The 'Just Married, Please Excuse' Contest

So with so much buzz going around with Yashodra Lal contest, I am also trying to participate to win one of the book, which is difficult for me to procure as I am so away from Delhi. hence all the bloggers who are eyeing the delicious food at Mamagoto, I am not going to compete with you.

So this incident happened around 1.5 months after our marriage. It was January in North India.
We had been having daily night sessions of gossip and chai with all the cousins, and retreated very late into our rooms. One night, while I was still chatting with H's cousin, he decided to go and have a sleep early. Not wanted to be embarrassed by following him immediately as shy, coy newly wed, I held on my own for some more time and went up to room maybe half an hour later.

We were on first floor of our home, where along with our room, was another unoccupied room as well. I tried door to my room anticipating H eagerly waiting for me to join. But there he was sleeping like Kumbhkaran, and also the door was locked from inside. I was now apprehensive whether to knock it with force, shout, what to do. Everybody had slept till then and I was the lone stalker at night.

And as north India is very cold during January, I just went into unoccupied room and waited for H to come out and rescue me. There was a lone mattress in that room with which I covered myself.

And H came out at around 4 in the morning and I was in half -sleep, and I went up to the room, and he was amazed to see me, like where the hell did you come from.
I was angry with him, but seeing his face, that he really thought I am sleeping with his cousins, I was melted by his innocence, and naivety.

Still H is same naive..and like that only assuming things and forgetting me, his wife, and let me figure out things on myself.

Eggless Berry-Banana Muffin~ August Sweet Punch

At last I tried my hand with muffins as well. This was my first attempt at trying Muffins, and my Hubby totally loved them. I got inspiration to bake these muffins from Divya's Blog . The way she describes baking makes the process whole lot simpler. Adapting this recipe from her Eggless Apple-Banana Muffins

Ingredients

Canola Oil - 1/4 cup
Bananas - 1 Big,ripe
Berries - 1/2 cup
Self Raising Flour - 1 1/8 cup
Brown Sugar - 1/2 cup
Baking powder - 1/4 tsp
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Cinnamon - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp



Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C.Grease a muffin tray with butter.
2. Mash the bananas and mix in the sugar and beat till the sugar blends well into it.Add the oil and whisk it.
3. Mix together flour,baking powder,baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
4. Mix the flour mix and berries into the wet ingredients with a spatula and fold it in just until combined.
5. Pour the batter into the muffin tray and bake for 20-22 minutes or till the muffins have risen and become golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Note:

• Cover the muffins with aluminum foil to avoid them getting too hard.
• I got 9 muffins with these ingredients. As I had 12 -cup Muffin tray, so I added water to them.

Sending this recipe to August Sweet Punch (Though I am late)

Ret - A review

Harjeet Atwal is a novelist of front row in Punjabi literature. He is not a only novelist but he has marked his presence as a story teller, as a poet as well.

I got a chance to explore his novel "RET". This is a superb novel, and you can say a novel set in modern times.
Whenever I used to read English Indian writers books' about the lives of Indians abroad, I used  to wonder where are the Punjabi writers writing about the Punjabi diaspora abroad. Fortunately I found about Harjeet Atwal, and how his novels are set in London.

RET is a story about a couple Ravi & Kanwal, and how their egos destroyed their loving marriage. It is not about the rights and wrongs, but about the perspectives towards life and family of two different people.

Also it describes the lives of Punjabis abroad, their work, their hardships, the family values etc.

Atwal's writing is beautiful, precise and bonds you with the central characters. I was able to relate with Kanwal and Ravi as they were like my next door neighbors.

You can follow Harjeet Atwal through his blog:
 http://harjeetatwal.blogspot.com/

Cherry Cake

I have been trying various new recipes from here and there, since I arrived ashore, and have to be in Kitchen longer than I had supposed earlier in my life. But along the way, I found on contrary that I really have a passion for baking. So, this is my first food blog post "A Cherry Cake".

Ingredients

Self Raising Flour - 115gms
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp

Baking Soda – ½ tsp
Salt - a pinch
Butter/Olive oil - 50 gms
Sugar - 65 gms
Cherries - 65 gms (I used the berries mocktail, we get in Aldi)
Eggs - 2
Milk - 2-3 tbsp

Frosting:

Cream: 4-5tsp

Sugar – 1-11/2 tsp

Vanilla essence can be added, if available

Cherries – for decorating

Method

Preheat oven to 180C.
Grease and line a loaf tin or a small cake tin and flour it.
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. (This helps in making it soft)
Whip the eggs in another bowl. Add sugar and beat with a electric beater, till it is light and fluffy.
Add the butter/oil, and beat more.
Mix in the flour mix in three batches, alternating with the berries mixture and milk. Keep beating lightly after each addition.

Beat till you get a smooth batter, the batter is fairly thick and not of pourable consistency, it is rather of a dropping consistency. (It should be of wavy structure)
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and bake for 30-35 minutes or till the cake is golden brown and firm and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For frosting, put cream, sugar and vanilla essence in a bowl and whip it with a electric beater for about 7-10 minutes. It is done to put lot of air in it.

Put this frosting on the cake and sides of cake to cover it fully.

Decorate it with cherries.

Put in a fridge and serve as desired.

Note: Start checking cake after 25 minutes. Cover the cake with Aluminum foil after 10 minutes , so that it does not get too hard on top.