Photography Madness

Monday, January 26, 2009

How not to click snaps, and here is what I did not send for 'Click Red'

This is how I spent my holiday. These are samples from over a 100 snaps that I clicked yesterday. It is supposed to be a ....hmm ... lets see... ' a red chillie ikebana in an australian tequila glass?????? :-(((

Why am I posting this here? Perhaps this could be an explanation!










Well I abandoned this entire lot, and here is what I finally sent to Click Red.
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Wicked...

Tuesday, December 2, 2008


Fill a glass with ice. Pour a shot of Bacardi over. Top up with some Sprite. Add 1/4 teaspoon black salt, and one slit red chillie - with the seeds if you dare! Its exotic, wicked, and perfect for Sydney Summer!
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Banana, Walnut & Love Muffins

Monday, November 24, 2008





1/2 cup oil, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 cup self raising flour, 1/2 t sodium bicarbonate, 2 over ripe bananas, a few pieces of walnuts, 1/2 cup milk. Mix everything, and bake in a muffin tray at 180 degrees (mine is a fan forced oven) for 20 minutes.... for some MUFFIN LOVE!
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Baked Cauliflower Capsicum Milk Rice Cheese & Inspiration Casserole

Thursday, November 13, 2008

...and so it was another evening, after a looooong workday. The temptation is strong to get a take away dinner from the Indian reastaurant at the mall, where they serve not so Indian food! Changed my mind... walked to the kitchen... opened the fridge... hmm ...hmmm...
cauliflower ...maybe,
leeks ...use them soon ....
cheese.... a little maybe ,
ready made thai red curry paste .......NAAAAH!
whats the main? gotto to use the rice..

INSPIRATION ..

Burner 1
Heat 2 tbs oil
throw in 3 sliced leeks
Burner 2
heat 2 tbs butter
add 2 tbs corn flour, (gotto to mix it well before it forms lumps!)
pour in milk (if measured it could be 4 tea cups)
keep stirring, stirring, on low flame.
Burner 1
Leeks are browned
Add 1/2 the giant cauliflower broken into large florets
Add salt
Generously add hot red chillie powder (we like rocket fuel)
Masalas? No No!!!
Maybe a spec of mixed herbs...just a spec.
Burner 2
Sauce is just beginning to thicken,
add salt, add pepper.
What else??
open the masala rack, cinnamon powder? ...hmm okay. Add a pinch.
Stir, Stir ....
Burner 1
Looks like cauli will take forever to cook...could burn
Hey ..throw in a sliced capsicum.
3 sliced Tomatoes too...
Shall I add water? NO!
Cover tightly with a lid, and turn flame to low
Burner 2
Smells heavenly ..
Add cheese
Stir
Add the 3 cups of cooked rice that was set aside in the morning for dinner
Mix well.
Switch off
Burner 1
Cauli has cooked ..yeah Switch off...

....in comes hubby... "something smells terrific...."
Pick up the foil tray,
lightly coat with oil spray
Pour in the red hot chillie cauli-capsi
Pour over the milky white rice
Sprinkle pizza cheese
Sprinkle bread crumbs
will the bread crumb brown without oil? ...Spray a little oil on top.
Into the fan forced oven at 200 degrees.
Forget it for 1/2 hour ....play WII golf with hubby...

Open the oven .... oh WOW ... Heaven!!!!






READ MORE - Baked Cauliflower Capsicum Milk Rice Cheese & Inspiration Casserole

Buns

Saturday, November 8, 2008

As some of you have asked me, here's how I made the Buns in the earlier post.

Ingredients
Self Raising unbleached flour - 2.5 cups
milk - 1/2 cup
water - 1/4 cup
melted butter - 2 tbsps
dry yeast - one sachet. The cover says '7 grams (15 grams compressed)'.
1 tsp sugar
I forgot to add salt!!!

Method
1. Mix yeast with a little warm water and the sugar as set aside. Within about 5 - 6 minutes it froths.
2 Take the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add water, milk and butter and the yeast and keep stirring. Once all the dough comes together, take it out on a clean flat surface and start kneading. I kneaded for 10 minutes.
3. Cover it with cling wrap, as set aside for 1/2 hour. I left it inside the microwave as its a 'safe' place!
5. The dough would have risen by now. Punch it down, and make 8 equal sized balls. Knead each ball for about two minutes each, and arrange on a baking tray. Cover the whole lot with cling wrap and leave it aside for 1 hour.
6. I pre-heat my oven (it is fan forced) to 180 degrees centigrade for about 10 minutes.
7. Now bake the buns for 12 minutes (the top becomes a nice pale brown as shown in the picture in the post below)
8. Remove from oven immediately, and quickly coat the top of the buns with melted butter.
9. Loosely arrange the buns into a large bowl, so that they max suface area is free for aeration! (I don't have a wire rack!)

The End!
READ MORE - Buns

My First Buns!

Monday, October 27, 2008

MY FIRST BUNS.......
Okay ...it’s not like it sounds! :-))

Anyway, after a disastrous baking experience in Kolkata that ended with a command (plea?) from my husband, “Thou shalt not bake at home, what can be bought at the grocers” I did not venture again, into the bread, cakes, and cookies world.

But then, the food blogging world has happened! It seems like the whole world is baking, and successfully, by the looks of it! “Hmmm ...but then why is 'Daring Bakers' called 'daring' if it’s no big deal?” I ask myself, even as I smuggle a pack of dry yeast and a kilo of self-raising unbleached flour, into our monthly groceries.

“What’s that for?” asks my husband suspiciously eyeing the small pack of dry yeast that caught his attention. I ramble about the difference in gluten content in Kolkata wheat and Sydney wheat, and a video I saw on Bread making for Dummies, even as the cashier at Coles cheerily packed, billed, and dismissed us with a “Thank you, have a great day”.

“If you must, why don’t you just join a course at TAFE and learn the proper way?” asks Hubby weakly. “Okay” says I meekly, and a tad too fast, putting the topic to an end.

“What can TAFE teach me, that my Foodie World Power cannot?” I say to myself later, as I furiously google away. I find this simple, down-to-earth blog by Rhonda. Wow …simple living is real hard work! Anyway, some simple values rub off on me, and I make up my mind that no ‘no-knead breads’ or short cuts for me, until I first learn the ‘real’ way.

I browse over to thank Purnima - a new visitor to my blog, and here’s is what I find! Thanks Purnima! This is it! The time has finally arrived! A quick jump to Anjali's and Bee’s posts, and the yeast prayer, I begin mixing the flour at 7:16pm. My first buns are ready by 9:46pm.

Served with melted butter, and delicious home made leek and asparagus soup, even hubby gallantly admits it’s a hit.

I shalt NOT not bake at home, what can be bought at the grocers” I make a determined promise to myself!







READ MORE - My First Buns!

Mango Mania

Sunday, October 26, 2008

...and so we came back from Paddy's with more mangos than two of us could possibly eat. Inspired by Chitra Amma's Bournvita Fudge, I set out to make 'mango fudge'! I followed amma's recipe exactly ...just added crushed pulp from two mangos and some slivers of almond, instead of Bournvita. Its hard work with all the stirring, and to keep the fudge from burning. It did not become a fudge ....
but then............................................................

oooooooooh .....its such a delicious halwa!

READ MORE - Mango Mania