Black is Beautiful!

A color which can add classiness and at the same time enhances the beauty of the product it is on, is undoubtedly BLACK! Black - my magical color, is indeed beautiful! Black - a color which embraces all colors, good or bad, but keeps its state same. It still remains black, whatever be it! This attribute of black, makes it the best color and unique in itself. Its name says it all:

B: Brilliant 

Nothing can be as brilliant and flawless as a God's creation. Well, I am a big animal person. There are these few animals I have always wanted to own or at least see with my own naked eyes. 

The black Panther - is a unique creature in itself. A loner which swims to relax and adjust itself according to the climatic adversities, it show all the characteristics which I can relate to. I really want to see a black panther with my eyes to believe the beauty of God's creation. 

Completely black German Shepherd: I have been a proud owner of one, a double coated and jet black German shepherd whom we called, Tigs! They come to your family as a dog and makes their space as a family member. They are just brilliant, beautiful and black! 

The black stallion: I saw this movie as a kid and since then I have wished to own this black stallion, run with him on the beach, sit on his back and just swim till I drop down and then I want to fly in water on his back till the shore! I have grown up, but the wish list still has meeting with the black stallion, on the top! 

L: Lustrous

There has been one game that makes me forget just about everything!  Chess! Not that I win every time, but the whole game creates an adrenaline rush! My wish list contains this - Chess Set: Charles Hollander! 

It is a hand-made set with gold, white and black diamond. The black diamond is what which adds it's beauty to the zenith. The entire set is simple lustrous, livid and lasting. 

A: ARDENT

A color - black, is a color which expresses the intense feeling. There are reasons why I believe in it's strength.

Mangalsutra - I always wanted a diamond studded mangalsutra, but wait, whatever be the style, whatever be the size, whatever stones are studded in it, the main part of this mangal-sutra will always remain - the gold beads in-between the black ones. This black-gold beads symbolizes the start of a beautiful relationship.

Kala tika: The kala-tika which saves from the so called buri-nazar ;) Not a very superstitious person, but my mornings start with applying a kala-tika on my little girl. It keeps all the bad/evil wishes away from her. Not only my child, even the beautiful bride applies it on her face to keep herself away from all the bad 'nazars' on her D-day.

Well, till date I have that traditional mangalsutra and not the diamond studded one. My wish list contains one diamond studded mangal-sutra. It also contains more of kala-tika. My daughter is getting cuter by the minute, you see! :)

C: Classy

Whether it is a black beauty running swiftly on the road much to the owner's pride, or a simple black rado in the wrist or a black IPad, this magical color always adds to the classiness of the end product. This color not only enhances the royal look and feel of these cars and gadgets but also makes you yearn for them! Totally!

My heart is set on all of them and yes, yes I want them all!

K: KILLER

                            

Whether it's the men who suit up in black or the ladies who dawn the black, it always, always sets them in fire and creates the magical killer looks!

It's such a color, which actually hides any deformities and fashions a absolute new you! The way you would want to look, the way you would want to feel. My wardrobe is filled with killer black clothes, but it's never enough, you know! My wish list contains more and more and many many more magical blacks :)

   This contest is a part of #WhatTheBlack activity at BlogAdda.com
Image Courtsey: Google

Zests of my life!

I love living in the moment and enjoying the ride of my roller coaster life as the turn takes me through! There are so many things which I love and they literally keeps me walking even in my sleep. Let me mention a few.

Of course, no guessing is required here. That's the first thing that adds the zest in my life. My daughter. A hyperactive and extremely naughty kid who knows how to test her mom's love. She generally tests it at wee hours in the morning and ask me to make something hot and fresh to eat. She takes a tiny-miny bite from that and goes back to sleep! :-/ 

 Yeah, I love you honey!

The unexpected trips!

Short or long trips, planned or surprise trips, with friends or with family trips keeps my smile intact and keeps me freshly energized. It's never about where I went and it is always about how much fun I had in the entire trip! The road trip, the dhaba food, the freshness of the new place, just helps me to feel alive! :)

My mumma-papa

When my life is clouded with problems and in midst of the thundering I don't see any ray of hope, I always know which number to dial which can bring back the sunshine in my life. Of course, I have grown up and I have a little baby to mother, but their love and pampering still keeps that little girl alive in me. It just helps me to live more and to laugh more! :)

My Friends!

