I am a goofball

I wrote this poem for my hubby a few weeks ago (I put it in his breakfast bag)...its pretty self-explanatory. I used to do this quite often before where I would write short poems about daily life activities and such...

As the night grew younger,

A thought crossed my mind.

A new breakfast for tomorrow?

Something in the fridge I can find.

A daily bowl of oatmeal,

What a bore it can be!

Brown eggs look upon me,

‘Cook me up will you please?’

Out came the frying pan,

Some onions and chillies too.

Behold! A beautiful omelet

Can this be really true?

Two slices of soft brown bread,

Hugged the eggs so nice.

A sandwich so nutritious,

You couldn’t put a price!

Tomorrow awaits new breakfast,

‘Yummy’ I hope you’ll say.

These eggs are so joyous,

They wish you a fruitful day! 

Pho on a cold day!

We went over to Pho Que Huong this past weekend for some Pho...which is a Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of broth, noodles and meat or seafood of your choice. We had the Curry chicken soup. Its our favorite as the broth is  super spicy and slightly creamy with a hint of curry flavor and chunks of mushy carrots. I love the garnishes consisting of bean sprouts, basil, cilantro and lime. It's a real treat on a cold, wintry day. To switch it up, I sometimes ask for egg noodles instead of rice noodles, giving it a 'ramen' feel. There's something about eating soup out of a large bowl...it seems comforting, relaxing and effortless. 

Restaurant Review: Jasmine Thai

One of the first memories of my husband and I are of our sporadic visits to a Thai restaurant in Buffalo called Jasmine. Their food was perfection and we miss it dearly. So imagine our delight when we spotted a restaurant by the very same name right here in Dallas! This past weekend we decided to try it out and the best part is it is conveniently located at 2050 W Springcreek Pkway, Plano TX, which is right by our favorite desi grocery store (Indo pak supermarket, where we buy our meats, lentils, etc.). The restaurant is a rather small one. If you can get past the tiny seating area, its actually not too bad. Decorated aptly with golden figurines synonymous with thai culture, the interior was actually quite cozy.

For appetizer we ordered the Thai Herbal Chicken ($7.95). Its described as an original Thai dish in the menu. Its super crunchy fried pieces of boneless chicken and basil leaves, sprinkled with copious amounts of crushed chilli flakes. It was quite spicy actually. We both loved it and the portion was huge for an appetizer.

For main, I ordered the glass noodles with beef (Pad Kee Mao) $10.95 and it was dressed in the most delicious garlicky, spicy sauce with a slight hint of sweetness. They had the sweetness spot on. Usually a lot of Thai places will OD on the sugar and then I am just left with this sweet feeling in my mouth, whether I just had dessert or savory. However, this place really satisfied me thoroughly. The portion was ginormous (I did go on a very hungry stomach!). One gripe was that the pieces of beef were shredded a bit too fine, so they were almost like ground meat. Nonetheless, it was terrific. I am almost thinking about going there again this weekend :)

Hubby ordered the basil fried rice with beef $9.95. He was real happy with his meal as well. It was well-seasoned, spicy to his likeness with a generous portion of meat. Those slices of cucumber and wedge of lime really strikes a chord with our inner bangladeshiness.

We were so stuffed from all the food, we had no room for dessert. Overall, we enjoyed our experience here. Service was prompt and servers were friendly, we would definitely visit again.  

Curling my already curly hair

You know how we all love everything 'controlled'...like we don't always like things 'as is'. We want to control the look tweaking a few things. Hair is one of those things that look best when styled with either a styling tool or styling products.  For instance, I love the look of curls created by a curling iron, as it tends to look more polished and neat. So a few days ago, I decided to whip out my curling wand that I bought almost 5 years ago. I must say that using a curling iron can cause some 'wrist fatigue' which is basically the tired feeling in your wrist after holding up the curling iron for long. Anyway, I did spray some hairspray before and after curling as the curls tend to loose their bounce within an hour (in my hair at least as my hair is very fine in texture).

Recipe: Pasta with yogurt and eggs

I know this sounds weird, but it tasted oh-so-good.

Ingredients:

1 box medium shells pasta (12 oz.)
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
2 tbsp smashed garlic
3 eggs (fried separately)
Few grape tomatoes (halved)
1/2 cup greek yogurt
2 tsp crushed chill flakes
2 tsp Goya Adobo seasoning
1 tsp black pepper
Salt to taste


Boil pasta according to directions on package. Drain and cool. In a large pan, add butter and oil together (to prevent the butter from burning). Add the onion and caramelize. Add the smashed garlic. Add the grape tomatoes. Crumble in the fried eggs. Follow with the crushed chill flakes, adobo seasoning, black pepper and salt. Add the pasta and greek yogurt together. Mix to combine well. Cover and let it sit on medium flame for 15 minutes. Turn down the heat and check for taste, by now the tanginess of the yogurt should have subsided and you are left with a creamy sauce. Delicious!

