Exotic Sugar Flowers

First post for the new year - 2015. There is much happening around us, lets hope for peace all over the world. I have made a few resolutions to myself and am working on them. However, 2014 ended with a short vacation,fun time with folks and luck by chance I got myself enrolled for a 3 day EXOTIC SUGAR FLOWERS WORKSHOP. And then I learnt to make all of these.....and can't stop feeling proud every time I look at it.

Pic courtesy - FONDBITES

Chocolate Chiffon Cake

I made this cake a month ago - did not post it here. Love it so so much that I kept it for the 100th follower of A Portion to Share. And this goes out to Anita of Recipe with pictures......an interesting space filled with tested and tried recipes.

This is a very light and spongy cake from Joy of Baking............. so well described in the video and the post as well. I'm not repeating the recipe here ,because I have followed the JOB recipe word to word. Great cake...must try !

Liebster Award #2

This is my second Liebster Award. I humbly receive this award from Nayana who blogs at Nayanas Kitchen Kreations and has duly done her share of nominating me here. Thank You Nayana - happy you shared this with me.

Liebster Award #1

I received this Liebster Award in complete surprise from a fellow blogger Archana who blogs at Tangy Minds!!!
We met through the Baking Partners Group and we do share a chat sometime or the other....an amazing person  and is ever willing to answer any doubts I have in baking or going about a recipe. Thank you Acchu ,Hugs !!

                                        

Happy Birthday Aditeya !!

UAE celebrates its 41st National Day, Schools closed since friday.........we have a long weekend and it is festive all around. And here I celebrate my son's 12th birthday....time sure flies.....he has grown..........no demands - happy with the new PS3 game he got as gift.
No birthday goes by without a cake and here is what I baked for him - Topping with Ferrero Rocher Chocolates was his idea , so to mark the 12th birthday - I managed to place 12 of them ......

The cake inside is 2 9" chocolate sponge , soaked in coffee and kahlua. I made a batch of Swiss Meringue Buttercream and  this time I owe it to the cool weather here in Fujairah. Never before have I got such a smooth,glossy and silky  butter cream.

I repeat what I wrote on facebook this morning......
12 years today, all grown,clear about choices..know too well how to get ur things done by me,even naming me your "helpful device"....one thing that has not changed is that ur still n always will be my bumble bee....Happy birthday Aditeya....much love n hugs !!god bless u n keep u safe always !!
Some day we will read this together and share a smile ..:)

My New Home

 17^th May 2012……………We moved out of the flat we lived for 5 years to another apartment within the city.

The decision to move was taken in a week’s time, so I barely had the time to sort or to pack. To suit my convenience I called in the movers who did the job for me. I watched in silence as the men picked each of our belongings to cartons………..and I made mental notes as to what should stay and what I should perhaps let go……That much for tangible stuff……………

What about memories?? Going back to Feb 2007, the day when the flat came into my hands – I was super excited about the extended space, the doors & windows, huge bathrooms ,huge kitchen with a view of buildings ,palm trees, the mountains and the sea in Fujairah ………….endless list of niceness!!

As the packers took out the last carton, it was my turn to lock the door. As I  closed that door with a click I left behind a whole load of emotions(excess baggage as I call it) which I didn’t want to carry with me ever !! 

Strange but true…. that’s exactly how I felt.

What followed from then on – was the chaos in the new place. The movers indeed put things in the right places , but eventually we have to reshuffle and see what fits where. One thing with shifting is that the phone/internet/tv – all 3 were disconnected and was requested for a shift to the new place.When you have them at home – we are at it all the time, the entire family stays technologically connected than otherwise.

Thanks to mobiles – we could still stay connected to people.

 Now, in our new home – almost everything has fallen into place – some fixtures which the maintenance guys had to do is finally through. We had our fair share of take away. Take away foods are pure bliss when you are too lazy to put a meal together. But when you are fed with that on a day to day basis, it is not an easy thing to take. After the initial 3 days – we picked up an induction cooker…………. I had never worked on this ……so that’s how I learnt that this stove needs something in steel or cast iron. I didn’t have many – but eventually I realized it is easy to put a meal together with just 2 utensils. All it takes is planning!