Be it my husband or siblings and their better halves or my school/college/work/home friends, they are the magic creators in my life. They can make me smile when I am sad and can make me cry when I am extremely happy! Oh yes, I don't feel lack of enemies ever. ;)

Gol-Guppa

 This is one of that food, which the more I have, the more I want to have. The spicy, crunchy and yummy pani-puri is the best invention of mankind and I am and will be ever grateful to its inventor! This is that one food can brightens me up in my gloomiest mood. Well, my husband takes full advantage of this fact and this has become his most inexpensive way to woo his lady after every small and big fights! :-P

This post is a part of the #ZestUpYourLife activity in association with TATA Zest andBlogAdda.com

Black me up!

I was just a kid when I was introduced to the water colors. It was more than fun, mixing different colors and making a complete new one. That was the exact time when I mixed almost all colors and made a new color - BLACK :: my magical color. 

A magical color indeed. As I grew up, this magical color grew up with me. Literally. As a kid, I just had my black hair, my black eyeballs and those black moles all over my face. But now, without my magical color, I don't even step out of my house.

Here is my black list.....

Hair:

As a kid, I always had that extra small oiled hair. Thanks to my mom. Actually. Now, my hair is long, shiny, beautiful and enviable! Weather I keep it tied or open, the naturally black shiny silky hair has become my flair!

The Kohl!

 

Since childhood I wanted to have big eyes like my mom's but alas! I had tiny-miny eyes which even disappears when I laugh aloud. Still they look dreamy and beautiful - thanks to the black kohl in my eye, which happily engulfs my imperfection in it.

My Black Shades!

It's not a style statement, nor it is a luxury! It is a necessity which is inevitable when I am in sun! Thanks to these black shades that I wear, is not shades, it's part of my existence.

Black pearl set

I am not much of a jewellery person, but I am crazy about those black pearl. Rarely found, unique in itself, it just adds to your classiness!

Black Magic!

Of course, I am not in a perfect shape...hello! Who says that! The black magic always works. Trust me. It ALWAYS works. Whether you are heading for a date or for a presentation, this black helps you to create the magic. Always!

This contest is a part of #WhatTheBlack activity at BlogAdda.com

The full-family-moon!

Blame it on movies or my craze to travel to exotic locations, I always wanted a great Honeymoon! In movies, the just married couple would fly to an amazing tourist spot and the movie followed. But I stayed there. In those amazing tourist spots.

Some five years back, when I was to get married, I informed my would-be about my craze for an exotic honeymoon. He was for it. We zeroed up on a trip to Bali. A place with abundant natural beauty, beaches and much more. 

He told me to fix the flight and hotel as per my convenience and taste and let him know. Well, the entire drama started then. Tickets were expensive, at least the ones which I saw. I didn't know where to click on to compare the prices of the tickets. And then there was a bigger problem, hotel booking. 

Not knowing much about Bali, I had internet and a few friends for information. I tried to find out a hotel according to the popularity, price, location, facilities available, ratings and reviews. Finding out hotels in Bali, with all the details included was not just difficult, it became a menace.  

Finally, I gave up and I asked him to plan it out. In these you-do::you-do, we got married and we were packed to a near by hill station for few days.

It was absolutely what I didn't want. But things were happening still. Whether I like it or not. It's going to be five years now, I have a little daughter and yet that want for that exotic Bali Honeymoon, still lives in my heart, mind and soul.

Just a few days back, I narrated the same story to one of my friend and she told me an amazing site  - Skyscanner, which has every information I need for visiting any foreign location, within India or across. 

I opened the site form my phone, oh great, they had an application free in play store. Without much ado, I installed it. Using it was a cake walk for a novice like me. Of course, the first thing I checked was for a trip to Bali on my fifth wedding anniversary. 

Well, within a matter of few seconds, I knew the best route and the best deal for travelling to Bali. Then I checked the most dread part of any trip. The hotels. The rates, the popularity, ratings, locations and so many things which you would want to know before staying there. I was wondering if skyscanner would answer all my queries. 

