Sick as a dog...and comfort for me is...

I wonder why it has to be "sick as a dog"...not a cat, rat, parrot or a chimpanzee...actually wait a minute, given "J's" close encounters of the parasital kinds in Feb and all the TLC we have given to get that sick ol' guy back on his 4 feet...maybe it kinda sorta makes sense. In this case the "sick as a dog" describes me (and A - my visiting brother). Here's what happened..."B" was down from India...partied much (or that's my version and I stand by it) passed the virus something to A that he oh! so lovingly just had to share with his beloved sister "M" (yes me...the resulting BAM! is still resounding in the back aches, the coughs and the voice lost and the ever-friendly viral fever...not really willing to leave for good)...
Work load hasn't eased up and I really don't expect it to ease up oh! for at least the next 12 months...joys of working on a 1.0 release and all that ( reality is I love it and wouldn't have it anyother way...) but this darn viral flu thingie is pulling me down...I am shuffling like an old hag, haven't cooked till today (don't ask me how we survived Subway, some unappetizing one-pot rice thing I called Khichidi, Panda Express, Trader Joes, Whole Foods and one good meal cooked by A when he was feeling a little better....joys of having a spouse who REALLY can't cook). Anyway, I was ready for a comfort meal today (and it ain't happening in my kitchen without me moving....), so I made something simple in 20 minutes...it may be frowned on by ANDI for the lack of so-called immunity building stuff....BUT I savored every bite of it...so go figure !!!

Here's what I did :

1. Boiled a pound of white potatoes+ 2 cups of rice in a pressure cooker (if you have a super big PC, great you can do both together at one go) - 5 minutes
2. Squeeze 2 big Meyer Lemons
3. Peel the white potatoes and cube
4. Keep the following things on hand : Raw Peanuts, Curry Leaves (fresh)
5. For Tadka : Hing, Mustard, Urad Dal
6. Salt to taste

In the wok (and I used just one) :-

For the potatoes :

1. Add Oil, about 1 tablespoon (try using a neutal one)
2. Add hing when the oil is hot and then add the mustard and urad dal. When the tadka is dancing in the wok, then hit it with the curry leaves followed by 1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric and 1/2 teaspoon of Red Chili Powder (reduce it if you have a wimpy spice tolerance level )
3. Add the potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes  or till potatoes go crispy on the edge like in the picture
4. Salt to taste

For the Lemon Rice :

1. Add Oil, about 1 tablespoon (try using a neutal one)
2. Add hing when the oil is hot and then add the mustard and urad dal. When the tadka is dancing in the wok, then hit it with the curry leaves followed by 1/2 teaspoon of Turmeric and the raw peanuts
3. When the peanuts are cooked through, add in the lemon juice
4. Add in the rice
5. Salt to taste

Dinner was done in 20 minutes....truth be told it exhausted me but my stomach thanks me now. Comfort for me right now is the warmth of my bed on this cold day...a simple yet fulfilling meal...a hug shared with my son....a conversation with loved ones...

Comfort for me...something I keep running back to time and again is this book A had got almost 30 years back in school...which I have kept...it is a "shloka" book. Every time I need to quiet the mind or bring it some comfort, I pick it up and read it and I find comfort...it has along with prayers, this treasury of sayings and I share one with you -

What is defeat? Nothing but education, nothing but the first step to something better...

This blog post goes to Kirthi's Kitchen for her event Serve it - Stir Fried -- an event ideated by Denny who aptly says "We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospection" and to Sravani for her event : Vegan Diet

Week in retrospect...

"Rain Rain Go to Spain, do not show your face again,

Little K2 wants to play...Rain Rain go away..."

That has been my mantra as I get up in the morning and walk J in the drizzling rain and bitter cold at 6.45 AM in the morning...a person who had left chai for about 3 years is gravitating back to the addictive pull of hot instant cardamom tea (yes it is instant, don't judge me I don't have the time or inclination to make a desi cuppa in the morning)...not for the caffeine but for the warmth...some days it is a hot cup of horlicks...but this rain is making me do the most unusual things. Here is a picture of J peering inquisitively into the phone lens (at 7.00 AM in the morning)

The commute now is non-existent...K2's school - 3 minutes from home and work - 3 minutes from K2's school...some kind of bliss this is...here is a picture of  a cloudy, foggy morning taken impulsively on my phone...reminds me of an old hindi movie "woh kaun thi"

Amidst the rush to drop K2 in school, lunches, dinners, laundry and homework...K2 and A (my brother) created a masterpiece...a "leprechaun trap" for his school project...observe the artists at work with the shamrock coin,glitter glue and the green candy taped on the entrance of the trap to entice him...

