But first, Chai: January 2015

relationship

Some Silly Childhood Memories

January 29, 2015

Thoughts

Make it a Better Place for YOU

January 27, 2015

relationship

A True Story | A Special Friend

January 22, 2015

I have been away from my blog after Munchin' Mondays post. Now that says why a draft and scheduling of posts help. Nevertheless, I still enjoy writing a post Live and some times it is totally different from what I had planned.

So much happened in the past few days and I failed to appreciate the good things that are happening along. Then my this friend sent me a link of an article that just made me feel better. It is not an answer to all the worries, it is not that you can have happiness everyday or wonder why you do not have what you always wanted in spite of "wanting" it with whole heart. It is how much pain and struggle you are willing to go through to want what you want. Eh! I think I just confused you. :-)

Thursday - so this time I plan to share a story and through this Thank my this friend who quietly makes mountain changes in my emotional health. This post is going to be LONG one! I am sorry and please read only if you have the time!

I think sometime in 1996-97, my then bestie moved out of our school to a different state (in India) and I came to know only on the first day of my school when I noticed her name was not listed in any of the classrooms. I went back home sad and my mom helped me dial her home phone (those days no mobile phones :-)) and I spoke to her dad who told me that she moved to her grandma's place and will be living there for the rest of her school life. That means, I will not see her again. I asked him for the address and he promptly gave it.

She was a friend I knew just for a year, and we had so much fun together that I could not believe she is gone off without telling me. I wrote a letter and posted it ( no emails those days) and after that every day back from school, I used to ask mom, "Did the postman have any letter for me?". Within a week or two, I received a reply! We then continued to exchange letters sharing our experiences in school, new friends, exams, teachers, boyfriends, etc. A few times we did talk on a Long Distance Call (that was way too expensive those days). I even met her couple of times when she used to come to the city to meet her father. I used to frequent the Archies shop to buy colorful letter pads and stickers to make our letters more bling! Print some photos and send them too.

Like every time, I received a letter from her which had another letter inside it with a different handwriting. When I read her letter she had mentioned that she spoke about our letter exchanges to her friend and classmate M and that M wanted to write a letter to me. Wow! that's a classic Pen friend idea! M's letter was a very short one which I still remember that she wrote during a class room session hiding from the teacher. :-D

We exchanged letters, greeting cards, photos, birthday cards, etc. We never met or called over phone. She moved to the gulf and continued to write letters and that just got me educated on international postal services and how Postal stamp values differ for each country or something like that. Internet came in, snail mails were diminishing but we continued to write letters. Somehow we lost contact after I stopped receiving replies from both of them.

We got busy with college and life as such. I got a job and moved to Banaglore around 2004. That time, Orkut - the social networking was hot thing! Both of them remained in my friends list with least or no interactions. Then in a few years Facebook was born and we promptly added each other in Facebook too. And we wish each other on Birthdays as Facebook used to remind us.

And guess what! M was in the same city ! I tried reaching out to them but M was very silent and my other bestie even got married and I felt bad how life changes and along with that our circle of friends also change. They continue to be in my Facebook where bestie occasionally comments on my pictures but there were no interactions from M.

We tried to meet up and after a few attempts of making a plan to catch up, I gave up. I moved job and the new office was far from where I stayed. It was a locality I was new to too. There was a gym close by and so I joined there and started working out post office hours. But it was not easy to get back to my room after gym as it was getting late and tiring. So I planned to look out for a room in the same location as the office and gym. This decision was huge, moving from your comfort zone to a new place is tough. But at that point, I was looking for a convenient ways to work and workout.

One of the day, I was working out on the cross trainer, when I saw this girl walking in and talking to the receptionist. I have seen her somewhere was the thought going on in my head. Its M, I know it is M, I have seen her pictures on Facebook! I got off and hurried to her "You are M right?" We did not hug and cry or anything... I felt it was a little formal and awkward. In that short conversation, I knew she lived in the same area and so I asked her if she could help me find a room. We exchanged numbers and parted.

At this moment let me tell you, I was kinda alone as most of my friends were either married and moved out or moved out of the city. My only friend then was my boss J. I cant always hang out with my boss right? So yet again, I was so thankful to Allah for always having best plans for me.

Its only after we went our way, I realized what a big thing happened - I met my PEN FRIEND after all these years and that too accidentally. I called my parents to share the news and I was sooooooooooo happy! I think it was sometime around 2011 April. The next day she arranged to show me a room in the same lane where she lived. I took it up and moved in the very next week.

