Weekly Goals Update – 30 September 2012


Last week’s main focus was Cub’s birthday (related post coming soon). The preparations, followed by the actual party, then the hangover followed by a major toy cleanup. Then I spent the weekend relaxing with my parents and sis and now I’m all charged up and ready for the week ahead!!


1. Successfully organized a proper kiddie party for the first time :-)
2. As a part of the party prep, I did some deep cleaning. (Just a little)
3. Cub’s birthday gifts resulted in a major toy explosion which was duly sorted out and organized.
4. I stuck to my regular prayers.


1. The party made me forego portion control.
2. I didn’t actually workout the whole week. Yes, the whole week, although I wonder if running around for the party and then managing a bunch of high energy kids counts ;-)
3. Hardly read anything.

So, October has begun. The last quarter of the year!! Hasn’t this year just sped by? You guys have a great week!! 


Cute Kajal Agarwal Sttils

Kajal Cute Smile

Kajal Cute Smile  



Kajal Cute in saree

Kajal Cute in Transparent

Kajal Cute in Transparent Saree

Kajal Cute in Transparent Saree

Kajal Cute in Transparent Saree

Kajal Cute in Transparent Saree

Kajal Cute in Transparent Saree

Kajal Cute in Transparent Saree

Kajal Cute in Transparent Saree

Kajal Cute in Transparent Saree

Kajal Cute in Transparent Saree

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Kajol Devgn (née Mukherjee) (born 5 August 1974), known mononymously as Kajol, is an Indian actress appearing in Hindi and Tamil films. She has received six Filmfare Awards, among eleven nominations and along with her late aunt Nutan, holds the record for most Best Actress wins at Filmfare, with five. In 2011,
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Recipe for the Week – Ice Cream Cake with Oreo Crust


This post is sooo late; I actually made this for Eid and planned to post soon after!! Anyway, this recipe is actually derived from this Banana Split Ice Cream Cake recipe and the ganache is from here. Now lets check out my version!

This cake is really, really easy, though my instructions regarding the timings may appear complicated. Instead of listing out all the ingredients first, I’ll go layer by layer.

Note: You’ll need a springform pan for this. If you don’t have one, you can line the base of any pan with cling film so that it overflows out from the sides. When the cake is done, you just lift it out by the extra cling film.


For the Base/Crust:

20 Oreo cookies
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1. Crush the cookies in a mixer till they resemble breadcrumbs.
2. Mix them with butter until completely moistened.
3. Press into the base of a spring form tin and freeze for at least 15 minutes.

Note: Don’t press the base too hard or it’ll be difficult to cut once frozen.

For the Ice cream layers:

½ litre chocolate ice cream
½ litre vanilla ice cream

1. Place chocolate ice cream in the fridge for 30 minutes to soften.
2. Whisk well to make it smooth and spreadable.
3. Spread over the Oreo base completely, smoothing the top.
4. Cover with cling film and freeze for 1 hour.
5. Place vanilla ice cream in the fridge for 30 minutes to soften.
6. Whisk well to make it smooth and spreadable.
7. Spread over the frozen chocolate layer completely, smoothing the top.
8. Cover and freeze for at least 2 hours.




For the Ganache:

150 g dark chocolate, chopped
150 g cream

1. Bring cream to just a boil and then simmer.
2. Pour onto chocolate pieces in a bowl.
3. Let it sit a while and then stir till completely melted and smooth.
4. Spread the chocolate ganache over the top of the frozen vanilla layer, smoothing with a spatula.
5. Cover with cling film and freeze for 2 hours.


Before serving:

1. Invert the cake tin onto a plate.
2. Wrap a hot kitchen towel around the cake pan, hold it there for about 30 seconds or till the cake loosens and slides out.
3. Remove the bottom of the spring form and turn the cake right side up on your serving dish.
4. Freeze again for 10 – 15 minutes.
5. Cut using a hot, dry knife to get clean edges.





There, easy as pie, isn’t it?? It’s the perfect dessert to make ahead for a dinner party, so you can focus on your other dishes :-). I’m sorry I didn’t take too many pics, I remembered it only after doing the vanilla layer.

Notes:

1. Check the note about the base above.
2. You can make as many layers as you like, just remember to soften the ice cream in the fridge beforehand and to freeze well in between each layer.
3. You may add fruit or nuts or both.
4. Options for garnishing are unlimited.

See, this must be the most customizable dessert ever!!! And though it doesn’t need any skill of any sort, the end result looks like you’ve worked hard over it!!

So guys, do try this out and let me know how it went!!

Weekly Goals Update – 23 September 2012


Well, well, well. Now when was the last time we saw a post titled like that?? No, don’t answer that, I don’t want to know. What I do know is that it has definitely been long enough to make me forget what my resolutions were at the start of the year. Yeah, that bad.

I’ll admit I am ashamed of myself, but I don’t want to feel so low that I just sink into the depths of despair and give up. So I decided to get back on track.

First, I had to do the obvious, going back to my January posts and re-reading my goals. (That’s one of the best parts of having a blog, you have written records of pretty much everything in your life :-)) Well, unknown to myself, I have kept on track with a few of those goals, while the ones that require conscious action have been, well, ignored. So let’s see how I stand with respect to everything right now:


1. Quality time with Cub – Quality time is going well, though book reading has been low this month.

2. Less Nagging – This I’m very proud of. I just automatically cut down nagging and sweating the small stuff. Can’t imagine how it happened. Wonder if the hubby’s putting something in my coffee.

3. Regular Prayers – More regular and more focused too, although there’s still room for improvement.

4. More books – This year, I’ve read about twice the books I read last year. Though initially I had to push myself, now I just pick up and read – no pushing required!


1. Organized blog posting – I was kind of at the height of posting in August, due to the Ramadan Challenge. But then I began to lose focus.

2. Current Affairs – Well, I do read the paper more, but still not that into news channels.

3. Adventurous style – The InFB remixes are something I look forward to, and I’ve got rid of all my boring clothes, but there’s still not been as much change as I’d like.


1. Cleaner House – Hmm. I don’t know why, but nowadays, just thinking of cleaning tires me out. As a result, I’m now looking at blurry windows, dusty fans and crumb ridden rugs.


2. Fitness – This has been terrible. My workouts are really irregular and I think my bad time management skills have a part to play. In spite of this, I have (somewhat) learned to control my portions and am about 4.5 kg lighter than I was at the start of the year :-).

And that’s how it’s been, friends. This week is going to be really busy for me since it’s Cub’s birthday week :-). The little guy turns four and we’re planning a kiddie party for his friends in the evening and a dinner party for the extended family later. I thought about going for a theme, but he’s kind of in between trains and trucks, so I decided to go with a general ‘Birthday’ theme :-).

How has it been for you guys so far?? Resolutions still going good, or are you planning an overhaul?? Do let me know!!