Paddy's Irish Quebecstani Cookies for Cheering Bangladesh Sixes

WELL hasn't it been a while!  I'm reckoning you weren't planning on hearing from me again, but here I am, getting back into cricket after a long absence.  How long has it been?  WELL...young Mohammed Aamer is playing the game again and bowling better than ever, older and hopefully wiser!  Misbah ul-Haq, the wonder captain of Pakistan, has retired after bringing my lovely lads of Pakistan glory beyond their wildest dreams.  Pakistan has been the number one test team in the world.  Younis Khan retired.  Shahid Afridi is still a handsome man.   So while I might not have too much cricket commentary for today, I will say congrats to Bangladesh for beating Australia at Mirpur, and hopefully they'll have a repeat victory this week!

But what will you eat during this test match?  Don't just bite your nails, eat these delicious biscuits/cookies that combine the best of Quebec, Ireland, and Pakistan.  These cookies will give you all the strength you need to shout for all those fabulous big sixes we're going to see!

Paddy's Irish Quebecstani Biscuits for Cheering Bangladesh Sixes

For those who don't know, Paddy is my French-Canadian/Quebecois husband with an Irish background who has developed a hankering for Pakistani food.  He helped me develop the recipe.  It is HALAL and gluten-free.

Younis Khan at a Press Conference Talking About How He Will Be Eating Paddy's Irish Quebecstani Biscuits at Tea-Time.  "I am smiling because they are very good and you should make some yourself", he told the crowd.

Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla

1.5 cups black chickpea flour (also called Kala Chana flour, available at Indian/Pakistani grocers)
               If black chickpea flour is not available, regular chickpea flour can be used.
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
chocolate chips
walnuts
raisins (kishmish)
dried cranberries

Method
Pre-heat your oven to 350-360 F.  Cream the butter, adding both sugars gradually.  Stir in the peanut butter, then add the egg and vanilla.  In a separate bowl, combine the black chickpea flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar/peanut butter/egg mixture, and make sure everything is evenly distributed and smooth.  Add as many chocolate chips, crushed walnuts, kishmish and cranberries as you want, and combine them well.

Drop by the large spoonful onto a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about 20 minutes.  Eat.  EAAAAAAAAAAAAT!!!!  But wait a minute or two first, they'll be really hot as they've just come out of the oven.  Blow on the biscuit a bit so that you don't burn your mouth.

Happy Baking, Happy Eating, and Happy Cricket!

Shakib Al Hasan's Pico De Gallo Salsa for Quesadillas

Yes, and a good evening/afternoon/morning to you wherever you find yourself today.  Yesterday I posted a quesadilla recipe, dedicated to the fabulous Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.  I didn't have the chance to post the recipe for the salsa that goes on top, so here it is now.

How DARE you forget the salsa, you even named it after me, you chowderhead!

Shakib Al Hasan's Pico De Gallo Salsa

Never use a store-bought salsa again.  Pico de gallo salsa, pronounced Pee-ko day ga-yo NOT gay-o, is a freshly cut, tart, spicy and salty sauce which can be put on top of meat, rice, chicken, roti or naan or can be used as a dip with tortilla or roti chips.  Furthermore, pico de gallo is fantastic on scrambled, fried or poached eggs. This is, like Shakib al Hasan, the perfect all-rounder.  Now go sharpen your knife because we're going to deliciousville.

Ingredients:

Some nice ripe red tomatoes, finely chopped

an onion,very finely chopped

a big bunch of coriander (cilantro), very finely chopped

green or red chilies according to taste, very finely chopped

juice of 3 or 4 limes

salt

Mix everything together, and let it sit for a few minutes to that all the flavours meld.  Pico de gallo can keep well in the refrigerator for about 5 days.

Right.  So that's Shakib Al-Hasan's Pico De Gallo Salsa; now go out there and impress your friends with your all-round cheffin' skills and blow their minds.  If Wisden's have a Cheffer of the year, with this recipe and the Quesadillas, you'd probably get nominated.

Happy Cricket, and Happy Cooking!

Spicy Shakib Al Hasan's International T20 Quesadilla

And a good day to you.  I know it's been simply ages, but I've had business to take care of.  Anyways,  lately I've made some very nice friends from Bangladesh, and I was asked to be local cricket team's photographer at a recent tournament.  My goodness, it was fun all round, as one can see from the photos...

Anyhoo, these nice gents have a bone to pick with me: in fact, they're cross that I hardly ever talk about Bangladesh cricket or Bangladeshi food.  So today, in order to remedy some of this blog's Bangla-deficiency, we're going to have a look at that hot hunk of burnin' sports love known as all-rounder Shakib Al-Hasan.  Furthermore, in keeping with the international spirit of T20 cricket, we're going to make a Mexican-based classic light meal with some Bangladeshi ingredients that will please even the most fickle of palates.

Spicy Shakib Al Hasan's International T20 Quesadilla

Shakib Al Hasan is the #1 ranked all-rounder in Test Cricket and ODI's.  This package of awesome talent is only 25 years old and has already been Wisden's Cricketer of the year for 2009.   Hopefully we'll be seeing him break records and remain at his peak condition for years to come.  Well done!  Mr. Al Hasan, you deserve to have a dish named after you!

QUESADILLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!!!

A quesadilla (pronounced kay sa dee ya) is basically a cheese filled flour or corn tortilla, which is like a very very thin roti.  In its most simple form, cheese is placed on the tortilla, it's folded in half, and then it is heated up in a little bit of oil in a pan.  Many Mexicans will top their quesadilla with some thick cream and salsa (which I will describe in tomorrow's post.)  

Quesadillas, along with cheese, can also have a variety of fillings; pumpkin flowers, huitlacoche mushrooms, chicken, ham, whatever one wants.   Today's quesadilla will be a mushroom and cheese quesadilla, because apparently Bangladesh is an exporter of mushrooms.

Also, our quesadilla will be topped with a mexican pico de gallo salsa which is very similar to a Bangladesh topping of tomatoes, onions, lime juice and salt.  However due to time restrictions, the salsa recipe will be posted tomorrow.  But have no fear:  quesadillas are also delicious by themselves with no topping if one desires.  

But enough talk from me!  Put on an apron and sharpen your knives and stop wasting time!

Ingredients (to make 1 )

2 or 3 button mushrooms, sliced

about a handful of grated cheese, cheddar usually working the best

some sliced onion

some mustard seeds

some mustard oil

dried red chilies, roasted

a bit of salt

one flour tortilla or one very thin roti

some thick cream for topping (optional)

some pico de gallo salsa (optional and to be posted tomorrow)

Heat some mustard oil in a pan.  

