Cooking Bytes - the journey of a cookbook from start to finish

Vegetable Pulav and Pan fried Tilapia

2011-01-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

My goal every evening when I make dinner is to try to incorporate the food groups and I try to include 5 colors of vegetables in my cooking. I am huge fan of fresh food. Frozen, pre-made food, unless pre-made and frozen by me, don’t usually make it to the dinner table unless I have absolutely no other choice.

Vegetable Pulav Recipe:
I make this rice dish for my kids as it has excellent flavor and helps me sneak in their daily serving of vegetables.
I cook enough rice to where it will act as dinner for 4-6 people + lunch for 3.
This rice dish can use any and all varieties of vegetables with the exception of the green pepper which is a must. The green pepper is the star of this dish with everyone else along for the healthy ride.
Here are the vegetables that went into making the rice last night.

Green pepper, colored peppers, sliced carrots, cabbage, zucchini

Ingredients:
1 Large onion
3 Serrano peppers
Grated Ginger – 1 TBSP
Cumin seeds (1.5 tsp)
Turmeric powder (1 tsp)
Mustard seeds (1.5 tsp) (optional)
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 large green pepper – chopped – required ingredient
Chopped vegetables (1.5 cups) (your choice – I used carrots, zucchini, colored peppers, purple cabbage)
3 cups basmati rice
Cilantro, 2 chopped tomatoes and some shredded cheese for garnish
Salt
Olive oil – about 3 TBSP

Preparation:

1. Cook the rice with Salt. For 3 cups of basmati rice (from Costco) I used 1.5 TBSP of salt and 4.5 cups of water. The rice should not become too soft. Once cooked, the individual grains of rice should be long and firm.
2. While the rice is cooking, in a large sauté pan, add the olive oil. When it is hot (not too hot), add the mustard seeds and cumin. Once the mustard seeds pop, add in the turmeric powder. If not adding mustard seeds, once the cumin has been added wait about 20-25 seconds before added the turmeric. After about 10-15 seconds after adding the turmeric, add the onion, Serrano peppers and grated ginger.
3. When the onion is transparent add in the green pepper and the vegetables. Cook till the vegetables are done. Then add 1.5 TBSP salt. Mix.
4. Now add the cooked rice to this vegetable mixture. Mix thoroughly till the rice and vegetable mixture are completely blended. You may need some salt, depending on your taste.
5. Add the lemon juice and chopped tomatoes and mix again.
6. Let sit covered for 15-30 minutes before serving
7. Garnish with shredded cheese and cilantro just before serving.
8. In the mean time prepare the tilapia dish below.

Side note: This rice dish can be a meal by itself. You can add shredded chicken or shrimp or pork or beef right after sauteing the onion. Then add the vegetables and proceed as above. This is my variation for really busy evenings.

Pan fried Tilapia Recipe:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup rice flour
1/6 cup semolina (rava)
1.5 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp asafetida powder (http://www.food.com/library/asafetida-355)
1 TBSP salt
1 egg – beaten
6 frozen tilapia fillets (I buy mine from Costco)
Fresh lemon juice
Olive oil
cilantro

Preparation:
1. Defrost the tilapia by submerging them in hot water. I defrost enough to where I can easily get them out of the individual plastic bags they are wrapped in. No need to defrost too much.
2. Start warming up the frying pan. Add in the olive oil
3. Mix together the first 7 ingredients and pour into a large plate. Makes it easy to dip the tilapia.
4. Keep the beaten egg handy. Keep this in a large bowl so that it is easy to dip the tilapia.
5. Coat the tilapia in the dry mixture, dip in egg and re-dip in the dry mixture.
6. Fry in the pan. Since the tilapia is still frozen, I cook the fish uncovered and drizzle some olive oil on the top of the fish when I first add it to the pan, to avoid drying. Cook on both sides till the fish is firm to the touch in the center…about 3-4 minutes each side.
7. Once all the fish fillets are cooked, drizzle some lemon juice on top and garnish with cilantro

Serve the rice and fish with a side of fresh fruit and you have yourself an amazing dinner.

Below is a pic of just the rice dish and the tilapia.

Enjoy!

I did it!!

