An Italian Sunday Lunch - My Beautiful Food!

Its been over a month since I last visited my mom's place. I love visiting my family. Apart from having fun with my niece and being pampered by everyone, there is great food on the table everyday. My mom is a wonderful cook. My family loves my cooking too. She excels in South Indian cuisine and am known to try my hands on different cuisine across the globe. My bro insists me to cook something for him all the time. He has been a victim for my many a culinary experiments. So I promised him that I would make an Italian Sunday lunch.

I came up with a 4 course menu consisting of a cooler, fresh summer salad, a main course and a frozen dessert. I gathered together the ingredients and my mom had these beautiful Borosil Glasswares & Dishes and instantly I knew they are going to make my food look amazing.

To start off I made a Carrot Ginger Cooler. Its a balanced mix of carrot juice with juice of ginger and freshly squeezed orange juice. I am no fan of carrots but this drink, I just could not get enough of. It was cool & so refreshing and had an eye popping Orange colour to it. I served these in Borosil's Canard Glasses with a sliced orange on the rim. After the cooler comes a simple summer salad. The Insalata Caprese salad...its a very simple salad. It has slices of fresh mozzarella cheese, thickly sliced plum juicy tomatoes with a scattering of fresh basil leaves & orange cherry tomatoes, seasoned with salt and cracked pepper with a simple extra virgin olive oil dressing. The freshness of the ingredients used in this salad and the extra virgin olive oil is what takes this humble salad to the next level. Served on Borosils's Pizza Plate (yes, salad on a pizza plate :) the white of mozzarella, the plush red of the sliced tomatoes, the sunny orange from the cherry tomatoes, fresh green from the basil and specks of cracked pepper made this salad look stunning. `

For the main course it had to be Italian Roasted chicken with pepper & olives. It has to be roast chicken, what's sunday without a roast. And this roast chicken is as easy as it gets. I placed a whole chicken on an oven plate stuffing its cavity with lemon wedges and sprigs of rosemary. Then I scattered roughly chopped red, yellow and orange bell peppers with pitted black olives and few more sprigs of rosemary. A generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, generous pinch of kosher salt & freshly cracked black pepper. Its slow roasted in the oven for about 1 1/4 hrs. Once done the chicken is rested for 10 mins and carved. I loved the English Summer - melamine dinner set, so beautiful. And I had to use these to serve the roast chicken. Golden roasted chicken juicy & succulent randomly placed on a bed of roasted yellow, red and orange peppers with black olives popping here and there. And I also served them with some slices of French baguettes to soak up all the juice and olive oil from the roast. One look and you go hungry!

How can I not have dessert to finish off this amazing Italian Sunday Lunch. I churned out some Healthy Strawberry Frozen Yogurt in just 5 mins. Just plain non - fat yogurt, frozen strawberries, some honey and a squeeze of lemon juicer...in a food processor for 5 mins and its done & freezed overnight. After an amazing meal, I served generous scoops of Strawberry Frozen Yogurt in Borosil's Round Dish with a fresh mint leaf to top it off. The bright pink with a touch of green from the mint is truly a visual treat. There, a perfect end to a perfect meal...and Borosil truly made my food BEAUTIFUL!

Felice Di Mangiare, that's Happy Eating in Italy! ;)

This post is for Indiblogger's My Beautiful Food Contest by Borosil!

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Recharge Hair for a Romantic Escape!!!

It's been over 2 years since the exchange of our wedding vows & a blissful marriage! So plans are being made for a romantic holiday for "three", yes we are towing a baby stroller along ;) Well after all the "Baby's Coming" drama, we both needed to be somewhere quite & peaceful ( Hey, the baby's bawl does not count).

 

ANDAMAN was our first choice, since I have already been there some years back and loved it I wanted my husband to experience the same.

The crystal clear beaches, squishy white sand, the mangroves, the beautiful painted scenery and the exotic resorts by the bay! Ah, what can be more romantic?

So, I got my air tickets booked; my bags all packed (whoa, look at the size of that Diaper Bag!!!); got my Itinerary sorted out and have booked ourselves into a fabulous resort just few meters away from the shoreline, etc etc etc.....

Since its going to be and supposed to be a "Romantic Getaway" I have been quite bus y pampering myself at the Spa. The whole baby stuff has definitely taken its toll on me, and am desperate for some relaxing massages and some “me time”.

Snorkelling around and long hours on the beaches of Andaman is how we have planned this whole trip. And Sun and beach can be very harsh on your hair and I just can't tolerate sun damaged dry hair, such a turn off!!! Dry, tangled and frizzy arrggh…what’s romantic in that!

So this is where my tresses need a definite recharge. Protection from the harsh tropical sunshine, endless number of dives into the deep blue and to still keep them silky and smooth for the romantic candle light dinner and later walks in the moon lit beach…of course, will be pushing the stroller along!

Recharge your Locks to lock in Romance, with Sunsilk !!! :)

Post written for Indiblogger, Recharge your Hair, Recharge your Life Contest by Sunsilk!

