Welcome 2011!

A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY FRIEND, LOVED AND DEAR ONES. MAY THIS YEAR BE FRUITFUL AND PROSPEROUS.

Okay people, 2010 is over. Today its the first day of 2011 and a day for new resolutions, commitments and promises.

So lets make it official, what else, my resolution for 2011. And I need your support.
1. Shed off all the extra pounds before November.
2. Find a job before end of this year.

Having said that lets welcome this new year with high spirit and pray that this year brings happiness and joy for every one.

A day with my hubby......

Its really a challenge for being a wife. Wait!!!! I am not being biased. But seriously, its challenging for being a wife [Some refer it as a thankless job]. My hubby is the best thing that happened to me. No complains. But at times - I just wished - "I wish all his gadgets just stops working for 1 day and let all his time be mine..."

May be 'Lady Gaga' [mother nature] was seriously pleased with me for some stupid thing I did and that day arrived. 21st December, 2010. One whole day, just the two of us, without any gadget, I can proudly say - THE BEST DAY. Is lady Gaga listening?

Day started really early. We had to finish some imp errand so he headed out around 9am. After 1.5 hours drive, we reached the destination and fished what we came for. Once it was done, we did some shopping :) - okay... no jealousy plz.

And this time - he didn't complain that he hates shopping. I am not a shopaholic person myself but I love doing window shopping. After shopping, we went for lunch at this Indian restaurant. It was interesting....

Then we headed out for what he just simply loves - Cars [Audi]. It was simply AMAZING. Can we get back that 2 hours again? Plzzzzzzzzzzz!!!!! After that we went to collect my last pay check [shhhhhhhh - I worked for few months]. After some 'non-violent' fights, [no blood was shed], I got my pay-check. I am happy that bid goodbye.

While heading back home, all I was able to think was - God let this day restart and I can be with DH all over again - just the two of us and no gadgets.

Good things don't last long. And the day ended. But the best thing is always stored till the end. Before the clock struck midnight he said... "I really enjoyed spending the day with you..."

I guess - that one sentence made all the grudges fade away - may be forever....

Almost over....

Yes, 2010 is almost over and when I look back, I recollect so many sweet memories. I would like to refresh my memories which has the tag 'Sweet' or 'Happy'. Sorry 'Sad', but I just want you to stay at bay.

With a whole lot of hiccups, I actually managed to finish my MBA. I believe that was one of my major achievements I have in my 'good deeds' book. I must add to this that a whole lot of credit goes to my DH. Without him, it would not have been possible. His constant effort and pushing me really helped me. Especially towards the last 2 Quarter. When I was almost at the verge of giving up.

I made some real good friends this year. And I am really happy about it. Few of them got jobs now and have scattered away. But at the end of the day I am happy for them. They are securing their future.

Las Vegas is something I just cannot forget. Oh... what an amazing trip it was. Although it was just for 4 days but every second was memorable. Hehe - my first swimming lesson from DH. Just spending some quality time with my SH. I wish I could relive those moments.

I guess I had a unique birthday this year. And I couldn't have asked for more from God. He sent my mom to visit me. So, right at this moment, she is here. She actually managed to spent 4.5 months. The best part was seeing her all dressed up for winter.
Time flew by and now its almost time for her to leave. Will miss her for sure. Specially her authentic cuisine.

Anyways, its time to cherish all these memories...........

Happy Birthday Honey

So, it is my hubby's birthday. And I asked him [although I knew the answer] what he wanted for his birthday? He said "Bake me a cheese cake."

And as the trend followed. But this time, I was little scared that I will end up making another disaster. So I initially thought of buying him one from Meijer or Walmart. Standing in from of the available options at Meijer, I picked up the fudge cheesecake. Other option was cookie fudge. I flipped it towards where it had the nutrition value. My aw dropped open to read 410 cal and 270 cal fat. I walked straight out of the store and thought to myself, no matter what I will bake.

So there I go... with mountain size fear and dilemma, I baked Cheese Cake for him. And to avoid all forms of disastrous hit and trial or experiment, I followed the 'semi' traditional way with ignorable twist.

And after a long wait, it came out almost perfect. I think if I do more research then I might end up having the perfect one but as of now, I am happy with this version.