I will let the pictures speak for it...

Sort it this way or that....its always your preference that matters here:

                                                  

Pre-compared prices and the best deals present at different sites are displayed: 

Ratings and reviews of various customers/users:

5 star or no star....you will know along with the name of the hotel:

The kind of room and the added services for the room available flashes in an instant:

Pictures...they always speak more than words...The hotel...the rooms and the surrounding, it all makes you want to stay there or not!

Location finder or look all the hotels in the map. This site has all the information present according to your convenience.

Further scanning the site, it added the fun. It has more information than you expect. These information are beyond your imagination.

The kind of hotel you are looking for:: without wasting your time, just click on the type of hotel and there you are with the sorted list.

Cities you would be staying in and the hotels present there can also be sorted as per your interest.

This option can totally spoil you, you want this or that or all ;)

A room or a resort or any other type of accommodation you are looking for! It's up to your own choice that you can get a super filtered list!

Whether you want to stay in a brand or a local....its all...all there!

Booking hotels. according to the specifications is just clicks away. It's more than amazing. Not only the hotel or accommodation facility that you are looking for, it also has tab for conveyance facility. 

Hire any cab or looking for public transport, its all there.

The conveyance is as easy as SCSB...well...Search..Compare..Select and Book!

Done - Dana - Done!

All this information. Just a few clicks away. COST CHARGED - ZERO. 

Well, I have it all sorted, now. 

May be a few years late. 

May be it will be two + half for the exotic vacation. 

May be it will be full-family-moon! 

But it will be worth it, I am sure!

Looking forward Bali!

Hail Skyscanner! 

Will be your faithful visitor, always :)

 This post is a part of Skyscanner target "Skyscanner travel Wizard" at BlogAdda.com

Borosil - Beautiful Food!

Fat! Me....of course not! I am just on a little healthier side. I think it's just a way of my being. A complete foodie. 

As a child, I have always been on the side where you just eat. My mom has a passion of serving the simplest of food in her fancy Borosil utensil where the beauty of the food automatically increases. She thinks, beautifully served food, satisfies your soul. 

It's 100% true. Well, now when I get to handle things on my own, I thank God for inheriting her art of presenting the food beautifully. 

It was just after I got married and barley settled my kitchen according to my taste, I had uninvited guests, in a bulk, during lunch time. My husband's friends and their families. They thought of giving us a surprise visit (That day was just a beginning of numerous happy visits of theirs'!) So, they rang the bell continuously till we opened the door. They yelled or sang some song, I couldn't figure out, may be because all I could think was, "whoooo what am I going to feed them with!"

To my surprise, they brought us a yummm looking cake, gulab jamun and the best biryani in town. Oh, thank God! A sigh of relief. 

As the chit-chat began and everyone started getting settled, I made some fresh lemonade and served them in my VISION JUG SET. Along with it, I served some chips and tortillas with a dip in my CHIP AND DIP. I could see the excitement in the air, when everyone saw the lemonade jug where the lemon slices were adding to the tangy flavour and the aroma. The chips was the usual, but the way it was presented with a dip, made them jump for it. And the plate was refilled...Haha!

After the freshening up part, it was cake time. I saw one of them taking out the cake in a plate. I went ahead and took out my CELEBRATION PLATTER and placed the cake on it. A glass platter which holds a cake in the classiest way possible, made the cake look more than royal. 

All of them cheered. Most of them were just awe by the beauty of the platter. 

It was time to eat lunch. I took out my ENGLISH SUMMER - MILANO 35 PIECE MELAMINE DINNER SET. Everyone knew what the food was, but when I served it, the bright white and yellow long rice playfully hiding the chicken pieces which were fully mixed with the masala. There were some green, red and yellow veggies which just added to the colour of the food. The aroma of the javitri, kesar and the mixed species, filled the room. The raita along with it, was also creating magic. Some cucumber was peeping from one corner and some onion was boldly standing high, ready to give the perfect crunch in the mouth. 

Everyone looked at the food and the look in their eye told me that their soul's will be satisfied, for sure. They ate first with their eyes. Then with their mouth. 

