-by-step procedure-<br />
<ol start="1" type="1">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QgkPQ0dlzCo/UtEX3CgRJmI/AAAAAAAAC2Y/RgdjP_CyurQ/s1600/IMAG0614.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Put the raisins in pan with a
cup of water and butter to boil for 5-10 min on low heat till its dense.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Sift the dry ingredients for
no lumps.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Whisk the wet ingredients
till frothy and light.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Preheat the cooker with the
salt base for 5 min and grease the tin (Refer -<a href="http://garima-bhatia.blogspot.com/2011/03/chocolate-cake-weekend-challenge.html" target="_blank">chocolate-cake-weekend-challenge</a>).</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Mix sifted ingredients in to
the whisked mix and add the nut syrup. Additionally, milk can be added to
attain flowy consistency.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Pour the mix in the tin and
place it in cooker. Keep it on high for 5 min and then cook it for around
45-50 min on medium-slow.</li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;">Test by putting a tooth pic/fork in the middle of cake and it should come clean. Unlid the
cooker and cool the cake for 20 min before taking the tin out of the
cooker.</li>
</ol>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
Finally, invert the tin and plate
the cake for a yummy and healthy treat :)</div>
<br />
<br />
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<b><span style="color: orange; font-size: 13.5pt;">"L</span></b>ast Sunday was a day of pride for us. Firstly, because my little one turned one honoring me to be a mother of toddler now. Secondly, because we managed to pull a grand get together for the first time :)<br />
Its true that big job counts but you can't negate the fact that every small job if done well - means a lot! ;) (Courtesy: The Bee movie - my LO's current favorite). We started planning for the birthday bash one month in advance - settling on the theme to the invitations and the food. Though, coping with caterers and last moment coverups due to careless vendors was a nightmarish experience but at the end of the day we sure had loads of compliments and untethered smiles. <br />
We started with the theme based on my daughter's favorite characters - Monkey, Duck and Bee, we settled on duck. So, that decided the decor to be in yellow, white and voilet.<br />
With a vague idea of what we wished the party to be like, we contacted many event organisers before we settled on Dream Events. The team was hardworking and creative. They took care of decor and entertainment. Invitations, music and catering was our call as it was something which was becoming difficult to settle on with the event manager.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xgsub-7A8Os/UMgSPA3CBXI/AAAAAAAACPQ/k9HkNaBwWhE/s1600/IMAG0163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xgsub-7A8Os/UMgSPA3CBXI/AAAAAAAACPQ/k9HkNaBwWhE/s200/IMAG0163.jpg" height="131" width="200" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Wf-MMHNWO0/UMgSSz-PXSI/AAAAAAAACPY/F8fkuQUqWtA/s1600/IMAG0165.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7Wf-MMHNWO0/UMgSSz-PXSI/AAAAAAAACPY/F8fkuQUqWtA/s200/IMAG0165.jpg" height="200" width="130" /></a>My husband managed his department of invitations, catering and music creatively well. Invitations on duck theme was a challenge but all credits to his photoshoping skills, where he designed and got them printed at Kodak. <br />
<span id="goog_1826586007"></span><span id="goog_1826586008"></span><br />
<br />
Catering was by a known and recommended caterer in town with veg and non veg course. Over that, I arranged for some
duck bites in small paper cup with salty biscuits and fruit chews.<br />
<br />
Father of the b'day girl had a special surprise
arrangement of a projector for screening a movie capturing all the kids who
were invited for the party along with few famous nursery rhymes and
tracks. It turned out to be the most personalized arrangement for the
party and treat for the babies and the parents. <br />
<br />
Starting with my department - the couture for the princess, we didn't want to invest on frilly fairy frocks so instead we got a dress from UCB with yellow sandals, a matching hairpin with black stockings.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d51CDFO6q4s/UMgTZVWSgyI/AAAAAAAACP4/By-rRay6y_Y/s1600/IMAG0177.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-d51CDFO6q4s/UMgTZVWSgyI/AAAAAAAACP4/By-rRay6y_Y/s200/IMAG0177.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3DOj4GPjq6k/UMgTXoa5AmI/AAAAAAAACPo/sq2GhTw7YRg/s1600/IMAG0166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3DOj4GPjq6k/UMgTXoa5AmI/AAAAAAAACPo/sq2GhTw7YRg/s320/IMAG0166.jpg" height="200" width="132" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ro8gmTTUAA0/UMgTYtKg6VI/AAAAAAAACPw/MB07R4x9z6I/s1600/IMAG0176.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ro8gmTTUAA0/UMgTYtKg6VI/AAAAAAAACPw/MB07R4x9z6I/s200/IMAG0176.jpg" height="132" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />
Return gifts were a combination 4-pc puzzles on farm animals/pet animals/transport- guess a decent choice for the age group. The gifts were wrapped in gift paper with a yellow ribbon on top. <br />
<br />
Then the birthday cake was themed as well. It was a yummy butterscotch butter cake with ducks on top.<br />
<pic></pic><br />
<pic><br /></pic>
For the decor, we had a flex on stage with duck cut outs in-front and on round tables. There was a flex message board at second entrance and a cottage board at the main entrance.<br />