Fry the mustard seeds and onions until golden.

Add the mushrooms, fry until the onions are very crispy and the mushrooms are thoroughly cooked

Remove the mushrooms and onions from the pan.

Quickly dry-roast the dried red chili directly on the burner

Replace pan on the burner, and place the roti in it, on medium heat.

Place the cooked mushrooms, onions and cheese on one half of the roti

Crush the roasted red chili on top of cheese and mushrooms

Fold the roti in half, and fry for a couple of minutes, then flip over

Fry until all the cheese inside has melted.

Serve immediately with a dollop of thick cream and a spoonful of pico de gallo salsa if you wish, and eat immediately.

EAT MY QUESADILLAS AND YOU'LL BE BIG AND STRONG LIKE ME

And that's Shakib Al Hasan's International T20 Quesadilla, a great all-round light meal or filling snack, great any time of day and tasty for everyone, whether vegetarian or carnivore.  Enjoy the cooking, enjoy the cricket, and enjoy life in general!

As they say in the old bayou, laterz gaterz!

PS Thanks gents for the lovely day at the cricket!  Let me know when the next tournament is :D

I Love My Pakistan Cricket Team, and You Will Love My Gazpacho

And a fan-flipping-tastic day to you!  Yes, I'm back after a long absence and I can assure it's not going to happen again!  Nothing can keep me away from my lovely lads of Pakistan, and look at all the gorgeousness they have achieved in the past year with that luscious lump of loveliness Misbah ul-Haq at the helm!

The Haq shows them who's boss when he sweeps spinners for big fat sixes!

 The saucy silent skipper has brought this squad of macho men up through the ranks and now they are giving the #1 rated team, England, the beating of their lives in the test series that is taking place in  UAE.

I took this pic of Anderson in 2010.  I don't think he's smiling right now.

We are all so proud of the handsome gents we call the Pakistan Cricket Team; through determination, honesty, hard work, practice and ridiculous good looks, they have come so far in the past 18 months.  From scandal and a near collapse, the lads, with their sheer strength of character, have made it through and are an inspiration for Pakistan, an inspiration for cricket, and an inspiration for EVERYBODY who has seen hard times. Well Done!

Awesome Ajmal, spin those English silly!!!

So, at the moment, Pakistan has won a three-test series, but the third test is still on and England need a staggering 300+ runs to secure their only victory.  That's right...Pakistan is close to white-washing England.  Will the English be able to cope with Saeed Ajmal or Abdur Rehman's spin?  With a crumbly pitch that's offering a bit of a bite,  Strauss and his gents had better put on their big-girl panties and hope they won't be totally spun to oblivion!

Strauss' first choice for spinners, Graham Swan, pretending to be happy to face  Ajmal's Doosra of Doom.

Anyways, because I've been hooked to my TV the past few days watching the drama unfold, I don't have time to cook a hot meal (and it's summer here in Melbourne anyways), so I'm going to make some Gazpacho for dinner tonight.  Maybe you should do the same, because you won't want to lose a minute while you're watching today's play.


Gazpacho is a traditional Spanish dish which is a great meal for hot weather, and a nice flavourful victory dish if you're watching your girlish figure.   If  you're living in the Northern Hemisphere, I know it's very cold there now with that crazy arctic front, but maybe all of the vitamin C and other nutritional stuff from this deliciousness will do you some good and help you face those -57 C days.  Right, go get your cutting board, an apron, and turn on your TV and we'll make this while we watch all the handsome guys on the Pakistan team crush the English the same way we're going to crush our tomatoes.  Watch and learn!


Gazpacho


About 5 tomatoes, roughly chopped
a cucumber, roughly chopped
an onion, roughly chopped
a red or green capsicum (bell pepper), roughly chopped
some extra virgin olive oil (you decide how much you want, more makes the gazpacho heavier)
about three tablespoons of white vinegar
a clove of garlic, chopped
salt to taste
crushed black pepper to taste
red chili powder (optional)
green chilies (optional)


Put everything in a blender, and blend until everything is smooth.  That's right, everything is raw and served cold, perfect for a hot summer night, or a cold winter evening when you're missing the tastes of summer!
Pour into bowls and serve immediately so you don't miss a minute of the action.


So while it's a few hours too early to declare a whitewash victory for Pakistan, I will say this...Good on ya, you beauties!  I love you, Pakistan Cricket Team, and keep it up!


Happy Cricket, Happy Cooking, and Happy Pakistan!

Canucks, Take Boom Boom Afridi's Advice and Have Some Pilao and Cuchumber

Bad day for Canucks fans, oh yes it hurts and my little eyes are so red from cryin'.  So on Monday, the Canucks lost to the Bruins by 7 goals, with the final score being 8-1 in favour of Boston, and then earlier today (I'm on Australian time, kidz) the Canucks got clobbered again by 4 goals.  Ugh!  This Stanley Cup final is getting to be too much for my poor little heart.

I just started to get into NHL hockey; and now I can see why so many people like it.  Especially Bruins fans.  Bah!   I like the Canucks because I'm from Vancouver Island, but man come on.  They need help.  They've lost their canuckiness.  Even my favourite cricketer, the ridiculously handsome Shahid Afridi, reacted to the news of the loss today:

The 'nucks lost?  WTF?

And I bet right now the Canucks are really regretting the terrible snacks and meals they've been eating.  You know how I know they haven't been eating well?  Because they didn't play as well as they could have.  They looked a little lethargic...and that's what happens when you drink pop and eat cotton candy and popcorn all day long!  Come on guys, this isn't a day at the fun-fair with your best girlie by your side!!!!  This is the Stanley Cup!  Macho up and take a tip from Shahid Afridi:  eat proper Pakistani food and just watch the scores accumulate in your favour. 

That's right.  Although this is a recipe I've posted before, it's necessary to spread that Pakistani love around again because this is an emergency.  Canucks, take a lesson from cricket:  eat some One Day International Pilao (named for the One Day International cricket matches) with Goaltender's Cuchumber.  And someone PLEASE get this recipe to Alain Vigneault on the double so that Luongo and the lads get it on time so they're fit and happy and win on home ice on Friday!

Pilao?  Oh yes please, I'd love some.

Proper One Day International Pilao with Goaltender's CuchumberMake the cuchumber first because it tastes better after resting for about 30 minutes.

