"Creating Happy Travellers!" The Indiblogger Yatra.com contest-a dream vacation.

So come with me where dreams are born and time is never planned.

Just think of happy things and your heart will fly on wings , in Never Never Land.

Peter Pan

Dreams.
And little unplanned vacations.
Alaska ,USA.
Pristine and absolutely breath taking.
Yes,I have been there.
In my dreams.
The first time I read about the beauty of the Denali National park was in a lowly Mills and Boon ,whose name I have long forgotten. The author, wove a story about the beauty of the national park that was even more awe inspiring than the romance itself.

And those of the new generation will remember the reference to Denali -the cousins of the Cullens live here.
The perfectly beautiful ones??
The romance of the surrounding beauty and scrawling mountains and the majestic glaciers and the awesome wildlife and never forget the danger of the omnipresent bears.

image courtesy-google images

And who do I go with?
I cam think of only a very few people to go with.
People who will bear my idiosyncrasies and whose tantrums will be borne by me.
And the bond of the blood ensures I don't throw the co-holiday- er out in front of the hungry bears...That brings me to the bears.
Gentle creatures-remember Winnie the Pooh and your cuddly Teddy bears-the love the bright red berries and fruit found on the mountain side.
Yeah right!
Nasty ,snarly bears,with foul ,foul mouths and a fouler set of talons to shred the very skin of your bones.
All that you see on Discovery and Nat Geo will come true if you don't take care and bear proof your holiday.

Those are the four legged variety of gods own creatures. Me,I know of some foul and fouler creatures who can be of succour to my soul...
My family.
So just hubby dear ,sweet child,the parents and sweet sister and her husband and of course the lady of the moment Sanskriti- my two and a half year old niece.
The one who talks nineteen to the dozen and throws tantrums even the peace loving caribou will be loathe to miss.

The where and wherefores of it.

Denali National park is in Alaska,USA. Previously known as Mt McKinley National Park.It was renamed Denali because the native name of this awe inspiring mountain peak clothed in clouds and surrounded S by glaciers.Six million acres of wilderness,bisected by only one road.Wild animals roam free in unfenced lands,just as the gods wanted it.

The beauty,solitude,tranquility and wilderness await.

The location...

If you want to fly to Fairbanks ,Alaska direct you can take Emirates,KLM,Air France,Delta,American Air,Alaska Air...check out the details at the yatra.com website.

We as a family ,are not air craft people.

We love the romance of trains,in full luxury.No less.

So we plan to take the Alaska railroad.And enjoy the beauty of the national park.

image courtesy-virtualtourist.com

Once we get there,bag,baggage et al,we intend to stay in one of the log cabins of The Perch resort.

image courtesy-denaliperchresort.com

With Caribou for company...

Remember Brother Bear...And the Aurora Borealis.

image courtesy-google images

Imagine living in a gorgeous log cabin,being able to look out of the window and see the great Mt McKinley through your toes. Going for a bus ride,on the only road that runs through the national park for a bUMpY ride of a life time.

images courtesy-google images

A chance to use our super charged ,expensive cameras...

The parents have a Canon DSLR,the brother in law has a Nikon and we the people have a SONY. None has been used to photograph such still beauty...

images courtesy-google images

No we are not interested to shop for souvenirs.
Maybe pick up such stuff off the ground...

images courtesy-terragalleria.com

 Just take away memories of whales like

image courtesy-alaskadenali.com

 And of the mama bear and her two cute babies...

image courtesy-denali.national-park.com

And the memories of a wonderful time spent together.Of togetherness and bonhomie and madness and fun and laughter and a bonding like never before.
And of being a family.
And of forming bonds that will never be erased by the passage of time,of strengthening those that already exist and of a love that lasts forever.
The time to sit in front of bonfires and go for romantic long walks.
Kindle the romance again...
Sigh!
Not this time, duty free  shopping for perfumes and bottles of Jack Daniels and all that.This time the intoxication will come from the pure ,virginal beauty of this holiday.
Just writing about this has made me realise that we need to plan this holiday. Even 15 days here would make for a trip of a life time-just as promised bey yatra.com.

Of course the logistics and all planing will be left to the men,I will just dream.
No tax planning on dreams ,is there?

So while the economy is on a ride of its own and the rupee falls to a precarious low,lets just hope for a sunnier tomorrow,when the currency can hold its own ground and this holiday will not give shock attacks to the men.

