Inspirational Stories Series - People Who Make a Difference

I was really bad at history, so I have no idea what Aurangzeb did, or whom Subhash Chandra Bose  fought. Heck! To this day, I can't accurately say who really built the Taj Mahal (it's a tie between Shah Jahan and Jehangir! I know. Shameful.), but I do know it was built for love! I'm basically not one to follow the lives of powerful, inspirational people from the annals of history. And so, when you ask me, "Who's your role model?" don't expect me to say any names you may recognize.... That's why I felt this little inspirational passage holds a lot of truth. Read on!

Take this quiz:

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America contest.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor actress.

6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel, appreciated and special.

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

6. Name half a dozen heroes whose stories have inspired you. Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care. Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life.

Now, let me tell you, that if you were to ask me who my role model is, you might just be surprised to know - it could be You!

Inspirational Tales Series - The Parable of the Pencil

This parable of a pencil is so simple, yet it carries so much truth in it. When my husband first shared this story with me (he was preparing for a motivational talk for his students) I was stunned by the simplicity and poignancy of this little parable... Hope you find this as enlightening as I did...

The Pencil maker took the pencil aside, just before putting him into the box. "There are 5 things you need to know," he told the pencil, "before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in Someone's hand.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you'll need it to become a better pencil."

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make."

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's inside."

And Five: On every surface you are used on, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write."

The pencil understood and promised to remember, and went into the box with purpose in its heart.

Now replace the place of the pencil with you. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best person you can be.

One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in God's hand. And allow other human beings to access you for the many gifts you possess.

Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but you'll need it to become a stronger person.

Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make.

Four: The most important part of you will always be what's on the inside.

And Five: On every surface you walk through, you must leave your mark. No matter what the situation, you must continue to do your duties.

- Author Unknown -

Inspirational Tales Series - Don't We All?

Hope you liked the first story I posted in this series. Here is the second one:

I was parked in front of the mall wiping off my car. I had just come from the car wash and was waiting for my wife to get out of work. Coming my way across the parking lot was what society would consider a bum (homeless or poor man). From the looks of him, he had no car, no home, no clean clothes, and no money. There are times when you feel generous but there are other times that you just don't want to be bothered. This was one of those "don't want to be bothered times." "I hope he doesn't ask me for any money," I thought. He didn't.

He came and sat on the curb in front of the bus stop but he didn't look like he could have enough money to even ride the bus. After a few minutes he spoke. "That's a very pretty car," he said. He was ragged but he had an air of dignity around him. His scraggly blond beard kept more than his face warm. I said, "Thanks," and continued wiping off my car.

He sat there quietly as I worked. The expected plea for money never came. As the silence between us widened, something inside said, "ask him if he needs any help." I was sure that he would say 'yes', but I held true to my inner voice. "Do you need any help?" I asked.

He answered in three simple but profound words that I shall never forget. We often look for wisdom in great men and women. We expect it from those of higher learning and accomplishments. I expected nothing but an outstretched grimy hand. He spoke the three words that shook me.

"Don't we all?" he said.

I was feeling high and mighty, successful and important, above a bum in the street, until those three words hit me like a twelve gauge shotgun. Don't we all? I needed help. Maybe not for the bus fare or a place to sleep, but I need help. I reached in my wallet and gave him not only enough for bus fare, but enough to get a warm meal and shelter for the day. Those three little words still ring true. No matter how much you have, no matter how much you have accomplished, you need help too. No matter how little you have, no matter how loaded you are with problems, even without money or a place to sleep, you can give help.

Even if it's just a compliment, you can give that. You never know when you may see someone that appears to have it all. They are waiting on you to give them what they don't have. A different perspective on life, a glimpse at something beautiful, a respite from daily chaos, that only you through a torn world can see.

Maybe the man was just a homeless stranger wandering the streets. Maybe he was more than that. Maybe he was sent by a power that is great and wise, to minister to a soul too comfortable in themselves.

Maybe God looked down, called an Angel, dressed him like a bum, then said, "Go minister to that man cleaning the car, that man needs help." Don't we all?

- Author Unknown -

Inspirational Tales Series - The Gift

I never read inspirational stories. That is 'read' in the past tense. I had become such a cynic that I used to find them tacky and silly, and a waste of time. I felt that these preachy stories where from someone who just sat in the comfort of their homes and didn't know anything about how horrid the world, and people in general, have become. Having a child shifts your opinion of a lot of things - for their sake you need to be optimistic, noble, courageous, and believing. Now every inspiration story I read (present tense) I remember so that, one day, I can pass these values and thoughts to my daughter. I will post a few stories that inspired me or struck a chord deep in my heart. And another important point I need to make - I am a Christian, and I don't hide it. So I'm taking things one step further in this blog, and talking about spiritual things. I hope you, my reader and friend, will stay with me on this. Enjoy...

A young man was getting ready to graduate college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As graduation day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box.

Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible. Angrily he raised his voice at his father and said, "With all your money you gave me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house, leaving the holy book.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things. When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart.

He began to search for his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he read those words, a car key dropped from an envelope taped behind the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation and the words...PAID IN FULL.

How many times do we miss God's blessings because they are not packaged as we expected?

Blondie Jokes!

Saw this in the Blondie archives on my Google Reader (yes, I totally subscribe to this stuff, and I adore it!) [And yes, I read the archives! Why? Wouldn't you? C'mon, it's Blondie!!]

HAHHA! :D

This image is taken from the Blondie comics strip featured on ArcaMax Publishing. So, please don't sue me!

Someone Will Be With You Shortly - Lisa Kogan (excerpt)

I'm reading Lisa Kogan's Someone Will Be With You Shortly, and I'm trying not to ROFL, so that I don't do further damage to my already creaky and achy bones!! Let me tell you, she is seriously funny! 

Note: I'm reading it for free - yes! Absolutely for FREE! - on Daily Lit. 

After I'm done with the book, I'll tell you about how good it was. Right now, I just want to share this gem with you...

