Smart Phones - Smart Suraksha,Personal safety and choices

I belong to the era when mobile phones just invaded normal life.I belong to the era when women were relatively free and safe in Delhi.
No I am not as old as Sheila Dixit,but I am not a gauche, young teenager any more.
I remember a time when travelling in DTC buses was the norm and Auto Rickshaw drivers were a little more trust worthy. The roads may have been less crowded ,but they were safer.
I remember a time when incoming calls cost 64rs a minute.When cell phones were as big as a novella and heavy.
Today,I am a smart phone user,where my smart phone is used only 10% of the time to make phone calls.
The apps on the smartphone seem indispensable.
But there was a time we could only dream of apps and smartphones.
Amongst other things.
In this forum,I have a story to tell.
A story of three girls .
Three responsible girls who were brought up in responsible,loving and caring,educated households.
Three girls who dressed like normal teenagers and never stood out because of their flamboyant style...
This is an incident that took place on the Ring Road,Delhi way back in the early 1990s...
A regular day of college always entailed being back much before dark. But then there were some days when they were also allowed to let their hair down once in a while...
They were on their way back from Siri Fort in south Delhi towards Rajouri Garden...
If you have driven around Delhi in the time before it was band-aided with Flyovers and the Metro, you would remember that the road from Dhaula Kuan to Brar square was a lonely stretch in which it always made sense to speed.
At about 7ish in the evening,these girls were speeding home when one of tyres burst. Fortunately,managing to stabilise the car, they moved to the side of the road,tied up their hair and removed all traces of make up(after getting over the initial panic and screams) and got around to fixing the tyre.
15 minutes later,they realised that a couple of cars with men ogling out of the windows were surreptitiously slowing down.
One car stopped,parked and a young unlikely Galahad came sauntering to ask if we needed help.
It was then the girls wished they had something for their SURAKSHA...
No ideas about the Apps that would make situations like this easy to handle,they were only wishing they had a mobile phone to call Delhi Police...
And answering their prayers...
A white Police gypsy just slowed down.
A cop asked in his typical Haryanavi tone..."Gaadi ka tyre panchare ho gaya ke chori?"
The gentleman slunk away in the meanwhile....
And then the policemen proceeded to help the young ladies replace the Tyre and be off on their way.
The girls sure wished they had a Smart Suraksha App with them to help them out that evening. Wisely dragging along a strapping, muscular friend...only to dtand guard while they changed any errant tyre.


I am a  smart phone user.
Relatively nouveau,relatively excited.
I bought it and loaded it up with all my music and pictures and all my favourite episodes of Grey's Anatomy.
Yes I have added a memory card.
I don't particularly like slow  or slow processors.
But I've realised that the fun apps aside ,smart phones offer the users unique features that can be of great help at all times. I am discovering these apps and features one at a time.
My phone needs a Smart Suraksha App...So I can make sure I am safe...

I seek smart Suraksha to keep up with the times.The streets may not be safe,but I can keep myself safe.

I am participating in the Seeking Smart Suraksha contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Smart 
Suraksha App.

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Everyone has a reason to pray