She introduced me to her set of friends and we did a lot of catching up on each others life. In a few months, we moved into the same place and we cooked, watched horror movies, cried, laughed, shopped, went late evening walks, fought, gave silent treatments, surprised, listened to each others rants, indulged dining out, went on diet, went to movies, breakfasted together, walked a hell a lot, decorates our rooms during xmas, shared a cycle, etc. Before we knew it was more than 2 years. She was like this strict teacher who actually reprimand me if I lose control and eat a high calorie pastry or ghee roasted chicken etc. We both are totally different, our tastes, choice of clothing, shoes, etc. but we laugh so much that I can never be angry with her for too long.

I then brought all her letters from home town (Yes, I am that kinda girl, keep every scarp safe and treasured) and we read them together. Hilarious! They were all so funny when we read them now.

She got engaged, and shortly after that I too got engaged. We promised to be part of each-others Day. I made it for her engagement and wedding, and never thought she would be able to make it for mine. Because my wedding date was not getting fixed at all and she had plans to move out of the country to be with her hubby. Thankfully, she made it both for my engagement and wedding. She was there through out my hard times and happy times. If I need a genuine feedback or advice I just have to ping her now... even without her knowing she shares exactly what I would need.

I am glad she came into my life as a Pen Friend and went on to be that special friend whom you can hate for the sharp words that she easily lets out but love for the genuine concern she has for me. She can never sugar coat words, if the truth is harsh, it is harsh there is nothing sweet about it. We are now far apart geographically and connected through internet, I hope there is not going to be a disconnect ever.

Thank you M, for being my special friend.

Now, do you guys also have a similar or any interesting story?

I was inspired to share after I read about Sarah and Kate. I stumbled upon their blog looking for cupcakes recipes.

cakes

Chocolate Strawberry Egg-Less Cake

January 19, 2015

Last Monday, I started the Munchin Mondays with the Rocky Road recipe. This is still featuring in the most popular posts. Flattered I am. Another Monday is here and it is time for me to share the recipe of that Chocolate Strawberry Cake I shared on Instagram.

There was no escaping from desserts but I had to be more careful in ensuring our good health. So I turned to try egg-less cakes and what surprised me was the fact that I could also avoid butter. Now, who would not want to have a Cake and Indulge in it too without any Guilt? :-)

Indulge without guilt -NO BUTTER. NO EGGS. #chocolate #strawberry #cake

A photo posted by Famidha Ashraf (@fashfuzz) on Jan 12, 2015 at 4:48am PST

Most of you all know I own no oven here. And several attempts of making a cake in Microwave was not always successful. I knew my mom used to bake cakes in a pressure cooker but I never gave heed to know how to do it. N also shared her experience in baking cakes using a pressure cooker and that it has always worked best. And then my blogger friend had a post on how to bake a cake using a pressure cooker. So I wanted to give it a try. I checked with my mom, N and the post and used the method that worked best for me.

I am a sucker for chocolates and F loves strawberries. So combining the two would be a fair thing to do. I followed a recipe of egg-less chocolate cake and modified it a bit to include the chopped strawberries. What came out of the pan was the best looking cake I made and clicked pictures of it in all angles. Sat looking at it and I had good 3 hours to wait for F to come home! Sigh! I sent him the pictures and then I posted on my personal FB immediately. Comments and requests for the recipe came pouring in, and so I baked again to ensure it is not the beginners' luck! :-P

So here it is...

You will need:

Dry Ingredients:

1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour/maida
a pinch of salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda

Wet Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cold water*
1/4 cup olive oil**
1 tbsp lime/lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla essence
butter or oil to grease the pan

*If the strawberries are too juicy, then you can reduce the water. I used 3/4 cup of water.

**You can replace olive oil with melted butter

Tools:

Two bowls
Wired whisk
Pressure cooker
A Pan that is deep enough for the cake to rise and that will fit into your pressure cooker

Prepare the Strawberry Mix

Chop 8 to 10 ripe strawberries (ensure to pat dry after washing them)
Add 2 tbsp of honey or enough sugar based on the berries taste
Microwave for 2 mins or cook it on the stove top until softens (here you will know how much juice it extracted and accordingly adjust the water measurement.

Prepare the Stovetop

Keep a flat tawa on a medium flame and leave it (this is similar to preheating the oven)

Make the Cake Batter:

Grease the pan with butter or oil in all sides. Do ensure every area of the pan's base and the sides are greased well
Sieve all the dry ingredients
Dissolve the 3/4 cup of sugar in 3/4 cup of cold water (I used 3/4 based on my strawberry mix)
Add 1/4 cup of olive oil and mix well
Add the 1 tbsp of lime juice and mix well
Add 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract and mix well again
Now add the sieved dry ingredients into the wet mixture
Using a wired whisk, whisk the batter to ensure no lumps. (the batter will be thin)
Pour the batter into the greased pan (you can use a spatula to cleanly transfer everything into the pan)
Tap the sides to break any air bubbles
Fold in the Strawberries mix (Do not mix too much, just FOLD in and do NOT tap after this)

Bake the Cake:

Slide in the pan into the Pressure cooker
Close the cooker with its lid and do not use the Weight/Whistle
Keep the cooker on the tawa that is getting heated
Keep the flame to medium to low
Wait for 30 mins
You will see droplets of water popping out of the nozzle where you insert the weight - once this happens then wait for 5 more minutes - you will start getting the aroma of the cake
Open and check the cake's readiness with a toothpick or knife after. If the knife or toothpick comes out clean then your cake is done.
Else, close and keep it back on the tawa and reduce the flame to low and wait for another 5 minutes. It should be done.

