A Favor to Mankind.

Helloooo lovelies! (why does it feel like I am talking to myself? Please tell me at least one of you out there is reading my blog, yes? Ok!)

I am writing this post today with just one selfish motive in mind – to get some good karma points for the service I am about to do to mankind. And hey, no, I am not going to stop blogging; that would be asking for too much. So what am I about to do?

Well, let me start by telling you a story. Until I got married, my entry to the kitchen was quite restricted. Once every morning to get cereals & milk and probably twice more to put the plates, spoons, etc. to wash and occasionally to bake a cake or make cupcakes which more often than not looked like disfigured blobs of clay.

I distinctly remember this one time, a few weeks before my wedding, when I decided to make pizza from scratch but ended up making some of my *true* friends (Hamsi, Dwarak & Ram) eat half baked, soggy, “pizza” (it was actually a soggy mess of flour, veggies and some cheese) which they ate without complaining (or at least I’d like to pretend that I don’t remember them complaining).

However, all this changed once I started cooking (was forced to start cooking, I mean) after moving to UAE. I have now reached a stage where I love cooking so much that I can be caught going through food blogs, checking recipes all through the day.

Anyhooo, coming back to why I am writing this post today, well, I am writing it to help the million other souls like me who are struggling to cook, still learning to cook, can barely cook, experimental cooks, occasional cooks, etc.

Although I am no Masterchef, I am still very  happy with what I am capable of making now although epic fail, disastrous experiments are still very much a part of my life every now and then (read at least once a week).

Thank god for internet, for without it I would barely be able to make a decent meal. Oh, and Amma, I know you are reading this, I would like to assure you that you did bring me up well, you taught me so much, it was just me, who did not pay attention. Not your fault. ;)

So, here is some unsolicited cooking gyan, from me, to you.

Vegrecipesofindia – This site has been my Holy Book of cooking. From South Indian to North Indian, Gujrathi to Bengali, Dassana has recipes for EVERYTHING!

Her recipes are easy, and her pictures are more than enough to make you want to cook.

Padhuskitchen – This is another one of my favorite sites. From bakshanam to easy breakfast recipes, she has ‘em all listed.

Reluctant Chefs – These two (Ajit & Nandini) are my heroes. Ajit is a world-famous Twitter & Instagram personality (also the object of hatred of almost every husband in the world, I'm sure. :P). Together, they cook up a storm in their kitchen every. single. day! If you are not dieting (don't plan to, ever), not guilty of thinking about food all the time and have a decent amount of will power, feel free to follow Ajit on Instagram @macroajit. 

Saffrontrail – Nandita’s blog is my go-to when I want healthy, filling and delicious recipes. Oh, and the pictures of her home garden turn me green with envy every time.

What’s more awesome is that she conducts Baking Bread, Salad Workshops every once in a while. I can’t wait to attend one when I am back in India next.

 EdibleGarden – Another fabulous website with so many interesting recipes and drool-worthy pictures. Nags is another favorite of mine.

TarlaDalal – Who can ever forget this lovely lady? Her website is a treasure that is sure to be helpful for many, many years to come and the best thing about it is how you can get the ingredient measurements based on your serving size.

Other go-to sources – A Beautiful Mess, (they have it ALL – Recipes, DIYs, Crafts, Home Décor to name a few), Nigella Lawson (duh!), Kiran Tarun, Subbu’sKitchen (for authentic Tambrahm cooking) to name a few.If you are Vegan, 101 cookbooks, Fat Free Vegan & Vegan Yum Yum are great choices. Of course, there is always Amma, just a Whatsapp message away. :)

I am currently going through the make-something-fabulous-everyday phase and it has been good so far. I hope this unsolicited advice helps you, some day if not right away and that day, feel free to send me nice gifts. I’d appreciate it and am shameless enough to admit it.

Also, remember, the internet is your best friend, one Google Search and you have more than enough options to choose from. 

Till the nextpost,
M

Note: All the items in pictures above are my experiments. *smug look*

The Pie-thagorean Theorem.

At the beginning of 2014, I promised myself that I would blog regularly (amongst other things, of course. Like eating healthy, working out, losing weight, crafting more, getting back to music classes, etc.). Sadly, I have barely done any of these and I am unable to accept that it's already August now. 