"Chapter 5. What to Expect When You're Not Expecting

ABOUT THREE WEEKS AFTER my daughter, Julia, was born, I was standing in line at Russ & Daughters, a lovely little shoebox of a shop that's been serving the most exquisite Jewish delicacies ever since Mr. Russ loaded up his pushcart and headed for the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1908. I was ordering smoked butterfish and nova, sliced thinner than angel wings, as the guys behind the counter plied me with samples of apricot strudel and raspberry rugelach. It was spring, my baby was healthy, Russ & Daughters had just put out their marble nut halvah, and all was right with the world.

I was experiencing what the late, great Spalding Gray used to call “a perfect moment.” Please note, Mr. Gray didn't talk about perfect days, he didn't even refer to a perfect half-hour stretch. Nope, he only suggested that there are moments when life is inexorably sweet, but those moments are few and far between—and generally over before you can capture them on the teeny camera in your ridiculously tricked-out cell phone.

The little old lady to my left decided to strike up a conversation. “So, how long have you been coming here, dear?” She smelled like Pond's cold cream and cinnamon, and I liked her immediately. “Well, ma'am, my aunt Bernice first brought me here when I was just a kid,” I answered between bites. She smiled warmly and told me she grew up right around the corner, on Orchard Street, and had shopped here since the 1920s. “I raised five children on this food,” she said, pointing to the baked blueberry farmer's cheese. We were soul mates in sable, partners in pickled herring; we spoke the language of lox. And that's when it happened.

My new buddy suddenly reached out her bony little liver-spotted hand, patted my baby-free middle, and asked the one question nobody should ever ask: “When are you due?”

I toyed with the possibility that she had some sort of death wish. Perhaps the question was actually a thinly veiled plea. I mean, isn't it plausible that what she was really saying was “I want to go out on a high note, so I'll just have a taste of chopped liver, and then do something so heinous that it drives this perfectly reasonable woman to club me to death with a side of salmon”?

You see, there are certain questions that must never be asked:

1. Has your surprise party happened yet?

2. How did you first learn that your husband is cheating?

And, above all:

3. When are you due?

I don't care if the woman you're asking is wearing a T-shirt with a giant rhinestone-encrusted arrow that points to her belly and reads BABY ON BOARD. I don't care if she's writhing on a gurney in the birthing room of Mount Sinai Hospital, screaming for an epidural as an obstetrician announces, “One more push and the baby will be out!” You never, let me repeat, never, ever, under any circumstances, ask a woman when she's due.

“June,” I replied.

Some people collect coins, some prowl the Internet for vintage guitars; I know a woman with a closet full of antique Kewpie-doll heads. I'm not totally clear what turned her against everything from the neck down—she may have been frightened by a Barbie breast as a child. But I'm nobody to judge, because I, too, am a collector. What I collect are slights, digs, withering remarks, and the occasional mean-girl glare. I examine a good when-are-you-due story from every angle, I trade them with friends, I commit them to memory, I savor them for eternity.

Here are a few of my favorite insults:

    * My old friend Alison remembers the first time she had her Hungarian husband's family over. She cooked for three straight days. The woman goulashed and paprikashed and even put her tomato sauce through a food mill, for God's sake. At the end of the meal, her new mother-in-law took Ali's hands in hers, looked her straight in the eye, and said: “I'm so glad you feel you can practice on us.” Ouch.
    * My former roommate Laurie came home with an A+ on her test and proudly handed the paper to her father. “Jesus,” he said. “I always thought you had to be really smart to get this kind of grade.” Kaboom.
    * My pal Faye tells the story of spending an entire evening with a guy she met when they both reached for the same stuffed zucchini blossom at a fancy fundraiser. He suggested they get together the very next day for a picnic in Central Park, and she was delighted to take charge of the fried chicken and potato salad. The next day she waited and waited. Nearly two hours, one drumstick, half a pound of red bliss potatoes, and five weeks of dieting down the drain later, Faye picked up the phone: “What happened?” His reply: “Well, I honked ... but you didn't come out.” Yikes.
    * I bring Jules to the pediatrician for her annual checkup. “Would you say she's unusually tall?” I ask, hoping that she'll someday be able to reach all the stuff her five-foot two-inch mother cannot. “No, she's average,” he replies, quick and to the point. “Are you sure?” I persist. “My friends all tell me that she's really quite tall.” The good doctor peers down his bifocals. “Maybe your friends don't want to tell you that she's really quite average.” Touché.

Forget about kids; grown-ups say the darnedest things. Sometimes they mean well, sometimes they mean to lacerate, sometimes they're just clueless. The challenge (at least for me) is not to take any of it personally ... even when it's meant to be taken personally. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, unless of course I decide to let them.

I've decided to stop letting them. I don't want to lock and load when a nasty comment comes my way, but I also refuse to duck and cover. Instead, I am going to answer clumsiness with equanimity, bitchiness with compassion, and verbal violence with disengagement."

Blogging Gems I Need to Share

Every day I read a lot of interesting stuff on my Google Reader, Twitter feed, and Facebook wall. I come across something that is so gripping that I decide it's not enough to share it/retweet it/or bookmark it. I have a deep desire to talk about it on my blog. Notice I said, 'deep desire'. So, I bookmark it under 'Blogpost Idea' on my Google Bookmarks, and vow to return to it at the end of the day, and share it with my faithful readers. Then I sit at my computer and start posting insightful blog posts about these useful things and then all my readers are empowered and enlightened because of my wise comments!... Or not.

Instead, once these interesting blogs, pages, or posts have been bookmarked, they rot in bookmark purgatory until one day, I decide to purge myself by putting ALL those posts into one single humongous potpourri of miscellany.


Anyway, here are links to articles/posts/blogs that caught my interest. If you like it, good! If you don't please don't do a psychoanalysis of my personality based on my reading preference!! :P

Blogging - because I need serious help there.
604 Blog Post Ideas for When You are Stuck...like right now! And also if you need to see an adorable picture of a little boy and his pet dog!
13 Types of Posts That Always Gets Lots of Comments. Geez, I could use some of that!