<pics><br /></pics>
We successfully checked on the two of the three important aspects of a first birthday party -<br />
1. Ambience<br />
2. Food<br />
<br />
What we lagged on was the strategy to pep up the mood of the birthday girl as she was upset to be surrounded by so many guests :(<br />
But, the guests tried their best to keep us pepped up by enjoying the party to the fullest by being kids with the kids :)<br />
Yes, last but not the least to acknowledge we were honored with gifts from the friends adding to my daughter's collection and what she gave in return was big-mouthed hah aha with her 3 teeth shining (courtesy: Johny Johny) :)<br />
Well this one turned out to be 'Big First Birthday Bash' ending with a thank you note and the cake for the guests who couldn't come. Tiring though, we were happy at the end and hoped to have rocking birthday bashes in several years to come for our little princess. <br />
<br /></div>
Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-16290597970544390252012-07-09T17:08:00.001+05:302012-10-09T14:30:41.082+05:30shoe-la-la<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EPl2loASDN8/T_rBhhTOuNI/AAAAAAAACEc/Kb_WRY07Be8/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-EPl2loASDN8/T_rBhhTOuNI/AAAAAAAACEc/Kb_WRY07Be8/s200/images.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't read it as I love shoes but I kick them :)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="color: orange; font-size: medium;">"T</span></b>here is an old connection between being a girl and the love for shoes. If diamonds are 'forever' then shoes are 'moreover' in the girl's to-buy list :) I used to gift myself a variety from pencils to blocks, from sneakers to pumps, from catwalks to kolhpuris, irrespective of what the life span would be. They were in my shoe rack some well wrapped, some muddied but the love for all was the same. Now, that I have put some difficult pounds after delivery, I am left with some bland options of flats (spare my knee :( ) . But, I keep up with my love for shoes by spreeing in for my 7-months daughter. I collected three pairs when she was not even 4 months, they were all wasted because I was lazy putting them daily. Now when she adores stuff well, I got more which I make a point to be adorned, just to end up having one shoe kicked off in the middle of a road. Well, shoes for a non-walker baby is the most wasted accessory to invest in by far. But, I can't kick off my shoe-la-la spirit for the reason that my princess is yet to pet that impeccable love for her toes.<br />
<br />
Ciao, Happy shoe lifting to all the ladies!</div>
Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-48509328466182021292012-06-22T23:54:00.001+05:302012-06-22T23:55:28.705+05:30Credibility of a first time mom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="color: orange; font-size: large;">"I</span></b> delivered my first baby 6 months back ever since I have been trying to gain stature for my capabilities to raise my baby. I could still see frowns on the fact that I don't need an experienced hand to nurture my baby. Come on, we are in diaper and tubs era and we are generationally smart (I mean "resources").<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w9pHqpbrO6k/T-S3qGzWLtI/AAAAAAAACEQ/CmbTIZtz6lk/s1600/DSCN1577.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w9pHqpbrO6k/T-S3qGzWLtI/AAAAAAAACEQ/CmbTIZtz6lk/s200/DSCN1577.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
We can bath and feed the baby, we can also teach and play with them. Does it take anything more than the mother's instinct to raise a child? I believe, every mother is gifted with the confidence and will power to love and nurture, along with their bundle of joy. This is a call for all who think we can't foster our own baby just because we are first time mothers. Answer to this is; there is always a first time, I will be adept in parenting, if not the mistakes;mother's instincts will make me so :)<br />
<br /></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-116253810409190112012-06-12T18:01:00.000+05:302012-06-12T18:11:57.695+05:309 months update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b><span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;">"L</span></b>ast time I posted on the blog, was at my 7 months of pregnancy and now after 9 months, I should have so much to talk about but poops :) Life changed upside down after having a baby...hmmm!<br />
For a quick update what happened in last 9 months goes like I had a beautiful pregnancy no nausea no aversions. I had a complicated delivery with a dry labor ending in a caesarean (phew!) which again ended beautifully with Saachi joining our family. All pains were left behind and was tooooo busy in taking care of the little angel, from feeding to bathing and massaging her and even having trips to all the relatives as an intro to the family for little Saachi. The world seemed all around Saachi, I swear! If I didn't mention, I appreciate myself for the rigorous research done on how-to of baby care through out my pregnancy (Thanks to babycenter and my Hospital). All the reading well paid with Saachi achieving her milestones. She started rolling on her tummy as a mother's day gift to me and will hopefully gift her dad on Father's day with sitting (Touchwood!).<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mnxBB8nKtDY/T9c2GEU2UHI/AAAAAAAACEE/Jo9IsdemCjY/s1600/IMG_7356.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mnxBB8nKtDY/T9c2GEU2UHI/AAAAAAAACEE/Jo9IsdemCjY/s320/IMG_7356.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saachi @3months</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Saachi is 6 months now and is growing lovelier day by day. Sorry..lovelier and maturer, she weaned off the breasts now and gave mumma her old freedom of partying finally (muaah.. :*). I started with Nan pro yesterday with skepticism that she will reject it but the morning gifted me a big black poop of yesterday's feed and even a hungrier girl in house :) We have a colorful and tastier eating palette now with reds, yellows and greens for Saachi.<br />
