tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4376416127063207682012-02-08T03:23:31.354-06:00Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.comBlogger1611100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-43421010149131880232012-02-06T22:14:00.003-06:002012-02-07T08:36:44.638-06:00

It has been three weeks since my school started and I have managed to ease the class into my weekly schedule or rather into my weekend schedule.  It is only one Saturday class this semester, so the workload is much less and I have more time to blog (hence the three posts last month).   A friend asked me recently how I liked studying in my late 30s.  She looked surprised and a bit disappointed

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-33265297097799863892012-01-30T09:34:00.005-06:002012-01-30T15:21:12.206-06:00

It brings tears to my eyes to know that people abandon their kids because of poverty.  It saddens me that I indulge my picky eater with foods of his choice when there are orphan girls grateful for two meals a day.  I am thankful every day to be there for my kid when he is sad, angry, hurt or just wants a hug.  As I hug my child at night and put him to sleep in his comfy bed, I remember that there

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-52881487907108508072012-01-25T16:12:00.000-06:002012-01-25T16:12:46.967-06:00

Well, what do you know? I kept my word and am on schedule for the fb rant thanks to the dark, wet, rainy morning we have today in the sunny state of Texas.  We are spoiled here with warm skies and 70o temperatures in December.  It puts us (at least me) in a foul mood when the skies are cloudy and the weather turns dull and wet.  Contrary to what Indian poets and imaginative types would have you

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-4453381706920730772012-01-19T21:41:00.000-06:002012-01-19T21:41:56.779-06:00

…is how I have decided to lead my first post in 2012.  As usual, I have started another year with nary a clue as to where it will lead me.  Last year saw me busy with my school and getting used to the routine of a kindergartner.  As a result, there was sporadic activity on DSM and my fiction writing suffered.  By the end of the year, I was off facebook and twitter, effectively abandoning my blog.

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-14957459307459721842011-10-11T22:29:00.001-05:002011-10-11T22:30:13.662-05:00

Peanuts and I go a long way back to my childhood days. I think the love affair started when my sister and I used to play Ghar-ghar or house-house. Our mother would give us a fistful of peanuts and some jaggery to use in our make believe pantry. Sometimes the peanuts would be replaced by a piece of khopra (dry coconut). Watching us play, my mom was sure I was going to be a spendthrift and my

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-18691512907656234302011-09-27T16:21:00.011-05:002011-09-29T08:57:24.852-05:00

Last week, I learnt not one but two new words in a day. The first one was Luddite and the second was Clerihew. Both are nouns and are associated with the British. Loosely defined Luddite translates to anyone who is opposed to the industrial change or innovation in their daily life. The word was introduced to me by none other than the witty Ms SplitPearPersonality who has decided to merge her

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-72432457414204287522011-09-24T21:29:00.002-05:002011-09-24T21:32:02.111-05:00

In the dark, primal world, Apsu and Tiamut decided to procreate gods. The first two of their offspring, born in the midst of heaven, they named Lahmu and Lahamu. After them Ansar, Anu and Nudimmud were born. The proud parents then established their progeny as the great gods. While the great gods went about their business quietly, Tiamut continued to create many other gods in her vast body.

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-40027750397662672282011-09-21T11:43:00.000-05:002011-09-21T11:43:26.055-05:00

This time around I broke one of my cardinal rules about hosting an event on DSM. I have been late, very late, in posting the roundup. When I made that promise a year and some months ago, I did not realize that the roundup would coincide with me writing a pneumatic brief on Enuma Elish and cramming for a geology test on minerals. But that is what happened and hence my deepest apologies for being

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-76514948180062845372011-09-07T00:05:00.001-05:002011-09-24T21:30:35.780-05:00

I start feeling nostalgic and missing homeland during festival time and this year has been no exception. A phone call to my brother for Rakshabandhan or Bhau-Beej, a video chat with my parents during Diwali leaves me teary eyed and wanting to jump on a flight to India. I try to compensate feelings of alienation by making corresponding festival fare and gorging myself on it. Two years ago, I

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-86545904007254638252011-08-24T00:03:00.001-05:002011-08-24T00:03:42.985-05:00

Past few days have been an emotional roller coaster for me. My five and a half year old started kindergarten yesterday and last week was spent preparing for school, buying school supplies, going to meet the teacher, going to buy new clothes… Every day was a reminder that my baby is growing up, fast. When I could not find clothes for him in the toddler section, I ventured into the ‘big boy’

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-4285667863044215962011-08-17T00:02:00.001-05:002011-08-17T00:07:25.896-05:00

It is the middle of August and I have yet to post something for my own event, B2B – Spice Powders. So here is my first entry to my own event, a simple, basic spice used in almost every Indian kitchen. Ever since I can remember, one day of the year in our house, my mother devotes an entire afternoon to making dhana-jeera powder and garam masala. Breakfast is a hurried affair of

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-82734096269568379472011-08-15T00:01:00.004-05:002011-08-15T00:15:27.363-05:00

On the occasion of India’s Independence Day, here is a video which always makes my eyes tear up even as a smile plays on my lips.

