Toscano

I still feel really nice when I have the home to myself. I hear some people really feel sad or bored to be alone in a home but for me its  luxury I get say once in 2-3 years. With 2 monkeys and a mother in law as full time occupants of my home, me n hubby sometimes even think of checking into some hotel so we can get some peaceful sleep.. And ya may be catch up on  some other stuff as well.


Yesterday was one of those days when the 2 elder Ms are packed off to hometown and it was just the hubby and younger M that I had to manage. I had just  boiled the pasta when hubby dear planned to go out for dinner and the mood was for a place with karaoke /live music.Since I was in the mood for pasta we zeroed in on Toscano Italiano :)

The food was lip-smacking.. The sweet potato croquette was yum. My Lo didn't try it as she thought it is hot dog and kept saying i wont eat the dog .:D  There was no live music as the singer was off it seems. So we had to adjust with just candle light dinner with some recorded music. But it sure was a nice evening and a must visit for foodies kinda place:)

5 things!!!

Mr j has tagged me to write 5 things that you don't know about me..
It is kind of a sequel to his post as the fifth thing he said reminds me of this ;)
1. I have an elephant's memory.. so people say..
But yes i do remember most of the things which generally most others don't. it thrills me to go into intricacies n recollect past stories with the utmost details, to the amusement of listeners(or so i hope ;-))
2. i have had 5 surgeries till now n the by the time i underwent the 5th one i think the nurses looked more nervous than me :-)
3.i enjoy the company of guys more than gals n since childhood i ve had more number of guy friends than gal.. hence i treasure the few gal friends i have.. n of course also the bestest boy buddies..
4. From my above statement u may tend to think that i am or was a tomboy kind but no.. i have real long hair..i tend to sit on it if i leave it open he he.. n though US has been luring me to cut it short i love it real long n straight.. hence planning on straightening it..(my next post has more to say on this) N last yr i did color it Forster brown after seeing the Garnier ad starring kareena much to my dad's horror!!
5.A surprise element i found about myself recently is thati love cooking!!! nobody in this world wud believe this(ppl who know me previously ie) for i always had this instinct to eat out rather than cook at home n eat.. but i must say now i do enjoy it..

N ha ha ha as i have told u that, lemme also add to the latest miraculous recipe discovered in my kitchen..(pl don't get pissed cos my blog is kind of becoming a recipe blog these days..)

Those of u who hate green leaves like me(i used to hate spinach as a kid.. dont enjoy it much even know) can try this out..

This time it was V who instructed me how to do it. So the credit goes to him..(Mr j, plz note this point ;-)) He is on a no-carb diet and hence we r into soups n salads..

So this is how i made the spinach soup this morning..Thanks to the pressure cooker, my job was real easy.. i cut one full bunch of spinach and one full onion into the pressure cooker. Added water so that the water remains above the other contents. Put a little salt and one big green chilly cut into 2 halves n pressure cooked it till 3-4 whistles.

Thats it.. after all the steam is gone, u can open it and serve along with 2 drops of soya sauce per serving..

I liked it lots and so did V. i think for people like me who find eating green leaves a pain, this soup is an effective alternative..N i didn't forget to click the picture for u guys this time.. he he
N it sure tasts like spinach clear soup ;-)

oops i forgot the tag part!!

here r 5 people i tag - bharath, tapak, rahul, sweta and cris

Gourmet kitchen!!!