To end the feast, there was a simple item, Gulab Jamun! Of course, it is not simple to make it, but you see, how simple it is to eat the Gulab jamun. You just have to place it your mouth and it just melts away. Haha! 

I served my favourite sweet dish in a 3 IN 1 RECTANGULAR DISH of Borosil. The thick chashni was enjoying the fights of the black gulab jamuns which happily danced around in the bowl. Even when the gulab jamun balls settled down, they seemed to be happily enjoying the sweetness of chashni coated around them. Well, the very look of it was appealing enough for everyone which made them have one or more, and they all reached the final state of nirvana! 

Everyone looked content, not just full.

Everyone looked pleased and happy. 

I always heard what my mom said, "beautifully served food, satisfies your soul."

That very day, I understood what it actually means!

Thanks Beautiful Borosil.

Now, it's my turn to say it always...

"Beautifully served food, satisfies your soul!"

This post is written for Indiblogger contest, Borosil - Mybeautiful food.

Beetroot Halwa!

Last night my friend came to surprise me. Not that I didn't know that she was coming, but when she came in, she announced that she got me BEETROOT HALWA.

Yeah, BEETROOT HALWA.

Flashback.....

It was some two years back when I was going to have my daughter, some blood report stated that my iron-content was low. Of course, no one said anything to me but their total behaviour changed towards me.

I was forced, literally on a gunpoint, to finish a whole bowl of beetroot, banana and pomegranate salad. They used to add a lot of lemon and chat masala thinking I will be very happy. They used to take my book/magazine/switched off the TV/iPod/phone/any other source of entertainment and they used stand on my head till the time I didn't finish that entire bowl. Every single day. Really! 

The day my daughter was born, I was freed from the clutches of beetroot, banana and pomegranate disgusting salad.

Now....

Okay. So, the moment she announced what she had in that LARGE GLASS KATORIES, my mind was actually reliving my past and somehow I forced out a smile. A crooked one, actually.  I said, "Beet...Beetroot? Did you say beetroot halwa? Or am I just thinking?"

She said, "Yaa, you are my bakra for the day. I am trying this new recipe. Have it. It's yumm!"

I didn't want to be rude with her. She had a lot of movies ;) I needed them badly, you see. I didn't want to disappoint her and make her turn and go away with her lappy. Oh yeah, she is that crazy! I meekly said, "Why don't you make yourself comfortable. I'll have it in some time."

The more I avoided, the more she pestered me to have it. Ufff....real bakra....going to be halal soon. Aggrraahhh! I accumulated all my courage, looked at the LARGE GLASS KATORIES. The beetroot red colour was all over. Grated. Small nits pieces were scattered here and there. It looked like, the beetroot was laughing at me and saying, "Haha..I am back!" 

What the hell! I got up opened the lid, it smelled a little different. Hmmm. No lemon in it or that chaat masala smell. Sweet. Ok. Not bad. I closed my eyes and I had the tiniest bite possible in the world.

Yuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm! YuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuMmmmmmmmmm!

I took out a big spoon full of beetroot halwa and had it at once. Oh my God. This can't be beetroot. Yummmmm. And then I took a spoon full and asked my 2 year old to try. She is another miss finicky when it comes to eating. I was sure, she won't eat and the entire LARGE GLASS KATORIES would be mine. 

She loved it too. Can you imagine? Beetroot halwa. She jumped and asked for more and had almost all. 

Unbelievable. Really.

I actually went out to get beetroot and make it the very next day!

Recipe tho banti hai....so here is the secret to taste...health...taste! 

You will need:

Beetroot - 3

Pure Ghee - 2 spoon full

Khoya - 250gms

Milk - 1 glass 

Sugar - As per your taste

Mixed nuts - A handful (preferably broken)

Wash the beetroot and par boil it (it will take about 6-7 minutes). After it cools down, peel the outer cover, grate it.

Heat a GOURMET COOK & SERVE. Add pure ghee. Once it melts, add the grated beetroot. Sauté it for 2-3 minutes. Add the khoya. Let it combine with the beetroot totally. Once this is done, add little sugar. Beetroot is naturally sweet, so check on how sweet you want your halwa to be. Now, check if the halwa is too tight, then little by little add milk to it. (Don't add all the milk at once, or it will become liquidy). Let it all get totally mixed with each other. Take it away from the heat. Add a lot of mixed nuts on top of it and serve. 