So, this is what I did. I tried with 2 numbers of 1/3 Fat free cream cheese and 1 original cream cheese. I couldn't just add gazillion amount of calorie using 3 original. Added 3 eggs and 1 egg yoke instead of 3 egg yoke. Added little less than half a cup of sugar instead of 1 cup sugar. I used lime juice and zest and a hint of vanilla essence. Baked in a double boiler at 330F.

I bet, if I had used the conventional measure, it would have been even better but I just couldn't do it.

And the reward - "I like it" as stated by my love :) And I said to myself, good job girl... well deserved effort. Love you sweets and a great happy birthday to you.

Uncertain Future

Another day of sigh(s). Yesterday night I spoke to a very close friend of mine who loves me and cares for me. After our small conversation, which lasted for over an hour, I am really not feeling quite good about so many things. Suddenly I just have this feeling that I am compromising way too much. She also thinks that I am just being 'taken for granted' for being nice by nature. "How ridiculous could it be", that's what she told, "just to maintain peace, you are agreeing to things which you should not have even allowed. Some how she suddenly made me realize that I have to just think about myself and my happiness - the way others think about themselves. I really don't know what to do.

She has given me a deadline to assign myself a deadline and decide about what I should do. Kind of wired. Its somewhat like a tug of war between self-respect, love and commitment.

So here I am... trying to rethink and rethink about what I should do. If I just close my emotional senses and think through 'LOGICAL' point of view, then the answer is quite straight forward. But that is not the kind of person I am. I always think through my 'EMOTIONS'. I dont know if that is the reason I am in such a mess.

Bapi, I really miss you. I wish you were still there for me... You never left me alone, always held my hand, guided me.... showed me the right way... please just for this one last time, show me the way.

I love my self respect and my love.... Its way too difficult for me to decide...

Expect the unexpected

I am not sure if this is just me or does it happen to everyone..... So today is one of those typical days when you wake up in the morning and you get this feeling right in your tummy... from head to toe... that something is not right... Okay, its not PMS so I don't have that excuse...

I dont know why, but today seems to be not a fun day for me :( And I usually call this my 'Devil Fish' mind. It tries to make me believe that something is not right. But strangely, most of the time, it does predict it correctly.... So now the mystery is - "What went wrong?"

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Messes Cheesecake

My hubby is the best in this world. The only thing he demanded on our 2nd marriage Anniversary was a home baked cheesecake. I was so delighted...

It suddenly clicked on my mind that I read a recipe of 'healthy cheesecake' that a friend of mine posted on her face-book. Supposedly very low calorie cheesecake, the best part was was - without baking. I did a super search on her 'wall' so dig up the recipe. Walla - after 45 min of research and development, I got my trophy. I quickly scribbled all the ingredients.

Next day, I gave him my innovative version low calorie cheesecake. I know - not a good idea. It was super sweet and didn't even taste like cheesecake. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... But it was so nice of him that he actually finished it. I promised myself - I will make it up for him.

With new motivation, I went to the departmental store to pickup ingredients for cheesecake. Standing in front of countless varieties, I thought to myself... 1 8oz of full fat cheesecake is 130 calorie; 1/3 rd fat is 100 calorie and 60 cal fat; fat free is just 30 calorie with 0 fat. You bet - I opted for Fat Free version. I was so happy that I can actually have a big size of cheesecake myself. A full fat cheesecake is over approx 300 calorie.

I followed my recipe and after 50 minutes of baking, I was convinced about one thing - don't compromise on calories unless you seriously want to mess up :( This version of cheesecake smelled of eggs and was absolutely sweet less [Thanks to me - I just added 1/4 of what the recipe demanded] .

Lesson Learned :-
1. Follow the recipe as it says.
2. Sometimes, adding up a little 'extra' calorie is no big deal - specially if you know you can burn it off in no time....
3. Warning: don't be so paranoid.... try to enjoy life

I love you sona..... Happy anniversary - I will make it up, this time no 'healthy' version but the authentic one....

New motivation or frustration

Its tough when you play too many roles in your life. Respect to all those ladies and women who can do it. I dont think I belong to that category where you are a wife, a student, part time job and a home maker with responsibilities like - 'what to cook?', and every damn thing I never thought I would do in my life.