Social Media - for the uninitiated (if they exist at all)
For Those Facebook Left Behind - if you are one of the million people who thought they are one of 4 people who knew nothing about social media.
Generator Blog - well, it generates everything except electricity. Go and experience hours of mind-bending and fruitless yet strangely addictive Internet activity that this blog has to offer!

Good Advice - because I know you won't listen!
Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young - Yeah! Way to go! Tell it like it is!
42 Practical Ways to Improve Yourself - I've already done one of them. Guess which one! If you know me, you know this is really lame...

Making a Difference - some people really do have better things to do.
The Ugly Indian - when will we learn to clean up our own mess...literally?
My good friend's blogpost on Contemplations and Ruminations - it's a post on Sherlock Holmes (she's crazy about books!), but at the end she talks about something good that the Kanyakumari district has been doing for a while...Find out!

Creative People - bringing the Wow! because they can.
3D Projections on Buildings - this is awesome!
Flash Mob at the Ohio Union 5/3/2010 - because I love to see people suddenly break out in dance and song!!



Food - because, with me, it all comes down to food!

14 Useful Tools for Your Kitchen - you know, when you can't use the pan for frying bacon, like normal people, and you need to use the microwave...or something like that!
Carl Kleiner - or when you're so NOT like me, and can resist yummy food long enough to go photographing them and making lovely ethereal pictures!
KFC Double Down Sandwich: Why Use a Bun When You Have Fried Chicken? - for when you really want a massive heart attack! No, really. This is atrocious...why don't you just pile it on, one day at a time, with chocolate? At least, it's more fun! But then, that's just me...

Ode to Rain - A Series of Haikus

November rains beat down
On dusty roads.
Gardener and Artist in one.


Sitting here watching raindrops
Race down to the pane.
Win or lose, they all become rain.


Rain showers always form
Yearnings for warm food
And mothering.


After the rain,
Comes cleansing clarity
And the desire for new beginnings.



Ode to rain... ceased due to Monotony.
I wonder
What rain feels like?

South Indian Fish Curry - My Mom's Recipe

South Indian Fish Curry...Mmm!

You might remember, a while ago, I declared shamelessly that I cannot cook Indian food. This post is not where I tell you that I can finally cook! Nope. I just want to reiterate the fact that Indian food, with all its coconut and weird garnishing and all those powders in varying shades of brown and yellow, with all those herbs....IT'S JUST DRIVING ME CRAAAAAAAZZZZYYYYY! Sorry, that rant might have erupted from the fact that I burnt perfectly good carrot-beans poriyal today morning... sigh.

Anyway, as a responsible South Indian wife, living in Kanyakumari district, it is my bounden duty to learn to make fish curry...yes, we live in the 18th century here. Why do you ask?! So, I learnt it, by god, I learnt it. I decided I was going to learn to make it, if it killed me...(sometimes, it very nearly did!) My 'women's lib' flag holder friends are going to hate me for this. But the fact is, that everyone here makes wonderful fish curry, and I hated the fact that I couldn't make any to satisfy my fish cravings! I already tried one recipe, but then it was like a tornado - never know when it takes off, and where it will hit, but damage always ensues! Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong with the recipe, it's the way I make it that is so off the point! So, if you want to make that fish curry, go right ahead. As for me, this recipe which my mom shared with me, is what has finally satisfied that fish curry craving I have been carrying around for centuries!

My Mom's Spicy Fish Curry

Things you need:

- 1/2 kg fish (you can use any kind, but the fun kind of fish is one that doesn't have too many bones to pick! Go ahead and use your favorite)

- 1 cup fresh coconut scraped (or whatever they call it, when you use that thing to get this - now that's amazing technology, and the main reason for the ultra-small hip sizes our mothers used to have!)

- 1/2 onion - 1 half of the half (stay with me) should be chopped, and the other half should be used whole.

- 3 cloves of garlic (or 4 if they are small in size)

- 1/2 tsp of cumin seeds

- 2-3 whole black pepper seeds

- half of a medium-sized tomato (make sure it's ripe and red)

- 1 tsp turmeric powder

- 1 tbsp fine red-chilli powder

- 1-2 tbsp pure coconut oil

- 1-2 tbsp cooking oil (sunflower oil, or something which does not have a strong flavor)
- 1 tsp mustard seeds   (just tiny black things that pop like crazy!)
- 1 tsp fenugreek seeds. They are tiny, but they pack a flavor-punch!

- 1 inch of very dark tamarind dissolved in 100ml of water. Remember, the darker the tamarind, the more sour it is. If what you have is a lighter shade, go ahead and use more than 1 inch of it.

- 1 inch of fresh ginger, finely chopped

- 1-2 green chillies (optional- hold on, I'll tell you why)

- 1 sprig of curry leaves

- 1 sprig of fresh cumin leaves (I think some people call it 'parsley')

- salt to taste

Here's what you do:

 

1. First take all ingredients, beginning from the scraped coconut till the red-chilli powder on the list above. Drop everything except the onion, into your grinder/mixer/blender. 

2. Cut the onion in half. You need only the quarter of an onion for the paste. Drop this into the mixer, along with everything else.

3. Grind the ingredients to a fine paste in a blender/mixer, adding a small quantity of water to enable smooth grinding. Keep the paste aside.

2. In a wok, or a clay pot (the mud pot is best), heat the cooking oil. Note: You can use coconut oil here, but I am terribly turned off by the smell of heating coconut oil! It fills the house, and the smell is overpowering. So, I just go with some harmless vegetable oil.

3. When the oil has heated, drop in the mustard seeds and the fenugreek seeds. Wait till the mustard pops. 

4. Immediately, drop in the chopped quarter of an onion, and saute. 

5. When the onion changes color, or becomes whiter, drop in the paste that you made earlier. Please do not let the onion saute to a brown color. The flavor of well-sauteed onion will only go well with other meat preparations (like chicken curry). We need everyone in this recipe to stay fresh and dainty!

