Dear John by Nicholas Sparks

"An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love—and face the hardest decision of his life."

I like Sparks' books. They are easy reads, quite romantic, often sad yet redeeming and so very full of emotions. 'Dear John' is another such story that will touch your hearts and will glisten your eyes with tears. While it seems like another 'boy meet girl' love story, it is not. Unlike most of Sparks' books I have read, where surprises are not left till the end this was an exception. The ending was kind of a jolt, nothing of the sort I had hoped it to be, but that is I believe makes the book all the more moving. Pick it up if you like the author's work.

The characters and the plot of the story seemed real and one could actually relate to the incidents that happened in their lives. I almost had an instant liking for John Tyree right from the beginning of the novel and could empathize him when things went hay ware in his life. Savannah seemed to be the perfect match for him. I love the way she wrote letters to him while he was away at army camps and how she expressed her feelings through them. But things did not happen as they had thought and one incident let to a chain of incidents that changed the course of their life. The story also portrayed the difficult relationship John had with his father and how eventually he understood him, credit to Savannah. Sparks deals with these emotions very subtly and that is the beauty of his writing style. I wish I could write more about the plot and the story line, but that will be a spoiler for any aspiring readers.

The story gives a message that can be summarised in this quote (not from the book) ~ "Sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of the one you love, is by far, the truest type of love."

This book has been made into a movie and it was released in 2010. Hopefully I get a copy of the DVD soon.

To know more about the author visit http://www.nicholassparks.com/

Linking it to Nicholas Sparks reading challenge hosted by The Book Vixen

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Bread Ras Malai Recipe | How to Make Bread Ras Malai

Bread Ras Malai #Recipe

Bread Ras Malai is a cheat's version of the conventional Ras Malai we all know. It tastes as good and is comparatively easier and quicker to make.

There are a few sweets I always relish. They are the ones prepared by my mother. They bring good memories from good old childhood days. No matter how much I try but I can't replicate the taste to the T. I think that's the magic of mom's hand that add a special touch to every dish prepared by her. One of them is this Bread Ras Malai. I have tried it on my own a couple of times now and have nearly replicated the taste!

I am an absolute lover of Ras Malai. I can unabashedly gorge on it. As a child, I was not very big on sweets, but for this sweet dish, I would never say 'no'. But, having Ras Malai was a pleasure which I enjoyed only in restaurant or in a wedding party until my mom came up with this version. Its best to use white bread for this one as wheat bread won't really taste that good.

For those, you do not know what Ras Malai is, check this

Bread Ras Malai Recipe

Ingredients:

1-litre full-fat milk
4 tbsp sugar or to taste.
a few strands of saffron
2 cardamom pod seeds crushed.
Almond and pistachios flakes to garnish.
4-6 Slices of good quality white bread.

Serves 4-6:

Process:

1. In a tablespoon of milk add the saffron and set aside. In a non-stick deep pan boil rest of the milk. When it comes to a boil lower the heat on medium and let it simmer till it is reduced to about 3/4th of the original volume, stirring at small intervals. It will take about 10-15 minutes.

2. Now stir in the sugar and stir. Add the saffron and cardamom and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

3. When the milk reaches the desired consistency turn off the heat and let it cool down to room temperature. Refrigerate it till needed.

4. Using a cookie cutter, cut out rounds off the bread slices. One large slice will give 2 pieces of bread. Place them in the serving bowl and pour cold prepared milk mixture over it. Garnish it with almond and pistachios flakes.

5. Let it sit for 5 minutes so that the bread pieces soak in all the flavours from the milk mixture. Serve chilled.

Notes:

1. Check the sweetness of the milk mixture before adding all the sugar and adjust according to your taste.

2. For a thicker consistency, cook it for a little longer.

3. It is always better to prepare this dish while preparing daily meal. Only making this might seem tedious and time taking. I always put it on one of the burners and by the time I am done with rest of the cooking, it is ready.

A bowl for you too! Enjoy!

You can also check out other Indian milk-based desserts recipes I have posted here -

The Classic Indian Kheer

Almond Kheer

Thank you for stopping by! Cheers!