2010-12-11T14:06:00.000-08:00

I treat today as the first day I began work on the cook book. And all of you are my witness. I have started simple. 2 vegetarian dishes for the book from state 1. A rice dish and a pickle. I even wrote about them. Phew! I feel so much better now. I just need to keep at it.
No more distractions! Just today, Julia Child's book "Mastering the art of French cooking" arrived in the mail for me. Woohoo!! So excited!
But it is ALL about MY cookbook now. ok..maybe one day a week I will cook from Julia's book. French cooking...what an adventure that will be.
For the next week...I plan to cook a non vegetarian rice dish, a curry and a dessert from state 1. With that it will be time to move on to state 2.
I will keep you posted on how next week goes! Love to you all.

Just need to cook and write about it!

2010-12-10T17:11:00.000-08:00

Or so I thought. Turns out writing a cookbook is a lot harder than that.
My idea was to cook a few recipes per state and write about it. Throw in an anecdote or two, a little history and a little geography and voila! a book in the making! Boy, was I wrong!
I did cook (a little), but writing about it, writing a story, keeping it honest yet interesting and educational is a lot harder than I thought.
Part of the reason I haven't made progress on the book is because I am like a kid in a candy store. I want to do it all. Baking for fundraisers, trying any new recipe I come across, gardening, traveling, all of it.
How quickly a year has gone by with no progress on the book. Lesson learned!
I have to focus. Make completing the cookbook my goal. Hence it is my new year's resolution!
What I did learn while working on the book is that I know very little of India's rich history and geography. I hope to use the book as an opportunity to educate myself too.
Here's to 2011 and a completed cookbook!

A new journey begins.....

2010-05-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

I have found my writing project at last! Something that combines my desire to always try something new with my desire to write something meaningful.
Each week I will make a meal for my family from a state or territory in India until I have cooked from every region in India. Once this project is complete I plan to make a book out it for my boys.
Recently my friend asked me what inspired me to do this. Was it watching "Julie and Julia"? Actually various things have inspired my decision.
Julie and Julia was awesome. It inspired me to want to do something like she does. I love escaping from everything work related at the end of the work day and throwing myself into things at home. Cooking, homework for the kids, activities for the kids, cleaning, gardening. But it would be nice to have a project like hers. But I never knew what. Till now.
Ashok has been bringing me books from the library lately from cooks from different regions of India and they talk about the region's history and the history of the food and provide recipes. Their passion inspired me.
I have been on a kick of trying various cuisines lately thanks to my foodie FB friends. So much fun. But I don't think writing a food blog is for me.
I never thought I could bake. I still cant bake very well, but I am not too bad at it. So did I want to write about baking, my new found hobby!?
All these were awesome, but not for me...or so I thought. Hence my blog post called "A pinch of this and a dash of this". It was me wondering about what is that one thing meant for me. It was the truth what I said in the blog. I love trying new things constantly.
It has taken me a long time wondering what it is that I would find interesting to write about. The next Harry Potter maybe? Last night it hit me. The book I want to write. A journey through the cuisines of India. It is something I think my boys will appreciate, maybe not now but when they are adults. It will be a challenging project as I have never tasted and most certainly not made all the different types of Indian cuisine.
It will not be just about cooking though. It will also be about what is going on in our life at the point I making a dish, some anecdotes from India and hopefully a history and geography lesson thrown into the mix. Ashok is very excited about this project and wants to help in the writing the book.
It is so amazing to me how various things in our life inspire us. I think the pieces were there I just never put them together. I think this book goes well with my idea of "A pinch of this and a dash of that". Hence I will make it the title of the book.
The journey begins soon. I will blog along the way on the progress of the book. Thanks in advance to all for your support.
***********************************************************************************
The picture I used in this post is of the apron that my friend Rob sent me yesterday. How very nice of her! The apron is a sign that I need to start cooking and writing soon for my book. Eek! So exciting.

Getting down and dirty.

