Ambi " Pure " Memories

It was a beautiful Sunday.  Bright and sunny. I was at home in Mvpa. It was my dad who suggested we go for a drive.  Mvpa and some of the nearby places are really blessed with natural beauty.  So we have plenty of great choices for a drive. We decided we would drive to Pala via Tdpa.

         In an hour we were ready. We took some grub to keep us going.   We all loved cheese, so we had a variety of cheese like Gouda, Edam and Gruyere with us. 

Mummy made cheese and pineapple sticks with cherries on the top.Cheese and pineapple is such a yummy combo, dont you think? Actually feel like having some now while I write. We also made some sandwiches, chicken and ham, bacon and tomato with thousand island dressing. There was also some Banoffee pudding in the fridge which we took along.  Some plates and glasses, tissues, towels, sanitizer, forks, knives, spoons, some water all went into our picnic basket.  And also a big sheet for us to sit down on. No fun without music right?  So we picked Shreya ghosal, Black Eyed Peas, tamil melodies by Ilayaraja and AR.Rahman and also some hit songs by Madonna, Seal, Aerosmith etc.  Then we all packed ourselves into the Porsche. 

And off we went. Needless to say we were really comfy in the plush interiors of the car. Conversation flowed.  We spoke randomly of this and that. Laughed for no reason. And Shreya sang softly in the background. We left Mvpa and passed through Tdpa with its lush natural beauty. Then we left Tdpa and was close to Pala with it's lovely Rubber plantations.   Everything was green.  Here and there, there were crystal rivulets of water flowing down.  Suddenly  we saw a leafy spot where we could park the car.  There was lots of shade with all the branches overhead.    Out came the sheet.  We sat in a circle and gorged on the sandwiches and nibbled on the cheese.  The pudding was soo yummy too!!  After which we all climbed back into the car and kept the roof open. No sun.  Just the trees and leaves.  It was awesome.  In 10 mts or so we fell fast asleep.   I don't know how long we slept but after what seemed like eternity  I woke up.  I felt something soft on my face.  It was a white flower.  White flowers were falling from above.  Thousands of them.  In fact our car was full of them.  On our laps.  On us.  Outside the car too.  It was like a floral carpet.  Slowly one by one everyone woke up.   There was also a refreshing fragrance.  Subtle and fresh.  It reminded me of the pleasant Ambi Pur scent we had in the car.  

  We got out of the car and walked in a daze looking at the falling white flowers.   It was my nephew who saw it first.  He was excited.  He said he saw sparkling water.  How true he was.   The water was shining and glittering.  Ethereal.  We took it in our hands.  Glittering as though light was radiating out of it.  Just like the light which comes out of diamonds...I splashed it on my face.  My nephew started to wade in.  We all followed.  We were in a trance.  We started splashing water on each other, laughing and having fun.  It was my mom who finally reminded us that we had to leave.  We reluctantly walked back.  Joyful. Ecstatic!!  We had almost reached the car when  my dad looked at me and said that I had lost weight.  He smiled and gave me a hug.  He had become ten years younger.  Everybody was looking at me.  I looked around and noticed that everyone was looking more youthful .  Everyone was looking their best.  We were all happy and smiled.  We all packed ourselves into the Porsche and drove back.  Blissful and contented.  Everyone was in a daze.  We relaxed and enjoyed the return trip.  Everyone was silent and thoughtful.

This was the most amazing and fantastic road trip I have ever had.   Now each time I get the Ambi Pur smell, I think of this beautiful experience I had. 

PS:  This post is written for a contest hosted by Indiblogger and sponsored by Ambi Pur.

My Royal Durbar Party with Kitchens of India

I've been really lucky with friends all through my life. Always had the best friends a person could wish for. Loyal and supportive, they have always been there for me.   It’s high time I showed them how much they mean to me.  I think I will throw them a party!  An evening for everyone to let down their hair and have fun;  an evening of music and laughter.

Yes, it has to be an evening, in the open air with the stars twinkling in the night sky.  Evenings always lend an aura of romance and magic. Since most of my friends will be busy during the week, I shall keep it on a Saturday evening.

I’m thinking poolside.  Water bodies have that relaxing and calming effect on you.  It has to be the ITC Mughal Sheraton Agra. For as soon as I saw their pool, I fell in love.  I have a feeling all my friends will like it too! 

A royal durbar theme comes to mind!  Carpets  and rugs on the floor with some silk cushions thrown in.

 A couple of hookahs would add a nice touch.   They would add to the feel.

  A Mehendi artist must also be roped in.  Just for fun!

 And of course a group of musicians who are comfortable with Ghazals as well as the latest hit songs so people can sing and dance too.

  Have to get a deck of cards as well!

We should also have a game of Bingo/Thumbola!

I like seeing twinkling lights in the night.  It always makes things appear magical.   So must remember to decorate the pillars with lights. 

Now for the dress code, I think with the ambiance ethnics will be just fine. Imagine all the girls swishing and whirling around in colorful ghaghra’s?