Goaltender's Cuchumber
1 cup of finely chopped cucumber
1/2 very finely chopped onion
2or 3 very finely chopped green chilies
3 very finely chopped tomatoes (use more or less, according to how much you like tomatoes)
juice of 4 or 5 lemons or limes
lal mirch
salt

Toss everything together, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

Ingredients for Pilao
1 chicken, no skin, cut in 8 or 10 (the butcher can do this for you)
1 onion, finely chopped
7 or 8 cloves of garlic, crushed or very finely chopped
3 cm piece of ginger, crushed or very finely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 stick of cinnamon
1 black cardamom pod
1 star anise
5 black peppercorns
5 green cardamom pods
5 cloves
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon lal mirch (red chili powder)
salt to taste
3 cups of rice
4.5 cups of water
chopped green chilies to taste
chopped coriander for garnish
oil for cooking

1. Fry the onion until golden and a bit crispy, like you would for Basic Vegetable Salan.
2.  Add the cinammon stick, bay leaf, black cardamom, green cardamom, star anise, peppercorns and cumin seeds.
       You may notice that I do not grind the spices.   Cooking with whole spices is
        the old fashioned way and is how you get the authentic, subtle flavour. Do
        not take them out later on, just be careful when you're eating!
3.  Add the garlic and ginger, fry for a minute or two, but DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC!  Also you can add the chilies at this point.
4.  Add tumeric and lal mirch.  Fry for a few seconds.
5.  Add 4.5 cups of water, plus a little more (1/4 cup), bring to boil
6.  Add chicken and salt, let it boil about 10 minutes, so the chicken is just about cooked through.
7.  Add the rice, give it a stir
8.  When it boils again, turn down the heat to very low and cover.
9.  Let it cook for about 20 minutes or so, and add more water if the rice is still a bit hard.
10  Fluff up the rice, garnish with coriander,and serve with cuchumber on the side.

A quick note:  if you want a more flavourful pilao, ALWAYS use chicken with the bones in, and you can always add a few chicken necks.  Using only boneless chicken breast meat will give you a bland dish without all of the vitamins and minerals that come from the bones and marrow.  You may also use chicken broth instead of plain water.

Right, now there are absolutely no excuses for the Canucks to lose.  None!  So be good lil' kitchen helpers, make up some pilao and give it to your favourite Canuck.  I've already called dibs on Luongo, so the rest of you can cook for the other lads on the team.  Canucks, go out there and play some hockey and make us all proud!

Happy Hockey, Happy Canuckiness!

The PCB Can Get Stuffed, But You Can Enjoy A Lovely Stuffed Chicken.

You heard me!  The Pakistan Cricket Board can get stuffed!!!  I know this is old news, but it still hurts like a mofo.  Shahid Afridi has been unceremoniously DUMPED as Pakistan's limited-overs skipper if favour of test captain Misbah ul-Haq.  Bah!

Shahid Afridi has been magnificent as the T20 and ODI captain; he made that team gel together when it looked like it was all over for Pakistan cricket.  Last year, when the spot-fixing scandal broke and morale was at an all-time low, it was Afridi who kept the act together; and with every match they played those lads got better and better, eventually making it to the semi-finals of the World Cup.  Afridi's efforts, since before the World Cup, have been repaid with a sound kick to the pants.  First, the PCB refused to name him as captain of the WC squad until the very last minute, which must have caused him some sleepless nights; and now, after winning the ODI series in the West Indies, the PCB has just dumped him.  Like that.

As you know, I have no problems with Misbah ul-Haq, in fact, I really like him....as TEST captain, not so much for limited-overs.  Afridi the awesome all-rounder is still needed as the squad's skipper.  I know the info has been out for weeks now, but I'm still angry, and I will be for a long time.  You know what I say to the PCB for this?  I say:  GET STUFFED!!!!!

Now just because I want the PCB to go get stuffed, it doesn't mean you have to go hungry because I'm having a fit of pique.  That's right, while we send the PCB to go get stuffed, we're also going to stuff a  chicken with a delicious stuffing, roast it, and eat a meal that is fit for our King of Kricket, the recently unfairly deposed Shahid Afridi.  At first glance, this might look a little bland, but believe me, all that lovely juice from the chicken will infuse the stuffing with so much flavour you'll think you've died and gone to roasted chicken heaven.  Yes everyone, it's time to stop our bitchin' and get back in kitchen.

Yes, there will be Victory Fingers all around with this delightful yet simple stuffed roasted chicken recipe!

Stuffed Roasted Chicken

Ingredients
1 whole chicken (do not remove skin)
salt
pepper

Stuffing
1 onion, grated
1 cup oats
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt
ground black pepper
red chili powder (lal mirch)
1 lemon, squeezed

First, preheat the oven to 375 F or 190 C.
Prepare the stuffing;  grate the onion, and mix all of the ingredients together.
Second, stuff the chicken.  Pack in as much of the stuffing as you can up the chicken's uhhhh...bum.
Rub salt and pepper all over the chicken and then put it on a roasting pan.
Put it in the oven and let bake for 1.5 hours at 190 C, and baste it 3 or 4 times while it's roasting with the fat which accumulates at the bottom of the roasting dish.

When done, cut into quarters, or remove the stuffing and put it into a separate serving dish and serve with carved slices of chicken.

And there's your stuffed roasted chicken, a perfect dish to serve to our favourite limited -overs captain Shahid Afridi...and the PCB, well they can GET STUFFED!

Happy Cricket, Happy Stuffin'!

My Lovely Lads of Pakistan Can Do No Wrong, Except Lose a Match or Two.

Yeah, yeah.  I know, it's been a while.   First things first:  My loveliest lads of the Pakistan Cricket Team have drawn the test series in their tour of the Windies.  YES!  Misbah ul-Haq, my bestest batting darling, banged out a big fat juicy 102 runs, but get this...Taufeeq Umar scored a gigantic 135 runs in the second innings before getting run out by Sammy.  OMGGGGGGGGGGG I am so ticked off that they didn't show this on TV here!  Why do I pay so much for cable when I can't see what I want?  Gah!

Anyways, the handsome fellas known as the PCT showed those Windies a lesson in test match cricketry by winning with a 196-run margin.  Good on ya my lovely lads!

So here's the summary of what's happened during Pakistan's tour of the West Indies:
In the first and only T20, the Windies won, but then Pakistan went ahead and won the ODI series 3-2.  Pakistan lost the first test, but won the second.  So all in all, not a bad tour, but there is always room for improvement.  Next stop for the lads is Ireland, and hopefully they'll show that on cable TV, but I'm not counting on it. 

