Warm Tone Living Space

Be it formal living room or family room, this warm space screams  coziness. My favorite piece has to be the  the 2 whimsical cube storage ottoman. The room has been put together keeping in terms with the traditional style moroccan wallpaper.

Here is the link to all the individual pieces.

Individual item list below. Click on each to check details.
Wallpaper
2 Accent Chest
2 Buffet Lamps on both Accent Chest
3 Decorative Books (box) on the Accent Chest on left
2 Picture Frame On the Accent Chest
3 Decorative mirrors behind sofa
2 Curtains
Sofa
2 Accent Pillows On the Sofa
2 Cube Storage Ottoman
Tree between Cube Storage Ottoman
Coffee Table
Wire End Tables
Candle Stand on coffee Table
Decorative Books under the Coffee table
2 Accent Chairs
3 Decorative stacked box between Accent Chairs

Turquoise And Red Bedroom

For a while I have been thinking about how I can build my blog. I asked myself what is the most I love about. "Decor" was one thing that kept rebounding. That doesn't mean I am discontinuing to paint my word on few other topics (travel, photography, food, thoughts) that I contribute in my blog.

Usually, before I plan to decor any part of my house, I prefer to put together a pallet board to coordinate pieces and colors that can stir me in the right direction. That gave birth to this idea. Why can't I continue to do that even if it's not for my house. With the endless possibilities available out there in dressing up a room, I know there is only so much I can make it a reality in my house.

So with the intention of inspiring you and help you take the right direction, I will be trying to bring you my pallet board that I assimilate from the plethora of items that are available on the internet.

Here is a bedroom put together for you to checkout. I am in love with this turquoise color especially pairing it with the bold red.

Psstt...I am certainly taking inspiration for my next project at home (painting one of my guest bedroom)

Here is the link to all the individual pieces.

Individual item list below. Click on each to check details.
Rug
Ottoman
Vase
Art
Pillow
Dresser
Curtains
Bedding
Nightstand
Headboard
Black Figurine
Colorful Sculpture

Left Over Rice

I always end up with leftover rice. We find find ways to revive it one way or another. Usually I end up making fodni rice or lemon rice or tamarind rice. For a change I found this effortless recipe that brings out a different outcome.  I am sure my gujarathi friends might already know about this one.

I don't have exact proportions but I am sure you can easily figure it out.

What do we need?

Leftover Rice (of course cooked!)
Gram flour (chickpea flour, besan .....). Use the Gram flour wisely. It's more of a binding agent.
Garam Masala Pwd (any spice that you may want to use)
Red Chilli Pwd (Paprika, Chilli Flakes ...)
Turmeric Pwd
Salt

Mix all the ingredients very well until it becomes pasty (I trusted my clean hands to do the dirty job).

Make an oblongated roll (size doesn't matter here).

Steam these with the lid on for 25 - 30 min or until nothing looks pasty anymore.

Slice the roll into circular bite size pieces.

In a small skillet prepare tadka of sesame seeds (optional), mustard seeds, black gram (urad daal)  and pinch of asafetida (hing).

Add the sliced rice-chickpea flour wheels.

Mix them until the tadka is coated.

 Turn the stove off, cover and let it sit for 5 min.

Serve with ketchup or green chutney or eat just like that.

Banana And Nutella

Simplicity is bliss. Here is an easy (but not quick) dessert for your hot summer days. It  just needs 2 ingredients. Banana and Nutella :). You are welcome to add your own spark to this simple recipe.

When I first saw this in Epicurean Delights FB page I wasn't sure how this would be possible. I did not hesitate to try because it was simple and I did not have to buy anything fancy  or invest a lot of time.

So here is how it goes -
Slice Banana and deep freeze it (may be overnight).
Take it out and let it sit on the counter for about 15 - 20 min
For every medium size banana add 1/4 of a tbsp of nutella
Blend the 2 in a blender. That's it. Your creamy ice cream texture dessert is ready to be consumed.

Note: My blender isn't very good, so i added 2 tbsp of milk before blending. But that kind of loosen the consistency and made it very liquid creamy than the ice cream texture that I was looking for. If that happens to you too, then just set it in the freezer again for few hours and you are good to go.

Enjoy!

Memorial Day Long Weekend - 2014

Better days are coming, they are called: saturday and sunday.
We usually feel there aren't enough days in the weekend and that we need a day between Saturday and Sunday.Well this one is kicking in with a bonus day. The best part of having this bonus day after sunday (and not between Saturday and Sunday) is that there are only few more days before another weekend gets here.