Wait for the Cake:

Remove the pan from the cooker and leave it on a Kitchen top and forget it.
Do not try to take it off the pan or tilt it to know if it would come out. You will be tempted to do that.
After 15 to 20 minutes, you will see the cake detached from the sides, then flip the pan onto a plate and there you have a neatly baked cake!

Flip back to the top side and you can choose to add frosting or ganache or whipped cream or just decorate with fresh strawberries etc.

Eat the Cake:

The Cake is good when consumed in room temperature. I left the remaining in the fridge and I personally did not like the texture after it is cold, though F did not have any issues.

References:

I adapted this recipe for the egg-less chocolate cake. As per that blog, preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/392 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now, it is your turn to try this and let me know if it worked or even if it did not work. I don't have an oven is no more a reason to not try Baking!

Bake with Love for your Love.

Thankful

5 Things | Makes Me Happy | Kitchen

January 18, 2015

Weekend was (un)eventful. Fridays I am not up for cooking unless F is having his me time, which takes me to the kitchen and get engrossed in cooking. And this week was something like that - and the beets were calling! I was actually longing for biriyani but it is not fair to nag him to take me out. I quickly made this beetroot rice without referring to any specific recipes (that is my first) and guess what? he loved it. That made me smile with HAPPINESS!

Saturday, we planned this - pastas for lunch at pizza hut, formals shoes for him, groceries and back home. Pastas at Pizza hut - we ended up ordering so much that we took the left overs for dinner and thankfully the pizzas are good and pastas NO good. By the time we reached to store for shoes they were closed for prayers. We roamed nearby corniche and got to another mall and there he liked a shoe but the store was not open. And then it was prayer time again and so we had no intention to wait any longer but cant get back home either as I had to have the groceries for the week. So on our way back home, we stopped to get baklava and that was the best thing happened! Are we not HAPPY? !!!

Weekend buy #baklava #saadeddinpastry my fav.

A photo posted by Famidha Ashraf (@fashfuzz) on Jan 18, 2015 at 3:31am PST

There are n number of moments that bring happiness in everyday life. That said, today I will share a few moments that make me smile with happiness. Let me start with my favorite location of my home for today- Kitchen.

Call me OCD or Perfectionist, I want my kitchen floor to be clean. On Sundays I do the complete cleaning of my home and that is a lot of work and who enjoys mopping the floor? But once I have made it spic and span then I myself tread on them very carefully. So you can imagine what F would have to hear when he splashes excess water from his hand or just walk in with his shoes etc. Nothing could be worse. But when I achieve a clean floor and when he makes sure he is careful, I smile.

There are tales that can be a book on the struggle finding that Kitchen Knife. A sharp knife makes me happy. A knife that stays sharp would make me happier. A knife that does not require to be ever sharpened, would make me feel the happiest. This will remain a dream. When F sees me struggle with sharpening the knives, he offers to do it. Sharpening tools is men's work isn't it? I smile.

Cooking rice in pressure cooker was my thing, but not any more. I had to try the pot method where I did not want to drain off the water like my mom does. So cooking rice in pot with exact ratio of water is the secret. I am getting to a mastery level on this but I never cease to feel the Hurray! when I have fluffy and perfectly cooked rice. Like my MIL who said, "What is the use if you know to bake a cake and not make a pot of rice and curry?"

OK, someone said, "Baking is love made visible" and someone else said, "If in doubt, bake a cake." So Baking a Cake is as important and necessary as a pot of Rice. But the joy of seeing it to perfection is not the same, the Cake takes the Cake. :-P

A cake which comes off the pan neatly, wholly, without crumbling, perfectly browned base, spongy and does not see the trash can - SMILE. I am glad I got a couple of moments like this where I jumped with joy and text-ed the whole friends list showing off my super creation!

F and I have dinner as early as 7pm. When F walks in after work he goes straight to the Kitchen and opens every lid to see whats for dinner. His funny smile and then hurriedly getting back to the dining table... "serve the dinner, I am starving!" - priceless.

I am sure you guys too have such moments that bring joy, so why don't you share some of them? I would love to know.