2010-05-14T19:57:00.000-07:00

It is that time of the year again! Gardening, gardening, gardening! I had the day off today, so I spent the entire day getting my garden ready. Lots of getting down and dirty. Getting the dead plants from previous season out, getting the soil prepped and planting the new plants.
I became a serious gardener about 3 years ago. Before that I was a gardener who knew nothing about gardening. I took on ambitious projects which were left unfinished and resulted in lots of dead plants.
Three years ago I took a step back, took gardening seriously, read up about it and asked everyone I met about how to do this or do that, and I had a pretty successful year. I was most successful two years ago. And you can read all about it here. I know it must have been a very successful attempt because my husband who used to cringe at me mentioning gardening before that, looks forward to my gardening projects since then.
Last year was good but definitely not anything to blog about. I became busy with other things mid way through the season and did not give the plants the attention they deserve. If there is one thing I learned from last year it is that plants need care. In 2008, every evening after I came home with the kids, the first thing I did after I had given the kids a snack and had them doing homework was to go outside and spend quality time with the plants. Every evening I made sure my annuals were good and the perennials were doing as good as they should. But last year I paid just enough attention to keep the plants alive but not thriving.
But I am back. Back with a vengeance. I am going to give gardening my very best this season. I notice that the more I give to the plants in terms of attention, the more they give back. I feel so at peace and happy when I see the flowers blooming and/or the herbs doing well and/or the vegetables growing well. There is nothing better than home grown herbs and vegetables. I couldn't do this without Michelle though. My neighbor who has my gardening back. She waters my plants when I am on vacation and always has advice or a sympathetic ear based on what I need. Thanks Michelle!
Candi, thanks for your enthusiasm and support! Much needed and appreciated.
I will update this post later in the season when the plants have matured a bit.
I am exhausted, happy and exhilarated today after the hard labor. Here's to a great season for my plants!

Dinner is now served....

2010-05-13T19:20:00.000-07:00

Tonight I had the pleasure of making a most amazing dinner for my family. I made a Thainese dinner. Thai style shrimp-asparagus and Chinese broccoli-chicken served over a bed of cellophane noodles. I got the recipes for the two dishes from blogs of Lisa and Rob. It took me about two hours to get both the dishes done and clean up the kitchen. But the food was gone, ALL gone, in 20 minutes flat. LOL!! I guess the dishes turned out GREAT! Makes me so happy.
It was such fun trying out the recipes. The fun started yesterday with shopping for the ingredients. I spent a long time walking through the specialty foods aisles of the store. I was intrigued by so many of the ingredients wondering what I would make with them. All this intrigue actually ties back to my desire of wanting to be on "Chopped" on Food Network. Ha!
It was nice to come back home after a long day at work and immerse myself in making the dishes, as my sons and my niece played, fought, screamed, yelled and played some more in the kitchen. My idea of a spa treatment. It was a very relaxing experience.
The nervousness set in right after though as I was serving for the family. Would they like it? Yikes!! But everyone absolutely loved the food. They have now requested I make it again. Woohoo!!
I do not have a wok. So I treated the stainless steel pan I have as a wok. Definitely let the oil get HOT before adding in the ingredients. What a difference that heat made. I now have to get me a wok!!
What a joyous PERFECT evening. A big thank you to Lisa and Rob. Hats off to you ladies!
Thai Shrimp Asparagus:

Recipe Link: http://chezlittley.blogspot.com/2010/04/family-friday-feast-thai-asparagus.html
Chinese Broccoli Chicken:

Recipe Link: http://housewifecooking.blogspot.com/2010/04/chinese-style-fried-beef.html
I replaced the beef in the recipe with chicken and just stir fried it in a little bit of oil. The sauce recipe was amazing! You can make this any way you like and the dish will be still be amazing because the sauce is the boss!!

A pinch of this and a dash of that...

2010-05-07T20:12:00.000-07:00

Recently Dee asked me to start a cooking blog. I told her I couldn't because my recipes would be a joke in the blog world. That is because, most of my recipes involve a pinch of this and a dash of that. The 'this' and the 'that' vary each time even though I make the same dish. That conversation actually led me to this blog post.
I have met so many people along the way who are very passionate about a specific hobby. Some like reading, some like sports, while others like cooking and so on and so forth. I am unable to find that one thing that I would feel so passionately about.
But thanks to the simple conversation above, I realized that my passion is 'a pinch of this and a dash of that'. One day I love to cook, the next day I like to play baseball or the third I busy myself gardening. Or maybe do a little of all of it on the same day.
It has been fun to learn this about myself and to accept it. It is not that I don't know what I want, it is that I want a little bit of everything I can try. Trying new things is my passion, my hobby.
If and when I look at new opportunities in my life, I hope to apply my philosophy of cooking. That there is no fixed recipe, just add in a pinch of this and a dash of that and improvise along the way. Some dishes turn out great others not so much. But the joy lies not in the end result of the dish but in the journey of making it, in adding in a pinch of this and a dash of that and walking away with the sense of joy at having tried something new and something different.
Here's to always trying something new!!