I am yet to come in terms with how fast the year has gone by.  Life has changed a whole lot since my last blog post and for good. So, I am not really complaining.

Anyway, the reason I am here today is because of a pie. A pie that has changed my life. Ok, I'm actually just being dramatic. But this pie, it is something you have just got to try. 

It is so easy to make and tastes like heaven.I mean, it really is THAT good, ok? Ok. And it has been my best baking experiment to date, hands down! 

You will need:

For the filling:

5 firm apples, peeled & cubed (soak in water to prevent discoloration)

1.5 tsp cinnamon powder

1 cup sugar

Juice of one big lemon

For the crust:

2.5 cups all purpose flour

200 grams butter (cut into cubes)

1/2-3/4 cup water

1 tsp salt

1.5 tbs sugar

Method:

Take a large bowl and mix the flour,salt, sugar. Add the cubed butter to this and rub the flour mixture against the butter till small lumps form.

Continue doing it until the mixture reaches a bread crumb-y texture. Now, slowly add water, a little at a time and make a dough.

Bread crumb-y texture. Add water only after you achieve this.

 Divide the dough into two parts, cover one part with cling firm and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, in another big bowl combine the cubed apples, cinnamon, sugar and lemon juice and mix thoroughly so that each piece is coated with the dressing. Set aside.

On a clean, floured surface, roll the other half of the dough into a large circle or rectangle and cut strips of equal width. Roll the refrigerated dough to a nice, big circle (at least 2 inches more in diameter than the baking dish you plan to use) 

Layer the baking dish neatly with this dough and cut off the excess dough from the sides. 

Now pour the apple filling on top and use the dough strips to cover the top in a criss-cross pattern. Seal the edges with the dough used for base of the pie and sprinkle some cinnamon on top.

Not bad at all, for a first timer. *smug look*

Glaze the top with some milk using a brush and bake it in a pre-heated oven at 200*c for 40-45 minutes.

In to the oven it goes.

This time may vary depending on the microwave/oven you may use. Hence please ensure you do not let it get burnt. 

Although the number of steps mentioned above may seem too much, trust me, it was really very simple to make and tastes absolutely divine. Oh, and the house smells like a dream. Apples and cinnamon are truly a match made in heaven. Sigh.

I made this last night and it's already almost over and everyone who has tasted it (husband and some 10 colleagues) have given me two thumbs-up! The crust was flaky, the filling - delicious. 

I hope you make this and enjoy the pie as much as we did and do let me know how it turns out if you try it! 

Here's to a great rest of the year and to more blogging (hopefully!).

Cheers! 

M

Notes:

1. I used this video as the guide to make flaky dough. It worked like magic. 

2. I did not cook the apple filling as done in some recipes, it still turned out really gooey and soft.
3. Forgive me for the awful caption. Thank you.

I Emptied My Fridge.

So, yesterday was one of those days when I cleaned the house like a mad woman all day and when it was time for dinner, I was exhausted as hell and the last thing I wanted to do was cook a meal. 

Another reason why I couldn't/did not want to make a meal was because all that was left in the fridge was a carrot, a couple of onions, a can of kidney beans, some finely chopped cabbage, a pomegranate and some pickled olives and me being me, I was too lazy to step down to the nearest store to get some veggies.

However, since I am also sweet and all that, I did not let the husband starve. So, what did I make? I whipped up an absolutely delicious I-Emptied-My-Fridge salad with whatever I had. Cool or what?! Ok, don't answer that. 

Anyhooo, here is the recipe for you to be as cool as me. 

You will need:

10 minutes of your time

Broken wheat/Dalia - 1 cup 

Carrot - 1 (cut into thin strips)

Onion - 1 (cut into thin strips)

Cabbage - 1/2 cup (finely chopped)

Kidney beans - a handful

Pomegranate seeds - a handful

Pickled olives - 6 (chopped)

Olive oil - 1 tsp

Juice of half a lemon

Salt, pepper - to taste

How to:

1. Pressure cook the broken wheat/dalia with 1-1 1/2 cups of water. Three whistles should do the trick. Keep aside.

2. In a small pan, heat a teaspoon of olive oil, add the onions and sauté till it's soft and pink. Add the carrots and saute for a couple of minutes and then add the cabbage and kidney beans and sauté till everything is soft and the raw smell goes. You can skip sautéing the veggies if you do not want to. I did it since I do not like my onions raw.

