Within this week..

•  Inaugurated my week by accidently stumbling upon Adrian Whittle Photography @ Barbican Library during my lunch time walk. The photographs were from Asia / Africa and Latin America depicting everyday life of people 

•  Listened to podcast Stories of our times -" The best letters to the editor of 2022" 

• Watched very boring and fluff " Meet the Khans: Big in Bolton" series 3. This is about World Boxer  champion Amir Khan and fashionista wife Faryal. Unlike last seasons I could not maintain my attention and just could not be bothered to finish the episodes 

• To compensate, watched " Mumbai Mafia" on Netflix. The documentary centres around Mumbai and its   underworld.. rise and fall of Dawood Ibrahim. Explores time in Mumbai in 90s when it was a violent city where gangsters often wielded power more than police 

• Weekend started with quick trip to Bond Street to enter the world of Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama pop ups along the street. Both of them have reunited after 10 years to bring the artist's emblematic motifs to life 

• Dashed off to Harrods and bought x 2 chocolate bars - Milk and Dark for my sister. Then had our usual meal of Coffee / Chai / Cheese and Jalapeno pasty / Vanilla Sponge cake / Chicken tikka roll 

•  Last destination of the evening was attending the Winter Lights festival @ Canary Wharf. The place was heaving and looked as if whole of London descended upon this place

 

 

 

 

Notes from the week gone by

•  Commenced my New Year by going for a guided walk following City Walks Guide to in and   around  Sloane Square. The pack of 50 interesting walks has been with me for donkey's years  but   never formally followed a walk. So what better way to start New Year's Day !! 
• A & N reluctantly accompanied me but at the end they enjoyed having to be just able to get out of the house. I couldn't follow the walk to the T but nevertheless covered quite a bit. Points of interest for me was Buddhist Temple from Chelsea Embankment / Carlyle House / Cheyne Walk / Chelsea Physic Gardens ( closed )
• Concluded our day with visit to our friend's house for Dinner of Gujrati delicacies / Chilli Paneer / Mix Pulao / Ice Cream
• Watched " My Old School" on BBC I Player. The movie is about Brandon Lee who falsely enrolled himself in a secondary school claiming to be a 16 year old when in reality he was 30
• Kids back to school mid week and ultimately back to reality about getting back to routine
• Picking up listening to Podcasts which got side tracked for months now.. This week I listened to " More or Less Behind the Statistics: Numbers of the Year 2022 and Can China's data on Covid deaths be trusted? 
• Walked to Gidea Park Library.. and both A&N got a book each. N is into learning French so she got one covering that and A got a Step By Step Chemistry book
• Kicked off my Reading Challenge for 2023 by a book from Avni Doshi "Burnt Sugar" which is part of a book club from work
• Made Chole / Rajma Rice / Methi Aloo / Tindora Sabzi / Palak Paneer over the weekend

Christmas Eve Brunch 2022

• First time hosted a Christmas Eve Brunch for Richa and Nikhil
• Was stressful and I was up with my nerves with all the planning and multiple trips to supermarkets
• Watched countless videos on you tube and Instagram for recipes. Finally the menu turned out like this

