Fun facts

1) Male Sea horses (Not Female) give birth to offspring.

2) Americans on average eat 18 acres of pizzas EVERYDAY!!!!

3) The Spanish word 'Esposa' means wife, the plural form 'Esposas' means Wives but also translates to 'handcuffs.'

4) In the middle ages knights in armour would raise their visors to identify themselves when they ride past their kings. This practice attributed to the modern day salute.

5) One liter of used Motor Oil can ruin upto One Million Liters of fresh water.

6) Ants never sleep.

7) Buttermilk does not contain any butter.

8) Other than fruit, honey is the only natural food that can be made without destroying any form of life.

9) 40% of all indigestion remedies are consumed by americans.

10) If you add up the numbers 1-100 consecutively (1+2+3+4+5 etc) the answer would be 5050.

11) A Bus station is where a bus stops, a Train station is where trains stop then why are employee cubicles called 'WORK STATIONS'??

His and Her Jokes

Yesterday, scientists for Health Canada suggested that men should take a look at their beer consumption, considering the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer.
The theory is that drinking beer makes men turn into women.To test the finding, 100 men were fed 6 pints of beer each. It was then observed that 100% of the men gained weight, talked excessively without making sense, became overly emotional, couldn't drive, failed to think rationally, argued over nothing and refused to apologize when wrong. No further testing is planned.

Smoked Paneer Tikka

Yesterday night it was a different gala at our house. My dad's out of station and my mom wanted a holiday from the kitchen. So instead of stuffing ourselves with junk food. Me and my younger sister Rutika made a treat of our own for her. Parathas with Palak (Spinach) gravy by Rutika. And Paneer Tikka Dry with Curd Sauted Tomatoes by Me. The preparation was a bit of chaos as me and my sister were together. She being the 2nd in Command Chief tried to boss me around and I ended up doing things exactly the way she told me not to. She made her own palak gravy to whose making I did not pay attention to as I was too engrossed myself. Now heres the recipe if you wish to take a print. You will need:

200 gms of fresh paneer.

250 gms of fresh dahi (strained yoghurt)

2 medium sized tomatoes.

Salt, Red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and crushed garlic to taste.

And some olive oil (Approx. 2-3 table spoons)

1) First in the bowl pour the yoghurt and then add the salt, red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala and garlic (crush it to a paste before adding, however I dont prefer ready made garlic pastes.)

2) Whip the mixture to a consistent texture.

3) Cut the paneer to 1 1/2 inch cubes or smaller if you like and add them to the mixture in the bowl.

4) Let the ingredients sit for half an hour. In the meantime you can cut the tomatoes and capsicum in dices.

5) Now saute the mixture on a frying pan with some olive. This takes some practice as you dont have to burn this stuff. Also dip the veggies in the surplus yoghurt mixture before sauting them. Keep adding some of the surplus yoghurt mixture on the paneer if you want it extra crispy as the yoghurt will tend to sizzle and coat the paneer with a nicy spicy layer. There will be adequate left behind dont worry.

Paneer Tikka and Tomatoes

6) ENJOY!!!!

Breaking Coconuts

While writing my first post, I had mentioned the hindu ritual of breaking coconuts at the start of any hindu auspicious occassion. I asked dear bawa about it as I didnt know much. This is what bawa wrote back in his answer.

The act of breaking a coconut is supposed to stabilise the energy during the pooja. It also serves as an example of wholeness and how we should be. Every part of the coconut can be used and nothing is wasted. The way our every act must be fruitful and should bring joy to all the people around us. It is hard on the outside but its soft and nourishing on the inside. This also means that we need a bit of hardness on the outside in the form of discipline to keep the delicate joy on the inside cherished. And with that feeling we perform the ritual of pooja. Which literally means 'that which is born out of fulness of the heart.' WOW!!!!

Thanks bawa,

Jai Gurudev :)

Two Devils & a fresh Ramolo Mousse

(Ramolo Mousse is a chocolate cup filled with rich chocolate mousse with a wafer spoon which is also coated with chocolate.)
The twin devils

What happens when you unleash two little tyrants over a cup of freshly made Ramolo Chocolate Mousse (Chocolate Overdose)??

Ans. They become all the more tyrannizing and hard to control. Hardik & Hitarth (L to R in pic) are both twins and both equally chaotic once they are well fed and rested. Note: The term Well Fed does not apply if they are presented with chocolate. So after I brought a fresh piece of the mousse for them it was more than the regular masti and dhamaal. Was unable to take any pictures of them relishing the mousse though am posting a picture of the cake and the twins for you to see.

My over-postponed first post

After a long time of thinking 'Today is the day I WILL finally start posting on my blog' for 2 months continuously. I finally broke the coconut (Only symbolically though, in India every task is inititated by breaking a coconut.) I will also ask Bawa, our dear Khurshed Batliwala if you people dont know him then make sure that you visit his blog. Its really full of fun stuff and stories. The answer of this question will feature in the posts to come.