3. In a large bowl, take the broken wheat, add the sautéed veggies, olives, pomegranate seeds, salt and pepper and the lemon juice. 

4. Mix gently using a spatula till everything is combined well. Your wholesome, healthy, delicious salad is ready! 

This is best served at room temperature or cold.

The pomegranate gives the salad a nice crunch while the lemon juice adds a zing to the salad. 

It is absolutely filling as a main course and I think  it would also make a good side-dish for baked potatoes, maybe? 

Another good thing about this salad is you can use whatever you think would go well with it/have left in the fridge. Personally, I think some zucchini or cucumber would have made this much nicer. Sad that I did not have either of them. But I plan to try them next time. 

Also, i found this today! If only the pay wasn't so low. If only...

Till the next post, 

Much love

M

PS: Post making this for dinner last night, I did go out veggie shopping and my fridge is well stocked now. This may also be because my brother is coming to visit me tomorrow. For TWO WEEKS. WHOOT! :D

kbye now. 

 

A Bittersweet Return

Hello lovelies! (if at all there is anyone still reading my blog) 

I am back to blogging after what seems like an eternity. The last few months have been crazy and insane and so much has changed. No complaints though. Life has been good. :) 

Soooo, to mark my return and to make up for the absence, here I am with a chocolicious yet healthy recipe. 
A friend of mine had shared a recipe for making hot chocolate fudge breakfast bars which inspired me to make this.(thank you, Vibha)

Also, this way i could use the digestive biscuits that the husband totally hates to eat otherwise. *evil-grin*

You better not tell him about this, ok? Ok.  


Quick Bittersweet Nutty-Chocolate Bars
Time taken: 15 minutes

You require:

• 3/4 to 1 cup of coarsely ground nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios, walnuts or any anything else of your choice)
• 1 cup coarsely ground digestive biscuits (you can also use Marie biscuits)
• A handful of raisins & dates
• 2 tbs instant coffee powder (more if you want the coffee taste to be predominant)
• 2-3 tbs unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Hershey's)  
• 2 tbs honey
• 1 tbs low fat condensed milk  

Method:

1. Mix the coarsely ground nuts and digestive biscuits in a big bowl
2. Add the cocoa powder, coffee powder, raisins and dates (roughly chopped) to the above mixture and mix well
3. Now add the honey and the condensed milk and mix till everything is combined well
4. Now take a few spoonfuls of the mixture, put it inside a sandwich/Ziploc bag and give it any shape of your choice. This makes the process less messier. 
5. Alternatively, you can also spread this mixture on a tray/baking dish and use a cookie-cutter for cutting these into various shapes

Tada! You have healthy, delicious and bittersweet nutty-chocolate bars. 

These taste lovely as it is but can also be had with ice cream and some chocolate sauce. These would make for delicious breakfast bars too.  

If bittersweet is your thing, go and make these already. 

Till the next post, much love!
M

PS: Garnishing ice cream with boondi laddu is my new favorite thing. Also, it is my way of getting over with the Diwali sweets. Genius, I know.  
PPS: I have a husband now. I am married. OMG! 

DIY: 3-Step Earring Hanger

It's been quite a while since I blogged. And I couldn't think of a better way to make it up to you ladies than with a DIY that you surely will thank me for. Or at least I hope you would. 

So, I'm one of those girls who ends up buying pretty stuff even if I never plan to wear/use it. If it's pretty and within my budget, I *have* to pick it up. Now, don't give me that look. I know you do it too. Right? Right.

And this is how I now have an earring collection that is almost all over the house. No matter how organised I try to be, I still can't find the pair I'm looking for when I really need it. 

I figured I had to do something about it and that's when this earring-hanger idea struck me. Especially for the ones I wear regularly. 

Trust me, my earrings have never been this organised before. 

 

 Now I'm on to figure out how to store the rest of the earrings (the expensive ones). How do you store yours?  

Till the next post
Much love,
M

PS: This is barely a quarter of the gazillion pairs of earring that I have. I'm still looking for the rest. I'm sure I will find them all one day. 

