I started with making Blueberry Muffins which eventually transformed into Blueberry Cupcakes. But I am not complaining. A bit of extra sugar might just go a long way. And who can say no to pink frosting.
I am posting only the pictures here – do leave me a comment if you’d like the recipe.
Tags: baking, blueberry muffins, cupcakes, frosting
Someone once said, “Chocolate is cheaper than therapy”. And add chocolate to cheese, works really wonders. Today I am presenting a sinful dollop of my amazing and super simple chocolate cheesecake.
Ingredients
Cream Cheese (at room temperature) – 1 lb
Dollop of Sour Cream (optional)
Semi sweet chocolate chips – 0.5 – 1 lb
3 eggs (at room temperature)
Any kind of non-salty crackers, biscuits for the crust
A couple of tablespoons of butter for the crust
Method:
The most important step is to take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator a few hours before you start. It is essential that the cream cheese be AT ROOM TEMPERATURE and also the eggs.
Melt the chocolate over a very low flame or over a hot water bath with an occasional stir. Turn off the heat when the chocolate is fully melted.
Powder the biscuits or crackers in a mixer. Add a little melted butter to the powdered mixture so the mixture holds into a ball. Thinly layer a 9″ spring foam pan with this mixture and bake in the over at 350 deg for about 5 -10 min. Take the pan out and cool.
In the meanwhile, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl to make it smooth. You can also use a hand mixer or a blender. I just used a whisk. Add the eggs and beat them into the cheese. You can add a bit of sour cream to give it a nice texture and also to offset the sweetness from the chocolate. Cool the chocolate and fold it into the cheese mixture. Spread the mixture over the crust in the pan and bake for about 30 min at 350 deg. If the top of the cake looks wobbly, leave it in for a few more minutes. The cake is done when the top is set. Do not overbake. Remove from oven and from the spring foam pan onto a plate. Let it cool to room temperature and then put it in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
And you have the most easy and delicious cheesecake and that too homemade, ready to devour!!
Tags: cheesecake, chocolate, dessert
I consider myself an avid traveler and photographer. For me traveling and photography go hand in hand and I am always on a quest – when on vacation, it is a quest for that one perfect picture that I can be proud of. And when not on vacation it is the quest for economical and efficient photography gear and accessories.
Thanks a ton to Blogadda for hosting the travel photography contest. And as they have rightly pointed out – A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words.
Here are my 5 for the contest.
Sunset on a Desert Highway
This picture was taken on an Arizona highway. It was freezing cold outside but we just couldnt pass this opportunity. We had all the time in the world to tkae that one perfect shot of that one perfect sunset. It was too good to be true. I did not realize that my fingers would be so freaking cold when time came for the final click!! But the result proved that it was indeed worth the effort in pulling out that glove off my hand!!
The Infamous and World Class Strip
I believe that one cannot claim to have seen the world if they havent been to Las Vegas!! I have been to the city at least half a dozen times and it never ceases to amaze me. I cannot see myself not being excited about the prospect of going to Vegas any time of the year. Although I have to admit that we havent made a trip since our daughter was born two years back and I am dying to go. Why, you ask? Doesnt this picture answer that?
Casual Boatman
This picture was taken at Hoganekkal Falls. Its a tiny hamlet located a few hours south of Bangalore and is right on the Karnataka Tamil Nadu border. There are these quaint little circular boats made by the local people and they have become a major tourist attraction. One can take a very leisurely ride in one of the boats and even stop for midway for a quick dip in the river(I believe it is the Cauvery river, yes, the one with all the water dispute). And I turned the picture into sepia, just to give it that rustic look.
The Majestic Golden Gate
The Golden Gate Bridge is my all time favorite subject to photograph. Morning, noon or night, I have photographed it probably like five hundred times and can go back for five hundred more. I think I have more pictures of the golden gate than of my daughter! And the best part is that you can photograph it from a thousand different places to make it look like new. But my favorite part is shooting it at night from the Marin Headlands and this is my best effort so far!!
Ode to Love
I thought a lot about the final picture for the contest and just couldnt resist doing one of the Taj Mahal. The Taj is probably the most beaten to death subject and I want to say that this is not really a picture that I am proud of, but the only reason why I love this photograph is because it was taken on our honeymoon. I love the fact that we paid tribute to the great monument of love when we started our journey together!! And yes we even have the mandatory filmi pose on that bench!
So there, that completes my five for the contest. This contest has been sponsered by Pringoo and once again thanks to Blogadda and the sponsers for a chance to showcase our pictures.
