chimpanzee cheesecake

i swear it is the name of the recipe - chimpanzee cheesecake!! i think the name has something to do with the bananas in the recipe - but hey, do chimpanzee really like bananas? Beats me! i got the recipe off the net. And just for kicks, i took some pictures while i was baking it.

OK, first the crust - it is 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. i used a 9 1/2 inches springform baking pan. All you have to do is blend the crumbs and sugar and cover the base of the pan (grease it well) and the sides. You are supposed to bake it in an oven preheated to 350 F for 10 minutes. Well, i did it and i got a crust that was burnt. So i just baked it for 5 minutes and let it cool down. This is what it looks like before baking -



For the filling, you have to use 1 pound cream cheese, two teaspoons of lime juice, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 large eggs, 6 teaspoons melted butter, 1 cup sour cream and 1 cup mashed banana. i used a blender to blend everything - much easier on your arms than using a whisk. Then just pour the whole thing into the pan.



Just pop the pan in a preheated oven (350 F again) for one hour. You should not open the oven while it is baking - but i opened it twice!! Oh hell, i can never follow instructions to a T. Let it cool with the oven door open.



The end product looks something like this :



And it tastes wonderful - if i may say so myself. It is moist and has just the right amount of sweetness. And the banana flavour is ummm..yummy! Will have to wait till tomorrow for the reactions of the "guinea pigs".

i also cooked lamb briyani and kaasha mangso (mutton). Will leave that for next time.

the bone collector....

This is what i am watching right now. Denzel Washington is so goddamn handsome - drooling over him. Well, it has been gripping till now - and i am not too scared to watch(oh praise the lord!). Now i have to read the book - the movie is based on the book of the same name by Jeffrey Deaver. i have never read him but something tells me he much be good. Since i don't want it to be a spoiler, i have switched off the movie.

i think i am getting hooked to crime novels - i think it has more to do with my interest in forensics than with any criminal instinct lurking in some dank corner of my subconscious mind. Maybe i have had enough of designing, coding and bug catching. i think it is time for a career change. i would like to work as a waitress for maybe a month - you know, take orders, wipe the tables etc etc. Then i would like to be a maid - mop, sweep, dust, do the dishes etc etc. Some years of hitch hiking then end up a recluse on the foothills of the himalayas - smoking pot and reading maugham! sweet lord, such beautiful years ahead!!

and so she passes the test...

Went for the driving written test and i passed - i just got one answer wrong! i would have been real disapppointed if i'd flunked again because i did put in some effort this time - i mean, i read the driving manual and all that. i have a temporary driving license now - but i have to be accompanied by another person with a license. And yes, i still have the hurdle of the driving test before i can speed and crash on the freeway!

Nothing much going on in life...the usual 10-6 at work, books and TV. i have to start my preparation for the 10K. ummm...and ummm again.

i am going to bake a banana cheesecake on sunday. i love baking and feeding people - maybe i love the compliments! Or maybe i just love being the provider. Yuck.

running for a cause

The last time i ran was two years back for a NGO i support. When i heard of the concept for running for a cause, i found the idea interesting. You would register for a fee and run – how very interesting! i had opted for the 5Km run last time - and i was not even sure whether i would be able to complete it. The first time i went for a trial run, after 10 minutes i was like a tired bitch – i was wheezing and panting like i had just completed a marathon! No stamina. i was beginning to wonder whether it had been a mistake on my part to have thought i could run 5K without disintegrating into a mass of sweaty muscles (sweaty muscles?!).

But a challenge is something i can never take lying down. Show me a challenge and i would behave like a dog running after a bone. Hours at the gym followed – running on the treadmill until i was almost about to faint. Never had i tortured my dear ol’ body the way i did then –maybe except for the time we hiked down to Grand Canyon, which is another story for another day.

So the day of the event dawned – and of course, i had registered as a volunteer too. So i had to wake up at some unholy hour, long before the sun rose. i spent some hours helping around and then switched over roles and prepared myself for my maiden 5K run. All of my colleagues were there and i dreaded the thought of having to face them if i were to be brought to the finish line on a stretcher! Bang! And the race was on – god, 5K is a long distance, i thought it would never end. After 15 minutes, i guess it was just my will pulling along my muscles – or maybe my muscles pulling along my will. i would have sold the shirt off my back (because i was wearing something underneath! – god, my sense of humour or the lack of it..) to get a glimpse of the finish line. But i guess it was my stubbornness which made me go on till the last – i did not even stop to rest. And i completed it in 36 minutes – my goal was to complete it under 45 minutes.

And now, i have put myself in the same spot again. I have registered for another race – this time, 10K. Of course, i am out of my mind. And god knows how i can pull this one off. i don’t even remember the last time i exerted any of my leg muscles! My constant itch for something to conquer is going to get me into trouble one of these days. 10K- god, i would have to run for more than an hour! But i am excited too. i want to see how much i can push myself. i just want to know if i can complete the race.

i have to start training – it is going to be tough, so tough. But god, i will see myself to the finish line. Just hope i don’t collapse into a heap halfway!!

airport blues...

Just back from the airport after seeing off kaku and kakima. i make it a point never to go to the airport to see off or receive people esp. over here. This is the first time i have been there to see off someone. i don't like goodbyes and most of all, i don't like seeing other people go home when i am stuck here! But i made a concession because i like kakima. She is such a sweet soul - the kind you take a liking to at the first glance - which is a rare thing for me, i mean liking someone at first glance. i felt bad to see her go off.

The toughest thing has always been our good-bye. Every time, we swear it will be the last time we see each other off, the last time we hug and try to capture a bit of each other to last us the lonely nights. But life throws us apart each time...he in one continent, i in another..

i hate watching him leave, i hate watching him watch me leave. i loathe the trips to the airport, i loathe hugging him goodbye, i loathe hearing him whisper 'i love you' as he hugs me goodbye...because i love him so...