Review: Lotus Herbals AloeHydra Moisturizing Gel

Sorry, yougaiz. I've been crazy busy at work and have barely had the time to blog. Also, I've started another blog - Cold Kaapi which I've been updating the last two weeks. 

So, I'm back with another product review today. Keeping my face moisturized without it looking like a frying pan is one thing I've majorly struggled with. I used to have clear skin until one day before a big-ass vacation that i planned in 2009 when I tried bleaching my skin at home and ended up burning it. Don't ask.

Not only did it make me postpone my vacation, it also made my skin really, really sensitive and it has only made it harder to keep it clear and supple.

Since I have combination skin type, it's a tedious task finding the right moisturiser. The ones that deeply moisturize also make it look oily which again is a problem especially considering the heat and humidity here in Chennai. 

A few couple of weeks back, I found Lotus Herbals AloeHydra Moisturizing Gel and there has been no turning back since then. Quickly listing down the positives and negatives of the product.

What I Like About It:

• Non-sticky (oil-free)
• Gets absorbed within seconds
• Moisturizes skin to the T
• Makes skin look supple and fresh
• Fuss-free packaging making it easy to use
• Suitable for all skin-types
• Not too expensive. Currently its MRP is INR 245 and I'm pretty sure you can find it for cheaper at many sites online. 
• Easily available at stores
• Does not clog pores
• The pump works till the end and dispenses just the right amount of moisturiser.
• Can be used as often as required though I don't really feel the need to use it more than two times a day.

I can't really think of any negatives, except maybe I'm not too sure how this works on extremely dry skin. Do let me know if you have anything to share. 

What are your favorite products? 

Till the next post, 
Love
M

Bada-Bling!

People are getting married left, right and centre and that means lots of good food and SHOPPING. :D

As much as I love to splurge, I know I wouldn't wear all the bling very often after the wedding season's over. And that's when the Budget-Shopping-Princess in me wakes up. 

So a trip to a nearby accessory store was made with mummy dearest and here are some pictures of few of the things I picked. 

All these and some more pairs of earrings (15, to be precise) and some necklaces for a total of INR 1500 only. 

Happy Wallet = A Happy Mum & A Happy Me. :D

What are your picks this season? 

Much love
M

Id(e)licious.

Dealing with leftover food is an art in itself. Today, I'm going to tell you how to make use of one of the most common leftover foods at South Indian homes - Idlis.

Idli, when served hot with Sambar & Chutney is one of my favorite things for breakfast. But more often than not, amma ends up making way more than how much we require for breakfast. As good as it is, having idli all through the day is certainly not my favorite thing to do. 

There are quite a few ways of using leftover idlis and I will post one easy-peasy recipe every now and then, PROMISE. :D

Today's recipe is going to be 'Podi Idli'. I used mini idlis that paati sent over. These were one of my favorites when i used to go to school since everyone else used to get bigger idlis while I got to be the cool one who got mini idlis. ;)

Serves: 2 people

Ingredients:

1. Leftover Idlis. Duh! 4-5 idlis or 20-30 mini idlis
2. 1/4 tsp Mustard Seeds
3. A pinch of Turmeric power & a pinch of asafoetida
4. 2-3 tbs Milagai Podi* (as spicy as you want the idlis to be)
5. 1 1/2-2 tbs edible Coconut Oil

Method: 

1. In a kadai, add the oil and once it is heated, add the turmeric powder, asafoetida and the mustard seeds and let it splutter. Ensure it doesn't get burnt. 
2. Now add the idlis and sprinkle the milagai podi on top. 
3. Gently toss the idlis without breaking them so that each piece is nicely covered by the milagai podi.
4. Wait for 4-5 minutes till the idlis get crispy at the edges.
5. Serve hot with coconut chutney or raita. 

The Final Product. Yum!

Do let me know how it turns out in case you try. :)

Till the next most,

M.

*Milagai podi is a powder made with red chillies and lentils. Recipe here. 

Review: Park Avenue's Beer Shampoo

I'm so tempted to start this blog post with a 'Dear All'. Just for the heck of it. :D

Anyhooo, hope you guys are having a good 2013 so far.
Mine has just been the usual with the only change being my love for chocolates and everything sweet has increased manifold in the last few days and at the same time I've been looking for healthy breakfast/lunch recipes on the internet. I know, hopeless is an understatement. :D

Anyway, coming back to the point, after hearing a lot about this Shampoo from one of my cousins, I have been looking for it for a few months now and last week, when i went to supermarket nearby, i spotted this. One last piece remaining and i *HAD* to pick it up before the aunty walking towards the Shampoo aisle did. Small joys, you know? 