Thankful

A Food Blog | Simplicity

January 15, 2015

Thursday is here and that means time for another thankful shout-out! It was weird initially to get used to the fact that gulf week starts on a Sunday! But now, Sunday or Monday - for me its everyday Friday! :-P OK, today I am going to share a Food blog which is very close to my heart. I don't really remember how I landed there but once I got there, I knew it was going to be my stop station. All the pictures in this post are from my Instagram and inspired by the blog I am recommending this week.

The Big Sweet Tooth, yes like the name suggests she has a lot of dessert recipes. Like my title, she keeps everything simple. F is a big sweet tooth and he needs something sweet post every meal. She has recipes that you can make so quickly that even on a lazy day, you can have just the dessert as a meal. I do that most of times thinking that is dieting! :-D

#just2ingredients @rafeedas #desiccatedcoconut ladoos

A photo posted by Famidha Ashraf (@fashfuzz) on Dec 3, 2014 at 4:38am PST

These ladoos saved me from "what were you doing all day?" look from F. He never says or does that but I hardly have any work to do at home and what reason can I give him for not making a sweet dish for post dinner? I went to her blog, got the recipe right under the Recipe index (so well categorized that it was easy and quick to find what will bail me out) worked on making it and done just in time. I never told him how easy it was until he ate all of it! :-D

I just realized, the way I shop is exactly the way I choose to follow a blog. If I find something I like in the first shop, I pick it right away and not think like may be I will get a better one in the second shop. Oh! I have friends and cousins like that and I hate to go shopping with them. So that is how I like this blog, I saw it, it perfectly fitted my needs. I still check out other food blogs but never stick to those like I do with this and a few.

If you are like me - newly married, staying with hubby in gulf, no kids yet, new to cooking for two, and you are from down south Indian state Kerala, then this blog is the savior.
If you are that Muslim woman who want to to do 5 time prayer, get closer to Allah, remember His words, then you have a bonus with her daily messages from her.
If you love life's little things and inspirational quotes along with a lively story from her daily life or her memories of childhood that you can relate too, then she will make you feel you know her for years or remind you of someone in your family.
If you are a total newbie to cooking, then her very simple recipes be it veggies or meat, sweets or bakes, she makes it simple. Meaning, when you read her blog recipes, you will have no qualms to try it too. Some food blogs make a simple dish seem so complicated that you feel that no its not something that you can pull off.

#sheerpayra #afghandessert

A photo posted by Famidha Ashraf (@fashfuzz) on Dec 2, 2014 at 5:10am PST

Time to try some new desserts and break the norm of sticking to Indian sweets. I wanted to surprise F with this simple, yet delicious and Afghan dessert, he couldn't believe when I said how simple it actually was to make.

Not only sweets, she posts simplest dish like French Beans Uperi to International Cuisines. The best part of her blog is the quantity of the main ingredient - I don't have to double it or reduce it - She makes for less than 4 which makes it perfect for me. All I have to do is follow her measurement which gives me for 2 and some leftovers. Worked best for me, as I hate to cook lunch just for me on weekdays.

Choco cake layered with mocha mousse with a choco hazlenut stick... #chocolate #mousse #cake

A photo posted by Famidha Ashraf (@fashfuzz) on Jan 1, 2015 at 7:13am PST

Lets be honest, there are bad baking days! I made a chocolate lava cake and guess what, F did not eat more than a piece. I felt so bad and realized it was not as sweet as he wanted it. He is not a fan of dark chocolate. So I remembered her idea of making over a crumbled cake, I got inspired and added mocha mousse to layer it. Made two cups and served for lunch on a Friday, he never knew what went into it was what he rejected! :-P

Her instructions are brief and there is no ifs and buts. Even if she posts about a recipe you already know, her stories and quotes are worth the read. So I still go to her page to know what she has to share.

Picture from her blog, and I am going to try this soon.

Check out her blog, I am sure you will find something that you want to give it a try. I am going to try the Honey Yogurt Cake today.

Thank you Raf, for making my cooking adventures fun and easy!

life lately

Rambling

January 14, 2015

Its 4.30 pm in this part of the world. I am late for my afternoon tea which I usually have around 3.00 pm. I am also not having my usual milk tea, instead me sipping on a cup of black tea flavored with coffee and just two cubes of sugar and not three. Today is a day I experienced a lot of mixed emotions and I am glad it is ending with a good note.

Started off with the weighing scale showing me the worst ever result. In spite of all the knowledge I have about the calories, diet, healthy lifestyle - I tend to fall short in this aspect of losing the extra pounds. I was silly to not remember the fact that no one returns from the gulf the way they went. That has been so true in our family. Being an expat in Yanbu does not make it any better. How much physical activity can I accomplish being alone in this apartment. Honestly, when I was working, I wished I was homemaker so that I had all the time to workout. I felt devastated and remembered all me painstakingly working out at the gym back in Bangalore. So much of dedication and control, so much of discipline and desire, and then those shopping to bring in the right size cloths. All in vain. I have gained all that and more.