Spontaneous tulips from A for no reason at all (the last flowers he gave me were 6 years back) brighten my table on a rainy day

Yesterday, I had a vivid dream of one of my summers in Balasore, then a little town in Orissa...I saw my great grandfather and for some reason this picture popped up while I was doing a search on something totally unrelated...a picture from almost 2 decades ago...my great grandpa is the one whose face I am holding and asking to smile for the camera ( yes..yes...ignore the long hair...that is also a thing of the past...see that nerd pointing, that is my bro A and of course Jhumri). But for me the memory was sweet and sharp...he was 98 in the picture and lived over 100 and was a sweet man...I remember him sitting on the verandah preparing his paan.

Saturday morning was not so relaxed...I was glued to the computer working but A made me some amazing breakfast and K1 is back from travels, so I am happy and content. Meeting R& M for dinner...just had R ring up and shout at me for not leaving...we were supposed to be there @ 7.30 pm....darn it !!!
How is your weekend turning out?

Getting to Zero (Debt)

 I am writing this blog post despite our disagreement (my husband and mine) that this is private because of all the commotion on debt - the mortgage debt, the car payment debts, the credit card debts and god knows what else...frankly every which way you look you get charged for something or the other...do you really let the debt take charge of your life or do you want to live life a free person. How true is the saying - Debt is the slavery of the free!!!
I choose to live my life free and if it means disciplining myself to wield my common sense, will power and power of judgement to the choices I make in life so be it...here are some of the things that worked for us :

1. Keep on top of your expenses : If you follow your spending, you have a good idea of what your budget needs to be...I have key categories and usually stick to the budget I set for myself every month
2.  Accountability : One person needs to take accountability for the home finances - monthly payments, insurance payments, miscellaneous payments, taxes (income and property), DMV. Yes, it is a daunting list but very manageable with a little bit of organization
3.  Be Aware and downsize where appropriate : Be aware of the prices you pay for things -- it is pain free, convenient and economical to order things online (think Amazon). In 2010, I gave up the Comcast Triple Play and moved to individual services for phone, Internet and cable and saved roughly $100 a month ( $1200/year). We had an SUV which was barely giving us 10 miles/gallon and we downsized to a sedan which was diesel, giving us almost 30 miles/gallon and it is K1's dream drive.
4. Cut out the frills, don't be afraid to use coupons and shop sales: For health, we shop in the farmer's market ( surprisingly cheaper than buying produce at Safeway, TJ's or Whole Foods), we pack lunch for all the three of us at least 4 days a week...we don't really invest a whole lot of time cooking but try and make easy, quick and healthy meals that work for us. I proudly proclaim that I shop Sale, I use coupons and am not brand loyal - just ingredient loyal...in my mind Oats is Oats whether it's Quaker,  Oats from Bob Mills or the bulk section @ my local grocer.Coldwater Creek, Jones New York and Ann Taylor have amazing deals about 2-3 times a year and I make sure I order my clothes online then (it saves me time and serious moolah ). I go to Costco about twice a month for all my cleaning stuff, vitamins and all my nuts. I am a focused buyer -- usually have a list and stick to it.
5.  Save Wisely: I was a little stupid when it came to starting a retirement account, what motivated me to start one was a 1:1 match by my company. Now I save fiercely ...I maximize on my 401K, put money aside for my child's college fund and investigate other opportunities to save. I use my credit card like a charge card, paying off the entire balance diligently every month.
6. Ask yourself the question do I really need this : It is so easy to get into the vicious cycle - to earn, spend, want more and spend more -- clutter your house with art, little thingies and clutter your mind. Our house is minimalistic - we have reduced our buys to essentials . With things that we don't need or have out grown ( and you have some of those when you have children) - we actively solicit friends to take them, we sell things on craigs list or we donate to salvation army. We have an empty and sort of organized garage. My pantry is the one area which is work in progress -- I do tend to buy more food than we need but have been able to keep waste down to minimal.
7. Be Happy and let your hair down : We don't count the pennies. We splurge where it makes sense - zoo subscriptions, theater, movies, activities, dinners, vacations. Yet more often than not happiness for me is a walk down the bay with family checking out the pelicans flying away gracefully, or the seal bobbing up and down in the water sunning or a heart pounding "bollyburn" class in the gym. I have realized that material/money is a mean to an end...not the end and it certainly does not make me  happy.

