Birthdays are always special, but they are made more special by loving family and friends..That is exactly what I have received in this birthday week of mine..Surprise party from Priyanka to lovely blog gift from Dhvanit and much more....Indeed life is beautiful when you have so many loving friends who are like a family..
Here is Dhvanit's blog:
http://dhvanitdave.blogspot.com/2009/08/bhumikas-surprise-bday-party.html
Thanks Everyone..I love you all....I thank god for giving me this lovely group of family and friends....
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
What do Women really want???
One of my very close friends forwarded the below story and I found it very interesting, so thought of putting it here...
To all my girl friends: Please take time to ponder
To all my guy friends: Enjoy the story....
Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, If after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death. The question was: What do women really want?
Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, And to
young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, He accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: The princess, the priests, the wise men, and even the court jester.. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to consult the old witch, For only she would have the answer. But the price would be high as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk
to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree
to her price first.
The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, The most noble of the Knights
of the Round Table, And Arthur's closest friend! Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunch-backed and hideous, had only one tooth, Smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc.
He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life. He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden, But Lancelot, having learnt of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life. And the reservation of the Round Table. Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered. Arthur's question thus: 'What a woman really wants?'
She said, 'Is to be in charge of her own life.'
Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth. And that Arthur's life would be spared. And so it was. The neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom. And Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.
The honeymoon hour approached and, Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.
The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, She would henceforth be her horrible and deformed self only half the time. And the beautiful maiden the other half.
'Which would you prefer? She asked him. 'Beautiful during the day .... or at night?'
Lancelot pondered the predicament.
During the day he could have a beautiful woman to show off to his friends,
But at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch!
Or,
Would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day?
But by night a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous, intimate moments with?
(If you are a man reading this...) What would YOUR choice be?
(If you are a woman reading this) What should YOUR MAN'S choice be?
What Lancelot chose, is given below:
BUT... make YOUR choice before you scroll down below... OKAY?
Noble Lancelot, knowing the answer the witch gave Arthur to his question, He said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself. Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time. Because, he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
Now... what is the moral to this story?
The moral is...
1) There is a witch in every woman no matter how beautiful she is!
2) If you don't let a woman have her own way, things are going to get ugly.
So, always remember:
IT'S EITHER 'HER WAY' OR IT'S 'NO WAY' !!!
To all my girl friends: Please take time to ponder
To all my guy friends: Enjoy the story....
Young King Arthur was ambushed and imprisoned by the monarch of a neighboring kingdom. The monarch could have killed him but was moved by Arthur's youth and ideals. So, the monarch offered him his freedom, as long as he could answer a very difficult question. Arthur would have a year to figure out the answer and, If after a year, he still had no answer, he would be put to death. The question was: What do women really want?
Such a question would perplex even the most knowledgeable man, And to
young Arthur, it seemed an impossible query. But, since it was better than death, He accepted the monarch's proposition to have an answer by year's end.
He returned to his kingdom and began to poll everyone: The princess, the priests, the wise men, and even the court jester.. He spoke with everyone, but no one could give him a satisfactory answer. Many people advised him to consult the old witch, For only she would have the answer. But the price would be high as the witch was famous throughout the kingdom for the exorbitant prices she charged.
The last day of the year arrived and Arthur had no choice but to talk
to the witch. She agreed to answer the question, but he would have to agree
to her price first.
The old witch wanted to marry Sir Lancelot, The most noble of the Knights
of the Round Table, And Arthur's closest friend! Young Arthur was horrified. She was hunch-backed and hideous, had only one tooth, Smelled like sewage, made obscene noises, etc.
He had never encountered such a repugnant creature in all his life. He refused to force his friend to marry her and endure such a terrible burden, But Lancelot, having learnt of the proposal, spoke with Arthur. He said nothing was too big of a sacrifice compared to Arthur's life. And the reservation of the Round Table. Hence, a wedding was proclaimed and the witch answered. Arthur's question thus: 'What a woman really wants?'