It all happens for a reason...

2010-04-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

If I have never believed that before I am a true believer now. Who knew that signing up for the project from hell would open up the doors to friendships with wonderful people? Yes, my dear Peas, it is you that I am talking about! Or working 14 hours a day would make me realize more than ever before how lucky I am to have an amazing husband and a wonderful family.
It isn't easy dealing with failure. But now I realize that failure is only when you do not pick yourself back up when you are knocked down. And when one door closes another opens up. Every success and every failure changes us and leaves a mark on us. How we let them define us is most important. It all happens for a reason...I have to remember that, believe that and move forward.
I know I am on the right path because I am spending time with my boys and family again. And I am cooking, gardening, blogging and reading. And ofcourse keeping in touch with my friends - old and new! It all happens for a reason and for me the reason is to get me back to doing everything I enjoy and make me who I am.
It is that...believing that it all happens for a reason is going to get me through this and all curve balls life will throw at me.
Thanks to Dee, Leana, Rob and Lisa I am blogging again. I am glad to be back!

Special Things

2009-08-15T09:24:00.000-07:00

Have you tried to find 3 special things??? I know it is hard but I found 3 things that mean a lot to me.
My first special thing is a picture of my brother mini meow because I now have someone to play with.
My second special thing is my clay creation because I started doing pottery because of it and it is fun.
My third special thing is my Kumon medal because it took me a year to earn it.
Well those my three special things,but there are many more...

New Year's resolution time...

2008-12-25T18:05:00.000-08:00

Two Christmas dinners and a bunch of cocktails later I am sitting here, a pomegranate margarita in hand, contemplating my new year's resolutions as a scary movie plays on the TV.
Speaking of TV, I am absolutely loving watching "Desperate Housewives". Ah! Vacation time!!!
Anyways, back to resolutions, here are mine...
Just one more sidebar.... must say I have enjoyed all the baking I have done this season! A cherry spice cake no longer intimidates me neither does a New York style cheesecake. A new beginning.. a new business venture..I wonder!?
Speaking of what else I enjoyed this season, I volunteered at Mini-Me's school. I definitely want to continue doing that. Makes Mini-Me happy too!
OK, so here are the resolutions..
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Yes, you guessed it, can't think of resolutions!
I am in a happy state of mind between all the good food and alcohol and cant really think of anything I want changed! As long as this continues next year, I got nothing to complain about!

Our second newsletter.

2008-11-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

Quiz Time -- Book No #1 -- The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

2008-11-22T19:36:00.000-08:00

1. What was Edgar’s earliest memory?
A. His dog Almondine when he was in his crib.

2. What question did Edgar ask his parents that was never truthfully answered?
A. How they met.

3. Claude told a lie to Edgar’s parents. Edgar knew it wasn’t true, but he went along with it. What was the lie and why did they tell it?
A. That Forte killed the deer, when in fact he shot it. Edgar did not want Forte killed.

4. Dr. Papineau came to dinner one night after Gar died. What dessert did he declare, “I bought it by hand.”?
A. Lemon meringue pie.

5. Where did Edgar hide to spy on his mother and Claude? Did he get caught?
A. In a tree overlooking the kitchen window. Claude saw him, his mother did not.

6. Edgar helped Henry find answers to what kind of puzzle?
A. Crossword.

7. What kind of car was Henry restoring?
A. 1957 Ford Fairlane Skyliner, retractable hardtop convertible.

8. Who was the ghost in the shed?
A. The previous owner, who had collected all the stuff because his wife wouldn’t throw anything away.

9. What is a waterspout? Does it make noise?
A. A tornado or funnel cloud over the water. It is very loud.

10. What is the significance of the photo Edgar found of Claude and Forte?

eNewsLetter #1

2008-10-07T19:43:00.000-07:00

Jack and Jill...

2008-10-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I carved two Jack O' Lanterns. A first for me! One for Mini Me and one for Mini Meow. Happy face is Mini Meow's & the other is Mini Me's.

It was fun!

We (Mini Me & Mini Meow) have decided to carve (Me doing the work!!) two small pumpkins per week until thanks giving. We (Again, Mini Me & Mini Meow!) want to carve a turkey (Turkey O'Lantern!!) during the thanksgiving week. Will keep you posted.