There's  a nip in the air. There's the tantalising aroma of  sweets and the sulphurous smell of crackers.
There's an excitement around that is palpable. Even the kids in school can feel it. The  generally emotionally and hormonally supercharged teenagers who are impassive to their parents pleas of better grades and better behaviour also sing a bit louder now that the Diwali break looms near.
the boys are so excited about the arrival of Lord Ram (as if all of them ate princes BHARAT  in the waiting ) that they are willing to risk expulsion, but they must express their joy.
Elation.
Because of the victory of good over evil, they are willing to risk expulsion by bursting bombs(cracker bombs) in the boys washroom and in the teacher's desk in the  classroom.
Thank heavens ,the teacher and the remaining non believers were out on a break...
Despite the presence of CCTV in the classroom the perpetrators of the cracker bomb could not get caught.
How  quickly the good lord must have answered their prayers. ..
Sometimes it seems like a bribe we try to offer our maker...I'll fast and I'll feed so many people,please help me clear the tests ,help me with the latest problem I'm facing so and so forth.
But  when these prayers come true one believes that the good lord is totally merciful read-at our beck and call...we don't realise that it is our faith that helps us move mountains.
In god we trust, but we must realise that god wants us to keep our faith.
and  believe in ourselves, only then can he help us.
This festive season I pray for peace...let the saints pray for world peace. I believe that if each one of us prays for peace in his or her own heart and life there will be peace world wide.
When I light my little lamp in front of Krishna, I can only express my gratitude. He,never forgets and keeps me blessed. I just keep my faith. I know he's watching over me. He knows my next word before I even utter it. He knows that I will try to do what is right. He knows, he will open the doors for me . He will keep me safe from all possible dangers and he will ensure that at the end of the day, I sleep a satisfied person with the faith that he is watching over me.
I pray for the strength to keep the faith, faith in myself and in  Krishna.
I don't trust the so called agents of God ...Some pundits proclaim themselves to be...
I'd rather be a little sceptical and connect with my maker myself.
This Diwali I'd rather perform my pooja myself. I've seen the parents do it,for the past 15 or so years. ..

I'm going to try pure prayer because my reason to pray is personal. ..
I am going to play the CD and say the mantras and offer the flowers and prasad to the gods...
I am going to follow the rituals.
I am going to be the direct connect .
The Sampoorna Laksmi Pooja Pack will help me do all that. It will also bring goods vibrations into my house with the beautifully aromatic incense and dhoop batti...
My home will be like one of the most spiritually blessed temples in the world.
Our Diwali will be a new experience...invoking a spiritual connection in the family.
Seeking the blessings of Goddess Laksmi and Lord Ganesh...
Seeking good tidings and happiness.

Wishing all my readers and all in blogosphere a very joyous Diwali and a blessed festive season.

Whatever your faith, keep the faith.

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Easy Doodle Recipes-Digging for Spinach and Chicken Pasta

Comics and food have an instant connection. We know the best food and the very best connoisseurs of food appear in Archie Comics. The juiciest of hamburgers, the stretchiest of cheese on the yummiest of pepperoni-iest of pizzas, the best of the pies and biggest of the appetites and the best of the metabolism. ..All live in Riverdale, New Jersey
We need to bring them to sadda Jalandhar. And what's better than a feast for Jughead...
just in case you were wondering. ..Jughead haunts my kitchen looking for junk food- read high fat ,high meat content and high sugar content food to survive on.
The Doodle is hope for a healthier tomorrow ...cheese and pasta are as always in my cupboards and the spinach puree fresh from my back yard is always in a tupperware in the fridge.
We are not the canned spinach people. ..that honour rests with Popeye.
The green food is fodder for the eyes...
so barely tolerated.
Ready in a jiffy,this plate of green goodness is as good as the cheese and chicken you bung in...

The Doodle has been sketched by sweet child

If you pull out every thing from the fridge, this recipe will take you only 10 minutes . A happy sweet child and a satisfied mom...
What else can you ask for?


My Doodle recipe is a part of Easy Doodle Recipe contest at BlogAdda.com in association with TastyKhana.com.


So what are you baking today???

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Ignorance is Bliss-WOW post for a mile stone

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda. We give out a creative writing theme each weekend for Indian bloggers.


Mile stones.
Well today is the eve of a major milestone in my life.
I never thought I'd admit it...
I'm getting older.
Tomorrow is my birthday,as I blog,its less than an hour away.So this write over the weekend post is literally that-write when the weekend is almost over.
I should be prepping for the next week...
But then its my birthday tomorrow.
I'm not telling you how old or young I really am...no sir...
There's still that sense of propriety in me-ladies do not reveal how old they really are!
Not saying that I  am old,just look at my young and innocent face and guess my age and subtract maybe 10 from that and then take away 5 for the happiness I radiate...you'll reach a number I will be happy with.
Any way,once upon a time,the night before my birthday used to be a disaster-I used to bawl my eyes out and cry about the time I let slip by ...
In fact once my tears literally caused the earth to quake...maybe 20 odd years ago there was an earth quake on the 20 October 1991 in Uttarakashi,North India...