This post was written for the #Happy Travellers Contest at Indiblogger sponsored by yatra.com.

So where are your dreams taking you today???

PS-This is also where Christopher McCandless spent the last days of his life and the movie Into the Wild was shot.

image courtesy-google images

One movie,which all of us in the family love.Worth watching .

Read More

A little magic- foodpanda at your Service

Aladdin and his magic lamp.

A little scratching,a little rubbing and a grubby little lamp  pours out a beautiful...genie?

Yo!

The genie is now a Panda!

food panda.

Me, of the not-so-smart phone knows her tech news. Tech news.

A little new to India ,but a very smart way to be.

Imagine.

                                      

Driving home from work,too tired to get home and cook(that's the scenario that comes frequently to my mind)and just when you insert the key into your lock, a human delivery man(not a giant panda-the sight of which will probably have you screaming your lungs out or clutching your chest in an angina attack)standing there with your meal.

Hot and steaming,fresh from your favourite restaurant,just the way you need it.

Foodpanda is your BFF if you cant take your eyes of the screen of your super smart phone or ipad iphone.All you do,is log on to  foodpanda -how it works,enter your area and choose your poison.
Foodpanda works like this-you go the website and place your order online.Then the restaurants will receive an order slip from foodpandas GPRS box through or through email/SMS/fax and prepare the order and then send the order like you order online.

We tried it when we were in Delhi during the holidays.Our resident Domestech-sweet child ordered online and we also got an introductory discount voucher.
Yay!
The best part-totally no human intervention.
Untouched by hand.No chance of any mistakes being made by human error from the other side.
Its always the other person who makes the mistake,right?
Easy!
Right?

So the next time,you don't feel like cooking,whether you are too tired, late or just want a small snack when the pop up ads just bounce up on your screen-just order via foodpanda.

Go on,try it.

Even if you are a not so smart-phone number and not a domestech like me-try foodpanda. 

So quit sifting through messy drawers and file folders full of torn and folded and outdated menu cards and phone numbers every time you want to order food from your favourite restaurant. 

You wont even have to struggle with he hassled customer care execs on the other side who may get your orders wrong.

Thank God for simplicity.

Thank God for foodpanda.

Their philosophy -"At food panda we think ordering food online should be fuss free,fast and definitely fun.BANISH the pain of cooking and cleaning up!

With just a few clicks you can order from a wide variety of delicious cuisines online.Steaming hot food is conveniently delivered to your home or your office."

Its yummy time.

So instead of picking up the phone to order your next meal,just swipe your smart phone or start poking your ipad/iphone....look for foodpanda.in and fill in your city and the area you live in...

Food!

So what are you ordering today???

Read More

Bajra,Ragi and Whole Wheat Baguette-Low Glycemic Index anyone?

Baguette.
How French is that?
And how irregular am I?
Well.I am not so regular,thanks to the paper work that Mr Kapil Sibbal(India's current Education minister who has made teachers into clerks-by increasing their paper work manifold) insists accompanies the teaching of high history and  maths.
So I am -not so regular in blogging but regular in baking.

And as the health bug continues to bite and the scales keep tipping precariously thanks to the many spoons of sugared coffee available at the cafeteria,the quest is on for the healthiest snack-read low,real low GI food that fills the tummy and acts as a multivitamin and fibre shot.
Got the story?
I'm sure its yours too./
Simplified-high fibre,real ,real low in calories and high in nutrition.
YAY!

So,Bajra-Pearl Millet flour.
Common enough in the world. High in proteins. Good source of Iron and moderate source of Vitamin B1 needed for a healthy nervous system.
So,Ragi-Finger Millet flour
High in fibre,no gluten,great source of calcium and helps cut down blood sugar and blood cholesterol. High in iron and super easy to digest.
My most popular bread recipe uses a large amount of Ragi flour and I routinely add i t to my whole wheat flour to make the daily bread-chappatis.
So Whole Wheat-our life blood and food.
Need I say more?

Low GI foods

• help loose and manage weight. 
• Improve the good cholesterol. 
• Reduces hunger and keeps you full longer.

There.
Now call your local grocer or hop to the nearest produce junction and shop.

All that goodness cant taste too good.So I masked the taste with a little cheese,mustard and some herbs.

for my

Bajra,Ragi and Whole Wheat Baguette-Low Glycemic Index Bread for weight loss and a full tummy...

