Pizza Base

 Have made pizza 100s of times at home..but off course always buyed pizza base from shops,wanted to learn making pizza base so heres my first attempt,turned out to be really good.I always enjoyed baking cakes and cookies..but now this is something much more fun.made a simple cheese pizza with sauce and pepper on it :)

Heres the recipe-

Ingredients 

• All purpose flour/Maida - 1 & 1/2 cups
• Active dry yeast - 1 tbsp
• Milk - 1/4 cup
• Water - 1/4 cup
• Sugar - 1/2 tblsp
• Salt - 3/4 tsp
• Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Method:

1.Boil the water first in and keep aside. the temp should not be very high or it kills yeast.it should be just a bit warm.Now add milk, oil, sugar, to boiled water and mix well till sugar dissolves. Now add yeast to the milk oil solution.

2.Mix a bit and keep aside for 15 mins . After sometime you can see the yeast completely dissolved.add flour.


3.After adding the flour, gather to get a smooth pilable dough. No need to knead completely just bring it together that is enough.Keep covered with a wet cloth till an hour or 2, preferably in a warm place for best results.i kept it in microwave.

4.When u check after an hr, the dough would have been raised .Now again punch it down incase for any air bubbles and then keep aside.

5.Grease a baking tray with aluminium foil . Keep the dough on the tray, Now roll the dough a little thick as 1 to 1.5 inches .

6.Preheat the oven for 190 degree Celsius(convention mode) and bake for 12- 15 mins,after it raises a bit.


7.now take the base out..i w ill seem soft..now add cheese . can add diff toppings i just made simple cheese one.as i was in mood to hav just cheese :)


8.Bake on convention mode for more 12-15 mins.check in between as its turns a bit golden brown.
i ts done.spread sauce and pepper.and Enjoy :)

Buns

 Wanted to learn making bun so googled a bit and saw some recipes at blogs.,and thought to make plain bun then wil try making cheese buns and loafs..

Ingredients: 

  Maida/APF - 1 & 1/2cup 

  Active dry yeast - 1 tsp 

  Sugar - 1/2 tsp 

  Salt - 1 tsp 

   Butter-melted-1 tsp 

  Oil-1 tsp 

  Warm water(temp should be between 105-109)-1cup   

  Milk as required.

Method :

1. Sprinkle dry yeast in warm water along with sugar. sugar acts as food for yeast.Keep aside undisturbed for 30mins. If you check after 30mins the frothy layer on top will be seen. 
2. In a bowl take maida add 1/2 tsp salt to it. 
3. Add the frothy yeast water little by little and Knead it to a soft pliable dough. Keep the dough undisturbed for 2hrs near a warm place covered with a slightly wet muslin cloth 
4. After 2 hours, the dough must have doubled in size, punch it once to removed the trapped air. Gently knead it again
5. divide dough in small balls and brush it with milk or butter.
6. Place the balls on the tray with silver foil/butter paper.Leave it near a warm place for another 30mins to raise a bit.
7. Preheat the oven for 10mins at 200 deg C, place the tray in the oven and bake it for about 35-40 mins.Check if its golden browned then apply remaining melted butter on top before serving.

Advice to women

  Advice to Women by Eunice de souza..

Read this poem when was studying in College.

Eunice deSouza is one of India's modern poets.Her wit and colloquial,direct style that capture the tragi-comic

of routine mark a peculiar contribution of women Indian poets in English. .. 

A Roman Catholic Goan brought up in Pune.Eunice de Souza use to be Head of  the 

Department of English in St Xavier's College, Mumbai.She is now retired. 

She is a poet, novelist, and editor of many anthologies .Heres the poem..

Advice to Women

Keep cats
 if you want to learn to cope with
 the otherness of lovers.
 Otherness is not always neglect --
 Cats return to their litter trays
 when they need to.
 Don't cuss out of the window
 at their enemies.
 That stare of perpetual surprise
 in those great green eyes
 will teach you
 to die alone.

Eunice compares a cat's haughtily indifferent attitude towards life, the universe and everything to what a woman's reaction must be when ignored or may be jilted or may be due to differences with a lover.She calls upon Women to tolerate the otherness of lover and have patience for their return.

I like the way it cloaks bitter sorrow and anger with light hearted banter about a cat .

Chocolate Cake

Its my Ma's Birthday :)..so made chocolate cake with lot of icing for her :)..turned out to be too Yum..satisfying the midnight crave for sweet.And all of us just loved it...have been making chocolate cake ,since when was just 16.I learnt this Chocolate cake Recipe at a Summer Camp i went when was in school.great memories of that camp and the fun I had there.and i never forgot this chocolate cake recipe i learnt there.Will be posting recipe soon.