Yet, when kids came home from school to see a simple meal of rice, dal and stir fried beans …their expression told me volumes about the importance of home cooked food.

This change has done wonders to me personally. In that excitement I goofed up a tasty chocolate cake........My kids finish exams in 2 days ..........that brings 3 full months of summer vacation!

I realise that I have completed one full year of blogging........couldn't write a celebration post........

Well, the blog anniversary came with a new home.............I would cherish this for the moment and  as I enjoy the positive vibes I shall keep this space going! CHEERS !!!!

Coffee Cake

Feb 2012 - Valentines day - am posting this at the tail end of the day....Not been well today ,and when my lil one insisted that I should bake a cake - this coffee cake is something I made in a hurry.

Wedding Anniversary !

 23rd January 2012 - so to say our 12th Wedding Anniversary -

Cooking well means ......

With due permission from - Savour the Senses I repost this cute lil poem........
I have pinned it up on the soft-board on my kitchen door too. 
Cooking well means…

You will never go hungry.
You might be labeled a “foodie”.
The kitchen is your studio and food is your medium.
You’ll always find the way to a man’s (or woman’s) heart.
You can see beauty in a potato.
Going to market is your idea of fun.
You share a connection with the earth and the seasons.
Your mantra is a dish is only as good as the ingredients you put into it.
You have a weakness for sharp cutlery.
And maybe fine cookware too.
You understand salt.
You revere the egg.
And can transform it in countless ways.
Your friends will always accept your dinner invitations.
But they might be afraid to invite you over for dinner. No matter how appreciative you may be.
You taste as you cook.
And clean as you go.
You have a strong opinion about certain cooking shows. (You know what I mean.)
It might be hard to get into your skinny jeans.
You can find inspiration in a recipe.
But you don’t have to follow it.
Someone else should volunteer to do the dishes.
You use all your senses.
You pay attention to the details.
And you follow your instincts.
You can stand the heat.
You transform necessity into pleasure.
You have a sensual side.
You know the finer things in life.
You season with love.
Sharing is in your nature.
You bring people together.
You and your loved ones will always be nourished and comforted, body and soul.
Everything.


Makes sense, doesn't it?

Fooderati Arabia

Fooderati Arabia - in their own words is :Food Bloggers in the UAE, banded together with their common love - and in most cases - obsession with eating, cooking, photographing, reviewing, shopping, debating, and doing everything else imaginable in the universe of food!

Now how did I get there?????  Well, I read an article What's all the blog about? in the November issue of the Aquarius Magazine ( a Gulf news Publication).

I looked up the food blogger Sally Prosser's page,loved it  and posted my comments.In her reply she invited me to join this groupon facebook.

My request was duly accepted by Arva Ahmed ...........and here is what she posted on facebook wall.!!


We rejoice if you're a new blogger from Dubai. We go crazy ballistic if you're one of those rare new bloggers from Abu Dhabi. And if you're a food blogger from Fujairah...

THEN WE EACH STOP TWEETING, FACEBOOKING, BLOGGING...WE STOP EVERY E-THING AND JUST STAND UP TALL IN FRONT OF OUR COMPUTER SCREENS AND GIVE YOU A STANDING OVATION.

Vidhya, you're our first Fooderati in Fujairah (God that sounds so good.), and we're all revved up to read all about your curries, snacks, cakes, cookies and everything else that you've dished out on your blog. You DO have the discipline and what it takes to be a blogger, and you (and those cheesy chicken curry puffs) are gonna fit right in with Fooderati Arabia!

Welcome to the group Vidhya, you and your blog A Portion to Share have officially brought Fujairah into our Fooderated Union!

Fooderati - welcome cheer...and standing ovation please. and yes, you're being watched ;)

[Sally - thanks for connecting us to our first Fujoodie.]


Boy - isn't the title Fujoodie - cute !! :) am feeling like a princess already.........reading this and a string of welcome comments from fellow members...........