🎄Christmas Eve Brunch🎄

        🥂Mimosa 

        🍧Granola Cups

        🍜Mac & Cheese 

        🥮French Toast Bake 

        🍞Toast 

        🥯 Everything Bagel Casserole 

        ☕️Blended Hot Coffee

        🥞Pancakes Board

        🥔🥔Hash brown 

        🧀🍓🥝Cheese and Fruit Board 

         Hot Chocolate

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Weekend do’s

• This friday i was working from home and so like usual i do school drop off and pick up of kids. Once i dropped them to school i prepared our lunch which was chole tikki ( tikki was store bought of Haldirams).
• After cleaning up kitchen and intermittently checking my work emails i headed off to Gym. I did 1 hour and 20 minutes of cardio and burnt 1200 calories. 
• Straight after gym i finished my lunch and got ready to pick up kids from school.
• Came home and after an hour everyone except me and Ni left for Brentwood for evening cricket and i headed to Starbucks coffee shop. We finished reading and spellings in between sipping hot chocolate / americano and eating a very light and tasty salad of couscous / courgette / brocolli smeared with tomato sauce. Ni had a sticky marshmellow twizzle. 
• Prepared for next day’s outfits for Nishka and myself - all neatly laid on the bed. 
• Saturday morning i quickly made Bread Upma in flat 20 mts. A & A left for Shenfield and i dropped Ni to her Art Class for two hours.
• I headed straight to do my gym session for 1 hour and 30 mts and burnt 1000 calories. 
• Picked up Ni from her art class and went home to finish lunch / get ready for birthday party / lay out the outfits for evening pooja and also putting a load in the washing machine and dishwasher.
• It was Ni’s very close friend Si’s 6th Birthday party. Sipped black coffee and chatted away time with other mums. 
• Dashed off to home to change for the pooja for all of us and reached Mandir on time at 6 pm.
• After dinner at temple we all came home and kids went to sleep straightafter.
• Me and A watched Dirty Money documentary on Netflix. 
• Sunday i woke up to finish ironing for the week and then we all went out for brunch at Healthy Roots in Upminster where kids had pancakes topped with Syrup along with hot chocolate. Me and A had the same Avocado smash with poached egg and brown toast.
• A & A then headed to their cricket coaching and me and Ni came home to finish homework and then went out for another birthday party of one of her classmates. 
• Finished my evening with 60 mts of gym and laying outfits for school / work.

Resolutions 2018

• Loose weight and keep fitness a priority throughout the year. My short term goal is to loose 5 kgs by end of march and further 5 by end of the year. 
• Eat sensibly most of the time. Think what i am putting in my body and watch calories like a hawk.
• Update this blog diligently.
• Work front - carve a niche for myself in the team. I want to become a go to person and want to get a strong performer rating this year.
• Read and maintain a thought catalog so that i can go back and remember them.
• Talk wisely and softly with my kids and atleast give a thought to their perspective.
• Not to loose patience...
• Not to get disappointed with situations and should learn how not to blame others for your happiness.

Weekend Musings

• Watched “ The Coronation” on BBC 1 while doing my gym session.I was expecting a lot more input from the Queen but actually there was very less of it.
• Our customary Friday evening dinner was at Delhi Live where we stuffed ourselves with Simple yellow daal / Gobhi Aloo / Rice for me and Tandoori Chicken for Aayush and Ashish.
• Made Paneer Makhani and Stuffed Bellpeppers - followed Veg Recipes of India recipes which are always comes out perfect.
• Gym session was fabulous - Saturday 80 mts of cardio and Sunday 1 hour 30 mts which was a new record for me. 
• Some me time at Harris + Hoole coffee shop with Nishka. Had Americano with Strawberry Oat  cookies for myself and Nishka had hot chocolate.
• Wrapped presents for birthdays next week - Nishka’s classmates.
• Finishing my old Real Simple magazines so that i can stock up on some new health / interior Decor / lifestyle magazines from India. 
• Bought electric toothbrushes for all of us - Oral B Junior Frozen and Starwars for kids and for us Oral B Pro 2 2000N. 
• Saw below recipe in Tesco Magazine and it looks attractive- will give it a try someday.

New Things

It is good to shake things time to time and i just did that !!! Here is my list :

• Started listening to PODCASTS - i have always heard about them but never got around listening. But having a Smart Phone does make your life easier.So far i have listened few TED Talks / Desert Island Discs and one Motivational Podcast.
• After deciding at the beginning of this year that i will drive more and to newer places - that is exactly i have been trying to fit in. Drove to as far as Feltham / Brentwood and drive to work in the morning and evenings.
• In May this year i was given FITBIT and i am addicted to it. Love to step up and my best so far has been 27k.
• Watched a Pakistani Drama " Zindagi Gulzar Hai" on You Tube.
• Visited the local Hindu Temple at Noak Hill - Big change from the usual Ilford temple.
• Restarted browsing BBC I player and watched " Eat Well For Less ".
• For my daily office lunches - i have now switched to eating salads / Bowl full of veggies and supergrains from my plain sandwiches for 3 years. Also stopped eating packet of crisps too.
• Travelled to Birmingham for an official trip - my first ever trip!!!