Kadai Paneer

Today  I thought to make something new of paneer,saw this recipe of Kadai Paneer,turned our to be nice.heres the recipe.

Ingredients:

• Paneer - 1 packet cubed
• Capsicum - 1 chopped
• Onion - 1 chopped finely
• Jeera - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - a pinch
• Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
• Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp
• Kasuri methi / dried fenugreek leaves - 1 tbsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Red Chillies - 1
• Salt to taste

For grinding:

• Tomatoes - 2
• Coriander seeds - 1.5 tsp
• Red Chillies - 1

Method:

1. Dry roast coriander seeds and red chillies one by one seperately and grind it with tomato to a fine paste.
2. Heat half a tsp of oil, add cubed paneer and toast it for 2mins. Dont let it brown then transfer the toasted paneer in hot water for 5mins, drain and keep aside
3. Heat remaining oil in a kadai, add jeera allow it to crackle then add red chillies and fry for a minute. Add onions, ginger garlic paste and saute till raw smell leaves and onions turn slightly browned.
4. Then add the ground tomato paste and fry for 3-4mins till raw smell leaves. Sprinkle little water if its very thick. Then add the chilli, turmeric and garam masala powder, mix well and fry for few mins.
5. Next add the capsicum and saute till its cooked but retain its crunchiness dont let it become soft.
6. Add kasoori methi and salt to taste. Finally add the cubed paneer and mix gently until well combined. Simmer for 3 mins so that the paneer get nicely blended with the gravy. Switch off ,  serve hot with rotis/chapatis.

BreadTalk

Its Raining in November.and its getting more cold,weather is beautiful.was looking at old pics and saw this one,its making me hungry for obvious reason(my love for Bread).;).its of Breadtalk, Mumbai. Breadtalk is an international bakery brand based in Singapore ,has outlets in many countries,has exclusive and delicious Cakes,Bread.so heres some preview from one of my visit to Breadtalk,its outlets are mostly at malls.

 

And heres the website to see more varieties  .:)

 

http://www.breadtalkindia.com/html/breads.htm 

 

 

Great Buffet and some fast food.

Surya Palace,Vadodara,Gujarat,great buffet i had in this hotel.though i ddn click pics of main course and many other things,was too busy eating :),heres some preview.

 Mayonnaise Roll and wada pav..of a wada pav chain ..Chatakas .

Moist Chocolate Cake

 Have made chocolate cake too many times..but whats diff about this cake is it has no butter,no milk,no eggs.  :)

Read about this Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe on a site.firstly i thought how it will be,cake without butter.but it turned out to be great.. also My parents loved it :),It turned out to b much softer then the regular chocolate cake.

Heres the Recipe..

Dry Ingredients:

• White flour - 1 cup
• Cocoa powder - 2 tbsp
• Baking soda - a pinch
• Baking powder - 1 tsp
• Salt - 1/4 tsp

Wet Ingredients

• Water - 1 cup
• Sugar - 3/4 cup
• Vanilla essence - 1/2 tea spn
• Lemon juice / Vinegar - 1 tsp (I used lemon juice)
• Oil - 1/4 cup

Method:

1. Mix wet ingredients till sugar completely dissolves, keep aside.
2. Make sure to sift together the dry ingredients. Also the baking soda and powder needs to evenly spread out.
3. Now add the dry ingredients slowly little by little to the wet ingredients and stir slowly in one direction. Make sure no lumps are formed in the mixture.
4. Pre-Heat the Microwave at convention mode.then set 180 deg c at the same.and grease the cake pan with few drops of oil.
5. Pour the mix on to the greased pan and bake it for 35-40 mins . Check if a fork inserted comes out clean.Allow it to cool,refrigerate it and serve cold.

Mystery of Love

Mystery of love by David gray..

 Few lines i like from the song..

A tangle of tongues

Flesh flowers and thistles

Of conscience, spittle and skin

We can't change the past

So we'll raise this cup to our lips

And drink it all in

And meantime back in civilisation

The rain is cold as steel

But the mystery of love

It just keep growing

The more my heart reveals

As sure as the rose

The bright day blooms

As surely still it fades

And the night kindles stars

On empty winds

And ghosts along the colonnades

And slow but sure

The sands are falling

As the bridge burns

Beneath the wheel

And the mystery of love

It just keeps growing

The more my heart reveals

The more my heart reveals..

