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Showing posts with label Awards. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Awards. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

200th Post: Awards/Tagged Awards, Favorite Dishes and A Few Favorite Men

GiveAway Alert: Check Mia's space for more info@ Bright Morning Star

Slowly but steadily I have hit the 200th mark today. In spite of having a wildly chaotic/disorganized life, I consider myself blessed that I am able to allocate time to blog about something that I am passionate about -- Mostly Taste, Travels and Networking with people of similar wavelength!
For this post, I have decided to honor the folks who have showered award after award on my blogging self instead of the usual travel Milestone post. Thanks to everyone who were kind enough to pass on some splendid awards and I would like to pass it to all. I simply can't choose a favorite since every blog is special and has something unique and splendid.XoXo.

Some awards demand I share things about me,my dozen favorite dishes from my blog and such -
I have already shared a lot about me here, here. To top that I will share my favorite dishes, Favorite Actors~
My favorite dishes from my blog -
I like almost all of them,else I wouldn't have posted about it now, would I? But some favorites that get made often are - 
Now on to my favorite actors and what movies/sitcom made me like them..Well for me to like a star he will have to have certain, if not all,characteristics/distinguishing quality, like - be at least 6 feet tall, long hair, pierced ears,a lone tattoo or two and fuzz on the face is good. Only then I will watch a film enough to like someone.. So unfair to them but thats me.Stars need to have star quality..else why should I spend time, energy, money to watch,right?
In descending order -
  • Kevin Costner (BodyGuard, Dances With the Wolves, Revenge)
  • Kevin Sorbo (Hercules)
  • Pierce Brosnan (All of his 007 movies)
  • Brad Pitt (Troy, Interview With a Vampire)
  • Akshay Kumar (Yeh Dillagi, Singh is King)
  • Hugh Jackman(Van Helsing, Australia)
  • Hrithik Roshan(Jodhaa Akbar, Kaho Naa Pyar Hai)
  • Victor Webster(Mutant X)
  • Vikram(Saamy, Anniyan, Kandaswamy)
  • Vijay(Ghilli, Vettaikaaan, Kaadalukku Mariyaathai)
  • Robert Pattinson(Twilight)
  • Ram Charan Teja(Maghadeera, Chirutha) <-Star Struck

From Nithu's Kitchen:


From Kristy Gourmet, Raina-Garden of Yum, Kiran-Sumadhura




From Anju's Kitchen Treasures, Kitchen Express, Pavithra-Binge On Veg, Kiran-Sumadhura, Fathima-Thattukada, Rumana-SpiceUrSenses, YummyTeam, FoodLovers, JoyOfCooking, Madhura Manoj,
Experiments With foodMalabar Ruchi, Dining Menu,Ayesha, Hamaree Rasoi,Sathya -Samayal Corner


From Mia-SugarPlumFairy

Mia, Fimere, NadjiBella


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Monday, March 29, 2010

And the Winner is..

Today marks my 6-month milestone of jubilant journey on the splendid trial called "Blogosphere".How cool is that? Before I go to the announcement I want to take a look back and recount about certain posts that are extra special and worth mentioning:
Okay, time has come to announce the lucky winner of the Giveaway that ended a few hours ago.  I thank everyone for participating in this awesome giveaway sponsored by Counter Stools(division of AllBarStools, part of the CSNStores online shopping mall) and making it a roaring success. If not for your enthusiasm and support, it wouldn't have been possible.My sincere thanks to all the participants and my heartfelt apology to all my buddies outside of US and Canada. When I do a personal giveaway I will make sure everyone is included. Location no bar, I promise!

Winner was chosen randomly(and Impartially) using old-school Raffle method.
  1. Each participant(based on commenting, commenting and following, newly following since the Giveaway Announcement) from US and Canada was assigned a number.
  2. Each # goes thrice if the participant happens to be a follower.
The person assigned that number in my list is Joanne of Joanne-Eats Well With Others. Congratulations dear! You are very lucky - You get to give and gifted to get.Lady Luck is certainly with you in this aspect. Dear, mail me your choice and shipping address to PanGravyKadaiCurry@Gmail.com. I will forward it to the member of the Promoteam.
To all others, better luck next time. Please stop by her spot to congratulate her on winning this giveaway and while you are at it, check the giveaway that is happening at her blog.

