Makes me realize that we need to do this more often.. Lets hope we can all take time out of our schedules and meet!
And, here is what Sital looks like now ..
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Girls Evening Out!!
Had dinner with Sital and Deepa last night at Margaritas in Waltham.. It was so nice seeing Deepa after a long time.. We talked about this and that and everything under the sun.. We also blew off a little steam and ranted for a while and relaxed! It was great.. And, I was finally able tell Deepa that Sital is pregnant!
Makes me realize that we need to do this more often.. Lets hope we can all take time out of our schedules and meet!
And, here is what Sital looks like now ..
Makes me realize that we need to do this more often.. Lets hope we can all take time out of our schedules and meet!
And, here is what Sital looks like now ..
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Spaghetti - A justification for having Wine on mondays!
We had some sort of a power surge/failure in my office yesterday, so, I decided to pack up and work from home the rest of the day.. Now, leaving home around 6ish is a pretty rare thing for me.. So, I felt like going home and relaxing for a bit and having some Wine.. And, seeing as it was just Monday (a long way from the weekend, which usually seems to be a good time for alcohol), I felt I need to justify my drinking cravings.. Which made me think of Spaghetti.. Since it was still early, I drove over to my favorite pasta store in Davis Square called Dave's Fresh Pasta . Now this place has all different flavors of pasta. I generally get their cracked pepper pasta. However, they were all out of it, so I decided to get their special for the day, Lemon and Basil Pasta. I had them cut it Spaghetti style. I also picked up a bottle of red wine from there.. I also got picked up some green and red peppers from the neighborhood store, Evergood Grocery Store .
Once I got home, I opened the wine to let it start breathing and started cooking the pasta.. Took me about 1/2 hour to cook, and the result was amazing.. This morning, Jacquelyn said, "oh and pasta was amazing last nite. the best yet".. Can't wait to go home and have left-overs.. Pasta always tastes better the next day, because it absorbs all the sauces.
So, here is the recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 Medium Onion
1/2 Green Pepper
1/2 Red Pepper
2 Small Green Chillies (or 1 Jalapeno)
1/2 Pound Fresh Pasta (You'll need more if you are using dry pasta)
1/2 Jar of Classico Four Cheese Sauce
1/2 Cup of Stella 3-Cheese (Parmesan, Romano and Asiago) mixture
1 Tablespoon olive oil
6 Cups of Water
1 Tsp Salt
Method:
1. In a pot, start boiling the 6 cups of water (This step takes the longest amount of time)
2. While the water is boiling, start dicing the chillies, onions and peppers.
3. In a saucepan, start heating the olive oil, remember that olive oil heats up very fast, So, I'd atleast have the chillies and onions chopped before heating up the oil
4. Once the oil is hot, add the chillies and onions and sauteé them.
5. As the onions start getting translucent, add the peppers into the sauce pan.
6. Next, add the sauce to this and let it simmer.
7. If the water has started boiling, add the salt in it and then add the pasta
8. Cook the pasta either as instructed on the box or till the water starts to boil again for fresh pasta.
9. Once the pasta is sufficiently cooked, (I like it a little Al-Dente) strain it and transfer to a bowl
10. Next mix it well with 1/2 of the cheese and all of the sauce.
11. Plate it and garnish it with some more cheese and Enjoy!
Note. Now, I don't like mushrooms, but these would also be a good addition to this dish. Also, for protien, you could choose to add meatballs to this.
Once I got home, I opened the wine to let it start breathing and started cooking the pasta.. Took me about 1/2 hour to cook, and the result was amazing.. This morning, Jacquelyn said, "oh and pasta was amazing last nite. the best yet".. Can't wait to go home and have left-overs.. Pasta always tastes better the next day, because it absorbs all the sauces.