Considering the huge public demand(ahem ahem) for my recipes, let me share wat happened few days back... It was only 2 days since we had arrived here at our new apartment.. n the kitchen stock was lean. My gourmet husband rang me up from office to tell that he was very hungry n wanted some snack with the tea when he came from office.. (That's not part of dinner mind you ;-))
i just didn't know wat to do.. some googling lead to mashed potatoes, n deep fried crunchy snacks (as i had restricted them to my limited supplies..) i personally don't like much oily food n try to be health conscience at least while cooking ;-) So i just dumped Google n jumped into my kitchen, all equipped with experimental ideas n grinning at the thought of my poor guinea pig..
So, heres wat i did -
Dip some slices of bread in water (i just don't know y i did it, but i did..)
after that just pinch them into small pieces.. (they wont be pieces but almost a paste)
I boiled the potatoes in the microwave for abt 4-5 mins, peeled them n then mashed them into the bread.. aah.. it was a real sticky paste.. he he
add some chopped cilantro(coriander leaves), chilly powder, salt n tomato salsa(it was my experiment ;-)) After all this the paste was so sticky that i cudn't make it into any shape.. so i thought n thought n stumbled upon some bread crumbs (canned) in the kitchen.They sure came to my rescue that day..
I shaped up my cutlets (thats how they looked in the end ;)) dipping them in the bread crumbs.. N cleverly i foresaw that the slightest thought of frying them wud be like merely inviting oil to be vacuumed in.. So i took out a girdle n just roasted them..
i just prayed it shouldn't be a disaster n my prayers were answered..
I dunno if this is some famous recipe with a distinguished name.. But till now i think i invented it tat day.. If there is some other hidden truth any of u are aware of i will be glad to hear..
N as for my husband he engorged it happily (also to my happiness he he)

Captain Tom's

Last night's dinner at Captain Tom's Seafood n Oyster was a feel gud one.. with the look n feel of a snub nosed shrimp boat both from outside n inside, the place is packed n in demand!! Sadly we cudn't grab seats by the bow which faces the road..
There is a horseshoe shaped center area used for taking orders n is stacked with all the raw stuff n beer bottles..The service is very prompt n the food pretty cheap too. A dozen oysters run to about four dollars..
You can spice up ur oysters with cocktail sauce,horse radish or lemon juice..with a horde of sauces, each one turning ur face to bum red n numb, choosing the right combination needs talent or the easiest way is just follow wat ur neighbour is doing!!
After the most sought after oysters, there r the shrimps, both fried n stuffed and also catfish..But the dish i liked most is gumbo a typical Louisiana (Cajun) food..consisting of shrimp n okra (lady's finger) it was one of the most delicious soups i have ever had..
Also after finishing a meal u head straight to the cashier n pay for watever u think u had.. so much still, for faith from one human to another :)
I am sorry i didn't take a picture of this wonderful restaurant but my husband bein a gourmet has really liked the place a lot.. so have i.. so we do hope to go back there, when i will surely click a few pics for u :)

Tex-Mex food..

I was standing amidst the long queue in front of the US consulate that early morning of december 1st.. My heart thumping, stomach jerking...I could feel goosebumps on my arms..But its not the winter..as im in chennai.. N chennai is hot n happenning!!!
My husband has left, imbibing in me all the courage n confidence he can, for me to face the interview.. But im scared.. This is goin to decide my future.. our future.. The year long wait did come to an end and we had been bonded in wedlock 4 days ago.. but the future was still a mystery..
I prayed on the names of all the hindu gods i cud remember.. i tried to look composed n calm.. am i not a software engineer afterall??? hadn't i faced ample number of interviews before?? But this one was different. After what seemed like ages i got to stand up in front of the lady who was to interview me.. i had been watching another pretty n sweet interviewer at the next counter and wished that i wud get to be interviewed by her.. but that hadn't been..N now here i was facing the ultimate..After the round of greetings she started..
"So y do u want to go to US??"
oh yeah this question was well prepared for "to accompany my husband who is working there.."
"N where in the US is he?"
"Texas"
"Oh so does he like the tex-mex food??"
"yeah"(by now i'm pretty cool n myself.. so i daringly add in wat i think wud be favourable to me"but he misses the home food.."
to which i hit the bulls-eye n the pretty pretty lady says "OOOOkkkay!! then go n cook 4 him.. i 've stamped ur visa..!!!"
phew... so i made it.. is this wat i had been painstaikingly waiting 4?? 2 minutes of interview??
however.. the tex-mex food n the idea it sparked in me was wonderful.. i kept appreciating myself 4 it..
N now here the nachos n tortilla's have truely become my favourites..
Check out the mexican tortillas(to be pronounced as totiya) n salsa with papaya..

the picture i promised ;)