Questions & Answers

Hiiiiii*waves out to Elizabeth* Thank you for tagging me,my dear friend and the creative owner of http://foodandthriftfinds.com/ I always love reading your posts,they are so creative and original and always have that special Elizabeth touch,the person I am now getting to know,through these wonderful and fun activities that we have been participating in lately. Please everyone do visit her blog,if you are on the look out for some yummy recipes with exotic ingredients ,this is the place for you :)

1. Are you a vegetarian, or have you thought about being one?

 No,I am a big time carnivore,I did try  becoming a saint in '94 and stayed off non-veg for an year,and concluded that I am a complete slave to my taste buds:(

2. Who inspired you to cook or bake?

My mother and my aunts are excellent cooks and I was always fed very good food,so when I moved away from them I knew I had to cook the way they did. I never missed an opportunity to watch them cook & play with all the ingredients ,so I guess all that stayed with me,and I learnt my way around when it was time for me to cook.

 I would attribute the baking skills( if I have any) to my husbands stint at Haldia ,west Bengal. Haldia back then in the year 1991 used to be a major set-up of Indian Oil refineries and a couple other factories. We could just barely buy the basic stuff from one of the grocery stores, and cakes and fancy breads were  things of  a different world. So it was almost mandatory to bake in Haldia. There are many names that instantly come to mind who have helped me to learn the A B C's of baking: Ritu Uppal,Vibha Jhavar, Sadhna Mutreja,Vandana lal .

3. How do you celebrate Christmas?...or a favorite holiday of your choice?

I am a Hindu by birth and Diwali is to me what Christmas is to the Christians .The celebration is mostly centred around being with the family and enjoying the festivities which revolve around the food,gifts,new clothes,  decorations,and mainly fire works.The fire works is a a big part of Diwali celebrations back in India. I  must also mention here- That I attended a convent /catholic school through out, and Christmas was the second big festival and attraction for me. Our school left no stone unturned when it came to Christmas celebrations . So I grew up enjoying and cherishing both these big holidays.

4. Do you prefer to celebrate New Year's Eve with friends and/or family, or prefer to ring in the New Year quietly, and privately, at home?

Ours is a small family- me ,my husband and our daughter and we do not have family in this country,therefore celebrating New Year at home is not a bad idea provided there are plenty of friends ,music and dance to welcome the new year :)

5. If someone were to ask you to bring dessert to a party, what would you bring? Store bought, or homemade, and if you were to make homemade, what would you make?

I would prefer to make something at home,and it would mainly be decided around the rest of the menu and the guests. If the guests include plenty of kids then I would prefer to make a cake with some fun icing. I also don't mind buying something from the store- but it would have to be some special dessert which has a cult following .

6. How will you celebrate your next birthday?

My husband was very generous and took me to Alaska on my last birthday :) My next birthday  in 2011 is going to be just before our daughter leaves for college as a freshman and I would love for us to do something fun and memorable. I had not even thought of it actually until you asked me this question .  Honestly-We are such a last minute kinda  family.

7. Do you have a New Year's resolution-and will you be sticking to it?
YESSS my new year resolution is to continue writing the blog apart from loosing some weight, and staying fit by regularly exercising. I hope to stick to all of this as I have done in the past years :)

I am now tagging 12  and 2 more of my blogger friends to answer this same questionnaire. I enjoyed answering these questions and my dear friends, I hope you will have fun doing this:

banaras ka khana

Kitchen Corner-Try It

! Vazhayila !

Darjeeling Dreams

Food Mazaa

Healthy Gourmet

Kurinji Kathambam

Tasty Appetite

Pappu's Kitchen

Priya's Easy N Tasty Recipes

Priya's Feast

RecipeGrabBag

Taste as you Cook

TREAT & TRICK

8 Questions For 8 Food Bloggers

I was tagged by Nancy & Vijay of  http://kitchengypsies.blogspot.com/  yesterday in her post 8 Questions For 8 Food Bloggers. This is described as a rolling interview byAnthony at Flavorful World Food and drink Blog to get to know our fellow food lovers and giving  new comers  to our respective sites a chance to see what makes us tick . I am happy to be a part of this fun exercise,and thanks to Nancy for tagging me . I am more than happy to answer the questions she has asked and then I will tag 8 food bloggers asking them my 8 questions , who then will  tag 8 more food bloggers...