So, here is the recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 Medium Onion
1/2 Green Pepper
1/2 Red Pepper
2 Small Green Chillies (or 1 Jalapeno)
1/2 Pound Fresh Pasta (You'll need more if you are using dry pasta)
1/2 Jar of Classico Four Cheese Sauce
1/2 Cup of Stella 3-Cheese (Parmesan, Romano and Asiago) mixture
1 Tablespoon olive oil
6 Cups of Water
1 Tsp Salt
Method:
1. In a pot, start boiling the 6 cups of water (This step takes the longest amount of time)
2. While the water is boiling, start dicing the chillies, onions and peppers.
3. In a saucepan, start heating the olive oil, remember that olive oil heats up very fast, So, I'd atleast have the chillies and onions chopped before heating up the oil
4. Once the oil is hot, add the chillies and onions and sauteé them.
5. As the onions start getting translucent, add the peppers into the sauce pan.
6. Next, add the sauce to this and let it simmer.
7. If the water has started boiling, add the salt in it and then add the pasta
8. Cook the pasta either as instructed on the box or till the water starts to boil again for fresh pasta.
9. Once the pasta is sufficiently cooked, (I like it a little Al-Dente) strain it and transfer to a bowl
10. Next mix it well with 1/2 of the cheese and all of the sauce.
11. Plate it and garnish it with some more cheese and Enjoy!
Note. Now, I don't like mushrooms, but these would also be a good addition to this dish. Also, for protien, you could choose to add meatballs to this.
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
How much is too much money to spend on dinner?
I say, anything over $25 is starting to be an expensive dinner and that includes drinks..
I was watching Phantom Gourmet the other day on TV.. I watch this show to learn about the different restaurants in area.. They had a segment going on "New and Hip" restaurants in Boston and at one point said.. "Drinks for around $10 and Entrees for less than $20, can you beat that deal.. " Now come on, is that cheap? I don't think so.. OK.. OK.. I know I am ranting.. But, seriously, some of my friends feel that spending $30 (without tip) is a normal phenomenon..
I guess, sometimes I don't mind spending money if the food is good.. But, a lot of times, the food is either not too good or not enough to fill me up...
I understand that I live in an expensive city, but, there is still a limit.. Fortunately for me, there are good restaurants in my neighborhood in my price range...
I was watching Phantom Gourmet the other day on TV.. I watch this show to learn about the different restaurants in area.. They had a segment going on "New and Hip" restaurants in Boston and at one point said.. "Drinks for around $10 and Entrees for less than $20, can you beat that deal.. " Now come on, is that cheap? I don't think so.. OK.. OK.. I know I am ranting.. But, seriously, some of my friends feel that spending $30 (without tip) is a normal phenomenon..
I guess, sometimes I don't mind spending money if the food is good.. But, a lot of times, the food is either not too good or not enough to fill me up...
I understand that I live in an expensive city, but, there is still a limit.. Fortunately for me, there are good restaurants in my neighborhood in my price range...
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Guacamole - Raja's recipe
When I was in in california over the winter break, Raja made his signature Guacamole a few times and it was very very yummy.. And, then a few weeks ago, I came to know of Jacquelyn's obsession with avocados.. So, the other day, I brought home some avacados and the necessary supplies for guacamole and decided to give Raja's recipe a try.. It ofcourse wasn't as good as how he makes it, but, I think it came close. We had it with the scoop shaped tortilla chips.. And was definitely a big hit with Jacquelyn, Danielle and Rina!! Here's the recipe..
Ingredients:
1 Avocado
1 Roma Tomato diced
1 Medium Red Onion diced
1 Jalapeno pepper finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt to taste
1. Grip the avocado gently on one side with one hand. With a large, sharp knife in the other hand, cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Open the two halves to expose the pit. Gently tap the pit with a knife with enough force so that the knife edge wedges into the pit, but not so hard as to cut all the way through it. Tap it very gently a few times, each with increasing pressure, until a cut is made in the pit sufficiently to twist the pit out. With the edge of the knife, twist the pit out of the avocado and discard the pit. The scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon into a mixing bowl.