6. Now, give the paste a good stir in the pot. Add a couple of teaspoons of water and cover the pot. Keep the flame in simmer, and let the whole mixture come to a slow boil. This could take you anything from 3 to 5 minutes. DO NOT let the mixture boil away to glory! You will be disappointed...Remember, it's all about keeping things fresh and lively

7. When the mixture has boiled once, add the fish and salt to taste (I would suggest that you add a tiny bit more than you usually do, since it will complement the spice and sourness well).

8. Cover the pot again, and let it cook on high flame. After 8 to 10 minutes, carefully lift the lid and take a peek. I say 'carefully', because for some strange reason this curry tends to sputter like a volcano! Why? Beats me! So, unless you want to walk around smelling like fish curry, and making everyone salivate, including the neighbor's cat, be careful when you lift the lid!)

9. Lift a piece of fish out of the curry, and see if it has taken on the color of the gravy. If it is still whitish or pale, cover the gravy and let it boil some more. If the fish has turned yellow, and looks cooked, go ahead to the next step.

10. Next step - Strain the tamarind paste, removing all the seeds and the other stuff that doesn't dissolve. Pour this into the curry and give it a slow stir. 

11. You can also add the chopped ginger at this point. No sauteing needed. Don't worry, the fresh ginger taste does something awesome for this recipe! Now let the curry boil for a minute, with the pot uncovered. 

12. If the gravy is too thick, you can add a little water to ease things up a bit. If you want a thick gravy, it's fine. Just make sure it doesn't burn.

13. Taste the curry (very important step! Really!) to see if the balance of the salt, sourness, and the spice is right. You can add the sliced green chillies that you put on hold, if you feel that the heat is not enough. The spice, salt, and sourness  should not overpower each other. When you taste it, it should feel delicious! If it does, you've hit the spot! When it comes to fish curry, it's all about the balance.

13. Now, pour in the coconut oil, as the curry is boiling.

14. Finally, chop up the curry leaves and the cumin leaves and drop them right on top of the oil on the curry.

15. Cover the pot and turn off the stove. You're Done!

16. After a couple of minutes, when all the boiling is done (yes it will continue to boil for a while, even after the stove is switched off) you can taste and enjoy!

This recipe received great reviews from everyone who had this. It's a little bit of hard work but the effort is totally worth it.

That's the story of how I finally learnt Lesson 1 of 'Being a Good South Indian Wife'.

I discontinued the course, so that's all the subject knowledge I have, and I'm fine with that!! :P

How Do You Cure Boredom?

Found this prompt on Plinky.com and decided to go for it. Sometimes I get stuck on thinking of something clever to say. And, well, a blog is all about thinking of something clever to say, isn't it?! Anyway, I thought I'd look to Plinky for help, and I found this as one of the prompts for November 9: "How Do you Cure Boredom?"

Even boredom is adorable on a baby!!

Hmmm....Interesting question...

Have I ever been bored? Heck, yeah! Like a lot! How 'bout all the way from 4th grade to college final year?! Yeah, I cannot count the number of classes where I have happily dozed off (while simultaneously writing notes! yeah, I wish there was a Guinness Record for that. I'd totally win!) and woke up to the entire class staring at me, wondering when my precariously perched head is going to fall off my shoulders!!

So, boredom is nothing new to me...

But, how to cure boredom? Now that is something new. So, let's see... what are the things I've been doing to cure my boredom?

1. Reading - Yep. This pretty much takes the cake! I read a lot. If I don't get anything, I have taken to reading eons old news on the newspapers that I line the cupboards with! And I don't just read if I'm bored! I am bored when I have nothing to read! Reading is definitely a cure for boredom. I wish that more people would pick up a good book which they have to turn the pages rather than scroll through or download, sit down with a hot cup of coffee (or not), curl up in a comfortable position, and just....read. It's one of the best feelings in the world, apart from smelling the head of a new born... ever tried that?

2. Blogging - start a blog. And then just write! Do not care about the following: a) how many readers you have; b) how often you write; c) how many people know you have a blog; d) how many people care that you have a blog; e) are you funny, charming, interesting, controversial, or even consistently any one of those! My friend, all those concerns are totally secondary to the fact that you just get to vent online and no one can stop you.... :) Got a better reason?

3.Reading Food Blogs - I tell you, once you've gone into a routine of blogging inconsistently, you will bored...again. So, what better to do than go read other people's blogs?! Some people like to read their colleagues' blogs, some like to read boring corporate blogs, I like to read FOOD BLOGS!!!! yaaay! So, if you're a food lover and just like to oggle at good food, go and subscribe to really good food blogs! Too many double-'Os' in that sentence! I like to read The Pioneer Woman (duh! of course!), EpiCute, Joy the Baker, Bakerella, Smitten Kitchen, and Two Boos Who Eat. Each one carries different recipes and it gives me something like a goal or dream to reach out for...because I like cooking comfort food! Which leads me to...

4. Cooking - Feel bored? Learn how to make a brownie, or really good fried chicken, or French fries, or a cake, or pizza! Go look up the recipes, list out the ingredients, go grocery-hunting (trust me, I do that a lot and it's fun!), plan ahead to make your yummy comfort food, let the anticipation build up, dream about it every night till D-Day, get excited, and then make the recipe, then eat to your hearts' content, and then blog about it!! Tell me, I challenge you, tell me, what's not to love about that process?!

5. Find a cure for boredom! That should keep me occupied for the rest of my life, I think!! :)) heheh!

Anyway, that's my list, you guys. What about you? What is your cure for boredom? Have something exciting to fill the hours? Tell me in the comments, okay?