Vegetarian Burgers with Walnuts

Continuing with Burgers this is the second one i made the next day for dinner which was liked by everyone in the family as well .

Ingredients

6 plain buns with sesame
2 oz walnuts
3 oz Colby or Cheshire cheese
2 carrots
1 large zucchini
1 bunch chives
6 tbsp heavy sour cream or soft cream cheese
1 cup fresh soyabean sprouts
1/3 cup olive oil
6 tofu burgers
salt, milled pepper

Method

• Crush the Walnuts coarsely. Grate the cheese
• Peel the carrot and cut it into thin strips. Wash the zucchini and cut it into thin strips.
• Chop the chive. Mix them with the sour cream or cream cheese in a bowl, seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Plunge the soybean sprouts into a saucepan of boiling salted water to blanch for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water.
• Heat 3 tbsp of the olive oil in a wok and stir fry the carrot, zucchini and soybean sprouts over high heat for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Heat the remaining oil in another skillet and fry the tofu burgers for 2-3 minutes on each side. Keep hot.
• Cut the buns in half. Spread the chive and sour cream/ cream cheese mixture over the base of each. Place a layer of the vegetables on top, followed by a tofu burger. Sprinkle with grated cheese. Close the buns and serve immediately.

Burgers Galore Part One

Past week i made Burgers for dinner back to back. I found a book on Burgers in my local library and found two vegeterian recipes and so i made them. They looked pretty easy to follow and i think they were quite different to what i have eaten so far. The name of the book is "Burgers" by Valery Drouet and Pierre -Louis Viel.
The first recipe i tried was " Burgers with Mozzarella and Bell Peppers".

Ingredients
6 ciabatta rolls
1 yellow bell pepper
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
3 tbsp olive oil
12 pitted green olives
6 tbsp (50 gms)pine nuts
generous 1lb smoked mozzarella
6 tbsp prepared pesto
generous 1 cup arugula
salt
milled pepper

Method

• Seed the bell peppers and cut them into thin strips. Peel and slice the onion.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and fry the onion for 5 minutes. Add the bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 15 minutes.
• Chop the olives and toast the pine nuts in a non stick skillet with no oil for 2-3 minutes
• When the bell peppers are tender, add the olives and pine nuts. Mix well.
• Preheat the broiler.
• Cut the mozzarella into 6 thick slices. Season with salt and pepper.
• Cut the rolls in half and toast them lightly in the broiler.
• Spread the pesto over the cut surfaces of the rolls.Distribute the arugula over the base of each roll, cover with a layer of the bell pepper mixture and top with a mozzarella slice.Close the rolls and serve immediately.

The List - December 2013

This is the first time i am doing this list inspired by Nupur's Lists of One Hot Stove.I usually write everything in my diary and try to incorporate everyday events in it.

Reading - This month has been the best month in terms of reading books as i read 5 books which is truly amazing by my standards.
I read "Cocoa at Midnight" by Kathleen Clifford;" Apron and Sliver Spoons" by Mollie Brown. These two books were a easy read. They are real life accounts of domestic servants and their hardships in pre war era.
The next book was very romantic novel by Jojo Moyes "The last letter from your lover". The book was hopelessly romantic and spanned two time lines - one from 1960 and other from present day.
Other books were "No time to say Goodbye" by Linwood Barclay - a thriller with a twist.I was so engrossed in reading the book that wanted to finish it soon.
And ended the year with Penny Vincenzi's " Love in the Afternoon and other short stories". I have never read her books before and did not find the book very interesting. The short stories were very predictable and short of any twists.

 Watched " 12 Dates of Christmas " -  a romantic movie where the girl keeps reliving Christmas Eve 12 times and must break the cycle for her blind date.
Another one was " Cast Away" - A Tom Hanks movie - quite a depressing movie where he is stranded on an island for 4 years and comes back to find that her girlfriend is now married and has her own family.
This is the first time i bought Whats on TV - Holiday TV watching guide. I am so deprived of watching any Television or movies that this year i am quite keen to watch some good television.Top on my list to watch is " Downton Abbey" and "The Great British Bake Off."