2. With a fork, gently mash the avacado. I like to have texture in the avocado, so, I tend to not over mash it.
3. Fold in the rest of the ingredients and mix well
4. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Ingredients:
1 Avocado
1 Roma Tomato diced
1 Medium Red Onion diced
1 Jalapeno pepper finely chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
Salt to taste
1. Grip the avocado gently on one side with one hand. With a large, sharp knife in the other hand, cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Open the two halves to expose the pit. Gently tap the pit with a knife with enough force so that the knife edge wedges into the pit, but not so hard as to cut all the way through it. Tap it very gently a few times, each with increasing pressure, until a cut is made in the pit sufficiently to twist the pit out. With the edge of the knife, twist the pit out of the avocado and discard the pit. The scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon into a mixing bowl.
2. With a fork, gently mash the avacado. I like to have texture in the avocado, so, I tend to not over mash it.
3. Fold in the rest of the ingredients and mix well
4. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Om Shanti Om
Ok.. So, I watched this movie the other day.. And I must say, it was entertaining.. I definitely wouldn't say it was a good movie, but, I really haven't had this much fun watching a hindi movie. A lot of Hindi movies that I have watched these days have been the ones with a "message" .. This one reminded me of those good old moives, where you could leave your brains at home and go and be just plain entertained.. The story was "no big deal", but, it was done very well.. The South Indian fight parody was awesome.. And, Shah Rukh's "Dard-E-Diso" dance.. Man, he could give these new kids a run for their money..
I've also been listening to some of the songs of the movie and the tunes are quite catchy.. When I was in India this past January, my cousin Rhythm introduced all the new actors and actresses from the song Deewangee... So, it was nice watching it again..
All in all, it was a fun way to spend a rainy afternoon..
Monday, February 18, 2008
My broken foot has taught me.......
1. My brother Raja is absolutely amazing..
He took me to the Grammys, inspite of my foot.. Hung out with me, carried my crutches, held my hand, stood in line at the after party for food and drinks and didn't make me feel like I was spoiling his fun.. Thanks!
2. Its really really realy good to have doctors in the family..
The day I broke my foot, I was in Bombay and were thankfully in Deepakmama's and Ameetbhai's neighborhood. So, we rushed to their places so, they could take a look at my foot. Since they are doctors, they had cell phone numbers of other doctors and also personally knew them. So, we were able to get in touch with a really good orthopedic surgeon who interrupted his wife's birthday party to put a cast on my foot. Before we met this doctor, we had to get my x-rays done and Sejubhabhi and Ameetbhai came with us so that I would get the correct care. Sejubhabi insisted that I get the x-ray from a particular angle. I am glad that she did that because, that is what was needed to see the fracture.....
3. Jet Airways has amazing service..
When they saw that my foot was in a cast, they moved me to a really good seat in the front of the plane, arranged pillows in front of me, so, that my foot could be elevated, and all this with a smile on their faces.. I'm quite impressed. Hope this continues.
4. Need for routine change..
I am allowed to take my brace off when I shower, but have put it back on immediately after. So, I have to remember to take my clothes including my socks to the bathroom. So, I had to diverge from routine of showering first and then ironing clothes when my hair was drying, as this would involve removing and wearing the brace twice. Instead, I had to wake up, iron my clothes and then go shower.. Not that its a huge deal, just took a few times to get the system down.
5. Think ahead to what I would need..
Similar to point 3, I now think 2 steps ahead. A simple matter of bringing things downstairs from the bedroom requires thought, cos, I don't want to make multiple trips up and down the stairs.. Making coffee requires thought, cos, I need to grab everything from the cabinet at once, then everything from the fridge as well.. Making multiple trips is very tiring..
