Come On Boys in BLUE Keep INDIA On TOP :) No Egg-No Bake Blueberry Cheesecake !

Hoorrayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy !The long wait is over and much anticipated 2011 cricket World Cup about to begin in India, Shri Lanka and Bangladesh...Cricket is our beloved sport, we are so excited and thrilled to watch those nail biting matches here UK on TV....wish right now I was in INDIA...It will be a UNIQUE and INTOXICATING atmosphere for local'S and people like us..where all the best players of the cricket world will be there and ultimately one team will walk away with the world cup.........and I am OPTIMISTIC, INDIA will be on TOP and will bring world cup home.........
One of those legends, Sunil Gavaskar, is clearly looking forward to the experience.


“The ICC Cricket World Cup promises to be one of the most exciting ever for unlike in the previous years there are many teams who can win the coveted trophy this time. There are also some of the most entertaining players participating in the tournament and it also gives the non-Test playing countries an opportunity to show how good they are,” said Gavaskar.


"It's a completely different feeling to be part of a Cricket World Cup where the atmosphere and the buzz is very special and to be staged in the sub-continent for the first time in 15 years is a magnificent feeling."  ( Indian Batting Maestro Sachin Tendulkar. ) 

India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is expecting the World Cup on home soil to be a career highlight.

He said: "It can't get any bigger than the ICC Cricket World Cup in which the best of the best enter with just one objective - to take home the Cup that counts.
"It's not only my dream to be a Cricket World Cup winner but it's the wish of every member of team India to put his hand on the Cricket World Cup trophy. We'll work as hard as possible to turn our dreams into reality.
"This trophy has been eluding us for the past 27 years and I think we have a very good chance at home to break the drought."

Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara said winning the Cricket World Cup was his childhood dream.

Bangladesh skipper Shakib Al Hasan said the home fans are an integral part of the Tigers and always a source of inspirations.


Cricket world cup happens only once  in four years...The entire cricketing fraternity and die hard fans eagerly waits for this event and when it starts, everyone gets deeply involved. The Cup brings the sport's styles, philosophies, ambitions and dreams onto a smaller, relatively even field which becomes the centre of its universe.

I am sure Team India will get warmth and blessing of the home crowd...stadiums will be packed with loyal supporters, their every roar would touch them........India, the most cricket-obsessed nation on earth where millions follow the sport with a religious fervour and ordinary people doing extra ordinary things...Indian Hindu priests hold a replica of the Cricket World Cup trophy during a special prayer organised to seek blessings of Hindu god Lord Ganesha..People are worshipping the River Ganges Performing spiritual havans, poojas to give team a boost and moral support so that they can win..I am not one to leave myself behind so I am too praying for Team India and for billion-plus in India who are spiritedly anticipating India's WIN...Me and my family are well ready with Indian gear, flags and all...

There is a official song of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 is "De Ghumaa Ke", composed by the musical trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa). It has been sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Divya Kumar.




"De Ghumaa Ke" is a passionate expression that creatively captures the fierce sense of competition and the desire to win. It literally means Hit It Hard. This local cricket euphemism is every fan's wish and every cricketer's intention. It encapsulates all that it takes to win a match. The song has three different versions in Hindi, Bangla and Sinhalese, as Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka are the co-hosts of the event....but my favourite is world Cup 2003 theme song....this song is very inspirational, motivating and emotional too..




We still remember the best World Cup moment for us is undoubtedly the day when Team India woworld cup in 1983 at Lords in England first time under captancy of legend KAPIL DEV  and of course when we  defeated Pakistan at Centurion during the 2003 World Cup in South Africa.Overall atmosphere that day was just electrifying. The crowd, the flags, the cheers, we have never seen a more electrifying atmosphere than that day in whatever cricket we have watched before that or after that...

At the moment India is hot favourite to Win the cup...you can vote here..I've already done...
http://www.skysports.com/cricket/cwc2011/?DCMP=BAC-HPTOCWC2011_OSM

Come on Team India you can win this cup AND STAY ON TOP...Believe in your self and give your best..Wish u all d best guys... Just rock on the ground and remember this quote

"I PLAY TO WIN, WHETHER DURING PRACTICE OR A REAL GAME. AND I WILL NOT LET ANYTHING GET IN THE WAY OF ME AND MY COMPETITIVE ENTHUSIASM TO WIN." 


Michael Jordan

and to go with Theme Blue I made blueberry cheesecake....although the cheesecake is normal but the highlights are the lovely coloured BLUEberries....! very simple to make yet delicious and creamy...

you will need:-

• 200 g Digestive Biscuits ( crushed )
• 75 g butter melted
• 150 g caster sugar
• 500 g Mascarpone cheese
• 150 g Blueberries ( I used fresh )

Method:-

Mix together the crushed biscuits and melted butter, and press into the base of a lightly greased  spring-form cake tin or any glass.I used Martini glass. Chill in the fridge while making the filling.Beat the cheese and sugar together and add blueberries...you can crush them if you want. and pour over the biscuit base. Leave the cheesecake in the fridge to chill about an hour.  Serve when you are ready...Enjoy as much as me and my family did.........!