Radhika.

Deep thoughts...

2008-10-02T12:05:00.000-07:00

Hi there Book Worms;

Radhika asks:
Do you think Carl Spitzweg was thinking of us when he did the painting??

Do you have any book wormy thoughts to share?

Gift to the Clubbies.

2008-10-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

Consider yourself tagged...

You are now officially a BookWorm.

Why?? Because Oprah said so...

2008-09-29T06:42:00.000-07:00

The first book that has been picked is "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" by David Wroblewski.
Being new to the eBook Club scene, I wanted to play it safe. So I went with Oprah's pick. As we evolve as a group, we can pick the book based on mutual consensus or let a person pick each time around. We'll see how that goes.

For those of you who might have read the book already, please do discuss the book with us. The window to read this book is Oct 6th thru December 6th. We can discuss the book in the weeks following and take it from there.

If the majority of the group has read the book, we will change the book, of course!

In the meantime, feel free to leave comments on where you are in the reading of the book and such. Let us avoid spoilers as far as possible.

Be nice!! The goal is to have fun as a group.

I am still trying to figure how we could tag each other along the way to encourage each other to finish the book. More on that later.

eBook Club.

2008-09-27T14:55:00.000-07:00

I have always wanted to be part of a book club. But I have never quite found the time to join one. The one I did attempt to join, I was not interested in the books they were reading.

My blog has provided me with an unique venue for a book club. I would like to read a book at my convenience & write my thoughts at my convenience.

I would love it if you would join me! Shoot me an email if you are interested. I personally lean towards mystery novels. We shall pick simple books we all enjoy reading & talk about them via the blog.

I am leaning towards "The White Tiger" by Aravind Adiga, a 2008 Booker Prize nominee. Do you have any ideas on any books that we could read?

Let's have some fun reading.

Mini Meow and the donuts

2008-09-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Foreword By Me: Upset with your sibling?????? Write a story & publish it on a blog!! Revenge in the Internet era!!
************************************************************************************
One day there were two brothers named Mini Me and Mini Meow. They were very nice, intelligent and strong. On that very day their mom bought a donut pack. When Mini Me held the donut packet Mini Meow would cry for it. When Mini Meow had the packet Mini Me was nice and did not complain.
On that night Mini Meow hid the packet of donuts. When their mom screamed for the packet of donuts ten times, Mini Meow had to tell his mom where it was and he got grounded. So Mini Meow lived a grounded, sad and boring life.

The End.

An Ode to the Cooking Blogs.

2008-09-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

A friend's cooking blog introduced me to the world of cooking blogging.
The wide variety of cooking blogs never seize to amaze me. Unique creations or the most common creations but with unique touches will now live on through the blogs.
Many a time, they offer me new ways to cook a dish or offer a new recipe with readily available ingredients. I definitely have to come to rely on them. Many a time I use the recipe but never thank the blogger, hence this post!
I am not a chef by any measure neither am I passionate about cooking, yet you foodie bloggers, through your efforts, passion and creativity have inspired me to pen a recipe of my own.
So here's to all you foodie blogger..... my many thanks, my appreciation and my love.

The Childhood of Mini Me

2008-09-20T15:21:00.000-07:00

Foreword by Me: Here's to you ACI...
*************************************************************************
Once there was a boy named Mini Me. He started studies when he was three. But there was something wrong. His mom could not take care of him because his mom was so busy due to her job. So the only people taking care of him were his aunt and his dad. Then when his mom left the job and got another baby and another job she took more care of Mini Me. Then they lived a happy life.

Pets are for petting

2008-09-19T19:18:00.000-07:00

Foreword by Me:
This story is mini-me's attempt to convince me to get a dog. Ties in well to my previous post titled "Pet Owner" doesnt it!?
************************************************************************************
Do you like pets? If you like pets then buy one. Would your mom or dad want a dog? I think everyone would want a dog because you can pet them, put them clothes and take them on a walk every evening. Do you really want a dog?

The End.

The unsmart Bobbi

2008-09-16T19:36:00.001-07:00

One day there was a boy named Bobbi. He was so cute that adults wished he was their son. But there was something wrong with him. He wasn't smart. Finally his mother realized he wasn't smart. So she made him study. Finally he learned all the studies he's supposed to. Then he lived a happy life as a smart Bobbi.

The End.

Blame Gardening.