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-74618888011540841282011-08-14T02:37:00.002-05:002011-08-14T03:09:07.578-05:00

Jealous sisters, cheating husbands, ailing mothers and lonely septuagenarians are just some of the central characters of this edition of Of Chalks and Chopsticks.  Hope you enjoy reading these and some other gems of food fiction. 1. But suddenly she felt it gnawing away at her – she felt like eating patrani machhi – just the way it to used be made in the Khambatta home while growing up – a

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-61895826040784901952011-08-10T01:51:00.004-05:002011-08-10T22:38:21.610-05:00

I am an invisible man in a foreign land. When I say invisible, I don't mean the invisible man from H G Well's story of the same name or even the unnamed hero of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man.  I am not complicated like that, nor do I have existential issues. No, my dilemma is simple one. The people I live with are my son, Suresh and daughter-in-law, Tulsi. I do not care much for them but I am

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-59823591525561470922011-08-07T22:20:00.007-05:002011-09-05T00:10:24.722-05:00

If you are a fan of food fiction then you are aware that between Sra, Sandeepa and yours truly, Aqua’s brilliant brainchild, Of Chalks and Chopsticks has been revived (currently being hosted here). Keeping in line with that spirit of renewal and the end of summer solstice, I hereby announce the new avatar of Back to Basics. If you are new to blogging or to this blog, B2B is an event that I

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-8405302071455364462011-08-02T13:38:00.001-05:002011-08-02T13:40:45.289-05:00

Lately, my follower count on the blog has been going up and down by a couple, or in other words, stayed constant. I welcome new followers and wonder about the ones who are unfollowing (leaving). Maybe it is because I haven’t been very regular with my posts for almost a year now. There is also the contentious issue of not visiting a bunch of other blogs and leaving comments, which, let’s face it,

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-71479385647724768592011-07-20T10:16:00.001-05:002011-07-20T13:11:48.136-05:00

Another Wednesday, another b&w photograph. Thanks to Susan's weekly event, I am at least keeping this blog current. These giant elephant garlic were a regular offering at our local CSA farm till the crops gave in to relentless over 100 degrees heat and some unexpected rain showers. Despite their size, the elephant garic is milder in taste to the regular garlic and actually are a varient to the

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-40767201306261680902011-07-13T11:06:00.002-05:002011-07-13T12:22:54.061-05:00

A few months ago, Manisha snagged a bargain at her neighborhood garage sale and bragged about it on facebook. The Turkish cups, also called ibrik or cezve, she had managed to lay her hands on were so gorgeous that enough though I have never had Turkish coffee in my life, I just had to have them. Two more of her friends wanted them too, so she graciously agreed to go back to her neighbor and see

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-89722473227004828412011-07-10T11:06:00.002-05:002011-07-18T21:12:29.775-05:00

Ok, I was going to title it ‘put on your writing caps’ but putting on chalks and chopsticks sounds so much more interesting. Aqua’s brilliant conception deserves no less. Now if I was only more respecting of deadlines the last two times when Sra and Sandeepa hosted the event. Nevertheless, once I managed to post my overdue fiction, I was overwhelmed at the kind, encouraging and appreciative

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-14717327875462013862011-07-06T15:34:00.002-05:002011-07-06T21:28:20.474-05:00

Naina woke up to the insistent ringing of the morning alarm. She considered hitting the snooze button but decided to get up anyways. It was going to be a busy day and she needed a head start. She walked bleary eyed into the kitchen and turned on the tap. She drank a glass of water and then poured two cups of water in a pan, added some sugar, tea leaves and milk. By the time she had finished her

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-26897984694336988012011-06-20T15:40:00.002-05:002011-08-01T11:58:59.017-05:00

another light lunch for Red Chilies My five year old loves going to the museum and can spend hours roaming the corridors. Before you get any ideas about his artistic abilities, let me explain. It is a children’s museum which allows him and kids like him to play and experiment with things one doesn’t normally get to do at home. There are basins of water with toy boats to study water flow and

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-69362854362032126502011-06-14T11:48:00.001-05:002011-06-14T11:52:55.141-05:00

First of light lunches for Red Chilies So paranthas, those Indian flatbreads made by shallow frying them in oil, are not what you would call a light lunch, especially if it is paired by chole or a similar kind of gravy. But in my house, we like to eat them with a light sabzi of aloo mattar (potatoes and peas) or even with some yogurt or lassi. I am sure Supriya of Red Chilies will agree that

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-69498853246309148062011-06-01T14:45:00.004-05:002011-06-01T15:09:56.766-05:00

She heard his audible sigh as he passed the dining room. She was busy taking pictures of juicy, fresh strawberries she had picked up that morning at the farmer's market. "How does he not get it still?" she wondered. She had been blogging for over a year now and as she had gotten more involved with her blog, she had started experimenting more with different cuisines, with photography techniques

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-56573777151198571012011-05-15T18:48:00.006-05:002011-05-15T22:05:24.690-05:00

Let me start by thanking Susan for her patience with me in posting the roundup almost a week later than promised. I would also like to thank all the wonderful bloggers who participated with so much enthusiasm and some with as much as five entrees. Clearly, legumes rule your kitchens. As I mentioned in my last post, I had no idea how popular her event is and the deluge of entrees was overwhelming

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-33304348434307866242011-05-03T15:15:00.000-05:002011-05-03T15:15:32.153-05:00

Today is the last day to submit your entrees for this month’s MLLA-34 hosted on this blog. I knew MLLA was a popular event but I had no idea how much. My inbox has been deluged with entrees, ok, not deluged, but I have been getting a couple of entrees every day since I announced the event. It is astounding. If you still haven’t posted your lentil creation, now is the time. The clock is ticking.