Anyways, I'll just mention again how much I looooooooooooooove Misbah ul-Haq.  His batting is just so dreamy!

He walks in beauty, like the night
   Of cloudless climes and stars that shine at
 all that's best of dark and bright
   Meet in his aspect and his bat:
Thus mellowed to that tender light
   Which heaven to gaudy day denies.
(apologies to Lord Byron)

Right.  I'm posting twice today.  Because I have a lot on my mind.  Have a good one!

Wills n' Kate

Congrats to Prince William and his beautiful wife, Katherine.  Yes, I cried during the ceremony because I remembered the day they announced his birth, and also because I saw Prince Harry getting all teary-eyed.  And that made me boo-hoo-hoo even more.

To the Royal Family:  good on ya!

I'll have my regular blog post ready for you later today.

A Good Royal Wedding to Help Pass the Time Until Test Cricket Returns

God Save the Queen!

Happy Cricket, and Happy Monarchy.

Win?-dies and Misbah ul-Haq's Mole Poblano for Batting Awesomeness

Whoa!  That was some ODI earlier on today! 'Twas a little bit of an low-scoring match but it had plenty of thrills for the drama queens inside each and every one of us.  So, Pakistan have won 3 of the ODI's so far, and the West Indians might want to change their nick-name of "Windies" to "Losedies".  As in..."we have so much talent on this team, but why do we "losedies" ODI's"?  A good question to ponder indeed.

So in today's ODI, there really was some thrilling stuff.  Rampaul mauled Pakistan's top order batsmen: "Manly" Mohammed Hafeez who usually belts 'em out was caught for a wimpy 5 while Ahmed Shehzad and Asad Shafiq both quacked out for ducks.  Ducks!!!  It was carnage!  It was pandemonium, it was crazier than h*ll!!! 

However, my favourite, Misbah ul-Haq steadied the ship and anchored the innings.  With 62 runs not out and forming some decent partnerships with Umar Akmal and Hammad Azam, he set the stage for Wahab Riaz to spectacularily belt out a couple of big 6's to take the team home to victory.

The Haq, in a previous episode of Awesomeness

Wahab Riaz is so much more than just a pretty face.

Yes!  Right on Pakistan!  And I will say to the Windies team: good on you guys today.  You fought hard and Rampaul and cute lil' Bishoo (even his name is cute) bowled wonderfully.  I'm looking forward to the next ODI and I'm itching to see a good fight!

Cute Bishoo, but deadly spin.  Deadly.

Now for today's cooking, I want to dedicate my bestest recipe of all time to Misbah ul-Haq.  That's right.  He's got his batting mojo back and he deserves this more than anyone else.  This one is for kitchen masters; if you're inexperienced, don't attempt this.  Try some of the easier dishes in the blog and work on your "sazon" or seasoning and spice balance first. 

Misbah ul-Haq's Mole Poblano of Batting Awesomeness

Mole (rhymes with Sholay)  poblano is a traditional mexican salan originally from the city of Puebla, in central Mexico.  In cooking circles, making a good mole poblano is considered the Holy Grail of the culinary arts.  The old fashioned recipe had more than 128 ingredients, but nowadays, because we can buy decent, ready-made spiced chocolate, the ingredient list is greatly reduced.

If you live in Pakistan, I'll try to get the name of the market in Islamabad that sells mexican chilies and chocolate.   In Canada, you can get the chiles and chocolate on Commercial Drive in Vancouver, or at Lonsdale Quay in North Vancouver.  Make sure you budget plenty of time to make this; you will be in the kitchen for several hours.  You can buy ready-made mole sauce at the store, but don't use it because it tastes unbalanced and is rubbish, I tell you.  Rubbish!  Make your own, and wow your dinner guests.

Ingredients:

1 or 2 chickens, cut in 8 (you can remove the skin if you wish)
8 ancho chilies
15 mulato chilies
2 pasilla chilies
1 chipotle chili
3 red tomatoes
50 grams of almonds
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
50 grams of raisins (sultanas)
1/2 a toasted or fried bun
4 or 5 cloves
pinch of cinnamon
parsley
4 or 5 black peppercorns
1 onion
3 cloves roasted garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 round to 1/2 round of IBARRA or ABUELITA mexican chocolate (european style chocolate will not work well, use the mexican chocolate)
1 fried corn tortilla
1 cup of manteca (lard) or butter if you want halal
salt to taste

The day before, roast and seed the chilies, and soak overnight in salted water.  If you are using dried chilies, simply soak them in salted water for 8+ hours.

Drain the chilies, and grind all of them except the chipotle chilli in a blender with cloves, cinnamon, black peppercorns, sesame seeds, the fried bun, the fried corn tortilla, the onion and two cloves of garlic.

Roast the tomatoes and remove the skin.
Grind the tomatoes and chipotle pepper in the blender.

Make broth with the chicken necks, water, 1 clove of garlic, onion and parsley.  This step can be skipped if you have pre-made chicken broth.

Fry the chicken in manteca or butter, brown and remove.
Add the tomato and chipotle mix to the pan, and reduce until paste consistency.
Add about 2 cups of chicken broth, and again reduce until paste consistency.
Add the chilies puree.
Add more broth and salt.
Add the chicken, cook until soft and add more broth whenever necessary.
Add in the chocolate and sugar, cook another couple of minutes, then garnish with almonds, raisins, and sesame seeds.

Serve with tomato rice, which is what I'll show you how to do tomorrow.

And there's Misbah ul-Haq's Mole Poblano for batting awesomeness featuring reverse sweeps.  Love the Haq!  Love the Mole Poblano!  Yes!  Yes!! Yes!!!

Happy Cricket, Happy Haq, and Happy Mole!

Yeee-ha for the Canucks, Pakistan Cricket Update and Chicken Pot Pie

YEEEEEEEEEE-HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!  Vancouver must be bubbling over with glee at the moment because in Ice Hockey news, the Vancouver Canucks have made their way into the next round of the Stanley Cup play-offs by just barely beating the Blackhawks in game 7 by one overtime goal.  RIGHT ON CANUCKS!!!

It looked like it was curtains for the lovely Vancouver lads of the ice rink; Luongo himself perhaps may have even felt a little lost as the Canucks headed into this game 3-3.   The Canucks were indeed leading 3-0 and proceeded to be clobbered senseless 3 times by the Blackhawks...things must have been grim and dark, but the lads fought back today, and all of Vancouver is hollering their support for Luongo and the lads.  Go Luongo, Go Canucks!

Lucious Luongo, doin' his thing, the way it oughtta be.