I think living with or without debt is a personal choice -- what makes sense to me might be total nonsense to you....in the end it is about doing what makes you happy. What makes me happy today is remembering the wonderful Chenna Poda, I had made almost a year back...it is a typical east meets west kind of a recipe...if you want to make this wonderful creamy Indian Cheese Cake, the recipe is here

This recipe goes to Anjali's event - Cakes, Cookies and Desserts @ Sugar and Spice Tales.

 How has the weekend been treating you?

The Amrikan from Pune...three dozen eggs

The weekend was a lazy quiet one...I ate in, practiced yoga, hung out with friends (thanks GG, AG),watched mindless TV, spent time with K1 and K2 and  caught up on reading. A, my phirang brother is down from Pune (his ameriki accent is as pronounced as my desi one :) ) and in typical foodie style we celebrated his arrival in the US with a quasi elaborate meal. My fridge is choked with sweets from Chitale Bandhu - thanks to my MIL my son will get lunch boxes with his beloved "sweet paratha" (puran poli)
I have to confess I am one of those secret food voyeur's who just loves seeing the recipe pictures and imagining how the food would taste. In reality I cook quick...recipes literally popping into my head while I cook with no sense of proportion just random instinct. Today was no different, I was at Mollie Stone's - the local store and there was some really fresh, organic chicken kheema (mince) that I picked up, fresh mint, sheep's feta, 2 dozen eggs from Emma's Comfort Coop and various other instinctive buys. When I got home -- I was tired wanting to take it easy for the next two days...yet when I walked J around the bay there was a new burst of energy, something  made me get out the huge saute pan and start cooking the chicken and the pudina pulao (thanks to A, my assistant chef)...no recipes today...just a spontaneous  picture K2 made me take with my phone ( did I tell you he has a loose tooth now...)

One thing that was striking is that adaptability is a "state of the mind" and this applies both in the work place and in the kitchen. No one told me that pulao was the way to go with the over-priced pudina (mint) that I had picked up -- in fact, I have never made pulao. I made a couple assumptions and went with my gut; I have tried to do the same at work - based decisions on instinct and experience. The Amrikan from Pune and the Punekar in Amrika, both enjoyed the meal...now I need to figure out what I can do with 3 dozen eggs ( the 1 dozen I picked up yesterday from the farmer's market and the 2 dozen today...) -- scrambled, sunny side up, boiled or unda curry anyone?

Tentative Parenting : The Other End of the Leash

It is close to 1.00 AM...I should be sleeping...I really should...however, staring at market statistics and reports on some things unfamiliar has been exhilarating and at the same time exhausting. Yesterday, was a holiday - K2  had ski break and yet we had signed him up for camp at school, so I got time to catch up on other parenting duties. You see -- I mostly write about the child I gave birth to 5 years back, most of the time forgetting the child (not human) that I had adopted at 2 months,12+ years back...this black, cuddly puppy who grew into the sweetest,possessive loving, precocious precious dog....J. In fact K1 in a particularly contentious mood is known to comment : All I got out of this marriage is the damn dog, which I have to walk and feed and take care of ( Yeah Right! But I gotta give it to him, that I slowly transitioned to bystander and K1 into the primary caregiver for J when K2 was born...)
Do I feel guilty about it? Yes, sometimes!
Can I live with it? Absolutely!
I won't make excuses, but life is kinda sorta full for me right now: a full time job, a full time toddler, add to it the incessant 101 commute( 2 hours if you please!)  and countless errands that life throws my way...
Take my day Sunday :  I wake up hazy due to the multiple cold/cough reducing medications I am on, not feeling particularly my best (add to it a toddler who insists on sleeping on my back = sore back), a sick dog who is crapping n number of times in the garage...life ain't looking all that bright. J is getting old....90% deaf, 40% blind, I see the effort it takes him to go about his daily routine and sometimes the thought crosses my mind...when will it be the time to call it quits....and then I call myself all sort of mean names and deflect the noises in my head
Monday : I spent half the day on the computer working, 2 hours in the vet taking J through a battery of tests (blood, urine and ahem! everything else)...you can't imagine how stupid I looked (and felt) with a test tube stuck behind J's behind in the parking lot at the hospital...I just pretended the world didn't exist !!!