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-45725066999774520042011-04-21T22:53:00.000-05:002011-04-21T22:53:42.789-05:00

This week has been busier than usual for me. Since it is Easter this Friday, the kid’s school had an Easter egg hunt on Monday. For the uninitiated, the hunt involves each kid carrying about a dozen candy filled plastic eggs to school and handing them over to the teacher. The teacher collects all the eggs, scatters them in the playground and lets the kids loose to hunt for a dozen eggs. One hopes

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-52127782534090213522011-04-15T01:04:00.005-05:002011-04-19T23:51:47.580-05:00

This post was waiting to be written for the last few days and not the least because I am hosting MLAA-34. As a host, it would be rude of me not to cook a legume based dish. Yet, every time I sat down to write, some distraction would occupy me before I had to call it a night. Yesterday, it was this rant of Sandeepa over at Bong Mom's Cookbook. She took the words out of my mouth when she questioned

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-34574824955277276662011-04-03T00:48:00.014-05:002011-05-01T21:44:10.084-05:00

As I write this post, sitting in my usual place on the couch, directly in front of the TV, within easy reach of the remote and the side table, the India-Sri Lanka World Cup finals is on. Sri Lanka is batting at 199-5 with 7 overs to go. I have cut my Saturday morning class, not because I am a cricket fanatic but because it seems the right thing to do. It also seems fit then to write this post

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-43992424724444271012011-01-25T14:45:00.000-06:002011-01-25T14:45:57.599-06:00

I realize I have been absent from my favorite book club for a long time. It does not, however, mean that I haven’t been reading the books that are voted in as the club’s book of the month. I read Caliph’s house and even managed to write a few lines about it on my iPhone while sipping coffee at a McDonald’s and keeping an eye on Jr running around in the play area. This is what I wrote, if anyone

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-24988032307313223572011-01-20T00:01:00.002-06:002011-01-20T00:02:24.381-06:00

This post has been languishing, half-written, in my drafts for a while and seemed like the perfect piece to explain my absence from the blogosphere. I would like to say I was musing, all these months, on the purpose of my blog. The truth is I was busy with the business of being a mom, a part time student, an anime junkie and a BBC comedy snob. Blogging seemed like a chore to be done at the end of

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-28751057922459495642010-09-15T00:56:00.012-05:002010-09-24T12:44:30.552-05:00

My heartfelt thanks to all you lovely people who took the time to pause and read this post and then give you precious comments. I have had fun making this for Anita’s Tea Party. It was my first time attending and it was a blast. However, amidst all the fun was the backdrop of plagiarism and blatant lifting of copy and pictures, not just by fellow bloggers but by long standing institutions (?)

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com29tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-22811353639013415902010-09-10T00:49:00.000-05:002010-09-10T00:49:28.041-05:00

Here they are, a dozen plus one pieces of food fiction that will make you laugh, cry, wonder and enthrall. Above all, these stories will make you salivate and hunger for the rich fare they serve on the side. 1. Chow chow! Really? I can’t believe you used it in a salad, and I can’t believe it doesn’t taste crappy; The sweet potatoes don’t really do it for me, though, maybe you didn’t roast them

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-44105976275848110202010-09-08T02:17:00.004-05:002010-09-09T12:22:56.354-05:00

a dash of cilanto-mint chutney It is 1946. World War II has ended. London is trying to resurrect itself from the ashes of destruction and Juliet is trying to get her writer’s mojo back. A successful columnist during the war, she is now on a publicity tour of her book, a compilation of her war-time columns. Juliet is a liberated woman for her times, who dumps her fiancé the day before their

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-78876635230082512302010-09-04T01:54:00.002-05:002010-09-04T01:57:59.930-05:00

It is time for another roundup of the monthly Global Kadai, envisioned by Cilantro and hosted by me for the month of August. For all intents and purposes, this blog will not host another event for some time. Without further ado, I present the GK roundup, showcasing numerous ways to use tofu in Indian dishes. PJ at Seduce Your Taste Buds, lives in the land of tofu. Was it a surprise she sent not

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-81130716545374458132010-08-22T22:23:00.011-05:002010-09-15T08:00:37.291-05:00

This story is not a work of fiction but the names and identities of people, to some extent, have been changed. If you would like to read more of the story, mention it in the comment section and I will try to post the next part of the story as soon as possible. Due to my bed rest, there is no recipe this time with the story which is written for Of Chalks and Chopsticks, a food fiction event

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-11694083976218410442010-08-13T14:19:00.003-05:002010-08-13T19:22:15.531-05:00

This is an old post, that almost got lost in the archives of my word documents. It was written in response to Supriya's query if I had the recipe for chole palak on the blog. The chole palak in question were the pairing for the Tibetan bread that he had made. This then, is the old write up with some new reference added in for freshness. What kind of chole masala do you use? If it is the store

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-85001989181639354312010-08-10T11:57:00.002-05:002010-08-21T09:42:11.745-05:00

There is no greater irony or joy than to read tales of wanderlust and cooking when confined to bed. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, reading Rita G Gelman’s tales of travelling like a nomad transports you from the cozy comfort of your bed to the pulsating rhythm of a Zepotac village in South America. Not your idea of a vacation? Try renting in Mexico with its vibrant colors and stucco houses. It

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-67782117929504820572010-08-08T20:22:00.001-05:002010-08-09T21:16:19.157-05:00

An idea born out of an impulse turned into a Basic event. I was honored to receive so many entrees and due to personal health problems couldn’t post the roundup earlier. Here it is at last, clubbed into categories. But first, a special mention: PJ, who likes to seduce our taste buds with her delectable dishes, gets the top billing for sending not one, not two but eight kitchen basics. Her basics