1 cup Ragi flour
1 cup bajra flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup plain flour
75 gms or 1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 tbsp French mustard
2 tbsp mixed dried herbs-I used thyme,oregano and rosemary
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil or EVOO to brush your bread with after it comes out of the oven.
2 1/2 tsp dried yeast.
1 tsp sugar

Start with some warm water. Half a cup and the sugar and the yeast to get ready for some action.
Let the yeast froth and fume and get ready to attack the sugars of the flours.
OK the flours in the large mixing bowl.

To them add the grated cheddar,salt,herbs and mustard. Mix well.

 Add in the yeast mix and knead this all together with warm water.

 After you've kneaded the dough,tip it on to your work top and knead further stretching the dough for at least 8-10 minutes. This helps to stretch whatever gluten is there in this bread.

 Cut into two parts and shape into long slim baguettes on an oiled tray.

 I added some sun dried tomatoes into one loaf.

Leave covered in a warm place till the dough rises.It wont get double.The Bajra content ensures that the bread will be dense and the ragi has no gluten what so ever. Also do not expect a loaf that springs back when you brush it lovingly.
Just before placing the loaves in the oven,score them with a sharp,sharp knife.

An hour or so later-we are in hot -hot 110F+ /40C + country...
When I turned the oven on to preheat ,I placed a small steel bowl of water at the bottom.I read somewhere that stem gives a great crust.
It did.
45 minutes were good for  my baguettes.
Oven on to 220C/430F.
Place the loaves in and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Once they are out,quickly brush them with the EVOO or olive oil.
I got EVOO from Angelo-top chef masters contestant. Not Rachel Ray.A rustic and slightly dense crumbly loaf...
More likely you'll need to slice it with a sharp,sharp knife.
Pretty?
But think of the fat you'll be slicing off by eating this coarse  and rustic bread.
That thought is pretty.

OK sliced, smeared with cream cheese-cheese spread and tomato slices, these little slices are a wonderful breakfast.

Enough to tide you through to lunch with only a fruit break for survival.

If this is enough to take you through 120 teenagers and half a day of hot Indian summers,its good.


Try this and come back to me ,I'll be baking again.

So what are you baking today???

Read More

Mia by Tanishq-As beautiful as your work.

Nothing makes a woman more beautiful than 


the belief she is beautiful.

- Sophia Loren

I am beautiful.
There I said it.
I expect you to say that every time you visit my blog.Nobody ever said it to me as a comment on my blog,but I have been told that I am beautiful by the people who matter.
The people who make me feel special,make me feel beautiful.I may not have the most perfect of features,I may not have the most awesome peaking cheekbones,or a flawless complexion,or have a perfect denture-sparkling white or the hair that many women would die for.
But I know that I am beautiful.
My beauty is not just skin deep.
It is soul deep.
I know that for the people who love me ,I am perfect.
My hair is like an angelic halo.My smile benevolent and my touch therapeutic.
I radiate happiness,I shine and spread beatitude and joy and glee.
I am beautiful because I believe that I am beautiful.

Because I believe,I work to spread my blessed happiness. I work with teenagers. At least a 120 of them on a daily basis. I learn with them. Yes,I teach too. But its more of a two way street.My appearance has to BE  light and unflashy. My audience must listen and learn from what I say. they must be spell bound by my words and my repartee and my rapport with them.I must enthrall them,and create magic with my words.  My words are my best friends. They walk me through six hours of non stop synergy and communication. I love my patiala salwars and simple silver earrings and my big red wrist watch. But my words and my lessons and my spiel and my haranguing and my chalk talk is more beautiful than me.

Because I touch my children in a subliminal way...They learn even though they resist the learning.
And at the end of the lesson,They can all scream and say "History Rocks!"
I believe!(lolz)

Love the advertisement ,and especially the statement"the presentation looks even better than me." Check out more about Mia by Tanishq at Mia by Tanishq.

Hey,I know,its not always about me.
Or about my aura.
Narcissus!
Waxing eloquent about ones own self is a dirty job,but some one's got to do it.
I would have written about some one else,but I am so absorbed in the beauty of my work,that I have never really observed any one else.
Its all about a positive self image.
I'm set for hounding hubby dear -he needs to sign the card receipts.

So,all set to believe in your beauty today???

Read More

Foaming Cookies-Daring Bakers Revisited-July 2013

Better late than never...
Butter late and cookies...
No standing and kneading...
And no going wrong.
Gingerbread men,Margarita glasses without the vodka and tulips and Shamrocks.

