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Missing Bombay Chat

I have always loved chat and no one can make as great tasting chat as MM sweets of Malad, I am crazy for its pani puri, shev puri, dahi puri, aloo chat and the list goes on. You wont believe it, my mouth is watering as I am writing this down. Only my sissy knows how much i love chats. But my hubby doesn't like chat all that much as he thinks they are not very healthy ( i know but i love them). So the next big thing I had to learn in US was chat. I tried making chat with the ready made chat powder where you just mix water and wow your chutney is ready. Now taste it and yucck!! its horrible really, no die hard chat fan can eat it. But making three different chutneys was a nightmare. So like all my recipes I decided to take a shortcut and make one single chat chutney. You take all the ingredients for your chutney's and grind them together and freeze it so that you are ready for a chat treat any time.
This pic is of a channa chat, which my hubby doesn't mind having as it is somewhat healthy, chick peas are high in protein then you add curds and plus the potato. Dhruv loves all these ingredients so doesn't mind eating chat only I don't add chat chutney as it is too spicy, I mix a little chutney with a lot of tomato sauce and serve him.
Here's the recipe I use, also this may be a trial and error method so start with small quantities and then once you know what taste you like, the spice, the mint, you can fix the amount of the ingredients.

200gms seedless dates
3 tbsp tamarind pulp thick
4 teaspoon red chilli powder (adjust the quantity )
1 tsp roasted cumin seed powder
1tsp coriander seed powder
7-8 garlic flakes or 3 tsp garlic paste
1 big bunch fresh green coriander leaves
1 small bunch mint leaves (again adjust i dont like the minty chutney i use less)
5 green chillis
2 tsp ginger paste or 1 inch ginger

Grind everything together and adjust the salt and spice. make portions and freeze it.

for the chana chat

100 gms boiled chick peas
1 cup curd
1 potato mashed
nylon sev
fried nuts
chat masala
crushed puri or pani puri puris or potato chips anything crunchy
fresh chopped coriander

Spread the crushed puris on a plate and arrange potato on it. Now spread curds and add the chat masala, pour some chat chutney and add the channa on top. Sprinkle nylon sev and decorate with fresh coriander. Enjoy!!

by yumyum at

Menu for last week

Last week was Independence day weekend so we all were at home most of the time except hubby sneaking into his home office checking through the emails :
i didn't touch my email i had decided that it will be a relaxed weekend dedicated to household chores. So i managed to clean most of the clutter, re-organize my fridge and cook simple recipes.
For Friday I made a palak corn recipe and a salad is always a must for my hubby for both lunch and dinner. Then Saturday we had breakfast for lunch with bagels and tomato soup LOL. For Sunday I made a nice breakfast, my hubby loves egg breakfast with waffles and lots of cream and jelly. My son only loves the grape jelly. So thats what i made though i didn't make waffles got the prepackaged ones. I did make mutton curry for lunch which my dad loves a lot. This recipe is nowhere close to the real mutton curry he makes, but that was the easiest i could make it :) my idea was to keep it simple and quick like all my meals, no shortage of butter or ghee in my meals LOL, weight watchers beware. But i guess once a week thats OK. Then in the evening we went to a nearby park to have dinner in the park. I made a small rotini salad for us and sonny had only the macaroni. You will see that for my son the portions are usually small but its not a different preparation may be a little less spice but he doesn't like it that way, he loves spicy too !! We all eat the same food.

So heres my recipe for quick mutton curry,
0.5 kg mutton small to medium pieces
2 tablespoons ginger garlic pate
1 green chili
1 teaspoon haldi
3 teaspoons malvani masala (if u don't have it take 2 teaspoon red chili powder + i teaspoon garam masala)
1 big onion finely chopped
1 small tomato finely chopped
1 cup coconut milk
2 teaspoons jeera
5-6 peppercorns
1 small bay leaf
1 small stick cinnamon
2 tablespoons ghee (1+1 ghee and oil is OK too or reduce the quantity of oil or substitute butter anyway it will turn out fine but will less oil it tends to look not so appetizing)
1 small bunch coriander chopped fine ( i use a lot!)
Salt for taste

