Monica Saigal Bhide's Blog, page 11

Dear Reader: Today you have a chance to enter to win my of my most favorite cookbooks and, as a bonus, will receive my new book, A Life of Spice, as well!

I have blogged and talked about how much my entire family just loves Andrea Nguyen’s The Banh Mi Handbook: Recipes for Crazy-Delicious Vietnamese Sandwiches  The recipes are fantastic, easy to make and make a regular appearance at our dinner table, at least once a week!

Here are the books you will receive:

About Andrea Nguyen: “Andrea Nguyen is an author, food writer, and cooking teacher based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Born in Vietnam, she came to the United States at the age of six. Her first book publication was “Trip to Freedom,” a short children’s book on how her family came to America. Andrea’s food writing has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, Sunset and Saveur magazine, where she is also a contributing editor.” reprinted from Amazon. Andrea’s books have been nominated for various awards. They sell out just as soon as they are listed! She is pretty amazing!

In order to enter, here is what you need to do – (no purchase necessary) –

1. Follow me on FB and/or Twitter. If you are already following me – THANK YOU!

2. Follow Andrea. If you are already following her – YOU ROCK!

3. Help us spread the word about this giveaway – any way you choose – tell friends!

4. Leave a comment here and tell us why YOU should win!

I will pick a winner on May 14th, 2015 at 6:00 pm 

Rules -

1. US residents only. NO P.O.Box please

2. One winner will be selected at random. If you win and do not respond (within a week of) when I contact you, I will choose a different winner.

3. I will ship you both books by media mail.

4. No purchase needed to enter.

PLEASE NOTE – I have purchased these books myself. No publisher or publicist or author has paid for these copies.

The post Giveaway: The Bahn Mi Book appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

Last year I ran a successful year-long program called Powered by Hope. The intent of the program is to help you follow your creative dreams by powering your spirit with hope! I am glad the program was so well received. This year, in addition to new posts, I will also be sharing a few of the best posts from the program. From now until the end of 2015, you will receive a minimum of two posts a month focused on hope. I hope you will enjoy them and that they will inspire you to follow your dreams!

CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN

Ah, this has got to be one of the topics I love to hate. Control: a myth that we can actually have power over anything except ourselves.

I remember when I started writing about food, my second career (after engineering), and I kept thinking that all I had to do was get published in some major publications and all would be great. I wrote a huge piece for A BIG magazine, considered to be the top-most publication in food at the time. The editor decided to “kill” (not run) the story. I was furious. How could they do that? They said they loved it, paid me for it, and then chose not to run it. Lesson 1 in control: I don’t have any control over what they do.

The lesson stays with me no matter what I take on—I can do what I can do, but I cannot control the results or other peoples’ reaction, or make things go a certain way. All I can do is control myself, my words, my reactions, my thoughts.

It sounds so simple, right?

It is a very hard lesson to remember and execute when things do not go your way (which, by the way, will happen a lot when you set out to pursue a big dream.) Things will fall apart, people will let you down, numbers will not go your way. This is the time to remember that all we can do is control our reactions and move onward and forward.

What other choice is there really?

The post Control what you can appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

Dear Reader: Today you have a chance to win something very exclusive. I was one of the people who supported Carla Hall’s Kickstarter for her new restaurant! In return for the support, she sent me an autographed copy of her menu and several fabulous recipe cards! Today,  you will have a chance to enter to win the her menu and cards and, as a bonus, you will receive my new book, A Life of Spice, as well!