So breaking all the norms, I took this oath to run my first half marathon with full practice. I dont want to repeat my mistake that I did last year - running without proper training and ended up with a fracture.

Study Hard

Well - dont know what to say but I think people who used to say that everything has a time of its own does point to something. Now, while doing studying I have 20 other things to do, I feel 24 hrs is not enough for a day. Sigh!!!!

I envy my good old days when I would just work and enjoy the fruit of 'hard work' every month end :)

Just a thought

I was reading this article for one of my courses, and it had this saying - "Trust is the oxygen of all relationship. If that is missing, the relation will suffocate and die". Its a very sad emotion but I was just wondering - how true it is!!!!

Holiday weight - ouch

I know I know. Its holiday season and its the perfect season to gain weight and also an excuse to treat your sweet tooth and the result is some extra pound.

As long as you are confident that you can shed it off [Like I do] its fine. But you need to remember that you have to work extra hard to shed it off.

Well here is my plan. I am 5.3 feet. Doctors recommended weight range is 107-141. But I would prefer to keep it below 118.

I have come to visit my brother and all we are doing now is eat and visit places. Today when I weighed myself, I saw the scale read 121. Thats a gain of 5 pounds.

But I know this glory period is going to end soon. I will head back on after two days and then I would start my 'Super weight reduction' therapy. :)

Knowing me, I know I will do it. Plan would be executed from 30th Dec 09.

Baked fish

Take fish. The options are cod, tilapia. Make sure the fish are skin less. Or anything thats your fav.
Melt some butter. Brush butter on the fish. Coat the fish with mixed herbed bread crumbs. Bake it at 450 F for 20 mins. Serve with lime juice.

Banana Bread

I got this recipe from a friend of mine. Usually this recipe requires egg but for non-egg eaters, try yogurt.

2 cups white flour
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 nuts [I prefer walnuts] but thats upto you.
3 very ripe banana

Mash the banana and keep aside. Mix sugar, oil, egg. In a separate bowl mix flour and baking powder. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

Once they have blended properly, bake it for 45 mins at 350 F.

Illusion

Illusion, we all have it. Everyone does get into this phase when they have this illusion that they are the most happiest person in this whole wide world. Then one fine day, it shatters and with that it shatters you. Shatters your believe and trust, and it takes down with it every hope...

Why does it happen is something I dont understand. Why cant just some people understand that their actions hurt someone.

Some people, I am sure a whole lot people will agree, just gets the 'pleasure' in hurting others. Some lack most of what they claim to have the most and to top the list is ethics.

Oh Boy... dont know what more is in-stored for me. I dont know if I will have ever have the golden opportunity to say - Yes, I am so happy.

Evolution

Have you ever thought who can hurt you the most? Bingo!!!! you guessed it right... its exactly the same person you love the most.

Strange isn't it! When I was a kid, I used to think that my parents mean the whole world to me and I don't need anyone else. But as I grew up, this 'thought' just remained a sweet memory. Its not like they don't mean the whole world. they do but its just that my world got bigger and not someone special hold 'THE' most important place in my life. I guess its a tug-of-war.

It feels so weird that someone has got so much power that he can actually control me. Did I say too much? I mean like I changed from being the extra talkative and 'angry' me to being this less talkative [comparatively] and much 'matured'. Uff - what an evolution...

But I am happy with this change. Feels like no matter what, there is someone who will hold me, comfort me, someone I can confide to, someone I can trust and open my whole world. Really feels amazing to be married.

Confused Mushroom

I knew I wanted to cook mushroom tonight for dinner. But I was out of ideas what should I cook. I gave up searching internet since I wanted to cook something new.

I tried this fusion of Thai and Chinese cuisine. I will call it 'Confused Mushroom'.

Take some whole mushroom [white] and cut it in 4. I prefer to discard the stem.
1 chopped red onion,
1/2 cup chopped green pepper,
2 chopped chillies,
2 cloves grated garlic
1/2 cup peas
handful Chopped Broccoli
1 Chopped tomato
1/2 tsp tamarind paste
salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 tsp soy sause
1/2 tsp oyster sauce.

