what's for dinner ?

with advay's exam looking back i try to cook something which he loves to eat specially for dinner and snacks
yesterday was the same after spending few hours going through history geography and english he asks me mummy what's for dinner and i am happy i had an answer for that
yesterday dinner was gobhi manchurian and dacha paratha
he loves to eat it though i was not happy because i felt cauliflower had to be more crispy

gobhi manchurian 

Words which melt your heart a curry and a letter

Dear Advay
Yet like any other weekend I was toiling in the  kitchen so that by 1 pm food is ready you walked in silently and saw me frying onions I told you to open the window so that you don't cough and then you told me " mummy maybe the fragrance of food will cure me "
These words son melted me took me somewhere I was not cooking any thing special simple alloghost curried meat with potato and missi roti because weekends I try hard to put a decent meal on the table
Not because that's what is expected but because I love too

Recipe of allo ghost is blogged
Recipe of missi roti is blogged here
And thanks a ton for your visits to the kitchen makes me happy
Love
Mummy

the new you - open letter to advay 20

Dear Advay,
This letter will surprise you as you surprised me as you growing son..
Last few weeks you have become more responsible
You keep your bag ready night itself, keep the bottle in kitchen with a tumbler to fill it
And for your snack break you keep the carton of milk bag too night itself
Morning first thing you want to do is fill your bottle.
Then you ask me whether Tiffin is ready and as usual I tell you to get ready..
So yes this change of attitude of shocked me but later on noticing you everyday I realised why this happened..
You would be ready by 7:30 so you get 30 mins of time for yourself to read book
So your urgency doing things a night before that all made sense to me
And when I asked U ,,you just smiled]
You are just like me son chasing time I do the same daily
That's a different story,,
So yes I love how it happened and I love the new you,,
Love
Mummy..

the ptm which i already knew - open letter 19

Dear Advay,
I know its been quiet long since I wrote to you,,
this is about parents teacher meeting you were quiet calm & composed ad if we were going for a birthday party ,,& when we reached I was surprised to read in your folder yu want to become a cricket player and you told you simply wrote that ..so maybe you still don't know & its oky I leave it to you son otherthing your class teacher very calmly told me that you read books while she is giving instructions this was the reason I was not ready to send story books in school because I knew you would be reading in school,,,otherthin that you are not organised with your work you keep forgetting or don't plan maybe you dream son ,,this is again something which I knew,,
So we agreed mutually that no more books in school
You will be doing your work on your own which always I keep telling you but you feel it something
Abnormal..
So yes this is what this letter is about
Will catch You soon with other things
Love
Mummy

summer memories in lyon - open letter for advay letter 17

Dear Advay ,
Your school holidays have started while in my free time I weave words, paint ,read books ,blog and do so many other things you manage your time by playing with Lego ,reading books ,playing games & sometimes if your mood is good helping me with chores ,one good thing is this now you can reach freezer take out ice cubes .I really feel warm when you ask me every time whether I want cold water or not such small things make me happy .

.You are happy to be home love your own space and is dreamer  just like me .So son lets make awesome memories this summer ,will be writing about the summer went in the next few letters
Love
Mummy

open letter to Advay - your first trip /letter 16

Dear Advay ,
Its been so long since I wrote to you ya you can say I got busy with life and running around with so many things anyways this letter is about your first trip away from home .Initially you refused but later on you were ready after much consoling as there was no way you could opt out from this ya I was scared but when I saw the excitement in your eyes I was happy and when we went to drop you at school you just took hold of the bag and told us to go seeing you that strong bought tears to my eyes but no I didn't cry because I could see that you were happy ,We stood in one corner and saw you mingling with your friends ,excited happiness gleaming in your eyes, we stood watching you till the bus was there and you dragged your trolley along and then you went, house seemed empty without you there was no one to make noise it seemed as if time has stood still and then there was wait for You to come back ,,

,
When you came back the first thing which you asked me was I must have enjoyed in your absence I was taken aback it seem you had missed pizza ,French fries and gadgets and made to do lots of chores but you were back with different memories which was more important ad yes that you were back home what more do I need ?
ya missed you son
With lots of love
Mummy

How you enlightened me about speed dating - open letter for Advay 15

Dear Advay,
Wanted to write this letter long back but couldn't because since past few days life has been very busy you know this .

