Magic Lamp of Luck, Tags and Some More...:)

These days I'm into so many things and busy with work. As usual, my blogging is going for a toss and I'm definitely not liking it:(

After all---I love my blogs and more so, love to interact with all my friends here. So here's what I would like to do quickly:

My friends Rekha's Kitchen and Notyet 100 has passed me the Magic Lamp of Luck. I am so thankful to you guys! THANX A LOT!!! I really need some luck now:) I hope the sweet genie brings some luck and surprises for me!!!

The mighty Genie King and the beautiful Genie Princess from the magical Land of Faraway are back! Upon escaping the clutches of their Evil Master after being held captive for 1000 years, the magical genies have been busy flying on their Magical Flying Carpet, granting wishes and spreading love throughout the blogosphere.

And now, the genies are back with a special gift for everyone! Behold the sacred, Magic Lamp of Luck! With this magic lamp, your blog will enjoy much good luck and fortune, warding off all things evil lurking around in the blogosphere. We would like to share this magic lamp with you so please pass on the Magic Lamp of Luck to those in need of some good luck. Remember, do not be greedy or unkind, evil or vengeful and good luck & fortune will always be with you! Join us on another exciting magical adventure as we spread goodwill and good luck to one and all!

* Start Copy Here*

1. Add your site(s) to the list once you have received the Magic Lamp of Luck.

2. Pass on the Magic Lamp of Luck to as many people as you like. After all, everyone needs some good luck!

3. Leave a comment HERE once you’ve passed on the Magic Lamp of Luck. Once the Genie King and Genie Princess have visited your site to make sure your links are complete and proper, you will then be added to the Master List.

