Food Eaten At Lunch Time

The children come home from school late in the afternoon tired and hungry.Everyday I see that they are given a well balanced home cooked meal.As a stay at home mom I can afford to spend some extra time in the kitchen planning out the day's menu and cooking: rice,vegetables and meat  to satiate the taste buds of my children.The meat is always cooked a little spicy  with enough gravy,sometimes the children love it all marinated and fried. The vegetables are relished when done  in mild spices and coconut milk.If I have some carrots,lettuce and any other leafy green in my refrigerator I tear them and throw into a bowl.To make a salad in an instant. Rice and curry is the  typical lunch eaten at home everyday.Once in a way the children  would want to eat something other than the usual food.I eat  my Lunch  with the children but my hubby has his lunch when he  comes home after office in the evening.I serve him everyday and discuss the days events with him..If I am hungry I have a second serving  along with  hubby ( of course in  small  quantities) ..

Pan Toasted Bread

During the cold season cooked meals  become chilled after sometime.Even the bread becomes a little soggy thus making it a little cumbersome to make firm and fresh sandwiches.So the only alternative is to toast the bread.Bread toasted on an electric toaster is easier than pan toasted or grilled .But it gives out  a different taste and texture when toasted on a hot griddle.The children love it and so do I.So when ever there is bread available at home ,I try to make something new for the children to relish on.

Last morning for breakfast I pan toasted slices of bread and to eat with those, made two items to spread on or dip with the toast.Pan toasting  gives a unique taste and is a lot  more crunchier.

I scrambled three eggs and after it came down to room temperature added to it some butter,cheese, mayonnaise ,pepper and salt.One on toasted slice of bread I spread a little of this mixture.Then I covered it with another slice and reheated it. This binds the slices together.

This is a creamy paste made with tuna fish,butter,cheese, pepper, mustard cream and salt.Whip all the ingredients to a fine paste and dip with toasted bread.

Food For Thought

Life is so brief that we should not glance either too far backwards or forwards…therefore study how to fix our happiness in our glass and in our plate.”
- Grimod de la Reynière

Mix And Match Recipe

A number of dishes can be tried with dry fish.This is a recipe  made from dried and salted fish which is then  fried in hot oil.The recipe I have for you  is fried dry fish sambal.This is generally eaten with red rice,dhal curry,a greeny leaf  mallun ( minced salad) and pappadam, a thin crispy savoury  wafer.This  specific recipe and the above dishes make  an ideal Lunch on a cold winter day.This is a typical  lunch in most homes in Sri Lanka.The neighbouring homes know you are cooking this dish because of the tantalizing  aroma that wafts from your kitchen. 


The recipe ( Dry Fish Sambal)
Fry dried fish pieces,any kind .( 8-10 pieces) Set aside.
Then slightly  fry  two sliced  onions,3-4 green chillies ,a tablespoon red chilly flakes and a few curry leaves in a little oil.
Add one large chopped tomato and salt to taste.Mix in the fried dried fish.Squeeze in the juice of a small lime.


You can also mix and match this recipe  with a few  other dishes as well  ...mix it with deviled potatoes.

... or simply add it to fried brinjals ( eggplant)

A Specialty Bun

A Food festival is underway in the Kingdom and there is this hustle and the bustle amongst the folks where they are preparing to exhibit different foods from all parts of the region.The food that is dominating the news is Kleja a Saudi Arabian food which is very similar to a large cookie or a bun. It is a nourishing food made with flour,sugar, eggs and a diversity of favorable herbs like ginger ,cloves and cardamoms.The combined nutrients in the food makes it a good choice for children to snack on.Most Saudis relish this with cups of tea or coffee.It is said to have its beginnings in Al-Qassim in the Eastern region of the Kingdom.This specialty bun was well liked even in the olden days.Because of it’s high nutrient values it was a popular choice for travelers, pilgrims, and businessmen who would travel by camel to Syria, Palestine, Turkey, Iran and Egypt for trade.

These delectable biscuits are made of whole wheat flour and have a firm covering.They are filled with a flavored paste and can be stored without refrigeration for upto three months.This is also served during Saudi weddings and other functions.An ideal food for weight watchers to snack on due to less calories.

