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