Savoury Pancake Made with Potatoes + Sides of Sauted Veggies and Tuna Masala

Pancakes have become a mainstay at our household lately. After I made pancakes the first time, the main consumers of my cooking have decided that they will allow me to continue this trend. Now the problem is that I can try out different recipes only at dinner time, because that is the only time of day when I can take time to be creative/daring/foolish (or even manage to get all the grocery I need for a particular recipe!). So, I end up wanting to make pancakes for dinner a lot. This went down well with the husband and child the first time. Second time around, they had a doubtful look on their face, and then smiled their way through their pancakes anyway. Third time came by, and when we had pancakes for dinner again, my husband might have tried to run out the door! Humph! 

Anyway, I decided we can't have that going on any longer, and ventured into (notice how I make it sound like a great journey or business undertaking...) savoury pancakes. And I am really glad I did. Since we can't just have a savoury pancake without something to complement it, I also made two side dishes to go with it. 

Whoa! Wait...What?!?!? Did you just say, "TWO side dishes" lazy procrastinating Jane?!?! Yes, I did. Because, I started out with one plan, and then I ended up making something else. Happens to me frequently. So, I had cut up veggies for one dish, and opened a can of tuna for topping the pancake or something like that. Finally I ended up making two separate sides to go with the pancakes, all because I forgot my original plan!! Anyway, no complains from anyone. Debbie ate up the whole thing, and told me she loves me! So, I think we have a winner. Recipe? Here you go...

Savoury pancakes with Tuna Masala and Veggies Stir-fry

Savoury Pancakes with Potatoes

Things you need: (this is the basic pancake mix, minus the stuff that makes it sweet, like vanilla essence and sugar. Instead we use other yummy savoury stuff. Simple!)
- 1 egg
- 1 cup maida (flour)
- 1 1/2 cup milk
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2-3 medium-sized potatoes
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- some cumin leaves (a.k.a parsley)
- some diced bacon or chicken frankfurters (optional)
- 1 tbsp oil

Here's what you do:
1. Peel the potatoes and boil them with a pinch of salt, until they are very soft.
2. When they are well boiled, mash them and set aside to cool.
3. Next, start on the pancake batter.
4. Beat the egg well, in a deep bowl.
5. Now add the maida, baking powder, salt and pepper into this and mix well.
6. Gradually add all the milk and mix well.
7. Now, slowly incorporate the mashed potatoes into the mix.Mix it well and try to dissolve as much of the lumpiness as possible. If there are stray bits of potatoes that just refuse to dissolve, let them be. They'll only add to your happiness!
8. If you feel that the batter does not have a pourable consistency, add some more milk.

9. Finally add the diced meat. I did not add meat, because for some strange reason I bought a can of tuna! Don't look at me like that...I think I zoned out for a moment at the grocery store. Also, I think they didn't have any other type of processed meat. But if you want to, adding some meat in this pancake batter is just the thing you need to do to make this world a better place! :)

10.Finally, add in the finely chopped cumin leaves for that 'Howzat!' effect.
11. In a flat pan, heat some oil, preferably something that does not have a strong flavor. Oh, you can also use butter.
12. Now, pour a large ladle-full of batter on the pan, and let it cook on one side. DO NOT try to spread the batter! When you see the bubbles burst, turn it over ever so lovingly.
Now, savoury pancake is ready to go. This is great all by itself, but if you have an unused can of tuna, and some coarsely chopped veggies which you forgot why you chopped, then go ahead and make these:


Tuna Masala
What you need:
- 1 small can of tuna
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tomato finely chopped
- 2 large green chillies finely chopped
- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste
- 1 tsp mustard seeds (optional. Go ahead if your method of cooking is deeply Indian, and you just need to see those little guys in every dish you make. Or if you need the time to chop the onions!)
- curry leaves (again, optional. Only to be used, if you are using mustard seeds. Otherwise, why bother? I don't think this influences the taste of the dish. Only maybe if you like the gourmet look of green leaves sticking out of your food!)
- salt to taste

Here's what you do:
1. First, heat some cooking oil in a pan.
2. To this, add the mustard seeds and wait till it pops.
3. Now add some curry leaves, and then the onions.
4. Saute the onions well, until they turn slightly brown.
5. Now add the chopped tomatoes and saute well. Let it mix well together until the onions and tomatoes merge together.
6. Add the green chillies and the ginger-garlic paste. Let the whole thing simmer for a while.
7. You can add a little bit of water, if you find the entire thing too thick.
8. Drain any preservative oil or liquid in the tuna can, and add only the tuna meat into the pan.
9. Quickly add the salt and give it a good stir.
10. Let the mixture simmer for a while. Make sure that the dish is not too watery. It should be a thick paste-like consistency. Now, take it off the stove.
11. Garnish with some cumin leaves.

Stir-fry Veggies

I wanted some color, crunchiness, and healthy food in my dinner that day, so I also stir-fried some vegetables. The secret behind a good stir-fry is to make sure that the vegetables retain some of their fresh crunchiness and their original flavor. So, hold back on those wide range of spices and sauces, except for the bare essentials,  and let the veggies do the talking!

Things you need:
- 1/2 cup carrots coarsely cut into 1cm long pieces (I don't know the technical term for this. Just don't go and finely chop them, okay?)
- 1/2 cop onions coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup green peppers (capsicum) coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup ripe tomatoes coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup beans cut into 2cm pieces. You know...they should all be the same size...figure it out yourself!
- 1/4 cup green peas (I didn't have any, so none in the picture)
- 1 tsp of soy sauce
- a sprinkling of oregano
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste

What you do:
1. First know that vegetable stir-fry is really really simple!Okay, now that we've established that, let's move on.
2. Heat some cooking oil in a pan. You can use olive oil if you are going the healthy way.
3. Now, drop in the onions and green peppers together. They both require about the same cooking time, and also give out some water, so let them meet first!
4. Now drop in the carrots, beans and peas. Sprinkle salt and stir very quickly on a high flame. Make sure they are partially cooked.
5. Add some oil every time you feel that the veggies are about to stick to the pan. You just want the vegetables to be a little on the fried side of things :) I like the sound of that - 'fried side'. "I'll meet you on the fried side!" hehe!
6. Now, pour in the soy sauce, sprinkle some oregano, and give it another stir.
7. Finally, add the pepper and give it a stir. Okay, if you see the word 'stir' a lot here, that's because it's the basic concept of a stir-fry....That's all there is to it! You just heat some oil, and just dump in veggies you like, and stir. Simple!
8. There is no 8th step. Just serve and eat. Or don't serve. Just eat! Heheh!