About Carla Hall: “ Carla Hall is a co-host of ABC’s popular lifestyle series “The Chew,” seated alongside restaurateurs and “Iron Chef America” stars Mario Batali and Michael Symon, entertaining expert Clinton Kelly and health and wellness enthusiast Daphne Oz. Hall is best known as a competitor on Bravo’s “Top Chef,” where she won over audiences with her fun catch phrase, “Hootie Hoo” and her philosophy to always cook with love. Hall is the owner of Carla Hall Petite Cookies, an artisan cookie company that specializes in creating sweet and savory “petite bites of love.” Her approach to cooking blends her classic French training and Southern upbringing for a twist on traditional favorites. She is committed to health and balance in everyday living. Her newest cookbook, Carla’s Comfort Food: Favorite Dishes from Around the World will be published March 25, 2014, and her first cookbook, Cooking with Love: Comfort Food That Hugs You, was published in November 2012 and recently re-released in paperback. A native of Nashville, TN, Hall received a degree in Accounting from Howard University, but traveling through Europe awakened her passion for food and inspired a new career path.” – This bio is reprinted from her website.

In order to enter, here is what you need to do – (no purchase necessary) –

1. Follow me on FB and/or Twitter. If you are already following me – THANK YOU!

2. Follow Carla Hall. If you are already following her – YOU ROCK!

3. Help us spread the word about this giveaway – any way you choose – tell friends!

4. Leave a comment here and tell us why YOU should win!

I will pick a winner on May 10th,2015 at 6:00 pm.

Rules -

1. US residents only. NO P.O.Box please

2. One winner will be selected at random. If you win and do not respond (within a week of) when I contact you, I will choose a different winner.

3. I will ship you both books by media mail.

4. No purchase needed to enter.

PLEASE NOTE – I paid for the kickstarter myself. No publisher or publicist or author has paid for these copies.

The post Giveaway: Carla Hall’s exclusive recipes! appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

I have had a lifelong affair with potatoes. Even as I trudge through diets, trends, new weight-loss schemes, the one ingredient that always stays on my plate is potatoes. It is, I have to admit, my ultimate comfort food (with due respect to eggs which come in a close second).

I was so thrilled and delighted to work with the talented folks at the Idaho Potato Commission to create some delicious Indian recipes with Idaho Potatoes. The project gained a new dimension entirely when my very talented photographer friend Simi Jois agreed to join the team and shoot these gorgeous photos!

(This crispy potato salad featured here is prepared with Idaho Potatoes. Yes, it tastes as good as it looks! A perfect summer side. Thank you Simi Jois for giving me permission to use this photo here. Love it)

So what would you like to eat? Crispy potato salad? Curried potatoes with baby peas? Potatoes with rice? Potato Cakes with Chutney? All of them!! Try them out and let me know what you think!!

The post Crispy Potato Salad appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

Dear Reader: Starting today, I will be giving away copies of my all time favorite books! You will have a chance to enter to win the featured book and, as a bonus, will receive my new book, A Life of Spice, as well!

I am delighted to give away a copy of Amy Riolo’s newest book: The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: Harness the Power of the World’s Healthiest Diet to Live Better, Longer. I chose this book not just because the recipes are healthy but because they are easy to prepare and delicious.

Here are the two books included in the giveaway:

Amy Riolo:

Amy Riolo is an internationally recognized expert known for fusing the worlds of cuisine, culture, and history in her work. An award – winning author, popular lecturer, food historian, food writer, culinary consultant, and cooking instructor, she was dubbed the “Cook to the Kings” by a Cairo newspaper in 2008. Amy’s popular lectures range in topics and include everything from Middle Eastern business and dining etiquette to the history of all Mediterranean cuisines, and understanding cultures through cuisine.She has been an invited guest speaker for Georgetown University, The Smithsonian Institution, The National Museum of African Art, The Walters Art Museum, The Kennedy Center, The Textile Museum, The Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt, The Embassy of Yemen, Welcome to Washington International, Montgomery College, Les Dames D’Escoffier, The Culinary Historians of Washington, Montgomery College, The Bibliotecha Alexandrina, The Egyptian Cultural and Education Bureau, The Baltimore-Luxor-Alexandria Sister City Committee and the Mycological Association of Washington, DC.