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-34461144631931423032010-08-03T09:25:00.007-05:002010-09-24T11:42:32.085-05:00

If you missed me talking about my tale of tardy and of begging hosts for a couple of days past the deadline, here’s another one for the record. I have been late for my own event. I had grandiose plans of posting not only how to make a basic vegetable stock but how to make pasta at home and toss it with pesto made from home grown basil. All I have managed before the grace period (Aug 5th) expires

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-12431071882753115252010-08-01T21:30:00.006-05:002010-08-24T10:05:19.679-05:00

Mrs. Mohini Kamath was chopping a mountain of onions while the two big eggplants cooked in the oven. She brushed away the tears trickling down her face and started on the garlic. She always liked to mince the garlic with some chopped onions mixed in. With the heat of the oven, the tiny apartment had become cozy and she started humming a Bollywood tune as she washed the tomatoes and started

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-91857288423404725522010-07-28T22:37:00.003-05:002010-07-28T22:41:16.657-05:00

Tofu Steak In case you missed how to make tofu at home (and step by step clicks to go with it! The exclaimation because I don't do it often), check it out here. My first task with the Velveteers is not over until I make something sweet or savory with the tofu that I made at home, from scratch (I can’t mention enough that I made tofu at home, from scratch). But I am patting myself too much on the

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-78321035121164082682010-07-27T01:46:00.000-05:002010-07-27T01:46:06.127-05:00

Punctuality has never been my forte. I have talked about it here before and I have been working on getting there, in time. However, working on something and achieving it are two different things, as is evident by this post for the cool group of Veleveeters, started by Aparna, Asha, Pamela and Alessio, which is late by almost a week. I was thrilled when they accepted me in their cool circle only

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-45999237696586512462010-07-16T01:03:00.001-05:002010-08-12T19:08:53.444-05:00

                                                If you have ever wondered how you will be treated in a snooty, fancy restaurant, Ruth Reichl will tell you in Garlic and Sapphires. It is Reichl’s candid memoire of her stint as a restaurant critic for New York Times, which turns out is one of the most powerful positions a newspaper critic in New York could have. Besides transitioning from the

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-39581354133424778182010-07-11T15:13:00.002-05:002010-07-12T09:08:18.214-05:00

                 Breakfast on weekdays is a staid affair in our house. He eats his at work (eggs), I eat oatmeal with raisins and the kid loves his cheerios with raisins and milk. Weekends are pretty much the same except on the days when the house doesn’t need cleaning, the laundry is done and folded away and the lawn has been mowed the day before. Then, I like to make the ubiquitous

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-78805922169435522652010-06-28T15:28:00.007-05:002010-06-28T21:19:32.904-05:00

Yesterday, Sra announced the 3rd edition of Chalks and Chopsticks, an event I myself have hopes of  hosting in the future. On the heels of Sra’s announcement came Srivalli’s post on a basic technique of cooking toor dal which I used to follow too, before I discovered the joy of one pot dal. However, Valli’s post made me think of some of the basic techniques I had posted in my early days of

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-81036700931983812152010-06-24T22:09:00.001-05:002010-06-28T18:04:10.905-05:00

If you are a dal/ sambhar purist click away from this post. If you soak your lentils everyday and cook it in the big 5 ltr pressure cooker with rice in the bottom pan, click away. If you chop your tomatoes, veggies and cook them in a separate pan before adding the cooked lentils to it, click away. If you want to cook your lentils in 30 minutes and eat them too, stay and read on. I grew up

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-24810902487513388342010-06-17T10:55:00.004-05:002010-06-25T09:29:12.603-05:00

A peek into my pantry Much has been said and commented about my pantry space, so here’s the proof that I do occasionally clean it, well every three months or so. All clean and shiny  Canned goods and some libation  Notice the uniform containers (dollar store) and the neatly stacked snacks. Mustard, cumin, fennel, cinnamon, red chili... The seving platters on the top rack. Another close up.

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-44893496408889107332010-06-10T13:31:00.005-05:002010-08-24T10:08:16.897-05:00

Caution: The Following is a piece of fiction based on real events and real people, whose names have been changed for Chalks and Chopsticks, hosted by Bong Mom and started by Aqua. For the contest, go to the bottom of the post. For the first piece of fiction, click here. Archana boarded the local bus and looked around for an empty seat. There was one in the middle, next to an old woman. She sat

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-31711849101622591582010-06-08T01:49:00.007-05:002010-06-08T10:51:27.909-05:00

Confession: I had never read Fannie Flagg till Simran picked her up for our book club’s second anniversary. I had seen the movie Fried Green Tomatoes based on her book by the same name but had no idea at the time that it was based on Flagg’s book. The movie won an academy award nomination for best screenplay in 1991, so I can imagine how good the book must be. Flagg is an accomplished writer who

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-36848982594752794102010-06-02T10:15:00.005-05:002010-06-07T08:12:01.947-05:00

                    When Nupur of One Hot Stove asks you to check what is lurking in your pantry, you don’t dally. You head straight for the pantry, throw open the door and stare at the mess that greets you. The pantry along with the rest of the house had been neglected for the last three months due to someone’s studies. There were packets of lentils, flour, some sprouting onions, a funky smell

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-43725743441528606472010-05-28T07:50:00.010-05:002010-08-24T10:09:54.313-05:00