Now before you leave,a few of my favorites(Adapted,Created,Replicated) that I recommend my dear readers to try:
Enjoy!
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Thursday, March 11, 2010

Pulled Chicken Noodle Soup and An Award

Last week I had a bad case of the sniffles and sore throat. This soup came to the rescue as always. Everyone has their own version of this famous "keep-the-flu-at-bay" soup and this one is mine.Sip the soup and feel the burn! Don't restrict the soup to just when you are feeling under the weather. It can be had anytime of year too.
Ingredients:
  • Moist, Cooked and Pulled(Shredded) Chicken- 1 1/2 cup
  • Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
  • Onion - 1, small, diced
  • Homemade Chicken Stock - 4 cups 
  • Bay Leaf - 1
  • Frozen peas - 1/4 cup
  • Cooked Noodles/Pasta - 1/2 cup
  • Cracked pepper - 1 tsp or more
  • Salt for taste
Procedure:
  • In a stock pot, heat a tbsp of oil and add the minced garlic cloves, bay leaf, onions.
  • Saute the mixture until the onion browns, add the shredded chicken and peas.
  • Pour 4 cups of the homemade stock and sprinkle the pepper and salt.
  • Bring to a boil and throw in the cooked noodles.
  • Switch off the stove and pour the soup into serving bowls.
  • Serve hot by itself or with some crackers on top.
Makes ~ 3 large bowls of soup.

Sending this as an entry to Presto Pasta Nights # 154, hosted @ Kirsten's blog. 
Enjoy!

Award:


This award comes to me from Love2Cook-Malaysia and Spicy Lounge with some conditions. I am honored that these 2 wonderful bloggers thought of me to pass it on to.
Rules in a nutshell: Thank the giver, display the award and brag about it, say 10 new things about yourself and pass it forward to 10 people -

People who didn't have enough of me after reading this can proceed here:

Who Am I? Not a very interesting/intriguing person,really. But you may beg to differ. :)
  1. I was a Lacto-Vegetarian till 17 years. My initiation to eating meat was fast and furious with people practically threatening to shove it down my throat if I don't wipe the plate clean. I despised that bully tactics yet I am so very thankful to "them" for broadening my range of consumption much to the disappointment of my mom. As much as I love to try new things, I draw a line when it comes to eating blood pudding, endangered species, snake soups, toad legs and organ meats etc etc.
  2. I try not to hate anyone or anything of God's creations. Yet I find it very very difficult to love reptiles and certain bugs..they give me the creeps.
  3. I don't believe in zodiac signs and what they predict but I can't help but notice that I seem to depict most of the traits true to my sign - Scorpio!
  4. I have come to realize that amongst the many shades of love, "Baby Love" is the best love. My son is the beat of my heart and pulse of my vein. Sounds very dramatic, but very true.
  5. I have a color preference that is all over the place - love almost all shades of red, pitch black, beige white, charcoal grey and metallics. 
  6. I am of the opinion that the best view to be had is the bird's eye view. What I wouldn't give to be a bird, to soar in the sky with the wind beneath my wings. I know what you are thinking. Skydiving isn't for me.
  7. I have a weakness for scarves, shoes(Read Red Shoes), shades, bags,jewelery, Le Crueset /All-Clad Pots and Pans, Spode Cups and Mugs as much as the next girl and not necessarily in the same order.
  8. I love phrases, proverbs, poems and idioms..a lot. My 2 most favorite phrases of all times are: 
    1. Time is the school in which we learn, time is the fire in which we all burn - Delmore Schwartz 
      Be the change you want to see in this world - Mahatma Gandhi 
  9. I love day-dreaming about a lottery win that will take me to all the "101 places I want to see before I die".Not very productive but certainly brightens my spirit.
  10. I am a girl who firmly believes in culinary therapy as much as retail therapy.
I am passing this on to 20 people. No rules, just a token of appreciation:
Bo, Ushnish, Tina, Sarah, AskKuku, Rachana, Cicily, Sook, 3 Hungry Tummies, Radhika, Fimere, Sanjana, Nithu Bala, Mia

New wonderful blogs I recently discovered and are award-worthy:
Kristy Gourmet, Dakshin- Meena, Ruchi, Pearlyn,Foodie With a Little Thyme, Fresh Local And Best
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Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Pasta Pudding, Bulgur Pudding - 2-Way, Have it Your Way

