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!!

Why I had to reject this salwaar

Now this is one set I loved in the online collection of Shoopers Stop.  I think it's by Vikram Phadnis and belongs to the Kashish collection.  I love the cut and styling.  The peach top and elegant dupatta.    It's just that I wanted something richer for Diwali and that's why I rejected it, so to speak.  But I can think of several functions where I could wear this. Elegant...

Dressing Up for Diwali with Shoppers Stop

I don't know what made me think that picking my favorite apparel and accessories from Shoppers Stop would be easy.  How wrong I was:(  I was soo confused.  There are soo many options to choose from !!    I was looking for an outfit for Diwali - something with a festive look.  After browsing through several pages I decided I would choose a salwaar kameez.  I wanted something Indian and ethnic and dressy.  There were several I liked. But I told myself- only one- only one!!  Anyway after flipping back and forth through their online store I finally chose a few things.  So  here is the outfit that I think would be perfect for the festival of lights:

1.  Salwaar Kameez

I really love this yellow, purplish violet and red number.  Red and yellow  are the colors of the flame and thus symbolize the diya or light.  So this is what I eventually chose.  I also love the brocade on the yoke.  I love the cut and style too.  But it's the color combination that makes it the perfect outfit for Diwali.

2.  Sandals

Next I needed to find something for my feet.  I was looking for party sandals.  I came across two that I really liked.  One was gunmetal and the other gold.  So I naturally leaned towards the gold.  I feel it will look better with this salwaar.  Since the salwaar also has some gold trims.  This is what I picked:

3.  Clutch

I prefer to carry a small clutch when I go out for parties or functions.  There were a lot of evening clutches in the store.  But when I saw this "solar - clutch", my heart sort of skipped a beat.  It was love at first sight.  I love the small gold dials or sequins.  I think it looks different.   

4.  Finger Ring

I love wearing rings.  Since my dress is quite colorful,  I don't want to go overboard with the accessories.  I want to keep that simple and elegant.  So I chose this ring from the Nakshatra collection.  There were many intricate designs.  But I like wearing rings with broad bands.  So I opted for this:

5.  Bangle

In keeping with the minimalist yet elegant rule, I chose this bangle.  I love the design- feminine and contemporary:

6.  Earrings

I think these danglers would look good with the dress.  

7.  Perfume

I think Estee Lauder's Pleasures would be perfect for the occasion.

Think I'm ready to spread the light:)  What say??  

Anyways check out their site over here and let me know, if I did make the right choice.

PS:  This post was written for the "Shoppers Stop Perfect Look" contest run by Indiblogger and Shopper's Stop!!  ( In the process, I also discovered they have the Cash-On-Delivery facility in some places. )

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!!

A wardrobe Cleanse!!

Recently I cleared up my wardrobe and felt soo good after that!!  It was a cleansing process to be sure.  There were many items of clothing that I really did not wear.  Some of the clothes were in good condition and as my mom rightly pointed out, they were the ones which could be used by someone else.    Out went the ones I hadn't worn for a year and the ones I wasn't comfy in for one reason or another.  Pretty soon, my cupboard started looking neat and brought a smile to my face.  Each time  I opened it, I felt happy. Overjoyed.  Elated!!

* Picture taken from the web.

Kareena On her Wedding Day!!

I think she looks radiant and very happy here.

Keep the Color on Your Lips All Day

You went for a wedding reception looking fab.  You had your lunch and when u went to the washroom, glanced at your face.  You notice the lipstick is all gone.  Now you "ll have to re- do it, but where?  There are  people everywhere.

Is this a situation you find yourself in often?  Well, you don't have to be in this position of having to re- do your lips.  Try Revlon Moisture stay lipstick.  It comes in a golden long case.  It really will stay the whole day.  If you wear it in the morning, you will still have color on your lips at night and will probably need make- up remover to remove it completely.  It's more of a matte finish, but has a glow to it as well.  The best part is, you will not have to re- do your lips at all.  But yes, the color may become a bit lighter.  I find it useful on days when I know I will have several do's to attend.
But again, I would not advise you to use this everyday.  I suspect there must be something strong in it to keep it there the whole day.  So maybe not for everyday, but definitely a must have for those special days.