The Canonization

The Canonization” is one of Donne’s most famous and most written-about poems. While reading i also felt that the poet is trying to let us believe that love is something holy, so he is using the poem as a hymn to worship love by later generations.Donne  is known for his language and versification. His style and the superior tone of this poem is highly revolutionary and he proves to be very successful in making the original whole of expression of love in the way how it should be!

The canonization celebrates the realization  of ultimate bliss through love.It was written around 1633.

Donne doesn't wants anyone to disturb him and just to let him love his lover.as his love is not doing any harm to others.

  Here's the poem..

For God sake hold your tongue! and let me love,

Or chide my palsy, or my gout,

My five grey haires, or ruined fortune flout;

With wealth your state, your minde with arts, improve;

Take you a course, get you a place,

Observe his honour, or his grace,

Or the King's real, or his stamped face

Contemplate: what you will, approve,

So you will let me love.

 “For God’s sake hold your tongue, and let me love”, Donne distances  love from worldly affairs and earthly power. He dismisses whomever the exclamation is directed to, instructing them to concentrate of criticizing his physical flaws, or he tells them  to go and make a career by cultivating a nobleman or Bishop, visiting the King’s court, or making money.
He does not care what the addressee says or does, as long as he lets him love.

 

Alas, ala, who's injured by my love?

What merchant's ships have my sighs drowned?

Who says my tears have overflowed his ground?

When did my colds a forward spring remove?

When did the heats which my veins fill

Add one more to the plague bill?

Soldiers find wars, and lawyers find out still
Litigious men, which quarrels move,

Though she and I do love.

He says noone is injured by his love,its not doing any harm to anyone. his sighs have not drowned ships, his tears have not flooded land, his colds have not chilled spring, and the heat of his veins has not added to the list of those killed by the plague. Soldiers still find wars and lawyers still find litigious men, regardless of the emotions of him and his lover.

Call us what you will, we are made such by love;

Call her one, me another fly;

We're tapers too, and at our own cost die;

And we in us find th' eagle and the dove.

The phoenix riddle hath more wit

By us, we two being one, are it.

So to one neutral thing both sexes fit:

We die and rise the same, and prove

Mysterious by his love

These are my fav lines in the poem.

.

He says that the addressee can “Call her one, me another fly,” and that they are also like candles (“tapers”), which burn by feeding upon their own selves . In each other, the lovers find the eagle and the dove,  just as the phoenix does,they die and rise..Alike the phoenix, they burn themselves to be consumed by the power of love and are regenerated.

he eagle can be seen as strong and masculine and the dove peaceful and feminine. 

The 'one neutral thing' is love, which exists in a such a way that it fits both the man and the woman. 

"By us; we two being one, are it." By this he means their love has brought them together, to a point where they are no longer two people, but they are one, and he goes on to talk about how, because they are one, they are no longer separated by the differences of the sexes, and this mysterious occurrence can only further prove that what they have is true love.

And if unfit for tombs and hearse

Our legend be, it will be fit for verse;

And if no piece of chronicle we prove,

We'll build in sonnets pretty rooms;

As well a well-wrought urne becomes

The greatest ashes, as half-acre tombs;

And by these hymns all shall approve

Us canonized for Love:

And thus invoke us: "You whom reverend love

Made one another's hermitage;

You to whom love was peace, that now is rage;

Who did the whole world's soul contract, and drove

Into the glasses of your eyes

(So made such mirrors, and such spies,

That they did all to you epitomize,)

Countries, towns, courts: Beg from above

A pattern of your love!"

He says that they can die by love if they are not able to live by it, and if their legend is not fit “for tombs and hearse,” it will be fit for poetry,  the poems ,sonnest about the speaker and his lover will cause them to be “canonized,” admitted to the sainthood of love. All those who hear their story will invoke the lover. the two lovers will always be connected, although in time they will die a physical death they will live on to be "A pattern of ... love!" Meaning that because of their love they will live in everyone's mind and heart. for future generations of lovers.And lovers will remember their love story.

Momos

Momos not made by me this time.:)as im ill..but having these made by my Ma,made my day better :)

Chocolate Cookies

Made cookies today for sending it to my Sister in UK.same Recipe,jus added more cocoa, more butter, sugar and Love :).