I go through this phase every time and then read my go-to books by Rujuta Diwekar (three times already) to just remember what I should NOT be doing anymore. And a phone call to F to tell him how I am going to go sugarless and never make any more desserts. A call to my mom to tell her that I am officially weighing more than her. As I was upset, I turned to watch my fav series Packed to the Rafters (second time) Jules was having her baby and that kinda made me feel wish I have one too. Then falling into another set of emotional pain. I am not even sure if I am ready for one. I guess it is what you attract first thing, bad feeling gives birth to more bad feelings. Thankfully I did not open that packet of baked chips.

How are the local women here working out? Do they have a gym at home? I know it is not the numbers it is how healthy and fit you should be. How can we measure a fitness without numbers? Measurements, weights, size, all are numbers. I have always been on the heavier side and now I guess I am moving to Plus size cloth lines. :-(

My phone beeped, it was a message from my BIL. My co-sister delivered a baby today and it is a boy! I was so happy. My mood switched to happy happy Fash. I am so waiting to get on a plane to India and hold the baby.

I know lately I have been feeling very low and I never thought it is reflected on my posts until I re-read them. Is it the winter playing games with my tummy? I feel so hungry so often these days. Me making Rasam for tonight with a little rice and carrots and beans thoran. Oh! Common a little white rice is not gonna hurt. :-)
There food just made me smile. love.

Tips

How to Stock Curry Leaves

January 13, 2015

Over the last weekend, the page views of my blog hit rock bottom. That along with all the frustrations of living with zero mobility in this part of KSA just added to the already sinking confidence. Friends and fellow bloggers were very supportive and not to forget my man of few words with profound meanings helped me revisit my interests. But what really cooled me down and boosted my confidence was the BAKING time I had with myself.

Yes! Yesterday I baked a Chocolate Strawberry Eggless Cake. It was my fusion experiment of two cakes and the result was mind blowing. It came so perfectly out of the mould and is spongy-melty like the black forest or truffles... OMG! I am blowing my own trumpet! You can check it on my Instagram. I will be posting the recipe on Munchin' Mondays. I am so very glad I baked.

On the blogging front, I finally sat down to put up a blog calendar where I can note down the post ideas and prepare better. So now on every Tuesdays, until I get bored or run out of ideas, I will post life hack or tips that I figured and which made my life easier in Yanbu.

Tip for Today

Fresh Curry Leaves

Curry leaves - Indians, especially the down south states, including Srilankan cuisines, add curry leaves to most of the recipes. From chutneys to vadas, from thokus to tadka we add it. Back in India, we had our own tree and never remembered paying for it, never had to stock it and was available all day.

Here in Yanbu, I cooked for a few weeks without curry leaves as I never found them. When I did, it was a treat for the eyes, I picked more than one packet and looked around as though I am stealing. It is like that, I never valued for this back home and now I buy them from the "imported" section. I left it as bought in the fridge and in a few days they blacken and becomes useless. I felt so bad having to pay for it and yet not being able to use it.

Researched online on how to stock curry leaves and found the most used method was drying the leaves in the sun for a day or two. I do not have a balcony, no access to sunlight and surface together, and so that was not feasible. Next, I came across freezing them and I tried it. I personally do not like to use it after freezing, you don't get the flavour and it becomes too difficult when you have to fry in hot oil.

Then I tried placing the string of leaves in different sections of the fridge to figure out which works better. A few packed in a cover in the cooler, a few wrapped in paper in the vegetable box, a few left opened in the last rack and some right under the first rack far behind. Don't laugh at me - I had no idea how to get this right! What happened gave me the actual solution.

The ones I left open under the cooler dried up and was able to crush it like dried herbs. It had its strong aroma intact. Rest of them were blackened or damp. I used the dried ones in the tadka and realised it becomes brown. You don't want that to happen. So I figured all we had to do was instead of adding it in the beginning like you would do with fresh curry leaves, you have to add this dried ones at the end like you would do with any dried herbs, like oregano or basil.

Ever since that discovery, I bought 4 packets and dried them all at once. Crushed and stocked in a glass bottle.

Crushed Curry Leaves

How to Stock Curry Leaves

Select fresh packet from the store. Check the packed date to ensure the freshness. If you find any blacken leaves, then do not pick that. But if you are in Yanbu, pick it anyway! :-)
Separate the leaves from the stem and wash it under clean water. This is to ensure all the pesticides and dust are removed.
Place them on a dry kitchen towel and roll the towel to take out excess water.
If the towel is too wet, take another towel
Spread the towel on the floor or table where there is enough sunlight from the window pane
Leave it there to dry - our aim is to ensure there is no droplet of water on it.
Once water is off all the leaves, spread them on a big plate - do not crowd them together - use two plates if necessary
Make enough space in the fridge to fit the plate.
Leave the plate there for a week or until you feel you can crush a leaf.
Once all the leaves are dried to the extent that it can be crushed, you can transfer them into a clean glass bottle.
If the recipe calls for curry leaves, use this dust over the prepared dish.