The aroma of this is truly mesmerizingly sweet! You are certain to win compliments. The bright red halwa with playful and crunchy nuts gives a neck-to-neck competition to the gajar halwa and is much much easier, much much much faster and much much much healthier! 

Happy experimenting!

Happy cooking!

This post is written for Indiblogger contest, Borosil - Mybeautiful food.

The Cake affair!

Just after my wedding, my husband had to go for an unavoidable task to London for a month. Of course, I stayed back home due to my own commitments. The time did pass and it was already his time to come back home. 

Well, I am not much of a cook. I am a big foodie and I love to eat beautiful food. But my loving husband wanted me to cook something special for him. I searched on net, spoke to many about what to cook and I zeroed out on a homemade chocolate sponge cake.

I took the recipe book, a MIXING BOWL and all the ingredient mentioned. I was super careful with the measurements and the procedure mentioned. The cook which I am not, was in the chef's coat today. So, as per the instruction, the batter was ready. I poured the batter in the EASY GRIP ROUND CAKE DISH and set the temperature right and kept the EASY GRIP ROUND CAKE DISH in the oven.

Before this day, I had never even seen how a cake is baked or how it rises and stuff like that. Of course, I had my super doubts of how things would work and become a cake. But I was not worried! Any guesses? Of course, I had a chocolate fantasy cake from CCD resting in my fridge. I am always ready with a plan B, you see! Who knows what comes out of the oven. Just then I realised that I need to stop admiring the cake in the fridge and check on the one which is being baked.

OH MY GOD. I had never seen or smelled such aromatic fragrance ever in my life. The cake was actually rising. The EASY GRIP ROUND CAKE DISH gave me a clear view of what was happening inside it. I got glued to the oven and I kept watching over the cake as it rose and turned to be a proper cake. After the oven beeped, I carefully took out the EASY GRIP ROUND CAKE DISH and pierced a toothpick in the cake. It came out clean. Yeee....I did it. 

The cake looked perfect. The colour, the texture and the look of the cake. It was a happy cake indeed. My house was filled with the aroma of sweet, freshly baked cake and it was just increasing my excitement by every passing minute. It looked so tempting that I wanted to cut it then and there and eat it. But somehow, I did control my desire. 

My friend gave me a superb tip to make the icing, but the cake should be hot. It was. So, I just took out the cake and place it on the SERVING PLATE. Took out a lot of Cadbury dairy milk chocolates which was already a little melted and spread it on the cake. With the heat of the cake, the chocolate melted further and gave a perfect look - just like the one from the CCD. 

It was getting harder to control my desire to just tear that cake and put it straight in my mouth. I was just drooling over it. The next step was to make a heart shape with colourful gems on top o it. I opened a pack of gems, popped a few, oh well I can't control much, and I made a heart shape filled with colours.

Hmmm! The aroma which was filled in the entire house, the fantastic Borosil glassware which I used, which actually showed me live how a cake is made and the outrageous excitement in making it, was just a start. Now, I don't need any book. I have become a expert in making cakes and eating them up all by myself! Haha!

Happy baking!

Happy Borosil!

This post is written for Indiblogger contest, Borosil - Mybeautiful food.

Maggi Mania!

After a week long illness, I was recovering at home. I was getting all the pampering to comfort my soul. But the medicines had created a mess on my taste-buds. Everything I was eating seemed to be bland and without any taste. I just didn't want to eat.

Everyone tried everything, but I was just in a no-no state. When everybody gave up, my elder sister called me and made me sit cosily in the living room and played my all time favourite movie - The Chronicles of  Narnia. 

We have a open kitchen. So the living area and the kitchen is adjoined and everyone can see the TV. Di was doing something and we were sharing a joke about the movie. I was totally lost in the movie, when I heard the crackling sound of onions being fried. The aroma of fried onions started dancing in the air. I took a deep breath. I wondered what was she doing, but I didn't bother to ask her. 