Now,the tears are not there...

Its just a warm mellow feeling that life is not just rushing me by.
The idea of going through another year just dealing with books and laundry and the meals and driving around doing errands...
Screaming at sweet child ...
Maybe a few years down the line,my life will be slow paced. I wont have so many books to go through,I wont have so much laundry,maybe wont have so many meals to set out...
A neat house far away from the hustle and bustle of city life.
A lady with her hair all elegantly coiffed.
A coffee cup at her elbow and a book at the side table.
A companionable silence with hubby dear.
No regret about the days gone by.
Not a care about what tomorrow will bring.
Just that bliss.That bliss that the warmth of a life well lived will bring.
I want to be that old lady,with the beautifully coiffed hair(no,I wont colour them then)neat house,and the happy silence of hubby dear,when just a glance will speak volumes.
I want to live that life ,where I'd rather be ignorant of all troubles.
Suffice to say,I want that blissfull feeling of not being aware off all that is not important in life.
I want to be blissfully ignorant.
I'd rather be ignorant and live in a blissfully content cocoon...
One day soon I'd like to let go...

But till then,I still want to be the one screaming,I still want to be cooking those crazy,high calorie,sugar high meals...
Still want that loud music and garishly loud colours on myself and on  my nails...
I still want the high heels ...
I still want the birthday cake and the card and the fat ,shiny gift...
And the surprise that I will always have to ask for...

I want to live till I get to that stage when I can look at a grey hair on my head and not scream. I still want the shimmery eye liners...
So I am going to celebrate my birthday and stay 26 till all the anti ageing cream works no wonders...

So happy birthday to me and to all those women who want to be young till they just don't want to be...
And be able to eat all the chocolate cake I can,without the fear of any disease...

So what are you baking today???

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Chocolate Ganache Tarts with Kiwi and Panache -Eggless

Behind every woman is a substantial amount of chocolate.

That is so, so true.

Chocolate.

And then its chocolate ganache. (pron: ga-naaa-sh essentially French and awesome addictive)

All chocolate food groups of Dark chocolate. Milk chocolate and white chocolate are here. (Ok, I cheated a little I used cream and butter instead of white chocolate)

Heaven in a bite.

And then for those who feel overpowered by too much chocolate, there is a bite of tangy, tart and refreshing kiwi to cut through the sweetness of the ganache.

Enough said.

These egg free chocolate tarts were part of the high tea that was served to a high profile VIP...so, I was super happy!

The tart cases are short crust pastry that I made using the recipe from my apple pie crust and the filling is ganache that I whipped into lightness and piped over the pastry cases and shoved a sliver of kiwi into.

Then above that are my sprinkles...

The ganache, easy to make but intimidating the first time. 

All you need is Cream from the tetra pack or fresh cream from your neighbourhood dairy. You need full fat and not low fat cream

Remember, chocolate never forgives you for low fat.

I love Non dairy cream for ganache, but fresh dairy cream will also do; only it needs some sweetening.

This recipe for ganache is for keeping as you can do wonders with the same ratio.

For the 

Chocolate Ganache Tarts with Kiwi and Panache -Eggless...

You need 

360 mils non dairy cream/fresh full fat cream

240 Gms dark chocolate

50 gms salted butter

1 kiwi fruit sliced into wedges

Baked short crust pastry cases-tart cases

Sprinkles

At least six hours before the tarts need to be made, you must make the ganache.

Start with the cream. Mine was straight out of the freezer, so it needed to first come to room temperature, and then heated to boiling point.

Thus the double boiler.

For fresh cream you may need to sweeten the ganache, but then that can be done later, so no worries.

Chop the chocolate into bits. I use Morde dark chocolate. Tastes wow, even without the cream. Place the chopped chocolate in a deep bowl that you can use your whisk in.

