INSTANT POPS

This blog never had been kids friendly.... far from been a health blog either. That does not mean I do not or cannot do something for them given that I love them too much .... just that I always lack the patience to handle them ..... these wonder pieces of joy can really get mischievous and make you get wild, grey, bald whatever. On a positive note, in the process .... they help you slim down... haha... I remember when I wished to have a second child.... my friend Kana told nine months is nothing but one has to start from ABCD again... sit hours at one place for feeding the kid.... Then there was this senior at home.... "S, I cannot take two years of leave from the ship again"... and then he takes out that horrendous piece of paper from the pocket and shows me some graphs which I never was interested in and there came out an inevitable shrill note... "rakho tomar chota".... haha chota is cheat paper in Bengali.... 

Now my readers know very well S gives big talks in public but she never ever had been a brave girl.... the nightmarish dreams of staying awake at night with an "in a play mood" child gave her shock waves ..... you are not silly as this fat old lady.... you are physically fit and still young and you will go for a second chance... prince or a princess is not your choice and you need not be bothered.... your family hopefully do not have "tarini jethu".... "ramakanta jomider" or "khenti pishi" who never had / have any idea of the functioning of the x and y chromosomes. 

The man of this house who brought up his child with a trained nurse's efficiency till he was 11/2 years old, going penniless in the process sitting at home for two long years is on a child's diet at the moment. He has developed an infection on the edge of his tongue. Come on he is a very human being.... the wife cannot even say... the more you scold your wife, more of such things will happen in your life. So the wife is cooking semi liquid stuffs for his lunch box while the son is taking either sandwiches or noodles... he does not like messy things to be carried to the school. See the scenario at the kitchen this morning....

Semi liquid upma... "maar bhaat"... kind of rice porridge with egg and potato is been cooked.... while Cristine cooked some noodles for the son. In between there was this INSTANT POPS as fillers. I feel really bad to prepare poori / paratha when the senior cannot have it.... they can wait..... Be sure readers.... yet he will not take the wife to a jewelry showroom and ask to choose.... you know the old demon is unromantic enough to say gold is bad investment. With 20 years under one roof, I can only say... boss you got spared marrying me... had it been other "wo...".... before I can finish.... prompt comes the answer... there is no one on earth who can conquer me.... The wife at this home has an open offer.... anyone please who can prove him wrong?.... I have got some ilish, puti, mutton yesterday to treat you guys and also to kiss you with some INSTANT POPS... Every Wednesday I go for music lessons in the heart of the Indian market.... how much to learn or whether to buy desi food stuffs is a question..... though both are a favourite.

So when the father of this house had to sail leaving his 11/2 year old baby, hell broke on his "dhyarosh"wife.... however favourite ladysfinger is for the Bengalis, it also refers to someone worthless. The wife did not even know how to feed the kid but loved her freedom and self respect...... I had to prove my self worth sitting alone with a toddler in a 500 sq.ft. flat .... from feeding him, taking him to preschool all the way literally carrying him on my lap till we settled on "biplak kakur auto".... to carrying 5+5=10kg rice bags on my two strong hands. I was stubborn and wise enough to know that if I love my freedom, I must be able to do my work alone and do not bother the family for every other thing. I always had family support though. Eventually, I also had to prove I am a good homemaker.... though not great like "our mother." 

When life was this, the husband sailing continuously to get ends meet.... wife struggling alone with a difficult child, we could not think of having a second issue but one should... what say?... You can always! For the aspiring and already parents... life is difficult but worth living and if you are a foodie like me... it is always worth to taste a variety of dishes, as much as possible and try them at home for your little munchkins .... it makes sense because maintaining hygiene and quality is a must when it comes to the kids. 

With many posts on kids yesterday, the idea of preparing something for them and blog about it at the earliest was what I wished. Innovations do not come naturally to me though the mother fed all kinds of brain boosting food since the childhood.... Yesterday afternoon the idea of this sweet snack INSTANT POPS came in flashes... it took few minutes to assemble the idea and I did not spend much time to prepare them. We will need few ingredients like dry roasted bread crumbs, little sugar and / or jaggery, dry fruits like pistachio, cashew nut, almond, raisin, ghee and cardamom powder to prepare these kids to teen friendly INSTANT POPS.... nonetheless to say... we parents will also enjoy having them. My men are under weight... so I try to feed them dry fruits and nuts in various ways... in snacks, sweets, desserts, pulao ...... you can too.

INGREDIENTS :

Bread Crumb : 11/2medium cup
Sugar : 1tbsp
Jaggery Powder : 21/2tbsp
Green Cardamom Powder : 1/2tsp
Pistachio : 8-10
Almond : 11/2tsp
Cashew nuts : 12-14
Raisin : 14-15
Ghee : 1tbsp + 3tbsp
Toothpick : 1each for an Instant Pop

The amount yields about nine Instant Pops.

METHOD :

Heat a frying pan on stove. Add the bread crumbs to it and roast well.

Let cool and transfer to a grinder.... which definitely you do not use to grind spices.... coffee grinder makes sense.

The the pistachios, cashew nuts, almonds in a bowl and microwave at low power for 11/2 minute stirring in between.

Add the mixed nuts, 1tbsp ghee, sugar, jaggery powder, green cardamom powder too to the grinder.

Grind to a powder which may take 2-3 minutes, pause in between. Transfer to a plate, add the raisins and 1tbsp ghee at a time. We are using the ghee for binding the pops and to add flavour.

Prepare tennis ball size roundels.

Gently insert a tooth pick into each one of the Instant Pops.

Refrigerate for 1/2 an hour before serving or let the kids help themselves whenever they wish to.