Dancing Toe’s- Chak Dhoom Dhoom

Chak Dhoom Dhoom, A kid dance competition aired on Colors put me into thinking Are children looking for instant fame, popularity or is it their parents? Where is the innocence gone? At an age of 3 child wants a stardom. Can they even spell that big word! Is it the parents hunger for instant stardom and big mullah ?
Is Chak Dhoom Dhoom a competition for loosing innocence? Do we really want to see kids in loud gaudy makeup doing butt shakes , performing on bollywood item numbers, Practising hard.
Little minds waiting for their turn in jam-packed room with constant thought of performance and worry to win title. Why are we putting them through this? Is it a TRP trap? A stardom starved parents. Who go to any extent for instant fame.
Just curious. Is this change for good? Do we want to see TV channels victimize our little minds for TRP's. Will they ever be innocent and simple again? Haven’t they experienced success and failure too soon!!

Thank God we don't see kids right out of mother's womb competing for who's going to open eyes first.

-vanita

Should I buy an iPad?

Ruby Red Drink-Beetroot Juice

The first time I tasted beetroot juice was at Juice bar in Bahrain, and was very impressed. I declared it in my mind its going to be my summer drink for 2010 .I had always read good things about it such as It cleanses your system and increases haemoglobin, alongwith purifying your blood. So the challenge was to keep trying some combinations with beet till I found a concoction that was healthy and comparably tasty. Also, my diet plan had taught me that cucumber and apple are 2 other things that work well for the body, and also go well together. So I experimented with these flavors and came up with the following drink recipe which I am sure will appeal to your body system and your tongue! I just named it "Ruby Red Drink"

Ingredients-
1 small grated cucumber
1 grated beetroot
1/2 cup grated pineapple
4 apples - cut in 4
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp grated ginger (optional)

Method
Blend the beetroot, ginger, pineapple and cucumber along with water. Boil the apple cubes and grind along with the sugar. Then mix with the other juice and blend it to form an even juice. Strain the mixture, then pour it into glasses. Garnish with ice cubes and mint leaves and serve chilled.

This juice is not only tasty, it serves as a toxin-remover for the entire body. It is claimed they have the ability to:

• Clean and build the blood
• Lower blood pressure
• Improve circulation
• Calm the nerves
• Improve the health of the liver, kidneys, and bladder
• Clean the intestines
• Fight cancer
• Cure anemia

So drink this at least once a week; your body will surely thank you for this!

Fig Pickle

I am a fig freak. I tried Fig pickle. Its a great a taste.
For those of you who love fig. Try this.

Cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and ginger flavor these easy fig pickles. Plan ahead for marination time.

Prep Time: 24 hours, 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 Tablespoon whole allspice
• 1 Tablespoon whole cloves
• 2 slices (1/4-inch thick) fresh ginger
• 30 ripe fresh figs, peeled
• 5 cups granulated white sugar, divided use
• 2 quarts water
• 3 cups cider vinegar

Preparation:

Tie cinnamon sticks, allspice, cloves, and gingerinto a cheesecloth bag. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan, measure 3 cups of the sugar and stir into the water. Bring to a simmer, stirring until sugar dissolves. Add figs to sugar water, lower heat, and simmer gently for 25 to 30 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 2 cups of sugar, cider vinegar, and cheesecloth bag of spices. Continue to gently simmer until figs become translucent. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Remove and discard spice bag, cover figs in syrup with a lid, and refrigerate for 24 hours to marinate.

Return figs to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. When heated through, pack hot figs with liquid into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4-inch of headspace.

Process in a boiling water batch for 15 minutes or according to your canner's manual recommendations.

Enjoy

Save tigers-http://www.saveourtigers.com/JoinTheRoar.php

From around 40,000 tigers at the turn of the last century, there are just 1411 tigers left in India.
2009 was the worst year for tigers in India, with 86 deaths reported.Join the roar-http://www.saveourtigers.com/JoinTheRoar.php

I luv Handbags

I got 2 new vintage handbags. In my next blog, I will be uploading my handbag collection.

Brussels Sprouts Go Asian

Brussels sprouts. It's tasty and can be served over rice or pasta as a main dish or alone as a side dish. It comes together in minutes, too!

Brussels Sprouts Stir-Fry

1 medium size bag of Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and halved
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
Roughly 2 kg's shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and sliced
Small can baby corn, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp. mirin (sweetened rice wine)
1-2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. seasoned rice wine vinegar (or regular rice wine vinegar plus 1/2 tsp. sugar)

Spray or brush a non-stick wok or large skillet with a light coating of canola oil. Heat over medium-high heat, and add the garlic and green onions; stir and cook for one minute. Add the Brussels sprouts, turning them cut-side down. Cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.

Add the red bell pepper, mushrooms, and baby corn, and stir well. Add the water and mirin and cover tightly. Reduce the heat and cook until the Brussels sprouts are tender but not overdone, about 5 minutes. (Add a little more water if necessary.)

Remove the cover and add the soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. Cook and stir for about one minute. Add more soy sauce or rice wine vinegar to taste and serve hot.
I served mine over shirataki noodles that were boiled for two minutes and then tossed with 1/8 tsp. of sesame oil.Little extra protein and carbohydrates while I got a meal that was very light and delicious.