One Year Already!!!

My Sweetheart turned One this month.. Cant believe it has been a year already!!! Many Many more Happy Birthdays to you my darling.

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.

26 Alveston Square

26,Alveston Square has been our home since Jan 2008.Our very first home.. bought in London.It is not a very huge house but a modest 2 Bedroom/Living/Kitchen and a Garage located in a very nice suburb of London.We have witnessed many good things in this home of ours.. our baby was born here.. we had many family members visiting us...Every nook and cranny of this house was thought and then decorated suiting our needs..
Hallway

Living Room

Dining

Master Bedroom

Guest Bedroom

Kitchen

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.

5 Months

• Baby A is very much settled into a routine ( Thanks to Gina Ford).He takes his first feed of the day at 7 am.He either plays in his cot or sleeps for an hour before i prepare his bath.He enjoys his massage and bath now and smiles a lot while he is in his bath tub.After he is all dressed up i leave him on his Activity Mat to play.Since i have started Weaning him -he gets to eat Baby Rice/Fruity Porridge or Baby Rusks mashed with milk.Then he is given his second bottle of the day after that which he goes to sleep for an hour or 2 hours.His next feed his due between 2-3pm.The time after that is the most difficult one as he gets restless.Sometimes i take him out for a ride in his pram.His second meal of the day is his dinner which could be anything between Apple/Carrot/Sweet Potato/Pear puree.He takes his last bottle and sleeps at 7 pm.
• He has been gaining weight steadily with just one blip when he lost an ounce of weight.That was because he had a Tummy Bug.He suffered from diarrhoea and his throwing up increased.But thankfully he was fine within 3-4 days.
• The first signs of tooth are all there and i can see two white specks in his lower gum.He wants everything to be chewed on and just loves to chew my finger when he gets his hand on it.He has variety of teethers at his disposal but he loves to chew his spoon/his muslin cloth/his fingers or mine/sometimes mobile as well.
• He giggles hard when i tickle his tummy and can laugh uncontrollably at times.He loves to move his head from side to side observing everything around him.He is an extremely attentive baby and would turn his face quickly as soon he hears any sound or voice coming from any direction in the house.

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".

Things done so far

• Life has been busy and not so busy for the past one month.I don't think so i will be able to write down each and every thing which i have done so far but will try..


• Weather has not been very helpful in London this month.. lots of snow with sub-zero temperatures.It was nice to see everything covered in snow for few days but when it stretched to more than a week it was frustrating to be sitting at home all day and night.So it was decided that as Ashish would come back from work i will be going out for a walk to get some fresh air and also to have some much needed me time.However since weather has improved i have started to take Aayush along with me for a walk around noon everyday.That helps me to get out of the house and do some serious walking for an hour.


• Since i was stuck at home for long periods of time i have done some serious cooking - tried recipes which were bookmarked for so long now.Tried Parsnip and Ginger soup for a very wintry evening .. It is the first time i bought Parsnip.. never tried this vegetable before.Ashish didn't like the soup very much but i think it was not too bad.Made use of Delia Smith book " Delia's how to cheat at cooking"by making two recipes from it. The book was bought long time ago ( maybe 2 yrs ago ) but never tried anything from it. I made Cracked potatoes with melting cheese and spring onions and Very garlicky chili pasta.Both the dishes came out fine and i will definitely try them again.


• This Christmas i bought a very simple and complete vegetarian cookbook by Vidhu Mittal " Pure and Simple -Homemade Indian Vegetarian Cuisine"It is exactly the kind of cookbook i was looking for .. all vegetarian and recipes which you can actually try with ingredients available in my kitchen pantry.I made Mushroom Cheese Toast which Ashish loved,Sago Cutlets,Daal Tarka which was a combination of Chana Daal/ Moong Daal and Laal Masoor,Beans with Baby corn,Baby corn and Capsicum,Mixed vegetables with Cottage Cheese...Phew that is lot of cooking.


• Reading has also been on my agenda all this time however i am unable to do any serious reading. Ashish brings me "Metro", "City AM" and "London Evening Standard " which i aim to read almost everyday but i can still see a huge pile in one corner which i have to finish.I am also reading magazines like "Psychologies","Real Simple","Olive" and "Delicious".


• I have started weaning Aayush for which i bought all his Weaning Bowls/spoons/ Bibs and very special Chico High Chair.He has been given Cow and Gate Pure Baby Rice with his 11 am feed.I am following Gina Ford book of Weaning for him and so far it is working out for me.I am going to introduce him to a variety of fruits and vegetables in the coming days like peers,carrots, apples ,sweet potato,courgette and cauliflower.So far his response has been excellent with it and i am noticing that his reflux has improved.


• Television watched - Loads of Food Network/Good Food and Home channels. Catching up on Indian Winter Season with documentary on Mumbai Slum- Dharavi with Kevin Mc Cloud.Also seeing Gordon's Great Escape with some amazing authentic recipes.


• On fitness front i am doing Wii Fit 30 mts a day almost 5 days a week.I am also trying to keep a tab on what i am eating .. I have a bowl of cereal for breakfast, soup for lunch and a proper Dinner of Chapati/Daal and vegetable along with it. I am trying to snack on raw veggies and fruits when i get those hunger pangs.But sometimes i do loose the motivation to do anything and just gorge on biscuits or namkeens.


• Above all i also managed to see 2 hindi movies past month.. Rocket Singh and 3 Idiots along with the baby.I was not prepared to watch movie with a baby but Ashish convinced me into it.. Aayush was angel in both the movies. I actually didn't feel at all that he was with us.I enjoyed both the movies and wish Hindi Cinema could make more of these substantial movies.

Malbari Curry

This curry was made for Weekend Dinners on a Saturday night.This recipe is adopted from Tarla Dalal's book "Desi Khana".I prepared the recipe with whatever ingredients i had in my pantry and it turned out well.The original recipe called for extracting coconut milk out of grated coconut but since coconut milk is easily available in my local superstore i bought one instead of doing all the hard work.Also this is the first time i have used coconut milk.

Ingredients:-
1 can of coconut milk
2 cups of boiled vegetables ( I used Sainsbury's mixed vegetables)
2 Potatoes
1Onion
1/4 Tsp turmeric powder
1 Tomato chopped

For paste:-
25 gms desiccated coconut
1 Tbsp uncooked rice
6 cloves garlic
1stick cinnamon
3 cloves
4 black peppercorns
3 red chillies
2 green chillies

Method

1. Mix the desiccated coconut and rice and cook on a slow flame stirring continuously until the mixture is lighter pink.
2. Add the green chillies,garlic,cinnamon,cloves,peppercorns and red chillies and blend with a little water.
3. In a deep pan - heat a dash of oil ( not mentioned in the book)and add the coconut milk.Add the paste, all the vegetables (except the tomato),onion and turmeric powder and cook for 15-20 mts.or until the vegetables are soft.
4. Add the chopped tomato and cook for 2-3 mts.

The curry tasted a lot like Thai Green Curry which is my favourite but a lot less milder in taste. I think this curry could have been made spicier by adding a dash of chili powder.But overall the curry was excellent and went well with white boiled rice.