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction (except for the recipe) and may or may not have some resemblence to persons living. “You are going to be late for class,” he said as she dunked her toast and sipped her tea at a leisurely pace. “Don’t worry, I have plenty of time. It takes 25 minutes to reach school, 35 max if there is traffic,” she replied in her nonchalant way. He just shrugged and went

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-46201831139483200322010-05-24T11:37:00.001-05:002010-05-25T10:07:18.624-05:00

What is the difference between cupcakes and muffins? I have not the faintest clue. Ten years ago when I stepped foot in a nearby Walmart for the first time I encountered muffins, which looked like the cupcake’s chunkier older sibling. I did not for a moment suspect that the difference in name equated to the difference in taste. After all, coriander was cilantro, okra was American for ladyfinger

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-2635430902367427282010-05-19T14:11:00.002-05:002010-05-19T17:44:57.631-05:00

Palak Paneer (Cottage cheese in Spinach curry) How do you come back after more than a month of hiatus? First order of business: Update 359 Days of DSM, which had been gathering cobwebs since I decided to hang up my blogging gloves and pick up US Government and History books. DSM is almost updated. It took almost two weeks to update a month and a half of clicks. As of today, only three days

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-50054447101734339532010-03-24T22:04:00.002-05:002010-03-24T22:07:03.054-05:00

A few months ago, when Manisha asked the same of her readers, it was for a totally opposite reason than mine. She was about to embark on the NaBloWriMo. I, on the other hand, have already embarked on a journey I never thought I would take again after I was done with my degrees and started working. Now, a decade and some later, in my adopted country where it is never too late to start anew, I have

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-32746147423339739552010-03-04T10:45:00.004-06:002010-08-13T14:05:05.377-05:00

This and the posts that will follow have been a long time coming. Call it blog fatigue or my tendency to bite more than I can chew, DSM took a back seat to other chores equally important, like going to school and trying to stay updated on my other blog, 359 Days of DSM. So, to all those who wondered and expressed concern at the absence of activity on this blog, Thank You. I appreciate the love

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-2303464853954075922010-02-15T10:04:00.002-06:002010-02-15T22:05:55.500-06:00

After the high of announcing an event you go through the low of waiting the first few days, checking your email for the 10th time, wondering if there will be any entrees at all. Half way through the deadline the entrees start trickling in and you get excited. More so because they are from bloggers you look up to and read regularly. It is even more exciting to discover some wonderful, new

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-83135289439862048842010-02-13T00:40:00.005-06:002010-02-13T01:54:01.258-06:00

My mother was incredulous. Her grown up daughter of thirty six was experimenting with winter greens, she who had, growing up, caused her much heartburn by refusing to eat even the cilantro floating in the dal! Yes, she was finally grown up and it had taken not a mother’s love but her husband’s love for all things vegetables to turn her around. There she was, listening over the phone at her

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-1774939965181224102010-02-04T08:59:00.001-06:002010-02-04T09:04:17.176-06:00

Feb 6 was supposed to be the last day to submit your entrees for the repost event. As promised in the original announcement post, I was strict about participants following my rules. As a result, I sent back a couple of entrees. For those who were gracious enough to accept my rejection of their posts, it was only fair that I give them a grace period of six days to redo their reposts. For those of

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-50431543897658874382010-02-02T00:05:00.002-06:002010-02-02T10:38:06.155-06:00

The unassuming name hides a simple but delicious combination of potatoes cooked with tomatoes and ginger. A recipe similar to the north Indian aloo ka jhol (potatoes cooked in a watery gravy), this one is from Madhur Jaffery’s book, Climbing the Mango Trees, our book club pick for the month of January. If you have ever wondered what the true definition of a ‘Foodie’ is, read Madhur Jaffrey’s

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-12213337705847650702010-01-28T15:52:00.006-06:002010-02-04T09:00:31.639-06:00

Indori: Born and bought up in Indore, MP, India; a foodie to the core; has aloo kachori, bhutte ka keese, garadu and kanda poha in the blood; one with a laid back attitude; easy going; likes to eat namkeen and laung sev with everything. I have been late for my own event. But if you are an Indori (ref above) like me you would know it is nothing personal. We are a laid back lot, who do nothing in

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com35tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-69300524354174486482010-01-15T01:00:00.001-06:002010-01-20T12:04:46.123-06:00

Does running around for an hour with your four year old count towards a workout? I hope so because it is fun and tiring and a great way to keep a toddler occupied when the 'No TV' policy is still on. It also gave me a chance to burn off the Mexican Wedding Cookies I have been eating since the day they came out fresh from the oven. The cookies were made for Global Kadai, a wonderful monthly

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-53359337539131765682010-01-13T01:23:00.000-06:002010-01-13T01:24:26.107-06:00

Today, I woke up to a quiet house. Usually, I wake up to the cacophony of early morning news, chatty TV shows and loud advertisement, not to mention weather and traffic updates every five minutes. As far as I can remember I have always woken up to noise whether it was Vividh Bharti (radio) and later Doordarshan (TV). Except in the summers when we would sleep outside, under an open sky, snuggled

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-67611610047742249042010-01-07T01:30:00.000-06:002010-01-11T10:21:58.900-06:00

My new year’s resolution is to lay off wine. As if to compensate for the lack of red anti oxidents I decided to join the Project 365  (which is not to be inferred as a daily drinking habit). With only a day into the project my head is already swirling with ideas. The project requires carrying a camera everywhere you go -- grocery store, a restaurant, the neighbor’s house, on the road, to the

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-9244407127468290182010-01-06T00:28:00.000-06:002010-01-08T18:59:03.916-06:00

