Thanksgiving morning

@930 am - need to clean up my place. Let me atleast start doing the laundry.

I am glad i have a delay in my dish washer, even before i woke up it started cleaning all the dishes. I have few more dishes to go, but defintely much lesser effort.

I am thinking if i should use the orange/yellow paper plates and cutlery i bought yesterday at the last moment from Everything party, or i should just stick on to the "Ever in my house" Square corelle plates for dinner.

@10 am - Just found an awesome Dhall recipe from the "Taste of Nepal" book, and started cooking it. Dhalls are the most simple things. Dont have to do much there, dont need to keep standing.

Also i made my signature Eliachi Chai, and typing this post as i am drinking the tea.

What did i do yesterday night?

1. Made choclate Mousse - just love Julia childs recipes - though i screwed up at the end by adding a bit of rum :(
2. Made Raita
3. Panner Butter Masala without onions and Garlic(and with lots of honey and cashews)
4. Marinated chicken for shawarma


So whats up for today after this?

1. Chicken Curry
2. Some Veg fry - thinking if i should make mixed veg fry or beans fry
3. Chicken Shawarma
4. Potatos.
5. Might bake the almond cookie bars(but lets see).

This time... i am trying to make my cooking/dinner inviting experience less stressful. I am cooking one dish at a time, so that i enjoy cooking the dish. And having a fun time... Read trying to hide the anxious me ...

Pre Thanksgiving

Finally after 2 years of being in the US, i am going to host a thanksgiving dinner. I thought this time ill be efficent in my planning and cooking, but seems like nothing has fallen in place. The only thing that i did right was sending out the invitations. There is still deocration, plates and music and cooking left. Pretty much everything left

The menu for tommorrow seems interesting

Apetizers
1. Crumbled Potato fries
2. Bhel Puri
3. Samosas(not sure yet)

Main Course
1. Peas Rice
2. Rotis/Parathas
3. Pepper Chicken curry
4. Chicken Shawarma
5. Panner Curry
6. Beans fry
7. Dhall
8. Moor kolumbu
9. Mashed Potatoes

Dessert
1. Almond roca cookie bars
2. Rasmalai
3. Chocolate Mousse
4. Ice Creams
5. Probably Creme Brulee

Need to stock everything up, and start cooking tonight.

Just met my Physiotherapist who suggested me the exercises so that i dont get tired cooking.

Happy cooking to me :)

Early mornings ... Painting...

After a long time, i woke up at 8ish. Just feels so good when you wakeup early in the morning. You steal few minutes from your busy monotonous life - some time just for you, some time when you can relax. The day also seems to be so long. You realise the day has so much potential.

My new found interest is painting, and i am amazed how different my paintings look when i paint in the class. I realised, its also because of the perspective my teacher, Virginia gives me. How she abstracts out what should be in a picture. She always tells - when you have a photo- you should find out what you like the most from the picture and just take that to your painting. You dont have to make a detailed painting, just paint what you like.. what you want to highlight...

Sorry for the bad picture quality.. I promise, ill charge my camera and post better pictures soon.

Rasgollas

There are somethings that remind you of home... One thing is the sweets that my mom used to make. Rasgolla was the only sweet i used to eat as a kid - i never liked gulab jamuns. i think i somehow knew that the effort put in to make gulab jamuns was much lesser.

More i feel homesick, more is the urge to recreate home. I cant get the environment here sitting in the US, but atleast i can cook something that reminds me of home.

We dont get the authetic rasgollas here, for that matter any sweets we get are horrible. I have been wanting to make rasgollas for a while. I had thought ill make them in the weekend, but as all of you know something or the other comes up.

Finally i decided to make them yesterday. I guess i would have called my mom 4-5 times to ask her what i should be doing. At each and evey step of making. My mom seemed to share the excitement i had.

She and I were so happy that the Rasgollas didnt spilt - this is the problem which most people have when making them.... she was just so happy that i was able to make them.

Man, after cooling them they taste "OK" according to me. They taste like the "worst" rasgollas my mom would have made but they still taste like something my mom made. They are round and remind me of home! As of now thats all matters to me ...

Demistyfying opening a medicine bottle...

For long i never knew how to open these bottles which are marked -"Press down and open". I either thought i didn't have the strength to keep holding it down or someone would help me doing it... I always thought it was something beyond me ...

Finally i opened one such bottle :). Everything in life is similar - unless you do it, you don't realise you are capable of it... Do things.. and never be scared of anything...

luv life...

Teacher's Day

Lots of fond memories associated with the teachers day. Back in school, this was a huge event. I always liked a subject only if i liked the teacher. I don't know why, but i always needed that motivation.

Every year during teachers day, i had this hard task of deciding which teachers i would give flowers to. Just like today, i would always be confused. I always knew the teachers i liked, but i would also not want to make any other teacher feel bad rather annoy them.

Some more things with my teachers day - 10th std, that was the first time i wore a Saree - a Pink colored cotton saree. I also took classes - 2nd and 3rd standard. I have always been very thorough in my preparations. So i spent days in deciding what i would teach them. It was one of the best experiences in my life.. the 2nd standard kids didn't know that i was not a teacher.. it was fun :)

Teachers day in my 12th std was scary - all these guys, who supposedly had a crush on me came to the class i was teaching... hmm.. fun it was.. how not to laugh, smile and take the class as if nothing is happening

I would love to mention Parvathi ma'am here - she is one person who believed in me and helped me realise my potential. Love u ma'am

London express

Looking forward to a really busy weekend. Its been long since i have been involved in something of this sort.. Enjoying every bit of the play.. Though i might just be playing a small role in the entire thing( not acting of course).. feels great to be part of it...

Shameless publicity again

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Guk-L0tW9k&fmt=18