Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be...

This song has been on replay ever since I heard that Whitney Houston passed away. It was the only song I liked of hers and I used to listen to it nonstop back while we (me and the siblings) were growing up along with Elton John's Sacrifice and Richard Marx's Right here waiting for you, these are the songs I remember constantly rewinding and playing, till everybody got sick of it. This song of hers made an impact more than any other song of that era because it was not the usual sappy love songs every other pop singer was churning out. This was about learning to be courageous and living a life of dignity, and growing into a good human being. It is a song about overcoming obstacles, learning from experiences and discovering who you really are in the process. You realise that you have to first learn to love yourself before you expect others to do the same. At that impressionable young age, this song really meant a lot... especially the last stanza where she sings about finding that special somebody, "And if I chance that special place, that you've been dreaming of, leads you to a lonely place, find your strength in love." It was that age, when you're in love with the idea of falling in love... and I think this is what the lyrics mean, after you evolve into a secure person who is not afraid to face life, you will chance upon the special person you've been dreaming about and when you're with him make sure he is the real deal. His love should continue the process of self evolution, it should make you a better person. Your love in each other should be something sacred (my catechism influence) you become better individuals because of each other and therein lies your strength. This song was actually written by a woman suffering from cancer, she wanted to show her children the way to live a meaningful life... this explains its poignant nature. 


The day she died, I couldn't seem to shake off the feeling of sadness that engulfed me... it was the same when Michael died. When you hear news like this, its like a video plays in your head of the past, of the way you were... how they were a part of that memorable, fun and uncomplicated childhood. And you wonder why they didn't derive the same strength from their songs... the same happiness that infused the warm little homes that built us...

Chocolate mug cake...

So I was craving something chocolatey the other day and remembered the 'cake in a mug' recipes I had seen online, so decided to try one out. Was a little skeptical at first, didn't really expect the cake to turn out well.  Was surprised when it came out perfect and fluffy like a normal cake after 2 minutes in the microwave. I don't really know how this process would work with a normal sized cake, but this cake in a mug recipe is simply wonderful. It would have been even more scrumptious with some ice cream or chocolate sauce... 

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons all purpose flour 

(which is really maida, a teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch of baking soda)

4 Tablespoons powdered sugar

1 heaped Tablespoon cocoa powder

3 Tablespoons milk

3 Tablespoons oil

2 Tablespoons whisked egg

a splash of vanilla essence

Chocolate chips 

 Run the maida, baking powder and baking salt through the sieve. All the ingredients can be mixed directly in the cup, I did it in a bowl cause I wanted a clean cup for the pictures.

 Add the sugar and the cocoa powder, to the all purpose flour.

 Drop in the milk, oil, whisked egg and the splash of vanilla essence.

 Mix it with a spoon till you get a smooth batter, and then pour it into the cup that can be used in a microwave.

 Now, I didn't have chocolate chips, so I used some dark chocolate that was lying around in the fridge. I chopped up a few pieces and added it to the cake batter.

 Here is the batter all ready to go into the microwave.

Set the timer for 2 minutes and watch the magic unfold, this was one of the reasons I was eager to try this cake. It's like a volcano... a chocolate volcano. Wait a few minutes and then dig in... its super soft and fluffy, like any ordinary cake. Mine was a little less sweet, which was okay with me.. if you prefer more sweet add another tablespoon of sugar to the batter. This is great for on the spot desserts for two people, all you need is a little vanilla ice cream to go with it. So try this and let me know how it turned out. 

Apple Crumble

So there were a lot of apples at home and by lot I mean at least 3 to 4 dozens. I wanted something that uses a lot of apples but with less fattening stuff like butter and white flour, yet at the same time should taste awesome. Came upon this Martha Stewart recipe and tweaked it a bit to suit my taste. You should try this, it's impossible to go wrong with this recipe and its totally healthy, taste's great too. Like my cousin said, 'It's so full of joy, it's the apple pie equivalent of a baby's smile.' Yeah, me thinks he was smoking something too. 

Ingredients

Wheat Flour:  3/4 cup

Oats: 1 cup

Salt: 1/2 teaspoon

Cold Butter: bout 50 gms (you can substitute apple sauce or plain vegetable oil)

Apples (peeled, cored and sliced): 6 or 7 medium sized ones

Cinnamon powdered: 2 to 3 teaspoons

Granulated Sugar: 1/4 cup for the crumble topping and 1/2 cup for the apple base

Orange: juice of half an orange

Take the wheat, 1/4 cup sugar and the chopped cold butter in a bowl. Use your finger tips to break the butter into the wheat, till you get a crumb like texture. Instead of butter you can use plain oil or honey, just go with your intuition... cause unlike cake, this thing is not meant to rise or have a fluffy cake interior. This is just the crunchy coating to the sweet soft warm apples that form the base.

Here is the crumb like texture.

