Monday, January 20, 2014

Rendez Vous With A Foodie - Sangeetha of Eat N Eat Little More

Bloggy world is an immense world and its wonderful to find out friends with same passions for foods.Many new bloggers join this world every day and really its hard to track them. If a new blogger who have a passion for food starts a blog, i know how its hard to get introduce to this immense world. Keeping this on my mind, i started a new event. Rendez vous with a foodie, a monthly event happening twice a month, this event is specially created for new bloggers who blogs since less than two years. This event will showcase their blogs, their passion for foods and many more. If you want to join me, just send me a message in our Facebook group or leave your mail address in this comment section. This event is going successfully and happy that i came to know more about my guest hosts through this event.


Coming to today's guest host, i came to know her through a challenge, one fine day she pinged me asking whether she can join this event, how wonderful na. Who can resist to this friendly request? i said immediately Yes. Actually i suggested an another date to Sangeetha of Eat N Eat Little More,but suddenly the host of today couldnt make her post coz of her trip to India. Immediately i pinged Sangeetha asking whether she can make a guest post for me and gave her 10days to send me her guest post. But seriously Sangeetha is just amazing, within a day she send her guest post with pictures and her replies for the questions i asked for. Through her replies i came to know that she wasnt living far away from me. Am in Paris and she is in Germany, wish a day she or myself should plan to trip to meet each other either in Paris or in Germany. From the way Sangeetha talk through her words, i can definitely say that she is a humble, very friendly and very kind human, thanks Sangeetha for being this much kind with me eventhough i didnt gave you much time to you for making your guest post.Wish our friendship bond gets very closer as much as possible in future.

Lets hear from Sangeetha of Eat N Eat Little More.

I was constantly seeing in my blogfeed Rendezvous with a Foodie in Priya's space from long time and she was doing this just to bring a new blogger to limelight. An attempt to push the upcoming bloggers a step up in the ladder of blogging . I really appreciate this attempt of hers. I was very much willing to feature in her space and for that I did drop a request and she accepted my request with no further due and even scheduled a date for me. I was quite amazed with this warm acceptance she showed. I still remember the day she posted a recipe of Eggless Choux with eggless chocolate mousse and she annonced that it had been 5 years since she started blogging. I was so much amazed when I learnt that. Yes this needs constant dedication. And I believe she does post even now with same zeal. And to talk about her food photography skills, they are excellent. No doubt in that. To mention a few, I can say the Spiral Moon Cake, Laugenbrezel etc.

I can no more tell I'm new to blogging world as it is almost reaching an year since I started blogging. Cooking was my hidden passion I believe as that revealed only after I came to Germany. Until then I was just an admirer of all who are excellent cooks. I started cooking more and more with different ingredients adjusting to our taste, learnt few traditional recipes from mom and my MIL, few from friends and relatives. Finally with constant request I gave an entry to Blogging world with my tiny blog 'Eat n Eat little More' and now that I have entered I wish to keep going and not stop at any point of time. It is no more a hidden passion rather I proudly say I'm a Food blogger.


1)Tell us about your blog and you?
To tell about me, I'm a software engineer by profession, now spending my time in the world of food blogging. I must say I was very new to cooking as before marriage I was pampered with all cooking done by my mom and I never bothered to enter kitchen. After marriage also I never felt that managing kitchen is difficult as I used to go to work and just managing a simple sambhar or a sidedish was not so difficult for rice to set our dinner table. Breakfast and lunch used to be in office canteens for both me and my hubby. I realised the importance of  cooking different and healthy when I relocated to Germany and I was having a small kid of 1 year by then. I started cooking varieties at home as I was free almost all the time.To be frank it is not so easy to spend daily outside here in Indian restaurants or any other eating joints as they seem to be extremely costly when compared to the bills we used to pay in Bangalore hotels (now even they are getting costlier day by day as I heard from my friends). Cooking became my passion then, not sure if it was inherited as my mom used to love cooking and she too used to prepare delicacies infact she learnt many sweets and savories during our stay in Gujarat.

2)Before and after blogging, tell us what blogging changed your life?
Yes it has changed my life for sure, I became a busy mom now with my Food blog coming into existence. A kind of satisfaction with this I get which can't be expressed in words though.

3)When and what motivated you to blog about food?
I was never ever hitting google for a basic recipes or for simple dessert like carrot halwa or gulab jamoons as for me then my Google was my mom or mother in law. I used to give a call and they used to help me out. But after I came here slowly and gradually I used to try out recipes that I followed in Youtube. Soon I started hitting Google for the same and saw umpteen number of sites(blogs) and was amazed with the beauty and clear cut explanations being provided. I was indeed very much interested to own a blog of my own where I could store few recipes that I learn from net or from family and friends and keep it for my future reference. More over I had ample amount of time and found food blogging to be an ideal way to spend time and soon it became an obsession for me.Hence came into existence Eat n Eat little More.

4)There are a tonsof blogs/pages on food these days, what accordingto you is the speciality of your blog and the food you cook?
I could just say I'm no greater than any other. But definitely I can say it is a pure veggie blog as I abstain to the usage of even eggs in my cooking being a pure vegetarian and proud to own few recipes that are part of our family tradition.

5) When it comes to cooking, who is your inspiration?
Cooking is something that all or any one can do, but I definitely am inspired by my mother as she is a great cook according to me.

