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! 

Cream of Spinach

First things first, wishing you all  A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR! Hoping 2015 brings you good news, better days and lots of love and happiness.

Now, I am sure that most of you agree with me when I say that bonfire, good company and some extra hot soup makes for a perfect winter night, for the non-drinkers ofcourse! (LOL).  The high-spirited people (pun intended) stay loyal to their glass of Old Monk on such occasions. 

Just the other day when Delhi winters got a little wet with some drizzle, we had our loved ones over. Instead of serving the premixed soups I tried preparing one at home. Now, I have nothing against premixed soups. They are the saviours when one doesn’t feel like moving a finger. But there is nothing like home cooked goodness. And if sometimes it requires just a TINY bit of effort then needless to say it is worth it.  After putting a little bit of thought I zeroed in on Cream of Spinach rather a healthier version of it. 

Travel a Little More with your Little Ones

Orange. Orange; Apple. Orange;Apple;Banana. Orange;Apple;Banana;Pear.

I am sure the above string of words must have transported you back to your childhood days. We all know THE GREAT MEMORY GAME. Then there was ATLAS.

These games hold special importance in my life since they remind me of the trips I made with my family as a child. And it is not just me, my mom too always rejoices when she reminisces about those trips.

It was a wonderful idea because these were not any silly games but great learning experiences.

My dear mother, who must be sneezing as I write this, always makes sure to express how we as kids added a different dimension to the trip. And I agree with her.

The fact is that when a couple goes for a vacation, the nature of activities is very different. It is usually like another honeymoon. They make impromptu plans; some work, some don’t. However, when one has kids in the rear seat they have to be a little cautious, a little more planned and a little more organised. Now that’s not bad news! Believe me; with the little ones the trip takes a whole new shape. 

HOME COOKED BUTTER CHICKEN- need i say more?

Like I promised in my previous post that I will soon be sharing the recipe of butter chicken, here I am with the post revolving around the most popular North-Indian, non-vegetarian main dish. 

In all these years I have still not come across one person who has meat and doesn’t like butter chicken. It usually tops the list when you are ordering something for dinner at a restaurant or setting the menu for an occasion or ordering food in. It was a favourite and it remains to be the same way even now. 

While this recipe fetched me a lot of compliments and made all the efforts worthwhile, I am hoping that you too become the star for the day when you cook this luxurious dish for your loved ones. Why I call it luxurious? You’ll know when you will go through the ingredients.

Achari Paneer Tikka

Unlike other Saturdays when our group of friends generally dine out, this Saturday night was spent a little differently. We decided to sit together at a friend’s place and the bhabis (sis-in-laws/ friend’s wives) of the group were asked to prepare dinner for everyone. 

Both, Bhabi no.1 and Bhabi no. 2 were asked to make a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian dish. The non-vegetarian dish was chosen by the friends so I did not have to think too hard (just to let you know they asked me to cook butter chicken but I will post about it some other day). For a veg starter I zeroed in on making paneer tikka for everyone. However, instead of making the regular paneer tikka I decided to make its pickleeeeyyyy brother and so everyone got to eat Achari Paneer Tikka.

A Glimpse of Goa

A pint of Kingfisher Premium, freshly fried fish and chips and the picturesque beach ahead; if there is one place that comes to our minds after reading this its Goa. I am sure half of you have already started imagining yourselves there. 

There is something about this former Portuguese province that puts one to ease. It is extremely chilled out and for once you feel that you are altogether in a different country. 

This was luckily my second visit to Goa in a year. Ok my husband and I do love Goa but a leisure trip to this easy breezy city was not on our minds till my dear husband announced that he has SERIOUS WORK in Goa (Yes people go to Goa for work also!).  Now a little weekend holiday after work in GOA could not hurt anyone haha. So we jumped at the opportunity and landed in Goa. 

Unlike our last trip, this time we stayed in Panjim (capital of Goa) and explored a different part of the city besides the regular beach madness. We behaved more like travellers than tourists. While my husband was at work I took a stroll to the Dona Paula Jetty in Panjim, took a local bus to Miramar Beach and enjoyed a coffee all by myself. We boarded the ferry with our rented two-wheeler to reach the other side, just like the locals. We dug our fingers in Goan fish curry and rice and binged our way till our tummies yelled. A walk for a few minutes and we were ready for a portion of fish fingers. We visited Old Goa, captured the Holy Places and lifelong memories in our minds.

So here are a few pictures giving you a little glimpse of our Goa trip. Hope you like them and they make you want to visit the city.

One Day FEEL LIGHT Routine

Wow! So as I write this I do realise that it has been QUITE SOMETIME since I last wrote something in my little diary, but you can’t blame me. October was so festive starting with card parties to celebrating the biggest festival in the country. Plus the number of birthdays in my sweet little family all fall together and occupy half of my November too! Infact it has been so happening that for a few nights I found myself repeating the dialogue from the movie Jab We Met “babaji ab is night ko thoda boring banado”.  

Anyway I am not going to crib because it was all too much fun. From playing dress-up for every party to celebrating the birthdays it has all been lovely. BUT, the eating out and eating in loads and eating all fried and eating all sweet that comes complimentary with this time does take a toll. And I am sure post Diwali bickering most of you would agree with me on this.

So in today’s post I will tell you a few simple things that you can follow to feel lighter and better not just after Diwali but after any eating spree. I follow this routine myself after a  heavy day of eating out; you can accommodate the tips as per your own body since you know it better J. You just need to follow it the day after you’ve hogged. My husband has found a silly moniker for this day and he calls it “THE AFSOS DAY” which means the day of regret LOL. But believe me it is not like I will suggest you to not eat and drink. It is a tried and tested one day routine which includes food! And it works beautifully.