30 Sunday Sep 2012
Posted in Beauty
28 Friday Sep 2012
Posted in Food
Living away from family we all do what we can to restore a little piece of home into our lives daily. I do not have much of a sweet tooth, but I do have a desire to be a master chef – for both savory and sweet foods. I used to collect recipes as a child, and have a collection of thousands of recipes from newspapers, magazines, cookbooks and tv shows. But unfortunately, being extremely lazy, I’ve never actively cooked. So what better time to actively practice and hone the cooking skill than now, just in time for the wedding!
My fiance loves to eat, and I decided to make coconut laddoos for him. I’m my worst critic whenever I cook, but they turned out delicious – can’t tell you how glad that makes me!
Choco Coconut Laddoos:
Laddoo is the generic name for traditional round-shaped Indian sweets, usually made with ingredients like wheat flour, gram flour, semolina, or in this case – Coconut. This recipe has peanuts for some added flair and a hint of chocolate. You can omit these ingredients based on your preferences or allergies.
What you need:
Grated coconut – 1 1/2 cup
Roasted and coarsely powdered peanuts – 3/4 cup
Thick fresh cream – 3/4 cup
Powdered sugar – 1 cup
Bittersweet chocolate – 1/2 cup {this can be increased for more chocolatey flavor}
Ghee {a kind of clarified butter used in the Indian sub-continent} – 4 tsps
Cardamom seeds – 1/2 tsp
Makes: 15-20 laddoos
Prep time: 20 minutes; Cook time: 20 minutes
The Method:
Heat a pan and add ghee. You can use unsalted butter instead of ghee.
Add the coconut and fry for 5 minutes on medium heat. Then add the peanuts and fry for a few more minutes. The coconut burns easily so make sure to stir it often.
When the coconut changes color to golden, add powdered sugar, whipped cream, chocolate and crushed cardamom seeds.
Saute continuously for 15 minutes or till the mixture thickens.
Let it cool for 5 minutes.
Rub some ghee or butter on your palms and shape the mixture into round balls, about an inch in diameter.
Bite into a warm laddoo and enjoy the chocolatey coconuty-ness!
25 Tuesday Sep 2012
Posted in Beauty
Lately, I’ve been lusting after the Kinara Red Carpet Facial kit. Provided it is a wee bit steeply priced, I’m dying to try the “secret weapon of the stars”! Oooh and Dermstore is also giving away free magazine subscriptions with the purchase (provided I only care about InStyle)!! Maybe I should just buy it?
07 Friday Sep 2012
Posted in Food
I’ve had a love-hate relationship with eggs. I loved them as a child, hated them through high school and college, and started loving them again when I moved to America. More so because they are now my go-to meal when I can’t think of anything else to eat. I’m also amazed by the variety that eggs can be made in! Eggs Benedict is probably one of my favorite brunch meals now.
In my quest to eat healthy, I decided to start eating boiled eggs everyday, which is when I realized that I didn’t really know how to boil them! I would always overboil them and then they would get a dark ring around the yolk, not to mention it was impossible to peel them. So I talked to my mom and found the “recipe” to get perfect boiled eggs everytime!
A tip to make peeling easier: crack the shell by banging onto the kitchen counter and roll the egg between your palms till the whole shell cracks. The shell will come off very easily without gouging out portions of the egg white.
05 Wednesday Sep 2012
Posted in DIY Skincare
I love DIY skin recipes. They’re not only fun to make and use, but also provide the skin with excellent nutrients direct from the source ingredients instead of little hints of them that are present in commercial skin products, and without the associated harsh chemicals.
A Cleopatra-inspired milk bath:
Milk is known for its softening and moisturizing properties. It acts like a natural exfoliant and removes surface grease without upsetting the skin’s oil balance. This bath has been used by people for thousands of years for beautiful flawless skin.
The Method:
Mix all ingredients and store in an air-tight container.
To use, take some of the mixture and tie in a muslin bag, or a facecloth.
Tie to the tap and let warm water to run over the bag into your bath.
Soak in the bath for smooth hydrated skin!
Something to do this week after work, maybe? Have a relaxing bath!
04 Tuesday Sep 2012
Posted in DIY Skincare
Growing my hair longer is number one on my to-dos right now. I used to have lovely long luxurious locks, but after a very tumultuous 2011, I decided to get a new look which meant chopping all of it à la Alexa Chung at that time. Stepping out of the salon looking so stylish and fresh, I was elated. However, I regretted my decision right after the first wash *sob* *sob*. I am not one to spend hours on hair styling; I am a wash-and-go girl. And the hair looked terrible un-styled. I have since been trying to grow them back. But 10 inches was a LOT of hair!
Recently, my hair was in a terrible state also – it was breaking like there was no tomorrow, was rough and oily at the same time, and the scalp got flaky and itchy. Terrible, to say the least! I started taking a hair and nail supplement, and oiling it at times to help improve it a little bit (which I think it has somewhat).
As a little extra, I am now turning to nature to revitalize and make my hair naturally beautiful. I LOVE herbal remedies and Ayurveda, which is the ancient Indian science of herbal medicine, and so I researched and through a lot of experimenting, have found the things that work best for hair:
Diet
A friend of my mother’s had amazingly gorgeous hair and I asked her what she did for her lovely locks. “Yeast”, came the answer. Yeast, you say?! Yes, so apparently brewer’s yeast is an excellent source of biotin, that is a nutrient that aids hair growth in the human body, as well as various other minerals and amino acids (aka proteins). Now I’m no doctor, but all those nutrients all sound EXCELLENT for the hair! Other than that, ofcourse a healthy wholesome diet will solve most of our problems.
Hair Masque / Deep conditioning treatment
I have been using Oscar Blandi’s Marine Mud Treatment, which works great, but is just so expensive! As an inexpensive and completely natural treatment, I found the recipe below works wonders for my hair. People always tell you to apply egg to your hair, which I’ve tried and hated since sitting around smelling like raw egg makes me want to throw up. Not to mention that the smell seems to linger long after I’ve rinsed my hair multiple times! What I loved most about this masque was that this has eggs and one doesn’t have to deal with the smell!
What you need:
½ ripe avocado
1 jar of full-fat Mayonnaise
The Method:
Mash the avocado and add double the quantity of mayonnaise. Blend well. You may also add a little lemon juice if you have dandruff. Apply throughout the hair and leave for 15-20 minutes. For better results, wrap with a hot towel or shower cap. Rinse well with warm water and give a final rinse with cold water for extra shine.
Have you been doing anything special for your hair?
Ta ta for now!
02 Sunday Sep 2012
Posted in Beauty
September 20, 2012.
Appearance at the moment: Decent skin clear overall, a few spots here and there. Not particularly glowing, though.
Time remaining for the wedding: 4 months!!
Target for the wedding:
Time is quickly running out! Therefore, today, I start my new regimen – a new healthier protein rich diet, exercise and all. Get ready to see a new improved me in 4 months!!