Had a busy month in terms of Socialising.Attended Christmas Drinks with my ex - colleagues or golden oldies as they say. Also a Birthday Party of a 3 year old and ended the day with tea and some mince pies at a friends place.Christmas Day evening was spent with a family of four serving them  M&S Party food.Invited for lunch by a friend ( N and A ) at Langley.Just before the year ended i invited one of our friends for lunch who were visiting from Glasgow over holidays. I made Amritsari Chole , Delicate Korma with Apricots / Paneer Maalvani / Rice / Paneer and Pineapple Salad / served all with parathas and ended with tea and pistachio ice cream. New Year's Eve was spent with another set of friends and had such a pleasant time serving them Nachos with cheese / Mix Pakoras - Potato / Paneer / Cauliflower and Chillies/ Garlic Bread and Pizzas.

My son had a busy time over the month as well. Started with Christmas Fayre in school where he met Father Christmas and got presents. Took part in Christmas Raffle.We attended his first ever Christmas Concert. I don't think he was really into singing and was just interested in waving us.
His most busiest day was when he had Christmas lunch at school / Christmas party in his class/ School Disco and Christmas Party in his drama class.He also came to my office on Christmas Eve and got Face painting done.

The biggest high this month was that my son learnt to write his name - it was an amazing feeling to know that he is growing up and a first step of sorts for future.

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.

 

 

 

News Bites

• Organised a lavish lunch for our friends from Wolverhampton. Made Daal Makhani,Baked Matar Paneer,Mix Vegetable Bhopali Syle,Moong Daal Pakoris ,Imli Vaale Aloo,Paneer with Spring Onions,Gobhi Masala, Mix veg Rice and Raita.
• Made a trip to Great Yarmouth - the seaside town over the Easter Weekend.Had lunch in " Prezzo" at Beccles.
• Books read - " The Happiness Project " by Gretchen Rubin, " The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"
• Joined my local gym at the Hornchurch Sports Center.Attended Group exercise classes like Total Toning,Body Jive, Body Balance and Body Step. Also attended the Personal Training Session from a Personal Trainer for 35 mts.
• Aayush starts attending Georgie Porgy Preschool three days a week. He goes Monday afternoons and Thursday and Friday mornings. This alongside going to Creative Kids nursery Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
• Joined a local Reading Group at my Hornchurch Library.Atttended the first session but not the second one due to childcare issues.
• Nishka has completed all three of her Vaccinations and now atleast she is free for the next 8 months. Her next injections are due after her 1st Bday.
• Movies watched - "Life Express ","Dirty Picture ",Guzarish","Perfect Match","Everything Must Go " and "Ek Main Aur Ek Tu".

Little Things

• Finished reading "My Feudal Lord" by Tehmina Durrani and currently reading " Eat Prey Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert.


• Cooked an elaborate lunch for friends - made Dum Aloo Banarasi , Gobhi Kasoori , Paneer Makhani , Hyderabadi Subz Korma , Oriental Stir Fry and Angoori Raita with Parathas and Naan.


• Aayush started his swimming lessons every Saturday morning at our local leisure center.


• Bought various cookbooks by Tarla Dalal and Nita Mehta on my trip to India.


• Watched " Music & Lyrics " and " Serendipity " on recorded televison. Currently watching "Caroline Quentin - A Passage to India " on ITV.


• Witnessed a historic win for India in the Cricket World Cup.


• Recent meals cooked were "Nawabi Curry" ; Jamie Oliver's Spaghetti ; Rajma, Chocolate Fudge.

Sharm el-Sheikh

To begin with i never even heard that there is a place called Sharm el-Sheikh in this world.We wanted to go to a place for a week and my first choice was "Tenerife" but since we got to know that Tenerife will be much colder as compared to Sharm el-Sheikh we opted for latter.This was a holiday of lots of firsts in our lives... first time to Middle East;first time living in a beach resort;first time as a family with the little one;first time on a holiday with no plans to sight seeing anywhere.Also it was a bonus to go particularly at this time of the year as London was experiencing the worst Winter ever with freezing temperatures almost all of December.

