Mahanandi

Kittaya’s new pose: Feeling the chill in the air!

Checkout cardboard chewing Kiri and other cute kitties
And gorgeous Dale taking a break after a run and other doggies of food blogging world.

Sleeping Beauty!

Checkout cute kitties and doggies of food blogging world.

Kittaya in closeup:

Take a look at Kiri in his new jumper suit, knitted by Clare, herself. Ahh.. kitty love.

Katrina blow out – Race of cards

Troubles with dusting powder – from Bakerina.

From Chennai – serving food as a ritual.

If you are interested in Indian food, not familiar with the terminology, take a look at -“Indian food primer for an interested American” – .

Kittaya looking through the glass.

Alex and Macroom, I can’t decide who is more adorable. And also checkout different poses of Kiri and the gang.

Preparing to do Vinayaka Puja today on Vinayaka Chavithi.
Cooking up Undrallu, a sweet, tradition on Vinayaka Chavithi.

What an avoidable tragedy, my heart goes out for all the people who are suffering. Bush’s apathy towards his own people is mind boggling. Really how difficult it is to supply water and food to these displaced people?

Going home for my brother-in-law’s marriage.

You know what that means, good times with family and friends and of course Kanchi Pattu sarees, jewelry and food.

Kittaya is going to be with his friends Ace and Lucky at our kind neighbour Linas’ house. Thanks Lina.

See you all in September.

Kittaya looking for his friends.

His Friends – Lucky and Ace, our neighbours’ cats.

Checkout playful Kiri and Taffy at Clare Eats Blog.

Going to spend July 4th in beautiful Pittsburgh.

Photo by Vijay Singari

My Sunday Flea Market Find – Made in India, bronze kadai for 25 cents. Isn’t it precious?

Kittaya Thinking

Check out the guest – 17 year old, red Burmese Taffy at Clares’ blog and the new cat trying to hide from camera at Farmgirls’ blog.

Nicky and Oliver of Delicous days not only started this meme, they are also tracking the progress of their meme in the food blogging world and thanking and leaving comments in the responding blogs. What a couple! They have set high standards for future meme starters.

Lovely Nupur of One Hot Stove wants to know more about me. So here I go, my first me…me, and more me.

1. What is your first memory of baking/cooking on your own?
I was my mother’s little helper from a very early age, always doing something in the kitchen. And because of big family, my mother needed all the help she could get. I learned to cook a proper meal by 15, and my family survived the cooking.

2. Who had the most influence on your cooking?

That would be my in-laws. Even though I learned all the basics at home from my mother, I learned the healthy way to cook from my in-laws. My mother and father-in-law, both are wonderful chefs and nutritionists (without the degrees, of course). I think of my one-year stay at my in-laws place as a period of refining my culinary techniques. Sort of like a assistant chef learning from the master chefs.

3. What are your most valued or used kitchen gadgets and/or what was the biggest letdown?

That would be the mandoline. It really makes easy to cut vegetables like cabbage, karela etc.
The biggest let down would be the non-stick set I bought after coming here. When I came to know about the adverse health effects that a non-stick coating could cause, I got rid of them all.

4. Do you have an old photo as “evidence” of an early exposure to the culinary world?
Only in my memories.

5. Mageiricophobia – do you suffer from any cooking phobia, a dish that makes your palms sweat?
To cook anything with blood makes me queasy inside.

6. Name some funny or weird food combinations/dishes you really like – and probably no one else!
I do mix and eat payasam or kheer with dal and rice. You have to see my sisters reaction to this eating habit of mine.

7. What are the three eatables or dishes you simply don’t want to live without?
What I always have in stock is Mango and lemon pickles. My recently acquired craving is for Pizzas. I have to eat one, at least once a week. I admit it – I am a pizza addict.

Three quickies:

Your favorite ice-cream:
Butter Pecan

You will probably never eat:
Anything with brain and heart

Your own signature dish
Cashew Brittle made with cashews and jaggery.

Thanks Nupur. I’d like to pass this meme to:

Deccanheffalump of The Cooks Cottage – The best food blog from India.
Vittorio of Tirebouchon
And finally to Jarrett of Food Porn Watch fame –

I hope, they enjoy responding to this meme as much as I did.

Kittaya just learned he has a voice and he is in love with it. Like an Opera singer in training, he is testing and showing us his vocal range from a sharp “meow” to prolonged high pitch “mmmmeeeoooww” and we love them all.

Check out cute Kiri at Eat Stuff blog and hungry J2 at Farm Girl’s blog.

Condi Rice on Tsunami – Tsunami is “a wonderful opportunity” that “has paid great dividends for us ” – The rise of disaster capitalism

“My big concern is, the longer you keep them, the angrier they get. Eventually, you are going to send them home. Maybe the smarter thing is to execute everyone down there, because if you‘re going to send them back to the Arab world or the Islamic world angry as hell at us, they‘re going to be doing dirty stuff against us, right?” – Chris Mathews on Hardball.

“I think they would have been very happy to be allowed to defecate on themselves.” – Chris Wallace on Gitmo detainees.

“The Prison at Guantanamo Bay: Good for the Stock Market?” – Mental midgets on Fox Saturday morning show.

Hang them even before they tried in court, what do you call this witchland?
A – of course it’s The Graceland.

Blog Talent:
A quick tale by Ammani.
Laser eyes – Nature’s beauty.