2008-09-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

After an extended break from blogging, I am back!! Blame it on the gorgeous spring and summer seasons. Both seasons have meant lots of outdoor time.

One activity I especially enjoy during this time of the year is gardening. It is therapeutic for me. A real stress buster. For a couple weeks there, it even replaced TaeKwonDo. It means a lot of hard work, but well worth it at the end of the day.

This wasn't always the case. When I started gardening 4 years ago, my efforts always ended up as an eye sore. Weeds were the only thing left in the area where I gardened.Dead plants were a sure bet! Caused a lot of stress!

After moderate successes last season, and reading up on plants, numerous visits to local nurseries, employing mini me to help me (child labor, yikes!!), incessently questioning coworkers and friends and fretting over the plants constantly, I ended up with a bounty of blooming flowering plants this season.

Purslanes, marigolds, roses, autumn joys, million bells, impatients, you name it, I have it. They blossomed like never before. Filled up entire pots till the pots were no longer visible. The landscaping I did (re-did, actually!) in the back yard turned out pretty decent as well. My m-i-l adorned her hair with flowers daily and we also offered them to God.

I hope to enjoy this nature's bounty well into October. Even my indoor Cymbidium Orchid (the two pictures above the picture of the marigold below) has been in full bloom this season. Please find attached some pictures. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

I hope to repeat or do even better next season. If not, I will always have this blog post and pictures as proof that I did succeed, atleast one year!!

Short stories from an author in the making.

2008-04-14T16:29:00.000-07:00

Manley the fish was eaten by Rob the crocodile. Rob was happy and he went home and slept with a full tummy.

The next day Rob went looking for food again. He did not find any. For many days afterwards he did not find fish. He was sad. He went to a new place. The fish were happy.

One of the fish had seen Rob eat Manley and told all the other fish to hide! So they were all safe from Rob.

The End.
__________________________________

Ned the cow belonged to farmer Ted. One day Ned ended up at farmer Sid's farm. Ned didn't like farmer Sid.

The next day he tries to burst through the gate. He tried 5 times and it did not work. He kept trying and it still didn't work.

The next morning he tried one more time. He ran super fast and "POW!!!" the whole gate broke. He ran to farmer Ted's farm and then he felt fine.

The End.

Painting update.

2008-04-12T17:15:00.001-07:00

Finished painting class with Larry. He turned out to be a wonderful painter and teacher. Even gifted me the painting he did while teaching me to paint. An older gentleman kinda down on his luck, I think!

I have taken pics with the cell phone. Not the best quality, but should give you an idea of the paintings.

Painting with trees is mine and painting with barn is Larry's.

Exhausted.

More later.

R.

Mantra.

2008-04-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

My new mantra is "Everyday Eight". Why Eight, you ask? Well, for one it starts with an "E", same as everyday!! This should help you, my dear blog readers, understand why I have problems coming up with a creative story idea.

Anyways, getting back to the point, 8 more is the goal. Be it reading eight more lines or eight more pages or eight more chapters of the novel I am currently trying to finish (Salman Rushdie's The Jaguar Smile) or adding 8 more stitches to a cross stitch project (Disney characters) that has been lying around unfinished.

I am trying to motivate myself to reach the finish line on projects I start with a lot of enthusiasm and somewhere along the way other things come up and these projects lay around unfinished.

Maybe I should apply this mantra to the book I want to write. Write at least 8 words a day. With regards to this afore mentioned book, I seem to have writer's block even before I have begun.
I am trying to draw inspiration from real life. Zip! Zilch! Nada!
What about using my imagination, you ask!? BIG Blank!!

Some thing more achievable, I think, is to jazz up this blog. I am hoping to spend some time this weekend on this.

BTW, my painting class is this afternoon!! How exciting!

R.

My first short story.

2008-04-09T11:12:00.001-07:00

As I embark on my journey as an author, I thought it will be a good idea to write a short story. Get feedback from you, my dear blog readers! So here goes..

Once upon a time ... noooooo!! that's been done before.

A long time ago in a land far far away...Stop!!

He fell in love the minute he laid eyes on her...ugh!

As you can clearly see, the journey is going to a long one. I will post a story if and when it comes to me. I need to clear my mind, get into the zone, the writing zone.

Until then,
Om!!! Om!!!

Pet owner.

2008-04-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

An extremely adorable family member convinced me that it was the best thing in the whole world to get a dog.

