A century .... First guest post and the very BEST of yest year !

 

Alright..I have all rights to be HAPPY today !

 

and not just simple..plain HAPPY..its goes...with glitters and smile...100 %

 

 

 

Am not a regular blogger, my posts are never consistant...but somehow,

I did hit a century !

 

 

(cumilative of my two blogs together, that is. Quick Picks..which is this..and Pick Quicks, the other sister blog. Its not a big deal for many..but for me, well..it indeed is .

 

My 1st post of the year and My 100 th post as well.

 

And even more excited am I today, to have a really lovely "someone" on board...

 

She has a big craving for chocolates..keep tempting us with fb shares of Daily Milk and other chocos .... a big seeker of "Happiness"....and yes..she shares it the world too. It's like literally looking forward to what next is in her "Happiness is...." series...each day on her fb page.

Those regualr bloggers will definitely be able to make out by now, who she is...

 

The Lady behind "The BIG SWEET TOOTH"...

 

 



 

 a big hearty welcome ...... Ms. Rafeeda !!!

She is soo consistant with her posts..and even best part is that she does make it a point to drop by everyones space...leave a comment or a word of appreciation..without fail !!! Really really appreciate that . You knew how excited I was when you accepted my request to do a guest post . Thanks a bunch once again....

 

over to you !

 

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When Sona came by with a request for a guest post, I was really glad. She is one of those few bloggers in my little list who come by like a ray of sunshine with her zesty comments. What I really love about her is her sense of humor and her style of writing. Those who regularly follow her two blogs will agree to me on this. She has this subtle but hitting way of writing, which ensures that she gets through her point without being really evident. I wish I could master that craft from her! Of late, one of her blog posts that I really loved was this one, so apt, so poignant…"So far..yet too dear"

For the readers of Sona’s space, a little introduction about myself. My name is Rafeeda, who blogs at a little space called “The BigSweet Tooth”. A working mother of two beautiful daughters, who looks at cooking as a perfect stress buster to get rid of the daily tensions of life! I started my blog hardly a year ago and Alhamdulillah, am very glad the way things have looked up for me. Just like my name suggests, I have an immensely dangerous liking for sweet stuff, but I am trying my level best to control my intake so that I can manage my see-sawing weight – a difficult task though!

 Just like Sona, I am also a Keralite based in an Arab country – me in the UAE and Sona in Kuwait. However, being a working mother in an outside country has somewhat the same effects and I really connect with her in that case! Over the past few months, I have loved my interaction with this chirpy madam and would have never said “no” to any request of her. So there you go, deciding on what to give her was a dilemma, as has been a case for all my guest posts. She told me to feel at home… it felt like I was given her best seat, the best plate and the best cup with the best chai in it… hehe…

 

In this part of the world, eating breakfast is like a luxury in itself. Offices and schools start so early that 90% of the population does not have a proper breakfast. I normally get out of home just with a mug of warm water with honey and have my breakfast at around 9 in the office, which is mostly a bowl of cereal with milk. It is only during the weekends that we really have a meal called breakfast, but I still doubt about it, as waking up late becomes a norm during the weekends. Our weekend breakfast is always ChakkaraGothambu (Wholewheat in Jaggery), Kichadi (Sweet Rice and Lentils) or scrambled eggs, as these are easy to whip up in no time. However, if I am assured that nobody would bother for a breakfast – eg. if HD is already off to work while I am sleeping, B not in town, etc. I would just settle for whatever is in the kitchen to feed myself.

One such lazy Saturday, I made this sandwich which was quite easy – nothing fancy as such – coupled with a mug of Horlicks (yes, I am still not stronger-taller-sharper!!! Hehe…) and the weekend magazine to spend some silent “me” time till the kids woke up. You can see that I opened up the food section of the magazine while having my little sandwich, thinking that what I was eating was what I was seeing. Actually, don’t many of us love to do that? I have heard a friend say to eat an apple thinking it is a piece of chicken and it really gives ultimate satisfaction!!! So much so for the power of the mind!