After the cream has begun to bubble and simmer, pour the cream over the chocolate. the heat of the cream melts the chocolate into beautiful shiny syrup.

While this is still warm, add the butter and watch it meld in...

Now stir to cool and make sure no lumps exist and only when it is cool, cover this with cling film. You don’t want drops of condensation to form and ruin the ganache.

In order to save the maid a few dishes,I sometimes tip the chocolate into the cream...so either ways is OK.

Into the fridge with the pan and wait for it to chill and settle.
The tart cases rolled out 1/8th inch thin and pressed into the moulds and pricked at the bottom.
These need to be washed with egg white or milk and then baked at 180C/345F for 20-25 minutes and stored after they cool to be used whenever needed.
Like now.

Ganache out of the fridge, whip out the hand blender and whisk till it forms peaks. That means it is now pipe able.
Into the piping bag with a star nozzle or a zip lock bag with a nozzle and piped on.
Individual tarts ...

A bit of kiwi and then some pretty sprinkles.
Pretty.
And ready to go...

Glossy ,melt in teh mouth and liable to adhere to a manly man's moustache!

Well!

That is chocolate...

Loves even the manliest of men.

That is why they say this....

I so love pinterest...such a colourful way of putting one's point across...

pinterest

PS ,I used the same recipe to do this Death by Chocolate Cake...

Ganache ,three ways...

But that is another blog post.

So what are you baking today???

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Farfalle Desi style with Tomato and Green Peppers and Amul Pepper Cheese Spread

What's for dinner??

Why s the fridge empty?

Why must I eat dal and roti everyday?

Why can you not make hot dog buns instead of roti and simple bread?

Why cant I eat Maggi or pizza or grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner ?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Yes,I have a teenager at home.

A hungry teenager who refuses to eat normal desi food two meals in a row. 

And whose new best friend is that bottle of Nutella...

And the chicken sausages in the freezer.

So what does a poor nutrition centered mother do??

Sneak in some good stuff onto seemingly junk food.

With the promise of cheese and gooey tomato sauce...

OK,the veggies are only green peppers and onion,but then something is always better.

And you can do this while you are prepping for your regular desi meals ,all you need is tomatoes,garlic and onions and any veggies in the fridge.

for the

Farfalle Desi style with Tomato and Green Peppers and  Pepper Cheese...

200 gms farfalle pasta(or any pasta in your store cupboard)

2 tsp olive oil and butter mixed

3-4 red ripe tomatoes

garlic-as much as you can stand

1 medium onion chopped

1-2 sweet peppers finely diced

2 tablespoons Amul Cheese Spread-I used Punchy Pepper

Salt,red chilli flakes,basil leaves and oregano-whatever the seasonings available with you

Heat the oil and butter mix in a skillet of a pan.And add the onions to it.

Set aside the salted water for the farfalle pasta to boil.As it begins to boil on a roll,add the pasta and cook on medium heat till it is al dente.

Will take approximately 10-12 minutes.

Cook the onions on a medium low flame.You dont want them to caramalise,just soften and become mushy.

Add in the diced peppers,by now the pasta should be half done.

Process the tomatoes and the garlic in your blender.(Yay, superwoman!You can handle so many things with just a pair of hands and two eyes.) 

Pour this mix into the pan and season the sauce while you cook it on a medium high flame.

.

Almost al dente now,wait a minute and drain the pasta,reserving about 1/2 cup of the boiling liquid.

Pop the pasta into the sauce along with the water and add a couple of generous spoons of Amul Cheese Spread and blend the gooey,soft cheese spread in.

Obsessed here...
Going through encyclopaedias and pictures of food...
Passed!

And finished.
And happy.
One meal passes uneventfully...
All set for the next.