And not only that, there's more.  It's a beautiful afternoon because my lovely lads of cricket, the Pakistan Cricket team, have been looking really good, not just in the handsome department, but in the WIN department.  That's right, they lost the first and only ODI against the Windies, but since then they've won 2 ODI's and they have won in style.  Just look at these visions of awesomeness: 

Shahid Afridi, there's a collect call for you....will you accept the "awesome" charges?



Saeed Ajmal, Poetry in Motion!



Ahmed Shehzad, a vision in ton-netry.

 And let's not forget my favourite, Misbah ul-Haq.  He's making up for his lacklustre performance at the World Cup with his batting in this ODI series.  Keep it up, cuz I'm lovin' every run you've made against the Windies!

How can you not fall in love with that style?  Misbah ul-Haq ...raqs!!!

Right, now all that yakkity-yakking has made me hungry.  Let's not fool around with niceties.  Let's make a chicken pot pie because it's cold out and a growing girl needs nourishment.  C'mon men, put on your big boy panties and a hair net because the kitchen is calling.

Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients
About 2 cups of raw chicken, diced (use thigh meat for more flavour)
1/2 diced onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
1 carrot, diced
2 or 3 stalks of celery, diced
some chopped mushrooms
1 small zucchini, diced
1 green chili, diced (optional)
a handful of green beans, roughly chopped
1 large potato, diced
a bit of oil for cooking
about two tablespoons of flour
some water
about 2 cups of chicken broth.
salt and pepper
1/2 a pastry recipe (see below)

Right. Put a bit of oil in a saucepan and sautee the onions, carrots, celery, garlic and mushrooms for a few minutes, until the onions are golden.
Add the chicken, and brown it, making sure you don't burn anything.
Add the broth, salt and pepper and the rest of the veg, including the potatoes.
Cook until the chicken is cooked through, about ten minutes or so, on low heat.
In a cup of cold water, add the flour and stir thoroughly.  Then add this to the chicken and veg that's cooking in the pot; this will thicken it up.
Place the chicken stew in a baking dish.
Cover with the pastry, cutting some slits in the top so the steam can escape.
Bake at 200 C or 400 F until the pastry is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Pastry recipe (just use about half for this chicken pot pie recipe)

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter
5 - 6 tablespoons ICE COLD water

Cut the butter into the flour and salt with a pastry cutter or two knives.
Stir in the water, but don't handle the dough too much.
Roll out the dough on a floured board, and place on top of the chicken pot pie filling.

Okay, there's yer dinner, so quit whining that I don't show you how to feed yourselves.  I'm so nice to you it's ridiculous.  Anyways, have fun watching the cricket, and I'll see you all back here soon.  Go Pakistan!  Go Canucks!

Happy Cricket, Happy Hockey, and Happy Luongo!

H*ll, Pakistan vs. Windies and Rhubarb Crumble for Tumbling Wickets

Ugh!  Since the World Cup wrapped up, I have been going through the worst h*ll a girl can go through...that's right, I'm living a practically cricket-free existence and my gawd it's been h*ll on wheels.  Sure, the IPL is going on with all the fanfare and cheerleaders and big names, but it all seems a little "Harlem Globetrotter"-esque, meaning it's more about showboating than cricketing.  I'm sure that it must be very exciting if you live in India and watch the matches live; but here in Australia the games are not broadcast, and we've got a slow internet connection so watching on the webbernetz is a no-go.  Phooey!

So thank goodness for me and all other cricket-watching people of the world that our little h*llish existence will soon become a heavenly one:  PAKISTAN IS TOURING THE WINDIES AND THE FIRST MATCH IS ON THE 23rd!!!!!!!  Yee-haaaa!

Oh yeah, I want Victory Fingers!!  Lots!!!!

Seriously, nothing can make a girl like me happier than some proper international cricket...I'm thrilled about the T20, ecstatic about the ODI's....and flipping over the moon about TEST cricket!  YES!  YES!  YES!  It's been so long since I've seen a test match that I've almost forgotten what it's all about!  My cricket drought is about to be over in just a few more days!  And we'll be seeing lots of the bestest team in the world...the lovely lads of Pakistan! 

I'm also looking forward to seeing the Windies, to see what they've done with the team since the world cup. 

Chanderpaul:  Not playing in the T20 or the ODI's!!! Boooooooooo

That crazy Chanderpaul dude with the crazy front-on batting stance won't be there, and neither will Chris Gayle.  Major frowny face, those guys made the World Cup very entertaining.  Oh well.

But basically, today we're going to learn how to make a basic rhubarb crumble so we can encourage Windies wickets to tumble.  Yes.  A little bit of this healthy dessert will give Pakistan's bowlers even more of an edge, and I'm sure the lads will take plenty of Windies scalps.  Long live Pakistan bowling violence!

Rhubarb Crumble to Make Wickets Tumble

Rhubarb is a very tart vegetable which looks like red celery.  Only eat the stalks, because the leaves are toxic.  Right, go put on an apron and get your act together before I scold you.

Ingredients
at least 2 cups of chopped, raw rhubarb
a few tablespoons of  white sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup oats
3 tablespoons butter

Preheat your oven to 180 C or 350 F.
Spread the chopped raw rhubarb into a greased, 8 inch baking dish.  Make sure the layer is at least 1 inch thick.
Spread the white sugar on top of the rhubarb.
In a separate bowl, use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the flour, until the flour resembles bread crumbs.
Stir in the oats and brown sugar.
Spread the flour, oat and sugar mix over the rhubarb in the baking dish.
Bake at 180 C (350 F) for anwhere between 25 and 40 minutes, until the top is golden and the rhubarb is soft.

Sprinkle with icing sugar and serve by itself, with ice cream or with custard.

So you see, with all the nutritional goodness of rhubarb and oats, you'll be in tip top form with a spring in your step and a song in your heart....just what our lovely lads need!  Right on, guys!  Let's see you destroy the West Indians, just like you did a few weeks ago!!!!   Be good to us, your loyal fans, and give us your best!

Happy Cricket, Happy Rhubarb Crumble (Make those wickets tumble!)

Zulqarnain Haider is goin' back to Pakistan.

Mornin.  It's been a while, sorry...we'll be getting back to the regular format tomorrow morning.

I read the news today and I just gotta share it.  Zulqarnain Haider, the ex wicket-keeper is going back to Pakistan after receiving assurances from the Pakistani interior minister, the (in?)famous Rehman Malik, that he and his family would be safe.  He has withdrawn his application for asylum in the UK.