• Aayush was an absolute angel on the flights.He slept most of the time and kept himself busy when he was awake.
• After a very very long time i visited Gym and did running and cycling for a hour everyday.
• We realised very soon that Aayush need a "Push Chair" and so Ashish went to Old Market Town and bought one.
• Again after ages i finished reading a book .."P.S.I love You " by Cecelia Ahern.
• Saw "Fantasia" - a very beautiful place to have dinner and watch belly dancing but of course since being with a kid we just did a quick round and went off.
• Ras Mohamed National Park was amazing.Blue skies and crystal clear water with no soul in sight.Since Snorkeling was banned due to shark attacks there was no one in the waters and that was a bonus.
• Had moreish Mexican Dinner and refreshing mocktail drinks at the hotel Aqua Bar and dinner at Acupulco Joe's.Lunch facing the Red Sea from our Hotel's Restaurant.
• Due to heavy snow in London our flight was cancelled and re-booked next day -Sunday.Apart from few hours delays we reached London Gatwick midnight amidst freezing temperatures of -11c.

Back to Work

After almost one year of maternity leave i am officially back to work!!! Its been a week already and it doesn't feel too bad. I do get exhausted by evening but i have quite a support at home at the moment so it is all right to manage.Aayush has taken the change very nicely and enjoys his time with his grandparents. In the meantime these are some of the few things i did before starting my full time job:-

• A Visit to V&A Museum on a rainy Sunday.
• For the first time i had the chance to Vote and i did exactly just that.
• Bollywood Movies seen -"Rajneeti" and "Housefull".
• Attended a "Real Food Festival " at Earls Court and had lunch at "Masala Zone".We bought some very fresh Mozzarella Cheese;Real Mexican Salsa,Shahi Masala Mix and Kadai Masala Mix.
• Aayush had his Mundan Ceremony and also we conducted a Satya Narayan Katha.Food made was Pooris,Chola,Imli Aloo,Shahi Paneer,Aloo Gobhi,Jeera Pulao,Masala Bhindi and Kheer.
• I passed my Driver Licence Exam in the first attempt.... with only 6 minor mistakes.
• Joined two Baby and Toddler Groups in my local area.I think it was a good decision as Aayush loves the place and also this has become a good ground for Nursery as this gives him exposure to different kids.
• Made two friends out of these Baby Groups - Vaijenta and Jyoti.
• Met my colleague for lunch at O2 and Thai Lunch of Vegetable Spring Rolls /Thai Green Curry with Rice.
• Purchased an I-Phone for myself and downloaded apps such as Pedometer/Use your Handwriting.
• Books finished reading - "The Gift " by Cecilia Ahern;"Motherhood" by Judy Reith;"Love Over Coffee" by Amrit N Shetty;"The Vine of Desire" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
• Saw "Merchants of Bollywood " at the Peacock Theatre.
• Tried loads of curries from Tarla Dalal "Desi Khana" - Ceylonese Curry;Cauliflower Curry;Mixed Vegetables-Patiala Style;Green Peas and Mushroom Curry;Tava Mushroom;Mughlai Aloo etc
• Also made Pineapple Cake from Manjula's Kitchen Blog;Kutchi Dabeli from Nupur's One Hot Stove;Spicy Chaat from Tarla Dalal's Desi Khana;Mexican Rice Casserole from Nupur's One Hot Stove;Black Eyed Peas Vadas from Mahanadi Blog;Singapore Noodles from Good Food Magazine;Mix Veg Risotto ;Vegetable Pasta Bake etc etc.
• Saw Shrek 3 D in my local Odeon Cinema and hated it.. The movie is too boring and doesn't capture my interest at all.
• Did some clothes shopping for myself --- a motivator before joining work..Bought Skirts/Tops and Formal Trousers from Marks and Spencer and John Lewis.

Hopefully things will be fine for the coming weeks and i will be able to strike a good balance between my work and home...

