Shocks and Shoes

Weekly Goals Update – 28 October 2012

1:23:00 pm

The ‘Liebster’ Award!!

11:33:00 am

The brains behind ‘Dreams n Drama’, Swarnali and Arpita, have nominated my blog for the ‘Liebster’ Award!! ‘Liebster’ is a German word which means ‘favorite’ or ‘beloved’. Thank you so much guys!! ‘Shocks and Shoes’ is a happy little blog now!

Rules of the tag:

1. If tagged, or nominated, you have to post eleven facts about yourself.

2. Then you answer eleven questions the tagger has asked you and you post eleven questions for people you are going to tag.

3. Tag eleven bloggers (with no more than 200 followers)

4. Tell people that they have been tagged.

5. No tagging back.

Ok, now for eleven facts about myself, you can look here. To the best of my knowledge, nothing in that has changed :-).

Answering Arpita’s questions is going to be a lot of fun, they’re all Harry Potter related and they made me take a walk down memory lane.

The other rules are kinda tough. You see, No. 5 sort of nullifies the rest. Everyone I would like to tag have already been tagged. So let’s leave it at that :-).

Ok, Arpita’s questions:

Q1. The Mirror of Erised shows us what our deepest desire is. What would you see if you looked into it?

I think it would show me as a Super Mom, having a great job, happy family, clean home and doing it all in style. Sigh!

Q2. A Dementor reminds us of our most painful memory. What would you remember if a Dementor approached you?

I think I would remember some very hurtful things people have said to me in the past.

Q3. A Patronus charm helps us fight off a Dementor; we need to think of the best memory we have, in order to cast the spell. Which memory would you think of?

Weekends when I was little. Feeling safe and protected and happy, and enjoying biryani and a good movie with my family.

Q4. The possessor of the Deathly Hallows becomes master of Death. The Deathly Hallows are the Elder Wand (the most powerful weapon on earth), the Resurrection Stone (which will bring someone back from the dead) and The Cloak of Invisibility (which will make you invisible for as long as you wear it). Which one would you choose, and why?

If I remember correctly, things didn’t end well for the possessors of the Deathly Hallows. So, I’ll pass.

Q5. In the fourth book, The Goblet of Fire, the mermaids and mermen from the lake in the school grounds take from the champions of the Triwizard Tournament what they would miss most- a person who is dearest to them. Who do you think would be taken from you? [Don’t worry, all hostages are released at the end of the task.] :P

If their aim was to make me go after someone without a second thought, they would probably take my child.

Q6. Which word defines you best- brave, loyal, wise or ambitious?

Loyal.

Q7. An ‘Animagus’ is a person who can change into an animal, and back, at will. A ‘Metamorphmagus’ can change their appearance at will. What would you rather be, and why?

A ‘Metamorphmagus’, since I’m not really an animal person.

Q8. The Room of Requirement changes into the kind of place that the person needs to be in. What would it change into if you approached it?

Oh, that would depend a lot on the circumstances at that time.

Q9. The Philosopher’s Stone can turn any metal into gold, and its liquid form- the Elixir of Life- can grant immortality to the drinker. A Pensieve can be used as a vessel to store your thoughts in. A Time Turner can help you go back in time and change what you want to. Which one would you choose, and why?

Hmm, a Pensieve, I suppose, since I tend to forget people’s names and faces at times.

Q10. What would you want written on your epitaph?

"Yes you prefer the life of this world, but the next world is better & more lasting."

Q11. Sirius Black and James Potter had a magical mirror each, which they could talk into and see one another in; something that came in handy when they were stuck in different classrooms during detention. (Old fashioned Skype.) Suppose you are in a world where there’s no technology and only one pair of such mirrors; you would, of course, keep one of them- who is the person you would give the other one to?

This is really, really tough. Honestly, I don’t know.

Swarnali and Arpita, I had a really fun time answering those questions!! A good Harry Potter refresher too!! Thanks for the award again!!