All images in this post are “Googled” images and the blogger does not take credit for any of the above images.

Happy Blogging!

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Shhh….It’s a Surprise!

Okay, It’s about a year since my Husband and I have been happily travelling down the road called “Marriage”, with lots of fun and love. And I have decided to share our joy of turning ONE with our family. Yes I have decided & its a total surprise for my husband. So Shhh….. ;) Since our anniversary is on an office day, I have the full advantage to do all the prep work in secrecy. Right from inviting our family from our hometown to planning the dinner menu, Its all Me! Gosh…there is so much to do, very much excited!

I prefer the dinner party to be at home, where I can cook my family favourites. To me a party is about FOOD. A rocking party will have rocking food. I took days to plan on this dinner menu which includes everyone’s favourite, even my one year old Niece. But this is not like any other party, it’s our Anniversary and it got to have some exotic taste buds tingles on the menu. Oh my god, now am stuck here :( !!! Am looking for something quick so that I don’t have to slave the whole day in kitchen on my special day and at the same time I cannot compromise on taste. But wait , what…something just hit me on the head. Oh why am I stressing when there is Kitchen Of India to help me with cooking??!! Great Indian food that are quick, easy and “I Want More”!

Kitchen of India has a whole new range of delicious ready – to – dine, Conserves & Chutneys & Masala Mixes.  You can know more about it & for online purchases, just click HERE! I have planned on a very elaborate dinner menu, consisting both vegetarian & non – vegetarian starting from appetizers to desserts and not to forgot a very special Anniversary Cake :)

Okay so get ready everyone, you are in for a mouth – watering ride!!!

As for the Appetizers; I have planned 3 ridiculously delicious finger foods. One, cheese stuffed mushrooms rolled in crunchy breadcrumbs and oven baked & served with salsa. Two; Fish Sticks, filleted fish marinated in Italian Spices rolled in breadcrumbs and deep fried to be served with spicy mayo. And the No 3 contender please put your hands together for my husband’s favourite Spicy Oven Grilled Chicken Tikkaaa :D

HEY! Stop drooling, save some for main course and desserts :p

For the Main Course; I have put together unique combination of veg and non – veg taking a lot of help from Kitchen of India. For vegetarian I have planned on Vegetable Biryani cooked with Kitchens of India’s Vegetable Biryani Mix.  Mmmm I can already smell the flavours of biryani. 

Well Biryani alone will not do the job, so to compliment it I have picked two Ready – to – Dine Curries. I cannot live without this curry Paneer Makhani it has to be in my list for all occasions, Kitchens of India’s Paneer Makhani Masala Mix. The second curry that goes into the list is Dal Bhukara made with Kitchens of India’s Dal Bhukara.

 And for meat lovers in my family including me, I have planned for Spicy Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani cooked with Kitchens of India’s Hyderabadi Chicken Biryani Mix which will be complimented with Butter Chicken and Mutton Kolhapuri using Kitchens of India’s Butter Chicken Masala Mix and Mutton Kolhapuri Masala Mix. Biryani without Mirch ka Salan?? Never :)

    

Life is uncertain, eat desserts first!

– Ernestine Ulmer!

So, don’t forget to leave a little space in your tummy for desserts ;)

And for the desserts we have Mango pudding made with Kitchens of India’s Mango Saffron Conserve and my favourite Hazoori Petha Halwa prepared with Kitchens of India’s Ready - -to – Dine Hazoori Petha Halwa!

      

Wow, just writing about it has made my keypad wet with drools.

Oh for the Anniversary Cake, it’s deeply chocolate cake filled and frosted with whipped vanilla frosting! And the romantic part?? It’s me who is baking it…Isn’t that great?

So what do you say? Its a definite shocker for my husband right? ;)

One year down the road, with many more dinner parties to come :)

Product Review

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Salon Style Hair After Every Wash!

Girl: “So how do you like my new hairstyle?”

Boy: “Now you remind me of an Italian Dish!”

Girl: “What, Sophia Loren?”

Boy: “No, Spaghetti! :D”

Lol….

Every single girl must have asked this question atleast a 100 times in her lifetime to someone. I know I do, everyday to my husband!!! Poor thing ;) A woman takes longer time to style her hair than applying mascara or picking up lip shade to match her outfit. Hair to a women is a possession….an obsession! Never EVER Mess with a Girl’s Hair, Take this from me… NEVER!!!!

Good lord, the severity of baldness / thinning of hair in women is marginal when compared to men. You really don’t want your girlfriends or wife like this

Ha ha ha anyway, Indiblogger has been hosting some fabulous blogging events with cool prizes to be won. So let me Introduce you to the “Secret Formula Behind Salon Style Hair, Everyday”

TRESemmé created by high profile hairstylist Edna Emme a cosmetologist, is used by professional hairstylist all over the world. Its been 60 years and is a success in 25 countries. And now this cutting – edge technology is made available in India, specially formulated for the Indian hair.