Today thought of putting down in words what was in my mind since long. This letter is about the day when you enlightened me about speed dating in the bus .Conversation started like this I asked you about your study log submission and you said that it was not done the normal way but by speed dating . On hearing this I was shocked then to bring back my composure you told me that its not that speed dating its a different one I was more shocked because I never imagined that you would know the meaning of dating maybe your teacher told you while explaining you tried to explain me but still I couldn't understand then I asked your classmates mom if she knew and the she told that its a term given to a different kind of presentation .Then you told me that's wnt you were trying to explain me .This was different experience for me so wanted to trap it in my memories so can read  this sweet letter again & again thanks for enlightening me with the term Speed Dating.
Wish you lots of happiness
MUMMY

sorry for weighing you down with my expectations - open letter 14 for Advay

Dear Advay ,
Last week I attended the class assembly in your school. One day before I had asked you whether you doing something or not and you told me its going to be a surprise .When the assembly started I saw you running around managing the stage ,helping your friends and moving chair and other things you were quiet involved in everything .I was amazed because at home if I ask you to help me just to make you a bit responsible your answer is very rare yes so yes I really felt good that at school you are a responsible boy . You know what I used to wonder why your teachers praise you so much whenever there's a parents teachers meet know after seeing your behaviour in school I know what they were trying to convey me .I feel maybe I am too hard on you maybe later you wont be the same and I should just let you be the kid which you are as your fathers says "you are just a kid." So sorry for putting the weight of my expectation on you this wont happen again ,

Sharing a pic of the books which you reading now & ya now I know from where you learn all such weird expressions ,keep reading son
Lots of love
Mummy

Finally the lego pic for Advay - open letter for Advay 13

Dear Advay ,
Few weeks back I was showing your father the pictures on Instagarm and telling him about the likes ,you were sitting there listening to our conversation suddenly you started crying on asking you told me that I have just put picture of croissant and coffee which  I got from outside taken a pic and posted on Instagram and got so many likes but when you made helicopter with Lego blocks at Mausis house  in India no one praised you .That day I had cooked Chicken biryani for dinner and you were so distraught that you were not letting me take place picture of it.That was lesson for me to not show off myb poem and pictures in front of you an that day I promised you that you will make something with Lego I will take picture of it and post it a.Today morning you asked me again that I had not taken pic of Lego toys ,today being Ram Navami I asked you to make lord Ram with Lego and you made so as promised sharing the pic with the letter.

Sorry Advay we all praised  you that day but you compared it with the likes on Instagram post .
Happy ramnavami
Love
Mummy
p.s.
Poem is written by me and the Lego toy made by Advay.

its never late to learn - open letter for Advay 12

Dear Advay ,
Even before we reached Lyon I had few things on my bucket list which I wanted to do and I am glad that I got the opportunity to do too. Before enrolling for the classes I had few inhibitions language was a problem because I was beginner in French still I went ahead and enrolled because I had the zeal to learn .I felt what if I am the oldest there am I too late to learn something at this phase of my life but when I went for the class and saw ladies aged seventy plus learning art I was amazed here I was feeling embarrassed to learn something new I was more shocked when I met teacher for the French class he must be seventy plus but the zeal with which he teaches is something which I never seen .You must be thinking why I am telling you this that's because whenever you feel like learning any thing new just go for it son as age has nothing to do with it its all in our mind as long as we are enjoying it .

So ya this lesson I learnt from life which I am passing to you because I know one day when you will read this you will now what I am trying to tell you ,have to learn a lot son time is flying wish had few more hours sigh that is another story.I spent one part of my life doing things which others told me to do but now want to do things which I love to do son .
Bise avec love
Mummy

you feel the pain too - open letter for Advay 11

Dear Advay ,

 

This letter is about the week we were back from India .I was feeling all blue and  glum and whenever I was showing marriage pics to my friends here I would see you peeping and seeing what pics I would be showing ,you would be curious and inquisitive hearing me tell the tales of shaadi and finally you would take phone From me and scroll down the pics and show them your cousin pics
 then I realised that you are having the same pain as me just like I am missing everyone back home you are missing your cousins too ,sorry Advay again I failed you maybe because I feel you are too young to miss anyone but no I was wrong .Just like I look forward to  for the India trip you are excited too and glum too after coming back .SO forgive me Advay for being so naïve and not understanding your pain .
Sharing the pic of you and your cousins for everyone
And a poem too which I wrote after coming back from India

Its peaceful serenity here

Yet I feel like sitting on empty throne

Stranded away from others

Missing the fun and galore.

I know will settle down soon

& the memories will stay with me

But till than they will be closing in

And making me believe this is what life is

So when I see shade of blue

Up above stretching till infinity

I know you too will be waiting

For the second sun

To warm your soul just like me .

With lots of love
mummy

Cooked to pleased & ya I succeded read on,..

I know I am too late in sharing the recipe of this simple chicken curry thanks to the French & art class &; my new passion poetry if you guys are following me on twitter you must be knowing what I am talking about because of too much writing I am not able to read books too I know I have drifted away from the post
.Coming back to the recipe how do you feel when you go out & your child says I want to eat Indian Food & starts pointing towards several different kind of Indian Mahal restaurants which are just Mahal in term of name but the food is not equivalent to being called Indian .This happened many times with us so finally I thought of cooking the way my son gonna like it ya Indian Curry but a bit rich .