Yes these are my new cookie cutters.
And these are my men.
OK,Gingerbread Men-Foaming Cookies Men_Buttery Men,Yummy men.
And Tulips and Vodka less Margaritas and Shamrocks,minus the frosting.

Late ,but responsible.
Very responsible.
I did bake for the July daring bakers Eenie Meenie Miney Moe!Challenge. I made Foaming Cookies from the november 2012 daring bakers challenge.

Blog Checking Lines:

In a "celebration" of past Daring Baker and Daring Cook challenges, Lisa challenged all of us to search through the Daring Kitchen archives and pick any one we'd like! The REAL challenge was picking which delicious recipe(s) to try!

Super!
An Opportunity not to be missed.
If you live in north India at this time of the year ,you would know that this is not baking or for that matter frosting country.
It is hot!
Hot and humid.
Everything is just damp and smelly and the days become worse till it rains.
And then it pours and the vicious cycle of heat starts all over again.
So butter and batter melts.
Frosting is not easy and fondant is just out of the question.
So when I saw Foaming cookies,I was tempted.
It said that the cookies dough firms on cooling,she obviously does not speak of India.
But Voila,it did.
Easy to roll out and cut out,the batter was god sent.
I also made mini apple pies out of some dough.

A chance day trip to Shimla and the site of the roadside swelling with the seasons first apples and pears....
Red and green and golden,so apple pies were imperative.
I just chopped up a couple of the baby green apples and added to the tiny pie cases and baked them.Dusted with cinnamon,they were super.

So late or no,I post.

for the

Foaming Cookies-Daring Bakers Challenge Revisited-July 2013

you need

3/4 cup normal granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup or 112 gms butter-soft(a blessing at this time of the year)
1/2 tsp bi-carbonate soda
1 tbsp hot water.

Simple stuff,no fuss was what attracted me.I had dreams of croissants and fondant topped masterpieces,but reality bites hard.
Just out of the fridge,butter begins to melt.
We are in Verka county,Punjab.
I like salted butter,only as it is easier on the palate and easier to taste.

Whiz the butter and the flour in your food processor.If you want to avoid the food processor,go mixing the butter in the flour with a fork.The soft butter blends in like magic.

Place the sugar in a small sauce pan and pour over the milk.It may look as the the milk is less,but trust me-its enough.Place on low heat and allow the sugar to melt.

Once the sugar has melted the syrup looks a little grey and well-syruppy.Let it cool.
When cool enough,time for a simple chemistry experiment.
In the meanwhile measure out 1 tbsp of hot-HOT water and add the soda bi- carb to it.
Fizz,it should.

And pour into the grey syrup.
Let it foam.

Like so.
Success!

Add to the flour butter mix and well mix.

The dough will be like a batter,and could have looked better.
No jokes.

Let it RIP-rest till it cools.

 S,it firms up to a roll -able state.
Without placing it in the fridge.
Honest.

A little dusting of flour on the work top and rolling pin,the dough divided into 4 parts was rolled out about half a centimeter thick or thin-whichever word you like.
And cut.

The scraps were rerolled and cut,till I got two cookie trays worth of cookies.About 28 in all.
Oven on at 175C or 350F.

Two cookie trays in for a little less than 20 minutes.

This is the amount of fruit I picked from the vendors on the national highway.
Loaded with vitamins and pesticides and dust and god knows what else.
Moral of the story,wash your fruit well before you eat it.

The left over cookie scraps I rolled out and placed them at the bottom of a muffin tray and topped with chopped granny smith apples,a wee bit sugar and dusted with cinnamon,baked for about 35 minutes.
The cookie tray...

And the mini pies...
Gone so fast,I'm inspired to bake them again.

Contrast...what you should and what you should not be eating.

So lets strike a balance,between sin and butter based cookies and cookie bases.

And enjoy the fruits of our labours.

 Ebony and Ivory,
OK, a wee bit overdone and some cookies just right...
But butter cookies and butter cookies and when they taste and smell and feel of them,
They are so worth the effort and calories.

So simple and so worth baking.
If just for a little bit of guilt trip and the taste of butter.
These home made cookies are so much better than store bought,chemical laden stuff,they taste like Danish Butter Biscuits.
Bake a tin full for your family and enjoy!

So rightfully, after so many blog posts,

So what are you baking today???

Read More