Take 1
Time: 7 am on a Sunday morning when half the world is still asleep.
Place: San Francisco downtown
Weather: Windy and cold
Cast: 60000+ odd crowd waiting in anticipation for the clock to strike 8
Event: The 99th Annual Bay to Breakers race or more like a 7.5M costume party
At the start line, the beach balls and tortillas were flying around as is one of the customary B2B traditions. I climbed up one of those wrap around tree benches and was able to get a view of the vast sea of people ahead of us. Soon the countdown began and the seeded runners were off, followed by the unseeded corrals. Even if I would have chosen to back out at the last minute I would have been swept away. My friend and I had to work really hard to stick together and at the same time carve out our path. Boy, it felt good to kick ass and pass the slower runners but we were easily outnumbered by runners passing us! I am guessing most of them were making a run for the free beer being served at the Finish Line Footstock event.
We passed a lot of costumes including Gladiators and Avatars, all kinds of mutts, bartenders, strippers, honey bees, friends of the earth and sheesh, quite a few naked ones as well some of them even shivering in the wind and cold.
A few miles into the race and I cursed myself and swore never to do it again. I do this every year and always end up going again the following year. I think it just helps me to pass those two most difficult miles. Didnt you know that swearing and cursing is the easiest way to get through the toughest patch. It easily distracts you from the goal without really distracting you. And it works equally well whether you are cursing yourself or someone else. Try it and you wont be disappointed.
Well, there were also other motivators like locals standing on the side walks and cheering, live rock bands, a live sermon from someone dressed like a priest and even those mobile bathrooms in case your bladder needed a break and a ton of water stops.
After mile marker 6, with only 1.5M to go, I couldnt wait for a glimpse of the finish line and suddenly there were these ton of people appearing from nowhere and making a dash for the end. So second wind really did exist after all! I tried to find mine and I might have run that last mile and a half at my fastest. Finally the finish line was within sight and soon I had crossed it and it simply felt A-W-E-S-O-M-E!!
Take 2:
Place: The finish line
Emotions: At the end of the day, it didnt matter that you had only slept about 4 hours that night or the weather couldnt have been worse or your muscles were aching so bad. You didnt care. You’d been humbled by the spirit of the race 
A few other photos from the San Francisco Examiner
Tags: outdoors
This is my version of the conclusion to the Who Dun It murder mystery contest from BlogAdda.
In my opinion, all the clues point to one conclusion. There is no murder here, ITS A SUICIDE. Lila apparently killed herself and showed everyone that she had her way even in death. In her schema of things she has always been the center of attention and death hasnt changed that. She successfully managed to not only die on her own terms but also set the stage to implicate any one of the five people in her life. It was her way of getting back at them. SHE HAD WON!!
The obvious clues are provided by two facts -
1. All the evidence found in Lila’s room although very interesting doing not conclusively point to any one suspect. It is only meant to mislead us and the police.
2. The writer mentions that the main clue is in the T&Cs which I am assuming is the Terms and Conditions. He says “so you have to get very smart to crack the puzzle“. I am guessing that this points to the most smart person at the party and that is Lila herself.
So there it is, mystery solved!! And here is a rose to say thank you for reading my version.
Tags: Misc
Mamma: Jiya, do you remember what animals you saw at the zoo?
Jiya: Mamma, Gorilla Golilla, BEEEEG Golilla!
Mamma: What about Baby Gorilla?
Jiya: (with a big smile) Baby Golilla!!
Mamma: And Mamma Gorilla?
Jiya: (wide eyed) Mamma Golilla!!!
Mamma: And Daddy Golilla?
Jiya: (totally excited) Ya, Daddy Golilla!!!!
Mamma: And what else?
A long and thoughtful pause
Jiya: Jiya Golilla????!!!!
Tags: Parenthood
Its almost 1 am. I am snuggled in my bed with the blanket drawn up to my nose, just enough to breathe. I could fall asleep any moment now but sleep alludes me and that’s when I wander. My brain starts digging into the recent events and settles on last Friday to reminisce.
This is the Friday before Mother’s Day.