Mexican Rice Casserole

This recipe is taken from Nupur's One Hot Stove Blog.I have made this recipe now atleast thrice and everytime i make it is loved by everyone.There is no doubt that it takes quite a lot of planning to make this Casserole but it is worth it.
Ingredients:-
Rice-3/4 Cup cooked in Vegetable Stock.
Peppers-I use the Sweet Bite Peppers which are available in my nearby Supermarket.
Black Beans- I used canned beans.
Vegetables-Onions/Carrots/Tomatoes/Squash.
Shredded Cheese
Method:-
I rubbed Peppers in oil and seasoned them with Salt and Pepper and broiled them for atleast 25 mts in oven.Vegetables were chopped coarsely and cooked with spices such as Red Chille Powder/Cumin Powder/Oregano.Sometimes i do buy Spice Blend available in Market for Mexican Cooking. Black Beans were mixed with 3-4 Tbsp of store bought Salsa.Then in a Oven proof Dish i layered Rice/Broiled Peppers/Black Beans/Vegetables and then Shredded Cheese.Baked it for almost half an hour and served with Yogurt mixed with Salsa.

Return Home

It has been a month exactly that i came back from India and it feels as if i never went away.Days are filled with eating, going out and finding out ways to keep an 8 month old baby occupied.

• Lunch at Pizza Express with my Sister in Law and Niece.I had Nostrana Salad which had New Potatoes,Avocados,Red Pepper,Green Beans, Mixed Leaves,Parsley and a free range Egg with house dressing.I substituted Chicken with Mushrooms.
• Made a trip to Coram Fields which was on my list ever since i was pregnant and i was waiting for the day when i can take my baby there since the entry to the park is restricted to only people who are accompanied by kids.
• Browsed Bloomsbury area and had coffee and cake in Carluccio's.
• Aayush was due for his second photo session locally and so i took him there. He behaved nicely in the session and some very gorgeous pictures have come out.
• Whenever i see Aayush is getting all cranky being at home i take him out in his buggy and go for long walks in my area.He loves looking out and grasping everything around him and i get some much needed exercise.Sometimes it happens twice a day which really tires me up in the evening.
• I have been doing a lot of cooking in this past month.I made a colourful Mexican Rice Casserole,Cheese and Vegetable Muffins,Semolina and Bottle Gourd Pancakes,Vegetable Fajitas, and Kutchi Dabeli.I also dared to make Strawberries dipped in Chocolate and Fruits with White Chocolate.They didn't turn out the way as i expected them to be.
• I also had our friends Gaurav and Mughda for dinner one Saturday and i made Chana Paalak,Tawa Paneer,Salad,Boondi Raita,Vegetable Pulao and Fruit Cream for dessert.
• Movies watched this past month were :- "Housefull","The Proposal";"35 Shots of Rum" ; "Julie and Julia"and"An Education" from Blockbuster Rental.
• I finished reading Shobha Narayan's "Monsoon Diary"and "The Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown and "The Immigrant"by Manju Kapoor.
• For the very first time in my life i cast my vote. I never knew that i can vote in UK. I was under the impression that voting is reserved only for citizens but i was wrong.
• On a rainy Sunday we decided to visit V&A Museum.I would like to go there again when the museum will be a bit empty as it was too crowded that day.
• Browsing magazines such as Time Out (London),Prima,Country Walking,Living Etc,BBC Good Food,Good Housekeeping,Cook Vegetarian,Weight Watchers etc.
• On one of the weeknights i went out for Dinner with my Office Colleagues to a French Restaurant "One Lombard Street".We had a 5 Course Dinner Menu of Grilled Marinated Provencal Vegetables Pesto,Tapenade and Saffron Veloute (Starter),Spinach Risotto with Garlic and Nutmeg Nut Brown Butter ( Mains) and Bitter Chocolate Marquise Raspberry Coulis and Creme Chantilly (Dessert).

India Trip

Week 1

• Arrived in New Delhi with a crying 6 month old baby.Had to wait 45 mts just to get hold of my luggage.