 

I must definitely say that this was one meal that kept me going till afternoon without much hiccups, that filling the sandwich was! Don’t we all love meals that are simple yet give the power to take all the punches! Going off to the recipe:

Scrambled Egg and Cheese Sandwich

Serves 1

 

 

Ingredients:

1 tsp coconut oil

2 medium eggs

Salt and pepper to taste

1 slice cheddar cheese

2 sliced of large wholemeal bread

 

Method:

 

Heat oil in a saucepan till heated. Break in the eggs, add the salt and pepper and scramble them. Cook till done. Keep one slice of whole meal bread ready on a plate. Spread the hot scrambled egg on it and immediately put the slice of cheese on top. Close with the other slice of bread and keep untouched for a minute. The warmth of the egg would melt the cheese and get into the egg. Devour yourself with a mug of Horlicks, just like I did!!! Yummm….

 

 

Notes:

This is just a basic sandwich. You can add onions, cucumbers, sprinkle in some more masalas while scrambling eggs– the possibilities are infinite. The combination of egg and cheese is what makes the sandwich really good. I would really suggest whole meal bread, as the bites of seeds they provide gives the sandwich a really nice feel.

I know I am bragging, but this is definitely the best pictures that I have ever taken in my blogging life. I really loved the shade that came and loved the way the whole picture looks. Unfortunately, I have not been able to keep the same tempo in any of my pictures after this. L So Sona, I am giving you the best – as per me, that is! – that I’ve taken till date, because it is for you! J

Hope you all have enjoyed the post, as much as I have enjoyed doing this for my homely host. More than that, I sincerely hope that she has loved the post as well! Wishing all of you in advance, the best of the season…

 

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now what else, do I need. A lovely person whom I just came across through blogs.. and she says..."I have given you my best !!!

 

With all the warm wishes for a great year ahead....

 

 

and before I sign off , a peep back into what would have been the "best" of 2013.

 

 

Super man, finally did look at himself the mirror, and realize something was just not worn right ! Agree ??

 

Yours truly..

 

Ms. Chirpy

....she named me so...and am sooo keeping it ;)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Marshmallow Candy Cane treats for Christmas

 

The Candy Cane is one of the most familiar symbols of Christmas.

 

It dates back to 1670 in Europe but didn’t appear in the U.S. until the 1800s.

 

The treat we see today, where the shape is Jesus’s hook to shepherd his lambs and the color and stripes hold significance for purity and Christ’s sacrifice, became common in the mid 1900s.[6] (me too got to know it only now ;) )

 

Marshmallow -  Candy Cane Pops

 

 

 

You need

 

Candy Canes

White cooking chocolate

(red and green candy melts would be perfect for this, but that we dont get it here, had to add a drop or two of red and green food colour to the melted white chooclate)

Sugar

Red and green food colour

Marshmallows (large sized ones)

 

To do

 

Trim irregulary, the top edges of a marshmallow to make it look like an umbrella (opened, of course)

Insert a candy cane into the marshmallow.

Now melt the white cooking chocolate about 10 secs at a time, and divide it into two parts.

Add red food colouring to one and green colour to the other.

Take sugar in two bowls and add the green and red food colours to each. Some quick coloured sugar instantly done.

Now dip the marshmallow into the melted chocolate, gently let any drippings fall off the marsh...and roll in the same coloured sugar.

 



(sorry this goes as a very short quicky post...running out of time...)

Hearty seasonal greetings sent your way ....

 

 

 

 

Cucumber Chirstmas Tree & Destination -Broadway, Kochi - a flashback...

 "R" for Recipes..."R" for ramble writes...and those who are "R" for Regular here...will know..that I keep these two separate, in my two twin blogs - QP and PQ respectively. Unlikely this post, for a change,..thought of having both together.

 

A simple "green" edible Christmas tree inter woven with some flashbacks of the Christmas season still bright "red" in memories.

 

  

Christmas ? That's Jingle Bells....Carols....Christmas Tree...Crib...Cakes... 

 

Come December, and these are the typical thoughts that comes first to mind.

Well..for me...going a bit more hearty, to about a decade back.....

The busstop was right in front of my home, yet the almost 1 km walk to Vytilla junction (Kochi, Kerala) was the most common thing that I used to do, need I take a bus plying into the city centrals. In a way, this was also a guarantee that I did get a seat in the other wise crowded buses. Vytilla to Menaka buspoint -  my standard route. Could very well say that my GPS during those days had just these two locations ..the min-max limits. (on self-travel mode that is).