Sound of something else going in the kadai came with more crackles and within seconds I knew it was chillies being put on the fire this time. And then there was some spices, ah I know that smell. My eyes popped out and my mind yelled inside - MAGGI MASALA. And the sound of water being added in the hot kadai just cheered me up and I looked back with a big grin towards my sis. I yelled, "Di, are you making Maggi?" She looked at my sparkling eyes, came and gave me a peck. She just said, "Yeah, tantrum queen!" We just laughed. But the aroma of the maggi being cooked did the magic of rejuvenating the dead taste buds of mine. Oh Yes, I was drooling over the smell. It took more than two minutes of course, but my sis knew how to make the food more interesting and irresistible. She served it in a GRILL&DROP ROUND CASSEROLE and grated a whole lot of cheese on top of the hot maggi and covered the lead to let the cheese melt in the heat of maggi and get blended in it. She kept the GRILL&DROP ROUND CASSEROLE with my favourite cheesy-chilli-maggi in front of me. 

I didn't bother to put in the plate. I just grabbed the Casserole and dived into the flavourful and delicious taste of the cheesy-chilli-maggi of mine. Of course, one pack is just too small, so I finished it all by myself ;)

Thank God for sisters who know the art of cooking and presenting!

Thank God for Borosil for making the food look fantabulous!

Thank God for maggi..maggi...maggi!

This post is written for Indiblogger contest, Borosil - Mybeautiful food.

Perfect street food!

Pani Puri! Phuchka! Water balls!

Call it with whatever name, it is one of the best creation of humankind. 

For me the best part of evening is, walk back home and the way to home filled with hawkers of all shapes and size with amazing pani-puri thelas. 

Bags full of perfectly shaped crunchy puris hung from the thela seems calling on me. Really. I try to avoid or try to give a day's break from eating them, but these puris' always, let me repeat, always succeed. 

I am just pulled by the aroma of the tangy imli pani. Small pieces of fresh green coriander and mixed spices and the tamarind sourness, creates a perfect blend. 

I have a fixed pani-puri-bhaiya who makes the stuffing as per my taste. Boiled potato mixed with black salt, species, small pieces of onions, some boiled kala-chana, fresh coriander and a lot of green chillies, mixed properly to make a perfect filling. 

The pani-puri-bhaiya takes those small puris, fills them with the alu-masala-filling and the dip it in tangy water, fill it totally and slowly place it in my plate. 

I just pick it up without a fraction-of-seconds delay and place it my mouth. The puri melts in the mouth leaving behind the perfect blend of chilli-tanginess-other spices. The hotness of the chillies and the tanginess of tamarind can create such magic that I generally get lost in it. I forget the people watching me eat, forget how many plates I promised myself to eat and I even forget who I am. I just keep on eating till my soul is satisfied. 

Ummmmm!

Well, I take this opportunity to thank that one person who invented this amazingly delicious food. You did magic and it still has the same magical power. Thanks, a big big thanks. 

It is a sure shot item for kids party at my home. Of course, I get the puris from the vendor, but I make the alu-stuffing and the tamarind-water at home considering health reasons for my little one and her friends. 

The best part is the way I serve it. 

The puris in the deep DEEP ROUND CASSEROLE heaped up popping their faces out and calling for the little ones. 

I make the alu-masala by adding kala-channa and medium spice and a lot of lemon juice and mixed it well in the MIXING BOWL SETS. The appealing look of the filling and fresh and lemony aroma just excites the kids to the core. 

There is, of course, the sour and spicy tamarind water which is served in the DEEP ROUND CASSEROLE and the water just dances with the spices in it along with the mood of the kids. 

To add to the fun, there is always sweetened companion - sweet-sour dahi and sweet-sour tamarind chutney served in the SET OF 3 SQUARE DISH WITH LID. The lid is indeed closed but the air become so tangy that every kid just drools over the sight of pani-puri. They just look at the food and they go woooww! 

Well, of course, after they see the pani-puri served, it is impossible to control their craving for it. All of them just jumps to the pani-puri counter and they just get lost in the magnificent flavours of the pani -puri!

Hmmm...khilane vala bhi khush....khaane vala bhi khush :) 

All smiles!

This post is written for Indiblogger contest, Borosil - Mybeautiful food.