DAY 60 : ZEKE AND HIS FOOTBALL / DINOSAUR EGG...

What is it about little boys...
I can forgive Zeke anything....
I never understood "Love at first sight" , till I looked at Zeke..
He is the Boy I will always be in love with..
And I will always be the first girl he ever loved , and no matter what , he will never forget me...
mostly because I wont let him..ha ha ha ..
Well Zeke just turned 7 years old, he is no longer a baby , but a little boy, who knows what he wants, and does not hug me or kiss me like he used to , and I don't like it all...

But I guess that's what little boys are like...
He has a mind of his own and wants to do things his way ...
He loves Doremon...who I want to throttle ..and does weird funny Mithun kinda dances...
And and on the other hand loves to dance to Michael Buble, while he mimes "Feeling good" like he is actually singing it...
He loves cold water and Lays chips, and loves irritating Zene..
But he still sucks his thumb...
But when he hugs me tight (once in a blue moon) , its the sweetest hug ever...
He still wants me to put him to sleep every night and snuggle with him...
Zeke ..my baby , my boy that I love with all my heart...
And we fight just as much, in fact I don't think I fight with anyone as much as we do ...
And its fine ,because it's better to express what you feel , than hold it all in...

This year I told him that we will invite 7 kids home as he is turning 7...
By the time , it was his birthday, there were 37 kids at home...
And it was a mad funny day..


They had their 'Froggy' Amole Gupte , who surprised the entire Besant gang after they watched "Stanley ka Dabba"..
And enthralled them with his spur of the moment stories ...

Then came Rob from Pogo...
Rob is just too sweet and unbelievably simple and down to earth , and such a talented artist and magician ..
Zeke, completely loves him ...and for some reason thinks that he is his buddy , and Rob indulges him...

And then there was Arshad ,the in-house DJ for the evening ...and general entertainer ...who also signed autographs ...
We started by 2pm and went on till 8.30pm

Well I attempted to make a football cake ....but it become a little oblong ...but tasted really yummy here goes ..

Ingredients..
200 gm good quality chocolate, chopped
120 gm butter diced
150 ml water
270 gm granulated sugar
10 ml vanilla essence
4 eggs separated
3/4 cup soured cream
350gm plain flour
10 ml baking powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

Method
Over a low flame , in a saucepan ,melt the chocolate, butter and water stirring ..
Remove from heat , beat in the sugar and vanilla and leave to cool..
Beat the egg yolks lightly , then beat into the chocolate mixture..
Gently fold in the soured cream...
Sift over this batter the flour, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda , and fold it in gently... Whisk the egg whites till they are stiff, then fold in gently into the chocolate mixture...

Pre-heat the oven to 150 degrees...
This batter makes two cakes of 7 inches in diameter... and gets done in 40 minutes..

Its soft and really rich ...and tastes very nice even with just some chocolate poured on it ...

Zeke's birthday cake was plunged into with a cake knife, he took great pleasure stabbing it, and so did the few kids who got to the cake before I got to it, my hard work all destroyed ha ha ha
And I kept saying its a 'Foot ball" and they kept saying "No , No , its a dinosaur's egg''...
Well it was a cake that was dug into and devoured , then the kids proceeded to dance to some fun Hindi music and jump on my sofa's..
And frankly , it was all fine..
The big fat smile pasted on Zeke's face was really worth everything ...

It was a day well spent...
So here's presenting , "Zeke's 7th birthday" football/egg cake, soft and sin worthy , with lots of love only from "Maria's Kitchen"....

P.S. Wrote this for Zeke , cannot even tell you how cutely he smiled as he read it ...

My little Zeke..
He is nothing less than the most amazing treat..
He came to me on a rainy day ..
And just glowed like the suns rays..
I was smitten ..I was sold..
On this little bundle ... All swaddled with pink toes..
When he cried he got all pink ..
And when he poo'd.. Yuck! He raised a stink ..
But all that really did not make a difference..
Because this was my baby my providence ..
He blew bubbles and showed us his middle finger ..
And we excitedly took his pictures ...
He is the only boy ..
I fell in love with on sight and am happy that for a portion of his life ..
He will love me with all his might ..
Well now he is 7 years old ,,,
And has become a little brash and bold ..
But that's good.. Because he has his own mind
And that's always a good sign ..
Well I don't know what's written in the stars ..
But know this..
He will be looked after by the one above and he will be deeply loved..
Because he is my boy and I love him so ..
And when I'm gone ..
I pray to God to always keep my Zeke safe in his arms..
My little Zeke ,my shooting star ..
It does not matter where you are ..
You will always be in my prayers and thoughts..
That's because I will always love you more than , much too, much..
My little boy is 7 today ..
Big bright smile and his loving way ..
His friends all love him so ..
And are knocking at our door ..
For a day of frolic and fun ...
Well let this day unfold ..
With all these little boys ...
And their stories untold...
I'm ready for mayhem and crazy times..
With Zeke and all his boys ..
Frankly I would not like it any other way..
Because being naughty is the only way ...
So off I go ...
With a big smile ..
To spend wonderful times , with the one boy I can truly call mine ....

DAY :53 I'M DIFFERENT...WHOOPIE PIES

Its 4.30 am and I'm wide awake...

Well I'm jet-lagging and really want this to stop..

It's been a week since I have come back from vacation ..and there is something different about me...firstly i have started drinking coffee...