My last post, confirmed what I had suspected for a while now. Initial posts on most blogs are like orphans. They sit in the first month, neglected and unread. Ironically, sometimes they are the ones close to the foodie’s heart, either because of the skill level involved in making them or because they are the ultimate comfort foods. The first few posts are also the precursors to the more polished

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-409206436933569332010-01-04T12:33:00.001-06:002010-02-15T01:33:59.457-06:00

“I was on a high after mastering the art of making sabudana khichdi from a friend of mine.” For the longest time I could never get the consistency of the sabudana khichdi right. I searched the net, I consulted friends and I even woke up at 5 AM to watch my sister-in-law make the khichdi. I experimented with different soaking methods over a week. An empty jar of sago later, I was no closer to

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-18890025324754149372009-12-30T21:05:00.000-06:002009-12-30T21:07:13.391-06:00

In an ideal world my last post of the year would have also been my 100th post. But my world is anything but ideal so even though I was reaching hard for a century, I fell short by four posts. As I write this post, there has been a second helping of snow in Texas. Technically, this is the third time it has snowed but the first time it was just for a few hours. The second time we had snow

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-11880887372887397882009-12-28T16:41:00.000-06:002009-12-28T22:25:53.075-06:00

So this then is Akhila. Forty five years old. San rose-colored spectacles. Sans husband, children, home and family. Dreaming of escape and space. Hungary for life and experience. Aching to connect. In a paragraph, this is the heroin of Anita Nair’s Ladies Coupe. She is a spinster who since the age of 19 has taken care of her three sibling and widowed mother. At 45 she finally wants to be free

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-89582258723308492542009-12-23T13:27:00.000-06:002009-12-24T11:13:24.746-06:00

I am a creature of habit when it comes to ordering food at tried and tested restaurants. So when I stumbled into Corner Bakery the other day I surprised myself by ordering their three lentils vegetable soup instead of my regular roasted red tomato soup. In retrospect, I am inclined to believe my decision was a result of half a day of fasting for my annual physical and having finished the last of

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-40685373515766833262009-12-13T23:43:00.000-06:002009-12-14T08:03:02.754-06:00

In response to Time's last week's cover story, The Decade From Hell by Andy Serwer, a reader, John Grull from Lincoln, Nebraska, had this to say in this week's issue: " How can TIME devote six pages to the "Decade from Hell" without acknowledging that for eight years we had one of the worst Presidents in the American History? The divisiveness that Bush and Cheney fostered was a key part of this

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-53933058292370611482009-12-10T10:46:00.000-06:002009-12-10T10:47:52.730-06:00

Due to a shopping list error my fridge received an additional bag of vine ripe tomatoes. To take advantage of the bounty of tomatoes I had no choice but to go the soup way. Also, I thought it was a nice way to honor Maurice Sendak’s (upper left corner) ode to Dec in his Chicken Soup with Rice poem – “with soup bowls draped all over me”. A chicken soup would have been a more fitting tribute but I

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-84568355782535182412009-12-08T12:19:00.000-06:002009-12-08T15:49:32.909-06:00

November was a tortoise/ rabbit month for me. I had my final papers due in college, a group presentation, a PP talk at my writer’s meet besides taking care of a friend’s kid for a few days and carting him and my son to school. Of course, other regular chores like cooking, cleaning and entertaining go on as usual. At the end of the day, what little energy I had left I chose to spend on catching up

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-34423909105591212652009-11-26T11:06:00.000-06:002009-11-27T17:45:19.872-06:00

And how to sprout moong beans? One hot, humid day, I forgot to grind my soaked moong dal rice mix and it sat on the counter the whole day. The next day I found my whole moong was sprouting tiny buds. So, I grinded the mix for my dosa and then proceeded to soak some more sprouted moong dal for my usal (not to be confused with usual). The process of sprouting beans/ legumes is easy but does take

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-79556979083825660042009-11-19T13:27:00.000-06:002009-12-06T09:58:41.409-06:00

The title is not a pun. It is World Toilet Day (I am not kidding you!) and I am plugging a blogger friend, Dinesh Wagle (no relation) who blogs at Wagle Street Journal.  Dinesh is currently the bureau chief of Nepal's Kathmandu Post and is stationed in Delhi. He blogs and posts photos of happenings in Delhi and the country from the eyes of a Nepali. Frankly, I never thought of Nepal as another

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-50226108346631221032009-11-08T23:17:00.000-06:002009-11-11T00:47:20.487-06:00

I have to admit that till I started reading Vaishali’s blog, Holy Cow, my conception of vegan was vague. Not so any more. Eating a vegetarian Indian diet gets you as close to being a vegan as possible with the exception of daiy, fat and meat. Nevertheless, I try to check up Vaishali’s recipes as fast as she posts them. Trying them out at the same speed is another matter. In the past I have made

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-45992368315057006052009-11-03T17:04:00.000-06:002009-11-03T17:08:21.468-06:00

As promised in my previous post here’s the recipe for Vermicelli Kheer with pistachios and golden raisins and delicately flavored with cardamom pods. In Marathi vermicelli or sevainya is pronounced with an ‘H’ in front of the ‘S’. The taste remains the same. Let me correct myself. The taste of the vermicelli stays the same but depending on how much elbow grease you are willing to put in boiling

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-49041287093668868792009-10-26T13:31:00.000-05:002009-10-26T18:20:13.692-05:00

Towards the end of Monica Pradhan’s The Hindi-Bindi Club, Meenal Deshpande shows her daughter Kiran her list of ‘Things I want to do before I die’. One of the things on the list is her wish to write a novel. Her daughter requests her not to write a “Life’s-a-Bitch-and-Then-You-Die” novel. Meenal assures her daughter she will write a story that’s ultimately uplifting, about survivors of hardships

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-40439163815231562112009-10-21T11:03:00.000-05:002009-10-21T11:04:32.721-05:00

Ok, before you click on the play button, let me clarify that my almost four year old is still manageable in terms of getting dressed, eating his food or taking a bath. But I know I am getting there soon when I too will be singing the MOM SONG.