I first marinate the mutton in malvani masala, haldi and ginger garlic paste. I make batches of 3-4 packets of 0.5 kg each and keep it in the freezer. I use it over the next 2 weeks. For the tadka, heat the oil add the jeera to cinnamon fry for a min and then add onions. When the onions are nice and brown add the tomato. Fry the tomato till its done and shouldnt leave a raw taste. Now add the marinated mutton fry for 2 mins and add water, let it cook over a low flame till tender and done. DO NOT ADD SALT. After mutton is tender and cooked add the salt and coconut milk let it cook till its reduced to a thick gravy or thin curry as you like it and garnish it with lots of coriander (i mean really lot LOL)

see quick and easy you really don't have to do the elaborate methods, takes 15 mins when you have the mutton marinated in the freezer. Plus you can also microwave the mutton for 15 mins and then add it to the tadka which will reduce the cooking time.
enjoy!

by yumyum at

Website Designing-Awesome Tips

Website Design has become an integral part of businesses. Thus, the Website design should be able to catch the eyes of customers and to do so it is crucial that it should be user friendly. It should be properly designed to have a professional look. The following are the steps for online presence of professional website:
First impressions are the best impressions and hence the first impression of the site can be got from its graphic and layout designing. The Professional Website Design should be simple and lucid. All the pages need to be consistent in background, color usage, text format and screen layout. A detailed understanding can be seen below.
BACKGROUND & TEXT COLORS- The color schemes express the characters of the website and make it unique and attractive. The selection of the set of colors for background & text has to be done very carefully. It is recommended to use the dark color Vs light color combination, In other words, light text against a dark background or dark text against a light background is suggested. It would be a blunder if a background pattern that has both dark and light colors is used, as this would make it difficult to choose a text color that is readable against such a background. Background image or texture chosen should contrast well with the text color, so that it is easy to read on screen.
SELECTION OF FONTS- One of the most important parts of a web page is text. It can make the page look very professional or very unprofessional. Consistency in fonts is required; In other words, using varied fonts throughout the pages should be avoided. The standard fonts used on the Internet are Arial and Verdana as they are most readable on computer screen and as for headlines Georgia is used most extensively, as it has a slightly larger display.
FORMATTING PAGES- Lay out of the page should be with tables, and the width should be in percentage terms (100% to window size) instead of a fixed number of pixels. If done so, the content of the page will be flexible even with changes in browser window size, without the need to scroll horizontally. Tables enable displaying the contents in sections like a newspaper.
LINKS should be well organized, properly interlinked and easy to detect by using appropriate colors. Links should be underlined & a different color can be used for visited links, a link to the homepage should be displayed on all the internal pages. It should be ensured that there are no broken links simple text navigation links at the bottom of long pages should be provided, so that users don't need to scroll up.
OPTIMZE PAGES to be viewed at 800x600 (the most popular resolution).
CONTENTS OF THE PAGES- The content of professional website should be in bulleted or numbered list with direct to the point in short paragraphs, as long blocks of text passages can be boring for the reader. The intention of the web pages should be made clear.
TOP of the individual pages are to be loaded with most important and essential content with a brief header. This will quickly let the user know, your web page is the page what he is looking for, helping the user easily identify his/her requirement. A simple logo with captivating tag line on the top of the page acts as an identity of the website. Common names for menu options: Home, About Us, Contact Us, Help, and Products, a copyright statement at the bottom of the each web page are to be used.