Now for the most important part- the food.  I want to stick with my royal durbar theme and I want to go for something consistent.  I don’t want to take any chances here.  At the same time, I do not want to cook myself.  I cannot compromise on the quality.  It has to be the best. 

And then it struck me-Kitchens of India by ITC.   They have "Ready to Dine" curries and desserts, masala mixes, chutneys and conserves!!  Best part is they have an online shop and will mail it to you!!  When it’s from ITC, you can be sure about quality , so no worries there. It's actually delicacies made in Indian Royal households of yore.  Food fit for kings now recreated by the celebrated chefs of ITC.
Am randomly going though their site and am confused.  So many mouth watering things...Strawberry Mint Conserve, Apple Cinnamon Conserve....yum!! 

I can imagine them melting in my mouth.  Would be yummy with pancakes and even puris. Think I shall order a few bottles of those.  You can even eat it plain.  Yum.    I know...I know..I’m working backwards.  But what can I do?  I have a sweet tooth and I love Indian sweets and these bottles just caught my eye.  So will finish choosing desserts, now that I am onto sweets.

I have zeroed in on two yummy dishes.  Just reading the names, makes my mouth water.  So here they are:
Jodhpuri Moong Dal Halwa - This is a Rajasthani desert made from moong dal simmered in milk and garnished with almonds and saffron. .Doesn't it look decadent?

Hazoori Petha Halwa is a sinful North Indian delight made from grated petha,cooked in ghee,milk and khoya garnished with raisins.  Mmm.

You can eat them straight from the pack or heat them they say.  I think with the sultry weather we have been having, I will serve them at room temperature.

Mirch ka Salan is something I have never had.  Am pretty sure most of my friends haven’t either.  It could be a dish of  novelty.

 For the veggies, I shall go with Paneer Malai and Mughlai Paneer.

The main course will be Vegetable Biriyani and Hyderabadi Chicken Biriyani. 

I shall just buy the mix from Kitchens of India and voila I"m all set to go!! 

Now I want to give all my friends a small token gift.  I’m drawn towards the conserves…Apple and Cinnamon or Strawberry and Mint.  I’m confused.  They both look appealing with those pink labels and all. I think I”ll just order both.  Tie a ribbon around the necks and keep them on the table.  Guests  can pick one up on their way out.

I think I will enjoy organizing the party because I won’t have to spend too much time in the kitchen and that too when it’s a party, the more free time you get, the more time you can spend on doing other fun stuff like dressing up and all. And unlike my cooking if anyone asks me to make the same thing again, I can be sure it tastes the same.( Yes!  I will be ordering online again.)   Aaah. Thank you Kitchens of India.  Where were you before?
At this point, I can’t help but be grateful to be born in this era.  Imagine  our moms and gran-moms all had to slog in the kitchen.  Love you Kitchens of India.!!   Just love you!!

PS:  This post was written for a contest hosted by Indiblogger

and sponsored by Kitchens of India.

All the images are taken from the net.  Thank you unknown photographers!!

Stilletos & Stylish Divas Ranked 70 by Indiblogger:))

The Indiblogger ranking is out:)  And I'm happy to say Í've been ranked 70:))...As per their system the higher the number the better.  So the best blogs will be in the 70, 80's and so on.  And there would be several in each category.  Still I feel happy.  Want to thank all my readers :))  It's based on the Alexa ranking system so it does have something to do with the number of hits a blog receives and can't say mine is bad.  Infact I'm elated.  Over the moon.

So thank you, all you beautiful people.  You've made me look beautiful - tonight!!

Surf - the timesaver

I've always thought about it, you know, about the way people used to wash clothes in the days of yore. No washing machines, no Surf Excel! How the dickens did they manage? I don’t want to even think about it. Dipping it in water and beating it on a stone or something. And how long it must have taken? So I really salute the folks who invented these contraptions which have generally made the life of people , especially women a whole lot easier. James King patented the first washing machine which used a drum. Sir, your name should be written on a gold plaque!! Surf Excel is the oldest detergent powder in India and Pakistan. Launched in 1959 , today it leads the Premium Wash category in India. While I can’t say I was the bestest at chemistry or physics, I really do appreciate the brains behind all these discoveries. I mean, did they radically change the life of women or what??!! Thanks to this technology, women now have time freed up for them. You can save atleast 2 hours if your washing is automatic. And in today’s world time is at a premium. A girl has so many things to do – socialize, look pretty, shop, chat, and what not? Well there are many things I would love to do if I had more time. One thing is painting. I love doodling and I think I would spend some time elevating that into a higher form of art. Watching some good movies would also be something I would indulge in. Nowadays, I feel time is precious, so I always think before I put a DVD in. It gotto be really good. Or it would be a plain waste of time. Time which could be used for other things. But I guess the most important thing would be to spend time with family and friends. It’s very relaxing to just chill out with those you love prattling about everything yet nothing in particular.:) PS; This blog post has been written for a contest co- hosted by Indiblogger and Surf!! ( Indiblogger sure knows how to tempt people.!!)