      Here are my 8 questions by Nancy and my answers to them :)

1.   What is the first dish you ever prepared, would you still fix it the same today?
       I have mentioned this on my blog in my very first post -Mushroom Vegetable/Khumbiyun Ji  Bhaji,this   is  the  first vegetable or first anything that I ever made. I made it roughly 25 years back and this is my father's recipe for me :) I will not change anything in this particular dish.
2.   Are you a strict measurer or do you just throw it in when you cook? 
I mostly eyeball ingredients,but for baking I stay loyal to the recipes I am referring to and will follow instructions to the T
3.In most celebrations food is a central theme, do you feel that serving a dish not traditionally served   (such as turkey for Thanksgiving) changes the feel of the celebration?
I will  for example make  turkey for Thanksgiving as that is the tradition but will experiment with the traditional recipe and alter it to suit my Indian palette or my guests palette.
4. Is there any food that makes you cringe just to think about it?
Not really,there are foods I am absolutely crazy about and foods I am OK with but I can't thing of any food that would make me cringe.
5. Someone drops by unexpectedly at dinner time, what would you serve them?
Nothing elaborate as the guests are unexpected. But I will try and fix something quick & decent . I have some quick recipes which are reserved for last minute guests.
6.What or who inspired you to write about food?
Food  itself and plenty of time were my source of inspiration to write about something I was told I am good at :)
7. Is there a charity or a cause dear to your heart that you would consider incorporating into your blog?
Yes there are couple causes I am passionate about,but honestly it never occurred to me that I could incorporate them here on my blog. Thanks so much for bringing it up,I have already started to think about it.
8. Why is it that there are always more lasagna noodles than sauce?
They suck the sauce to breathe and grow when cooked  :0

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  I'm looking forward to knowing you all better!


Nancy of http://Kitchengypsies.blogspot.com/ is a wonderful person and one of my first blogger friends :) She has a wonderful blog and I love the way she cooks south Indian food and pictures it at every step. For a non-Indian, cooking Indian food can be intimidating but I must admit that she does it with so much ease and I can tell from the step by step pictures  , that she has completely mastered the art of cooking south Indian food & that does not rule out her other non Indian recipes. They are equally amazing !!!

Nancy had sent me 8 questions which are posted above with my answers and it is about time I tagged 8 friends to answer these questions and keep the ball rolling:) So here are my 8 questions to my dear friends, I look forward to knowing you  some more :)

1. What is your take on organic food , is it a big deal for you ?
2. Do you time your breakfast,lunch & dinner or eat when you are hungry ?
3. What inspired you to write a food blog ?
4. You try a new recipe and it does not turn out good,what will you do ?
5. Name three ingredients you consciously avoid or eliminate even when the recipe calls for it ?
6. Name three things you have to use in most recipes ?
7. How important is eating meals together as a family to you?
8. You do not like a particular dish at your favorite restaurant,what will you do ?

Here are the 8 blogger  I am tagging:
jay: http://tastyappetite.blogspot.com/
Sangeeta: http://banaraskakhana.blogspot.com/
Malar: http://www.kitchentantra.com/
Aipi: http://usmasala.blogspot.com/
Lavi: http://homecooksrecipes.blogspot.com/
Elizabeth: http://foodandthriftfinds.blogspot.com/
Suja: http://kitchencorner.blogspot.com/
Kairali Sisters: http://cookingwithkairalisisters.blogspot.com/


Thank You for participating :) I look forward to your answers.