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-26869574903890648412009-10-19T18:21:00.000-05:002009-10-19T18:26:31.300-05:00

I know Diwali is come and gone, but indulge me with this and the next post. I did make the kranji and the savory shankarpali, just never got around to posting it before Diwali. I had a busy week making the faral (snacks or munchis, mostly fried, like this one), cleaning the house and cooking for five families for the weekend Diwali bash. Not much time left for posting or visiting a lot of blogs.

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-23492343537238658972009-10-15T10:30:00.000-05:002009-10-15T15:17:58.857-05:00

Diwali is to Hindus what Christmas is to Christians. And though I have been a big fan of Diwali, it lost its charm when I came to US about eight years ago. It is just not the same without friendly neighbors who visit each other and exchange snacks and pleasantries. The neighborhood brightly lit with diyas (clay lamps) and electric lights on the rooftops; the ubiquitous rangoli adorning every

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-67552633181631698502009-10-11T21:22:00.000-05:002009-10-11T21:29:50.679-05:00

Would you rather take the stairs instead of the escalator? T sent me this You Tube video, which just might go viral, so my apologies if you have already seen it in your inbox or as I just found out on Manisha's blog Indian Food Rocks.

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-43546177325877429442009-10-09T13:41:00.000-05:002009-10-10T12:12:02.097-05:00

I have always had a love hate relationship with rice. I didn’t mind it much growing up. My diet consisted of two rotis with dal and sabzi and a handful of rice to finish off the meal. The hating began when I started living in a working women’s hostel in Bombay. Every day dinner consisted of rice and a ladle of watery gravy with some scraggly vegetables thrown in. I subsisted on the monotonous

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-51298357253546558582009-10-06T11:17:00.000-05:002009-10-06T11:27:38.972-05:00

I am not a perfectionist by any stretch of imagination. I strive to be one but end up looking more like a bumbling, multitasking, frazzled hair girl/woman of thirty something years. So recently, when T found this cool food blog, Chow, I was in nirvana heaven. All you foodies out there on the blogosphere who have ever dreamed of making/eating the perfect tortilla and more, head on over to Chow and

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-79637704757329904812009-09-29T12:45:00.000-05:002009-10-01T08:27:01.490-05:00

Given the amount of tea Indian families consume, the ubiquitous chai shakkar ke dabbe (covered jars of tea leaves and sugar) hold a special place in every Indian kitchen. Typically, the tea jar is smaller than the sugar jar, probably because in preparing tea, the amount of sugar used is more than that of the tea leaves. For the ancient Indian cuisine, tea is a relatively new phenomenon,

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-44007145741628626232009-09-27T18:02:00.000-05:002009-10-13T14:21:59.819-05:00

Jeanne Ray’s Eat Cake opens with Ruth, the heroine of the novel, imagining herself enveloped between the walls of a giant Bundt cake. She is attending a seminar on reducing stress and as she explains, it is not the act of eating cake that calms her down, but the smell and the texture of the cake and in her words “being part of something that I find profoundly comforting”. She feels, correctly so

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-31121879627351839782009-09-24T20:52:00.000-05:002009-09-25T08:42:10.673-05:00

The sweltering summer has given way to cool breezes and intermittent rains in my part of the world. I have been humming this song for a few days and all my desi readers will agree, there is nothing like a golden oldie when the mood strikes. This is from the movie Mr. and Mrs. 55 starring the suave Dev Ananad and the beautiful Madhubala. Singer -- the melodious Geeta Dutt. Enjoy!

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-51663885826997576632009-09-24T00:00:00.000-05:002009-09-24T00:00:21.389-05:00

Trying out recipes for Taste and Create, an event started by Nicole of ForTheLoveofFood and currently hosted by Min of BadGirlsKitchen, was a unique experience. I was paired with Padmajha (she is known as PJ to a lot of you) and loved the chance to explore her blog Seduce Your Taste Buds. I was intrigued by Vata tea for two reasons. I had never heard of it and PJ’s post said that when people with

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-34259860309844275442009-09-23T23:53:00.000-05:002009-09-23T23:53:26.836-05:00

This is my first time participating in Taste and Create, an event started by Nicole of ForTheLoveofFood and currently hosted by Min of BadGirlsKitchen. I was paired with Padmajha (she is known as PJ to a lot of you) and loved the chance to explore her blog Seduce Your Taste Buds. Recently, T has developed distaste for all things coconut so making PJ's delicious tomato chutney from PJ's blog was a

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-8077576210552925432009-09-23T13:40:00.000-05:002009-09-24T00:05:17.283-05:00

This is my first time participating in Taste and Create, an event started by Nicole of ForTheLoveofFood and currently hosted by Min of BadGirlsKitchen. I was paired with Padmajha (she is known as PJ to a lot of you) and loved the chance to explore her blog Seduce Your Taste Buds. Since she lives in China for the time being, her blog has nuggets of Chinese cooking, street food and culture. It was