4. To ensure everyone receives equal link benefit, please UPDATE your list regularly!

1-Mariuca 2-First Time Dad 3-Mariuca's Perfume Gallery 4-Emila's Illustrated Blog 5-The Other Side of Emila 6-My Sweet Escape 7-Bay Head Blog 8-Roxiticus Desperate Housewives 9-LadyJava's Lounge 10-Petty Ramblings of a Petty Queen 11-The Real Deal 12-Pinay Mommy Online 13-Perpustakaan 14-LadyJava Life's Pages 15-Make Money Online 16-Cat Tales 17-LadyJava's Food Paradise 18-Being Woman 19-Spicybug 20-Biz-N-Honey 21-Aeirin's Collections 22-Sasha Says 23-Project Heavy Traffic 24-Picture Clusters 25-My Wanderings 26-Maiylah's Snippets 27-Moments of Colours 28-Life Quest 29-BigMoneyList 30-The Best Parts 31-Morphed 32-Buhay Pinoy 33-Galatayo 34-Blogging Tips 35-Apples Of The Eyes 36-My Own Utopia 37-Sasha's Corner 38-Under One Roof 39-Say Cheese 40-A Great Pleasure 41-A Life in Bloom 42-Because Life is a Blessing 43-Digiscraptology 44-Xixi 45-Ode to Adrienne 46-CrankyDave 47-Simple Life 48-Dew Drops 49-The Journey 50-Mastering Your PC 51-Day Break 52-A Little Girl Talk 53-Mom Knows Everything 54-Day to Day 55-1 of a Kind Wis 56-It's a woman's world! 57-Breather 58-Photo Hook 59-Letterbox 60-Asian Mutt International 61-Dream Doe Philosophy 62-MommyAlehs Up-Close And Personal 63-Livin' the Life! 64-Restnrileks 65-English Corner 66-English Grammar 67-Bodybuilding & Fitness 68-Everything you need 69-One Stop Games 70-Blockbluster Movie Trailers 71-Bodybuilding & Human Growth Hormone 72-World of Tennis 73-Men's Health & Tips 74-Internet Marketing Strategy & Tips 75-Latest Technology 76-Tentang Binaraga 77-Berita Seputar Selebriti 78-Panduan Kesehatan 79-Insurance For You 80-Crissy's Zone 81-Crissy's Library 82-Crissy's Haven 83-sHeNzEe's wOrLd 84-Voice Of The Spirit 85-Best Cuisine Recipes 86-Stand My Ground 87-SeeNRead 88-This Is A Miracle 89-I AM KCAT 90-Traipsey Turvey 91-GBeX & DOm 92-Spun By A Seanachie 93-ISL Family 94-D' Cooking Mudra 95-'Story' the Great 96-UmmiRosma 97-Munirah Abd 98-Atie 99-Hit-or-Miss 100-Twisted Sister 101-Laketrees Artist 102-Blessed Sanctuary 103-Comedy Plus 104-Blogging By Sandee 105-Living Life to the Fullest 106-Speech-Less 107-Happy Life 108-My Discoveries 109-Strangely Out Of Place 110-Rooms of My Heart 111-The Paper Vision 112-Luxurious Retreats 113-Reef 114-Weekend Snapshot 115-Blessie's Finds 116-Confessions of An Army Wife 117-My Pooch Life 118-Five Martini Lunch 119-TIPS FROM THE TRAILER 120-PoeARTica 121-STAY AT HOME MOM 122-Rantings of a Woman 123-Sjtl's Weblog 124-Turn-u-Off 125-My World in My Own Word 126-Shawie 127-A New Saga 128-Janeth Vicy's Life Journey 129-Simple Reveries 130-Berry Blog 131-Touts4u 132-My So Called Life 133-La Vida es Hermosa 134-Speedcat Hollydale Page 135-mangosteenskin 136-Choc Mint Girl 137-Of Colors And Styles 138-Pinaymama's Diary 139-My Life's Rollercoaster Ride 140-My Life...My Journey! 141-Bonoriau 142-Jenny and Belle 143-Read My Mind 144-A Sweet Taste Of Life 145-Shopping Blog 146-Precious Moments 147-Feydakin 148-Hot Shit Form Here 149-A Mother's Simple Thoughts 150-Daily Ramblings Rendezvous 151-Miss Moneypenny's Comical Posts Undercover 152-My Precious Niche 153-Fun|Fierce|Fabulous 154-Colorful World of Shiela 155-Me,myself+2 156-Ozzy's Mom 157-Let's talk about MJ 158-Great people make us feel we can become great 159-A Family Man 160-Just the way it is... 161-In Depth 162-Attitude, the ULTIMATE POWER 163-Are You Grateful? 164-Complain Complain Complain 165-My Little Black Pot 166-Notes By Marvic 167-Aku Pelukis 168-Jiwasintetik 169-Foster Me Up 170-Life: Thoughts & Inspirations 171-The Callalily Space 172-Mommyhood and Me 173-Bits and Pieces 174-La Place de Cherie 175-Through The Rain 176-Blogfixes 177-New England Lighthouse Treasures 178-Chez Francine 179-Tsinay 180-Hailey's Domain 181-Hailey's Beats and Bits 182-My So-Called Life 183-PinayWAHM 184-Rusin Roundup 185-Sweet Temptation 186-Lynn's Chic Spot 187-Kai Kriye 188-LiLo n StiTcH 189-Lights and Shade 190-Easycrafts 191-Ideasmoney 192-My creations 193-Sukanya-hobbiesandcrafts 194-My Kraft 195-Adam: @geNda | iNsPiRaSi 196-The Working Mom 197-My Touch Of Heaven 198-Her Name is N.O.Y. 199-Fida Abbott 200-Hesitant Wife's Blog 201-Blogging For Fun 202-Paint Your Life 203-Spicybugz World 204-Colin From Life 205-Ramblings of The Phat 206-AngelBaby from Your Caring Angels 207-Creative Saga 208-Indian Khana 209-Me and My Kitchen 210-Mom's Recipies 211-Mom's Cooking 212-Cooking Station 213-Simple Indian Food 214-Rekha's Kitchen 215-SuperNova & SweetPain 216-My Sweet Haven 217-scrapbook newbie 218-Miyyah@Kertas 219-funfliffy 220-AyangLina 221-A Room of Crazy Scrapper 222-srikars kitchen 223-Purva's Daawat 224-Recipe Center 225-Veg Inspirations 226-Little Mermaid 227-Meendum Santhipoom 228-Ranji's kitchen corner 229-En Vittu Virundhu 230-What's on the menu? 231-Dancing in Midlife Tune 232-Meme Me 233-Tasty treats 234-Mummy Diaries 235-notyet100hub 236-Jujubs Creative Corner 237-Crafts and Cooking 238-As Long As I Can Dream 239-A Walk To Remember 240-Empty Streets 241-The time has come 242-Momhood Moments 243-Life is too short to be ordinary 244- Mistress of Spices 245-YOU NEXT!

*End Copy Here*

The Magic Lamp of Luck has been proven to bring magic to each blog which keep the lamp and share it with others. So, what are you waiting for, take this lamp home with you!! Don't forget to follow the instructions, so the genies can make your wish came true!

