Cakes

Mmm .. I love Cakes and Pastries. My kids love them too. So I had to learn baking cakes and cookies and the likes and in this regard it was my Mom who has been of immense help. She taught me the finer nuances of baking which one can only get through experience and not by just reading a recipe. I first started with a simple sponge cake and then gradually learnt to make the icing or frosting whatever you call it.
Here is the recipe for a simple Chocolate Cake complete with choco icing.
Ingredients:
eggs - 4
Maida - 200 gms
Sugar - 150 gms ( powdered)
Butter- 200 gms
cocoa powder- 2 to 3 tbspns
vanilla essence- 1 tsp
Baking powder - 1 tbsp
for icing:
butter -50 gms
powdered sugar 50 gms
milk - 3 tbsps
cornflour- 2 tsps
cocoa powder - 4 tbsps
First cream the butter in a vessel with an electric beater, add the sugar and beat again. Add the eggs one by one beating after adding each. Seive the baking powder, maida and cocoa powder together. Now add this to the above mixture slowly, beating at lower speed ensuring that there are no lumps. Add the vanilla essence and pour into a greased and dusted cake container and bake in a preheated oven at 185 C for 26 mins. Prick a knife in the middle and see if it comes out clean, if not bake for another 2 mins. Remove and keep on the wire rack to cool.
For the icing, take a saucepan and melt the butter on a slow flame, add the sugar and stir. Add the cocoa powder and ensure there are no lumps. Now add the cornflour to the milk and add it to the above mixture, stir evenly. Let it simmer for nearly but less than a minute and pour on the cooled cake. Spread it evenly and you can decorate it with dry fruits if you wish.

Enjoy..........

Pic : Chocolate Cake with Icing

Cooking

One of my passions in life right after music is cooking. I started cooking with considerable interest only after marriage. My hubby is a total foodie and enjoys all kinds of food, which I have to admit, is the main catalyst to my cooking. I learnt North Indian, Chinese dishes just for him. And soon I started loving it considering cooking is an art in its own right.
Some of the dishes he loves are Paneer tikka, Veg Kolhapuri, Biryani and Dum Aloo. Needless to say these dishes feature in my menu frequently and some other dishes I like are Gobi Manchurian, Schezuan Rice and Tandoori Gobi. ..mmm.. My mouth is watering now.

The dishes in the pic are Biryani, Dum Aloo and Raitha

Divine Music

One of my favourite genres in music is Carnatic Classical Music. There are many stalwarts who have enriched this genre with their soulful renditions but my idol remains MS. Subbulaksmi. No word can singularly express the quality of her pristine voice. Her rendition brings peace to my soul, often tears to my eyes. Such is the greatness of MS Amma that it is not an exaggeration when one says ' na bhooto na bhavishyati ' which means in Sanskrit, there is no one like her in the past and there wouldnt be one in future. She is a legend and though she is not amidst us now her divine songs will remain beyond eternity.

It has been my dream to learn vocal Carnatic Classical music, but for some odd reason it has been eluding me till now. I'm hoping I would do that in near future.

Love

Love is a strange feeling. It manifests itself in many forms. Many definitions float around which try to describe love but in my opinion words fail to completely capture the depth and the myriad emotions that entail love.
What then is love? In the limited world view that I have , I have seen people from completely different backgrounds, religions, physical attributes, castes come together and get entwined by the power of love. Love strikes at the most unexpected moment and all you know is getting swept off your feet. The feeling is flattering to be offered roses, chocolates and the likes. I am fortunate to have experienced love in its most romantic form and still remember feeling completely oblivious to hunger, thirst, day and night just thinking about him.
But after five years of marriage do I still love him the way I did back then?
The answer is no. Five years into marriage anybody will have a list of flaws in the other person... Nah.. just kidding. I still love him but the attributes of this love are different. In the sense that I care for him in a much different way. I respect his long term goals and ambitions in life, I know that we have different interests and still appreciate it, I choose to downplay the petty arguments that we have, I ignore the random fit that he throws. I love him unconditionally and accept him with all his vices. I now know fully well when I need to leave him alone and when I should shower him with my attention. The romance is there but in the silent glance that he gives me even when we are in a crowd. I support him in every endeavour of his, knowing fully well that whatever he does is for our collective wellbeing.
Love is a choice that we conciously make even when we could do otherwise.
And blessed I am to get back whatever love that I give, only multiplied and I sincerely hope the Gods above bless him with boundless energy to chase all his dreams.

Sunday is a Holiday

Its common knowledge that Sunday is a holiday...whether you are a student or an employee or whatever.. but what about homemakers ? They dont get a single day off in their lives unless they are on a vacation..
but I'm lucky that my hubby is sensitive to my needs and ..(touchwood ). Seeing that I was feeling a little dull today he offered to cook for me and boy.. need I say I was delighted.
So he set off with his new role and I relaxed for a while. Which made me realise all the more that everyone needs that little time in life to rejuvenate oneself. Sometimes we lose ourselves in the daily routine and the numerous mundane things that we lose focus. I decided to make the most of the break that I got and set off doing things I was postponing since long.
And then it was lunch time and I should admit I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that he has done a pretty decent job. Though he doesnt hijack the kitchen too often, he managed to cook the daily must haves Rice, Dal and Curry pretty well. I gorged myself to satisfaction knowing fully well and appreciating the fact that everyday is not a sunday..especially this Sunday.

Music

I turn to music whenever I fell lonely and a little bit down. It instantly lifts up my mood and helps me regain my focus. I listen to all kinds of music depending on the mood I'm in but my all time favourite genres are Soft Rock, Blues and Carnatic Classical.
This song by Bryan Adams is my all time favourite. The inherent romance in this song sways me. I can listen to it anytime and no matter how many times I listen, it doesnt seem to lose its charm
the lyrics:
Everything I Do..

Look into my eyes - you will see
What you mean to me
Search your heart - search your soul
And when you find me there
you'll search no more
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for
You know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you

Look into your heart - you will find
There's nothin' there to hide
Take me as I am - take my life
I would give it all - I would sacrifice
Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more
Ya know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you

There's no love - like your love
And no other - could give more love
There's nowhere - unless you're there
All the time - all the way
Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more
I would fight for you - I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you
Ya know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you..