Why the double treat?  I just won my first "Winner Badge" for "Semi-Homemade" cooking with an Indian Spin@Rahin's blog Lazzat. Ergo, I felt like treating you all with some pudding creations from my kitchen.I may be a new follower of Rahin's blog but I have taken a liking to her Coconut-Raspberry Jam Cookies.
   The puddings in the post are so simple and straight-forward to make that you don't have to be a rocket scientist.My mom makes this often with Semolina(Vermicelli)/Rice/Orzo pasta, Cracked Wheat instead of Bulgur (Wiki: Bulgur is a quick-cooking form of whole wheat that has been cleaned, parboiled, dried, ground into particles and sifted into distinct sizes) and we call it "Payasam".
Other Puddings that you might be tempted to try:
Ingredients:
For the Pasta Pudding(With Fresh Strawberries,Cashews and Raisins):
  • Cooked Tiny Bow-tie Pasta - 3/4 cup (Pasta should be cooked without salt)
  • Partly skimmed milk - 3 1/2 cups (For a creamier version use whole milk)
  • Cardamom Pods - 3#s, smashed and shells removed
  • Fresh Strawberries - 4, 3 diced, 1 for garnish
  • Cashews - 6#s, roughly broken
  • Raisins - a few
  • Butter - 1 tbsp 
  • Sugar - 3 tbsp or more
For the Bulgur Wheat Pudding:
  • Cooked Bulgur - 3/4 cup
  • Jaggery(Unrefined Brown Sugar) - 3/4 cup 
  • Milk - 4 cups
  • Cardamom Powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Halved Cashews + Raisins - 1/4 cup
  • Butter - 1 tbsp
Procedure:
For the Pasta Pudding:
  • In a thick bottomed pan, add a tbsp of butter and add the cashews. A minute later, add the raisins and fry until the cashews are browned. Set aside.
  • In the same pan, add the milk and heat it on a low flame. Add the sugar slowly and stir continuously until it is completely dissolved.
  • Throw in the cooked pasta and keep stirring until a desired consistency is reached.
  • Sprinkle the fried nuts/raisins, coarsely powdered cardamom seeds and switch off the stove.
  • Stir in the fresh chopped berries and serve warm or cold.
For the Bulgur Pudding:
  • In a thick bottomed pan, add a tbsp of butter and add the cashews. A minute later, add the raisins and fry until the cashews are browned. Set aside.
  • In the same pan, add the milk and heat it on a low flame. Add the brown sugar slowly and stir continuously until it is completely dissolved.
  • Add the cooked Bulgur and check for taste. Add more sugar if needed.
  • Sprinkle the fried nuts/raisins, cardamom powder and switch off the stove.
  • Serve warm or chilled. Tastes good either way.
Notes:
  • Couscous, Cracked Wheat can be substituted instead of Bulgur.
  • Chopped Bananas may be added to the Bulgur Pudding to enhance the taste.
Enjoy!
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Tuesday, March 2, 2010

RecipeReplica:Sensational Mushroom Fry

This recipe is from a fellow blogger who certainly takes charge of the kitchen, which is "purportedly" a woman's domain. Don't all women love a man who can cook?Ushnish, posts authentic Indian, honest-to-goodness, detailed recipes with witty tales that makes all his posts an interesting read.At the end of every post he has a nice shot of everyday flowers, wild flowers, never-before-seen flowers that just brings a smile on my face. Very thoughtful and original! He also happens to be the first person who tried my Twilight Drink and continuously praises me for posting it. He is at the moment temporarily unretired, stationed in Italy and missing his family and a kitchen. I have picked one of his simple,yet sensational Mushroom fry recipe to post as a way of cheering him up.Click here to see more of his mouthwatering recipes.

Ingredients:
  • Button Mushroom - 20#s, medium-sized,  cleaned and thinly chopped
  • Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Coarsely Cracked Pepper - 1/2 tsp
  • Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
  • Green Chilli/Serrano - 2, vertically slit (optional)
  • Salt
Procedure:
  • In a skillet, warm the olive oil and season it with cumin seeds.
  • Add the mushrooms and green chilli(if using) and saute gently but continuosly until the mushrooms are coated evenly with oil. 
  • Sprinkle the salt and pepper. Gently mix. 
  • Lid the skillet once the mushrooms start generating steam. Cook on a medium flame for 5-7 minutes.
  • Stir continuously till moisture is evaporated and mushrooms are dry.
  • Serve with baked fish, hot rice or as a stuffing for pita.
Award:
This beautiful "Blogger Friend Loyalty Award" was passed on to me by Simply.Food, a hub of "simple", yet sensational vegetarian recipes. Many Thanks dear.
I would like to pass this on to Ushnish and every other blogger buddy/follower. Please accept it.


