Tea and a potful of Memories

There is something to be said about thoughtful gifts (am not talking about fancy or expensive ones). Only someone who observes a lot about you or really has taken the effort to know you, will gift you a 'thoughtful' gift. One of the most thoughtful (and not to say pretty) gifts I have ever got is a cute tea pot & cup set from one of my favorite food bloggers & friend Ruchira Hoon. She is a journalist, a great cook & baker, recipe developer and most important of all, one of the most straight forward, bindass & humorous women I have come across. I have known her for only a year and it feels like I have known her forever.  

She gifted me this cute tea pot & cup set on my birthday; my first feeling was "how thoughtful ?". I love tea & it is may daily addiction, ritual & indulgence combined together. And she observed that and gifted me something which I would be able to enjoy daily. Every morning, when I brew my first cup of tea in this lovely pot, she is part of my good vibes too.

Beetroot, Cucumber, Tomato, Carrot & Raw Mango Salad ~ Quick Summer Salad Ideas

I love to experiment with Salads and find new ways to mix different vegetables, fruits & sprouts in delicious yet healthy Salads. This Beetroot, Cucumber, Carrot & Raw Mango Salad was the result of a brainwave one afternoon, when I thought to use my raw mango lying in the freezer for long. I thought why not use this instead of lemon juice as a garnish. The result was a tangy, crunchy and colorful salad. And as we all know, different colors in a meal mean more vitamins & minerals covered!!

Shahi Tukda (Double ka Meetha) ~ Easy Dessert Recipe

What do you do when absent mindedly boiling half a litre milk for almost an hour? In most cases, would throw it.But not my husband.  He made Shahi Tukda out of it! It so happened that the husband was at home (while I was at work) and happened to over boil the milk, while being absent minded watching TV.  The moment he saw the reduced milk, he thought of the amazing Shahi tukda his mum used to make during childhood with the naturally reduced milk and made up his mind to treat with it (how sweet!!). 

Shahi Tukda (also called Double ka Meetha) is simply reduced milk (rabri)+sugar+bread, but it comes together so beautifully to make an awesome divine dessert. I simply loved it and for the 1^st time did not get angry on the husband for leaving milk to boil absent mindedly!!

Banana Cocoa Almond Flax Meal Smoothie ~ Quick & healthy Work day Breafast Idea

I always prefer to have heavy & filling breakfast in the morning; it keeps me energetic & productive till lunch time. On workday mornings, I have office to rush to, there is always time constraint to make too many things and for years I survived on muesli. But there is so much muesli one woman can have day in & day out before getting tired of it!!

Just when I was looking for healthy yet quick ideas for fulfilling breakfasts, my friend &health food blogger Sangeeta Khanna posted her Banana Cocoa Almond & Flax Meal Smoothie. The thought of a chocolatey breakfast, which was quick & fulfilling totally hooked me to this recipe and today morning, I made it.

English Breakfast Reinvented ~ Weekend Brunch Ideas

Me and the husband love to have a big brunch on weekends, especially on Sunday. The idea is to get up late, have a big fulfilling meal and then laze off to sleep again!!

Last Sunday, I came up with this reinvention of Classic English breakfast, omitting some items and adding some. This is how our Reinvented English breakfast looked :)

Quick Fix Iced Tea ~ Make Iced Tea in 10 minutes flat!!

There is nothing like a tall glass of refreshing iced tea in the summers. Especially the crazy hot summers of my  city Delhi. It is one of my favorite drinks for summer and I make it quite often at home.

Khichdi, Bok Choy & Carrot Raita, Cucumber & Potato Fritters ~ Whole some Sunday Lunch

I love a wholesome lunch on a lazy sunday afternoon. If anything, it slows down the pace of time even more as we feel sleepy & enjoy a good noon siesta afterwards.

So, this sunday, I prepared the ultimate comfort food of India  - Khichdi with Bok Choy & Carrot Raita, Cucumber Salad and Potato Fritters for lunch.