Happy Friday everyone! For a change we will be staying in town for this long weekend. But I wish for your weekend to be full of adventure and cheer. Whatever road you take be safe out there.

Lettuce-Cucumber Salad (Indian Prep)

Traditionally an Indian meal comprises just one course meal. Everything is laid out on your plate (Thali) and you don't start eating unless everything is actually served. From there on you request additional servervings of what you like in any random order. So, most everything (including salads) inadvertently becomes your side dish. This pattern of serving is unlike the western culture.

Here is a salad recipe that I have adapted from my mother-in-law. This salad has never failed to tingle the taste of my guests. I hope you can benefit the same experience too.

Lettuce (Shredded)
Roasted Peanuts (Unsalted, De-shelled, Crushed)
Cucumber (Peeled and Diced into small cubes)
Sugar (1/2 tbsp)
Lime or Lemon Juice
Salt (according to taste)

Mix above ingredients in a bowl.

Oil (1 tbsp )
Mustard seeds (1/2 tsp )
Green Chili (3 or 4 slit or diced)
Turmeric powder (1/2 tsp)
Asafoetida (pinch)


Heat oil, pop mustard seeds and turn off the heat. Add green chili, turmeric, asafoetida and mix.
Pour this mixture (tadka) on top of the salad.


Since this salad demands Indian approach in preparation the suggested way of devouring is as a sides (along with Indian bread Roti, Naan, Paratha).

Those Simple Conundrums

I have been preparing myself  mentally to answer those odd/curious/out of the blue questions that every parent will  have to face being asked by their child(ren). For some reason I was only thinking that those intriguing questions would mostly be of gender bender type or one of those naked truth type.

In the past he has asked us questions like -
What happens when someone dies?
Where is heaven?
My friend said good people go to heaven when they die, so where do bad people go?
My friend says that there is no god. Is that true?

And some funny ones like -
What is a sudden death (while watching a game show)? If they don't get it right do they all die?

But today he asked me a rather simple question and I wasn't sure how I could explain that without trying to open a can of worms or worse upset him or feed wrong ideas.
He asked me (while he was reading a book) - What does Stepsister means? Do I have one? :)

Since we (especially my son) don't know of any family whom I could put forward to explain this situation with, I had no choice but to explain it keeping us under scrutiny. I was struggling and stuttering to ensure I use the right words and at the same time not putting any unwanted thoughts in his head.
Anyway, I don't think I did a very good job explaining that to him. I know that because, before even I could finish with what I started he had more questions and I could see that he wasn't happy with what he was hearing. I do think he vaguely understands the term stepmother now though.

Anyway, I turned to the internet in order to find a suitable way to explain this, but found none convincing.
Any ideas and thought?

I am sure there are parents out there who have been in the same shoes. Care to share some.

Cute Chocolate Cup

This weekend it was project chocolate cups (again).  I made a disastrous attempt on it a couple of weeks back. It was horrible having chocolate splurt all over my kitchen (including ceiling and in the crevice of window blinds). 30 min into the project ended up in 3hrs of cleaning. My bad. But that didn't deter me.


Double boil Semi Sweetened Baker's Chocolate.

After my 1st failed attempt I thought it might just be a good idea to do the dipping thing in the backyard/garage just to avoid any mishap. I set the dipped chocolate balloon in the refrigerator for faster solidification. I guess if you set it outside it takes about 30min. It took just 10-12min setting in the fridge.

After poking the balloon with a toothpick, leave it like that for for 10min. This will make it easier to draw the remaining balloon from the interior of the cup.

Voila! there you go. Now fill it with whatever delectable treat you want and enjoy.

We enjoyed it with some fruit cream. Next time, I want to try mousse.

Someone is very very happy with all the deliciousness.

Can I eat the chocolate bowl? Yes dear.

Click here for the video that inspired me.

Here is another one for some variety.

Contributing this post to ABC Wednesday, Round 15

Blooming Tales - A Flower Field Trip

The moment we sight those buds on trees, we know that nature is going to put up a show with its spectacularity. The smell of blooming buds warms the heart after the chill of winters.

Our flowering season begins with those subtle yet majestic pink cherry blossoms. People flock to areas filled with blossom tirelessly clicking pictures with the blossoms in the background or keeping them in focus.

Did you know-The cherry tree is the most widely planted ornamental tree in the United States.

