Chotu...... This Was For You

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM

Its almost a year now since my bro left for canada for his studies. I had written in my last post for him that he asked me to crochet a few warm clothes for him. However at that time I couldn't do it and after a year too I am not done with any of his requests. I had planned to make gloves, a scarf, hat, and a blanket for him. Choosing a proper color for men is always tough, they prefer dark and sober colors. As it is we don't get good variety of wools here. However I bought the above ones and had started to crochet a scarf, but I was just not satisfied. Hence I frogged it. Next I planned to make gloves out of it, but soon gave up. I just got irriated and locked the wool in my cupboard. Actually the wool was not upto my expectations, I wanted a much thicker one than what I had.

The wool was locked in the cupboard but after some time I was feeling suffocated and hence got that wool back and made a knitted sweater for my dad with the help of my neighbour ( I am not good at knitting na). Sorry chotu, I will surely make something for you one day......

Sumeet or Sumeeta

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM



I love dressing up sumeet in rupali's clothes. And he always find it very amusing me doing it. just look at his expressions in first and then the second pic...

Because of his hairs I was not able to give him a girlie look, so I covered it up.

One day he came early in the morning around 7.30 - 8. My siblings were sleeping after their sairi, I was the only one awake. Thought to experiment with my dupatta and sumeet togather (hehehe) so draped him a saree. He was so conscious in the beginning, later gave me a smiling pose.

My siblings don't call me a raddiwali yun hi.... Cleaning the raddi dept. of our house is my responsibility and I don't let anyone else do it. Sometimes there are good recipes out there in the newspapers, and sometimes good info on health and general things. Since my school days I cut all these and store it. I have learnt cooking experimenting all those newspaper recipes..

This time, I got lill lazy to remove all the raddi since long and it got accumulated. Finally, one day I gathered my mood and removed all of them and called the raddiwala. Before raddiwala sumeet came to our house and stood besides the raddi, giving a pose. I immediately went for my camera and clicked his pics. Later I made him sit on it, he was so happy to sit, though a bit scared of falling...

Ragi Falooda

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM



This is a dish from my dad's village. Although it may not look that appeasing to eat but is very nutrituous. Dad says it is usually prepared during ramzan time, because of its cooling properties. Keeping fast whole day and eating at night generates more heat in the body, having this regulates the body temperature.

I prepared this dish as since long I wanted to eat it. It consists coconut milk and fennel seeds, which give out a distinct flavour when mixed in ragi milk. For sweetness I added jaggery instead of sugar and a lill cashew nut powder for the toppings. I made this in huge quantity, but none of my siblings ate it. It was finished off by me and nani only.


Kept to set....

Cut into pieces...

Iftaar Party

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM


One thing that everybody loves about ramzan is the iftaari. We too love it but having a lavish iftaari means to skip dinner, which ultimately means inviting my parents wrath. However lavish iftaari spread looks good only when there are more number of people. And we being mumbaiities, having food with a diet chart in hand.. the question of lavish iftari doesn't comes at all. But still I love the feel of this festivity. I would love to visit hyderabad during such times, as my bros say that it is the best time to feel the festivities of ramzan over there.

My nani was with us during the start of ramzan this year, and I love preparing varieties in iftaari for her. She was the person besides my mom, who had taken my lots of care in my childhood. Doing something for her is just my small way of saying thank you to her. Here in the above pic there is sabudana wada, dates coconut rolls, dudhi sherbat, gulgule and fruit chat. I know I need to post all the recipes also for it but today just tired. Some other time soon....

Ramzan 2010

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM




Ramzan time once again. Time flies away so soon nowadays. I myself find it difficult to believe that a year has passed since my post on ramzan last year. However this month brings with it lots of happiness and love. I feel very much safe in this month..... because the devils are chained na ;-) Well this ramzan is as special as all any other previously, bt what makes it lill more special is that I've my friend with me for this ramzan. Patience always pays off good. I've accepted this fact in life. Just do good and patiently pray, things will soon work out best by themselves. Whenever things are not turning our way, it doesnt means life has turned off on us. When something goes wrong in any relationship, it only makes it stronger in the end if our love and respect for that person is true.

And besides, Rab is there to take care of everything. So this is the month, we should offer all our thanks to Him. Neither do I want jannat nor do I want luxuries of life and hereafter. All I want is that my Rab should be happy with me. "Mera Rab mujhse hamesha raazi rahe bas yahi kaafi hai."

My Lace Collection

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM


People have various hobbies. Some are too good and some are too crazy. I dunno how I should term mine.. of collecting laces.. Actually I inherited this hobby from my mom. Besides when one is getting them in cheaper rates why not to stock it up, we never know.. we may need it any time soon.



The above laces I got them in a relatively cheaper rates. The shopkeeper had kept all the remaining laces for sale to bring in new stock. The laces were indeed very good and I instantly liked them and bought it. Since then I've been using them on my kurtis, dupattas etc. Its the season of mix and match, laces add a different look to the otherwise plain dress.

Some of the laces here are from my mom's time. She used laces on our frocks, dresses and now its the baby dresses turn.... she is using it on them..

Naughty Flowy

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM




This is my bro's naughty flowy. She is the new don of our fish tank, not letting anyone else to stay in tank besides the cleaning fish... She had killed my fav fish too. Badmaash fishy.

Flowy troubled this fish soo much that she always used to run helter skelter for help. Have a close look at her scales, thats all the result of flowy dear...

Apple Halwa

BISMILLAH HIR RAHMAN NIR RAHEEM

Again this is an experiMental Apple Halwa. I asked my brother to bring apples from the market and the apples he bought were sour. My people refused to eat it. The apples occupied the space in my refrigerator and I could do nothing to finish them off. Suddenly today when my mamu came in the morning, it clicked me to make something sweet and what better than apple halwa. (My mamu loves sweets a lot, so I can experiment on him). Then began my expeditions in the kitchen, I was really not sure what I was making will turn out good or i'll need to dump it in the dustbin. Just see the results up there in the pics, it not only turned out mouthwateringly good but also I received lots of compliments from my nani (that's tough to get it from her).

Please excuse the pics, as I clicked them in hurry before serving my mamu.


RECIPE:

Ingredients:
Apples = 3 peeled and grated
Sugar = 1/2 cup
Ghee = 1 tblspn
Khoya = 2 tblspn
Almond cashewnut powder = 2 tblspn
Cardamom powder = 1/2 tsp

Method:
1. Heat 1 tblspn of ghee in a pan. Add grated apples and cook on low flame.

2. When the apple starts to become tender add sugar, khoya, almond cashewnut powder.

3. When sugar is added it leaves water. At this stage stir continous for sometime.

4. Cook till all the water evaporates and the mixture becomes dry.

5. Once the mixture becomes dry, switch off the flame and add cardamom powder.

6. Grease a plate and transfer the contents into it. Flatten in and cut into desired shapes.

Note:
Adding khoya can be optional. I added it because I had that in my refrigerator. I had 3 apples and hence the measurements are accordingly. The apples were little sour and I added only 1/2 cup of sugar as I wanted the khatta mittha taste rather than all sweet taste.