Here is how to enter: 

In order to enter, here is what you need to do – (no purchase necessary) –

1. Follow me on FB and/or Twitter. If you are already following me – THANK YOU!

2. Follow Amy.  If you are already following her – YOU ROCK!

3. Help us spread the word about this giveaway – any way you choose – tell friends!

4. Leave a comment here and tell us why YOU should win!

I will pick a random winner on May 6th, 6:00 pm EST

Rules -

1. US residents only. NO P.O.Box please

2. One winner will be selected at random. If you win and do not respond (within a week of) when I contact you, I will choose a different winner.

3. I will ship you both books by media mail.

4. No purchase needed to enter.

PLEASE NOTE – I have purchased these books myself. No publisher, author or publicist or author has paid for these copies.

The post Giveaway: The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

Friends – My sixth book, A Life of Spice, releases on Monday, April 27th, 2015.

To celebrate the release, I have partnered with my favorite chocolatier Nisha Sidhu, owner and magic maker at Co. Co. Sala, to giveaway an e-copy of the new book along with some of their most delicious, spiced chocolates!

Here is what the giveaway will get you -

1. A Life of Spice — an ecopy

2. A delicious box of Co. Co. Sala’s spiced chocolates – A 16pc box with Chipotle, Curry Coconut, Banana Ginger, & Cinnamon Toffee (4 of each)

In order to enter, here is what you need to do – (no purchase necessary) –

1. Follow me on FB and/or Twitter. If you are already following me – THANK YOU!

2. Follow Co. Co. Sala on Facebook If you are already following them – YOU ROCK!

3. Help us spread the word about this giveaway – any way you choose – tell friends!

4. Leave a comment here and tell us why YOU should win!

Rules -

1. US residents only. NO P.O.Box please

2. One winner will be selected at random. If you win and do not respond (within a week of) when I contact you, I will choose the winner.

3. Co Co Sala will ship the chocolates to you directly

4. No purchase needed to enter.

Winner will be announced on Monday, April 27th, 2015 in the evening.

The post GIVEAWAY – Co. Co. Sala’s spiced chocolates & A Life Of Spice appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

Last year I ran a successful year-long program called Powered by Hope. The intent of the program is to help you follow your creative dreams by powering your spirit with hope! I am glad the program was so well received. This year, in addition to new posts, I will also be sharing a few of the best posts from the program. From now until the end of 2015, you will receive a minimum of two posts a month focused on hope. I hope you will enjoy them and that they will inspire you to follow your dreams!

MAKE A CHOICE

My father lives in New Delhi, India. For the past 10 years or so, each month without fail he has snail-mailed me packages filled with clippings from newspapers and magazines. When he first started sending them, they were filled with food news from local Delhi papers. The stories varied from being about the newest restaurant to open in Delhi to the health benefits of drinking tea to how to eat like a Maharaja.

Opening the envelope each month is like getting a Christmas present: I have no idea what I will find, what will inspire me, which new eatery will make me want to get on a plane and head back. I love that he sends me real paper that I can touch and feel and smell, and not email forwards (which I tend to delete).

About five years ago, I remember, a package came, just as the one before it and the one before that. I remember one small clipping, it was a cartoon about six inches by six inches. The cartoon showed an old man sitting on a stone talking to a young child.

The child says, “Grandfather, there are two wolves knocking at my door. One is the wolf of abundance, pleasure, blessings, generosity, wealth, and bounty. And the other one is the wolf of anxiety, grief, sadness, lack of abundance, stress, and pressure.”

The child continues, “They are both knocking hard, Grandfather. Please tell me who will come in? Who will win and gain entry into my home?

The grandfather answers, “Whichever one you feed.”

The cartoon struck a chord. It is so easy to let the stress in. At the time I received this package, I had been having a hard time finding work and created all the excuses in the world about why I would never be successful. My negativity was fulfilled by the Universe; misery attracted misery. The more I thought about lack, guess what I got? Lack. I wasn’t able to sleep, my writing lacked sparkle, my spirit lacked vibrancy.