6. Having good friends is also quite a blessing..
My friend Niky has been driving me back and forth from work, bringing me coffee and food and cookis.. and I don't quite know how to thank her.. She has gone above and beyond the call of friendly duty.. Guess, I'll have to make it up to her somehow.. My roommates Rina and Jacquelyn have also taken amazing care of me.. Rina accompanied me back to Boston from India and it was such a relief to have her with me. I didn't have to worry about anything. It was great and then at home she was always around to help me with food and whatever else I needed.. Jacquelyn actually went out in the cold to bring me my sandwich that I had been craving.. Prithwish drove me to the supermarket, carried my groceries around and then drove me to a movie, carried my bag when we went out for dinner a few times. Sapan picked me up at the airport. Shivani helped me unpack and put all my things away
7. Family members go out of their way to make you feel special..
When I was in India, everyone at home made sure that I didn't have to do ANYTHING!! Much to my annoyance at the time, but I now know how useful that was.. And, then everyone has been keeping in touch with me constantly to ask me how I am doing.. The other day Rhythm called me to ask how my foot was now.. And, its good that she called, cos, I needed to wakeup anyway :-)..
Saloni and Jeetu came to cambridge to pick me up so that I could attend Amitkaka's and Medhakaki's 25th wedding anniversay party. And then Jayukaka woke up at 3:30am to drop me off at logan express.
Hmm.. this is about all that I can think of right right now.. Will update more soon!!
He took me to the Grammys, inspite of my foot.. Hung out with me, carried my crutches, held my hand, stood in line at the after party for food and drinks and didn't make me feel like I was spoiling his fun.. Thanks!
2. Its really really realy good to have doctors in the family..
The day I broke my foot, I was in Bombay and were thankfully in Deepakmama's and Ameetbhai's neighborhood. So, we rushed to their places so, they could take a look at my foot. Since they are doctors, they had cell phone numbers of other doctors and also personally knew them. So, we were able to get in touch with a really good orthopedic surgeon who interrupted his wife's birthday party to put a cast on my foot. Before we met this doctor, we had to get my x-rays done and Sejubhabhi and Ameetbhai came with us so that I would get the correct care. Sejubhabi insisted that I get the x-ray from a particular angle. I am glad that she did that because, that is what was needed to see the fracture.....
3. Jet Airways has amazing service..
When they saw that my foot was in a cast, they moved me to a really good seat in the front of the plane, arranged pillows in front of me, so, that my foot could be elevated, and all this with a smile on their faces.. I'm quite impressed. Hope this continues.
4. Need for routine change..
I am allowed to take my brace off when I shower, but have put it back on immediately after. So, I have to remember to take my clothes including my socks to the bathroom. So, I had to diverge from routine of showering first and then ironing clothes when my hair was drying, as this would involve removing and wearing the brace twice. Instead, I had to wake up, iron my clothes and then go shower.. Not that its a huge deal, just took a few times to get the system down.
5. Think ahead to what I would need..
Similar to point 3, I now think 2 steps ahead. A simple matter of bringing things downstairs from the bedroom requires thought, cos, I don't want to make multiple trips up and down the stairs.. Making coffee requires thought, cos, I need to grab everything from the cabinet at once, then everything from the fridge as well.. Making multiple trips is very tiring..
6. Having good friends is also quite a blessing..
My friend Niky has been driving me back and forth from work, bringing me coffee and food and cookis.. and I don't quite know how to thank her.. She has gone above and beyond the call of friendly duty.. Guess, I'll have to make it up to her somehow.. My roommates Rina and Jacquelyn have also taken amazing care of me.. Rina accompanied me back to Boston from India and it was such a relief to have her with me. I didn't have to worry about anything. It was great and then at home she was always around to help me with food and whatever else I needed.. Jacquelyn actually went out in the cold to bring me my sandwich that I had been craving.. Prithwish drove me to the supermarket, carried my groceries around and then drove me to a movie, carried my bag when we went out for dinner a few times. Sapan picked me up at the airport. Shivani helped me unpack and put all my things away
7. Family members go out of their way to make you feel special..
When I was in India, everyone at home made sure that I didn't have to do ANYTHING!! Much to my annoyance at the time, but I now know how useful that was.. And, then everyone has been keeping in touch with me constantly to ask me how I am doing.. The other day Rhythm called me to ask how my foot was now.. And, its good that she called, cos, I needed to wakeup anyway :-)..