And every time the sky darkens and its pours I have this deep urge to walk in the rain and drink, hot ,strong and sweet hazelnut coffee..

And 1 have never been somebody who drinks coffee or tea...
I'm a water body..ha ha ha

Any way while I try and fathom ..this skip in my step and this naughty smile on my face..

At 4 freakin 30 in the morning ..me and Taz are roaming around in the house...
The sky looks beautiful , bird sounds everywhere...and I'm not being pulled in different directions to do 150 things , which for some reason "that cool super-girl chick in me " thinks i can do ...

And hell "I'm craving CHOCOLATE"
I can eat chocolate at any time...
But I have given it up for a year to test my own will-power, I do that once in a while after completely O.D'ing on it.

I love dark chocolate ...and I love creamy melt in your mouth , lick your lips kinda chocolate..and I'm driving myself mad...

Yup I do cheat a bit and have stuff that has a bit of chocolate in it...but I'm staying away..

Sometimes in life, you need to know whether you can "SAY NO"...
I know I sound a little crazy ..but that's OK ...'I LOVE BEING ME"

So at 4.3o after walking around with my Taz and drinking water and eating a mango...I start wondering what to do...
And because of the mood I been in lately..
I knew immediately what I want to make..

This is how my heart is feeling, I want to run up a mountain, lay by the sea, play in the rain and feel free...
and so Thank you Google , I found this....

WHOOPIE PIES it is....
Then I read its history and geography ha ha ha ya I know what you thinking .....I really have too much time on my hands..


Ingredients..
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs

Filling
8 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
2 cups marshmallow cream...which i have not yet found since its too early...
I tsp pure vanilla extract

So while I decided to start getting out the ingredients.. I saw the sun peeping out at me from behind the grey monsoon laden clouds ..

And heard Zeke n Zene walk out saying, "Mama"...REALITY CHECK...
ha ha ha so the day begins...I'm off to wash , brush, pat cute bottoms , feed, change, scream , laugh, go mad ,giggle, chase and have a much needed cup of green tea..

Will start baking post the ZZ'S go to school...


Method

Sieve all the dry ingredients together..
Add the vanilla to the butter milk and keep aside..
Beat the sugar and the butter to a creamy consistency...Add the egg , beating it till its completely combined
Now to the butter mix add flour and buttermilk alternatively , beginning and ending with the flour

I got myself a Whoopie pie tray from 'Crate and Barrel' so that's what I'm gonna use , but you can also spoon little teaspoon full onto your baking sheet , keeping at least an inch of a distance between them as they do spread , like we did for the macaroons..
Bake this at 170 degrees for about 8-10 minutes...

Well I got back and joined my friend Sandy for a walk in the rain to drink coffee....
Ha ha ha it was not raining LIKE WE EXPECTED it to and we were feeling extremely hot and wondering why on earth we going to have hot coffee in this humid muggy weather...
But it was fun and hazelnut is ADDICTIVE and we chatted 19 to a dozen and laughed a lot about stupid and other various things...


WELL I was just thinking of all the times I drank coffee...
and they bought back fun mad memories....

Remember drinking it somewhere at some stop to Goa, when I could not really afford flying there and it was the time I used to dance...the best time ever...I so miss dancing ...
It was a dimly lit dhaba...and the whole group of us were huddled together drinking coffee with a little rum in it , for the warmth, because it was cold ha ha ha

Then I remember shooting for my Titan ad- film with Rajeev Menon in Manali with Parvin Dabbas...and it was freezing and I was wearing this white dainty blouse and freezing ..my hands were icicles, and I was holding flowers ...after some time my fingers froze and production were using it like a vase and were just changing the flowers...for continuity...
Remember swigging small cups of coffee with rum inside at some bizarre hour in the morning again at some quaint paratha dhaba ....
Rajeev and his wife said , it's to keep me from freezing ......

Then walking around in the East village in New-york,XOXO Jeans, boots and a lovely scarf , nose cold and pink cheeked, holding my warm Starbucks and walking around, having hot-dogs at "Gray's papaya", Iwas there to host the MTV Music Awards from Radio City Music hall, and I loved walking alone and doing my own thing...went to the MET and of course Central Park...just me and my coffee..

Then I remember Zeke and me sitting at Starbucks in London , he was just 2 years and 7 months and he was too adorable, (Err he did not fight with me then)and I was pregnant with Zene , and we would walk around , eat Kit-Kat 'for energy to walk' , we'll that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it and then , hanging at Piccadilly circus , or Portobello road , his 3 kg pram slung on my back and hot chocolate in his little flask and hot coffee(sprinkled with Chocolate) in mine...

We'll i have no idea where I am in my head...but I'm likin drinkin ma Coffee

Well the whoopie pies are ready , outa the oven and waiting to be bitten into...beautiful an tempting...
So filled them with the frosting and added tiny pieces of marshmallow to it...
Sandy was on the phone with Dr.Shroff in a very animated happy way.... i don't think they are talking about her back .... But liked how her eyes lit up after a bite...

and Kichie poo just walked in... took a bite and said, "UR back ..... thank you ...!!!!

Zeke has walked in through the door and devoured 2 already and wants to at least eat 8 whoopie pies in all....

So I'm thinking this works ...these little babies have done it ...they work like Magic...

Here's presenting happy , smiley , "WHOOPIE PIES" made with a glint in my eye and a naughty smile on my lips ..fresh and oh so yummy only from "Maria's Kitchen....