With love....from Venice!

Just got back home......while I compose myself back into rhythm...here's a sneak a peak into Venice!! Give me a few more days to bounce back....

These chillies really caught my fancy....lol....surely, I don't have to tell you why!!

Cheers!!

Mj

Travelling Tuesday from the Black forest

So guys, where do you think I have been all these days.....well, a few things coming your way soon while I enjoy my little vacation starting in the black forest- Germany....Here are a few pics of what i did and what I ate on my first night....my laptop is gone to the service center and they need to replace the hard disk it seems...they don't have one in stock and its going to take 2 weeks (Sigh!!) So I am still using darling Aj's.

I'll talk more about all these pics once I get back home....leaving you with these now......

Out of the balcony in our cozy little hotel when we checked in......

Deep FRIEDay –Béchamel Bags with chicken and mushrooms!

Hey world….it’s been a horrible day!!! My 5 months old laptop crashed (the one, we call by a fruit’s name) Argh! How much I paid for that piece of metal….Now, I have to wait till Sunday to send it off to the service center…..Lost all my recent food photos L coz I didnt back up since 2 weeks! But, then since its fried-day today and a few pics(not the best of them!!) from this post were safe in my inbox, you get a post from me…..and of course, thanks to Aj for his laptop.

Well, having vented my anger….here’s what I did today to satisfy the craving of a Friday-fried-food-freak J . Imagine a spoonful of gooey buttery oozing béchamel with chicken, red peppers and roasted mushrooms….all I did was scoop them wrap them and fry them….lol…yes, I fried béchamel….and its soooooo good….absolute sinful pleasure!!

I had done a demo of how to wrap it up but lost all that in the computer crash….all I managed to get was these few photos….if I make them again soon, I’ll update the pictures for how-to-make-bags!

CHICKEN & MANGO BLOOMERS – some pink thoughts with the ultimate chicken sandwich!!!

If the title of this post made you think…eeeww…who would have a chicken and mango in a sandwich! Think again….this one is a killer…super addictive…try it and tell me if you didn’t like it - I’ll take this post off my blog J

Where did I eat my first Chicken and Mango sandwich…well, have you ever tried the chicken and mango bloomer sandwich from costa coffee??? It’s an absolutely wonderful combination of flavours. We love this one at home…all of us- me, hubby n baby J Then, I don’t have to tell you why I tried to recreate it!

Now, to a little more serious issue before we talk more about our sandwich

 

THINK PINK

October being the breast cancer awareness month, I too, would like to do my bit. So starting today, for couple of weeks, I’ll be sharing a few facts about this form of cancer under this section. Today, we’ll talk about the risk factors of developing breast cancer.

When is a person more prone to breast cancer?

·       Women are 100 times more prone to this form of cancer BUT men are also diagnosed with it. They stand poorer chances of survival due to late diagnosis.

·       Ageing- as one grows older the risk of being infected increases

·       Lifestyle- tobacco, alcohol and obesity – excess of any or all increase chances by 30-35%

·       Not having children or having kids extremely late in life.

·       Choosing not to breastfeed your children.

·       Genetic factor- having a history of cancer in the family

·       Exposure to any form of hazardous radiation

·       Any kind of hormone replacement treatment

·       Regular intake Oral contraceptives are also said to increase the risk of breast cancer.

Take care girls!! J

THE ULTIMATE HEALTH DRINK - SUGAR FREE INDIAN GOOSEBERRY JUICE

 

I have wanted to write about this particular drink since couple of months. (Delayed because I was away from blogging and took my pictures only today J).

The Amla or Indian Gooseberry (Scientific Name: Phyllanthus emblica) is one of the most researched about plant due to its highly commendable medicinal properties.

This fruit and its plant (tree actually) are scientifically proven to be effective in cancer treatment, reducing diabetics, cholesterol and even age-related diseases like arthritis. So, it isn’t surprising that Amla has been used in the age-old practise of Ayurveda for healing the body. The amla is popularly used for hair oil and also used in various herbal toothpastes.

Amla has the most unique taste ever. It’s sour when you bite, bitter when chewing and leaves a very sweet taste in mouth after you swallow it…the sweetness lingers for quite sometime...In Malayalam, its called Nellikka.

DEEP FRIEDay – A weekend series – Extreme Chilli Jumbo Tiger Prawns

I am starting a new series from today J. It’s gona be called Deep FRIEDay…we have heard of wordless Wednesdays, silent Sundays. In my part of the world, weekend begins on Friday…..yup! Friday and Saturday, we work on Sundays!

At home, fried food is a very occasional treat and when its bound to happened, it always pops up on a Friday! There are certain Fridays when I just have to make something fried…lol…I know it sounds strange but on these ‘typical’ Fridays, Aj- the usually extra health conscious, high fitness regime husband transforms into an eat, sleep, laze around man…Have to admit, I love this limited edition of him J …lol….(although, he usually gets terribly guilty for doing nothing when he bounces out of his lazy spell…hehehe)

On these Fridays, he loves all the extra buttery, extra oily, extra cheesey, extra unhealthy stuff (so now, u realize why I love this part of him J)….That’s when I usually end up serving a deep fried dish!