Update: Feb 28th, 2017

Haul of curry leaves. 😍 we cleaned off all packs from that store! Now its washed, dried and into the fridge to make it crispy dry. 😋 Then bottled for usage. Sniff sniff....😓 never remembered paying for these...😢

A post shared by Famidha Ashraf (@fashfaiz) on Jun 2, 2016 at 6:29am PDT

While the above method still works, I have stopped crushing the dried leaves and keeping in a bottle. Instead, I continue to keep the dried curry leaves in the fridge in an open container. This keeps its shape intact and I still use it in Tadkas as the last ingredient and don't fry it for too long.

Chocoholic

Rocky Road Cubes

January 12, 2015

I know I know I did not want to come anywhere close to being a Food blog, but what can I say - what your resist will persist, isn't it? Last night I read a post on finding the niche to blog. I sat wondering what are my passions and which I am good at it too? Like it cannot be something your passionate about but not good at it. Honestly, after reading that post I was this close to give up blogging and also sobbed so much that I had to have a verbal diarrhea with one of my bffs back in India. She gave me a list of things I am good at and one of it was cooking.

When F was back from work, I told him what I went through in the afternoon and how helpless I felt. Like what is that I am good at? nothing? When he asked me the same question and I kept thinking a lot. I remembered most of my summer holidays used to be in art classes like fabric painting, glass painting, clay designs, tailoring, etc. But sad part is I never pursued any of it after the summer. So, I am not an expert but I love to spend time doing those stuffs. With corporate work experience in Learning industry, I have realized that almost every company I worked for had appreciated my method and procedure writing. But that would be so boring on my blog!

I never have a single draft on my blog, I write live and what I feel when I open the new post. I know I have a far way to go to get organized with content and have a style statement. And nope I am not going to fall for that post I read which demanded that I be an expert in my passion to be a blogger.

As I have a Gourmet Pursuit tab in my blog, I thought I will only share tips and how I learnt to cook for two. But a recipe of my successful trial will not hurt the blog, will it? Thus Munchin' Mondays was born.

Marshmallows - Can you believe the first time I ever got to know about this thing and tasted it was in my early 20s? I used to spend time with two kids of a friend who had returned from the USA and they were used to snacks that were really new to me. Thanks to her and the kids, I became a fan of mini marshmallows. And next thing I was super surprised was a packet of marshmallows - a huge one - just one packet - in a supermarket here in Yanbu! I picked it without a second thought.

It was kept unopened for days, I knew it is packed with calories and it was a big packet and I can't be the one to finish the whole thing. Whenever I offered F, he would not want it. So, I sat to search for recipes and found so many versions of s'mores. I did my own way as I had no crackers with me then. Will share that simple s'mores recipe later. I came across a simple recipe of rocky road bars here and I made it with a little changes because I did not have all the stuffs mentioned there.

You will need:

1 Packet of any biscuits (10 nos.) - I used Britannia Milk Bikies
A handful of mini marshmallows - you can decide to add more or less when you are actually adding.
Cooking chocolate ( I used 34% cocoa) - 150 gms. You can use your favorite brand.
Butter unsalted - I used 50 gms and added some olive oil - less than 2 tbsp
Tropicana Arabic Sweet Syrup - If you have used dark chocolate then add less of syrup. I would like to retain the cocoa flavor.
Your choice of nuts - I used walnuts, cashews and a few raisins
Icing sugar for dusting

Make the Rocky Road:

Add the biscuits in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them. Do not make too fine. Leave some bites to make the rock like texture.
Crush the nuts of your choice in similar way
Take any square tray or glassware and line it with a foil sheet pressing all four sides.
Use a thick bottomed saucepan to melt the chocolate, syrup, and butter in the lowest flame. Do not leave it unattended lest the chocolate gets burnt.
Take the pan off the stove and save some of the melted chocolate in a cup - may be a 1/4 cup
Now, fold in the marshmallows, biscuit crumbs and nuts
Pour this mixture into the prepared foil tray ensuring it is spread evenly across the tray.
Pour the reserved melted chocolate on top
Cover the tray with a cling film and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight
Before cutting, dust it with icing sugar - you can use a sieve
Cut them into cubes using a sharp knife in a sawing action - which will stop it from cracking
Munch on one before you serve it.. :-)

life lately

A Sad News with a Reminder

January 11, 2015

life lately

Guests | Revealed

January 07, 2015

Update: I have no idea how this post got back to drafts.. I realized after I saw page visit error showing up in the live feed.

