Birthday Month and Diwali 2013

• Had a very busy past month and it does not seem to be slowing down in any way. Apparently i feel that though i want my " free time" and some time to reflect and ponder i actually prefer to be busy and on my toes all the time.
• Since October starts with my Birthday - i celebrated it with going out for lunch with Ashish to Jamie Oliver Restaurant at 
•  Canary Wharf. Since i go out so less to eat out i think whenever i go out i like them all.
• This month also saw Nishka making multiple trips to GP for an infection which took a month to go away.
• We became proud owners of an apartment in a Taylor Wimpey development and rented it out to one of Ashish's colleague.
• Aayush has discovered that he loves playing with tools and has now multiple sets of tool sets. He spent his entire sunday with his dad helping him out and the flooring guy in the new apartment.
• Couple of friends ( Richa/Nikhil and Manu/ Kapil invited us for dinner/ lunch at their homes with my parents. Had couple of lunch rendezvous with friends in Canary Wharf- With Smriti at HSBC Mezz Restaurant and also with Baljit / Ashish and Fabino at GBK. Ruchi/ Mayank bhaiya also invited us for Pre Diwali Dinner at their place.
• My mother also made Diwali Snacks - Besan Laddoo, Chivda and Namak Paare.
• First time ever we ordered food from a Bangladeshi eatery " Spices" for Karwachauth. The food consisted of Paneer Tikka,Chatpate Aloo,Chana Paneer,Kulcha,Daal Tadka, Vegetable Biryani and Naan.The food was not bad and Paneer Tikka and Chana Paneer were good.
• My mom made an excellent Diwali Dinner - A typical Rajasthani fare - Daal Baati / Gatte ki sabzi / Rice and Baigan Bhartha ( a punjabi addition ) and Jeera Aloo. My contribution was Shrikhand for dessert.
• We had quite a few get togethers this month - which takes a lot of planning and energy and time but i guess at the end it is all worth it.

 

 

 

Fridge Freeezer Clean Up

My Fridge and Freezer are generally organized and I try and keep them clean as much as possible.I do wipe the surfaces every week and mostly use up all my vegetables and fruits. 

This is the picture before the clean up was done.

Three things which are always there in my fridge :-

Peppa Pig and Thomas Yogurt ( Kids Yogurt)

Philadelphia Cream Cheese ( Different varieties each time )

Milk Roll ( Bread)                   

My Freezer is filled with frozen Haldiram’s meals like DaalMakhani / Sandwich Dhokla/ AlooTikkis.

Also there are a couple of Ice- Creams – Angry Bird Lollies / Peppa Pig Milk Bites / Plain Vanilla Icecream

I have also frozen DaalMakhani and Paneer with Spring Onions made by me to be used in those evenings when I will be no mood to cook.

 Three things which are always there in my freezer :-

Green Peas – This is the only vegetable which is in my freezer all year around. My son takes them in his school lunch bag everyday.

Paneer – Always have paneer in my freezer – either a slab of it or cubed. One of my staple ingredients when some guests are dropping by.

The most unusual item in my fridge would be Green chillies in brine – I bought them to make Mexican Casserole. I have used quite a lot of it. But it is still there and I need to finish it soon as it has got quite old now.

Another item which I bought was Bombay Sandwich Chutney – I bought it on a whim and I knew it will take ages to finish. Thanks to my perseverance it is now finished. I have used generously on my cucumber sandwiches which I take daily to work.

Here is the picture after the clean up and organization was done.

News Flash 27.7.13

• Made “ Delicate Korma with Cashews and Apricots”   and “ Black Eye Peas with Coconut from AnjumAnand’s Vegetarian book. The curries turned out excellent and was not that difficult to make. A little bit of planning was required and that’s all
• Aayush and Nishka have been enrolled with Everyone Active Swimming lessons now and go to Tuedays 3:30 and Sundays 1:30 respectively.
• Currently reading “ Dead Simple” by Peter James from the Reading Club at Hornchurch Library. It is more than a year now since I joined and I look forward to those First Tuesdays or Thursdays when we meet. It has been a good experience as I have read quite a good collection and very different from each other. 
•   Have been actively using the Goodreads app on my phone. Kept a list of books which I have read in the past one year. Also love the fact that you can be in touch with your friends that what are they reading and add it to your list.
•  Aayush will be joining Nelmes Primary School in September this year. He has finished his time in Georgie Porgy Preschool and loved it. I am looking forward for Nishka to start her time in school as well.
• We have been to one of the Open Days at Nelmes Primary and bought Aayush’s school uniform. Still have to buy shoes and trousers for his session to start on 23^rd Sep 2013.
• Jayeeta  andSudeep with their daughters came over for lunch. I made Daal Maharani ( recipe taken from Ribbons to Pasta Blog ) , Paneer with Spring Onions ( Nita Mehta Paneer recipes ) , Korma with Cashews and Apricots ( AnjumAnand Vegetarian Book ) , Peas Pulao ( One Hot Stove Food blog) and all this served with Garlic and Coriander Naan and BoondiRaita.
• Aayush had his Graduation Ceremony at Georgie Porgy Preschool on 19^th July 2013. He was a very popular boy in his school and was called a” Superstar”. At first we assumed he has not understood the event but since he is back from the party he keeps looking at his card and the teachers photo printed on it. Surprisingly he knows all the names of the teachers.
•  Weather in London is too good to be true.. We are having a heatwave which last happened in 2006. Windows are open all day at home and have 2 pedestal fans which are on throughout the day. Temperature is touching 30 on most days.
•   Refreshing to eat strawberries / cherries / and drinking “Rasna” in these summer days.
•  Have booked Aayush to Fit For Sport classes for some days. The sessions are from 9:30 to 1:00 in the morning and he has to take packed lunch and some snacks with him. 
•  Nishka is getting naughtier by day. Her vocabulary of words is also multiplying by every passing minute. The words she says most of the time is “ mummy/ mumma , papa, kaka, bye, babu, daddu, dadi.Whenever Nishka says bye she gives flying kiss to the person and says “mum” for water and “dudu” for when she needs milk.
• Both brother and sister just love each other to bits and do all sorts of antics with each other. It is a pleasure to watch them grow almost together. Aayush is a very caring brother and does not like when somebody scolds Nishka. He will be the first person to come and defend Nishka even though the fault was of her.
• It is birthday month in my family. Both my nephew and niece celebrated their 4^th and 10^th birthdays this week. Kids had their parties in respective party places with their friends and adults gorged on home cooked pooris / chole and pulao and pizzas.
• There were some adult birthdays as well which were celebrated in London Darbar. Guests from Canada as well family in London gathered for the celebrations.
• Ashish off to Chennai again and will be back exactly on his birthday. It has been a year since he has been going to India for work. I think the novelty has worn off now.
•   I have enrolled Aayush to Summer Reading Challenge organised in our Library. He has to finish 6 books in total at the end of which he gets a certificate and a medal.
• Also planning to enrol him in Drama Classes locally..taking him to first trial class tomorrow. Let’s see how it goes.