So.....Tell Me More Or things You Always wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask

I was tagged by Nancy & Vijay of  http://kitchengypsies.blogspot.com/  yesterday in her post 8 Questions For 8 Food Bloggers. This is described as a rolling interview byAnthony at Flavorful World Food and drink Blog to get to know our fellow food lovers and giving  new comers  to our respective sites a chance to see what makes us tick . I am happy to be a part of this fun exercise,and thanks to Nancy for tagging me . I am more than happy to answer the questions she has asked and then I will tag 8 food bloggers asking them my 8 questions , who then will  tag 8 more food bloggers...


      Here are my 8 questions by Nancy and my answers to them :)

1.   What is the first dish you ever prepared, would you still fix it the same today?
       I have mentioned this on my blog in my very first post -Mushroom Vegetable/Khumbiyun Ji    Bhaji,this        is    the  first vegetable or first anything that I ever made. I made it roughly 25 years back and this is my father's recipe for me :) I will not change anything in this particular dish.
2.   Are you a strict measurer or do you just throw it in when you cook? 
I mostly eyeball ingredients,but for baking I stay loyal to the recipes I am referring to and will follow instructions to the T
3.In most celebrations food is a central theme, do you feel that serving a dish not traditionally served   (such as turkey for Thanksgiving) changes the feel of the celebration?
I will  for example make  turkey for Thanksgiving as that is the tradition but will experiment with the traditional recipe and alter it to suit my Indian palette or my guests palette.
4. Is there any food that makes you cringe just to think about it?
Not really,there are foods I am absolutely crazy about and foods I am OK with but I can't thing of any food that would make me cringe.
5. Someone drops by unexpectedly at dinner time, what would you serve them?
Nothing elaborate as the guests are unexpected. But I will try and fix something quick & decent . I have some quick recipes which are reserved for last minute guests.
6.What or who inspired you to write about food?
Food  itself and plenty of time were my source of inspiration to write about something I was told I am good at :)
7. Is there a charity or a cause dear to your heart that you would consider incorporating into your blog?
Yes there are couple causes I am passionate about,but honestly it never occurred to me that I could incorporate them here on my blog. Thanks so much for bringing it up,I have already started to think about it.
8. Why is it that there are always more lasagna noodles than sauce?
They suck the sauce to breathe and grow when cooked  :0

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  I'm looking forward to knowing you all better!


Nancy of http://Kitchengypsies.blogspot.com/ is a wonderful person and one of my first blogger friends :) She has a wonderful blog and I love the way she cooks south Indian food and pictures it at every step. For a non-Indian, cooking Indian food can be intimidating but I must admit that she does it with so much ease and I can tell from the step by step pictures  , that she has completely mastered the art of cooking south Indian food & that does not rule out her other non Indian recipes. They are equally amazing !!!

Nancy had sent me 8 questions which are posted above with my answers and it is about time I tagged 8 friends to answer these questions and keep the ball rolling:) So here are my 8 questions to my dear friends, I look forward to knowing you  some more :)

1. What is your take on organic food , is it a big deal for you ?
2. Do you time your breakfast,lunch & dinner or eat when you are hungry ?
3. What inspired you to write a food blog ?
4. You try a new recipe and it does not turn out good,what will you do ?
5. Name three ingredients you consciously avoid or eliminate even when the recipe calls for it ?
6. Name three things you have to use in most recipes ?
7. How important is eating meals together as a family to you?
8. You do not like a particular dish at your favorite restaurant,what will you do ?

Here are the 8 blogger  I am tagging:
jay: http://tastyappetite.blogspot.com/
Sangeeta: http://banaraskakhana.blogspot.com/
Malar: http://www.tantra.com/
Aipi: http://usmasala.blogspot.com/
Lavi: http://homecookrecipes.blogspot.com/
Elizabeth: http://foodandthriftfinds.blogspot.com/
Suja: http://kitchencornertryit.blogspot.com/
Kairali Sisters: http://cookingwithkairalisisters.blogspot.com/


Thank You for participating :) I look forward to your answers.