Im your Man

You can be a million miles away from me
You can be kissin' another man's lips
But I'm you man, I'm your man


If tomorrow would stay behind
And I close my eyes and I never wake up
I'm still your man
I'm still your man, I'm your man


I pray to God, I pray for time
I pray I can hold you in my arms
Pray with me eternally
Time is forever ours


It's the way that you smile
The way that you cry
Why I always want to be your man
it's the way that I feel, when I feel you inside
Why I always want to be your man

You can be a million miles away from me
you can be kissin' another man's lips
But I'm your man, I'm your man
They can take away my heart and my soul
They can even tell me you don't love me no more
But I'm your man, I'm your man


I won't give up, I won't let you down
I promise to always stand by your side
Pray for faith, pray for you
Pray that we'll always be


It's the way that you smile
The way that you cry
Why I always want to be your man
It's the way that I feel, when I feel you inside
Why I always want to be your man


It's the way your weak
It's the way that you're strong
Why I always want to be your man
It's the way you believe
It's the love that you give
Why I always want to be your man.


I'm your man by Enrique iglesias .. One of the best song of Enrique.The song is perfect ,has the perfect words to tell someone how u love them for everything they are..when they are weak,strong,or smile,cry..and will stand by them always. Doesn't matter if they are far from you,but how thy feel u inside them,and the love they feel,is important.,Song has all the passion and devotion at the same time for someone.Enrique's voice just melts into the tune. ...its soothing.You can feel the longing in his voice.he brings the passion into his voice so smoothly, the listener is just spell bound.

Chocolate Cookies

 So one fine day as i was craving for something sweet with chocolate flavor..chocolate cake remains fav but thought to make chocolate cookies this time.

Ingredients-

1 cup Flour

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup castor sugar(powered sugar)

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2-3 tbsp milk

Method-

1.Preheat the oven at 180'C at convection mode.

2.Beat Butter and sugar together.

3.Sieve flour,cocoa powder and baking powder in a bowl.

4.Mix all ingredients and knead a soft dough.roll out small balls from dough.

5.place biscuits atleast 5 sms apart,giving enough spaces for expansion.

6.Grease d non stick plate and place cookies on it and bake at 180'C for 20-25 mins,on lower rack,till golden brown.

Note-dont let d cookies be in oven for too long,or they may become very hard.

Veg Manchurian

Love Manchurian.Can jus Have it Anytime :).made it few days back,one can jus have it  as starter..or with noodles and Fried Rice.heres an easy recipe for veg Manchurian.

Ingredients:

2 cups Grated Cabbage

  3/4 cup Grated carrot
1 Chopped Spring Onion
 1 Chopped Green Chilly
 1 capsicum

3-4 Crushed Garlic Flakes
2 tbsp Corn  Flour
Oil for deep frying
1 tbsp Soya Sauce
 Chilly sauce.

Salt to taste

1 tsp Pepper Powder

1 tsp Sugar

2 tbsp oil 

Preparation of vegetarian Manchurian (Dry)

1.Mix grated cabbage and carrots,Microwave them for a min.

2.Now in a bowl take d squeezed cabbage and carrot and mix 2 tbsp. cornflour and add few chopped chilies and little salt to it.

3.Make small balls of the mixture .

4.Heat the oil in a pan and deep fry the balls till golden brown, drain and keep aside. 

5.Now in a separate pan heat 2 tbsp oil.

6.Saute garlic, green chilies and spring onions,Capsicum.

7.Add  a pinch of salt, pepper powder, sugar and soya sauce. ,chilly sauce.

8.Put Manchurian balls on low flame.and mix the sauce and manchurian balls well,cook for 3-4 mins.Serve it hot.

Instant Snack

This one is one of my fav evening snack.one can make this quickly..

  

Ingredients-

3 White Bread Slices

1 Tomato

1 Green Chilly

Salt to Taste

A  bit of Chilly Powder

A pinch of Pepper

4-5 Tbsp Gram Flour(Besan)

Coriander Leaves 

Recipe-

1.Cut Bread Slices into four parts.

2.In a bowl,Put Besan,and chop tomato into very small pieces.

3.Theres no need to put water to mix it,as tomatoes juice is enough to mix it,as d mixture has to b thick .

4.Put pepper,salt,finely chopped green chilly,red chilly powder,and small coriandar leaves.

5.Mix all ingredients well.and the paste has to be a bit thick and not lik liquid.one can add 1 tbsp water if needed.

6..Now put the mixture on one side of all bread slices.

7.Heat oil in a pan.

8.put d slices in such way that d side which has the paste should be downwards in oil.then later turn it.

9.Fry on medium or High flame til golden brown.

10.Serve it Hot with Tomato sauce.