She said, 'Is to be in charge of her own life.'
Everyone in the kingdom instantly knew that the witch had uttered a great truth. And that Arthur's life would be spared. And so it was. The neighboring monarch granted Arthur his freedom. And Lancelot and the witch had a wonderful wedding.
The honeymoon hour approached and, Lancelot, steeling himself for a horrific experience, entered the bedroom. But, what a sight awaited him. The most beautiful woman he had ever seen lay before him on the bed. The astounded Lancelot asked what had happened.
The beauty replied that since he had been so kind to her when she appeared as a witch, She would henceforth be her horrible and deformed self only half the time. And the beautiful maiden the other half.
'Which would you prefer? She asked him. 'Beautiful during the day .... or at night?'
Lancelot pondered the predicament.
During the day he could have a beautiful woman to show off to his friends,
But at night, in the privacy of his castle, an old witch!
Or,
Would he prefer having a hideous witch during the day?
But by night a beautiful woman for him to enjoy wondrous, intimate moments with?
(If you are a man reading this...) What would YOUR choice be?
(If you are a woman reading this) What should YOUR MAN'S choice be?
What Lancelot chose, is given below:
BUT... make YOUR choice before you scroll down below... OKAY?
Noble Lancelot, knowing the answer the witch gave Arthur to his question, He said that he would allow HER to make the choice herself. Upon hearing this, she announced that she would be beautiful all the time. Because, he had respected her enough to let her be in charge of her own life.
Now... what is the moral to this story?
The moral is...
1) There is a witch in every woman no matter how beautiful she is!
2) If you don't let a woman have her own way, things are going to get ugly.
So, always remember:
IT'S EITHER 'HER WAY' OR IT'S 'NO WAY' !!!
Friday, July 17, 2009
My Favorite Recipes: Pasta Salad, Caprese Salad, Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie
I don't know I am not usually a food blogger, but the vegeterian shepherd pie, I tried couple of days back wanted me to write this one..hehehe...I am not a recipe by measurement person, so most of my recipes won't include exact measurement of things to put it...If you still need exact measurement, let me know and next time I will try to remember it and update this blog accordingly..Also next time I will remember to take pictures of them to upload here...So here are my favorite non indian recipes so far:
Pasta Salad:
This is one of my and Priyanka's favorite italian/meditterean dish and now some of our friends too...It is very simple to make and different variations are possible and everytime it turns out just as delicious...
You could use penne pasta, or tri color rotini or shell pasta or combination of three. Cook pasta as usual, I normally take a big pot of boiling water and add pasta, salt and little bit oil to it. Do not overcook the pasta, otherwise they would taste sticky...After boiling for about 8-10 minutes depending on the amount of pasta(check the cooking time on the box), drain the pasta and add about 2-3 tbsp of olive oil(My favorite is bertoullis so far). Add garlic salt and crushed black peper, and some cut basil(I love fresh basil for all my italian dishes). Mix the pasta and let it refrigerate(half hour to one hour is sufficient). In the meantime, cut long thing stripes of about 2 tomatoes, 3/4 red onion, 1/2 red capsicum(bell pepper), 1/2 yellow capsicum(bell pepper) and 1/2 green capsicum(green pepper), 1/2 cucumber if you like. Mix all these with the refrigerated pasta. Add about 5-6 tbsp of fat free feta cheese with mediterrean herbs. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and some lemon as per taste. Add about 10-12 (or more if you like) ripe pitted olives. Mix well..You can garnish it with more basil and some coriander.
Some variations can be adding salad dressings( my favorites are fat free italian, fat free ranch, french onion) or adding jalapenoes, fried onions etc.
Caprese Salad:
This italian recipe if another of our favorites.
You need fresh mozzarella cheese, baby or roma tomatoes and basil.