Anyway yesterday, while I was going through this mental boxing match, I read a beautiful poem by poet unknown that grabbed my heart and held on to it :

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. 
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. 
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. 
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. 
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. 

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. 
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. 

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. 

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... 

The good news is J is alright...he is begging for meds (his vitamins, his antibiotics, heck even the LIV 52 that I started to give him to strengthen his liver) like they are treats...he is enjoying his long walks without laying down on the ground and groaning like something hurts real bad...he has some minor issues (apart from the biggie : Old Age) and we are working through those...

Sorry this blog hasn't been about food this post - I haven't thought of food much this week...yesterday was  Maha Shivaratri and I fasted much the same like last year...made Payesh which was gobbled up by both the K's. It feels like it should be weekend already....how have you been this past week?

Love Bytes : Lessons, Learnings and Tribulations

I always hug K2 before school  and tell him - I love you! and he tells me - Love you too Ma!

Sometimes I wonder if we understand the depth of feelings and emotions a mother feels when she says those words to her offspring...a yoga teacher Nicole once said Love is about Kindness, Respect and Empathy...and to learn how to love others we need to learn to love ourselves. I find the negatives in myself first vs. the positives...maybe it is the Indian way of socialization, but slowly I have started reversing that cycle and the focus is on the positives. Nicole gave us a homework : jot down one thing that you love about yourself daily.

Today, I love the fact that I care enough to want to feed my son a healthy, local and a balanced meal. To some mothers who are kitchen goddesses this may be something very basic and rudimentary...however for a woman who learnt to cook just a dozen years back, this is a journey in experiments - some huge successes others abysmal failures...so to K2, who brings out the creative chef in me - I dedicate this  recipe that I call : Peas of Mind Pizza

You need for the pizza dough :

1. 1 1/2  Cups Sprouted Organic Whole Grain, Stone Ground Wheat Flour (Arrowhead Mills)
2. 1 packet yeast ( I used the fast rising yeast packet from Trader Joe's)
3. 1 Cup homemade Pasta Sauce (recipe here)
4. 2 tbsps Local Honey
5. 2 tbsp EVOO
6. 1/2 Cup Ragi (don't know what it is, then Read here...don't want to use it, no worries, go with the wheat flour)

I used the Pizza Dough cycle on my bread maker (Cuisine Art) and let the dough rest two hours. Take out the proofed up dough, Flour and knead...roll the dough out. I cut the dough into heart and round shapes using cookie cutters.I par baked on 450 degrees F for about 7 minutes and then froze the pizza base.

To Assemble :

1. 1 cup pasta sauce ( recipe above)
2. Mix of Mozzarella and Sharp Cheddar
3. Shredded Carrots, Mushrooms or Salami  if you so desire

Assemble on the pizza tray and broil in the oven or toaster oven till done.

My pasta/pizza sauce really do double/triple duty as  pasta sauce, instead of water  I use this pasta sauce in my pizza dough (thanks to this company for teaching me how) and as the pizza sauce...when I am lost for ideas I will add a little bit of vegetable/chicken stock and heat up the sauce and give it to K2 with a slice of toast ( think soup). K2's dinner tonight was the pizza with a Beckmanns Cookie from the Farmer's Market : Almond Orange Sunrise and a Go-Gurt.

In our Zumba class today, the teacher ended the class with a favorite song of mine by Whitney Houston (RIP you poor soul !!!)

Hope your Valentine's Day is Healthy and Happy and love brings with it kindness, respect and empathy into your lives...

Daffodils and New Beginnings

My son grew a Daffodil from scratch...I remember the day he got home an ugly pot with nothing in it and insisted on keeping it in front of the house, he would run out every day and check his plant...see the end product...

I read Wordsworth's poem to K2  today and we are left with a  vision of  the pretty daffodils defiantly dancing in the cold and the rain:

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:

I gazed--and gazed--but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils. 

Dinner was a healthy salad with Farro (Cooked) with veggies sauteed in EVOO and tonnes of garlic....use whatever veggies you like : I used Broccoli, Mushrooms, Brussel Sprouts, Zucchini...it was light and yet quite filling. I topped it with sun-dried tomatoes and shaved pecorino. I think the key is I used seasonal vegetable from my farmer's market. One little step we can take towards sustainability and good health is eating local and eating seasonally...

This dish goes out to Recipe Junction where Indrani is hosting a Spotlight on Winter Vegetables

Done anything good for your health this week?