TRESemmé has a wide range of products…Keratin Smooth, Smooth & Shine, Climate Control, Hair Fall Defence and Styling. And apart from shampoos and conditioners TRESemmé has treatment masque, serum, straightening spray, glossing spray etc etc etc PHEW…Please click HERE if you want to know more about their products, am out!!!

I ordered a sample through Indiblogger, and it was delivered to me in few a business days. And this is my sample product…

This neatly packed box had,

One 100ml Smooth & Shine Shampoo (The one is black)

and

One 100 ml Smooth & Shine Conditioner (The White Guy) a total worth of  Rs 128.

Now ABOUT THE PRODUCT 100ml of Shampoo priced @ Rs. 64 is reasonable, not too pricey at all. Again CHECK!

First this I loved was the Smell. Just like in hair SPAs. Sweet and Lovely fragrance. I Kept flipping the cap off the bottle and inhaling the aroma. So smell & aroma…CHECK!

As for the texture, satiny smooth…Again CHECK!

The shampoo and conditioner felt so refreshing in my hair and I loved the fact the lovely fragrance clung to my hair even after the wash. Now, this shampoo is highly recommended for DRY & ROUGH HAIR it says so in the bottle too so you can trust me on this one ;)

SO, Did the Vitamin H & Silk Protein work????

Yes It did. My hair was tangle free and absolutely smooth, just the way I wanted it to be. A definite Buy from my side.

Coming to the end of the contest Choosing & Flaunting Ramp Ready Hairstyle, TRESemmé’s Youtube Channel has some fantastic yet simple DIY hairdos. I have a natural Wavy hair and not a big fan of very elaborate hairdos. I prefer to keep them simple and manageable. I have picked the below looks for the ramp! Hope you will like it ;)

1. The Butterfly Ponytail is my most favourite, I also love to flaunt the same in a side pony. So CHIC ;)

2. Voluminous One Side Braid…! As a kid I hated braids, but this one is definitely Sexy ;)

Two simple hairdos for the Ramp!!! Now All I need is one of Oscar de la Renta couture gowns….Ha ha ha…. Yeah One Can Dream ;)

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Straight Hair Is Here To Stay!

My hair will simply not lay flat!

Pops up like that!

I comb it more. My head is sore.

My mother thinks that I don't try to make it lie and stay in place, stay off my face.

She thinks that I should use some Mousse but it's no use.

My stubborn locks will need some Ox.

–Anonymous

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Now who wouldn't dream of that 'Perfect' straight hair??? Smooth and soft to touch, totally tangle free...Why is it an obsession to have a perfect straight hair? I would say, it doesn't get tangled easily which leads to less comb breakages :p he he he just kidding! To have a perfect straight hair means endless styling options. You can curl it, wave it, tie it, bun it, braid it or just let your beautiful locks down. Many suggested some crazy hair experiments.  Personally, I would recommend the Flintstones way of perfect straight hair. Just tie a heavy rock to the end of your wet hair, lay back with a book in your hand and relax till the hair is dry and straight. Be careful not to snap your neck though. But the Armageddon has now come to an END! How??? Yeah you need to Continue reading…. ;)

After coming across the End All Crazy Hair Experiments Today Contest by Sunsilk in Indiblogger, I immediately applied for a sample of Sunsilk Perfect Straight Shampoo with Straight Lock Technology. And guess what the courier guy dropped in my mailbox!

TA DAAAA…..

A beautifully packed gift hamper from Indiblogger with one 180ml Sunsilk Perfect Straight Shampoo and a 90ml Sunsilk Perfect Straight Nourishing Conditioner, YAY!

Getting a perfect straight hair after every shampoo is a miracle. I am a NO HAIR DRIER person. Just hate the way it makes the hair too dry. I naturally have a medium length wavy hair. My hair drying regimen starts with towel drying the hair and gently combing segments of hair with a flat hair brush till 90% of my hair is dry. This keeps my hair soft and wavy, instead of letting the hair to dry on its own making it little frizzy and totally out of place. So, coming back to the gift hamper….

LOOKS: Love the colour, smooth and chic.

SMELL & FEEL: The usual lovely sweet smell of almost all sunsilk shampoos and a very creamy texture. Very smooth when massaged into wet hair and the hair is totally detangled as soon as you apply the conditioner in the lower part of your hair. Overall a very refreshing, sweet smelling after bath experience. 

BEST SUITED FOR: I would recommend this shampoo for normal, dry, damaged or wavy hair. This is not for limp, oily or curly hair.

DOES THE STRAIGHT LOCK TECHNOLOGY REALLY WORK….

?

?

?

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YES IT DOES. But not the job your flat hair straighter would do. But it does reasonably result in straight hair. My hair felt soft, smooth and noticeably straight. For those who don’t want to damage your hair with hot straighter and drier but still want a straight hair, this shampoo is for you!

NO HAIR DRIER NO STRAIGHTER wet hair to straight hair effortlessly…

WILL I BUY IT AGAIN?

YES, Definitely :)

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