Happy mom now, will keep posting!<br />
Ciao :) <br />
<br /></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-53843302504233328452011-10-13T15:57:00.003+05:302011-10-13T16:10:24.727+05:30Divide your eggs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 48pt; letter-spacing: 1pt;">“L</span></b><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">ately I had a philosophical realization on relationships. I was baffled by the fact that the relationship one cannot live without can actually be the one, the other person can easily let go of. The realization dumped my understanding on relations and made me more manipulative on human nature. I tried searching for an answer in religious texts and spiritual lectures but this is something above the generic phenomenon. Not all the relationships are same, the connection between two people can vary despite the same genre.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">I have seen, read and experienced ; people getting carried away and never returning, rising and attaining karmic connection and even staying without attaining the level in relationships.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">When I could not find an answer in spiritual terms, I derived a mathematical hypothesis to reason this. Balance is the key for happy and durable living and not only does this hold for day to day actions but also for structuring our identification tree. The right placement of branches in a way of relationships is important for a stable tree.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rC0cf2955nA/Tpa8t5gJCQI/AAAAAAAAB4g/1vrSPG3iB44/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rC0cf2955nA/Tpa8t5gJCQI/AAAAAAAAB4g/1vrSPG3iB44/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">I compare and solve the mystery using basket and eggs problem. I have many baskets to be filled with limited number of eggs I have. Basket is synonymous to relationships and eggs is the part of you dedicated to that relation. As we move on in life, the number of baskets and eggs vary but for happy living there should be a calculative distribution of eggs.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Any imbalance can lead to losing the eggs that is the greater part of you - leaving you lone and aimless. This explains how some people get carried away in a relation and other easily let go of the same. Reason, the one who got carried away placed all their eggs in one basket and hence unbalancing and risking their emotional self but happy are the people who play safe ;despite losing on the temporary satisfaction in one relation – are never lone as they always have some eggs saved in the other basket.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: inherit; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-35BWbVvDSw4/Tpa81v7QTiI/AAAAAAAAB4o/lho3NamhmV4/s1600/eggs-in-one-basket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-35BWbVvDSw4/Tpa81v7QTiI/AAAAAAAAB4o/lho3NamhmV4/s200/eggs-in-one-basket.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Moral is – Never place all your eggs in one relationship basket and always have quarter of it saved in the basket which connects to yourself. Everything is prone to change except for the connection one has with themselves. It is important to respect yourself and pamper your soul with the reserved dedication, as that's what will stay till the grave.</span></span></div></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-74677927507624210082011-08-26T18:06:00.001+05:302011-08-26T18:33:32.907+05:30Just like that ..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 48pt; letter-spacing: 1pt;">“L</span></b><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">ong time...since I wrote something - guess was waiting for a push. I watched my favorite SATC (Sex and the City) for the nth time today. It propelled me to days of friends, cafe and coffee mug :)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jOhb4fjw_aI/TleSOx4ct9I/AAAAAAAAB4Q/wNAzAPD0WRM/s1600/frnds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-jOhb4fjw_aI/TleSOx4ct9I/AAAAAAAAB4Q/wNAzAPD0WRM/s1600/frnds.jpg" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Awww..I miss the days with unplanned outings with friends – just for no reason spending on a cup of coffee and a non calculative life!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">No wonder the movie still holds the magic to make me unscrupulous and weaned. The narration of simple yet emotionally complicated lives of four friends, closely bonded to where they belong; always clicks. </span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">“Picture-Perfect-Beautiful” and “Ever thine-Ever mine-Ever yours” are the words still ringing in my head.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Hope to carry the feel always with me without regret!</span></div></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-87240666430387127772011-04-26T16:29:00.000+05:302011-04-26T16:29:19.202+05:30Got Inked!