All that explanation because this is the first post of the series called DEEP FRIEDday. Next time onwards, I will only post the recipe….simply because, like everybody else, I too wish to keep it short for weekends…J

So here goes the first DEEP FRIEDay Post- Extreme Spicy Jumbo Tiger Prawns!

WHOLE MEAL CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH FLAX SEEDS & CHOCOLATE GANACHE- HEALTHY BUT HEAVENLY on Cardamom Hill’s 3rd B’Day!!

So finally, I did some real baking for you guys J….Yes! For those of you who have known me…I have not yet posted cakes or any real baked goodies...though I do make ‘em sometimes....I usually don’t come up with anything of my own while baking, just follow the recipe! But this cake is especially  to celebrate the 3rd birthday of "Cardamom Hills" and a big thank you to all my foodie friends n family who came along and always motivated me to keep going!

BUT this recipe is all mine…only mine J I can’t believe I actually came up with a good cake of my own…lol….actually, I always felt I made a terrible baker….the first time I tried to make a cake…it all went horribly wrong…..I was not aware of the basic ratios and rules of the art….Since, then I always kept away.

STACKED ENCHILADAS WITH BEEF AND HOME MADE CHIPOTLE SAUCE

It’s been a Mexican spree last week for me…. Actually, I have a soft spot for Mexican cuisine…..their food, all the snackish stuff, salsas, avocados, meat and especially the chillies J

The thing about Mexican food is that it has got so much of variety. Right from the north to south, there are so many dishes that vary with the local ingredients available. And then we have the international and americanised versions of Mexican dishes, which also are just as tasty.

Lets talk about some interesting Mexican food facts…there would definitely be at least one you dint know.

Did you know that traditionally in Mexico, tacos are soft breads served with meat fillings? And not the crispy kind served in the modernized version!

Enchiladas usually don’t have cheese in them. If they do, then it’s the traditional Mexican cheese varieties called Queso fresco, Requesón, Queso Oaxaca (which is kind of similar to mozzarella and used in quesadilla) etc. In fact none of the authentic Mexican dishes have Monterey Jack or Colby…J

Mexican Empanadas are usually served with sweet fillings.

Maya civilization (that existed in southern Mexico historically) discovered the cacao tree.

Aztecs civilization (central Mexican historically) used cacao beans as money for buying goods! Trading using chocolate….wow! I like the sound of that. J

Maybe, we should talk more about the chocolate facts in my upcoming chocolate post… Hehehe…yup, I have something very, very chocolaty and comfortingly healthy too coming up soon…so watch out J

OATS POTPOURRI- STIR FRIED WHOLE OATS, BROCCOLI STEM & CHICKEN

Recently, I happen to encounter a new product called ‘Oats for Rice’ by Quaker. They advertise it as oats that can be cooked with rice. Actually, I found it when I was hunting for white rice at the grocery stores. This product is placed with the rice items and not where all the other oat products are stashed. I felt that was a strange place for it to be. But nevertheless I took a pack since I had seen the product on their website and knew it would be a healthy addition to my kitchen.

It’s whole oats which is not rolled. Tried making some oats in stir-fried rice style. It turned out wholesome and very tasty. A healthy and delicious substitute for white rice with loads of fibre.  I also tried adding it to couple of my rice dishes in 1:2 quantity and even made some soup. All of it came out good. That’s the story of my potpourri.

TEA EN CAPAS- MASALA CHAI

Hi guys!! So, I have been cooking all week to bring the best out from my kitchen for my foodie buddies J (sounds nice, right?) Well, inspiration is where it all begins…be it anything. So even today I have a story that inspired me to create the Tea en Capas.

During one of our regular restaurant outings, Aj ordered a “Special Tea”. I was like, what’s that? When the order was served: there was a huge glass tumbler that had 2 layers- one tea and above that a layer of milk n froth. He stirred it up with the spoon and it was just normal chai! That caught my fascination and lingered in the back of my mind. But what really pushed me into trying this was an article about a guy who created 7-layered tea! A man named Romesh Ram Gour from Bangladesh. You can read more about him and see a picture of his tea here. Well, thanks to Mr.Gour I actually managed to create 4 layers…happy me, considering it took him 10 years to 7 layers!!! Hehehe…..I managed 4 in one morning…actually 6, if you count the “invisible to the naked eye” layer and the froth on top…… hahaJ

APPLE N AVOCADO…STARTER? SALAD? OR SNACK? - HEALTHY, SPICY N VEGAN!!

Like the title says, I am confused at what to call the little power packed baby...you could decide while I tell you the story behind its discovery J.

Last week my husband brought home a small jar of Eros Pista hot paprika…someone at his office had given it to him knowing our taste for spicy stuff. We tried it with kebabs as dip and mixed it with labneh for sandwiches.  I’ll post the labneh n olive sandwich another time. It turned out yum!

Inspired by WINTER MELON PANNA COTTA

Hello fellow bloggers, foodies and my long lost buddies J Finally I found some inspiration to bring my blog back to life.….Winter melon panna cotta garnished with candied rose petals and caramelized sugar.

I know lot has been happening in the F-world….foodbuzz is gone….daily buzz has replaced it….seems like I have lost track of lot of friends on foodbuzz…all good things come to an end for better things to replace them J