Check out the whole sordid story here.  Personally, I'm very worried about this kid's safety.  Those were some huge allegations he made back in  2010.  If what he said was true, then there is a whole heap of trouble waiting for him in Pakistan.

Stay safe, Zulqarnain.  If you have any doubts, just stay put in the UK.

A Few Days Off Because My Garden is a Mess.

Hi everyone.  No, I'm not speaking in euphemisms.  Seriously,  I'm taking a few days off because I have to do some heavy yardwork and get the garden ready for the winter.

But do not panic!  I'll be back in a soon enough with some new food and some new cricket gossip.

When I finish taming the @@%#(*% jungle in the back yard, I will definetly be pointing some Victory Fingers towards the sky, just like my hero.  I bet his garden looks really nice. 

In the meantime, why don't you visit the lovely lads at http://sportpulse.net/?  There are articles by Awesome Aziz ul-Qadir, Fabulous Faisal Caesar, Saucy Salik Khan, Kaptivating Karam Khan, Kruisin' Kris Hinz, and Marvelous Matt Hodgetts, , just to name a few of the talented writers we've got on board!

Have a good one, and wish me luck with the bleeping $#(*&%T garden.  It really is a jungle out there!  If I work hard now, I should be done by the next World Cup.  Phooey!

Happy Cricket, Happy Garden.

Dhoni! Dhone! Dhony! It Feels Good!

You bet it feels good because Dhoni! Dhone! Dhony! has done it again....that is lead his team to win the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup!

Dhoni!Dhone!Dhony!!!

Congrats India!  You totally deserved this one!

And India's skipper Dhoni....what a man for keeping his cool!  What a man for his captain's knock when his squad needed him the most!  And flipping handsome when he shaves his beard and mustache!  A Cricket superstar and Bollywood hero, all rolled into one!  Woo-hoo!

And Sachin Tendulkar..."I couldn't have asked for anything more than this. Winning the World Cup is the proudest moment of my life. Thanks to my team-mates. Without them, nothing would have happened. I couldn't control my tears of joy."  If you didn't fall in love with him a little bit when he said that, there is something seriously wrong with you!

Anyways, as all of you know, I'm in love with Team Pakistan, but today I'm cheering for India because they played some mind-blowing cricket with some great fielding and defeated the fantastic Sri Lanka.  Hooray!

I'm writing a nice story for SportPulse today about Sachin Tendulkar and Rice Krispie Squares.  Come visit us at http://sportpulse.net/ and get all the World Cup Cricket scoop!

Again, Congrats India, you  ROCKED this world cup and gave all the other teams a thrashin' they'll never forget!

Happy Cricket, Happy Dhoni!

Mission Mumbai Failed.. Alpha is down, Alpha is down! abort the mission I repeat abort the mission! All men fall back

By Syed Fahd Ali

Finally, the Pakistan cricket team's journey of pursuing the dream of 180 million people is finally over and they are expected to reach home by later tonight after losing the semi final against India.The Dream is over, hearts are broken and the question in mind is: Are we still supposed to love cricket and the Pakistan team or not?

They took a shaky start in the World Cup in the match against Kenya. The most brittle batting order has suffered collapses many times. After Amir Sohail and Saeed Anwer, nobody has been able so far to open Pakistan's innings. So the opening stand has been  under experimentation; Shahzad was a failure.  "Plan B", Kamran and Hafeez,  also opened but didn't work and also failed to give a STRONG stand except once in the ONE-SIDED match against the West Indies. All batsmen were also unable to score a century in this mega event.

Now, as Pakistan lost their semi final to arch-rivals India, their 5th defeat in World Cup against them has had a great impact on the hearts of Pakistan cricket lovers.  In fact, I cried like someone is dead to me. I was too much upset last night thinking about the shameful defeat against India.

 OH! no man! Why shame? Our team has reached a semi final after 12 years. Before the start of the tournament, nobody expected that Pakistan could be a strong competitor for the cup. Is that the same team who has been in controversies for many years, completely white washed against Australia in all 3 formats of game?   And remember all that happened in England,with Pakistan losing the test, ODI and T20 series and the match-fixing scandal!  Remember Pakistan lost the T20 and ODI series against South Africa though they did fight well. Oh yeah!

It is this same team in the semis while Australia, England and South Africa got sent back home. The only reason behind this is our love and support to our team, we never stopped supporting our team though they disappointed us many times and this time disappointment is extraordinary but we are  never gonna stop bucking up for our team. Hats off team Pakistan and all the especially our beloved captain Shahid ALPHA Afridi for being such brave and promising captain in all circumstances and leading from the front in all situations.

Last but not the least I want to give thanks again to my love, the Bullet Rawalpindi Express for his great services to the  Pakistan Cricket team. Mr. Unfit performed way  better than 100% fit bowlers. We'll miss you so much and will never forget you.

Pakistan Zindabad!

The Malinga Slinga for the World Cup Final

Good morning, everyone!  It's April Fool's here, but have no fear, this is going to be a real post.  Tomorrow's the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup final between Sri Lanka and India, and I'm looking forward to seeing the fabulous Angelo Mathews, the great bowler Lasith Malinga and his malicious yorker, and the frightening and deadly spin bowler Muralidaran.  Team Sri Lanka!

Now dont' get me wrong; I really like the India team, but Sri Lanka does have that special something that makes them extra fun to watch. That special something happens to be Malinga's slinging action when he bowls.  Usually quick bowlers are supposed to have their arms totally vertical, at a 90 degree angle from the ground, when they release the ball.  Malinga keeps his arm at what appears to be a 45 degree angle or lower.  This bowling action, the slinging style, combined with his speed and accuracy and further combined with the visual of his alarming black/bleached blond afro hairstyle rattles even the best of batsmen.  Seriously, if I were at the crease, and this machine of bowling maliciousness was running towards me, I'd cry for my mommy!

Slinga Malinga in Toe Crushing Good Form

Because I like Slinga Malinga's yorkers and his hairdo so much, I've come up with a new cocktail named after him...The Malinga Slinga, based on the classic Singapore Sling, but instead of the usual amount of pineapple juice, I've reduced it by half and added some Coke.  The pineapple and coke, yellow and black, represent his afro, and the cherry and grenadine represent his red-hot yorker!  Yes!  But,   don't worry, if you're a non-drinker, you can also make the non-alcoholic version which will be just as delicious!  For those of you who don't know, I worked for years bartending to pay for university and to pay the bills.  I know what I'm doing when it comes to drink mixology!  Don't use pre-packaged drink mixes, use the fresh stuff as much as you can. It makes the difference between a mediocre cocktail and a fantastic one that will make you feel like dancing with delight.