Here in our Pacific Northwest, the acclaimed University Of Washington attracts locals and tourists to behold the sight of cherry blossoms (Starts around End of March.). Some day I would wish to go see the Tidal Basin during peak bloom.

The bloom stories continues with the Tulip mania. I read in some gardening related website that Tulips are the easiest to grow in any garden. While we can enjoy the bright colors of Tulips in our garden (backyard/frontyard), how about the ones with yards and yards of Tulips in assorted colors?

Did you know-Tulip is the national flower of Turkey and Iran.

It's an annual event in our Pacific Northwest  to visit Skagit Valley Tulip Festival (Starts around beginning of April). It seems like most locals almost religious pay a visit to this farm. Reminds me of my trip to Keukenhof.

Does that brings us to the end of blooming Tales, No! Don't forget about the Lavenders. Gardeners like to call it the unfussy plant. The sweet smell of Lavenders lifts up our spirits. Needless to say the aroma attracts butterflies and bumble bees too. While some would like to call it a herb (which emits masculinity), I would like to keep it as a flower (which shows the feminine side).

Did you know - Lavender comes from the same family as  mint.

The notable Lavender Festival at Sequim in our Pacific Northwest is fondly claimed as the "Lavender Capital" of North America (Starts around mid July). The Lavender fields around this area also gives you the liberty to pick your very own Lavenders and buy the bouquet.

I feel like I am doing injustice to other flowers that I haven't mentioned. From Dandelions to Daffodils, flowers have the natural ability to cheer us up and radically improve our mood to be happy. Whenever I and my son go out on a walk by ourselves he always picks a Dandelion from the ground and gives it to me. Lucky me!

Adding pics of from my flower galore.

This post is introduced now as a part of ABC Wednesday Challenge

From A Smoothie To Popsicle

Have you ever had to over indulge yourself in a smoothie whenever you make at home . In my house, most of the times "Yes". There is always a little extra which we struggle to finish by making a pig out of ourselves.

No one likes to throw away a perfectly blissful smoothie and storing it as is in the fridge doesn't always tastes good later. I guess, the  tartness from the berries whey's the milk?

This time instead of binging on it, I sanely poured the extra ones in my popsicle mould and froze it. This way I could enjoy my smoothie at the right quantity and also save on the leftovers for later.

What went in my smoothie/popsicle? I eyeballed my quantities and I am sure most of you do the same. Or if you already have a perfect smoothie recipe then by all means go for it.

Strawberries

Greek Yogurt 

Milk/whipping cream 

Honey/Sugar 

Any essence like Rose/Vanilla 

Chocolate pieces

Blend them and have a sip to beat the heat. The little chocolate pieces nudging in between are a treat :) 

I am going to try all variations possible. Tonight its going to be Blueberry Smoothie and I am purposely going to make some extra for a frozen treat later. 

PS: the popsicle did have ice crystals the way I made it. 

How many of you agree that kids tend to like snacks that are sweet, cold, has chocolate and is served on a stick? I guess, a little icecrystals wouldn't matter huh?

Cherry Creek Falls Hike

I love going on trails or hikes with my family over weekends when the weather is conducive of course. We have been encouraging and inculcating the pleasures of going on trails and hikes in our little one since he was 3 years old. Over the years his interest, speed and stamina has only improved. What is it that keeps him going. A delicious snack at the end of the trail and of course something to keep munching through out.

A common scene that one might witness in most of the hikes and trails is that they take you through cool, mossy forest with overgrown trees may be a stream or creek by the side. While there is this resemblance to the most of the trail routes, each hike does offers something different (a bountiful waterfall or spectacular vistas) at the end of it.

A few weekends back we decided to hike the Cherry Creek Falls. What was supposed to be a 5 mile round trip hike ended being a 7 mile trip (not that we got lost, but we made some poor decisions).

To get to the falls one MUST crossover a creek (Hunaan creek). This is inevitable in either of the 2 routes that leads to the falls. The route that WTA.org website explains seems to be more safe and less muddy tracks with a few more smaller streams. The alternate route has a extremely narrow trail path and has larger swampy patches to hop through, possibility of sighting snakes (we spot one that swiftly crossed our path). But the advantage (which only seemed like an advantage) with this alternate path was that the width of the Hunnan Creek almost narrows down to half or less than half the size as compared to the one in actual route (which was about 12 to 15 feet wide).

An extra pair of socks/gears/rain boots or just dry towels can come really handy!

PS: This trail allows ATV's including motorcycles. We did spot both on the way, but I just did not had the willingness and energy to take my camera out for a shot.