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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</style> <![endif]--> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l4S6Pa-9c5c/TbafZcO0VnI/AAAAAAAAB3Y/D15LVi7KK94/s1600/DSCN0279.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-l4S6Pa-9c5c/TbafZcO0VnI/AAAAAAAAB3Y/D15LVi7KK94/s320/DSCN0279.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 48pt; letter-spacing: 1pt;">“A</span></b><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> long cherished wish of getting a tattoo came true last weekend. I grabbed a deal for a smaller one though but happy having a new addition to my body :) After investing much thought on what to needle on, the considerable options were initials, zodiac, angel and a cryptic symbol. Last dream settled me on a symbol of strength which would be like an inspiration for me to be strong and courageous for any hardships in my life. If not, would make me try to fit in the meaning of what settled on my body now :)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kqM02EXXZpY/TbajI20x2PI/AAAAAAAAB3c/MemCJ3L6DdU/s1600/untitled.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kqM02EXXZpY/TbajI20x2PI/AAAAAAAAB3c/MemCJ3L6DdU/s200/untitled.bmp" width="167" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">I got a Kanji on my nape from a less known tattoo artist in the city, took him ten minutes to put the design nicely in place. Well spent on this thoughtful wish, resulted in a well engraved-quick healed tattoo. A little pain and meager aftercare is what it took to flaunt my new self.<span> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Hope like this one, I make all happy decisions ahead and keep ticking my wish list :)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-20936351202684185072011-03-21T21:27:00.001+05:302011-03-21T21:31:51.567+05:30Holi Special- Besan Laddoo!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 48pt; letter-spacing: 1pt;">“O</span></b><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">ut of the numerous options for delicacies, my husband voted for Besan Laddoos for this year’s holi. Hence, the holi challenge for me :) After taking the expert tips from my mom and aunt, I started with the challenge at 4 in the evening and completed it successfully after continuous efforts of two hours in kitchen. But at the end of the afternoon, I must say it was worth the efforts with loads of appreciations showering and a sweet tooth quench!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">One of simplest in ingredients yet tiring recipe for Besan Laddoos require-</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Ghee-Sugar-Besan in the ratio of 1:2:4 as in:</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">1 cup melted Ghee</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QRJp68ePHxM/TYdxYA1FuCI/AAAAAAAAB1k/3YLJNmd7-lU/s1600/He+he+054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-QRJp68ePHxM/TYdxYA1FuCI/AAAAAAAAB1k/3YLJNmd7-lU/s200/He+he+054.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> 2 Cups powdered Sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZD0moHd7Mw8/TYdxkPNm7sI/AAAAAAAAB1o/lLD1v4RWL1c/s1600/He+he+052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ZD0moHd7Mw8/TYdxkPNm7sI/AAAAAAAAB1o/lLD1v4RWL1c/s200/He+he+052.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> 4 Cups of Besan (chickpea flour)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ethe5B6FQSw/TYdxy1PVCII/AAAAAAAAB1s/LflHYx_gkP8/s1600/He+he+053.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ethe5B6FQSw/TYdxy1PVCII/AAAAAAAAB1s/LflHYx_gkP8/s200/He+he+053.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> 4 tbsp suji (Semolina)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">20-25 roughly grated almonds</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-D06Rgvfi51A/TYdyDHPK6iI/AAAAAAAAB1w/ZkkfLglmiq0/s1600/He+he+051.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-D06Rgvfi51A/TYdyDHPK6iI/AAAAAAAAB1w/ZkkfLglmiq0/s200/He+he+051.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> ½ tsp cardamom powder</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">6-8 roughly grounded pistachios</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Steps-</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Mix Besan, suji and ghee in a kadai or wok and then roast the mixture on low medium. Keep stirring the mixture continuously to prevent burning of Besan and it has to be done on low-medium to ensure proper roasting of Besan. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kvx_SEwvtEM/TYdxQD8s39I/AAAAAAAAB1g/Nrc8pZMvc74/s1600/He+he+055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-kvx_SEwvtEM/TYdxQD8s39I/AAAAAAAAB1g/Nrc8pZMvc74/s320/He+he+055.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">When the color changes to light brown and sweet smell of Besan starts coming turn off the stove and keep the mixture for cooling.The oil would start to separate from the besan after roasting.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aUIzt4B1TFo/TYdyUFmJ8WI/AAAAAAAAB14/07_Y767JDL4/s1600/He+he+056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-aUIzt4B1TFo/TYdyUFmJ8WI/AAAAAAAAB14/07_Y767JDL4/s320/He+he+056.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Meanwhile roast the grated almonds and keep aside. Roasted almonds adds crunch to the Laddoos.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">When the mixture becomes bearably warm, pour the contents in a different bowl and mix in powdered sugar, almonds and cardamom powder preferably by hands. The mixture would become slightly dry yet binding after mixing in powdered sugar and almonds.