Recipe Name Makhmali Chicken Curry
Ingredient
Chicken one kg
Ginger garlic grated one tbsp.
Onion one chopped finely
Tomato big two chopped coarsely
Asafoetida pinch
Cumin seeds one tsp
Salt as per taste
Half tsp each of coriander, turmeric and red chilli powder
Oil to cook one tbsp
Cream whisked two tbsp.

Procedure
Heat oil in non stick wok ,once hot lower the flame
Add asafoetida & cumin seeds & let it splutter for a minute
Add ginger garlic paste & fry for a minute
Add chopped onion and fry further for two minutes
Once brown add all the masala powder followed by salt
Stir for a minute add tomato & cover & cook for 5 minutes
Add the chicken pieces and fry for 5 to 7 minutes
Add half cup of water and cover & cook for 30 mins
Remove from flame & cream warm for a minute
Serve warm with chapathi & rice

So this was my trick to convert a simple curry to something which resembles a one prepared at restaurant the only difference is this one was yummy too.Advay loved this one that's another reason this one is going to be one of my fav curry for guests too,..
Linking this post to
The Weekly Story week 4 hosted by Colours Décor.
#recipeoftheweek event hosted by A Mummy too
That's all friends, wish you all happy week ahead
Take care & happy blogging.

A precious gift which baffled me - Letter for Advay 6

Dear Advay ,
Yesterday you gave me something which was neatly packed and told me to open it ,I was shocked and happy too as for the first time you were giving me something as a present . Though I was excited I was quiet gentle while opening the present .When I took out the wrapping I was bemused as inside it I could see a rectangular box made of paper .I mused maybe inside you must have kept a small card but then you came and told me ,"Mummy that's all ." I asked you "what's this ?"
and then you said "it doesn't have anything inside it "

Then you took out something from the pencil box and gave me .It was a small glitter stone .You said ,"mummy this is for you."

You didn't waste a second .maybe you must have thought in school that mummy will be angry so will please her by giving this .I was not angry I was baffled ..I don't know what your intention was.You wanted to irritate me and then please  me too .You could have given me the box in school bus  but maybe you wanted perfect reaction from me and so the first thing which you did afer reaching home was to give me that .Your toothy smile said all. Whatever your intention was you succeeded in your prank I think so this is the result of reading too many Calvin & Hobbes btw I have kept the blue stone and ya its precious for me.
With lots of love
Mummy

Pizza Party Day = Happy Day - letter 5 for Advay

Dear Advay ,
I was happy today when I got up ,had a nice cup of coffee with fruit cake woke you up and thus the day started you know the reason for my happiness you must be wondering because that time at 6am  I am cranky and according to you always screaming as I have to do multitasking.
Today was Pizza party day in your school which means no lunch box from home so today I didn't had to rake my brain and think what to pack in your Tiffin .Ya  Advay  I know you must be thinking that I am so lazy but yes such kind of brake specially when the food is organised by school makes me happy in different way you are happy too whenever you show me the slip for the Pizza Party for oblivious reason because you love eating pizza.
This letter is just for sharing my little happiness for you that though I like to pack Tiffin for you I love this kind of break every 2 to 3 weeks when there's no need for me to pack food for you.This was a secret in my heart which I am sharing with you today .A pinch of happiness the similar kind you have when you don't have any home work from school.
With lots of love
Your lazy mummy
16/1/15
p.s. the picture above  was taken in year 2013 at Nanjing Road Shanghai China
Linking this post to
The weekly story 2 hosted by colours décor.

how I started digital detoxification - open letter for Advay 4

Dear Advay,
Yesterday I tried something new with you or you can say with myself ,when I sat with you to teach you I kept my phone away with the mute button on, this was necessary I think so that I could give you full attention while teaching so while you were doing your homework I was studying French.
I enjoyed the silence and peace ,there was no beep of whts app, no ring of call on viber ,face time or Skype .I was not checking the twitter feed or pinterest boards and ya in those two hours you never told me that "Mummy while I am studying you are busy messaging or doing things on phone ",those two hrs were just for us irrespective of whatever is happening in the outside world, we enjoyed home and the company .Thanks Advay for making me realise that I won't lose anything if I am away from phone .I enjoyed the solitude.It was like those childhood days when the only mode of entertainment was television ,now I know that rules should be for us too not only for kids .This was one of the resolution to stay away from phone for few hours and I am so glad that I started .So Advay mummy  going to be offline specially when I am with you at home and ya I am loving it.
With lots of love
Mummy
p.s. The above pic was taken in narrow streets of Venice Italy in December 2014
Linking this post to The Weekly Story Week 1 at Colours Dékor