For the Cucumber Chirstmas Tree centre-piece, you need :

 

Cucumbers - sliced dialgonally (as shown)

A small sized onion bulb

A slice of carrot

Tomato ketchup
A bamboo skewer
 

(my Father gets me these custom made knives and my eldest son insisted that it sported a green coloured handle in it, coz its be to used for cutting "green" vegetables !...some matching matching concept ! )

          Destination One  - the most happening place that was then..The Convent Junction. 

  

Goodwill Collections (getting drowned in the tonnes of accessories).... Tops (some casual yet cheap outfit picks).... Steps/Heels ?? (forgot the name of that footwear shop, esp for the cute chettans who owned the shop..hope they don't see this post ;)...Eloor Lending Library....anything and everything from embroidery threads to oil pastels...need anything...it was Destination Convent Junction !!! 

Giving/ taking Christmas cards was soo much a part of  Christmas times then...and come any function, the first haven for any greetings and gifts was The Archies Gallery.  Browsing....browsing.....and browsing  through the endless rows of greetings cards, was kindof a Christmas tradition as well...something, which is getting extinct, by now...sadly.

To assemble the Christmas Tree

  

Cut the head and tail off of a small onion bulb and lay on the base plate - to form the base of the Tree.

 

 

Insert the base of a bamboo skewer into the onion base and get dragging down the cut cucumber slices round the pole.

 

Destination Two - Broadway..the most ironically named street now existant in our Namma Metro.

 

Being a crafty then, my main supplier for art work rawmaterials, was Jose & Co; towards the end of the street, and don't remember the countless number of times I have walked up and down the street. The tiny cowded way...with absolutely cramped parking spaces...but ironically, called "The Broadway ".

The wholesale shops used to look like this...fully adorned with stars, stars and stars in all shapes, sizes and colours.

 

 

 meanwhile...let the cucumber slices do a pole dance round the skewer ;)

 

 

During Christmas, the sale overflows even into the street which will be thickly packed with vendors and shoppers alike..and I was always a part of that crowd....

( image courtesy - Mr. Cochin Blogger -who whole-heartedly agreed to me borrowing one of his images from his blog. Thanks very much, Sir !)  

                       

                                  push the slices down in an inclined angle, as shown above

 

 

A drop of Tomato Ketchup on each of the Cucumber slice to resember some decoration.

A carrot-star cut out for the tip..and bingo !!!

 Nov 2013 - 10 years had made a world of difference in ME...but not a speck of difference to this world I was looking at right now. Got to walk the same busy wholesale section of the Street during my small one week vacation back home last month . The buildings looked the same....the crowd looked the same....the festive feel was the same....and for a moment....did wonder....

                                                              Am I the only person that has changed in the entire crowd ???                                              Will these old buildings recognize me ?                                               Breathed life into them...may be...maybe...one or two of them would...                                    necessarily not....

Anyways.... with wishes for a very Merry Christmas and an even Blessed New Year .....





  ...let this "another wise woman" take leave for the time being....till then....have a great December !!!

 


 

Stay Happy...Keep Smiling !!! ;)

   

(the general images courtesy Award goes to.... most loyal, Google Search)



 (Let me put the blame on my new Canon for the negligence that howered around my blogs over the last few months. Was clicking more of places and people for my FB page and there was literally, no cooking happening at all. This, is my first post with clicks taken using my DSLR, and got to admit..I am pretty happy with the outcome. In a way..this also means, now..I get no more excuse to be staying away from my blogworld. Inshallah...i stay commited to my spaces. )

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Kashmiri Dum Paneer (no onion, no garlic..yet rich and thick)

 

 

Kashmiri cuisine, to the rescue...

 

 

There was a time ..not very long back..just a few months, actually..and still kindof ongoing in many parts of our country, where onion brings tears to our eyes not coz of peeling..but..more.....coz, of its rapidly rising price.

 

 

 

It did make headlines.