Books are such a fun way of reading...tabs and TV are no fun!
A word of caution for the superwomen,who multi task at each stage in their life-especially in the kitchen.
One of our breed,yes superwomen,my friend Aradhana was mutli tasking in the kitchen.
On the phone,gossiping and chatting with her mom,she was prepping to feed her three hungry boys(two sons and one hungry hubby) while processing onions in her blender. She never realised,and the lid of the jar just opened,which she tried to close-and her index finger -right hand was caught in the blades.
Fortunately she managed to pull out in time with an almost severed digit and fractured bone,she is still not able to use her finger properly even after three months.

So take care and don't talk on the phone or do anything potentially hazardous while cooking.

The meals are always good when made with so much love...
Go ahead and indulge the special ones in your life.

So what are you baking today???


Coming up...

Vegetarian sushi on Monaco biscuits/Cream crackers..

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Double the joy Shop and get cash back with CASHKARO.COM

Shopping...
A panacea to cure all ills. You're over worked and spend all your time thinking about work and all the people associated with the work place. You need to get out of the mire. You are so not focused on your own self. ..
Sound familiar?
Isn't this just every one's story?
And then the markets and malls are miles away,and the worst bit is the inability to get out if ones pyjamas and put on ones makeup and go shop.
If this Sounds familiar, raise your hand.
Yeah. ..
But I'm posting, remember?
What does a poor over worked and stressed person do?
Shop .
Of course!
And the gift of god....Internet!
Blessings and some money money spent and then hallelujah. ..cash back!-
With cashkaro.com you can shop and then get back some of your moolah to add to the feelgood factor.
If I had  10000 rupees in my wallet that I was just given with to spend without any questions asked...do you know what I would buy?
Shoes.
Shoes.
and then some more.
And maybe some space to store the shoes.
Stilettos.
Boots.
Mary Jane's.
Pencil Heels.
Slip ons. ..
Platform heels.
Flip flops.
Don't even remember all the names...
But then there are only 10000 rupees in my kitty.
And there are only so many branded shoes that I can buy.But then with if I log on to cashkaro.com and pick the website I want to shop in and then pick and choose and fill my shopping cart.
My favourite websites are jabong and flipkart and they are linked to http://cashkaro.com/
That's all I need.
Shop for Rs 10000 and then wait for 24 hours for my bonanza.
A cash back in my bank account linked to http://cashkaro.com/.
So a new day of shopping and another pair of shoes...
These...

So hubby dear would be pulling out his hair because the shoes and shoes and shoes seem to be floating around.
So what do I wear the shoes with???
New clothes.
Another rs 10000 from http://cashkaro.com/ coming up???
Soon I'll need a ware house to place all my stress busting shopping needs in...
Do you think someone up there is listening???
I really need the emoticons from whatsapp here...
Guess what ,I went shopping again today.
I mean ,physically went shopping,put on my make up,wore one of the pairs of shoes that I bought online and took the car out along with sweet child for company and went store hopping-all because I needed linen napkins for dinner parties.
I had to drive 7 kms one way in senseless traffic,endure the stares of the traffic constables and park in god forsaken alleys.
Big Minus point.
Moral of the story-go shopping in a chauffeur driven car!
Then spend time looking for the napkins that were not there.Finally found a set,rotting in one godforsaken corner of a chain store...
Left after a prepaid order of 24 linen napkins that will be delivered in the colour of my choice after 15 days.
And I will have to pick them up.
Then we wonder why we shop online.
And manage the cashkaro bucks as a reward...


So what else helps you bust stress???

For me ,Its Shopping or Chocolate or Shopping and Chocolate.
I ended up buying green and grey and hazel contact lenses from lenskart this weekend...so here in Jalandhar people will feel the advent of Halloween much before the 31st of October.

So why are you getting stressed today???

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Samak Rice Idli Meals for Navratri and fasting

Nine days of festivity and remembering the power of the goddess who wields all power..

Faith can move mountains and can eensure that your belief remains untenable. Huunger is inconsequential in front of faith. ..
Hungry here at this very moment. ..

What is allowed is anything that doesn't originate from grain or animals. ..Milk and it's products are allowed. So this samak rice is a fruit or a non grain seed. As the body is greatly detoxified already with the fruits that are ingested, some salt and spice becomes of a life saving urgency.
So...