There is this one person Karishma who blogs on EFFORTLESS COOKING.EASY BAKING. We met by chance by me liking her facebook page....we exchanged mails and discovered we were related:)

It was she who truly pushed me to blog or to put it rightly - she gave me the confidence to start a blog,which i did very reluctantly in May 2011. ...and haven't looked back:) Thank u karishma !!!

It was a task finding the right name and then when I looked up Blogger.com the page turned up in Arabic....it took me sometime to get the page in place and I still have a lot to do. I have made some good friends around the globe.............and now around the region too........

My husband ,kids and me have lived in Fujairah since Nov 2001. And we have seen it grow step by step over these years. Four years ago, we started a small Company - Green Solutions Environmental services - an environmental consultancy business. We lost ,we gained,we taught, we learnt....its been a great experience. 

We decided to slowly expand our office to Sharjah, the name for the trade license ( as per the rules here ) got confirmed this morning................and we got the name we wanted to retain.

In the evening I get this recognition as a first  food blogger from Fujairah in the group Fooderati Arabia.......

Viju,my husband celebrates his birthday today....."Happy Birthday Vee"

So...........quite a happy day !! looking forward for more:)

Cake : Icing

Take 10  - A whimsical look at life...

Reasons why cake is better than icing:)

These views exclusively belong to MARCUS DUDLEY,Director Food & Beverage,Movenpick Hotel,Jumeirah Beach,Dubai as told to Ms.Hina Navin,a Dubai based freelancer, duly published in the Friday Magazine - the weekend supplement that comes along with Gulf News.

Over to the reasons...................................

1. My father used to tell me "If you like the look of the icing,you better hope the cake is as good or better." To me that sounds like positive thinking.
2. Cake is like life - textured and with different flavors and colors.Icing on the other hand is just plain sweet.
3. Eating too much cake only fills you up,but eating too much icing can make you feel sick.
4. When the icing's gone you are still left with the cake.
5. You cant judge a cake by its icing.And that's a good lesson in life. 
6. Icing wont keep you warm on a winter's night,but the cake might.
7. You think more icing on the cake is better but when you get down to it,you wish you had more of the cake instead.
8. When on a diet, you can still eat the cake without the icing and convince yourself that you did the right thing.
9. Cakes come in such an amazing variety,while icing is always the same.
10. Last but not the least,the icing will melt away but the core - the cake - will stay.

BOB THE BUILDER 

Lessons by a Pencil Maker

I read this in the newspaper some months ago, had managed to save  the paper cutting...........


A pencil maker taught his pencils 5 important lessons.

1. Everything you will do will always leave a mark.
2. You can always correct the mistakes you make.
3. What's important is what's inside you.
4. In life you'll undergo painful sharpening, which will make you a better pencil.
5. To be the best pencil,you must allow yourself to be held and guided by the hand that holds you.

That was something so nice to think about :))

CAN YOU !

Can you put the spider’s web back in place

That once has been swept away?

Can you put the apple again on the bough

Which fell at our feet today?

Can you put the lily cup back on the stem,

And cause it again to grow?

Can you mend a butterfly’s broken wing

That you crushed with a hasty blow?

Can you put the bloom again on the grape

And the grape again on the vine?

Can you put the dewdrops back on the flowers

And make them sparkle and shine?

Can you put the petals back on the rose?

If you could, would it smell as sweet?

Can you put the flour back in the husk

And show me the ripened wheat?

Can you put the kernel back in the nut,

Or the broken egg in the shell?

Can you put the honey back in the comb

And cover with wax each cell?

Can you put the perfume back in the vase

Once it has sped away?

Can you put the silk back on the corn,

Or the down on the catkins gay?

You think that my questions are trifling, friend,

Let me ask you another one:

Can a hasty word ever be unsaid

Or an unkind deed undone?

                                                                                             -AuthorUnknown

SOULAND ESTATE - Valnur, Coorg

This is a poem that i found in an old book with no cover in the attic of the house ( pictured above) that i grew up. Amongst a whole bunch of old mags and books - this brilliant piece of poetry was found n we put the same paper in a frame. something so nice - something to ponder .... ...............