STRAWBERRIES with Cream…

So,when I got strawberries in the grocery store of my new neighborhood,I just bought a packet to just eat them sometime in evening,however the they were destined to be treated better 🙂 …I love this fruit…its sweet, like a candy, but at the same time slightly tangy, and sour. they have a grainy but smooth taste….In fact I can say I am having experiences like strawberries this year… Hmm quite a good metaphor!

So here come my quick Strawberry and Cream Recipe…

I took 1 cup heavy whipping cream(Amul fresh cream,to be more specific :),
1/3 cup sugar,
then I took some fresh strawberries, washed them, remove the stems, and put them in the food processor until they become a thick liquid,
Whipped cream until it looks like whipped cream,
Mixed in sugar,
Mix in strawberries until just combined,
And finally topped it up with cut pieces of strawberries and kept it freezer for 10 minutes before I put a big spoon of dessert in my mouth…it was heaven… ❤

PS.I have an illustrated picture for your reference 🙂

it’s okay

I am a kind of person who believes it is very unfair to make generalized assumptions about anything,specifically human beings.

Many a times I am into serious conversations with people,asserting,how one should not have pre-conceived notion about somebody just because you inferred something from somebody similar.Its is very natural for every body I guess to have experiences good as well as bad with people we interact in day to day life and then consciously or sub-consciously create an image about a class of people,by just having an experience of few from that class.

By class I mean anything;it can be men having opinion about women,women on men,one generation of people on another,people from one state on people of another state,people speaking language-x on people speaking language-y,students of college-a on students of college-b,residents of country-I on residents of country-P,etc etc etc...The list will be never ending,isn't it?

I hope all will agree,many a times we all make such comments and or frame certain opinions and also many a times differ from somebody on their opinions,and all this is very much humane,I would say!

Now,why am I justifying it,you would wonder!Well that's because though I myself refrain from such generic assumption because of interaction with few corrupted samples out a big lot,however I have also realized there is some sort of genuine truth behind any such opinion;because after all,when there is a class of people,it means they are/were part of some sort of common upbringing,environment,society,education,culture,influences etc etc. and then there has to be some impact of these on humankind. 

And we are sometimes pointing fingers at others and sometimes fingers are pointed at us,and this is my mortal limit of understanding in this regard.

And I feel it's okay,and many a times such experiences gives us as opportunity to be both rationale and irrational;introspection and accusations;feel and make-feel,see and show...laugh at or being laughed about...learn or make others learn a lesson...talk about someone or be someone talked about...its a game where you are the player as well as spectator!

Felt bad!

Last month when I fell down from the stairs,I took full one week off from office as such was the situation for me,though thankfully I had no fracture !In fact many of of my well wishers  advised me to not go to office for couple of more days,but then I thought I was okay and so…However today its not about me… with what I started!

Today it is about the poor and old John,the parking lot in-charge,where  park my car.He is old but is very active and had been very helpful to me all these days,and though my knowledge of Tamil is equal to his knowledge of English,we manage to convey what we intend.

I did not see him in morning today and was quite late while returning,thanks to new acquired professional responsibilities.When I reached the parking lot,I saw his right hand with cast and was sitting quite,which was not like daily.As I told earlier,he will be very active,moving from one corner to other,helping people to take out their vehicles.

I went and asked him,what happened,he told me,how he fell down from stairs yesterday night,and while he was saying,I noticed,how he sighed with pain!

I felt really bad and there was a heavy feeling all the way back to my place,as I kept thinking of my status being so privileged,when compared to old John…who had to come for work even when he has a fractured hand and pain was so much visible.

I know,there are more worse situations than these around,however this was for the first time I could feel the pinch and the gaps between two human beings.

The concern and empathy I felt is not leaving me somehow…!

More!

In the morning,when I just didn’t have an iota energy to get out of bed and start for office,a thought process,which at many times acts like ‘REDBULL’ energy drink,again made me come to office today!

