a rat is a rat,is a rat is a rat

Who has not seen a rat? Right from Nursery/KG  days we are taught  the spelling of the word "rat".It has got a place of prestige with high profile K  for "king" and Q for"queen".A rat is a creature found universally.. Its tragedy is, that it arouses fear and hatred among  majority of the  people specially women.Perhaps its slimy skin, piercing gaze and unbeatable speed ,disconcerts  them. I have personally seen the reaction of some people,when confronted with a rat.My mother,once removed her sari in panic,when a small rat unwittingly  happened  to touch her sari.  Her shrieking had an instant reaction on the poor rat.It ran  with amazing speed for cover. We have all grown up  listening to the fable of  Pied Piper of Hamelin. Everyone tries to drive them away.
In India , a rat has its own worshippers.A rat is believed to be the vehicle of Lord Ganesha. In Lord Ganesha temples ,there is always an idol of a rat. Karni temple in Rajasthan is famous for rat worship. There, rats, in large numbers are found roaming about freely.
 In China ,according to the Zodiac calendar, the first month of the new year is  a symbol of a rat. There ,a person born in this month is believed to possess qualities   such as genorisity,creativity,quick temper, honesty,.and wastefulness associated with rats.
In many countries  rat meat is  eaten by some people as a delicacy.In some South Asian countries  it is treated as staple food.Some people ,even keep rats as pets. The fact ,however remains that it is hated by a  vast population. When a rat dies . there is no one to shed tears ,It departs from the world unsung, unwept  and unnoticed in a heap of  garbage ,even though it leads a luxurious life in cozy corners of our mansions.!!

doggie days

I think that a dog is the most amazing animal on  the earth. It gives its master  unconditional  love. Our dog, Elsa, is a golden furred Labrador. Elsa is a female dog , living with us for the past ten years.My grand daughters simply love Elsa.In return Elsa dotes on the girls. When the girls come home , Elsa gets wild!!  She wants to be hugged by them first.  When the children  pat each other, Elsa shows her jealousy ..In fact, no one in our house can enter the house,  without patting her first.
 I have read somewhere that dogs are like philosophers  who understand every thing ,but do not tell. How true!!Our  daughter ,Jyoti .is mortally afraid of dogs since childhood.She was very upset, when we got Elsa, as a gift ,from Deepak's {my son}  friend Rana Chinna,  When Elsa was small, she tried to woo Jyoti, but she did not get  any positive response.Elsa understood Jyoti's  reticence and did not make any further overtures!!
Elsa loves biscuits.  The very sound of the opening of a biscuit tin makes Elsa restless and she starts drooling. I tried  a simple recipe to make  cookies  for Elsa. It was a big hit. Why not share the recipe with dog lovers? They will come closer to their pets. All  the ingredients are  readily available.
Ingredients;
 Wheat flour        1 cup
 Grated vegetables like cabbage, carrot,  bell pepper,bottle gourd etc.  About 1/2 cup
 Knead the flour with all the vegetables.
 Keep the dough for some time.In the mean time pre heat the oven.Make 18 to 20 small balls from dough and put them on a greased tray for 20 -25 minutes, at 180 degrees farenheit  Remove from the oven and allow them to cool before you give a yummy treat to your doggie.

Healthy cake

Encouraged by the response received from friends for low cal sandwiches , I am venturing into writing  another low cal dish.Wondering what is it? It is something children love to have. It is a cake.!!My  grand children are simply crazy about the cake ,which I make.An interesting thing about the cake  is that it contains no eggs,no butter and almost no milk. Sounds impossible? Really?So here we go.
Ingredients

• All purpose flour    1 cup
• Curd                        1 cup
• Refined oil               1/2 cup
• Cocoa powder           1/4cup
• Chocolate sauce        2 tb sps
• Sugar                          1/2cup
• Baking powder           1 tb sp
• Vanila essence             Few drops 
• Cooking soda               1/4  t sp

 I add all the above ingredients together in a blender and  make a smooth paste.In case the paste is too thick, I pour a little milk and mix well. A non stick cake dish is then smeared with a drop of oil and  kept  in  a preheated oven at 200 degrees Farenheit for 25 minutes. It is taken out, when it cools down. A yummy cake is ready.

Dadi special low cal sandwiches

Sandwich and low cal?Is it  possible? How? So many questions seem to be flooding in from all sides. Why  not? Well I have  not only tasted them  but  even prepared them for my grand children. The main ingredient which adds to the calories ,butter, is omitted .Is it not strange?In place of butter, I tried  hung curd. Wow!! It  worked very well. I add green  vegetables  to make them nourishing for the children. To all this is added egg less  diet mayonnaise.,a favorite with children. I remember to add a little tomato sauce,few drops of olive oil, salt and pepper. I apply  the paste on a slice of bread and lo!! Children will finish it in a jiffy.
You may be thinking that this is sketchy sort of preparation as I have not mentioned any quantities. Here it is, to make six sandwiches we need -

•  Two tbsp hung curd

• Four spoons  grated cabbage, carrot, green bell pepper
• Two tbsp mayonnaise
• Two tsp  tomato sauce
• Half spoon olive oil
• Add  salt and pepper  to taste
• Mix all the ingredients to make a smooth paste.  Cut the sides of the bread slices  and apply a thin layer of the paste.and serve. 

.Being a Grand mother  I am sure that children will love  them and ask for more. Good luck!