INDIA GO WIN THE CUP TO SHOW OUR GLORY............

♥ Love at first sight or Love at first Bite ;) Melt in Mouth Pistachio Shortbread ! ! !

Love at first sight or Love at first bite.....for me both....;) what are you thinking people? ;) I am talking about theses Shortbread cookies......................

It's February and that can only mean one thing - LOVE IS IN THE AIR...............I WOULD LIKE TO WISH YOU ALL VERY HAPPY VALENTINES DAY ♥....! I do get amazed by this day, normally people celebrate their own festivals or special days...for e.g. Hindu celebrates Diwali, Muslims Eid and Christan's celebrates Christmas...but when this day comes people from all over the world joins in and they happily celebrate this day which represents LOVE....

Somehow me and Raj came up on this discussion  and he asked me can you tell me definitions of LOVE and I answered him Listen Bollywood songs you'll get the answer:) try this song from the movie Woh Saat Din.....(Those 7 days)
"One cannot fall in love...it happens"



...but he was insisting that I should give an answer...I told him it depends on each and every individual...they will all give you different answer to you...you can debate on this subject days, weeks or months..you will never ever find out the perfect answer....but then after long thought I came up with this answer....

 Love is a precious gift or feeling given by GOD to every living creature on this earth, and only God knows that where, when and how we will give and get this love ...Love is an universal language, that everyone knows , speaks and feels at least once in a lifetime....People say Love is Blind..Love does not see any cast, colour or religion...to feel this wonderful feeling you have to give your love to someone....! 

Enjoy A Byte of Soul Food!


-- To give you a boost on Monday Morning!

True Valentine Feelings

The Greek language has various words for love. One of them is agape, meaning love without expecting anything in return. This is not selfish or self-serving love—it is selfless and unconditional. But is it possible? How can we not feel slighted when we don't receive the treatment we want or feel we deserve in return for some good deed? How can we not "keep score," or not desire recompense or at least a response? God can love like that, and He can give us love like that for others.

In his book Dream a New Dream Dale Galloway tells about a little boy who wanted to celebrate Valentine's Day—a holiday when cards or gifts are exchanged as tokens of love and friendship.

Little Chad was a shy, quiet young fellow. One day he came home and told his mother he'd like to make a Valentine's Day card for everyone in his class. Her heart sank. She thought, I wish he wouldn't do that! She had watched the children when they walked home from school, and her Chad was always behind them. They laughed and hung on to each other and talked to each other, but Chad was never included.

Nevertheless, she decided she would go along with her son, so she purchased the paper and glue and crayons. For three whole weeks, night after night, Chad painstakingly made thirty-five valentines.

Valentine's Day dawned, and Chad was beside himself with excitement! He carefully stacked up his Valentine's Day cards, put them in a bag, and bolted out the door.

His mom decided to bake him his favorite cookies and serve them up warm and nice with a cool glass of milk when he came home from school. She just knew he would be disappointed—maybe the snack would ease the pain a little. It hurt her to think that he wouldn't get many valentines himself, and maybe none at all.

That afternoon she had the cookies and milk on the table. When she heard the children outside, she looked out the window. Sure enough, here they came, laughing and having the best time. And, as always, there was Chad in the rear. He walked a little faster than usual. She fully expected him to burst into tears as soon as he got inside. His arms were empty, she noticed, and when the door opened she choked back the tears.

"Mommy has some warm cookies and milk for you."

But he hardly heard her words. He just marched right on by, his face aglow, and all he said was: "Not a one! Not a one!" Her heart sank.

And then he added, "I didn't forget a one, not a single one!"

* * *

What is real love? It is wanting the best for someone else. It is putting their welfare above yours. It is being happy when they gain what they wanted or worked for. The Bible says that love keeps no record of wrongs, that it "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.""Love will cover a multitude of sins." (See 1 Corinthians 13:5,7; 1 Peter 4:8 NKJV.)

Can you love like that? No, none of us can of ourselves. But if you ask the Lord, He can give you this kind of love—love that seeks the good of someone else, even above your own, even to your own hurt. And it is a beautiful thing when that happens. Even if no one else notices, God does, and He will reward you in Heaven. -David Brandt Berg

Valentines day is not just for showing love to your other half...much love to our family ,friends and most important much love to our beautiful kids xxx.........to celebrate this day I made shortbread cookies and used little bit of my imagination to decorate it...I can say this stunning melt in mouth, full of gorgeous flavours and romantic ingredients, is guaranteed to be a perfect match for Valentines Day...