After seeing the cartoon, I began to focus on what I could do well, and on doing instead of worrying.

I chose which wolf I was feeding.

Success, abundance, prosperity, love, [insert your own need] come from what we choose to let inside our minds and then let out as actions and thoughts. The key word here is choice. No way our lives are easy. Things are rough with most everyone I know, but how we react, whom we let in the door, is our choice.

So tell me, who is knocking on your door today, and which wolf are you going to feed?

The post Make a choice appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

I am so delighted that so many of you are reading THE DEVIL IN US. So many of you have written and asked for book club questions. I, in turn, asked some of my dear friends to provide insights and questions for book clubs. So here you go! In addition to the questions, please know that I am available for book club meetings – in person, via phone or Skype. Happy to chat with you and your fellow readers about the book. Please do let me know if you have any questions.

(PS – if you create questions about this book for your book club and would like to share them with all the readers, do send them along. I will post them here with attribution!)

Book Club Questions

Reader Luca Marchiori’s List

The subtitle of the book is ‘stories of love, life, and redemption’. Which of these themes apply most closely to each story?

At the end of the story The Devil in Us Rehana becomes sure that ‘she had married the right man.’ What qualities does her husband exhibit to lead her to this conclusion?

How justified do you think Yamini is in her treatment of the security guard in Soul Catcher?

How could you summarize the states of mind that the main character experiences throughout Karma and the Art of Redemption and what led her to each?

Reader Popsy Kanagaratnam’s List           

The Devil In Us – Sonia establishes herself as the stronger one in the relationship. What are the indicators of their relationship, and what foreshadows the change in their relationship?

The Soul Catcher – What is the significance of the candles? How does the fortune teller’s prediction play out in this story?

Karma and the Art of Redemption – How do you deal with causing the death of another? What messages do you hear in the speaker’s monologue?

Longings - Leena asks her dad, “You want me to show up and ask if I can stay…” yet she finds herself doing just that. Discuss the cultural expectations that she has before she goes to India, and what she finds when she is there.

Longings - Leena asks Vinit, “…that kid…he has no clothes, and yet he is smiling and playing. How is that?” Vinit’s response is,” Happiness is free.” Discuss the ways in which different cultures express joy.

Home Alone – To whom does the title refer? Dolly or Shaya?

Home Alone – Shaya’s brother says of Dolly, “…she only loves herself.” Is this true?

True Love – Yuhiho tells her parents the truth but they don’t believe her. How do other cultures view love? Is Yuhiho correct and will her conservative parents not understand?

The Run – was Anamika being careless? Could she have done things differently? What conclusion would you have reached after hearing the report?

The Vermilion Promise – What do the mangasutra and the sindoor signify?

The Prize of War – to what does the title refer? Did Zara meet Bob’s mother?

Doubts – Nihad seems too good to be true. Is he really? What role does Geet play in his downfall? Of what was Geet guilty?

Dear John – begins with such an every day scene, yet concludes so differently. What foreshadowing is there to suggest what happens in the end?

The Devil In Us – is this anthology well-named? How would you interpret or apply the title of the anthology? Does it convey a sense of the stories?

The post Book Club questions appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

Last year I ran a successful year-long program called Powered by Hope. The intent of the program is to help you follow your creative dreams by powering your spirit with hope! I am glad the program was so well received. This year, in addition to new posts, I will also be sharing a few of the best posts from the program. From now until the end of 2015, you will receive a minimum of two posts a month focused on hope. I hope you will enjoy them and that they will inspire you to follow your dreams!

USE A TIMEBOX

There are projects that die. No matter how talented the creator, how great the project, how awesome the reviews are, there are projects that do not make it. Books with great reviews sell only a few copies, paintings end up in Dumpsters, innovative products never make it to market. Why? I don’t know. Maybe the timing wasn’t right, maybe the stars did not align, maybe the artist wore the wrong shirt. What is my point? Shit happens.