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-j1R82Y3NF9M/TYdyhyq1jDI/AAAAAAAAB18/AyuIHMVj9n0/s1600/He+he+057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-j1R82Y3NF9M/TYdyhyq1jDI/AAAAAAAAB18/AyuIHMVj9n0/s200/He+he+057.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QL1_xppePrU/TYdyqDiH_3I/AAAAAAAAB2A/4ZucPQ2FM8g/s1600/He+he+059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QL1_xppePrU/TYdyqDiH_3I/AAAAAAAAB2A/4ZucPQ2FM8g/s200/He+he+059.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Now, make small balls of the mixture using fist and keep it in a plate.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ge6nLP8Geh8/TYdzSc0YYpI/AAAAAAAAB2I/AVpfknHyyfo/s1600/He+he+061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ge6nLP8Geh8/TYdzSc0YYpI/AAAAAAAAB2I/AVpfknHyyfo/s320/He+he+061.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">When the mixture is used, touch the tip of each ball with minimal ghee and then pistachios to garnish.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S0c9xQGOD-o/TYdzdGnHcPI/AAAAAAAAB2M/_Znqiksndpg/s1600/He+he+062.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S0c9xQGOD-o/TYdzdGnHcPI/AAAAAAAAB2M/_Znqiksndpg/s200/He+he+062.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uL9ftORuznU/TYdznfH41tI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/bqIAzToFUUU/s1600/He+he+064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-uL9ftORuznU/TYdznfH41tI/AAAAAAAAB2Q/bqIAzToFUUU/s200/He+he+064.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">-<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">After the Laddoos are cooled down, store it in an air tight container. The ingredients would be sufficient for 20-25 Laddoos depending on the size.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">I loved the Laddoos for the presentation as well the taste and also the aroma of the Besan which lingers around the house and the hands which binds it :) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-20262053441048190802011-03-19T19:16:00.002+05:302011-03-21T21:33:05.580+05:30Cooker Cookies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 48pt; letter-spacing: 1pt;">“A</span></b><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">nother day of experimentation; this time for the urge to finish off the homemade ghee prepared by my mom-in-law, a couple of months back. With the growing health consciousness; it is a challenge to have the old belly builders – ghee and butter especially as a garnish on parathas or rice. That’s how an opportunity is built for another achievement on the ‘tried’ cookbook. I always wanted to make biscuits as my mom but unfortunately could never do that because of my unconventional microwave :( Recently, while checking one of the blogs on cooking – <a href="http://simplyspicy.blogspot.com/2007/07/post-that-hit-century-with-homemade.html">Simply Spicy</a> I saw the cookies – creamy yellow biscuits yummy…couldn’t hold trying them in my old friend – pressure cooker :) No doubt, the one in the link were straight from the expert’s hands but I think the variation would satisfy the learner’s quest!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Here it goes, I used -</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">3/4th cup All-purpose flour (Maida)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">½ cup melted ghee</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">½ cup ungrounded sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Few cashews and almonds</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">I started with mixing up flour, ghee and grounded sugar and making dough. I added some flour while kneading to achieve the consistency which is soft yet binding. Once the dough is ready, I kept the salt layered cooker (as in my previous post for chocolate cake) with closed lid without weights for about 5 min. This would preheat the cooker making it ready for baking. I made small flattened discs of the dough placing a cashew or almond in the middle of it. The discs are to be placed in the tin maintaining some distance among them. The tin doesn’t require greasing plus the cookie would inflate a little hence the distance between the two is must. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Place the tin in the cooker and keep it on medium-slow flame for 10-15 min. If the cooker is preheated well for 5 min, around12 min would be sufficient. The discs would still be soft when the lid is opened, here is the note – I too got worried concluding it to be a failed attempt but after 5 min when I thought of tasting it – viola! It solidified on cooling and tasted awesome. I tried in two batches, first one with cashews were a bit over baked (15 min) but the second one with almonds, kept for a little lesser time (12mins) were liked more as they were more crunchy and melting like nankhatai.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X4uod7zdEII/TYSyEcc5cCI/AAAAAAAAB1c/NPwC_CHR2FY/s1600/He+he+050.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-X4uod7zdEII/TYSyEcc5cCI/AAAAAAAAB1c/NPwC_CHR2FY/s320/He+he+050.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Finally, invert the tin on a plate and store the cookies in a tissue paper layered air tight container. Serve it to your loved ones just to have the hidden appreciation in non-stop cookie picking :) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-90576342626901632832011-03-06T20:23:00.003+05:302011-03-21T21:33:42.279+05:30Chocolate Cake Weekend Challenge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-umiYJbOSm2k/TXOSJA7wB9I/AAAAAAAAB1E/8wikn078Jgs/s1600/He+he+022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-umiYJbOSm2k/TXOSJA7wB9I/AAAAAAAAB1E/8wikn078Jgs/s200/He+he+022.