I have been using this for a week now and I have to tell you, it's FABULOUS! Instead of making this a long boring post, I'm just going to quickly put down the +ves and -ves for you guys.

The Good Things:

1. Price - Inexpensive: 160 bucks for 200 ml.
2. Packaging - Absolute win! Why would someone not love a beer bottle? ;)
3. Fragrance - The shampoo smells like beer. Duh! But it doesn't make your hair smell beer-y post the wash. The smell stays on only till your hair dries post which all you have is soft, smooth, voluminous hair. Brownie points for this! 
4. Makes hair less frizzy
5. Leaves hair smooth, shiny and soft post every wash
6. Mild enough for everyday use
7. No conditioning required post wash

The Not-So-Good Things:

The only not-very-good thing I can talk about is the availability of the shampoo at the supermarkets. It took me almost 3 months to grab a bottle. (oh, I have now asked the Supermarket guys to save a bottle for me every month. Yes, I'm brilliant like that) 

Without a doubt, this is my favorite shampoo at the moment. Which one do you use? 

Until the next post. 
M

Cliché.

So, 2012 is over and the world did not end as we thought it would (I even hoped for it, sometimes). 

It feels like 2012 just started and it has still not sunk in that we are into the next year already. I did a lot of things last year. Many firsts & many that were just the usual. 

I made new friends, lost some, went through the I-don't-care-about-socializing phase, went through stress at work, saved nothing, spent everything, traveled, shopped, made mistakes, learnt new things, spent time with family, read books, sketched, got obsessed with things and bored with some, played in the rain, babysat my nephew, baked, cooked, spent time doing nothing, got high on coffee, got high on chocolates, laughed, cried,  loved, lost, grew my hair long, ate lots of cake, learnt to eat alone, spent time alone, got to know some people better, let go off some for the best, brushed my driving skills, painted, did a lot of crafting, ate jars of Nutella, posed for pictures, clicked a lot of pictures, started Tweeting, started blogging, started Instagram-ing and the list goes on. 

Come to think of it, it was not a bad year after all. In spite of some ups & downs here and there, the year was pretty nice. And I'm really hoping that the new year is just as good. 

Here are some snapshots of the year that was. Me being me, I just couldn't make up my mind as to what to post and what to leave. So here are 48 pictures from last year. :D

Coffee, Cupcakes, Mehendi, Nutella, Long hair, Family, Cakes, Shoes, Nailart, Books. 

Weddings, Mangoes, Gifts, Jewelry, Cheese, Zentangle, Crackers, Friends, Flowers.

Hope y'all had a lovely New Year! :)

What are your plans for this year? 

Much love,

M.

PS: I know you have had enough of 'the-year-that-was' posts. Just couldn't resist. Sorry. :D

Bling it on, baby!

Of late, my obsession with jewelry/accessories has been reaching new heights. I have been ordering stuff online and buying stuff from the local markets left, right and center (now you know why I'm bankrupt just as soon as i receive my pay. :P).

So, here I am doing my bit for the society, by enlightening all you girls out there with places/websites that I buy stuff from. :D

My most favorite website for picking up jewelry from is Juvalia. Their collection is colorful, pretty and perfect for everyday use and so is the pricing. Totally worth every buck you spend. Oh, and their packaging is SO neat. 

L to R: Turquoise Feather Necklace, Ice Berg Necklace & Tribal Earrings

Flamenco Necklace, Festive Collection

My second favorite site to buy jewelry/accessories from is FabAlley. They have a fabulous collection of jewelry, bags & shoes, belts, scarves, stoles, stockings and even have a clothing line now. The stuff on this site is quirky and stylish and bang on trend. 

The next is Pipa Bella. Their collection is exquisite. Such beautiful pieces. The rates are slightly on the higher end, but the jewelry is just so pretty that you would not mind a lighter wallet at the end of the day.

Apart from these favorites, i love looking for stuff from Urban Touch, Paperlillie and Craftsvilla (a recent discovery) among many others. 

