Saturday, September 17, 2011

Food with parents

I love to cook. I can’t claim myself as a very good cook, but I love to treat my near and dear ones with new and delicious dishes. Anyway, when my parents planned to come to our place for few months, I thought to treat them with new dishes. However, the main problem was that, they are not at all foodie, like my husband. Moreover, my mother can’t eat any spicy food. So, I had to think some simple, yet delicious dishes. First week I didn’t cook any special dishes, because I was very much concerned about their health. Anyway, on the first week my husband and I decided to show them all the shops we use to visit for essential commodities.



One day, when we went to one such shop to buy some groceries we bought a chocolate cake mix. Both of my parents were very happy, when they tasted the cake I baked with the mix. To my relief, they didn’t have any health problem after eating it. In Kolkata, I saw my mother to suffer from acute indigestion, whenever she ate any food apart from daily ones, even just one bite. I was really worried about their health, especially of my mother. When they didn’t face any health problem I decided to treat them with many delicious dishes, which they didn’t dare to taste in Kolkata. On one afternoon my little one requested me to bake a cake for him, I readily agreed with him, and I made the same. However, unfortunately the cake didn’t taste good. Anyway, few days later we went to Monterey Bay, that was the first place my parents visited in the USA. I baked another cake to carry with us, and that was a good one. Everybody enjoyed the cake on that trip. From that day I decided to carry home-baked cakes with us on any outing with my parents. Since then I had cooked many dishes for everybody at home, before my parents left for Kolkata. My foodie-husband enjoyed those days very much. I always cook very simple food, so, not very often my hubby gets chance to satisfy his taste buds. My mother became very happy, and surprise at the same time, to see her youngest daughter’s cooking skill. My mother barely saw me in the kitchen before my marriage. It was difficult to me to cook the dishes, which I wanted to share with them, because they were with us for only one and a half months. By the way I started with pizza. They were overwhelmed when they eat it, and my enthusiasm increased astronomically. From Italian to Arabic many kinds of dishes I cooked with success. It was a great satisfaction to me, when I saw them to enjoy the dishes. The day before they left, my mother wanted to have only light food. However, I couldn’t help me to cook at least one mouthwatering item for them for the last time. I knew that both of my parents love to eat chops, but due to health problem they stopped eating chops. I thought that, when they didn’t have any health problem in my place why didn’t I treat them with chops? So, I cooked chops in the last evening they spent with us. When they waved at us at the airport, I prayed to get back this happy time once again.


The pizza at home- My father enjoyed it lot. My mother didn't get any health problem after eating it. Thanks to the weather and drinking water here.



I hate to cook on weekends. Usually I cook Friday morning for the rest of the weekend. However, when my parents came, I couldn't exactly calculate how much I need to cook. First week, I thought, what I cooked, that would be enough for the weekend, but I needed to cook on Sunday again. I didn't allow my mother to cook, because I wanted to get her rest. So, next Friday morning I cooked all the dishes for the weekend. I delighted when I found that, it was more than sufficient.
 Aachari Paneer- It wasn't enough for the whole family. So, only my hubby could enjoy it
Mango sweet-Inspired by one of friends, who showed me a snap of mango sweet which she prepared, I prepared the same. I didn't use any food-color, so, I didn't get the beautiful orange color. When my father told me that he didn't like the taste, I became little angry on him.  However, my mother and my husband liked it, so did my little one.
Strawberry cake-When we planned to go to Sonoma with my parents, I decided to bake a cake with little difference. Till date I always baked simple vanilla cake. However, this time I decided to bake a strawberry cake. This time I used only egg white instead of whole egg. The taste was good. Everybody enjoyed it in the tour.