Enjoy!
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Thursday, February 18, 2010

Rice Hoppers(Appam)/Spongy Rice Pancakes and some awards

Seriously, this is in my Top5 favorite Breakfast/Brunch choice of all time. Who can resist these soft, spongy Hoppers? No Sireee! Not me for sure. These Hoppers or Spongy Rice Pancakes are quite popular and largely prevalent in South Indian households. I love to have this with sweetened coconut milk and tomato chutney. What about you? If you haven't had this before, you don't know what you are missing. Just head over to a South Indian restaurant for a taste of heaven. The texture is similar to that of Ethiopian Injera. Yum!
Ingredients:
  • Raw Rice - 2 cups, soaked for 4 hours
  • Cooked Rice - a handful
  • Grated Coconut - a handful
  • Dry Yeast - 1/2 tsp
  • Sugar - 1/2 tsp
  • Warm water
For the Coconut Milk:
  • Grated coconut from 1 mature coconut
  • Warm water or Skimmed Milk - 2 cups
  • Sugar - 2 tbsp
Tool:
  • Wok, preferably non-stick
Procedure:
  • Wash and grind the raw rice, grated coconut and cooked rice to a smooth paste with very less water.
  • In a bowl, add 2 tbsp of warm water and add the sugar and yeast.
  • Add this yeast mixture to the ground paste and let it ferment overnight.
  • Prepare the batter to a pour-able consistency(Batter should be thicker than crepe-batter).
  • Pour a ladle-full of batter to the wok and swirl it so that the batter coats the side of the pan and the center is spongy. 
  • Close the lid and let it cook for 2-3 minutes on a medium flame.Repeat the same with the remaining batter.
  • Extract "thick" coconut milk by squeezing batches of grated coconut through cheesecloth.
  • Extract "thin" coconut milk by letting the squeezed coconut soak in warm water or milk and squeezing them again through the cheesecloth.Sweeten the coconut milk with sugar.
  • Serve hot hoppers with spicy tomato chutney or sweet coconut milk.
Enjoy!

Now its time to acknowledge the awards:
AshKuku of http://asha-oceanichope.blogspot.com  and Cicily of http://ceciliantonio.blogspot.com have shared these wonderful awards with me. I thank you both from the bottom of my heart. You girls rock!
 
This last award, passed to me by Cicily comes with a set of demands:
The rules for accepting this award are 
  • Thank the person who gave you the award.
  • Copy the award to your blog.
  • Place a link to their blog.
  • Name 7 things people don't know about you.
  • Nominate 7 bloggers.
  • Place a link to those bloggers.
  • Place a comment letting those bloggers know about the award.
I have been tagged before by Saju of The Novice Kitchen.  To know more about me click here.
The point of giving awards, besides appreciation is to know and be known by other bloggers who share the same passion,right? So I would like to share this award with bloggers who I just have come to  know and have come to like what they post
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Friday, January 22, 2010

Eggless Banana-Berry-Nut MiniMuffins and an Award

Hey you all, I came back on Tuesday from my almost-2-months vacation in India.Leaving the sunny shores for a cold blustery climate plus seeing my toddler son call for his paternal grandparents has given me the blues. Every morning he wakes up and goes like this - Mommy, where's Granpa? Where's Granny?  and then he picks one of his favorite HotWheels Sedan and goes Vroom Vroom to his grandparents' house. I get very upset when I see him pick the phone, talk to the dial tone and cry his heart out when there is no response. I miss my In-laws as well, especially my MIL. I know this sounds unbelievable but its true. My MIL may be a stern and forthrightly person but she has a heart of gold. I can't tell you how well she took care of me and my baby after I came back from my eye-surgery. Its as though, with my new vision I have acquired a new clarity, a dawning of comprehension if you will.
Anyways, to brighten the mood in the house, I have been making sweet treats and this eggless variation of Strawberry-Banana-Nut Mini Muffin is one such "mood brightener". I also would like to acknowledge an award from a sweet friend, Kitchen Queen.
Ingredients:
  • Ripe Banana - 1, mashed
  • Strawberry - 5-6, fine diced
  • Mixed nuts(Walnut, Cashew) - 3 tbsp, coarsely chopped
  • Wheat Flour - 3/4 cup
  • Brown Sugar - 2/3 cup
  • Olive Oil - 4 tbsp
  • Baking Powder - 1/2 tsp
  • Baking Soda - 1/2 tsp
  • Butter - for greasing the muffin wells
Procedure:
  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a bowl, add the mashed banana, brown sugar and oil. Mix well.
  • In a seperate bowl, mix the flour with baking powder and baking soda.
  • Throw the flour mixture into the other bowl and mix gently using a whisk.
  • Add the chopped nuts and the diced berries and gently mix.
  • Top-off the greased muffin wells with the mixture(For a bigger muffin)
  • Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 20 minutes.
  • Let it rest for 15 minutes prior to scooping.
Makes 12 mini muffins.
Award from Kitchen Queen:
Thanks a bunch KQ. This certainly has brightened my spirit.
Enjoy!
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Saturday, January 16, 2010