6)Every newbie blogger faces tons of challenges when its comes to blogging, tell me about one of the challenges you faced and how did you overcome it?
I can say I faced lot of difficulties. To get in pace with blogging world, I was not aware of how to begin with. I just had a dream alone. I used to share pics in Facebook in my albums. Few friends of mine suggested me as why not I include recipes too as they seem to be very much interesting. I started writing them up as they requested. Soon I was requested to make them public rather that sharing with few friends of mine. One of my good friend asked me to start a blog. I initally had spent around a day's time to coin a name for my blog. He helped me alot in the intial phases, guiding me every now and then. I'm really happy that I could overcome quite a few if not many under his guidance. He helped me with header. Setting up a blog using Blogger was quite easy for me. But the way it should look and all sorts of customisations were based on his suggestions, to tell an example,Having Recipe Index as a dropdown on the side bar will help users to select desired recipes from categories specified.

7)What is your best recipe and your favourite recipes you have blogged till now?
Best recipe is Indian Butter Cookies/Nankhatai as it was my 1st attempt and that was the best cookies I ever had.
Favourite is Instant Jalebi. I was happy with the outcome on my second attempt.

8)Few tips about food photography?
I'm very new to photography. I'm not a good photographer but still try to get the best shot out of all to put it up here. I still can suggest one thing which I have got ot know from personal experience that day light is the best light for photography and avoid using flash though I cannot at times when it comes to night time photography.

9)What is your budget for the props,do you have any or else do you manage with your household stuffs?
No I must say, till date I have not purchased props to decorate. I use what are available in my pantry.

10)How do you plan your blog posts? Do you post rarely,regularly or once a week?
I plan daily but end up posting twice or thrice in a week nowadays when compared to my initial days of blogging due to my other commitments here.

11)Do you have any other passions apart from food blogging or blogs you own?
I do not own any other blog other than this food blog, but yes I love learning new languages and now I'm going to a class to learn German.

Lets move off to my post here today Garlicky Cheesy Fusilli Pasta. I got the recipe from a friend of mine Chaithra Mailankody. I altered it a little adjusting to our taste.


Garlicky Cheesy Fusilli Pasta

Makes 2 serves
Ingredients:
Fusilli Pasta-250 gms
Garlic-3-4 pods chopped
Onion-1 big chopped thin lengthwise
Green Capsicum-1/2 chopped
Black pepper powder-1 tsp.
Garlic salt/Garlic powder-1/2 tsp.
Milk-2 cups
All purpose flour-1 tbsp.
Cheese slices-2
Oregano-1/4 tsp.
Oil-2 tbsp.
Salt to taste

Recipe:

Boil water adding salt as required and when boiled add pasta and cook them till aldente. Drain and set aside.In a pan add oil, when hot add chopped garlic and saute till rawness is almost gone.

Add onions and saute on high flame followed by that add capsicum and saute on high flame.

Add pepper, garlic salt and saute on high flame.


In a bowl add milk and all purpose flour and make a lumpfree solution out of it and pour it over the sauteed mixture and add salt as required keeping in mind about the salt in pasta and the garlic salt being added and cook on a low flame.

Add cheese once the mixture begins to slowly thicken.
Cook till mixture thickens.

Pop in the cooked pasta and mix well till all pasta is well coated.Add oregano on top.

The garlicky cheesy fusilli pasta is ready to serve.



Notes:

Do not cook pasta too much ahead from the time of preparing pasta as that may make them dry and the sauce prepared will not coat the pasta well.It is best to cook pasta simultaneously as you prepare the sauce. But if your are not sure of cooking together do cook just before preparing the sauce, drain and set aside.

Cook pasta till 'Al dente' Al dente' is an Italien word which describes Pasta and means means "to the tooth" or "to the bite", referring to the need to chew the pasta due to its firmness.

Saute the capsicum on a high flame so as to retain the crispiness of the veggies. You may add as many veggies as you like.

You may add more of black pepper if you like it more spicy.


Hope you all enjoyed this creamy pasta from Sangeetha of Eat N Eat Little More, stay tuned for an another guest host..

10 comments:

Rafeeda AR said... Reply To This Comment

sangee is one blogger that i have bonded quite well through blogging... that pasta is so so cheesy... yum...

Eat n Eat little More said... Reply To This Comment

Thanks alot Priya for giving me an opportunity. Thanks for featuring me here! I also wish we meet up sometime when you come to Germany or when I visit Paris :) I would be the happiest:)

Sanoli Ghosh said... Reply To This Comment

Very toothsome and healthy pasta. Thanks Sangeetha and Priya akka for sharing this yummy recipe.

Priya said... Reply To This Comment

congratulations sangeetha n learning a new language .Got to learn a lot about u here.so sweet of priya giving such a good intro about sangeetha

Suja Manoj said... Reply To This Comment

LOvely guest post,tempting pasta,nice recipe,bookmarked

easyfoodsmith said... Reply To This Comment

It was nice knowing more about Sangeetha. And that pasta looks nice creamy and very inviting.

Magees kitchenworld said... Reply To This Comment

Glad to know about Sangeetha, thru this interview...lovely post

Vikis Kitchen said... Reply To This Comment

Appreciating your efforts for new bloggers Priya. I too remember those days I seriously tried to get intro in blogosphere:) Pretty much enjoyed Sangeeta's Pasta and interview. Keep rocking dearies!

Eat n Eat little More said... Reply To This Comment

Thanks a ton friends! :) and my special thanks to u priya :)

Unknown said... Reply To This Comment

Hello,
Can you please help me to start a blog . I have searched a few sites
but i need some help as you all are expertin blogging