Still Confused what to buy your Valentine?

Hi! I know I have been on quite a sabbatical but now I am back. And since Valentine’s Day is knocking at the door I am sure a lot of you have already decided how to woo the love of your life, but for those of you who are still confused this post might just come to your rescue.

Now we all have our own wallets. The good news is that love sees no pocket. It can be expressed in many ways irrespective of how deep or shallow your pocket is. Even words are enough and they cost nothing! 

Ideas for Diwali Decor

While diwali is just round the corner, I am sure most of you are already at the peak of MISSION “Ghar Ki Safai”. Come diwali and we all get a solid reason to force the men in the house to do their bit of cleaning. Every possible nook and corner is searched for a spider web, every shelf is dusted clean and the glass of all windows and doors are scrubbed till they sparkle to welcome Goddess Lakshmi.

Now that the houses are clean, we all try doing our best when it comes to Diwali decorations. In this post I will give you a few ideas that you can use to give your house a special touch this festive season. I am sure a lot of you must already be doing these things, but for those who are still confused, take a cue.

Easy Appetizers For a Party

So this Saturday we (my husband and I) hosted a small get together at our place. Now those who know me well know how meticulous I am when hosting a party. I like assuring everything is proper. OK! Atleast I try to do things in the best way possible *eyes rolling*.

Since we were doing a formal dinner after ages (the casual ones happen quite often with food usually ordered in) I wanted to make it special for everyone specially my husband. I was the chef for the evening. Don’t worry everyone’s stomachs are safe. Just incase you are thinking otherwise LOL.

Anyway so I would not be going crazy with the party details. In this post I will be sharing a few easy appetizers both, veg and non-veg that hardly take any effort and time but will surely make you the star of the evening. 

Dhurandhar Dhania Chicken

So, the other day we (my husband and I) completed two years (time flies!) of being engaged. It is not like I celebrate our monthly anniversary but we somehow remember the day of our engagement. 

Not many people know that while my parents were looking for a suitable match for me I had asked them to find a family who would let me cook chicken for cooking chicken is not allowed at my place *HUMPH!*. And during my postgraduate days I enjoyed experimenting and creating various dishes with the white meat.

Now, my husband absolutely loves home cooked chicken. And, since I never shy away from doing something special, I decided to cook my husband a chicken curry to celebrate two crazy years of our engagement. 

Eggless Strawberry Cupcakes

When a special day is approaching (read: birthday, anniversary or Valentine’s Day) and it comes to doing things for my dear husband my mind gets to work like a week prior to the main day. Since Valentine’s Day just went by allow me to talk about that.

I have often heard people excusing themselves from Valentine’s Day saying “oh we don’t believe in this stupid day, after all every day should be celebrated like Valentine’s Day and one should make his/her partner feel special every single day”.  And my husband is one of those people (eyes rolling!) But really who are we fooling? You tell me, with all the life’s madness do you really get time to shower your partner with love, adoration and little gestures every day (if you are one of those then I would like to tell your partner how lucky he/she is)? Even a cheesy romantic like me who surprises her husband with his favourite cookies and his favourite dish or breakfast on random days fail to make everyday special and exclusive.

the eventful january

I must say, January has been quite eventful. The New Year spirit is still sinking in when Lohri comes knocking at your door (the 13^th of January). It brings with it the playfulness of popcorn, the sweetness of jaggery, the nuttiness of peanuts and the warmth of til (sesame).

I was still feeling guilty about gorging insanely on all the Lohri sweets, when we had to attend a Sai Sandhya hosted by a close relative to mark the beginning of the wedding of their son (the 17^th of January). Once the evening came to an end we started preparing ourselves for the crazy season of north Indian peak-winter weddings awaiting us.

Christmas Plum Cake

my cute little christmas plum cake

So Christmas came and went. We welcomed it on 24^th midnight and made it merry in our own Punjabi way over a get together with family and friends. 25^th day was quite usual, however I did plan to make the evening special by baking a cake. Afterall, what is Christmas without the sweetness of a home-baked plum cake right?

Diwali 2013

photo courtesy: aditi ranotra

Diwali also called deepawali, is one of the most awaited festivals of the year in india. It is known as the festival of lights and marks the victory of good over evil. Diwali celebrations start with Dhanteras, which generally falls eighteen days after the Dussehra festival, followed by narak chaturdashi, commonly known as choti (small) Diwali and Diwali.

Diwali is celebrated with a huge fervour in india. People worship goddess lakshmi (goddess of wealth and prosperity), buy new clothes especially for this occasion, light and decorate their houses, buy sweets, exchange gifts and burn crackers.

Unlike the last few years, the Diwali of 2013 has been slightly different (blame the economy’s state and the changing trend).

karwachauth 2013

The festive spirits begin escalating with the month of October saying “hello” to us. First it is the navratras, and then comes karva chauth followed by the diwali celebrations. This post is about karwa chauth in particular. It is a festival in which Indian women fast from sunrise to moonrise for safety and longevity of their husbands. As per the tradition the mother-in-law gives sweets and other crackers (sargi) along with clothes, bangles and cosmetics to her daughter-in-law.

mahalaxmi puja

I had been waiting for the mahalaxmi feast puja (ritual) for almost a year now. Last year when this ritual took place during the courtship period, my husband kept me updated with the undertakings at uncle’s place. Waiting for one entire year and dreaming about the feast was a bit tough on my gluttony stomach. Uncle’s wife(if you have read the ganesh chaturthi post you will know who uncle is) could have cooked the same food some other day also but my husband believes that the feel of devouring it all on the special occasion of mahalaxmi brings some unique flavour to the food which could not be experienced at a usual dinner. And after enjoying every bite of the feast yesterday I couldn’t agree more.

confused rakshabandhan celebration

image source:google

till sunday we were certain about rakshabandhan falling on the 20th day of august this year. however, on monday evening a sudden confusion arose.

mrs's birthday

tiramisu cake

one weekend, two families, three celebrations, four venues, five cakes and innumerable moments. it is just the perfect statement to summarize my first birthday as mrs.