RecipeReplica: Nutty Grapefruit Rice and An Award

This is a recipe that I borrowed from Sailaja's kitchen. Sailaja can be called as a "culinary scientist" because she is constantly experimenting with food. Her blog is a hub of novel recipes and I love visiting her spot.She was generous enough to let me try out this recipe of hers.For the life of me I couldn't have figured it for what it is if I didn't know behorehand that it was made with grapefruit.Tasted as good as Lemon/Lime rice and it would go well with Lamb/Chicken Kebabs or any spicy sides.
Ingredients:
  • Basmati rice - 2 cup
  • Red Grapefruit - 1, juiced
  • Onion - 1, small, diced
  • Cashews and peanuts - a handful
  • Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
  • Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
  • Split Black Gram - 1 tsp
  • Olive oil - 2 tbsp
  • Cilantro - For Garnish
Procedure:
  • Cook the rice as per package directions and cool.
  • Brown the nuts in a tablespoon of oil.Set aside.
  • In a deep saute pan, heat oil, add the mustard seeds and black gram. Once the seeds begin to splutter, add the onions and brown it.
  • Add the rice and give a gentle mix.
  • In a cup, mix the juice of grapefruit with turmeric powder and salt. Pour that into the pan and mix gently for a minute. Switch off the stove. Garnish with chopped Cilantro, browned nuts.
Makes 4 servings.

The beautiful Blogger award is Sailaja's New Year Gift to every blogger:


Enjoy!
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Thursday, January 14, 2010

Award With a Demand

This is an interesting award given to me by Saju of The Novice Kitchen. I thank her sincerely for rewarding this to me.The reason why this is interesting is because this award comes with not one but seven demands.Looks like I have been tagged. Be patient and read on.
The seven demands:
  1. Copy the award to your blog.
  2. Thank the person giving the award.
  3. Place a link to their blog.
  4. Name seven things people don't know about you.
  5. Nominate 7 bloggers.
  6. Place a link to those bloggers.
  7. Leave a comment to those bloggers letting them know about the award.
Seven things people don't know about me:
  • Sucker for warm-oil scalp massage, mango lassi and paranormal-genre movies.
  • An Emotional wreck when listening to melody- find Instrumental music like smooth jazz, classical and blues very soothing and powerful.Such kinda music strikes a chord and I start my waterworks.Quite embarassing in public.
  • Unusual love of fridge-magnets and miniature Lord Ganesha idols - a recent development.
  • Morbid Fascination of Skulls, Bones and Corpse's  rotting pattern - my dream trip would comprise of all the catacomb tours in europe and end with a trip to the Body Farm in University of Tennessee where scientists leave plenty of corpses outside to study its rotting pattern.
  • Fear of ceiling fans, empty swinging-swings and billowing curtains- don't ask me why. My heart beats faster and louder than a vehement drumbeat if I have to sleep under a ceiling fan or look at an empty swing moving back and forth in a park. And my house has heavily-lined curtains.
  • Extremely merciful and kind hearted towards old people - had I been a geriatrist I would have been extremely successful.
  • Believe in life after death - very curious (BUT NOT READY YET) to know about a soul's journey into the afterlife.
Now passing this to seven fellow bloggers. Wanted to Tag many others like Sara, Tina and many more but Saju beat me to it.
  1. Rohini
  2. Radhika
  3. Sumi
  4. Asha
  5. Yasmeen
  6. Priya
  7. Sanjana
Enjoy!
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Thursday, December 24, 2009

Acknowledging Awards - 2

I love awards. This little beauty was passed on to me by Aruna Manikandan of Veggie Paradise many moons ago. Thanks a bunch Aruna.


The next couple of awards have been passed by Sailaja Damodaran of Sailaja's Kitchen. Thanks for your generosity.



This pretty award was given to me by Sumi of Sumi's Kitchen a couple of weeks ago. Thanks Sumi.

Last but certainly not the least, this was shared by AshaLatha of Asha-Oceanichope. I love it. Thanks a lot, Asha.

I too would like to be generous in sharing this with my blogger buddies. Please accept it.
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Acknowledging Awards

I was so happy when I got a couple of awards from Priya of Priya's Feast. They were the first award bestowed on my blogging self for my Diwali entries. No doubt I am overjoyed and encouraged to work hard and acquire some more..Since I am a newbie I am still "learning the ropes" of awards and stuff..so, a bit late in claiming them..

 
Thanks a bunch Priya.

This is from SrishKitchen,second place for EFM-Oats Series. I will cherish this one, Srilekha. Thank you.



These 2 were passed on by Nithya of 4th sense samayal, Sweet Sarah of Vazhayila.Thanks a bunch you both.
 

 

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