Yeah :)

Flightless Bird

I was a quick wet boy,

diving too deep for coins

All of your street light eyes wide on my plastic toys

Then when the cops closed the fair,

I cut my long baby hair

Stole me a dog-eared map

and called for you everywhere

Have I found you Flightless bird, jealous, weeping

or lost you, american mouth Big pill looming

Now I'm a fat house cat

Nursing my sore blunt tongue

 Watching the warm poison rats curl through the wide fence cracks

Pissing on magazine photos

Those fishing lures thrown in the cold

And clean blood of Christ mountain stream

Have I found you Flightless bird, grounded, bleeding

or lost you,

american mouth Big pill stuck going down

I have been listening this song from Iron and Wine ,over and over again ,each day..since i heard it for the first time..
Fell in love with it the first time heard it,also as it features in one of the best romantic movies ever(may not for every1 :-)),,Twilight.

The lyrical imagery is meant to inspire a sensation of the loss of youthful innocence and an embracing of mature love with all of its challenges and rewards.

People are subject to their own interpretation and meaning. No one can really tell what it means except the writer.

 but would say that writers deep thoughts truly drowned me.
 Here's my interpretation..

first part of song,a quick wet boy.. represents innocence and childhood..
"diving too deep for coins" going too far and deep for something.
cut my baby hair is about loss of innocence..
stealing a dog-eared map and called for you everywhere,is trying to find your love ,
the one whos your better half..

dog eared map,,a folded map,because one has been looking for love everywhere and now the map is folded..people have looked there already,and those places are not for you,you wont find what you are looking for there.

Hav i found you..if u are really mine now?
The flightless bird is a special person, a flightless bird, someone who has evolved from their current state (a bird) to become an exceptional, special person,who wont leave u or fly away 4m u.  jealous and weeping because they can’t find anyone to accept them for who they are.

Nursing my sore blunt tongue..when u have a sore tongue.and u say things bluntly,which causes serious consequences. 
American Mouth, the ability to communicate, how the two lovers understand and talk to each other. Big pill looming , the future, what can happen to this love.

The house cat part is an analogy to becoming lazy in love, and not appreciating the person as the one who is your true love anymore. Pissing, ruining the relationship because you got too comfortable.This happens with every1 some day i believe,when you are so close and comfortable with someone and stop respecting there importance in your life,and may be take them for granted most of the times.

Later ,where the lover realizes that the relationship has changed. I see the clean blood of Christ to means I’ve judged and I want some atonement, to reconcile what we have become.

the love makes two lovers feel  like they could fly And since being made feel like they could fly, it’s lost now. But, American mouth, we can still communicate, this does not have to end, the big pill (the future) is stuck, but the two can stop it from going down.

"Mi Chico Latino"

"Mi Chico Latino"

Donde esta el hombre

con fuego en la sangre

Ive got a secret.

I cannot keep it Its just a whisper of a distant memory

Just a dream or so it seems

Take me back to the place id rather be

You left a fire in my eyes

That lightens up the darkest skies

Im giving up im letting go

I'll find my way so

 Take me back to my sweet lavida

Find my love

my dolce vita S

how me where i need to go

Donde esta mi chico latino ..

Stolen moments

time has broken

My eyes ares open to this

life-long mystery

And so i'll go

with what i know

Take my chances and run with destiny

Now there's fire in my eyes

I'll break away and say goodbye

Im free to be im letting go

I'll find my way so

 Ay-y-y Que sueno, dolce y pequeno Yo no se yo no se Pero no es un cuento Mi corazon con tormento Chico latino te quiero y simplemente deseo Yo lo se el camino Es un sueno latino

(Take me back to my sweet lavida) Take me back

Find my find my find my love

my dolce vita

Show me where i need to go

Donde esta mi chico latino

This song by geri halliwell, from the band Spice Girls,first ever girl band which became so popular ..

later after she parted with spice girls ,this song is fresh in my memory.though other songs were great too,from her debut album Schizophonic..

Geri's Voice cant really be described..its different,husky,smoky,  soft, strangely sexy..

The song is in english with italian and spanish words..which makes it more beautiful.

the song is about search of love.. heres meaning of some Italian and Spanish words in the song..from the best of my knowledge .

Donde esta el hombre con fuego en la sangre..means Where is this the man with fire in the blood

Donde esta mi chico latino ..Where is this latin Man..

Que sueno, dolce y pequeno

Yo no se yo no se Pero no es un cuento

Mi corazon con tormento Chico latino te quiero y

simplemente deseo Yo lo se el camino Es un sueno latino

 That I sound, sweet and small but not. But it is not. a story My heart with torment. Latin boy I want and desire .

dolce is italian word ,means..sweet.

dolce vita- Sweet life

Donde esta mi chico latino-- Where is my  latino Man ..

Latin music and lyrics always fascinates.Don't forget to listen to this song :)..will post some more soon.