My earlier post titled Guests has left most of my readers puzzled. I received emails asking who they were and why I like D? My friends who know me knew it is going to be something else than just annoying guests. So, here I am so glad to announce that I have finally got rid of them.

D and S - Dean and Sam - Supernatural. Ring a bell?

Image from Google Images.

How did they become guests?

As you all know there is no movie theater in KSA (or is that news to you?), so we rely on the Internet to catch up on movies, series, sitcoms etc. F and I, are both movie buffs. We love to watch movies and sitcoms together. My all time favorite is Sex and the City, Modern Family and of course the Game of Thrones. I introduced him to MF and he kinda enjoyed it. But we soon got over with all the episodes and now I got to wait for the new ones to come out for GOT.

I welcomed the idea of Supernatural but never thought that would become the only thing for a whole month and more. We were watching together more than one episode every single night. I started to admire Dean - kinda became a fan and that was the only factor I sometimes watch even if I was busy in the Kitchen. Blush.

Every single day post dinner before going off to sleep - I hear Dean and Sam.Weekends - while I cook in the kitchen, F continues to watch. It was always them vs me :-( Either I join him to watch or not complain. There was no way he backing off from it. But after a while I could not continue as I lost a few episodes and so could not connect the dots. Asking F for clarification in the middle of the episode does not help. He gives mono syllable explanations. Well I would do the same if I was asked questions in a movie theater - especially if your friend does not know that language.

How did I get rid of them?

Honestly, I didn't. But before giving up, I tried to remind him about The Blacklist, Modern Family, which we equally enjoy watching together. But something made him so glued to SN that I had to patiently wait. Once he was done watching all and there ain't no more seasons, he was back in track with me! :-P

Lessons Learnt:

May be watching certain series is F's "me-time" and I should respect that. Wicked me - I allowed him so now he can't say no to my Packed to Rafters! :-P I just so hope he doesn't come up next with Justice Leagues .. urrrgghhh!

Have you been a victim of "hubby's choice wins" and no attention to you? :-)

Update: Its James Bond movies now... hmmmm....

Yanbu Highlights

Clean is Green - Part Two

January 06, 2015

It took me longer than I thought to come back to this topic which I see is talked about a lot but nothing is changed. From then, I researched about any reference to this issue that needs to be curbed before it becomes unmanageable.

Plastic Bags All Over the Empty Land

There is a post referred in Blue Abaya that talks about how to go green and stop the madness which was posted in 2012. Two years now, and I don't think there has been any change. But following the 10 things from her post alone will not stop from the plastics that are being used for everything you think of. It was surprising to see that supermarkets pack our bought stuffs in more than one plastic bags. I had dropped jaws and popped out eyes to see that plastic bags were FREE!

In India, we have to pay for every plastic bag we need at any super malls. The charges were different as per the size of the bag. At least that is the case in Bangalore and I am sure in most of the other cities too. The cloth bags were getting fashionable and trendy. We all had one, a cloth bag. Or we used to save the big huge plastic bags so that we can re-use in our next shopping. Well even clothing showrooms had to charge if we did not have our own bag.

Yanbu is not a city like Jeddah or Riyadh, but it has its own share of pollution. A lot has to be done from each individual rather than accusing the officials. I came across this article in arab news which refers to issues of having opened garbage bins in the residential areas.

We throw the garbage bag (which is not segregated) into the only bin available at the outside of the buildings. When beginnings are wrong, it is not going to be easy to have a neat ending.

I make two bags, food waste and others, but at the end both goes into the same bin. So why should I do it in first place?

“Placing the garbage containers at a distance from the residential areas would minimize the threat to the hygiene of the surroundings,” Kammas pointed out.

I so agree and know it will never happen, because in the beginning there were no bins in front of our building, but there was a huge one at the end of the street. F used to drop the garbage on his way to work. Meanwhile there was a mini mountain of garbage bags that kept growing in front of our building. Guess one started to dump there and everyone followed suit. It took a few months to have a green bin for every building.

But my question is how does a green bin help in going green? What is to go green when the garbage is not sorted?

There should be a defined system to sort the garbage from the source point, i.e our home till where it is dumped. Until that happens, there is no point in me sorting the garbage but what I will start doing is - recycle.

I will soon bring a post of my ideas of going green to reduce garbage and makez a cleaner planet.

I found these two sites very interesting and promising:

Please do take some time to read what they have to share. Thank you.

8 Things in my 2014 - with 8 Tips

January 04, 2015

My blog is now a month old and am so grateful for the 1000+ visitors/readers. One needs to feel appreciated to have that little push to go further and do better. With that thought, I gifted my blog a Facebook page and also reactivated my twitter account! Phew...Twitter - I had registered for it back in 2010 and never went back there. What surprised me was I could sign in without having to go through the Forgot password! I am new to twitter and have no clue how that works but I am willing to try.