You can drain the mozzarella cheese out of the box and cut it into about 1/4" thick round slices. Cut the tomatoes into same size if using Roma tomatoes other cut the baby tomatoes into half...
On a plate arrange the cheese and tomatoes alternatively in a circle....
Cut about 10-12 basil leaves and spread on the plate....Sprinkle about 3 tbsp oliveoil, garlic salt mix, salt and pepper and little bit of lemon juice.
Vegeterian Shepherd's Pie:
I had never heard of Shepherd's pie till we visited "The Londoner" for one of our friday lunches from work...About 50% of my colleagues had ordered that dish...It was beef and some potatoes..Over the weekend at Barnes and Nobles I came across a vegan cooking book and found vegeterian shepherd's pie recipe and it was so simple, I thought I did give it a try...I googled the recipe next day and found several versions, I made a variation of my own and it turned out yummy....It all healthy and nutritious too...
You will need the following:
5-7 slices of french bread
Mixed lentils(tuver, masoor, chana, split green peas) about 1.5 cups soaked for about 3-4 hours
Potatoes(Idaho variety works good so does russell)-about 5-6
Tomatoes-3-4 (cut them into about 1/4 x 1/4 cubes or even smaller is fine)
Red Onions-1 or 1.5(cut them into about 1/4 x 1/4 cubes or even smaller)
Green, Red and Yellow Capsicum(bell pepper), (cut them into about 1/4 x 1/4 cubes or even smaller)
Garlic 3-4 cloves or more if u like
Fat free sour cream about 3 tbsp
cheese- 1/4 cup or more if you like
coriander- as much as you like
wheat or cornflour- 4 tbsp
garam masala-1 tbsp
ginger
turmeric powder, chilly powder, dhania powder and salt
Soak the dals together and then boil them in an open pot till it thickens and most of the water has vanished...
Make dal fry style dal with it...My recipes is take oil, fry finely chopped garlic and ginger, mix in the onions(leave about 1/4 for potatoes mixture), and all the three capsicums(leave about 1/4 for the potatoes mixture) and saute till onions turn brown..add the flour and let it will with the veggies..after a paste is formed, saute in the tomatoes(leave about 1/4 of them for the potatoes mixture). Add the dal to the pan. Let it mix for sometime, add garam masala, salt, turmeric, chilly(you can use fresh green chilles too) and dhania powder. let it boil and thicken into a paste.
Add coriander if you like to the paste
In the meantime, boil the potatoes and mash them after removing the skin..add cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, some olive oil if you like and the remaining onions, capsicum and mix well..
Heat the oven around 300, in a baking pan, spray with cooking canola or olive oil. spread the french toast at the bottom, spread the dal mixture on it and top with a layer of the potato mixture. You can sprinkle bread croutons powder or fried onions at the top if you like. Let it bake for atleast 20-25 minutes...
The potatoes layer at the top will turn slight brown.........
You are ready to eat now...Yummy..
When I read the recipes, most of the people said they wished they had made more to be eaten as a leftover and I think I wish the same..It was so yummy we finished most of it that night...:)
If you guys are aware of dhanshaaaaak, it is similar to that with addition of toast on the bottom and potatoes at the top.....
Pasta Salad:
This is one of my and Priyanka's favorite italian/meditterean dish and now some of our friends too...It is very simple to make and different variations are possible and everytime it turns out just as delicious...
You could use penne pasta, or tri color rotini or shell pasta or combination of three. Cook pasta as usual, I normally take a big pot of boiling water and add pasta, salt and little bit oil to it. Do not overcook the pasta, otherwise they would taste sticky...After boiling for about 8-10 minutes depending on the amount of pasta(check the cooking time on the box), drain the pasta and add about 2-3 tbsp of olive oil(My favorite is bertoullis so far). Add garlic salt and crushed black peper, and some cut basil(I love fresh basil for all my italian dishes). Mix the pasta and let it refrigerate(half hour to one hour is sufficient). In the meantime, cut long thing stripes of about 2 tomatoes, 3/4 red onion, 1/2 red capsicum(bell pepper), 1/2 yellow capsicum(bell pepper) and 1/2 green capsicum(green pepper), 1/2 cucumber if you like. Mix all these with the refrigerated pasta. Add about 5-6 tbsp of fat free feta cheese with mediterrean herbs. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and some lemon as per taste. Add about 10-12 (or more if you like) ripe pitted olives. Mix well..You can garnish it with more basil and some coriander.