Heat up some oil. Add chillies, onion, green pepper, tomatoes. Stir fry them till you get to smell the smoky flavor. Add broccoli, and stir for some more time. Add the mushroom and all the wet ingredients. Make sure the oven heat is on medium. Cover cook it for 20 mins. Sprinkle some chopped green onion on top. Serve hot.

Tea time quick snacks...

Today i made this quickie snacks. It isnt difficult at all. I can say any 5 year old baby can do it. It was quick and served its purpose - tasty snacks.

All you need is some leftover bread, some oil [preferred is olive oil] but for 'non weight watchers' you can use butter. Some oregano, salt and black pepper.

Brush the bread with oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Bake it at 400 degree Fahrenheit for 10 mins. You can use a toaster oven as well. I would say keep an eye on the bread. The moment you see the top has turned brown, you know its done.

Definitely serve hot...

Trust - Can the word itself be trusted?

I guess this is one thing I am yet to find out... Who can you trust?

I mean honestly is it really possible to find someone who you can trust with closed eye... someone you can count on... someone who will hold your hand and will say - dont worry, I am there for you... someone you can just hug on and you just know it, all your pain all your sorrow is gone.

Even if you are that kind of a person to someone, what is the guarantee that the other person will be that someone special?

Trust - do you still think you can trust the word trust anymore?

Improved Dosa

After months of trial and error, now I can claim I can cook decent Dosa.

Ingredients:
3 cups rice
1 cup urad dal

Soak them separately overnight. Next day add a tsp of 'methi' seed.
Grind them to a thick and smooth paste.
Now let it ferment for atleast 24 hrs. [Keep it in a warm place]

On a thick bottom non stick pan - spray some oil and follow the legendary dosa making procedure of spinning round and round. Sprinkle some oil and walla - its done.

Never do stupid mistakes

I got into the habbit of running - inspiration comes from legend. But I started it to stay in shape. But soon I found that I am enjoying it and with every passing day - I pushed myself to see my limit. And with every passing day, I knew I did better.

I did not follow any training rules. I just ran to enjoy it. Slowly my 2 miles progressed to 3... 5... 7... 10... Well I did 2 times 10 miles run and you bet - it felt good. Well my plan was to run a half marathon - I wanted to train for the Flying Pig but destiny had something else for me planned [as usual].

Philadelphia was the place and a friend of mine opted out from running her 4th marathon so I thought I can run a half. Stupid - oh yes it was a Stupid thing I planned to do - especially without a proper training. But its me - always upto something.

I completed my first half marathon [without training] in 2 hrs 19 mins. Decent enough. But apart from the dazzling medal, I got another award - swollen feet. And 10 days of NO workout. Feels depressing. Somehow running has become a part of my life. So involved that even the thought of days without running gives me nightmare.

I have learnt my lesson. Painful lesson. But that wont stop me from running. I will run MY first Half Marathon and definitely with full training.

Lesson I learnt - Listen to your coach. They are experienced people and not jerk.

End of 1st Quarter

Phew!!!! I survived my first quarter. After all the struggle and sleepless night, I managed to get a decent grade - atleast decent enough to get a job ;-) hehehehe

I was scared though. Education in US is way different from India. God who would have thought, that an okay grade here is 70% - I mean like anyone [Tom Dick Harry] can get 70%. I did better than them ;->

So its fun time now. Winter has knocked the door and is already in the living room. :-<
I am not a 'Winter' person but I have started enjoying it. My next quarter classes will resume from 1st week of Jan and I have taken 4 courses.

Guys - please pray that I dont end up in an asylum after the course finishes.

10 minute chocolate cake

I know at times you have this sudden hunger bulldozer running inside your tummy and you want to have something chocolaty then here is a quick something for you...

Mix 2 tbsp of all purpose flour, 2 tbsp of drinking chocolate, 1 pinch baking soda and 2 tsp of butter/margarine/oil. Mix well and add 1 egg. When done, put it in microwave at 90% for 6 mins.

Yeppie - you chocolate cake is ready and sit back and enjoy.