You will need :- ( shortbread )

• 250 g plain flour
• 250 g Butter

• 125 g cornflour    
• Icing Sugar 125 g
• few pistachio nuts crushed

You will need :- ( decoration )

• Icing Sugar
• food colour ( I used natural food colour )
• few choclate hearts and edable beads

Method :-
Mix all the ingredients in a big bowl  until the mixture comes together. Knead lightly, cover with cling film and refrigerate for an hour. Pre-heat the oven to 180C/355F or Gas Mark 4. Knead briefly after removing it from the fridge.  Roll flat to about 1/2 " thickness cut the biscuits out Lay out on a non-stick baking mat or baking parchment.Allow some space between them for expansion. Bake until golden brown.Remove from the oven and allow to cool completeley before decorating....Enjoy with a cuppa and your VALENTINE.....!

Keep Smiling you are on youtube :) - Falafel in Pitta bread !

Few months back it was my birthday and I received a card from my daughter's friend...she wrote a few lines in there....

"To Aunty
Happy Birthday to you ! I hope you had an amazing Birthday ! Age is only a number so don't worry because to me you are always the same....My very kindly, always Happy and caring Aunty :)....Thanks for always making sure that Hayley has a smile on her face ! I'm sure she makes you smile too..It's your birthday so I hope this card makes you put on a bigger smile..You're beautiful just like Hayley and hopefully one day we can meet again and have a good chat...Once again HAPPY BIRTHDAY...and Keep Smiling :)) !
Love
Nilaxshana "

I was overwhelmed by her words..brought Happy tears to my eyes and of course a very BIG smile too...Many times we underestimate children, and don't take their views or opinion very seriously...But I have to say we adult sometimes are making a huge mistake by not taking their views or opinion seriously...most of the time we think children don't notice or understand so many things...we are wrong ! just like children, we adults are always learning ...and many things we learn from children...For me it was a happy moment that my daughter's friend praised me for bringing up her friend (my daughter ) in such a happy and caring environment...I was impressed that other children notice these important little things....and how children are influenced by their parents...We as parents sometimes ignore these things because of our hectic life, but millions would notice...good and bad behaviour is observed by others...

In a way Nilaxshana's beautiful and kind few lines were words of wisdom for me....Reminded me again how important it is as a parental duty to make sure each time your child leaves the house he/she goes with a smile and also stay in great manner....Here I would like to add about my impressions about Nilaxshana...that it just goes to show about her upbringing...She must be making her parents proud and smile....I am glad she is Hayley's one of the best friends...and MINE ;)

And two weeks ago my daughter celebrated her birthday with her few closed friends...I made few stuff for them and one of them was Falafel...we had falafel in pitta sandwich....Falafel are my daughter's one of the favourite snack, I make for her on special occasions for her...being a spicy eater I used green chillies here...

Falafel ( /fəˈlɑːfəl/; Arabic: فلافل‎, i /falāfil/) is a ball or patty made from ground chickpeas and/or fava beans. Falafel is usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables and hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of a meze.


Generally accepted to have first been made in Egypt, where the dish is widely known as طعمية (ta'amiya) in the Cairo dialect, falafel has become a dish eaten throughout the Middle East. The Copts of Egypt claim to have first made the dish as a replacement for meat during Lent. The hearty fritters are now found around the world as a replacement for meat and as a form of street food.(wikipedia)

YOU WILL NEED:- Falafel

• 3 cup dried chickpea ( soaked overnight)
• 3-4 cloves garlic
• 1 big onion chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley and coriander leaves
• 2 medium potatoes boiled and peeled
• 2 tbsp plain flour ( I used chapatti flour )
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3-4 green chillies
• 1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes or chilli powder
• 1 tsp dried cumin and coriander powder
• oil for frying

Method:-
Drain, rinsed and dry soaked chickpeas.  Place chickpeas in food processor with all the ingredients except oil. grind them to a coarse paste. Mix well and form the mixture into balls, slightly flatten, place on a tray, cover and refrigerate for about half an hour. Deep fry them on a medium to low heat until golden brown. It will take about 7-8 minutes. Fry falafel in batches. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain them on a kitchen towel to remove access oil. Falafel are ready to serve on it's own or you can be used in sandwich.

To make pitta sandwich you'll need

• Pitta Bread ( I used wholemeal pitta bread)
• sliced red onions ,diced tomatoes, jalapenos,Olives,
• fresh ice burg lettuce
• sweet chilli sauce
• Hummus ( I used caramelized onion hummus)
• falafel

 Heat pita bread on grill or flat pan, cut the pitta to make a pocket, stuff it with falafel, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, tomatoes, jalapenos,olives hummus, sauce and enjoy the delicious sandwich as much as my daughter and her friends did....

hey guys if you remember I recorded two cookery TV shows here in London, they were aired in December and now available on You tube to watch..here is the link, altogether there are 4 clips to watch...please watch and give me your feedback...thanks !

1 Corn on the cob curry



2  Sukhdi


3 Mango Panna Cotta