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 48pt; letter-spacing: 1pt;">“I</span></b><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> love experimenting and taking up challenges in the kitchen, despite I am just a year and half old to the regular kitchen work. Weekends are the best time to put all my skills and resources on fire to end up a spelling delicacy. This time was to consume a half Italian dark chocolate bar lying from quite a long time in my refrigerator and p.s. my microwave is a lazy baker. Hence, chocolate cake the grandma way – yes cooker cake was the challenge. Lots of time and efforts and managed to gift a soft and spongy cake to my palette.</span></div><div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Here it goes, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Requirement: </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">1 cup all-purpose flour (Maida)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">1 tbsp baking powder</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">1 cup powdered white sugar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-li0SdwdLL2o/TXONzfiumjI/AAAAAAAAB00/PKkTbJMeV-A/s1600/He+he+007.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-li0SdwdLL2o/TXONzfiumjI/AAAAAAAAB00/PKkTbJMeV-A/s200/He+he+007.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Powdered Sugar</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-T2PJcWL8PDQ/TXONUMHGcKI/AAAAAAAAB0w/xBpvP8suxug/s1600/He+he+010.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-T2PJcWL8PDQ/TXONUMHGcKI/AAAAAAAAB0w/xBpvP8suxug/s200/He+he+010.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flour and baking powder</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> Little below 1 cup butter (unsalted)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">50gms Dark Chocolate (un-sweetened 70% chocolate pref.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Milk</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">3 eggs</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">1 tbsp Vanilla essence</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Steps for the mixture:</span></b></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g33Zd4xHQ-E/TXOO27uxPwI/AAAAAAAAB04/CjcS1dG5G2w/s1600/He+he+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Mix butter and sugar to a buttery consistency</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Sieve flour and baking powder in a bowl.</span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Melt chocolate pieces with 1 tbsp milk in microwave safe bowl for a min and then stirring and microwaving it for 15 seconds. Or a double boiler method can also be followed without milk. </span></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g33Zd4xHQ-E/TXOO27uxPwI/AAAAAAAAB04/CjcS1dG5G2w/s1600/He+he+011.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-g33Zd4xHQ-E/TXOO27uxPwI/AAAAAAAAB04/CjcS1dG5G2w/s200/He+he+011.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Melted Chocolate</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-size: small;">Mix melted chocolate, beaten eggs, vanilla essence and flour-baking powder mixture in the butter-sugar mix.</span></li>
</ul><div><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span><br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> A little milk can be added for maintaining a cluster-free flowing consistency. </span></li>
</ul><div><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> <b>Steps to be followed for baking:</b></span> <br />
<ul style="text-align: left;"><li> <span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Grease the tin with butter and sprinkle some flour on the base of it. I had used the</span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> stainless steel tin used for cooking rice in a 5L cooker.</span></li>
</ul><ul style="text-align: left;"><li> <span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Put a steel stand, if you have in the cooker or put a cup full of sand to make</span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> insulation for tin. It is necessary to ensure the base of cake is safe from burning.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">I</span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> had used salt as the substitute for sand (p.s. this is the best tip I have known of).</span></li>
</ul><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q_hEEo5mE_w/TXOP3W4VdeI/AAAAAAAAB08/_BCBjq4pezQ/s1600/He+he+012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Q_hEEo5mE_w/TXOP3W4VdeI/AAAAAAAAB08/_BCBjq4pezQ/s200/He+he+012.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt layered on cooker base</td></tr>
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<span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span></div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Place the cooker with lid on for 2 min on high. This is like pre-heating the cooker.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Don’t place the weight as we don’t need pressure baking.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Pour in the beaten mixture in the greased tin and </span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">place it in the cooker and close the lid.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span></li>
</ul><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Keep it on high for 5 min and then keep it on </span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">slow-medium for 35 more minutes.</span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span></li>