1st Week of September

Nothing special or 'extra-ordinary' happened in this 1st week. Changing climate is the only 'change' that happened. I guess winter is showing the sign of its arrival soon.

During this week what I came across this quote and I simply fell in love with it - As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.

My weight management

I was in tech city around 2007. All my colleague used to tease me about my 'extra' weight. I really didnt bother at that time. It so happened that I went to this shopping mall and I saw this weighing machine. I just thought - 'Oh well how heavy can I be - probably 65!!!' And just to outwit myself I stood on it. The pointer moved straight to 76 kgs. I got a rocket shot. I was holding my favorite icecream - Butterscotch flavor. I threw it and that was all I needed.

It was a tough regime to follow there after but I was determined to control my weight. Within 6 months I saw improvements. Within a year I was close to my ideal weight. Its 2 years now... And I have reached my ideal weight and guess what... I am maintaining it. Well, a little pound addition here and there is always there but I know how to shed off those as well.

I followed this link to know my 'Target' weight Ideal Weight.

Having the experience to lose weight, I must say there are certain things one needs to follow. The first is - SELF REALIZATION and DRIVE to reach that goal.
If the first thing is there then 90% of the goal is reached. I have friend who had worked HARD to shed off pounds but then with time they just forget everything. Trust me its really easy to gain. Difficult to lose.

Next thing is diet. And diet dosent mean you have to starve yourself to death. All you need to do is - stay away from some food items like Soft drinks, junk or fried foods. Try to take more of baked food. Away from desserts, ice-cream, chocolate [although dark chocolate is good but in moderation.]

Exercise is tricky. I started with brisk walks. Then with light gym work. Now I go for long runs. My longest so far is 7 miles. But I can do 5 miles on a daily routine [I dont do it though - but I can].

One great tip from my husband was - muscle confusion. There was a time when my weight would not go off no matter what I do. Then my husband suggested muscle confusion. The funda is - when we do a particular format of exercise, our body tends to get used to it. So we 'confuse' our body by doing a mix exercise. The one that I follow is - jog for 10 mins at 6 miles an hour pace. Then increase it to 7.5 miles and run as much as you can then back to 6 miles. Then increase it to 8...

So happy losing... its fun to see you evolve :)

My First Dosa

My husband is not a foodie person but he loves to eat. But he is more into following the traditional way and not a very experimental person when it comes to food. Unfortunately, I am just the opposite. I love to experiment with food.

I dont know what happened to me but I yesterday I just wanted to make Dosa but not from the 'Instant Mix' one. I had promised him I would make it for him from scratch.

The recipe I followed was Masala Dosa

I must admit - the first one was HORRIBLE. I had to put enough water to dilute it. Wonder how the professionals make it so perfect. It wasnt bad but I would say it was close to 80% from the perfect one. But taste wise it was 100%.

Do follow it.

My Birthday

And yes......... I turned a year older myself. How I wish I could turn back the hands of time and undo my age...

It was my first birthday with my husband. He made all the effort to make it a perfect one. We went to an amusement park and enjoyed the whole day.

It wasn't holding hands and baking cake together - I guess we are too old for that... I dont know. Nor it was sipping wine and escaping to a quite little place - just the two of us. It was indeed an eventful day.

My Hubby's Birthday

A few days back, it was my hubby's birthday. He was not really happy getting an year older.

I had asked him what he wanted and he wanted me to bake him a cheesecake. And boy... I did a 'full-time' dedicated RD on it. Spoke to my master chef friend, visited every possible website starting from Nigella to Curtis Stone...

And yes, the result was good. That was my first ever cheesecake. The first impression from my husband - "Interesting!!! Tastes more like fruit cake."

It was fun celebrating his birthday. This was our first birthday celebration after our marriage. We celebrated it by going to his college.

Here are the list of links I followed for Cheesecake:
Classic Cheesecake
Blueberry-Cheesecake
Raspberry-cheesecake
The Best would be Paula Deen's Cheesecake My friend call her 'Aunt Paula' :)
Basic Cheesecake with different toppings

I must admit, I did not follow any one recipe. I actually mixed and matched all.

Life is hectic!!!

This is my first blog. I will expect comments from friends and would love to get feedback as well.

I guess I am done considering this being my first blog.