Jiya arrives home from her day care in the evening. I am in the shower when she enters the house and gets all antsy to not find me at the door like everyday. I hear a big ruckus outside the bathroom and a lot of high-pitched ‘Mamma mamma mamma mamma…………’ followed by a THUD. I am now totally distracted and spend the next minute trying to get out of the bathroom without slipping over the tub. Apparently, my over-excited goose has yanked off the mirror attached on the outside of the bathroom door and R-man is standing over her trying to hold a straight face. Anyway, that’s besides the point. My baby is standing there holding a sheet to paper and trying to get my attention to it all this while. And voila, surprise surprise she has made me a painting for Mother’s Day(not to mention with very liberal assistance from the teachers)!! I cannot believe it, this is her first piece of art. It consists of a butterfly like something and a big dollop of paint splattered all over. AND I LOVE IT!! But more than that, I loved the expression on her face and I could have simply gobbled her up!! Now I know why all those people have all those weird looking paintings scribbles hanging out in their cubicles and offices. I seriously feel that the so called Modern Art was invented by a bunch of over imaginative 2 year olds.
And so my day was made. What a perfect start to my weekend, I thought! But that wasnt really it. As soon as I turn my back, Jiya is standing over her masterpiece and the very next instant, she has torn it to pieces. All said and done, it was still PAPER, in her tiny little brain.
I didnt know whether to be amused or sad, although I did secretly suppress a smile while maintaining a not-so-happy look on my face.
There goes my one and only Mother’s Day present, created and destroyed even before the arrival of the day itself.
Tags: Parenthood
It was a sight to behold! The photographer in me went completely crazy at the stupendous spread in front of my eyes. It was like the entire hillside was covered in orange sheets. It was like your eyes would hurt if you stared at it for too long. It was like the orange would come off on your hands if you touched it. It was simply stunning. And trust me, I have never seen so much orange in my life, even though I’ve lived for a while in the Orange City of India. This was the ORANGEST place I’d ever seen!!
I am talking about the poppy fields down in Southern California. The poppy has been deemed as the State Flower of California which in my opinion, clearly, does not speak very highly about the state. Who in their right mind would crown a flower who has a drug producing relative? One of the poppy strains is used to produce opium which is used to make heroin. The early Spanish Californians called the California Poppy ‘Dormidera’ or ‘The Drowsy One’ because its petals curl up at night and also in the wind and rain. And I have more news for the hair afficionados – the early settlers whipped up a mean hair tonic by frying the poppy blossoms in olive oil. Its really no surprise that our hair obsession goes way back when. I am quite certain that they’d have also fabricated an equally mean and brilliant orange dye color to go with the tonic. Take a bow, all you Doves and Pantenes and Revlons out there!!
So the verdict is that the poppy has more uses as a hair restorer, an originator of a controlled substance, a sedative etc. and practically none as a FLOWER meaning nobody picks poppies to decorate their living rooms. And if you do that, you are either out of your mind or you are going to be arrested!!
Anyway, I think I’ve had ENOUGH POPPY and of course ENOUGH ORANGE to suffice for the rest of my life!!
Just got back from two months of Desi-soaking-wet-hospitality, great time with family and friends, not-so-great sick days but above all another shelf-full of memories to last a lifetime!! More stories to come shortly…..
Tags: india
7 more days to go. My India countdown is officially down to a week. And I am terribly excited, excitement bordering on nervousness, extreme nervousness. There’s not only butterflies in my stomach but the whole jungle in there. Its not the prospect of the long journey that is freaking me out, its the prospect of the long journey WITH A TODDLER IN TOW thats the culprit. I asked my friends for tips to ease the obvious downsides and received quite a bit of them actually and these are my top three picks -
1. Bottled Water – You may be ridiculed, made fun of or called a ‘firang’, but you must make this vow.
2. Hand Sanitizer – Although, I am not a Hand Sanitizer type of person, I have to give in for the greater good. Its one of those sacrifices one makes ‘for the sake of the family’.
3. Odomos – This came from my best friend in India who swears by the word and has assured me that copious amounts of the O, can result in complete peace of mind and also complete sleep at night.
Having procured the knowledge of these weapons, I feel somewhat armed to tackle the situation. Now, the biggest challenge is handling the LONG FLIGHT LONGEST FLIGHT OF MY LIFE. We are hopeful that she will fall asleep at some point or the other. Alternatively you will either find me chanting “this will be over soon” in order to calm my nerves, or pacing the aisle with a cranky toddler in my arms. Raghu and I are also relying a bit on ‘Mickey’ to help with the effort. Apparently, Mickey is the new man mouse in Jiya’s life and she is completely smitten. But we arent letting all our cards out just as yet! Have saved some for use as last minute ‘Bramhastras’. Yeh Baal Aise Hi Safed Nahi Huye, Jaani!!
Now that my brain is done conjuring up strategies, the one clear conclusion that seems to be screaming out aloud – JUST DEAL WITH THE SITUATION!! Sooochnaaa kyaa, jo bhi hoga dekha jayegaaaa!!
Tags: Parenthood, Travel