• Overwhelmed by the number of people coming to help me right from Security Check at Heathrow to Delhi Airport.Excellent cabin crew of British Airways which i was least expecting them to be.


• Stayed with extended family for 2 days in Delhi.Had excellent Poori-Aloos for breakfast/Kulcha Chola for Lunch and Methi parathas for dinner (1st day).South Indian Lunch the next day followed by Aloo Parathas for dinner.


• Baby was a star on Monday on route to Nagpur. Air Hostess were all going gaga over him and wanted to cuddle him.


• Rested completely for 4 days at a stretch doing nothing except eating/pottering around the house and sleeping and then eating again.


• Baby has never seen and experienced such a crowd in his entire 6 months of life.He got super excited and wants to play all the time even when he is feeling sleepy.


• The only form of exercise i am doing is a 20 minute walk in the evenings.


• Getting myself a body massage every alternate day of the week.

Week 2

• Had the most spicy Vegetable Chowmein at Haldirams.For dessert i had Bengali Sandesh.. Again very yummy and very light.


• Organised family photographs and taking few of my childhood snaps with me to London.


• There are few friends of my mum visiting us to see baby in evenings.


• Eagerly waiting for my sister to come as she will be seeing baby for the first time.


• This week Aayush was introduced to lentils- We made Red Lentil Soup with Onions,Garlic and Carrots,Red Lentil Stew with Potatoes,Carrots and also some Khichdi.Some spices were also added like cumin and coriander powder.


• A very good Chinese Dinner of Vegetable Chow Mein,Fried Rice,Spring Rolls,Gobi and Mix veg Manchurian on a Saturday Night.


• Aayush has been cranky this week due to his teething.But Thankfully he is still sleeping through the night.

Week 3

• Drinking bottles of Neembu Pani.Very refreshing.


• Had Vegetable Cheese Sandwiches along with Sandesh at Haldirams.


• Bought myself four colourful traditional style kurtis from Pantaloons and Westside.


• Reading magazines like Filmfare,Femina,Good Housekeeping and Savvy.


• Dozing off in the hot summer afternoons with air conditioner in full blast.


• Aayush is teething for third tooth of his and therefore being cranky and unsettled.
  

Week 4

• Bought Good Homes and Better Interiors magazines.


• Had a lavish dinner buffet at Hotel Sun and Sand on a Sunday evening.

• Playing mindless game of Farmville with my sister whole day.


• Got myself a haircut in stylish Belezza Parlour.


• Read Chetan Bhagat's Two States in 2 days.


• Bought again some magazines like People,Better Homes and Gardens,Good Housekeeping and a Tarla Dalal Cookery mag.


• Had Chola Bhaturas from Haldiram along with Khandavi,Veg Patties, Pyaz ki Kachoris,Paav Bhaji and Paneer Kathi Roll.

Week 5

• Got myself a relaxing facial.


• Bought again some very nice Anarkali Suits from Westside


• Had dinner at Panchwati Thali with never ending dishes on my plate.

Visited Crossword Bookstore and bought myself "Indian Summer" by Pratima Mitchell,"Dollar Bahu"by Sudha Murty,"Such A Long Journey" by Rohinton Mistry,"P.S I love You" by Cecelia Ahern,"Bye Bye Blackbird" by Anita Desai,"Love Over Coffee" by Amrit Shetty,"Tales from Firozsha Bagh"by Rohinton Mistry.

• Invited over by one of my mom's friend for tea .. had onion pakoras. and chola bhaturas with paneer sabzi followed by Ras Malai.


• Aayush was extremely unsettled during the Indian Airlines flight to Delhi.Cried for half an hour and just made everyone jump from their seats.A gentleman helped me with my hand carry bag as well as waited for my luggage and pulled the trolley as well.Bless him.


• Chinese dinner again ... Tasted Momos,Chow mein and Fried Rice.

• My cousins came over for lunch on my last day in India.We had Chola Bhaturas,Fried Bhindi and Dahi Bharas followed by Vanilla Icecream.


• On the way back home to London Aayush was an angel and enjoyed playing with fellow passengers and air hostess.