28th of August was Sunday. I didn't want to cook anything for dinner. I had Dosa flour in my pantry, and dal (lentil) in my refrigerator. I decided to prepare Dosa for dinner. We had our dinner with Dosa and dal.We wanted to eat out one day. Just to let them experience a restaurant here. We went to a Thai restaurant. Both of them wanted to have vegetarian food. They don't have any prior experience of Thai Food. So, my husband and I decided to order a light vegetable curry for them. We ordered Thai tofu curry, and they loved the taste a lot, so do we. On that very evening I bought tofu, and after 2 days I cooked it in my own style.Mango Phirni-My father is very fond of fruits. So, I used to buy many fruits when my parents were with me. Once I bought a dozen of mangoes. However, the mangoes were not very good in taste. I thought to use the mangoes in Phirni, an Indian sweet dish.

Baked Tomato- One day I read the recipe in San Jose Mercury news. The recipe was very simple. I decided to prepare as a side dish with pasta for dinner. On that same evening we went to Costco wholesale market. Our main reason to go there was to show the market to my parents. After tasting complementary food there, my father lost his appetite, so, he couldn't enjoy the dinner. However, I first time prepared this dish, which was really tasty.
Pasta- It was a real feast on that night. Everybody enjoyed the dinner. After dinner I scared little bit, because it was a heavy dinner to my mother. I suggested her taking Tums. She was fine on the next morning. It was a great relief to me.

When my parents were with me, I had plenty of time for myself, because my mother was taking care of her grandson. So, I get time to nurture my hobbies and experiment in kitchen. Oneday ,when I was going through one of my friend's blog I got the recipe of Basboosa. I wanted to bake that Arabian cake that time only. I baked the on tea time. Everybody enjoyed that. That was a Friday, and my hubby came back home earliar than his usual time. So, he could also enjoy the cake with tea.Luchi and chholar dal (Kind of Indian bread and Bengal gram curry) - It was the third weekend we enjoyed luchi in breakfast. My father loves to eat luchi, but he is too afraid to suffer from health problem. I assured him that nothing would happen. Then both of my parents enjoyed a lot.
Semiya(vermicelli) Poha-My parents used to have rice cereal during snacks-time in the evening. My mother knew before to cook sweet dish with vermicelli. I told her that poha (an Indian snack) could be prepared with it. I had shortage of vermicelli in my kitchen, so, unfortunately everybody couldn't enjoy. Naturally my mother and I left our share.Aloo Paratha(paratha with stuffed potato)- I had left-over dough when I prepared luchi last time. I thought of preparing paratha instead of luchi again. This time the preparation was perfect. I was completely satisfied.After a long time, I prepared Chili-Chicken. Because it takes long time to cook, I use to avoid cooking it.


Cheese Cake - This was my first attempt to bake cheesecake. For a long time I was thinking to bake it. After eating it everybody said one word,WOW". I was extremely happy to get success at the very first time.
I used to prepare vanilla cake always. I never tried to bake a lemon cake. I also never tasted it before, but I knew about the cake. One day, my husband and I went to Costco, where he tasted a sample of lemon cake. He just fell in love with the cake. The very next day I baked lemon cake at home.Poha- The easiest yet tasty snacks I cooked many times during their stay, at breakfast and evening snacks time.Muri Ghonto( fish head curry with rice)- One day we bought two big White Bass fish. Before, when we bought the same fish, I cooked simple curry with the heads of the fish. Next, I just gave a try to prepare famous Bengali Muri-Ghonto. Before, I cooked Muri-Ghonto with the head of Rohu fish only. I always thought that it could be tasty with Rohu fish only. However, the curry with White Bass head was not at all bad.
Chops- The last dish my parents enjoyed at my place in the last evening of their stay was chops. It is a very popular Bengali evening snack, chops with rice cereal.



3 comments:

Unknown said...

Great dishes, seems really good..-Archu

Sayantani Mahapatra Mudi said...

babare Krishna katto kichu baniecho...darun darun dish sab. you parents must have been very proud ith their daughter.

krishna said...

Thank u sayantani... currently my new obssession is cooking :D

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