A quick entry into 2014

Umm ok, so really... is it really 2014 already? Feels a bit surreal doesn't it? I was just thinking, there was a time, when I used to write in this diary that had scented pages and a lock! I used to guard it with my life! I used to write about what I did everyday and used to make it sound like a happy fairy tale. I am sure it's upbringing and schooling that leads us to think of everything in a 'fairy tale' kind of way. Many may argue that it leads to easy disappointments, but I think it's that thinking that fills you with hope on the darkest of days. So as an ode to those good old diary entries, I will write what I did today, in a fairy tale kind of way.

My hubby and I watched the Golden Globes today. I anxiously look forward to the Golden Globes every year. All the glittering gowns, iridescent makeup and dark tuxes makes me feel glamorous right in the middle of my living room! In honor of the globes, I decided to cook a calorie-laden dinner to further amp up the excitement (wearing a gown and pearls would have probably been more fitting of an activity but oh well). I made mutton korma (goat in a creamy sauce consisting of greek yogurt and almonds) and pulao (like pilaf). Hubby whipped up his 'desi' salad which consists of slivered cucumber, tomatoes, onion, cilantro and green chillies with a dash of mustard oil. We plonked ourselves stagnant in front of the TV and munched away. Bits of rice fell on the couch and smidgen of sauce got on the remote, but its in these imperfect moments that we get closer. If you ever came to our apartment, you will never find it pristine and neat...we are messy because we believe a good time doesn't understand neat! Back to the awards, I was soooooo happy that Byan Cranston won best actor in a tv series (drama) and Breaking Bad won best tv series (drama). By the end of it, we had jotted down all the winning movies that we have yet to watch. As the clock struck 10, hubby retired to bed while I wound up a few last minute chores. It was a lovely evening :) Hope everyone has a great week ahead :)

Happy New Year!

A bit late but Happy New Year! In a nutshell, the past year was eventful. Some happy events, some not so happy events and some devastating events. I have just come to learn that the sooner you learn to count your blessings and appreciate what you have, you will be a happier person. It is when you are faced with some major obstacles in life that you come to really believe in cliche sayings such as 'where there is a will, there is a way'. I usually never make set resolutions, what I have noticed with every year is that I have been learning to accept myself more and more. As long as you can shut out all the extreme expectations and standards the world sets, you can see how perfect you are. This year, I resolve to accept all that I am and of course how much ever more I can be. This world is getting too loud with all  these staggering standards, to make it worse, the social media noise never dies down. Saying that I completely ignore it would be lying. Sharing pictures and information on social networks can be quite rewarding if you can do it within limits. You don't want to fall into a black hole and shut yourself out completely...that I don't support.

Anyways, I am no psychologist or counselor, just sharing my two cents, here are some discoveries I've made about myself over the years...
                                            ------------------------------------------
I am very, very soft to the touch, almost wobbly. I like wearing three coats of black mascara. I have a bunion on both my big toes. I wish children didn't have to fly on planes. I like crispy fried salmon skin. I like the TV on even when I am not watching it. The call to prayer sometimes makes me feel melancholy. I don't have too many friends. Sometimes I smell of curry. I don't have any qualms admitting that I went to an Indian school for primary, secondary and high school. I have hips that are much larger than the rest of my body. I love my mom's handmade ruti (flat bread) with fresh ghee. My sister and I share some special jokes no one will ever understand. I love how my dad gets excited about grocery. I can't live without my jojoba oil and tea tree oil. I will listen to hindi songs real loud to cheer myself up. I am not good at math. I have to sleep on white sheets. I have to turn the fan on for white noise because it makes me uncomfortable when I can hear the clock ticking. I don't know how to apply nail polish neatly. I am neither trendsetter nor follower. I like hugging and smiling. I cannot be in a room full of balloons. I fear resentment. I have to drink tea in white mugs. I don't have a job. I don't drink or smoke but don't have a problem if you do. I trust people easily. I will never buy a Louis Vuitton bag. I get a headache from scented candles (even the very expensive ones!). I have to say a prayer every night before bed. I love cooking for friends and family. I have uneven eyelids. I love dressing up to the nines. I can't tolerate sugar substitutes. I don't have a car. I like staying at home and watching cheesy movies. I am not shy to admit I'm Bangladeshi. I don't believe in 'those who can't do teach'. I can do the american accent quite well. I love a busy kitchen. I never turn all the lights off.
                                          ------------------------------------------
those are just a few of the things that I have accepted about myself and makes me who I am. Oh another thing...I totally believe this, sometimes while we've accepted ourselves, we worry about not getting acceptance from others. I am kind of midway on that...  I don't have a list of what I am going to accept about my life and myself this year. I think the trick is to not think too much about it and to just let it be. Happy living everyone :)