Now drop in the oats, salt and mix it up nicely, squeeze everything together and then stick it in the freezer while you work on the apples. Now is the time to watch your favourite show as you peel, core and slice the apples. I watched an episode of The Wonder Years while I worked on the apples, it was the episode where Kevin visits his dad's work place for the day. Kevin doesn't seem to understand why his dad was always in a foul mood whenever he got home from work. At the end of the show, Kevin realises that his dad put family first and that's why he works so hard... and Kevin isn't intimidated by him anymore. As always, my eyes filled up with tears as I saw Kevin and his dad bonding over a telescope as they peer into the night sky. This show always manages to touch a cord within you... it is that beautiful and simple, not like the shows of today, where the standard and content have deteriorated with changing times.

I just had to add a picture of Kevin and his dad...

Okay, getting back to the apples... slice your apples into half inch slices, and drop in the cinnamon powder, the 1/2 cup sugar and the orange juice (just take a few pieces of orange and squeeze them over the apples, make sure the seeds don't fall in). The original recipe calls for lemon juice, but I used oranges and I think this made it even better. You get that distinct orange taste with the sweet caramelized apples, gosh, I loved every bite of this. Give the vessel a nice jolt, shake everything up till all the apples are coated with this cinnamon, sugar mixture.

Dump the apples into a baking pan (it's not necessary to grease and flour the pan, I didn't and it came out pretty well).

Now add the crumble topping uniformly over the apples... and bake it for 20 to 25 minutes (at 210 degree C, that's the temperature I do all my baking) till the apples are soft. You can poke a knife and if it goes in without any resistance then the apples are baked. 

Here it is, just out of the oven and looking great...

There, awesomeness in a dish... I've already made this twice in the same week. It's supremely healthy, I used wheat instead of white flour that the original recipe called for and I cut down on the butter and used honey.

Makes for a great snack, you won't stop eating it... a dollop of ice cream nearby would make this even more perfect. 

Sherlocked (Cumberbatched)

An old flame is back... after more than a year. Been reeling under the influence of the new season of Sherlock, can't seem to get him out of my head. That's the beauty of this immortal character created by legendary author, Arthur Conan Doyle. From the very first time, I picked up his most famous book, I was hooked; heart, soul and spirit (okay, may be an exaggeration but you get the drift). This season is as enticing and perfect as the first was, Benedict has nailed the role. It was pure joy watching his arrogant self reel off things about people he has just met or rankle the people who put up with him. I love how the deerstalker hat was incorporated into the story, well done creators. I love how he deduces the code to unlock the phone, my heart almost skipped a beat. John is pretty amazing too, all the brotherly bonding was great.

Here are a few videos...

The introduction of his famous hat


Detective Lestrade having some fun at Sherlock's expense...


John's line about Sherlock's cheekbones, cracked me up...


Another funny exchange...


Sherlock frustrating the detective again...

John is funny, Asperger's it seems...

If you haven't seen this BBC TV series of Sherlock Holmes, you're probably living a very 'elementary' life. But seriously, this is the best show out there... it will be worth your while to make the effort and watch it.

Blessed 2012 everyone...

Whew! the last few weeks were a whirlwind of activity... there was a lot of drama, two birthdays, a wedding anniversary, new year eve festivities, an engagement and two untimely deaths. Drama always occurs when the whole family is home, it was great to be back in the midst of it all... nothing new there. My brother's celebrated their birthday and I made my first ever authentic cheesecake which tasted like lassi and biscuits according to Antonio. New Year's eve was extremely fun, it was great singing with my church choir again... we sang 'When A Child is Born' and practicing for it was wonderfully uplifting. I miss choir practice, I miss getting that high feeling whenever we used to practice for Sunday mass. And the other big event was my sister's engagement to one of my best buddies, had a whale of a time there meeting cousins and hanging out with them. In between all this, I loved walking around my little town and soaking in the magic of Christmas. The beauty of this season is overwhelming, at least in my hometown it is... my place glows with a rustic kinda beauty, there are no giant Christmas trees or massive ornamental decorations. Most folks just blow up balloons and string them onto trees or they trail crepe paper through the trees and in the glow of the serial lights they look pretty. Bright stars adorn almost every house, as you stroll along you'll come across nativity scenes that are constructed with a kind of sweet smelling wild heather like stalks, and the churches (there are so many out there) are tastefully decorated to the hilt, you hear folks caroling every now and then... it's a simple kinda beauty that makes the town glow and this reflects onto the people. Have put up a few pictures on Facebook, you can see them here if you want to. 

Death is never easy to understand, a lot of questions and doubts will arise... with time we learn to accept, and we hope and pray that they are happy in God's eternal kingdom. God bless Antonio's grandmother and my sister's close friend who have gone home to their Creator.

Well, here's wishing all of you a Blessed 2012... peace, joy and love be yours always. He promises a lamp unto our feet, not a crystal ball into the future. We do not need to know what will happen tomorrow. We only need to know He leads us and we will find grace to help us when we need it.

My Christmas Tree....

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. This season is overwhelming, fills your senses... and makes everything look pretty. Just wanted to show you a few pictures of my Christmas tree... click on the pictures to enlarge them.