ATV tire marks

This doesn't look anything like ATV. How on earth this got rammed in here?

The trails might get a little better W.R.T marsh or dirt track by summer though. Even though the trail's difficulty level was at its minimal, I am so proud of my little one to have successfully covered that whole 7 mile walk, crossing over creeks and trotting through muddy, swampy patches. 


For the amount of trouble that we took to get to the falls, I really want to say the falls wasn't worth it. But we certainly had a great workout.

Design On a Dime - By Pallavi Bhalerao

Have you ever thought what good can come out of old (or new) wedding cards?
We all adore those fancy invitations and some may even have the hobby of collecting decorative wedding cards. We do save the ones that comes from our loved ones, but what happens to the few others?
Most likely they are housed only until the actual event takes place and we all know where it goes (some most hesitantly).

Well, here is an ingenious idea that one of my friend (Pallavi Bhalerao) came up with.
Looks like she is a collector of wedding cards :). After reading the post on The gift of gift wrapping paper
she sifted through her pack rat collection and found a few wedding cards to frame those. Isn't that impressive?

PS: Did you notice the exquisite stenciling on the wall? :) 

Photo Courtesy: Pallavi Bhalerao

I also like how she has combined different but complementing frames and brought the collage effect. Pallavi, you truly took it up a notch.


Isn't that a better bargain that someone else paid oodles of money to print that invite but you did not shed a penny. Now that's what I call design on a dime.

I love it when folks come forward and share their simple yet elegant ideas. Thanks so much Pallavi.
I am going to tell folks back home to save all those invitation cards for me.

So, if you have successfully attempted on an simple DIY and care to share, please send me an email with pictures and I will be more than happy to pitch it to my readers.

If you are a blogger already, I would still love to share your post in my blog space.

The Ravishing Women Show - 2014

On this mothers day, I (and my family) was there to witness the Ravishing Women Show - 2014.  The essence of this show is to identify, honor and encourage women entrepreneurs. They focused on falicitating many (Indian) women entrepreneurs who have struggled their way in this country in order to make their dream/passion come true and have successfully established it too (from food to fashion).  Even though the show was concentrating on women, it was open to anyone and everyone.

I was definitely astound to see so many women who have made their mark in life. What I need to quote here is most women when they decide to embark on a career path they most instinctively think about how they can continue to grow without disturbing the balance between family, home and their career. I don't want to say men don't do that, but I do feel if given a choice they can afford to conveniently shed the load in order to aim high in their career.  So, giving my hoot to all those women.

Coming back to the Ravishing Show, can a show be complete without motivational speech and entertainment. The underline of entertainment was the selection of Miss & Mrs. India Washington.

If the renowned Manish Malhotra can design clothes for ramp, Manisha Malhotra (a fellow Seattleite) sure did know how to showcase these participants on the ramp (I wonder if they are related in any way!).

Among all appealing talented performers, the one that earned a standing ovation was a dance performed by Jennifer Lynn Adams. She currently in possession of the Ms. Wheelchair USA 2014 crown (moving her way up from Ms. Wheelchair Washington 2013). I will let the picture speak for her feat.

How did I end my day? Of course eating and shopping.
Amidst all the food stalls my taste buds urged me to try some appetizing Paani Puri's by Paani Puri Seattle! I have never had Paani Puri's that are served in a hygienic way :).

My friend Gauri Arts was exhibiting her art collection (Specializing in Warli) at the vendor area. Amazing artistry skills displayed by my friend here. With a perennial smile on her face she attempts to emit the same energy to others via her talent. Here is what I bought from her collection.

Title given by artist: Why boys should have all the fun.

I also bought this vase in a striking blue color, hand carved block (as base for the test-tube vase) from My Dream Canvas. I serendipitously happen to stumble upon this blog on Facebook and found interesting ethnic collection on this online shop.

Last but not least the brain behind this show had to be discernibly a women-isn't it?  Congratulations to Menka Soni (who is an entrepreneur herself) and her team on pulling this great show with the noble intention of recognizing talented women . Kudos to you all. See you next year.

They say behind every successful man there is a women. But is the vice-versa true?
Behind every successful women it's herself for sure and the man who is going to stand behind her dreams will definitely need to bring in an army of people (family and friends) along when he supports his woman. Because that's the magnitude of a woman's dreams.

PS: I would have loved to see a male MC (or at least co-host), hosting this show giving a little praise to the fairer sex.