Monica Saigal Bhide's Blog, page 11

Giveaway: Freak Show Without A Tent

 

 

Today, I am delighted to feature a book by  fellow writer, Nevin Martell –  Freak Show Without a Tent.  I really adore Nevin’s writing and his sense of humor in particular. This book captures it all – travel, food, kids and the craziness of it all!  A good story in the hands of a talented writer is the perfect combination — a book that you cannot put down. It is a terrific read and I highly recommend it.

Here is what you can win today:

 

 

Nevin Martell is a D.C.-based food, travel, and lifestyle writer whose work regularly appears in the Washington Post, Plate, Wine Enthusiast, and NPR’s blog “The Salt.” He is the author of six books, including the memoir-misadventure Freak Show Without a Tent: Swimming with Piranhas, Getting Stoned in Fiji and Other Family Vacations (2014), The Founding Farmers Cookbook: 100 Recipes for True Food & Drink (2013) and the small-press smash Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his Revolutionary Comic Strip (2009). Find him online at nevinmartell.com and on Twitter @nevinmartell.

 

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 Nevin. If you are already following him – 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 the winner on May 20th, 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: Freak Show Without A Tent appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

Caption This Cartoon!!!

So you think you can write a funny caption? Come on, now.. you know you can! Today, I am thrilled and pretty much crazed with excitement to be able to share this with you. New Yorker’s super talented cartoonist Liza Donnelly drew a cartoon JUST FOR THIS BLOG!! Now, all you have to do is give her a caption she loves. She will pick the winner and I will send the winner a KINDLE copy of her new book, Women on Men  and a KINDLE copy of my new book, A Life of Spice,

Here is the cartoon and Liza says, “”Cartoonists write captions as they draw the idea (and sometimes the other way around): the two are integral and hard to separate. But, my advice is to  have fun with this image, go wild, go intellectual, go playful. Whatever strikes you!”:

Here are her rules:

1. This contest is only open to non-New Yorker Magazine people

2. Being lewd will get you nowhere

3. Judge:  Liza Donnelly, New Yorker cartoonist

How to enter:
1. Post your caption here in the comments section.
2. Enter as many times as you like.
3. You can be based anywhere but the prizes are KINDLE files. I will gift the winner the two books on Amazon.
4. Liza will determine the winner on Friday, May 15th at 1:00 pm est. And we will post the winning caption along with the cartoon right here so do stay tuned!!

LIZA DONNELLY BIO

Liza Donnelly is a staff cartoonist with The New Yorker Magazine. When she first began selling toThe New Yorker in 1979, she was the youngest and one of only three cartoonists who were women. Donnelly is a public speaker and has spoken at TED, the United Nations, and The New Yorker Festival, among many other places. Donnelly has appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, NBC and BetterTV, and has been profiled on radio and in numerous magazines, newspapers and online. Donnelly’s cartoons and commentary can be seen on various websites: CNN.com;  huffingtonpost.com; salon.com; dailybeast.com; womensEnews.org; narrativemagazine.com. Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including The New York Times, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, The Nation and The Harvard Business Review, and her cartoons have been exhibited around the world.

Donnelly has published fifteen books, her most recent is When Do They Serve the Wine?: The Folly, Flexibility, and Fun of Being a Woman (2010, Chronicle Books). She also wrote Funny Ladies: The New Yorker’s Greatest Women Cartoonists And Their Cartoons, Sex and Sensibility: Ten Women Examine the Lunacy of Modern Love…in 200 Cartoons and Cartoon Marriage: Adventures in Love and Matrimony by The New Yorker’s Cartooning Couple (with Michael Maslin).

She conceived of and is editor for World Ink, a site of international cartoons from contributors around the globe on dscriber.com. She is a charter member of an international project, Cartooning for Peace, helping to promote understanding around the world through humor.  Her website is lizadonnelly.com and her blog iswhendotheyservethewine.com. Donnelly teaches part-time at Vassar College. and is a member of PEN, Authors Guild and the National Cartoonist Society. She and her husband, New Yorker cartoonist, Michael Maslin, live in New York.

What will you win? Here are the two books -

 

 

and

 

 

 

WE HAVE A WINNER! LIZA DONNELLY REVIEWED ALL THE CAPTIONS, HERE IS WHAT SHE PICKED! Congrats Tom Racine

 

 

 

The post Caption This Cartoon!!! appeared first on Monica Bhide | Recipes, Stories, Inspiration.

Giveaway: The Bahn Mi Book

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.

Control what you can

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?

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Giveaway: Carla Hall’s exclusive recipes!

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.

Crispy Potato Salad

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.

Giveaway: The Ultimate Mediterranean Diet Cookbook

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.

GIVEAWAY – Co. Co. Sala’s spiced chocolates & A Life Of Spice

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.

Make a choice

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?

 

 

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Book Club questions

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?

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