The Malinga Slinga

1 oz gin

1/2 oz cherry brandy 

2 oz pineapple juice

2 oz Coca-Cola

1/2 oz lime juice

1/4 oz orange liqueur

1/4 oz benedictine liqueur

1/3 oz grenadine syrop

1 dash Angostura Bitters

  

Fill a very tall glass with ice.  First of all, pour in the gin, the benedictine, then the Coke.  Then add the pineapple juice, lime juice, and orange liqueur.

Give everything a quick stir, then pour in the cherry brandy and the grenadine; do not stir.

Garnish with a slice of pineapple and maraschino cherry.

Non alcoholic version:  Don't use gin, and use cherry juice if available instead of cherry liqueur.  Use orange juice instead of orange liqueur, and omit the benedictine. 

So there you have the Malinga Slinga, a refreshing but potent cocktail, just like Malinga's bowling...a nice change from the usual form, but packs a real punch!  And you'll find the non-alcoholic version is just as lovely and will be a hit at any party.

Let's Go Sri Lanka!

Happy Cricket, Happy World Cup, and Happy Cocktail!

And PS...my good friend Fahd is writing a guest post today!!!! I'm so excited and you should be too!    Keep your eyes open!

India Wins the Semi-final, but Wahab Riaz is the Superstar

It's a sad day if you're a Pakistan fan, like me.  I stayed up most of the night to watch the battle, and I must say that Pakistan's fielding wasn't up to par.  My lovely lads got their timing all wrong, dropping catches and letting singles go for boundaries.  The pressure could have been a bit too much for them.  Umar Gul, disappointingly, did not have the skillz to pay the billz; the poor guy was having a bad day.  Lots of full tosses.  He was the last person I would have expected to crack under the pressure.

Then there were the 4 missed catches for Sachin Tendulkar of India.  He should have been caught out early on, but all the lovely lads had butterfingers and not the fingers of victory I was wishing for!!

So I'll say Good on India for their win over Pakistan, but I've got something even more important  to say this sunny yet sad morning in Melbourne.  Wahab Riaz ROCKED yesterday.  Great BOWLING!!!! He was on fire, a superstar in a match that saw the usual stars struggle for form.  And you know what?

 He looked damned good, too.  I bet no Indian or Sri Lankan bowler can get as many wickets and look so handsome at the same time! 

Therefore, my fellow fans of the bestest team ever, don't feel down, don't be sad.  Wahab Riaz is just a young fella who's still learning the complete art of pace bowling.  He was magnificent in this World Cup semi-final...can you imagine what he'll be like in the NEXT world cup when he's in peak form???  YES!  There's only one way to go from now Pakistan, and that is UP!

Chin up, everyone.  Pakistan lost this one, but we all know very well that our lads are on their way to becoming the dominating force in cricket!

Now go get your kitchen ready for tomorrow.  I'll show you how to make the Malinga Slinga cocktail (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions).

Toodles.

Shahid Afridi, Show'em How Things Are Done In Pakistan

Dear Pakistan Cricket Team Captain;

Shahid Afridi and his Fingers Of Victory

That's right Shahid, this letter today is for you.  I flipping love you and how you've turned this Pakistan cricket team around.  You have taken a group of extremely talented athletes out of the quagmire of chaos, politics, scandal and heartbreak and have transformed them into a magnificent fighting machine, capable of going all the way to the top.  All the way!

We have all seen your glorious transformation from impatient, hot-headed batsman to passionate, calm, collected, masterful captain and deadly, efficient bowler.  You have furthermore taken each player's weakness and turned it into a strength.  Every bowler can bat, every batsman can bowl, and everyone is dynamite in the field.  With every match, the lads are getting better and better, and I have faith that today, in your epic cricket battle with India, you and the lads will show your full potential and blow away the entire world with your skills and superior cricketing ability.  Furthermore, my captain, you and the lads will look fabulous while you're doing it!!!

Since I started watching cricket in June of 2010, you and the lads have been my favourites.  Although at the time I knew next to nothing about the game, and you were losing matches, even I could see the enormous amount of raw potential in the squad which no other team seemed to have and I remember saying to my friends:  these chaps are going to be legendary and we will be talking about them for years to come. 

And now we are here, a few hours before the semi-final of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, playing against India, our fiercest rival.   Shahid Afridi, you and the lads do your best, and have the time of your lives out there today. Blow India out of the water!  Make them tremble in fear!  Go give them the Heebie-Jeebies!   Go show them how things are done in Pakistan!  And people are indeed saying that Pakistan is a great team...but show the world that they ain't seen nothin' yet!

Shahid Afridi, my captain, you're my hero for never giving up, and all of us thank you for staying with the lads and taking them this far.  Shahid Afridi you rock and may you point your victorious fingers towards the sky many many times during this historical match.

Yours faithfully in Cricket,
Kiki

The World Cup Semis, Jesse Ryder, and Pakoras for Pakistan

And it's foggy this fine Melbourne Monday Morning, but there's been so much cricketing sunshine in the past few days that the haze is barely noticeable.  Here's a quick rundown on what's happened:

In one heckuva match, little New Zealand beat the pants off of South Africa.  Ya heard me right.  The Saffies, who were one of the favourites to win the WC, and are furthermore quite a deadly team, brought their "B" game (some say "F" game for "fail")  to the cricket pitch and underestimated the Kiwis.   In the end, the Kiwis scored 221/8, and bowled out the Saffies for 172 in 43.2 overs.  Bowled out!!!

As you know, I've always made fun of the Kiwis.  Well, no more.  Pakistan are #1 in my heart and always will be, but New Zealand are my new second-favourites.  A person who deserves a big old shout-out is the fabulous and fit-looking Jesse Ryder who hung in there, anchored the NZ innings and scored a nice 83 runs.  Some of you may already know, some of you may not....Jesse Ryder is battling alcoholism, and it has been a real struggle for him. 

Jesse, you're awesome.  Don't get discouraged, keep on doing your best to quit the drink, and keep on playing great cricket.  We, the cricket-watching public, love you, and good on ya for helping your team beat the Saffies!  You can do anything!!! TEAM JESSE RYDER!

And in other World Cup cricket news, Sri Lanka beat England to make it into the semi-finals.  Good on the Sri Lankans!  Seriously, the English were like a cat in this World Cup...they had so many close calls that they used up their 9 lives.  Anyhoo, Sri Lanka royally thrashed the English with a 10 wicket yes a 10 wicket victory! 