I would like to pass on this Magic Lamp of Luck to---Swati: Sugarcraft India, Anamika: The Sugarcrafter, Vegetable Platter, Nags, and Sujatha.

GOOD LUCK FRIENDS!!!

Srikar's Kitchen had tagged me few days before. Thanks a lot for passing me that! I have done it before...so will skip it. Please find my answers in my previous posts.

Have a wonderful weekend all of you!

Healthy Fish Curry with Vegetables

This is one of my favorite recipes that my mom makes. This quintessential Bengali dish is tasty and easy on your stomach. I love this so much that I can eat it almost every day! The best part about this dish is--it has vegetables that are healthy and uses very little spices. It can even be served to children and ailing people, as it is full of nutrients.

Ingredients: Rohu or Katla fish(cut into pieces and smeared with turmeric and salt), 1 Potato, 3/4 Pointed Gourds(in Bengali it is called "potol" and in Hindi it is called"parwal"), 1 Eggplant, 1 tomato, Bori(this is especially a Bengali delicacy made from dal paste), Green beans, 1 Green Banana, 1 Cauliflower.
Spices: Ginger paste, Cumin seeds paste, Red chilli paste, Turmeric, Salt to taste, Vegetable oil.

Procedure: Fry the fish separately and keep aside. Fry the boris and keep separately. Pour oil into a shallow pan and add some ungrounded whole cumin seeds. Then add the diced vegetables and saute for a while. Fry until light golden brown. Now add ginger paste, cumin seed paste, chilli paste, turmeric, and salt and mix properly. Add proportional water in it. When the vegetables get boiled, add the fried fish. Before removing from flame, add a pinch of garam masala(spice) and serve hot with steamed rice.

P.S. --Sprinkle some fresh lemon juice as you enjoy with steamed rice, for enhanced taste!

Awards...And More About Me...

My friend Vegetable Platter has surprised me with this cute Friendship Award. Thank you so much :) I'm glad that I have friends like you!

I would like to pass this award to:

Rekha's Kitchen

Anamika

Swati Raman Garg












My dear friend Swati has tagged me. So here's more about me...

1) LAST MOVIE U SAW IN A THEATER?
"Race"...at Inox, Kolkata, and it was fabulous as a morning show.

2) WHAT BOOK ARE U READING?
None as of now.

3) FAVORITE BOARD GAME?
None at the moment.

4) FAVORITE MAGAZINE?
Femina, Sananda, Filmfare, Woman's Era.

5) FAVORITE SMELLS?
Smell of first raindrops on soil, vanilla, rose, new books, floral perfumes, aroma of freshly baked cakes, sandalwood...and lots more.

6) FAVORITE SOUNDS?
Rippling water, raindrops on a window pane, birds twittering, piano, thunder.

7) WORST FEELING IN THE WORLD?
Not being loved.

8) WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU THINK OF WHEN U WAKE?
Can't I sleep for 5 more minutes?

9) FAVORITE FAST FOOD PLACE?
None so special.

10) FUTURE CHILD'S NAME?
Not married yet:) Will think later.

11) FINISH THIS STATEMENT—'IF I HAD A LOT OF MONEY I’D'
Travel the entire world with my love.

12) DO U DRIVE FAST?
I don't own a car yet.

13) DO U SLEEP WITH A STUFFED ANIMAL?
I have a teddy, though it goes out of the room when I sleep:)

14) STORMS–COOL OR SCARY?
Cool, only if the velocity is less; otherwise it is scary.

15) WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CAR?
None yet.

16) FAVORITE DRINK?
Pineapple punch.

17) FINISH THIS STATEMENT-IF I HAD THE TIME I WOULD…
Start learning music once again...it's been so long since I left it :(

18) DO YOU EAT THE STEMS ON BROCCOLI?
Nope!

19) IF YOU COULD DYE YOUR HAIR ANY OTHER COLOR, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR CHOICE?
I think mahogany or burgundy.

20) NAME ALL THE DIFFERENT CITIES/TOWNS U HAVE LIVED IN?
I have lived in Kharagpore, Stillwater(Oklahoma) and presently in Kolkata(Calcutta).

21) FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Football, Tennis, Gymnastics, Swimming, Formula One.

22) ONE NICE THING ABOUT THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Swati sent this to me and she's a very nice and warm friend!

23) WHATS UNDER YOUR BED?
Nothing.