 

And that was when, i started looking into non-onion based recipes and came across the Kashmiri vegetarian style of cooking in which neither onions , nor garlic is used. And more interesting, was that , it was very much in lines to one of my previous post here, on cooking with yogurt as the main base without curdling.

 

Read the post here -  "Yogurt & Heat - dont you worry"

 

It's said that Kashmiri Pandits or the vegetarians refrain from the use of onions and garlic, and depend on the fat of the milk products that are available to them in plenty to protect themselves from the biting cold of the region

 

And a very common dish in their cuisine is the "Kashmiri Dum Aalo". I have adapted a similar recipe, but done it with  paneer and mix veggies (optional) and have added some coconut milk too to the very end (again, this is not typical authentic Kashmiri..but, just a slight tweek from my side)

Ingredients

·         Paneer – approx. 200g ms (cut to 1 and ½ cm cubes)

·         Butter – 4 tbsp

·         Bay leaf – 1

·         Yogurt – 1 ½ cups

·         Ginger paste – 1 tbsp 

·         Cashewnuts  - a handful, soaked in water and ground to a paste

·         Cardamom powder – 1/4 teaspoon

·         Fennel and cumin seeds powdered together – 1/2 teaspoon

·         Coriander powder – 1.5 tbsp

·         Kashmiri Red chili powder – 2.5  tbsp

·         Tomato puree – 1 .5 tbsp

·         Salt – to taste

·         Cooked green peas, carrot cubes (optional )

·         Coconut milk – 1/2 cup (again, this is optional too, and a tweek from the regular authentic Kashmiri cuisine )

Method :

Add the cubed paneer to a bowl filled with salted boiling water for 10-15 minutes. If using store bought paneer, it helps to soften them by briefly soaking them as said. Once the paneer is softened, drain and set aside.

 

Into a wok, drop in 2 tbsp of butter.

Slightly toast the paneer in the butter till light golden brown. Take a small pinch of fennel and cumin powder from the said ingredient list and sprinkle above the paneer while it gets toasted in the butter.

 

Soak a handful of cashew nuts in hot water for about 5 minutes and ground to a fine paste.   (* -ref. notes)

Now take yogurt in a bowl. Add to it, ginger paste, the ground cashew paste with all the spice powders (cardamom powder, fennel and cumin powder, coriander powder and kashmiri chili powder). Mix well in ONE DIRECTION only and keep aside. (* - ref. notes)

 

 

Into the same wok used to toast the paneer, add 2 tbsps of butter.

Once hot, drop in a bay leaf and sauté for about 30 sec.  

Add the yougurt –spice mix. Stir immediately and keep stirring till it starts to boil.

 

 

Once the sauce boils and the raw taste of the spices leave, add in the toasted paneer.

Add a cup full of cooked green peas and cooked cubed carrots. (can add these if we need it as a mixed veggie dish. Else, can stick to paneer alone)

Add the tomato puree to the mix, salt to taste  and keep closed for the gravey to be absorbed by the paneer. Keep stirring once in a while. It may take about 10-15 minutes.

 

 

 

The yogurt gravey is too absorded by the vegetables that it ends up like a very thick sauce around the vegetables. So, to keep the dish with a thich gravey while serving, you need to keep it at a very loose gravey consistency to the end of the cooking.

You can add 1/4 cup of coconut milk too to make the gravey more diluted. (you don’t add coconut milk in authentic Kashmiri dum recipes, but as I said…its optional )

Serve hot with roti, paratha, naan or even pulav.

 (notes : You can avoid mixing the chillie and coriander powder to the yogurt and directly add it to the wok after the bay leaves . Slightly fry the powder in butter and then add the yogurt mixed with just the remaining spice powders as in the ingredient list.

 

It is common that yogurt made of cows milk curdles when heated. To avoid this, we add the cashewnut as powder or as paste (as in here) to stabilize the yogurt. We can also stabilize yogurt by whisking-in any starch before cooking in ONE DIRECTION only to prevent it from separating. Add one teaspoon of cornstarch, or 1½ teaspoon of other flours (Atta, Maida, or Besan) to one cup of yogurt)

Snake Gourd - "chikkie" Egg - Burji

 

Snake Gourd - CHIKKI - Egg - Burji



When I started this blog, my second attempt in blogging, I had named myself - The Teflon Frypan. You know...the kinda surface, to which nothing sticks. Now dont get me wrong...its as far as my hobbies are concerned. Like to cook, click and to write. But the problem is ... its now kinda soo difficult to get all these three going on together.

