Friday, October 27, 2017

Halloween


~Halloween Fun ~

The crisp air of October not only gives a set go 
to an array of Indian festivals but also to one of the 
most awaited fun centric celebration of Halloween
 too. My first introduction to the eerie ghostly festival
happened sometimes in middle school via Agatha 
Christie's - Halloween party. I still remember how 
I spent countless hours with my encyclopaedia, trying 
to gather more information about the festival that 
was almost unknown to the kids back then. 

Crack - o - Lantern 
( when Crackers become Jack o lanterns )


Crackers topped with Veeba cheese & jalapeño dip, 
trimmed olives and  pickled cucumber eyes n mouth 
 bean stems and cheese ghosts

Halloween is synonymous to the carved pumpkins 
or the jack o lanterns. even if you are not carving a 
pumpkin for your kiddos , these tiny treats are sure
to put a smile on the lil faces !!Jus a few basic 
ingredients n some dips / spreads are enough to set 
the fun mood in .You know how much I love
 playing around with dips and spreads !!
 Life is so much easy if you have some
 in the refrigerator . 


 Shopping for freshest ingredients 
from local farmers markets to picking up some 
exotic ingredients from global gourmet stores
my heart just loves ingredient shopping !! With the 
festival season and ongoing professional assignments 
the market trips took a backseat and Veeba came
 in as a rescue and had to be surely put to test ! 


Daughter wanted to invite her besties for a 
quick snacking and of course with the weekend 
around I couldn't turn down her request. A generous 
smear of Veeba cheese and  jalapeño dip over 
the crackers , some extra paprika and quick olive
and pickle cutouts our first appetiser was ready. 
The cheesy goodness of the dip beautifully balanced
the heat of the jalapeños. Oh how I wish if there 
was packet of tortilla chips in the pantry too !! 


who said the gingerbread cutters are just 
for Christmas ?? Our second appetisers were some 
mummy sandwiches !! I prepared a filling of some 
minty coleslaw using Veeba's mint mayonnaise while 
some regular eggless mayo went in the piping bag 
for decorating the mummy with some mayo bands.
The kids had so much fun cutting the cucumber 
and pepper  bats !!


Whole wheat bread cut with gingerbreadman cutter ,
filled with minty coleslaw, piped with mayo stripes 
and served with pepper and cucumber bats. 

The mint mayo is definitely a must try , the minty 
aroma can add a fresh zing to almost anything !
( n I couldn't resist licking the spoon.. shhhh !! ) btw 
we had so much fun with our mayo piping bag, the 
kids didn't even leave the chance to decorate the snack
plate with some polkas too , I'm sure we will be trying 
much more with this creamy delight soon. The Burger
 Mayo is still in the pantry and will soon be put to
some creative culinary use. 



Have a great healthy Happy Halloween folks 
with loads of healthy booooolicious delights !!


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Thursday, October 19, 2017

Happy Diwali



~ Happy Diwali ~

Diwali , the festival of lights is the most 
joyful and brightest of all Indian festivals. 
This 5 day festival marks the triumph of good
 over evil and the victory of light over dark. 
 The days are marked with joy, happiness , 
meeting friends and relatives and spreading the
 cheer of festivity with everybody around. 

Diya on my plate !!

Watermelon, yellow bell pepper, carrot, cucumbers
 n savoury stars 


There is a divine aura of the festive spirit around. 
Colourful patterns called rangolis are made on
 the floor as a sign of celebration  and to welcome
 the divine !! 



The markets are lined with the 
vendors selling the most gorgeous rangoli
 pigments almost everywhere ! These colourful 
patterns are often made using colourful petals or 
dyed rice too .Each house has their own liking 
towards the chosen patterns which often 
ranges from geometrical designs to lotus motifs 
and tiny footsteps, as a  symbol of Goddess's
 tiny feet. 




Clay  lamps or diyas are an integral part of the
festivities and are lighted as a symbolic representation
 to welcome the Goddess of wealth and prosperity,
 Lakshmi. During this time a visit to the market or 
a potters colony is worth every bit !! After being 
baked the diyas are hand painted individually or 
dipped in traditional brick red color or Geru !



The market boasts of the most gorgeous display of
not only varied colors but a enigmatic display of 
patterns, textures and bubbling life too and nothing 
can be better than capturing the feel of this in 
monochrome and celebrate the essence joy around !!! 



Wish you all a very Happy Diwali !!! 









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