Saloni and Jeetu came to cambridge to pick me up so that I could attend Amitkaka's and Medhakaki's 25th wedding anniversay party. And then Jayukaka woke up at 3:30am to drop me off at logan express.
Hmm.. this is about all that I can think of right right now.. Will update more soon!!
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Chilling with cousins!!!
So, here I am in Mumbai at Bhanumasi's house, immobilized because I fractured my foot yesterday.. Yeah, it is a silly story.. I twisted my ankle walking down a step, and apparently, I'm sooooooo heavy that I actually broke the fifth metatarsal of my right foot.. Now, breaking the right foot is a big pain, cos, now I can't drive.. oh well, we'll figure something out.. I was supposed to leave for the US today, but, I could get it postponed, so, I could travel with Rina..
And, now, I am chilling at home with my cousins, Ushma, Rhythm and Mithila.. We got to be in front of the computer because we are trying to figure out what to have for dinner.. I want to have only parathas.. But, Ushma doesn't cos, she doesn't like the food.. I'll let her write what she wants...
Ushma says,.... only parathas is a boring place to b...n d food isnt dat gr8....
i wanna eat chinese...since v havent eaten it for a lng tym...
but as i m d smallest i wont get to decide ne stuff!!!!hehehehehe....but nw it seems dat v arent gng der..yeppie!!!!!finally my plan seems 2 b wrkng out...m sooo kewl na...making my elder sisters follow wat i want......
Rhythm says,.....have not tried the place..but sure it sounds good...n it will be good to have checked out a new place...at least then v ll know in future if its a joint to go next time or no..also as i love parathas esp the different kinds which v generally dont make at home i m hoping it turns out to be a good place...lets c who wins this dinner war....ushma or tanvi...m cool with both chinese n parathas....well ushma i sure dont know what kewl is...
Mithila says.....hmmmm...so finally i get to write in here.....well...i really dunno abt this place ....but i m not really hungry....so i guess anythin will do...but anyways....right now am havin a really nice time wid Tanvi,Ushma n Rhythm....quite a rare ocassion where we r all together thanks to tanvi's fracture..... ;)
Yep,... Yep.. Yep.. Mithila is right, we never really get a chance to just hang out together.. And, seeing as I am the eldest sister, and in pain and going to the US, I might just get to decide where to go eat!! More later!!
And, now, I am chilling at home with my cousins, Ushma, Rhythm and Mithila.. We got to be in front of the computer because we are trying to figure out what to have for dinner.. I want to have only parathas.. But, Ushma doesn't cos, she doesn't like the food.. I'll let her write what she wants...
Ushma says,.... only parathas is a boring place to b...n d food isnt dat gr8....
i wanna eat chinese...since v havent eaten it for a lng tym...
but as i m d smallest i wont get to decide ne stuff!!!!hehehehehe....but nw it seems dat v arent gng der..yeppie!!!!!finally my plan seems 2 b wrkng out...m sooo kewl na...making my elder sisters follow wat i want......
Rhythm says,.....have not tried the place..but sure it sounds good...n it will be good to have checked out a new place...at least then v ll know in future if its a joint to go next time or no..also as i love parathas esp the different kinds which v generally dont make at home i m hoping it turns out to be a good place...lets c who wins this dinner war....ushma or tanvi...m cool with both chinese n parathas....well ushma i sure dont know what kewl is...
Mithila says.....hmmmm...so finally i get to write in here.....well...i really dunno abt this place ....but i m not really hungry....so i guess anythin will do...but anyways....right now am havin a really nice time wid Tanvi,Ushma n Rhythm....quite a rare ocassion where we r all together thanks to tanvi's fracture..... ;)
Yep,... Yep.. Yep.. Mithila is right, we never really get a chance to just hang out together.. And, seeing as I am the eldest sister, and in pain and going to the US, I might just get to decide where to go eat!! More later!!
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