When I have to go for work(daily 😛 ),sometimes in situation of bad mood or bad health(cold,cough,headache situation being common 😦 ),I just feel ‘BAD’ and life continues…,but whenever I take leave be it planned or sick leave or its weekend off,I feel good and relaxed on those days…

……..And when I have to start for office after that leave, it makes me feel ‘MORE BAD’ 😦    😛

As soon as this is thought of,I instantly decide to allow myself to feel ‘BAD’ rather than ‘MORE BAD’ 😉 😛  🙂

I know I know this sounds STUPID,but this is how it works for me… ‘SOMETIMES’ 😛  😉

Today when I was giving this GYAN to my colleague here,he had a GOOD laugh,so thought,lets enlighten others too 😛 🙂

Happy Working!

Good-Bye!Sunshine

Heaven called upon you,

leaving all of us with

so many words left for you.

now it’s too late,

words unspoken,feelings unexpressed.

I am sure everybody has some.

Regrets and wishes

are probably there too,

but lasting forever

are memories of you.

I was there when you

came in between us.

There have been many times,

when I could not imbibe

that you are so mature;

that you know so much more;

And now that,

that you are no more…

Your words,

Your images,

Your memories will

always remain vivid.

And wishes come

deep from heart that you get all the happiness

that God forgot to give you this time!

Good-Bye!Sunshine

In  loving memory of my cousin-bro Aman,who died on August 31 st, 2010 at the age of 17;he was suffering from cerebral palsy.

Another one :)

It was already late and there was no way I could stop somewhere to buy grocery for today, I had no flour in room to make chapatis and to add to situation no clean vessels to do proper cooking. And as this was not enough, I had no instant noodles too. What will I eat for the dinner, was what I kept on thinking right from the moment I took auto till the time I was in kitchen, totally blank…when suddenly an idea hit my creative mind ;).

So here it is of what I did…

Ingredients I had with me: brown bread, onion, tomato, garlic-onion paste, green chillies, capsicum, potato, french beans. egg.
I kept saucepan on fire and just one spoon of butter and in it brown bread, each cut into 6 small rectangle shape(I took 3 breads).I kept saucepan the bread in the pan till it became more brown and crispy.
I chopped one tomato, one potato, four French beans, one onion, one green chili, one capsicum. After removing the bread from saucepan,two tablespoon of butter in it, cummin seeds, green chilies and the chopped onion…fired for some time and then added rest chopped vegetables and ginger garlic paste. mixed well and covered the lid. I kept checking in between if it was done. In some 9-10 minutes the vegetables were kind of cooked, the I added one teaspoon of red chilly powder+Maggie magic masala+one teaspoon of salt, tomato ketchup, pepper powder and the bread(sauté ones) and one egg on top of it. Mixed it properly and in another 2 minutes my dinner was ready and believe me it tasted yummy

But what do we call it…Chalo, I’ll call it ‘ brown bread masala’
I am somebody who doesn’t like bread, but this was something I really enjoyed making and it tasted so good and I found it to be nice comfort food in situation like I was into; at time when you returned from shopping, when you get hunger pangs at midnight, when you have nothing to do and you want to cook and eat what you cooked too ;)…Well enough cases I suppose, isn’t it?

What if…

What if…yes…there can be million “what if(s)?”,but when today I was enjoying a hot cup of ginger tea in evening,all of a sudden I thought,what if tea didn’t exist?I feel if  tea was not there,my mornings,whatever time it be 😉 would not have started…breakfasts would not have tasted that good without a cup of tea along with it…the chit chats in college canteen would have never been so spicy without a spicy tea…office gossips in company cafeteria would not have  been so interesting without a tea cup…a power nap would have never been that powerful without a tea after it…travelling in trains would not have remained so memorable without a cuppa tea… late night studies would have remained so impacting without a cup of strong tea…feel of rain would not have remained the same without a cup of tea… for me the list is endless and I can keep writing and writing about what not entities existence is incomplete without tea…Tea gives me warmth in cold,keeps me cool in heat,gives me energy when I am weak…Yes tea gives me enough reasons to write something in ode to its humble existence!