 

With at present, more into clicks, for my fb page..its soo evident the neglect on my two blogs.

 

And feel really touched..and warm..when i get someone around enquiring...about my disappearance from here, really really appreciate it !!!

 

It was just about 2 months or so, that I was kinda away from here...but, it definitely seem like ages. Have a lot of catching up to do. Will try to drop by most of my dear co-blogger friends' place..

 

Akhi CHIKKI Laaki CHIKKI....CHIKKI...Laaki Chum...

 

The Bijli ki Rani , Sridevi....is back with a big bang. Sure, no Indian would ever forget one of her besty perfomance spewing  gibberish like --

 

I see Lucy.... You see Lucy..... Haasi Tussi..... Laasi Peesi..... Mombassa King Kong !!!!!  (what in those lines...lol)

 

                                                 ************************************

 

Flew to India twice during this break..one to Delhi, and other back home to Kerala ..but both short visits..less than a week each.

Did a lot of sight seeing, shopping @India capital...caught up with old time schoolmates and family @home... was fun.

 

 

Bum CHIKKI CHIKKI Bum..CHIKKI bum bum...CHIKKI bum...

 

those of my generation will still cherish this soo hearty song

 

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Alright, back to work !

 

Sharing a  very simple recipe..quite common in our household .

 

 Snake Gourd - Scrambled Egg Burji.

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

3 tsp oil...
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 onion (finely chopped)
3 green chilies (finely chopped)
2 garlic pods (crushed)
Few curry leaves
200 grams snake gourd (chopped into small pieces)
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
75 gms freshly grated coconut
Salt to taste
2 eggs

•Heat oil in a pan, add the mustard and cumin seeds, let them splutter for a minute.
• Add onion, garlic, green chilies, curry leaves and fry them until the onions becomes soft.
•Now add the snake gourd, turmeric powder, grated coconut, salt and mix well.
• Cover the lid and cook until they becomes soft and tender.
•Move the vegetable mix to a side, then break the eggs in same pan, mix well to break the egg yolks and keep mixing until the raw smell goes out from eggs.
•Finally add coriander powder and mix everything well and fry 2 more mins, then switch off the flame.

An easy side dish for rice.

 

...even decades later...CHIKI's keep poping up.

 

I wanna Chiggi wiggi  with you boy...

featuring another gorgeous lady all the way from Oz - Kylie Minogue

 

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And what with all these CHIKKI songs ??

hee hee...nothing much..just that for my kids..scrambled eggs are "CHIKKI" eggs and so, just got in all the "chikki" songs too to compliment.

;)



 
 

Will be-right-back....till then...

Hi dearest co-bloggers, friends....

 

I know i have not been here much the last few days, or weeks infact and couldnt drop by your spaces too. Just got tied up with a few other nick nacks..was posting more on my "Pick Quicks" blog and my fb page. We flying off to Delhi for a week, so was busy with that.

 

Hopefully, I will get to drop by your spaces after I am back...

 

and for the mean while, jsut sharing the link to the latest post on "Pick Quicks"

 



"My Thykoodam is famous" !!!

 

Thats my place in Kerala, where my paternal home is "Thykoodam", the name gone soo famous now with the formation of this new musical band that has gone viral all over social media...called "The Thaikkudam Bridge". 

 

All the beautiful old melodies, breathing a new fresh air.

 

Do drop by in there, for some lovely music.

 



 

(and..just to share....a closeup of the (MY) "mango -tree" that i have mentioned in the above post. The best mangoes ever...100 % homemade !!!

 

Those who luk closer, can see a teddy bear hanging in there amongst the mangoes...a suicide!!!! (omGodd!!)

 

..well...lol..not exactly...will write about it as my next post on Pick Quicks. ;) )

 

Take care..catch you all later..once am back after the vacation.

 

Gonna give a try if I can stay off internet for atleast a week !!!

 

Stay happy..keep smiling.