So, in the next round of World Cupness, Sri Lanka will play New Zealand, and Pakistan will play India.  These are going to be extraordinary matches; especially the Pak/India match.  Seriously, watch this epic battle with people who know CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) because I know that Kamran Akmal drops a catch, there will be millions of people besides me having a heart attack.  Be safe and smart!

For today's cooking, it's going to be something a little simple, some nice pakoras, something similar to what we call fritters in the west.  But pakoras taste better and will put a spring in your step and a smile on your face.  Hello, world, see the food that I'm cookin, c'mon get happyyyyyyyyy!

Pakoras for Pakistan

I've never seen anyone make pakoras before, so I did my research, all the recipes have the same basic ingredients and they all have the same methodology.  Some recipes looked like they had an imbalance of spices and would be bitter.  So here's what I've cobbled together and hopefully these should be just fantastic!

Ingredients:
Batter:
1 1/2 cup chickpea flour (Besan)
1 teaspoon lal mirch (chili powder) or to taste
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
1 tablespoon coriander (cilantro), very finely chopped (use more if you like)
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground anardana seeds (pomegranate seeds)
1 pinch of aamchoor (green mango powder) but only if you want a little extra tang
1 teaspoon yogurt
1/2 cup water

Put everything in a bowl, but gradually add the water, beating everything until it forms a thick, uniform batter.  Let it sit for at least 20 minutes before adding your vegetables.

Vegetables:
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 potato, pre-cooked and cut into small pieces
1 clove of garlic, very finely diced
Spinach, finely chopped
cauliflower, cut into small pieces
(in fact, you can use any vegetable you like; but don't forget the onions because they add the right amount of sweetness and depth)

Put the vegetables into the batter and make sure they are all coated.
Heat enough oil in a pan to deep fry on medium heat.  Do not overheat the oil or your pakoras will burn!
Drop the pakora batter by the tablespoonful into the oil and deep-fry until golden brown on both sides.
Drain on paper towel.
Serve with tamarind chutney :  I don't have time to post that recipe now, but I'll post it tomorrow, I promise!  In the meatime, you can use raita, basic chutney, or even ketchup.

Right on, enjoy the Pakoras, and keep up your strength for those semi-finals.  And Jesse Ryder...stay golden, my man!!

Happy Cricket, Happy Pakora!

PS  Visit my "other" lovely lads at SportPulse.net.  Everything you want to know about World Cup Cricket and other sports! 

Pakistan and India, Epic Battles, and Hoummus for the Meantime

WOW!  Just...WOW!  What a pair of matches; Pakistan beat the Windies the day before yesterday, and India beat Australia last night.  Let's have a quick look at both the matches, starting first of all with my favourites, the gorgeous guys of Pakistan.

Pakistan, my lovely lads, bowled such a spell of merciless magnificence  that no team could have survived such a brutal attack!  Pakistan gave the West Indies the thrashing of their lives.  Now some people say that the Windies played poorly; but I beg to differ.  What happened was that Pakistan played some of the most glorious cricket I have ever seen and the Windies players, naturally, were left dazed and confused!

Each bowler was on fire that night.  ON FIRE!  Afridi scalped 4 Windies batsmen for 30, Mohammed Hafeez got 2 wickets, Gulzilla got 1 for 13 (oh he was gorgeous!) Saeed Ajmal got 2, Razzle-Dazzle Razzaq got 1 and "Mr. Handsome" Wahab Riaz did a great job containing runs.

And let's talk about the fielding!  My lovely lads were looking so fit and athletic:  obviously they've been training very hard and my goodness it shows.  What catches!  Afridi and Younis Khan rocked those catches and holy smokes it was beautiful to watch.  I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!!!  Congrats on winning by 10 smokin' hot wickets you magnificent bunch of glorious cricketers!

And let's move on to the India/Australia match.  Hoo hoo hoo, India won by 5 wickets and 14 balls remaining.  To tell the truth, I was a little sad when Watson got out, and I felt bad that even though Ricky Pouting played well and scored a great big 104, it wasn't enough to send the Indians packing.  Bummer!  You know why I was hoping Australia would win?  So that Pakistan could give them a good beat-down in the semi-final!  Ha!

So this means the semi-final is going to be a real showcase showdown between India and Pakistan...this is going to be EPIC.  India is a great team, Pakistan is a great team, a clash of the titans!

Afridi:  "I want Tendulkar's scalp!!!" .

Tendulkar:  "I'll do my best to keep my wig on"

The Ashes...pfffft!!! Nothing compared to the extreme rivalry of these giants!  An epic battle shall ensue, the stuff of legends and our grandchildren will talk about this match, I'm sure.   I'm going to do everything in my power to help my lovely lads of Team Green get that victory!  I also recommend that you watch the match with people who know CPR...I know for sure I'm going to have several heart attacks watching this doozy of a game, and it's better to be safe then sorry.

All rightie, so I'm going to be busy today doing research and testing for some new pakistani dishes because I want my lads to be in tip top form in order to beat the Indians.  In the meanwhile, though, I'll give you a nice and easy greek/mediterranean recipe for Hoummus, which you can eat with some nice naan or crackers or whatever you like.  Don't buy the packaged stuff...make your own hoummus!

Hoummus for the meantime

Ingredients
about a cup of chana daal, chick peas, soaked for at least an hour. 
salt
water
sesame seeds
olive oil
lemon juice
a clove or two of garlic

First of all, boil the soaked chickpeas in some salted water until they're totally soft.
While they're cooking, make TAHINI as follows:
get a few tablespoons of sesame seeds.
toast the sesame seeds if they are not already toasted by dry-frying them in a pan until golden.
put the toasted sesame seeds in a blender with enough olive oil to make a sauce.
blend until smooth, adding more olive oil if necessary.
Set the tahini aside.

Drain the cooked chickpeas, and put them in the blender with a clove or two or garlic, lemon juice to taste, and a bit of salt if necessary.  Add a bit of water to the chickpeas if necessary; and add some olive oil.
Once blended, blend in a teaspoon full of your tahini, and adjust the amount of tahini in your hoummus to your taste.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil on top of the hoummus and serve with pita bread or roti chips, naan, or crackers.

And there you have a good snack, nice and nutritious, and home-made, and also very good to eat while you're waiting for something else!

Right...have a good one today, and think of Pakistan...Victorious and Glorious!

Happy Cricket, Happy Pakistan, Happy Epic Battle!