Picture source Internet-AN photo

Refreshing Tea

"Tea tempers the spirit, harmonizes the mind, dispels lassitude and relieves fatigue, awakens the thought and prevents drowsiness."
(Lu Yu, The Classic Art of Tea)

Smorgie

Eating out is an easy alternative when we are tied up with a busy schedule.However to enjoy good food one must know of a good restaurant within our reach..More so it isn’t possible to remember a good spot in an instant unless of course if you are any where within the  reach of  Smorgie.com.This website is exclusively designed to make life easier for the gourmet lover  with a host of fabulous features and tools that one could have never dreamt of.This network  helps  save precious time with  their  customized services.

This wonderful site Smorgie provides the internet user the opportunity  to  create a free  account and  record a list of favourite restaurants in town. It avails the user the opportunity to check with a lot of restaurants listed by member users. Smorgie.com is a kind of a social  networking for foodie lovers.Once you become a member of this valued website you  can make use of their services to schedule your lunch  and dinner plans   via   recommendations by other  member users.This site allows foodie lovers to plan well in advance how much they are going to spend financially and time wise,eating out. Lets say that  you are  entrusted to organize your home or  office parties or just a girls night out and all you got do is   browse your way into Smorgie where you will be guided  to a host of  distinguished restaurants .

This wonderful site allows users to make  routine lists of restaurants they’ve visited and create another list they prefer to go in the future.This way we can help our circle of friends to choose  restaurants based on our listed recommendations  whenever they prefer to dine out.With just a click, this user friendly website helps you  select some of the best restaurants in town in the most fastest and easiest way.

Next time when you plan to celebrate your  anniversary,in addition to surprising your loved one  with a bunch of  roses or a box of  chocolates, delightfully  guide her to Smorgie and help her select  her favourite restaurant. Hence you  may enjoy a cherished moment together.This is a unique solution to all your dining  out problems as  nothing can beat the convenience of going online with Smorgie.com .In a few easy steps you are well on the way for an extensive meal. So take this shortest route via Smorgie to dine in style and share your wonderful eating out experience with  friends on Smorgie.com

Bon Appetit!

Disclaimer: This sponsorship is brought to you by Smorgie.com who we have partnered with for this promotion.

Scramble Me-Omelette

This is an easy to do breakfast. This is like an omelette but chopped into chunks or wedges while still  in the cooking process .

You will need

2 eggs

2 medium tomatoes ( chopped )

1/2 oz butter

1 oz chopped chicken sausages ( previously sauteed)

1 oz  chopped bell peppers 

1 oz chopped onion 

salt and pepper to taste

Method

Melt the butter in a pan and add all the ingredients except the eggs and  cook for about 5-10 minutes.Then add the beaten eggs and stir it well with the rest of the ingredients.Once it begins to thicken cut it into chunks.Remove from pan  and serve immediately with buttered toast.

Warm And Refreshing

“Plain fresh bread, its crust shatteringly crisp. Sweet cold butter. There is magic in the way they come together in your mouth to make a single perfect bite."

- Ruth Reichl

Cooking Beans

 A few days ago I was assigned to do a pot of beans for a farewell party. Since it was a large quantity, my daughters helped me with the cutting and chopping. I was glad I had some extra help. Beans could be cooked in many different ways. I decided to  do a curried dish.

I had to fry the beans in batches as the frying pan couldn't hold a lot at the same time. Once all the beans were fried, I put them into a  large platter lined with paper towels for  the excess oil  to be absorbed.

The beans went through many  cooking stages to reach  the finish product. First it was fried and cooked on the stove and then went into the oven to simmer. A lot of tomatoes, onions, garlic and a few spices were added to bring out the flavour. This vegetable curry is a good side dish with  rice cooked in saffron.

Eating Crabs

Last night my Husband bought crab curry from the local mall which was holding a sea food fiesta.We hadn't eaten crab for awhile and I was all agog to taste it again.The children of course didnt dare to take a bite.They were put off by the crab shells. It was scrumptious. The sauce was thick and delicious.The sweet and sour taste of the sauce was tantalizing. Crabs should be eaten with caution as the shells could injure the mouth.It's time consuming too.My son was so  amazed at the way I was eating them.Instead of using a fork or a spoon I had a big wooden hammer with me.It was very difficult to break open the shells to get the flesh out, so I had to make use of a hammer to crack open the shells.The flesh inside was so juicy and extraordinarily tasty.It was worth the effort and the time.