24) WOULD U LIKE TO BE BORN AS YOURSELF AGAIN??
Definitely...but with few changes.

25) MORNING PERSON OR NIGHT OWL?
Morning person always, but I was a night owl for quite some time due to work.

26) OVER EASY OR SUNNY SIDE UP?
Sunny side up.

27) FAVORITE PLACE TO RELAX?
My bed.

28) FAVORITE PIE?
Cheesecakes and pecan pies.

29) FAVORITE ICE CREAM FLAVOR?

Strawberry, Coffee, Chocolate, Vanilla.

30) OF ALL THE PEOPLE U HAVE TAGGED, WHO IS THE MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND FIRST?
Hmm...hard to say.

I would like to tag:

Sailaja

A&N

All of you have a great time ahead!

Monsoon Specials: Bengali Khichdi with Beguni

Come monsoon, and our taste buds remind us of savoring something delicious. And what's better than treating yourself with steaming "khichdi" and bhajis? The heavy downpour outside perfectly matches with the sweet aroma of hot khichdi and fries. Of all the khichdi varieties, the authentic Bengali one is perhaps the best in taste and very easy to prepare. While khichdi can be prepared with both masoor and moong dal(lentils), the one made with moong dal definitely tastes best.

So here's the recipe for Bengali khichdi with moong dal for all you foodies:)

You will need: Precooked rice(one of those aromatic varieties, which Bengalees call "Atop Chawl"), Moong dal, Diced Vegetables-(Potatoes, Cauliflower, Tomato, Green peas, Green beans, Carrots), Ginger paste, Green chillies/Chilli paste,(Use onions if made with masoor dal) Ghee, Salt to taste, Sugar, Turmeric powder.

Procedure--Take equal quantities of rice and dal. First rinse the rice. Fry the dal golden brown in a dry pan. Take a shallow pan or hollow pot and heat oil(vegetable or mustard oil). Sprinkle some bay leaves and cumin seeds and add rice and dal in it. Saute for a while. Add the masalas, salt, and turmeric powder; saute for a while and add 3/4 cups of water. When it boils, add the diced veggies. Mix all ingredients properly and make sure that the rice and dal are boiled properly. The consistency should be thick and mushy. When the rice, dal, and veggies are boiled properly and the whole thing becomes thick, add sugar to taste. Add garam masala and generous dollops of ghee. Serve hot.

Beguni(Eggplant slices deep fried in batter)

You will need: 1 big eggplant; for the batter--Besan(gram flour), Rice powder(little),Black pepper, Salt, Chilli powder.

Procedure: Prepare the batter by mixing all of the above ingredients. Make sure that the batter is thick in consistency. Cut fine slices of eggplants. Dip the slices in batter, coating them evenly. Heat the oil properly. Keep the flame low and fry the slices golden brown.

Awards...once again!

I got this sweet ""GIANT BEAR HUG AWARD"

from my friend Andhra Flavors. Thank you very much! My hugs goes out to you as well:)

I would like to pass this award to:

Notyet100 for her wonderful culinary creations

Sagari for her yummy recipes and photos

Madhavi for her delicious and healthy dishes

Meera for her yummy Indian dishes

ENJOY YOUR AWARDS!!!

I'm also glad to get this beautiful YUM YUM AWARD



from another friend Notyet100. Thanks a lot! I really appreciate it!

I'm passing this award to:

Sireesha for her mouthwatering recipes

Swati for her delectable and artistic creations

Sowmya for her irresistible recipes

ENJOY YOUR AWARDS!!! YOU ALL ROCK!!!

My friend Sireesha has tagged me. Thanks a lot Sireesha! I really liked penning down my thoughts:) Here it goes...

What was I doing ten years ago?
I was fresh out of college and very happy:)

What are five things on my to-do list for today (non-work related)?

1. Blogging
2. Listening to music
3. Watching good films
4. Working out and yoga
5. Chatting with mom and sis

What are five snacks I enjoy?

1.Phuchka(panipuri)
2.samosa
3.Bhelpuri
4.egg/chicken rolls
5.chicken pakoras

What things would I do if I were a billionaire?

Travel to some exotic destinations of the world, do some charity, buy a house in NYC, open my own company...list goes on and on:)

Places I’ve lived:

Kolkata, Kharagpore, Stillwater(Oklahoma)

Jobs I’ve had:

I worked as a content writer,editor, copyeditor, and now a freelance journalist and writer.