Is this right?

Many times when I sit down with people to have a conversation or just happen to become part of one, I find myself wandering off. After a while, some conversations just become words to me. Sometimes, I even start thinking of other things and feel like an idiot when caught wandering. I don't do this purposely. It just happens. No, I don't have ADHD and I doubt there is any "label" for my weirdness. Some conversations are just not worth it to me. Am I disrespecting these individuals by not listening? Or is it acceptable to do so when the conversation holds no value to you?

Palak Paneer

Ingredients 
1 16 oz package of chopped frozen spinach
15 cubes of paneer
1 tbsp ghee/or oil
2 medium tomatoes, pureed
1 medium onion minced
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp coriander powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seed
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
3 pods of cardamom powdered
1/4 tsp clove powder
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Heat ghee/oil in  a non stick pan on medium heat. Add cubed Paneer and heat until light golden brown. Remove and set aside. Heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté minced onion and tomatoes for about 3 minutes or until oil leaves mixture. Add ginger garlic paste and all the spices (all the powders). Saute for about a minute.  Add spinach and cook until completely wilted and almost paste like. Using an immersion blender, puree the entire mixture. Add cubed paneer.  Simmer for about  10 minutes. Add heavy cream and cook for another 5 minutes.  Serve hot with rice or naan/roti

How to make a basketball cake

Needed:
Your favorite cake mix or cake recipe
A round shaped bowl for baking (oven proof)
Vanilla frosting
Orange food color (red & yellow mixed together works well too)
Melted chocolate
A zip-lock bag or a piping bag with a round tip
A spatula
A meat mallet or toothpick
Wax or parchment paper






Directions:

Prepare cake batter according to the recipe/directions but bake in a round oven proof bowl. I used two stainless steel bowls. A big one and one quite smaller for the top to be rounder. My bowl was quite flat. You can also use a ball mold. I highly recommend greasing and flouring your bowl. Your cake will take longer to bake as the 3 dimensional cake is thicker. Normally it will run about 15-20 over the suggested time. Keep an eye on the cake and test every 5 minutes to ensure you don't burn or over bake your cake. Once the cake is done, let cool for about 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. While the cake cools, mix the vanilla frosting with your orange food coloring. After the cake cools completely (very important), transfer to your desired serving plate (you will risk ruining the decorations if you move afterward). Line your plate with wax paper pieces on the sides so you can pull out the papers for a clean look once done.  Frost the outside using your spatula making sure the frosting is smooth. Use the mallet to make small indentations to the surface to mimic that of a basketball. If you don't have a mallet (like me) you can use a toothpick. It works okay- but a mallet is perfect for it. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or double broiler and poor into the zip lock bag or your piping bag with a round tip. If using a zip lock bag, cut a small hole at the tip of one of the sides of the bag. Bag a straight line of chocolate vertically and then horizontally. It will look like a cross. Then pipe two semi circles on the top and bottom of the cake. Use the picture posted as a guide. You now have a basketball cake. Hope you enjoy your cake!


** this was the first time I made a "shaped" cake. It was a lot of fun. Something I will definitely do in the future. **

Carrot Cake

Ingredients 
4 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups grated carrots
1 cup chopped walnuts
Frosting  
1/2 cup butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts






Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Be sure not to over-mix. Stir in carrots. Fold in walnuts. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.


To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

The past... and the present

Around this time last year I was in India. Time flew up so quickly, its hard to even imagine that what I went through was only a year ago. So much has happened in the past year. I've learned so much about myself and I am so thankful for everything. Although life has been difficult, I appreciate every moment of it. Honestly, I am proud of myself for being strong and fighting through it. Learning from each moment of it and moving forward.

As much as I have grown as a person, I still find myself thinking about the past many times. Sometimes even at the oddest moments, like when I am cooking something that I ate in India or driving towards Elk Grove. I won't lie and say that the past is behind me. Its with me event today and even today I learn from it. I carry my past with me but I don't dwell on it. I carry it so I can keep learning from it. There are still some "issues" that need to be solved, some questions that need answers and some moments that need clarity. With each day passing by, I find myself trying to answer those questions. I hope god gives me the strength to keep going forward.

Why me God?

Sometimes I sit here and complain to god why my father isn't around... and then I realize, some children don't have either one of their parents around them. Then I shut up and thank god for giving me such a lovely mother.

Sometimes I find myself complaining to god why I have to struggle financially and then I remember all the homeless people I see daily who don't even have enough money for a meal. I then kneel down and thank him for giving me enough to for a roof over my head and 3 meals.

Sometimes I cry and yell to god, why did you give me so much heartache... then I think of all those wives that are widowed and all the husbands without their wives... I then thank god for giving me so much love and strength for those heartaches to heal.

I'm blessed with love, happiness, great friends and a wonderful family. Maybe I don't thank god enough for everything he has given me and all the happiness he has bestowed upon me. But I know deep down inside, I am thankful.

My Newest Hobby!

I started my own backyard & container garden last week. Its been a while since I've planted a garden. I was 7 or 8 last time I had my own garden and that was when I was in Fiji. Reminiscing last week, I decided to give gardening another shot. So, I talked to my mom about it and with the little land we have in the back, I decided to plant some veggies. Now, when I say little, I mean 2 feet by 10 feet. So there isn't much room. I also planted some lettuce, peppers and radish in containers today. So far in my garden I have, cucumbers, beans, sweet basil,  tomatoes and cilantro. The containers have loose leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, Hungarian wax peppers, white radishes, red radishes, mint, thyme, and bell peppers. The latter two are in a upside-down pot. This is first time I am trying that concept. Its not the topsy turvy. Just a homemade upside pot.

So, wish me luck with my planting and I hope my plants give me lots of veggies this year. :) I will keep updating.

Click to see pictures of my garden.