Some variations can be adding salad dressings( my favorites are fat free italian, fat free ranch, french onion) or adding jalapenoes, fried onions etc.
Caprese Salad:
This italian recipe if another of our favorites.
You need fresh mozzarella cheese, baby or roma tomatoes and basil.
You can drain the mozzarella cheese out of the box and cut it into about 1/4" thick round slices. Cut the tomatoes into same size if using Roma tomatoes other cut the baby tomatoes into half...
On a plate arrange the cheese and tomatoes alternatively in a circle....
Cut about 10-12 basil leaves and spread on the plate....Sprinkle about 3 tbsp oliveoil, garlic salt mix, salt and pepper and little bit of lemon juice.
Vegeterian Shepherd's Pie:
I had never heard of Shepherd's pie till we visited "The Londoner" for one of our friday lunches from work...About 50% of my colleagues had ordered that dish...It was beef and some potatoes..Over the weekend at Barnes and Nobles I came across a vegan cooking book and found vegeterian shepherd's pie recipe and it was so simple, I thought I did give it a try...I googled the recipe next day and found several versions, I made a variation of my own and it turned out yummy....It all healthy and nutritious too...
You will need the following:
5-7 slices of french bread
Mixed lentils(tuver, masoor, chana, split green peas) about 1.5 cups soaked for about 3-4 hours
Potatoes(Idaho variety works good so does russell)-about 5-6
Tomatoes-3-4 (cut them into about 1/4 x 1/4 cubes or even smaller is fine)
Red Onions-1 or 1.5(cut them into about 1/4 x 1/4 cubes or even smaller)
Green, Red and Yellow Capsicum(bell pepper), (cut them into about 1/4 x 1/4 cubes or even smaller)
Garlic 3-4 cloves or more if u like
Fat free sour cream about 3 tbsp
cheese- 1/4 cup or more if you like
coriander- as much as you like
wheat or cornflour- 4 tbsp
garam masala-1 tbsp
ginger
turmeric powder, chilly powder, dhania powder and salt
Soak the dals together and then boil them in an open pot till it thickens and most of the water has vanished...
Make dal fry style dal with it...My recipes is take oil, fry finely chopped garlic and ginger, mix in the onions(leave about 1/4 for potatoes mixture), and all the three capsicums(leave about 1/4 for the potatoes mixture) and saute till onions turn brown..add the flour and let it will with the veggies..after a paste is formed, saute in the tomatoes(leave about 1/4 of them for the potatoes mixture). Add the dal to the pan. Let it mix for sometime, add garam masala, salt, turmeric, chilly(you can use fresh green chilles too) and dhania powder. let it boil and thicken into a paste.
Add coriander if you like to the paste
In the meantime, boil the potatoes and mash them after removing the skin..add cheese, sour cream, salt, pepper, some olive oil if you like and the remaining onions, capsicum and mix well..
Heat the oven around 300, in a baking pan, spray with cooking canola or olive oil. spread the french toast at the bottom, spread the dal mixture on it and top with a layer of the potato mixture. You can sprinkle bread croutons powder or fried onions at the top if you like. Let it bake for atleast 20-25 minutes...
The potatoes layer at the top will turn slight brown.........
You are ready to eat now...Yummy..
When I read the recipes, most of the people said they wished they had made more to be eaten as a leftover and I think I wish the same..It was so yummy we finished most of it that night...:)
If you guys are aware of dhanshaaaaak, it is similar to that with addition of toast on the bottom and potatoes at the top.....