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-75681517327114788212009-09-20T21:56:00.001-05:002010-05-28T09:56:17.961-05:00

As an angst ridden (read dramatic) teenager in the late 80s, I had a volatile relationship with my mother. I was in the “know it all” phase and sensitive to any remark or objection from my mother. The arrogance of youth and the inherent need to rebel would bring the worst out of me at the slightest provocation. I would take it as a personal attack on my right as an enlightened youth. I picked up

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-74853285708267927232009-09-16T11:15:00.000-05:002009-09-17T09:25:20.440-05:00

I was going to post a food recipe (stuffed Anaheim peppers) today and then go finish my grocery shopping for the week. It'll have to wait, since I have some explaining to do. When I wrote my last post, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, it was not intended as a personal attack on any one in particular but as a commentary on the ongoing trend on the blogosphere. Also, I have never received a rude

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-12159072492719636802009-09-14T01:51:00.000-05:002009-10-02T21:12:24.794-05:00

Ranting of an insomniac What makes you follow a blog? For me it is the content, the writing, the pictures, the recipes and most of all the "it" factor. If the blogger speaks to me on a personal level, doesn't talk down to me and is passionate about what he or she is writing, I follow them to the last post. I have met some wonderful bloggers who are funny and kind and generous. I have asked for

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-47034338438973050652009-09-11T01:10:00.000-05:002009-12-14T08:03:41.438-06:00

I was sleeping in bed when the first plane crashed into the WTC building. A friend from Australia called up to let me know what had happened. I was still new to the country and it took me a few minutes to realize the enormity of the situation. As I sat bleary eyed in front of my television another plane crashed into the WTC and after a while another one into the Pentagon. I had a hollow in the

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-72430839597527069272009-09-09T09:41:00.001-05:002010-02-13T00:36:31.274-06:00

Serves 4 as a main dish and 6 as a side dish In our marriage, T prefers sabjzis and I am happy to have bowls of dhal to eat with rotis or rice. He is not a fussy eater but it has taken a lot of prodding on his part for me to start eating more than the few veggies (read potatoes,, spinach, fenugreek, cauliflower and peas) I have eaten since childhood. When he ate this green beans sabzi at a

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-59606248074956909802009-09-07T19:02:00.000-05:002009-12-14T08:05:24.030-06:00

Flipping through the latest issue of Parents magazine at my doctor’s office I came across the article “I survived Preschool”. It made me flashback to last August when my then two and a half year old son started preschool. I wasn’t sure I/he was ready for him to start pre-K (even though it was just two days a week). The two of us had not been apart for more than a couple of hours since he was born

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-35695816560918657872009-09-01T10:14:00.000-05:002009-09-01T10:34:16.531-05:00

I would like to give a big thank you to all my readers for their birthday wishes and sympathizing with my lunch fiasco. This month’s Sweet and Simple Bake’s jammy doughnut muffins are for all of you.Being a chocoholic I had to try adding some chocolate chips to half of them. The result, I was sorry to find out, was not as nice as the one with the jam filling.The strawberry jam was made a while

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-88666161717129367432009-08-31T00:25:00.000-05:002009-08-31T00:56:14.382-05:00

Ok, so I wasn’t going to announce on the blogosphere that it was my birthday today but a disappointing lunch at a Chili's left me no choice but to post it.My day started off nice enough. Tushar let me sleep in late and had made tea and breakfast (omelet and toast) for me. I do not prefer to eat out much and especially not in a restaurant which serves American and Italian fare on the same menu. We

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-68027291042940541522009-08-25T22:26:00.001-05:002010-08-02T09:28:46.089-05:00

It is hard to believe Pomegranate Soup is Marsha Mehran’s first novel. It is not so hard to believe her love affair with food. It comes across through the novel’s heroine Marjan who cooks everything in her restaurant with the utmost care and attention. The oldest of the three sisters, she is thrust into the role of a parent and caretaker to Bahar and Layla at an early age. The novel moves deftly

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-5447142700642135652009-08-24T23:35:00.000-05:002009-08-25T00:11:54.750-05:00

Simple Chicken Curry I have come to the end of my weight watching series. Not because I won’t be watching and logging my food intake but because it has become repetitive for the purpose of this blog. Also, I have lost about 2 lbs without doing any high intensity exercise and just watching what I eat. I am going to continue doing that and gradually move on to some cardio workouts.Now for the daily

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-69095907629054238252009-08-21T08:54:00.000-05:002009-08-21T09:30:10.382-05:00

Eating as usualI have been eating a little piece of dark chocolate nowadays when snack attack or a sugar craving hits me. It is not as bad as you think. Half a bar is about 250 cal but cal from fat is about 140. It takes me about five days to eat it. At about 30 cal a piece I think it is ok. Here's the food log:Breakfast: A cup of tea, a hardboiled egg and a glass of 1% milk.Lunch: A toasted

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-437641612706320768.post-20321512196367152522009-08-20T09:22:00.000-05:002009-08-20T09:34:02.152-05:00

Guacamole Yesterday being a day of not so healthy eating, I decided to eat as healthy as possible. Here’s the food log:Breakfast: A bowl of bread upma and a cup of tea.Lunch: Left over pav bhaji with a bun toasted in olive oil and a small bowl of yogurt with a teaspoon of sugar.Late afternoon: A cup of tea.Dinner: Shredded rotisserie chicken on a toasted bun with guacamole and a few cassava

Desisoccermomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06636571476699845725noreply@blogger.com2