Being a sucker that I am, I readily gave in. So did my better half!! More easily than me, I should say! Yes, a pet would indeed be great! We had the name picked out too. Scruffy was going to be the new member of our family.

We would walk him regardless of rain, sun, sleet or snow. We would bathe him, feed him and keep his coat shining. Ah!! the good times were just around the corner!

We then took the next logical step, consulting with other dog owners, friends and neighbors on the type of dog to get, where to get it from etc etc. Ohhhh.. the excitement is building up now!!!

Crashhhhh!!! What is that I hear??? The bursting of our dreams by these very people who were supposed to guide us to doggy nirvana!? Unbelievable!!

They were all quick to point out why a dog wasnt right for us, for ME in particular!!! ME!? I was going to prove them all wrong! I was going to be a great dog owner.

Thankfully, a tiny voice in the back of my head took charge. I am indeed not a dog person! Maybe my recurring nightmare/daymare that a black dog with green eyes attacks me should have been my first clue. Settle down, Bear! I am not talking about you!
And I should clean up after a dog which could potentially attack me!? Wow, what a deal!!

Thanks to my dear friends, I am back to being a happy non-dog owner.

Hearing my friends talk about their pets, made me realize the amazing love pet owners must have for their pets to make owning a pet a rewarding experience. My hats off to all the pet owners around the world!

Although, I had asked my friends for their opinion on my potential pet & not their opinion of me! Wonder why they used this an opportunity to let me know what they really think of me!??? That was uncalled for. You know who you are!!

Painting.

2008-04-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

I am finally getting back into painting. I am super excited!

I never was and never probably will be a great painter. But I am interested in it and was reasonably good it. In the past, if I set out to create a painting of a dog, it at least looked like a dog, or an animal anyway!

I have setup some lessons with Larry. I am a little apprehensive about this because I haven't met this Larry before. Just seen one painting of his. Pretty good, I should say! But I am setting up the classes in a safe environment, so I guess it should be ok.

Nonetheless, it is exciting to begin. To take the first baby step! Maybe I am destined to be the next J K Rowling/Pablo Picasso combination!!! An author who writes an amazing book and paints amazing pictures for the book!

So much to do so little time. I will post back on how the painting lessons go!

Ciao!

Workout.

2008-04-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

My favorite form of workout is Tae Kwon Do. While I do take other toning and cardio classes, Tae Kwon Do is by far my favorite.

It is about training the spirit and the body. Initially I thought this was just a membership oath you repeat every day that you train, but it truly is a way of life with this martial art.

When you put in your best effort to get the technique right, it gives you a great workout but also relieves the stress of the day because of the focus required to do each form or basic. You forget your surroundings. Like my instructor says, it is about being in the here and now.

It is now a family affair for us. Even my husband, who was a bit workout lazy initially, is really into it. And I could not be happier!

We love the school we attend. Probably the best instructors in the world. They teach us the true meaning of what it means to be a martial artist.

Got to go.... Tae Kwon Do is calling!!

Overly ambitious dinner.

2008-04-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

Last night after I got back from work, and against better judgement, I embarked on making a 3-course meal. The meal included -- made from scratch sambhar, tilapia fry and raagi dosa.

I started out with full enthusiasm, feeling proud of the variety of healthy food groups included in the dinner. By the time I was through with half the cooking, I was tired and irritable. I was short with the kids and didn't give them a bath. Pushed it off on my hubby. I also had no energy left to load the dishes.

While I made the raagi dosa batter with enthusiasm, I had no energy to fry the dosas. I made a couple dosas for my husband & myself, because we are avoiding carbs, and made rice for the kids. I feel guilty about excluding them from this healthful bounty. But I was too tired to care last night.

My little one was having one heck of an evening as well. My irritability rubbed on him and he wanted all my attention & energy. And I had neither left.

All in all a very rough evening. It started out with good intentions but didn't quite end well.
A lesson well learned.

New to blogging.

2008-04-02T10:52:00.000-07:00

I am new to blogging. I never realised its potential and benefits till I read my friend's blog. I saw her in a whole different light than the friend I hang out with.

She seemed to have found her calling, it seems to have a given her a real sense of belonging. I found myself envious of her accolades but at the same time proud of them too. It also made me want to blog myself.

It is also bringing out my hidden desire to be an author.

So here's to a happy & successful blogging journey.