A perfect Sunday morning????

A perfect Sunday morning????Aloo paratha with butter and a cuppa tea in breakfast…and my dil goes mmmm… :)…By now you would have got an idea of me being an ardent “aloo paratha” fan…!And whenever I have a say I would prefer to have them as my Sunday breakfast.As member of my college mess committee I had managed to have them in Sunday breakfast menu in college too :)So last time when somehow after a considerable gap I happened to make them myself,I captured some moments of the great aloo parathas in making… 😛

For making six aloo parathas,all you need is 250 gms of potatoes(boiled,peeled and mashed),chopped green chillies,chopped garlic,chopped onion,chopped green coriander leaves,jeera,salt,chaat masala,black salt,red chili powder,pepper and garam masalafor the filling.Wheat flour dough and ghee+butter.

Heat ghee in karhai,add jeera+chillies+garlic and then after some time chopped onion…fry until red and then add salt(according to taste)+black salt+chili powder+mashed potato and mix well.After some time add chat masala,pepper,garam masala (according to taste) and chopped green corriander.Now prepare saucer shapes with the dough,as seen in the pics.fill them with the prepared fillings and flatten them carefully into round parathas.Now on the heated tava,goes the paratha and along with it ghee on both sides after few minutes.Cooked properly on both sides…aloo paratha are ready one after another…. 🙂

Serve them with butter,curd/yoghurt/raita and tea…..And this how an awesome Sunday breakfast is made and enjoyed… 🙂

What does my birthday say about me?

I just took the “What does your birthday say about you”? quiz,on facebook with the result:

Sensitive,Attractive personality.sexy. Affectionate.Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesse…s others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented.Loves special things. Moody.

I was just supposed to answer some 4-5 questions related to my birth day and few about my favorites…And about the result,I can say,correct to some extent… 🙂 😛

Right now I am “too lazy” and about to be fully affected by “Monday fever”…to analyze this result….In another few minutes, Sunday will be over and Monday starts….I just want to say…”Why again another Monday…???” 😦

Power of FREE ;)

Today when I was in one of the hypermarket buying some stuffs,I saw a packet of Maggie being kept in my basket while the shop attendant was transferring things I bought in the poly-cover;it was something which I had not purchased.I said the same to the man on billing counters.On listening this,he said,”Ma’am,it’s free with the coffee packet you purchased”.I said,”cool!” ,took my packet after making the payment and came out of the shop…and all of a sudden was reminded of all the “Free(s)” in past,in and around…!

As I said I got something for “free” and i said “cool”,which implies I was happy and frankly speaking I am always happy when i get something free with something and its a very old habit I would say.Old habits die-hard,and why should this habit die,when there is nothing to lose, in fact I am getting something for free…bole to “muft muft muft” 😀 😛

I very well remember how me and my bro would look out for the offers of  “FREE” in advertisements on television and on kirana shops walls and shelves.But yes we were only interested in things of our interest,though we would give  FREE expert advises on buying stuffs with some thing free to mom and relatives.And many a times it was appreciated and implemented too.Our domain at that time was looking out for offers like free cosco balls,chocolates,games and the likes…

The power of Free 😉 is unimaginable,it is so big and impacting that many a time the purchases are done for the free stuff and not the stuff with which you are getting the FREE :p

And somehow I believe this is true even today,not only in case of me but everyone…Don’t you look out for free memory card while buying a new mobile,freebies when you go to a resort,free membership,free services,free flight tickets,free holidays,free drinks 😉 ,free trade,etc,etc…

Yes,we all do that at different levels,without doubt,yes there are exceptions,but I am talking about normal people here 😛  😉