Samak Rice idli with curry...


you need

1 cup samak rice
1.5  cups sour buttermilk
pinch soda bi carb or bicarbonate (optional)
1/2 tsp salt
oil to grease the idli moulds

If your buttermilk is not sour enough leave it out overnight and use the next day.
Wash  the samak rice well a couple of times and place the rice and buttermilk in a bowl with the salt.  Set aside a couple of hours.

 Grease the idli moulds or glass bowls and now add the soda bicarbonate to the rice mix.However if you dont use soda bi carb,just keep this soaked rice overnight.The fermentation will do the trick.

Quickly stir and spoon into the idli moulds. Be sure to place sufficient water in the microwave steamer.
With medium to low   power microwave the idlis for 6 to 7 minutes. If you try to hurry up the process, the rice will be under cooked and bitter.
Allow this a few minutes as standing time.
Unmould fluffy idlis that you can serve with a potato or vegetable cuŕry.

May the blessings of Maa Durga stay on you and your family forever. Let the faith take you far abd keep you safe.

So what are you baking today???

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Lemon Tarts-Sweet and sour and Eggless

Sweet and Tart.
Fragrant and sweet and tart and fresh.Full of the zing of lemon and the smoothness of lemon curd,but without any eggs.

No,its not totally vegan,but for those who are allergic to eggs and /or dont want eggs in their food for religious reasons would never have tasted lemon curd.

Never would they have known what they were missing.
A bite of heaven.
Yes,food is so melodramatic.
Things that make you go hmmmm....
And a lemon tart is seriously that.
A teensy weensy bite of sweet and sour and butter and its over....
Lemon curd is generally made with an egg custard and lemon juice and sugar and butter.So here we omit the most important base which makes the lemon curd smooth and pipeable.
Made here with eggs and a chiffon cake...
This was made with lemon juice and sugar and lemon zest and butter and a little cornstartch.
I used brown and polson's Vanilla custard otherwise the lemon curd would have been pale.
A burst of sunshine is needed on the outside as well as on the inside.
just the thought is enough to get me salivating.
So  without wasting much time let me get on with it...truth be told , I've been posting much from my smartphone as our locality has been facing severe power outages...so its easier to write a wee bit less...

for  the

Lemon tarts with egg less lemon curd...

you need

Short crust pastry for 25 tart bottoms(innuendos.) Find the recipe here.

Eggless lemon curd
Juice of 10 lemons
zest of 3-4 lemons
3/4 cup to 1 cup granulated sugar
2 to 3 tbsps vanilla custard powder(cornstarch will do but then you will need a few drops yellow food colour)
125 gms softened butter. ..I used amul..slightly salty and a perfect foil for the sweet and tart curd...

Juice and zest the lemons and place in a stainless steel pan with the sugar.

Let this mix simmer till the sugar hs dissolved and a few minutes more.
Dissolve the custard powder or cornstartch in a tbsp or two of water and let the lemon juice mix come to s rolling boil.

Whisking well, pour in the slurry into the boiling juice mix to thicken it. It won't look too thick at this stage, barely holding its own ,but no worries. ..chill and let this cool to room temperature.
It looks a little better at this stage...thicker and glossier. ..
Now whisk in the softened butter a couple of table spoons at a time.
After you've  added most of the butter, you'll be able to judge how much more you need.
Cover this curd with cling wrap and cool it. Make sure you've tasted it to get the balance of acid and sugar and butter right.
Once the lemon curd is chilled,you can whisk it further if you want to pipe it on to your tart bottoms(giggling here) or just spoon it in...

I prettified my tarts with kiwi fruit bits because I had them in my fridge. ..you don't really need them...
There is  heaven in the tarts already. ...
And I'm trying to diet here, but these heavenly tarts will take me to hell and back....

These are so easy. ..even if your trepidations will peak with the short crust pastry make the curd and spike up your life. ...

So what  are you baking today???

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