A new year is here and I took some time to look back and recollect some memorable moments. When everyone wished Happy new year, there were a few of my friends who said there is no reason to be happy as the world is gone to dogs with the wars, killing children, terrorism etc... I would say "but life has to move on". We all live with hope and prayers to keep our dear and near ones safe and happy. May all of you have a wonderful year ahead.

As I had started blogging end of 2014, this post helped me pick the best moments that I am willing to share with the world.

Reminiscing 2014

#1 Surprise Surprise

Jan 2014 - Ours was a arranged marriage and so it was very crucial for us to live together to know each other better. We were in our 6th month of marriage and we were not living together yet. A DHL courier guy knocked at my door with a package for me. I was bewildered and had no idea why flipkart would send through DHL (I was waiting for a handbag I ordered on flipkart). Then my phone rang and it was F. I told him what was going on and the courier man was also very patient. When I checked the sender name while on the phone --- it was F! Never did I ever imagine F sending me a gift. I loved it and wore them the same night for a dinner with friends.

Tip #1 All those in a Long Distance Relationship, popularly known as LDR should take time out to send gifts and not wait for an occasion.

#2 Travel

Feb 2014 - F and I had a splendid, adventurous, no agenda vacation. On my birthday, we were at Agra to see Taj Mahal. It was always in my must-see list. With a lot of planning and booking hotels and flights, we ended up having last minute changes to everything we ...well I planned. And guess what? We were laughing about it all the time - how my "planning paranoia" is not a solution and changes are inevitable. Nevertheless, watching the wonder in the early morning sun was breathtakingly beautiful!

Tip #2 Save up and have a luxurious travel and stay experience once in a year.

#3 Life Changing Decisions

Mar 2014 - I made up my mind to quit the job and move to Yanbu to live with F. Someone had to bring about a change so that we could live together. The sooner the better. I had to announce and serve two months notice. I was so glad that things were happening the way we planned but I had no clue how I am going to live as a stay-at-home wife.

Tip #3 Be the change. Do not think too far ahead about future. Sometimes a quick fix will have lasting impression.

# 4 Goodbyes

April and May 2014 - I took time to meet all my family and friends to say good bye and spend some quality time with my folks. In several occasions, including F leaving to KSA after marriage, I never felt sad at the sending off part. I always knew that we will meet soon. I never understood why good byes are tearful until I had to leave my home and board the flight to Yanbu.

Tip #4 Take every opportunity to be with family and friends. Make your stay with them worthwhile.

#5 Welcome to Yanbu, KSA

June 2014 - New place, new home, new beginnings, new life...

Tip #5 Start loving to stay home if the new place is in KSA and your are a dependent on a dependent visa or jobless.

#6 Long Drive

July 2014 - F and I planned on a road trip to Khobar from Yanbu on Eid holidays. It was a long 13 hours drive and we enjoyed it every bit.

Tip #6 Pack some food for the road. I packed lot of sandwiches and some Cheetos!

#7 Men are from MARS

Living together brings out the best and worst! It must be the same feeling for him "women are from venus"

Tip #7 File Corrupted 404 Error :-)

#8 Blog

Beloved friends sowed the idea of starting a food blog. The idea of blog was interesting more than the food part. I don't think I can do justice to a food blog, but you all know I do enjoy cooking. I started a blog anyways.. not knowing what to focus on. Still in that same boat...

Tip # 8 Not a right person to give tips. All I can say is write what you enjoy sharing and review before publishing. I will try to compile a list in a separate post about what I learnt in blogging.

So, how was your 2014?

Note: All the images except of Taj Mahal are taken from Google images.

Getting ready to school every morning

Mom's crepes

Tea-bread Ice-cream

Dosa Time

Weekends

Nothing gets over

Taking sides

The garden or the hens

Rooster for Alarm

Home is where your heart is

Way to your man's heart is through his stomach

Pick up a hobby

Click Pictures - a lot of them

Get Social

Pamper

You will need:

Dry Ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

Tools:

Prepare the Strawberry Mix

Prepare the Stovetop

Make the Cake Batter:

Bake the Cake:

Wait for the Cake:

Eat the Cake:

Tip for Today

How to Stock Curry Leaves

You will need:

Make the Rocky Road:

How did they become guests?

How did I get rid of them?

Lessons Learnt:

Reminiscing 2014

#1 Surprise Surprise

#2 Travel

#3 Life Changing Decisions

# 4 Goodbyes

#5 Welcome to Yanbu, KSA

#6 Long Drive

#7 Men are from MARS

#8 Blog

What to Cook today?

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