I arranged both the stir-fry and the tune on top of a pancake to make it look all 5-star-restaurant-ish, but I doubt if it looks like that at all! Anyway, it certainly tasted like a 5-star! Who cares about the way the food looks, as long as the picture is your's right? Yep, I took the picture this time. So...

This was truly delicious. Of course, you shouldn't just stop with one pancake...

How to Deal with Childish Adults at Work

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(This article appeared in YourOfficeCoach.com, and is written by Marie G. McIntyre.)

Ideally, everyone would behave in a calm, rational, adult manner at work. Unfortunately, some people just never grow up completely. If you have to deal with immature bosses, coworkers, or employees, perhaps the suggestions below will help you keep your sanity. Here are some signs that you are dealing with childish adults.

1.   Throwing Temper tantrums: Like 2-year-olds, people who throw temper tantrums believe they are entitled to get their own way. They therefore feel free to abuse anyone who thwarts their desires. Unfortunately, this group often includes immature high-level executives who believe that having power gives them the right to treat others any way they like.

The Proper Response: The best response to a tantrum is no response at all. Stay quiet and calm until the tantrum calms down enough to have a civilized conversation. If it goes on too long, politely excuse yourself and leave. Never show fear, anger, or any other emotional response, since that will be very rewarding to the tantrum thrower. When someone acts this childish, you must be the adult.

2.  Tattletales: Some people enjoy telling tales and rattling out their colleagues. (My note: ‘tattling’ means complaining about one person to a higher authority – much like children go to their parents and complain about a sibling or friend for silly reasons!) This can be blatantly childlike: “Mary came back late from lunch two times last week.” Or it may be disguised in more professional language: “Although Bob’s group made a good effort, we were never able to get their documents on schedule, so the whole project is late.”

The Proper Response: Tattling needs to be directly confronted. If the information is inaccurate, let the tattler know this and be sure to correct any erroneous impressions that others may have. If the information is accurate, but detrimental to you, ask the tattler to please share concerns with you before taking them to others. Sometimes one member of a work group tattles on everyone else, in which case, the whole group may need to confront the issue.

3.   Not Sharing Their Toys: Collaborative colleagues are willing to share plans, goals, resources, ideas, and information. But some people are hoarders who obviously never learned to play well with others. They hog the equipment or fail to let others know about important developments. This may or may not be intentional, but either way it can create problems.

The Proper Response: Hoarding can be dealt with directly or indirectly. You might be able to ask for an agreement about how equipment will be used or when information will be shared. Buit since some people never change, there are times when the best approach is to keep reminding, requesting, and following up. Angrily confronting hoarders is almost always a mistake, since they may retaliate by becoming even less cooperative.

4.   Craving Attention: Some people are attention junkies who want all eyes and ears focused on them. This behavior is actually rather pathetic, since it usually reflects a deep-seated lack of self-worth and self-confidence. But although it may be pathetic, it can be very annoying.

The Proper Response: The worst thing you can do is give an attention junkie more attention, since that just rewards their self-centered behavior. When they begin to go on and on about their problems and accomplishments, you need to change the subject or politely excuse yourself. If you get hooked into these conversations, you may never escape. But don’t except the person to become less self-absorbed. Attention junkies seldom change.

5.  Sibling Rivalries: When unhealthy competition develops between coworkers, everybody suffers. Some people always have to prove that they are better, smarter, or more successful than others. Of course, anyone with minimum of psychological insight will immediately conclude that these braggarts actually feel very inadequate.

The Proper Response: Never get trapped in a “my dog is bigger than your dog” conversation with a braggart. They will always find a way to top your best story, even if they have to stretch the truth. If it’s just harmless bragging, say “that’s nice” in a sincere manner and change the subject. But if you believe that the rival might actually take devious actions to get ahead of you, then watch your back.

6.  Crybabies: Crybaby colleagues may not actually cry. But they are always whining or complaining about something. Nothing is ever quite right and they are never completely happy about anything. If you say that it’s a nice day, they’ll reply that it’s probably going to rain tomorrow. Crybabies invented the half-empty glass.

The Proper Response: You don’t want to reward crybaby behavior. So don’t join in with the complaining or start whining yourself. If you do, you’ll soon become the crybaby’s complaint buddy. Just change the subject and try to shift the focus from past problems to future goals. If the behavior persists, you may simply want to avoid these people.

7.   Forming Cliques: In some work groups, a little group will decide that they are the ‘insiders’ and refuse to admit anyone else to their exalted circle. They may eat lunch together or play golf together or talk exclusively to one another. But the point is that they’re special. They probably did the same thing then they were in middle school.

The Proper Response: These people are silly and childish, so find a more mature and rewarding group to interact with. Be friendly to clique members when you have to work with them and just ignore them the rest of the time.

Childish adults are annoying, but don’t get upset about them. Just be glad that you are a mature person yourself.

Discovering the Elementary, my dear Watson! - Bread Pizza!

Mind you, I said, 'Bread Pizza' and not 'Pizza Bread'. If I had said the latter, that would mean that I have the superior skill-set it takes to make pizza dough from scratch, that I would know what is yeast (including its properties, and why the heck exactly we need it in this recipe - I have no idea why), and that I have the upper arm strength to actually make pizza dough!

You know me too well, so I won't elaborate on that!

Instead, what I did was, used my normal bread slices that I always have lying around at home, and turned it into something that would satisfy my perennial pizza craving. Yes, I do have a perennial craving for pizza. I think I was born with that technical fault! Something about the cheese and the sauce and all those carbs...