Personal

Weekly Goals Update – 21 October 2012

10:05:00 pm

Food

Recipe for the Week – Spaghetti Bolognese

12:01:00 pm

Before I begin, here’s a disclaimer – I have never been to Italy or eaten ‘authentic bolognese’ and so I make no claim regarding the authenticity of my recipe.

However, I can guarantee that all the ingredients are easily available in India and that it’ll taste super yum!!

Apparently, the original Italian version uses beef mince, bacon, red wine, carrots and celery and is customarily served with tagliatelle. Italian chefs are screaming bloody murder at the way the rest of the world has corrupted their beloved dish.

Tagliatelle with Bolognese Ragu - the true Italian way (Wikipedia)

Here, I have used chicken mince, grape juice, mushrooms and served it with spaghetti. Have I killed the original? Maybe, but only to bring forth another yummy dish :-).

I have tried a Bolognese quite a few times, from different recipes seen on websites and in magazines. This recipe is a combination of all of them; I like the end result, and hope you do too!

Note: I’ve tried this recipe with beef and chicken mince; either one is fine, although beef would require more cooking time.

What you’ll need: (3 servings)

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves of garlic chopped

200 g onion chopped

250 g chicken or beef mince

1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

65 ml grape juice (go for the ‘no added sugar’ variety)

300 g tomatoes chopped

75 g thick tomato sauce

½ tbsp honey

1 tbsp oregano

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp red chilli sauce (take it up to 1 tsp if you want fiery)

½ tsp freshly ground pepper

Salt to taste

100 g mushrooms chopped (you may substitute with carrots or celery if you like)

200 g spaghetti

½ tbsp butter

Grated Parmesan

What you’re going to do:

1. Heat a large saucepan and pour in the olive oil.

2. Add the garlic and fry for a few seconds. Take a whiff, that is a heavenly aroma.

3. Add the onions, a pinch of salt and keep stirring till they turn soft and transparent.

4. Add the mince. Fry it with the onions till the pinkness is gone and it’s turned all crumbly.

It should go from this:

to this:

5. Add the Worcestershire and chopped tomatoes. Cover and cook till the tomatoes are mushy.

6. Add the grape juice, tomato sauce, honey, paprika, red chilli sauce, pepper, oregano and salt. Mix well.

7. Cover and cook till the mince is cooked and the sauce is reduced and thick. Towards the end of cooking, when the sauce has just a little water left, add the mushrooms and cook again. The final sauce should not be watery.

8. Meanwhile, boil water with salt and cook the pasta as per package instructions.

9. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.

10. Melt some butter in a pan and fry the spaghetti in it for about a minute.

11. To serve, ladle some spaghetti on a plate and make a depression in the centre.

12. Pour some sauce onto the centre of the spaghetti bed and grate some Parmesan on top if you like. Garnish with fresh basil. (I skipped the Parmesan and basil here)

ATTACK!!!!

I think this sauce would go perfectly with a tubular pasta like penne as well, with all the meat filling up the pasta tubes.

This is my favorite pasta sauce of all, it is thick and meaty, with the right amount of spice, sweetness and tanginess – I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner, every day!!

Source

This recipe is a participant in the ‘Flavors of Cuisine – Italian’ event hosted by Priya at Priya’s Versatile Recipes, which is part of the Flavors of Cuisine series started by Julie at ErivumPuliyum.

Personal

Weekly Goals Update – 14 October 2012

11:18:00 am

Fashion

ASOS Sale – Accessory Lust List!

6:13:00 pm

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, I’m assuming you know of ASOS’ Mid Season Sale. I recently went and had a look (is it any wonder I can’t complete any of my chores?), and found some really pretty stuff under (hold your breath) 15 £. This, as of the exchange rates at 4:35 P.M. on 11th October 2012, comes to approximately 1000 Indian Rupees!! You heard me right girls, gorgeous stuff at 1000 Rupees and under!!!

There are loads of stuff in that price range, but here are some of my picks:

1. Pack of Three Neon Love Rings (£2.5 ~ Rs.212)