There's a saying which I've heard way too often.. "The way to a man's heart, is through his stomach". Although I'll think the way is a little down south than the stomach :P .. But I wont disregard this old adage, I mean this might or might not be true, but I don't want to risk it!!
So what does that mean? Well that simply means, I've started taking cooking seriously, not that I can't cook if my life depended on it, I CAN! But that's not the way you win a man's heart, even if its someone with as low as a benchmark as my man does (I mean come on he's a bachelor who eats office cafeteria food.. even if I feed him uncooked vegetables I'll beat that mark :) !!) It's enough to stay afloat.. Yes.. but to win his heart.. Umm.. No.
And the more I get to cooking, the more I'm getting addicted to the praises and empty trays :) .. I've always been very fond of baked goods. It always surprises me how magic happens in the oven. But I wont say I'm a born cook. I had in the past tried my hand baking, but I was so bad that even the dogs decided to let it pass. And with that historic day in my vivid memory, and to my misfortune my Mum's memory any experimentation I did now was bound to scrutiny. Anyway, I decided I'll take baby steps, first step making my own breakfast :) .. Well there's no science to a bowl of cornflakes you'll say and I agree completely. But once bitten twice shy. I needed to gain confidence. Mixing milk and flakes right, ok i can do proportions now. Then graduating to making my own eggs, now I can cook on flame and not burn myself, great going. Milkshakes, I can operate the blender yay! and such small victories, made me a happy trooper!
There was a time when my mom was off for a week where I had to feed my dad and myself. It's then when I realised, I didn't lack the skill, I only lacked the patience :D .. my poor dad had to eat the same daal for the whole week :P But he's a sweetheart he doesn't complain ( I mean he did .. but while eating so I didn't take him seriously :P ) But Mom came back and I had no intentions of honing my skills further until "The Man" expressed his age old desire of having the wife cook delicacies for him, and how he'd never have that fulfilled as he chose me (angry face!).. That was a moment when the HWIMYM Barney style "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!! buzz came to my mind.
First step was obvious.. his favourite breakfast recipe, Pancakes!! How difficult is that, just flour eggs and milk, and you're done :) .. I thought the effort was worth appreciation, he on the other hand thought the pancakes needed a little more cooking.. *heartbreak*.
Alright, we wont back down due to disapproval, only grow stronger and move on. Next up, appetizers, this time i decided Indian is safer, you see if you have the ingredients right, there's nothing much to it. So I thought Dahi ke kebab, and to my rescue came Tarala Dalal (who sadly passed away this Wednesday, may that amazing woman's soul rest in peace, for she helped a million Indian brides, find their way to their men's hearts!!) and did they work up a charm! It got even my dad stand up and take notice.. which is for me the best compliment ever. And because the kebabs were so good, he accepted defeat happily gulping down those melt in the mouth awesome things :D
Now emboldened by my new found success I decided to pick up the one task I most dreaded and haunted by.. Baking. I decided to bake brownies, and thus began the hunt for the perfect brownie recipe, after hours of internet surfing came across one which seemed achievable, got the ingredients, the humble food processor every lazy cook's dream tool came to help, took the abandoned oven and viola! slightly burnt but perfectly edible brownies!!! And once you get over the burnt crust they tasted almost bakery purchased! And yes he agreed to that I can cook and that he only mocked me so he could get to eat the marvellous treats :D
And do I believe him? Of course not! He had to eat his words because the one considered out of the race has won it! :)
And there's nothing which tastes better than the taste of victory!!!
So what does that mean? Well that simply means, I've started taking cooking seriously, not that I can't cook if my life depended on it, I CAN! But that's not the way you win a man's heart, even if its someone with as low as a benchmark as my man does (I mean come on he's a bachelor who eats office cafeteria food.. even if I feed him uncooked vegetables I'll beat that mark :) !!) It's enough to stay afloat.. Yes.. but to win his heart.. Umm.. No.
And the more I get to cooking, the more I'm getting addicted to the praises and empty trays :) .. I've always been very fond of baked goods. It always surprises me how magic happens in the oven. But I wont say I'm a born cook. I had in the past tried my hand baking, but I was so bad that even the dogs decided to let it pass. And with that historic day in my vivid memory, and to my misfortune my Mum's memory any experimentation I did now was bound to scrutiny. Anyway, I decided I'll take baby steps, first step making my own breakfast :) .. Well there's no science to a bowl of cornflakes you'll say and I agree completely. But once bitten twice shy. I needed to gain confidence. Mixing milk and flakes right, ok i can do proportions now. Then graduating to making my own eggs, now I can cook on flame and not burn myself, great going. Milkshakes, I can operate the blender yay! and such small victories, made me a happy trooper!
There was a time when my mom was off for a week where I had to feed my dad and myself. It's then when I realised, I didn't lack the skill, I only lacked the patience :D .. my poor dad had to eat the same daal for the whole week :P But he's a sweetheart he doesn't complain ( I mean he did .. but while eating so I didn't take him seriously :P ) But Mom came back and I had no intentions of honing my skills further until "The Man" expressed his age old desire of having the wife cook delicacies for him, and how he'd never have that fulfilled as he chose me (angry face!).. That was a moment when the HWIMYM Barney style "CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!! buzz came to my mind.
First step was obvious.. his favourite breakfast recipe, Pancakes!! How difficult is that, just flour eggs and milk, and you're done :) .. I thought the effort was worth appreciation, he on the other hand thought the pancakes needed a little more cooking.. *heartbreak*.
Alright, we wont back down due to disapproval, only grow stronger and move on. Next up, appetizers, this time i decided Indian is safer, you see if you have the ingredients right, there's nothing much to it. So I thought Dahi ke kebab, and to my rescue came Tarala Dalal (who sadly passed away this Wednesday, may that amazing woman's soul rest in peace, for she helped a million Indian brides, find their way to their men's hearts!!) and did they work up a charm! It got even my dad stand up and take notice.. which is for me the best compliment ever. And because the kebabs were so good, he accepted defeat happily gulping down those melt in the mouth awesome things :D
Now emboldened by my new found success I decided to pick up the one task I most dreaded and haunted by.. Baking. I decided to bake brownies, and thus began the hunt for the perfect brownie recipe, after hours of internet surfing came across one which seemed achievable, got the ingredients, the humble food processor every lazy cook's dream tool came to help, took the abandoned oven and viola! slightly burnt but perfectly edible brownies!!! And once you get over the burnt crust they tasted almost bakery purchased! And yes he agreed to that I can cook and that he only mocked me so he could get to eat the marvellous treats :D
And do I believe him? Of course not! He had to eat his words because the one considered out of the race has won it! :)
And there's nothing which tastes better than the taste of victory!!!