Anyway, if you suddenly have a craving for pizza, and want to fix a quick and painless dinner, make Bread Pizza.

Bread Pizza

Things you need:

- 1 tbsp oil - either olive oil or normal sunflower oil.

Psst, you could also use butter...or pretend I said nothing...

- bread slices (obvsly!)

- onions diced into not-so-large pieces

- green peppers (capsicum) diced

- red peppers (capsicum that's red)diced

- yellow peppers (capsicum that's ... you get the idea.)

(you don't need all of them, just one kind will also do just fine)

- 1 tsp black pepper (ha! No. This time it's the black powder!)

- 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

- Pizza Sauce 1 tbsp per slice (I think FunFoods has a product that some Ngl grocery stores carry - Lynns to the rescue!)

- Mozarella cheese grated

- chopped canned-meat of your choice - chicken frankfurters, luncheon meat, or even cooked and shredded chicken - whatever you want your topping to be. As long as it's not sweet - I don't dig sweet pizza! Sorry, there are some things my palate won't accept...

- oregano flakes

- soy sauce

- 1 tsp red-chilli powder, or 2-3 finely chopped green chillies

Here's what you do:

Just make the topping and arrange on the bread, then microwave! Ba-ding! You're done!

Okay. So making the topping takes a little longer...:P Sorry!

I just threw stuff together on the pan, and improvised as I went along. So, anything that caters to your taste/craving should do.

1. In a pan, pour in a tbsp of oil or melt some butter. When the oil heats up, drop in the diced peppers.

2. When the peppers are well sauteed, add the onion and a tbsp of ginger-garlic paste.

3. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on this, and saute well.

4. Now pour in the soy sauce. Then add the green chillies or red chilli powder if you need more heat. Note: if you have a palate that doesn't take much heat, STOP with just adding black pepper powder.

5. Throw in the meat, and let it cook with all the veggies for a while. If you want to go vegetarian on this one, or if you didn't have any meat on hand when your craving struck (you know who), skip this step.

6. Let the whole mixture simmer for a while, till all the water content in the veggies have released and reduced. Now you have yummy pizza-topping! Yaay!!

Note: You know, you could also arrange all the toppings raw on the slice, but what's the fun in that?

7. Next, grease a baking pan or microwave dish that's flat and arrange bread slices on it.

8. Spread some pizza sauce on the bread slice. Go easy on the sauce, because it has a distinct tangy flavor that you might not like too much of. I got so excited that I slathered on the sauce for a couple of slices, and regretted it with every bite. One spoon sauce per slice will do.

9. Place some of the pizza-topping on the bread. Arrange greens olives or just leave it like it is.

10. Finally, for the glorious part of the entire thing - grate some Mozarella cheese onto each slice. You can over-do it or under-do it, but I'd think you were weird, if you didn't want too much cheese on your pizza! Hence, my culinary contempt for a certain cheese-hater's preferences...

11. Now, just stick it into the oven or the microwave for 3 minutes or till the cheese melts. Let it sit for a while after you remove it from the oven.

12. Eat. And thank me for this pizza short-cut. Or not. Don't have to thank me if your mouth is too full with wonderful pizza! I'll understand :)

Just want you to know that I failed, AGAIN, to take a picture of something I made! So, your pizza could look like this...

Or this...

...based on how colorful your pizza-topping is. Mine was pretty amazing - emphasis on 'pretty'. Unfortunately, you know what transpired. I ate, and forgot everything else...sigh. This is getting to be a problem.

Note: These pictures are not mine.

Anyway, enjoy, until I come bug you with another recipe, complete with MY OWN pictures of the food! :D

Discovering the Elementary, my dear Watson! - Pancakes!

I have had many 'Duh' moments! In fact, 80% of my life is all about the 'duh' moments. You know, like stuff that everybody just KNOWS when they are put into a certain situation, but for which, I need a user's manual, complete with detailed, labeled diagrams! Yeah, sometimes I make myself tired...

Anyway, cooking, by and large, has been that way for me, which you already know if you have closely followed this blog. I can't cook. That should probably be my epitaph, or something. So, I used to think that making pizza, pancake, and brownies were like high-end magic, or at least stuff that I would never be able to do, without changing life as it was for myself!! HAHA! I have no idea what I just said! Oh yeah, what I said was that I thought pancakes and brownies were hard to make.

But then, (I love how you can break all rules of grammar on your personal blog!) I decided last week, that I am going to figure out the pancake and the pizza. One was, and the other wasn't really...

So, here's how I made pancake - those who make scrumptious pancakes on a daily basis and WOW your family every day, and are adventurous with their pancakes to turn them into 5-star restaurant cuisines, please...PLEASE ignore this post. Others, like me, who have no idea how a pancake is made, have never eaten one, or think that it is 'Un-do-able' follow me. It's really elementary, my dear Watson!

Basic Pancake Recipe

This is what you need:

- 1 egg

1 & 1/2 cup milk

1 cup flour (maida)

3 tbsp sugar

pinch of salt

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tbsp baking powder

Here's what you do:

1. Whisk together the egg, vanilla essence, sugar and salt. Whisk till the sugar is, at least partially, dissolved.

2. Now, add the flour and the baking powder, and combine well.

3. Pour in the milk and stir well, so that no lumps are formed. Remember, lumps are no good for any one, anywhere.

At this point, let me just say, that if you have ever made wheat dhosas for dinner on those totally uninspired evenings, you know that making a pancake is not very different. It's the ingredients that are the fun part!

4. Anyway, make sure that your batter is not too watery (or milky!), and not too thick either. You know... your 1&1/2 cup of milk should be enough to make an easy-to-pour batter.

5. Heat up a flat pan (non-stick pan or your dhosa pan should do), and, if you don't care about your diet, go ahead and dab some butter on the heated pan. If you do care about your diet, skip the butter. Nothing inedible will happen!