Recent Notes

• Reading Biography on AR Rahman by Kamini Mathai.Extremely hard to believe the kind of person Rahman is.I wonder are there any people left in this world with billions in their bank accounts but live with no material desires.Also the kind of environment he works in its hard to imagine that how he survives it.
• Hosted a lavish lunch for our friends Nitin and Manu. I made Baked Matar Paneer/Sabz Paneer/Daal Makhani/Moong Daal Pakoris/Three Bean Salad/Fruit Salad/Mix Veg-Bhopali Style/Fruit Cream.It was a lunch for 6 adults/3 children and 2 babies.
• Visited my office to meet colleagues and to have a informal chat with my manager regarding my return to work and also to get some flexible working arrangement.
• Sorted all documentation and paper work for our residency in UK.It took us the whole of Sunday afternoon sorting bills and bank statements filing them in separate files.
• Made Brocolli and Bottle Gourd parathas for dinner on Friday evenings.
• Had a light hearted evening with Gaurav and Mughda on Valentines Day.Mughda prepared Rajma Curry and Paneer Sabzi along with Cucumber Raita.
• Made Paneer Kathi Roll and Thai Spiced Mushroom Soup inspired by Nupur 's One Hot Stove.
• Attended my first session of Physiotherapy at Holly house Hospital.I have been prescribed some pelvic floor muscles as usual to strengthen my lower stomach muscles which will ease my back pain.The physiotherapist said that my body is too mobile which is how my body is made up of. Due to my traumatic childbirth my pelvic muscles are weak and that needs to be strengthened.
• My subscription to Love Film came to end this week. I watched some very excellent movies which i wanted to watch from a long time.I watched Amelie(French)Maria Full of Grace(Spanish)Tokyo Sonata(Japanese).I also managed to watch Invictus and Its Complicated in cinema leaving baby with Ashish.
• Flipping through Rose Elliot 's cookbooks "Vegetarian Four Seasons" and Vegetarian Fast Food.Already tried Spicy Bean Chilli from the book so far.
• We have finalised for a new house to be completed in July/August this year. It is a 3 bedroom detached house .. all new built.I am not so excited for the house as i love living in my current home and just love this area.But maybe as Aayush is growing up we do need a bigger house than this and then it would all fit in.I am taking my time to warm up to new house so far. I am excited but cautious as this will also slightly longer commute and also now we have to also consider dropping and picking Aayush up before and after work.
• So despite the fact that i am not to keen to move - i am planning the new home already that how it will look and how i will decorate. We will have a modest garden to take care of and so i was thinking of planting some herbs and vegetables and definitely flowers.Off i went to my local library and issued myself some books to get a basic idea of how to start and maintain a garden.I am going through books like "First Time Gardener" By Jonathan Edwards ;"Vegetables for Small Garden" By Lynda Brown;"Harry Dodson's Practical Kitchen Garden"; and the best of all i liked "A Busy Person's Guide to the 20 Minute Garden" by Gill Page.I loved this book as this had step by step pictures on how to grow flowers and vegetables in a container.

Things that kept me going....

• I finally finished my pile of newspapers (London Evening Standard,City AM and Metro) which was pending for a very long time.I like to keep myself updated about what's happening in London therefore Ashish brings me these newspapers everyday.
• After almost 3 years i have started visiting my local library and got myself some cookbooks such as "Jamie's Ministry of Food","Rice and Noodles by Emma Lee","50 Great Sandwiches",and Women's Weekly Great Vegetarian Food".
• I make it a point to go out everyday with baby either to shop locally for grocery or library or for long walks.This helps me to get some fresh air and helps me to loose that extra weight.
• Been doing loads of cooking -Idly Sambhar for Sunday afternoon lunch,Vegan Aloo Dum ( Recipe taken from Nupur 's One Hot Stove),Chocolate Cake with Ganache,Pizzas with unusual toppings like Artichokes,Black olives with pesto sauce.
• Subscribed to Love Film and so watching movies almost everyday.. Seen so far "Mamma Mia","There will be Blood","Six Days Seven Nights","Guess Who's coming to Dinner","Miss Pettigrew Lives for a day".