Other places where i love picking up jewelry from includes the platform shops in Pondy Bazaar, Chennai (tip: check the shop outside Adyar Anandha Bhavan. Some real pretty stuff), all those pretty little silver stores in Spencer Plaza, Chennai, Sarojini Nagar Market & markets around CP in Delhi. These places are jewelry/accessory havens. Do check them out if you are nearby. 

From Shankar Market, Sarojini Market, Delhi  and Pondy Bazaar, Chennai

From Pondy Bazaar, Chennai

From Pondy Bazaar, Chennai

Apart from these, my favoritest place to pick stuff from is mum's collection through the years. :D

Happy shopping, ladies. And go, surprise your girlfriends/wives, boys! 
You are more than welcome to thank me by sending Rainbow Cakes/Red Velvet Cuppies. ;)



Until next time,
Much love,
M

PS: All of these sites are India based and offer COD. A good thing for finicky people like me who aren't comfortable using cards online. 
PPS: I was featured in a post on online sites for shopping on Strut120 recently (here). Do have a look to know the favorite sites of other bloggers. Also, Strut120 is awesome and is the place to be for the latest in Fashion and Lifestyle. 
PPPS: This is not a sponsored post (duh. no one even reads this blog, I'm sure. :P)    

Paati cool!

Yougaiz, say hello to my insanely cool paati. :D

She is one of the strongest women I have ever met and the most fun person too. 
*every* visit  to her house begins with her asking what I wanna eat, no matter what time I go and ends with a 'take this home for amma/appa/bro' or something of that sort.

At almost 80, she still manages the house including taking care of a now bed-ridden thatha, sending over food when amma isn't well, sending coffee for bro when he gets back from college and what not! And in between all these chores, she takes out the time to make fun of us cousins when we pout for pictures, learns English from us, tries and reads advertisements in English papers, makes litres of  coffee for us, makes the best dosai and sambar for us, makes extremely funny jokes, watches cookery shows AND Fashion TV with us. :D
This woman is so full of life all the time and if I'm even 20% as active as her when I'm that old, I would call myself perfect. :)

Here are some extremely cute pictures of her from a photoshoot we forced her into recently.

This is one of my favorite pictures of her. <3

:D

And this is the my most favorite. Check out the pout, baby! Hahaha. :D

How can one not love so much cuteness? Sigh. <3
Hope you are all having a good weekend. :)

Much love,
M 

Marie Jaanu.

I made time for blogging today. Yay! And today's post is going to be about FOOD! So, more YAY! :D

I'm probably one of the laziest persons you could ever meet. As much as I love cooking, I don't really do it all the time. So, today I will share with you an idea for a  really easy snack that you can whip up with minimal (read leftover) ingredients. Also, this requires no cooking or baking or frying. How cool is that? B)

As a kid, i used to live on Marie biscuits. I'm sure all of you have, too. It was a healthier alternative compared to all those cream biscuits. And since I was a fat kid (still am!), eating Marie biscuits instead of having Bourbon made me feel less guilty.
Even today, having Marie biscuit with my coffee on Sunday mornings instead of the ever-so-tempting Oreo or Bourbon, makes me feel like I have resisted the greatest temptation of all times. 

Judge me all you want, but i have had Marie biscuits with everything - jam, ketchup, coconut chutney, cheese spread, and god knows what else. This snack, the recipe for which I'm going to share, is the perfect ABCTB* snack. And, I have named it - Marie-Jaanu! :P (sounds lame, I know!)

Anyway.. Here's the recipe.

Time to make: barely 5 mins
You will need: 

• Marie Biscuits
• Pudina chutney/thogayal
• Vadaam (fryums)
• Some tomatoes (cubed)
• Olives (optional)
• Oregano (as much as you like)

Method: 

1. Spread some pudina chutney/thogayal on the marie biscuit. 
2. Place the tomatoes, olives and vadaam on top.
3. Sprinkle some oregano.
4. Enjoy the unbelievable deliciousness! :D

I was so hungry and so engrossed in making this that I din take a lot of pictures but for this one. Enjoy maadi. :D

Try let me know how you like it.

More soon.

Love,

M

*ABCTB - American Born Confused TamBrahm *kill me, now!*