6. Take a large ladle-full of batter, and simply pour in the center of the pan. NOTE: Please, please DO NOT spread it around with your ladle!! If you, like me, have made one too many godhumai dhosas (wheat dhosas) and rice dhosas in your life, you will have the tendency to spread batter around on the pan. DON'T DO IT! Hold your hand back, and grit your teeth if necessary.

You see, pancake is wonderful like that. No effort at all, no stress to make perfect round-shaped things. Just pour and let it be.

7. You will see that the batter itself has the tendency to spread a wee-bit. After that it will stop spreading and start to fluff up nicely. YUM!

8. Wait till all the bubbles on the batter burst (now it's back to the dhosa process again!). Flip it over on the pan, if you have crazy Julia-Child-skills! If not, just take a flat ladle and turn it over.

9. Let it brown up a bit on the other side too. You shouldn't let any dark-spot, burn-marks, or scars form on the pancake. Treat it like a gentle flower...

10. Flip it back up onto a plate...and go make some more. Or...leave some one else to make their own breakfast (I only wish...) and pour some honey over your pancakes and stuff your pretty/handsome face with them!!! Usually, people use maple syrup. I have no idea what it is. So, I used honey, and I was anything but regretful...meaning, that I could not wipe the smile off my face...

Pancake, where were you all my life? Sigh!

PS: If you are wondering what's all this 'pancake & image not mine!' about, I just wanted to let you now, that I did NOT photograph even one part of the pancake-making process. Even though I seriously considered it for all of 2 seconds, I did not even stop to photograph the finished product. It was all already in my mouth! I made it twice last week, and still failed to get a picture. So, I used an image I found on the web. Just googled 'basic pancake' and got these images. These images are not mine. But, for the record, I would like to sincerely state that I did make pancakes and they did taste heavenly. And mine looked exactly like those in the pictures. So, There!

P.S. I Love You - What? No, It's the Song....

All that talk about 'P.S I Love You, in the previous post totally put this song in my head...Enjoy!

P.S. I Love You - From Book to Movie, The Lost Laughs

Let me just place on record the fact that I am yet to find a movie that is as good as, let alone better than, its book. Please re-read that sentence, and etch it into your sub-conscious image of myself. There. Now you can refer to me as that woman who doesn't like movie versions of books.

That said, I think I do not hate the guy who turned the book P.S. I Love You into a movie.Why? Because he did not totally ruin the story. The nucleus of the story is Holly's grief. The grief really comes across in the movie - I found myself crying several times, in the oddest places. Okay, before I get ahead of myself, here's the plot of the story:

Holly Kennedy is a bouncy happy young lady, married to the dashing, girl-heart-breakingly handsome, irresistible Gerry. The couple are surrounded by good friends, complete with quirkiness and adorable relationship updates. They frequently hit the pubs, go wild on the town, attend Christmas balls dressed like royalty and sing a mean karaoke! Everything is fine, flitting along in a dizzyingly happy-go-lucky pace, until....

... Gerry dies.

If you thought that was the end of the book, you have another thought coming! Actually, THIS is where the book begins - with Holly's grief, her friends rallying around on her birthday (the saddest day for the poor girl), and a mystery gift from Gerry (who, at this point is very dead!) Got you hooked now, huh?!

So, basically, Gerry knew that he was going to die, and made elaborate plans for his wife, writing letters full of instructions on how she should move on, after he is no more. Everything from buying herself a new dress for her birthday, to finding a job, and eventually, to trying to find love again.

The interest of the story lies in how Holly deals with her grief, and how Gerry helps her to move one with her life, from beyond. You should be crying now....or at least, please look at this solitary tear rolling down my cheek...

I read the book, and it's humor shocked me - no, it was not humor that needs to be rated, but the fact that there was humor! How could Cecilia Ahern bring humor into a novel about the death of a spouse?! But bring the humor, she did! I found myself chuckling unexpectedly at the slightly slapstick comedy that she sprung on me, now and then! Sometimes we feel respect for Holly at the way she is dealing with such a profound loss. At other times, we feel, "How profoundly stupid can one woman be?!" Come on.... Again, sometimes, we end up feeling that Holly is just such a clown! An adorable clown that we can all relate to.

All the characters in the story are well-defined, and extremely lovable, because they are people just like us. People who have the alarming capacity to say the most unfeeling, cringe-worthy thing in the world to a friend or sibling, but who will also go to great lengths to make that person happy.

Read the book - it will bring your heart a nice cinnamon warmth with pink sprinkles...don't know why, but that is the image that comes to mind, when I think of this book. Probably something to do with the cover of the book:

...at least the 'pink sprinkles' part!

P.S. I Love You, the movie, is a very condensed form of the book. To probably emphasize the grief factor and really make us cry, they have made a few changes to the plot. For instance, in the book, Holly has a mom and a dad, but in the movie, her dad left her mom when they were little children. This situation gives way to a heart-rending scene between mother and daughter, where they cry about how their men leave them. I bawled at this point of the movie...*sob sob*. Of course, like everything with Holly, this heart-to-heart ends abruptly, and humorously, with her biting remark to her mother that while her mother's husband just up and left irresponsibly, her husband actually died! Oh, well...


One thing I did not like about the movie, was that the 'sibling' angle was totally ignored. Holly has a beautiful but complicated relationship with each of her siblings, which is totally missing in the movie. The place is prominently taken by the two friends. It's good, but you're missing a terribly funny story about Holly's brother, if you don't' read the book! That's all I'm saying. The other thing I dislike is Hillary Swank...I think she had better stick to women's-liberation- macho-women roles...something about the jaw bones is off-putting. Raise your hand if you agree.

Watch the movie...but seriously, read the book too, ok? Maybe you should watch the movie first (you might have already seen it, if StarMovies is the only thing you watch!), and then read the book, so that you can enjoy the beautiful movie, and then cry and laugh some more at the even better book. Ladies, you need a box of tissues. Just a warning. Men, learn from Gerry - that is all I have to say about this.

  

And ladies, you have been warned. There is some serious eye-candy onslaught in this movie. Just saying...

Sighing...

more sighing...

sigh...