<li><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Open after 40 min and prick in the knife to see if it </span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">comes out clean and non sticky.</span></li>
<li><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Cool the tin along with the cooker and invert the </span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">cake out on the plate.</span> The cake would leave the sides of the tin and circle the knife around the tin to separate it from the walls for easy molding out. <span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Sprinkle some powdered sugar for</span> icing, the cake is ready to pound on.</li>
</ul><div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XI7SUxEyxXQ/TXOR_ngkjoI/AAAAAAAAB1A/aMSUDDIm0Zw/s1600/He+he+013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-XI7SUxEyxXQ/TXOR_ngkjoI/AAAAAAAAB1A/aMSUDDIm0Zw/s200/He+he+013.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cake in the baking tin</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-rJ1pvoN85lE/TXOSmFvwR1I/AAAAAAAAB1I/rEkCou2Zjk0/s1600/He+he+025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br />
</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> I bet, oven would fail to give that sponginess and aroma imbibed from the cooker and not to mention with the melting consistency of the cake and intoxicating dark chocolate tingling the palette…it is nothing but yummy :)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">I recommend trying it and assure it wouldn’t be a flop, if the ingredients and steps are followed properly.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Ciao!!</span></div></div></div></div></div></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-69405830159589542122011-03-03T19:05:00.002+05:302011-03-03T19:12:52.428+05:30My second day of driving lesson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 48pt; letter-spacing: 1pt;">“F</span></b><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">eel like a happy girl - couldn’t go for a second class on Wednesday but had enough of “in air” driving to compensate that :) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">I had the second day of driving lesson today which started in the morning with my hubby taking a small test to see what I learnt on the first day. Hands-on demo for him as he had enough of the car driving mimes on Wednesday from me.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">I drove for half-n-hour in the premises, considering the residential factor didn’t go beyond the second gear. Morning session ended with an appreciation from him, for the unexpected confidence exhibited on the second day itself.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Bw75OqQusWo/TW-WxJF26PI/AAAAAAAAB0s/zXPKYvpNaE0/s1600/brake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Bw75OqQusWo/TW-WxJF26PI/AAAAAAAAB0s/zXPKYvpNaE0/s400/brake.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">My instructor came in the afternoon with one of his student. The student was three days old to the driving school and was having lots from the ireful instructor. I was afraid; if the frustration didn’t subside till my turn comes I would have a hard time today. The instructor lulled after making me take a U-Turn and a wrong lane due to the diversion. Don’t know how well to start with, but definitely scary :) Later, continued to drive on the highway and landed in the curvy residential lanes. I had an all-terrain drive today with lots of braking. I crossed two caution-school areas and switched gears from first to fourth. The aim was to understand the importance of maintaining safe distance and braking impulsively. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">No questions entertained on braking today, press the clutch or not – baseline is to save the kid crossing the lane than judging the dynamics of the car (full-stop).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Session ended with again a comparative appreciation from the instructor this time - for being a better driver than his other student on the second day. Looking forward to work on control and better judgment now! </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Ciao!!</span></div></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-43236150589927475022011-03-01T20:47:00.002+05:302011-03-02T08:14:05.485+05:30My first day of driving lesson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 48pt; letter-spacing: 1pt;">“A</span></b><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">fter wasting much of our time on deciding whether or not to join a driving school, my hubby finally registered me in a local one. Till date, I never felt the need to learn - drive a car as I always had a way out – that includes not traveling at all and work from home :) I would not negate the fact that driving a car do add wings to you and give a feel of being more independent. That is one of the reasons apart from that I wanted my hubby to take a break from his pick and drop routine every morning.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">After negotiating on the price, I am fixed up for a driving class for next 34 days and with guaranteed confidence to take my own car out after 16 days (disregarding the frustration of men watching another lady driver on road) :)) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Preferred to learn the same model to save time on adjusting and syncing what I would learn in this month costed a little more, but anything to have a win over the wheeled monster.