by GURPREET KAUR

Website Design Is Essential To Growing Your Customer Base

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Both the style and the content of your business website will portray the personality and image of your company. Of course you want to achieve the largest audience possible with minimal problems. The following things are a few things that any website design should include.
The goal at the top of a majority of business's list is to boost the number of customers to their websites. There are a couple of ways to deal with this challenge; by harnessing the power of search engine traffic, and by seeing that the existing visitors are kept sufficiently pleased to come back again. It's a fine balancing act that can be realized with observance of certain common principles.
You may not think that one can be creative and well-organized at the same time. However, a superior custom web design pro must bring styling creativity together with a sound fundamental knowledge of how to write the necessary code. It is as crucial to comprehend the basic elements of a well-built site as it is to present one with an attractive appearance. An expert in the area of website design must have both of those capabilities. The union of these two abilities is what eventually makes for an effective internet site.
The best way to get traffic to your site is to increase the frequency in which it is listed on search results pages. Your headings are important: Search algorithms give top priority to the terms that appear in the headings of your pages. Capitalize on this buy making sure that your website design doesn't use images as topic headings or titles. Keep in mind that a search engine cannot interpret text in an image: You need to use textual HTML to keep your key words and search terms relevant.
It is mandated by law that places of business provide handicapped patrons accessibility via wheelchair ramps and special bathrooms, and you can also be equally in tune to the needs of the disabled. One such accommodation that you can make is to use large text sizes. If your links are clearly identifiable and easy to visually locate, this enhances your ability to do business with those who rely on screen reading software.
Appealing to a wider audience throughout many cultures is a great way to attract new visitors. There's probably a larger market of buyers who do not speak your language than those who do. As such, offering alternate language versions of your website can be a wise idea. Translating sections is not expensive, and can be done in a piecemeal, as-needed fashion through free online translation tools.
The global market today is filled with all kinds of people from all walks of life. If your company provides goods or services, you can embrace these new times and make a profit. Using simple, proven methods of website design, you can build a client base and increase the goals of your business.

by jason ciment

All Brides are Beautiful

All Brides are Beautiful Many brides I have met have been very concerned about the way they will look going down the aisle and standing in front of everyone as the center of attention for those twenty to twenty five minutes of the ceremony. Some obsess about their looks. Many go on diets. In fact there are diet programs posted on wedding sites on the internet and in chapters in wedding books for women who want to lose mega pounds before their wedding. It’s like they believe they will be judged by everyone in attendance and pronounced “ugly.” Or if they don’t look like the model on the cover of a bride’s magazine, their groom and his entire family will get up and leave the wedding. Whoa! Let’s take an honest look at this and try to put it into perspective. Your groom fell in love with you just the way you are. In his eyes you are already beautiful and he most likely doesn’t want you to change. In fact he’s probably wondering what all the big fuss is about. So what, if someone in the group of family or guests has a thought about an imperfection or two? Who really cares? It’s their problem if they’re judging you, not your problem. There is a wonderful saying that should be taken to heart, “What other people think of me is none of my business.” Sitting in judgment of you or anyone else is their business and not yours. Your mother may have been telling you to fix your hair a different way, to stand up straight, to lose a few pounds -- that’s what mothers do. But she will be the one who thinks you are the most beautiful and will tell everyone she meets, and show pictures to prove it, how beautiful you were for your wedding. Your wedding is a joyful celebration of the love between you and your groom. It is not a beauty contest. The truth is that each bride has this wonderful glow that love gives her -- a radiance and a dazzling beauty that make-up, hair dos, and dieting cannot provide. Absolutely, do what you want to do to be beautiful on your special day – go to the spa and the hairdresser. Get a manicure and a pedicure. Do all those things that women do to look their best. But know, with great confidence, that you will be beautiful and your man will never forget how you looked as you walked toward him to become his wife. By Irene Conlan

Honeymoon Heaven

Every last penny is spent on lavish venues, hand-tied bouquets, opulent dress fabrics, extravagant menus, state of the art discos, novel favours and award-winning photographers. But, when it comes to splashing out on the holiday of a lifetime - your first as man and wife packed with lots of guilt free indulgences - why do you feel the need to compromise?! It seems as though wedding guests are treated like royalty leaving the happy couple to start their married life as paupers. There’s plenty of time for being penniless later - like when you’ve got 6 kids to feed and a hefty mortgage!
The honeymoon
is such a vital part of a wedding celebration and the perfect end to all the excitement and build up of the big day. But, it’s also the start of something special. It’s the beginning of your marriage and therefore should be marked with a wonderful holiday. Saving money by not having a proper honeymoon will always be regretted. Make cutbacks everywhere else - give your guests chicken rather than caviar and they probably won’t even notice - but don’t scrimp on the holiday! Pack your groom off to the nearest travel agents and make sure you both get the honeymoon you deserve. You can then buy your ‘Just Married’ Rhinestone Bikini and relish every moment of twinkling by the sea!

By Emily Tanner