To the earth be peace;
good will henceforth from heaven to earth
Begin and never cease....

The soft glow of twinkling lights...

Noel tree ornament...

The Christmas tree...

Here's wishing all of you the joys of this wonderful season... may the peace and love of the divine child fill our hearts and our homes, Blessed Christmas everybody.

Enchanting screen adaptations of a few English classics...

I love the BBC reproductions of classics, they transport you to a completely different era and its hard not to fall for the ruggedly leading men, who are flawed, witty, kind and intense. Here are a few stellar adaptations of some timeless English classics, I know many can't stand these period dramas... but I can never get enough of them. 

Jane Eyre: I can't tell you how much I love this book and the character of Jane Eyre, I loved everything about it... the calm and morally upright Jane, the intriguingly flawed Edward Rochester, the surprise in the attic, the way Jane deals with the surprise and her beahaviour towards the wicked aunt and the heart-searingly beautiful ending. For sometime, I used to go around calling myself Jane Eyre after reading the book... anyway, I loved the movie and the TV mini series that I saw. Anything with a BBC imprint on it is bound to be good, and the 2011 movie version  with Mia Wasikowska and Michael Fassbender was interesting and really good. I liked the miniseries made in 2006 better though, it made an impact on me... Rochester was wonderfully portrayed by Toby Stephens, and you could feel his predicament. Ruth Wilson as Jane was charming and lively, there was a spark in her and that's what Rochester was drawn to. Ah, I could never tire of this classic story... thanks Charlotte Bronte for this wonderfully entertaining book, you must have been an awesome person to hang out with.

Edward Rochester and Jane Eyre

Pride and Prejudice: I can't seem to wipe the smile off my face just thinking about Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy in this TV mini-series (1995). Man, he nailed the role... I was floored by him, I mean the real Mr. Darcy in the book, did not have any effect on me, he did seem full of himself at times. But Colin Firth breathed new life into his character, gosh... all I wanted to be was Elizabeth Bennet as I watched this TV series. She too was superbly cast as Jennifer Ehle, who did complete justice to her captivating role. The problems they faced in those days are so evident in this day and age too... parents still worry about settling their daughters properly, and society is as inquisitive and judgmental as it was in the days of Jane Austen. I wish we had the dances here though, the social gatherings where people wear nice flowing dresses and the men are neatly dressed and the dance is choreographed beautifully like in Taylor Swift's Love Story video. I think I would have been at home in that era... anyway getting back to the series, I loved every moment of it, the beautiful English landscapes, the pretty dresses, the horse drawn carriages, the way Mr. Darcy knows that he is beginning to fall for the intelligently charming and witty Elizabeth, no wonder it's a classic... I have always admired Colin Firth after this movie, and I was especially pleased when he won the Oscar last year. Mr. Darcy is wonderful because of him...

Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet

Emma: Watching the 2009 TV series Emma was real fun... even the book was interesting. Emma is so dense, she thinks she knows everything and she tends to act like a fairy godmother always meddling in people's lives. She does everything with good intentions of course, it's just that she is naive and can't see what's right in front of her. The Alicia Silverstone movie Clueless is based on this book. This is an extremely well made TV series, the actors fit their parts well... I especially liked Jonny Lee Miller as Mr. Knightly, the witty and smart guy who is the only person capable of talking down to Emma. Emma was good enough as Romola Garai, but I wasn't really fond of her character while reading the book... she seemed like one of those relatives who gossip and talk too much. I never really liked Mr. Knightly ending up with her, I always thought he was too good for her... well, it's Jane Austen's story, I can't change the ending.

Emma and Mr. Knightly

Sense and Sensibility: I saw the 1995 version of the movie and it was rather interesting. I liked Kate Winslet as the impulsive sister Marianne, Emma Thompson gives a restrained performance as the eldest and most sensible sister Elinor. That's where the novel gets its name from, from its two leading characters... Elinor is thoughtful and logical representing 'sense' and Marianne is all emotional and easily swayed by her 'sensibilities'. I've never liked Hugh Grant, I don't know why... maybe because he is too pale, but he does his job well. All in all, a good movie... nothing to rave about though. A tamil version of the book was made with Aishwarya Rai, Tabu, Ajith and a few others... 

The Dashwood sisters...

Wuthering Heights: This is the only book, I haven't read in the list mentioned here... I don't like brooding tales of despair and guilt. The 2009 TV series was interesting enough, Tom Hardy (the forger in Inception) gives a convincing performance as Heathcliff. The story is at times eerie, morbid and just plain weird... the sense of despair that seems to envelope it is haunting yet engrossing. Unlike her sister's novel Jane Eyre, Emily Bronte's novel Wuthering Heights was quite controversial in its time, this tale of passion and jealousy might seem the norm these days. But in those days of yore, I can imagine how it must have impacted the genteel sensibilities of the readers. Anyway, its a good enough TV series... I wouldn't say I liked it, it was interesting enough. 

Heathcliff and Cathy Earnshaw