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6xS6xzWYD8E/TW0Ngw8_wBI/AAAAAAAAB0o/9POst4PONiE/s1600/L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-6xS6xzWYD8E/TW0Ngw8_wBI/AAAAAAAAB0o/9POst4PONiE/s200/L.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Unlike the plan, the instructor seemed to be over punctual and desperate to finish off the class :( …disappointing for me as I had enough of counting the hours since morning, just to see the stinting teacher. He asked me to take the seat and Phew!! The nerve wrecking and tingly sensation started to subside. He started with introducing me to the three chipmunks in the machine – Clutch (Simon-Intellectual), Brake (Theodore-Impressible) and Accelerator (Alvin-Troublemaker). Being a mechanical engineer, I understand the whole engine and working of it in-spite my womanly senses are stronger and fail to get Simon sing for me thus a lag in clutch and gear co-ordination. Well, the first class was a quick one; wrapped up in 25 min, I drove around 6 km which included the main road with buses crossing by my side :) Unexpectedly, I wasn’t nervous, for the reason I was aware my instructor had the dual control :) if not for my safety but for his car, he would take care of the situation :p Finally, by whatever tactics, the drive built the confidence and had a OK experience for the first day – left me still hoping to tame the chipmunks all by myself soon :)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Ciao!!</span></div></div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-371681767935741323.post-68000795166371705332010-12-28T17:37:00.000+05:302010-12-28T17:37:46.792+05:30Happy New Year!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #ff6600; font-size: 48pt; letter-spacing: 1pt;">“T</span></b><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">ype---type---type---- back---back---back---type---back---delete………”, yes that’s how it sounds when I think of writing now-a-days. Almost 3 months now and still that gimpy feel of recollecting what happened in past days. All I could remember is pasting one of our Hyderabad Tourism pronounced snap in a gifted frame today morning and checking the marriage pics of one of my college friends on FB </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; letter-spacing: 1pt;"><span>:)</span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CySmJiTLuI8/TRnQf9qqijI/AAAAAAAAByw/NRt0HQ09nu0/s1600/borFB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CySmJiTLuI8/TRnQf9qqijI/AAAAAAAAByw/NRt0HQ09nu0/s200/borFB.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Well…with all the preoccupations, I felt it would be unfair to ignore the space that too when I am so close to the new year and have all frozen up for this year.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">I am just out of the Christmas freeze and could hear the New Year express coming on my lazy platform. All set in place, food stuffed for winters, no pending tasks, reserved ample time to catch friends on FB - checking them travel, party, marry </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; letter-spacing: 1pt;"><span>:)</span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CySmJiTLuI8/TRnS6ZNfLhI/AAAAAAAABy0/Vi7BgKvCdHQ/s1600/nothing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_CySmJiTLuI8/TRnS6ZNfLhI/AAAAAAAABy0/Vi7BgKvCdHQ/s200/nothing.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">All well in the schedule – no balances for my soon to be ‘bygone’ year, in fact been a very successful and happening year for me. Had my first anniversary, bought a new house, explored new ventures, gained new degree, made new friends, sheltered no regrets and patted myself a ‘N’ times : )) </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CySmJiTLuI8/TRnPvcYF3vI/AAAAAAAAByo/ZhcAibu28ug/s1600/noFB.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_CySmJiTLuI8/TRnPvcYF3vI/AAAAAAAAByo/ZhcAibu28ug/s1600/noFB.jpg" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Yes, ignored my national awareness for a while in spate of exponentially incrementing the public awareness on FB but then - should have something to resolve in the New Year as well…so added that in the to-do for 2011. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CySmJiTLuI8/TRnPbzVc_1I/AAAAAAAAByk/sEBgwtDlSoo/s1600/fall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_CySmJiTLuI8/TRnPbzVc_1I/AAAAAAAAByk/sEBgwtDlSoo/s1600/fall.jpg" /></a><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Overall a fulfilling year for love too, though I have more and more to add to for the next year when I see my friends traveling and honeymoon-ing on FB</span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; letter-spacing: 1pt;"><span>:)</span></span><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> <span></span> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;"> I missed on an extra trip (I think!!), would have been rocking ‘if only’ I had another honeymoon this year :p </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Well, looking forward to delete all the ‘if only’ in 2011 and fall in love all over again in the next year and in the coming 100 years of my life with him.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">With all the happy things in mind, wishing a very happy New Year!!!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="letter-spacing: 1pt;">Signing off for 2010.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Garimahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09175665949389414596noreply@blogger.com2