I have had manuscripts shrivel up and die, and books that I thought would be awesome just barely create a flutter in the market. It is hard. As creative people, we put our heart and souls into our work, and when it doesn’t succeed, all we want to do is quit.

I have created a coping technique to deal with the sadness that accompanies such a situation. I call it Timeboxed Whining.

Timeboxing is a technique I learned about during my consulting days. Basically, it is a way to put a time limit around a situation. For instance, no matter what happens, the six o’clock news needs to go on at six. So the preparation work for that news needs a time box, which is to say it needs to be completed within a certain timeframe no matter what else happens because there is a hard deadline at the end.

Now, combine that with whining and you have a workable solution to mourning a failed project. This is a five-day exercise. Here is how it works.

Days 1, 2, and 3: Set aside a time when you are going to whine. (Stay with me here.) I pick a time in the afternoon when I am prone to feeling sorry for myself and wondering how I will ever pull out of this failure. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Pull out a sheet of paper—no, you cannot do this on the computer. Now start writing all the reasons why you are upset and why the project failed and why you will never succeed again and why the whole world sucks. (Artists swear by it. I do, too. It really works.) Instead of calling a friend and complaining about the economy/weather/ whatever is bothering you and having them annoy you more (!), write it down. As Julia Cameron says, “Put the drama on the paper” where it belongs, and leave it there. Once your 15 minutes are up, place the paper in a envelope. You are not allowed to worry, whine, complain, or think about the project for any other time. Your timebox is done.

Day 4: So now that we have finished the whining, let us move to the next step. Start the timer but this time focus on all the lessons you have learned from this project. What did it teach you about your craft? About the market? About the audience for your product? Finish up and place this paper on your desk.

Day 5: Start the timer. Now write out, what you would do again. What are the top three things about the project that totally rocked? What part did you love the most? At the end of the time, place this sheet on your table and read it again and again. Take the envelope filled with the whining of the past four days and in a ritual that suits your temperament—burn it, rip and flush it down the toilet, place it in the recycling bin—do what you need to do to get rid of it.

It is gone. The sadness is out of your system. You have moved on. The paper in front of you is what it is about: what you have learned (day 4) and how you will apply that to the next project (day 5)

! Now that you have uncluttered your mind of fears and worries, it is time to start working.

How do you deal with the sadness of a failed project?

The post Managing a failed project appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

Last year I ran a successful year-long program called Powered by Hope. The intent of the program is to help you follow your creative dreams by powering your spirit with hope! I am glad the program was so well received. This year, in addition to new posts, I will also be sharing a few of the best posts from the program. From now until the end of 2015, you will receive a minimum of two posts a month focused on hope. I hope you will enjoy them and that they will inspire you to follow your dreams!

GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

My mother used to teach little kids. One year she taught them how to write a story about an object or an experience. If I remember correctly, the kids must have been in first grade, and the story consisted of five lines or so. The example she used was a story about a cow: “There was a cow in the meadow. The cow had four legs and a tail. The cow loved to eat the grass…”

A few weeks later, Mom gave her class a test: “Your family took you on a picnic. Write a story about the picnic.” I used to help her grade the tests and now that the statute of limitations has passed, I can tell you I used to change some grades to make sure the borderline kids all passed.

Anyway, as I was reading the essays, it struck me that nine out of ten kids wrote: “My parents took me on a picnic. There we saw a cow. The cow was in the meadow. The cow had four legs and a tail. The cow loved to eat the grass…”

I will never forget that. It taught me so many lessons and one in particular that I want to discuss today: creativity is about going out of your comfort zone. So many of us are comfortable with whatever our strength is—writing about preserves, or spices, or charcuterie—that we refuse to even tackle a new things thinking it will be to hard. We could never do it.

So the first aspect of creativity is: take the cow out of your picnic and try new things.

The post Get out of your comfort zone appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.