Monday, July 6, 2009
Now lets help someone else for a change....
I have been thinking about writing for this for a while now. Finally I got the moment to put down my thoughts...
I want to send this message specially to people like me, who have already graduated from school( yeah thats wat they call here, even if u do your masters, it is still called that you are going to school...;)) and are working currently...I think we have had enough months to earn money and save a little bit for a good cause.....There are two things I absolutely love doing....
KIVA
According to its website..Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.
I love this concept...Basically you register at the site and then you find people you are interested in loaning money to..You can look people up by the country, or the work they do or the amount of loan needed or the repayment terms. They are basically enterpreneurs in underdeveloped countries, who cannot apply for loans from the government..You basically loan to them and they repay your loan back...There is very little chance of delinquency, so in most cases you get your money back, depending on the repayment term the enterpreneur has...With the money you get back, you can either lend it to someone else or even withdraw it....I loved this concept and have been a fan of KIVA since last few months...I encourage all of you who are capable to spare few hundred dollars to visit their site at http://www.kiva.org and start lending....You can start with as little as $25....
Humane Society of the United States
According to their website....The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest and most effective animal protection organization—backed by 11 million Americans, or one in every 28
Their mission is Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty...
I initially joined them when someone sent me an email regarding the cruel treatment of animals and below was the website to sign the petition...I have been excited for the work they do ever since. Recently they had worked to prevent the killing of seal babies in canada...There are couple of things you can do here..You can sometimes donate some amount, can start with as little as $5, at other times, you can help by signing the petition or sending letters to your US representative( Don't worry you don't have to write actual letter, there is a written letter, you just need to sign in with your name) to take actions against the cruelty of animals....Whether you are vegeterian or a non vegeterian, I am sure you would not prefer the cruel treatment of animals...If you are interested let me know and I can forward you some of the emails from Humane Society......
http://www.hsus.org/about_us/
Together we can acheive peace and happiness in this world..........
I want to send this message specially to people like me, who have already graduated from school( yeah thats wat they call here, even if u do your masters, it is still called that you are going to school...;)) and are working currently...I think we have had enough months to earn money and save a little bit for a good cause.....There are two things I absolutely love doing....
KIVA
According to its website..Kiva is the world's first person-to-person micro-lending website, empowering individuals to lend directly to unique entrepreneurs around the globe.
I love this concept...Basically you register at the site and then you find people you are interested in loaning money to..You can look people up by the country, or the work they do or the amount of loan needed or the repayment terms. They are basically enterpreneurs in underdeveloped countries, who cannot apply for loans from the government..You basically loan to them and they repay your loan back...There is very little chance of delinquency, so in most cases you get your money back, depending on the repayment term the enterpreneur has...With the money you get back, you can either lend it to someone else or even withdraw it....I loved this concept and have been a fan of KIVA since last few months...I encourage all of you who are capable to spare few hundred dollars to visit their site at http://www.kiva.org and start lending....You can start with as little as $25....
Humane Society of the United States
According to their website....The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest and most effective animal protection organization—backed by 11 million Americans, or one in every 28
Their mission is Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty...
I initially joined them when someone sent me an email regarding the cruel treatment of animals and below was the website to sign the petition...I have been excited for the work they do ever since. Recently they had worked to prevent the killing of seal babies in canada...There are couple of things you can do here..You can sometimes donate some amount, can start with as little as $5, at other times, you can help by signing the petition or sending letters to your US representative( Don't worry you don't have to write actual letter, there is a written letter, you just need to sign in with your name) to take actions against the cruelty of animals....Whether you are vegeterian or a non vegeterian, I am sure you would not prefer the cruel treatment of animals...If you are interested let me know and I can forward you some of the emails from Humane Society......
http://www.hsus.org/about_us/
Together we can acheive peace and happiness in this world..........
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