Adios, 2011!

I’m back!! After quite a while, in terms of time in blog-land :-). Well, my brother-in-law and his family are visiting from USA, and since they come once in about 3-4 years, it was quite an event. Then there was a wedding in their family and then Cub got sick.

He got these really terrible mouth ulcers and was screaming all night long. My Mom, who is his pediatrician, is on holiday in Singapore and so we took him to another doctor who diagnosed it as Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. Only someone whose kid has had this can have any idea what we went through. Poor thing was in agony and didn’t sleep for 4 nights. Obviously he couldn’t eat anything as well, and the doctor prescribed lots of ice cream. That did calm him down a bit, but mostly it was cold strawberry flavored yogurt and probiotic milk (Yakult) that he found palatable. 

Thank God, he’s better now and had some proper food today. We told everyone who called to ask about him that all he could have was cold foods, and now our freezer is choc-a-bloc with ice cream!! There’s Choco-Almond, Kesar-Badam, Choco Crunch cones, Pista Green, Vanilla – yup, Baskin Robbins, bet we can outdo your stock now!!

This is how our freezer looks now:

And here is our fridge, with still lots of Cub’s ‘cold food’ leftover:

Hence, I’m back to blogging today! I also did a workout, shampooed my hair and am feeling a lot cheerier after a harrowing 5 days :-). I have so much stuff to share with you guys; I don’t know where to start. Anyways, I think since this is the end of the year and I want to do the propah year-ending thing, I’ll talk about what I did this year in this post and do the whole New-Year-Resolution dance in the next post.

(These lists will feature only the positives, after all I don’t really feel like listing out all my mess ups on such a public platform ;-). And obviously my negatives this year translate into resolutions for the next, right?)

Things I did good this year:

1. I started my own blog!!! And I’m lovin’ it :-). Before starting to blog myself, the only blogs I read were The Fabulous Life of Not So Rich and Infamous, Hippie by Heart, Thinks fashion is art as well as Already Pretty. Now, I’ve been exposed to so many other wonderful blogs and love reading posts by bloggers across the world on various topics.

2. I embarked on a fitness journey and I’ve been at it consistently for two months now. I’ve already started losing weight!! Also, I don’t feel tired at all, can do with little or disturbed sleep (read: sick child) and feel great!!

3. I control my portions, have my vitamins everyday and ensure I have at least one vegetable dish for each meal. I’ve also upped my fruit intake. Due to this (and exercise), my hair has become manageable and my skin is also looking better.

4. I’ve started using a night cream, foot cream and hand cream. I’ve also started experimenting with hair spray, lip gloss and compact powder. (For a kajal-only person, this is a big step :-))

5. I’ve started looking at the big picture and am trying to stop sweating the small stuff. I realize that as long as the basics are in place, i.e.: my family is healthy, we have a comfortable home, we love each other etc., everything else will fall into place eventually. Of course, lots of room for improvement :-)

6. I’ve moved cities and am now closer to my parents. Hence, I’m more involved in their lives and they also get to have fun with Cub more often.

7. I’ve become a much more conscientious shopper. I don’t go crazy at sales and think a lot before actually spending on anything. As a result, I’ve begun to think more innovatively about the stuff already in my wardrobe.

8. I’ve decluttered a lot this year and it’s become a regular process. I am now trying to prevent clutter from building up in the first place.

That’s all I can think of at the moment. Really, Fab? 365 days, and all you’ve accomplished are these? Well, not an impressive list, but at least I can honestly say that I’ve done something progressive this year. And something always beats nothing, right?

What are the top things that come to mind when you think of what you’ve achieved this year?? Do share it with all of us!!

Recipe for the week - Easy Veg Stew

This must be one of the easiest recipes I know. When I say stew, it might be a little different from what you probably think of as a stew. This one is what you’d find if you stepped into any random Malayali family’s home and asked for some stew. (Not to mention how utterly creeped out said family would be, thinking you were some kind of curry crazed psycho :-)). Anyway, this is so easy to make, especially if you have some of the ingredients packaged before hand. P.S. check out the easy peasy tips :-).

What you’ll need (2-3 servings):

1. ½ onion sliced
2. 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
3. ½ tbsp crushed peppercorns
4. 1 sliced green chilli (optional)
5. 2 cups of assorted chopped veggies
6. chopped coriander leaves for garnish
7. salt and vegetable oil as required

What you’re going to do:

1. Heat a pot and pour some oil. When the oil is sufficiently heated, put in the onions, ginger garlic paste, green chilli (if using), peppercorns and salt. Yes, that’s right, just dump it all in at once.

Easy Peasy tip: Use ready made ginger garlic paste

2. Stir well and fry till the onions are beginning to brown. Then add the veggies and mix well.

Easy Peasy tip: Use frozen veggies. I used a mix of fresh and frozen.

3. Stir fry the veggies for 2 minutes, then pour in about ¾ cup of water and cover and cook till veggies are done.

Easy Peasy tip: Use a pressure cooker for max 2 whistles.

4. Just before serving, add some coconut milk, warm slightly and garnish with chopped coriander.

Easy Peasy tip: Use ready to use coconut milk.

There, now don’t you think making this is a breeze? Especially with all my easy peasy tips? :-) This goes perfectly well with plain untoasted bread for a simple, light but satisfying meal. However, the ideal combination would be some Malayali style appams, soft and spongy to soak up the fragrant coconut milk gravy. You can balance out the mildness in this dish with a spicy chicken/seafood side dish for some protein.

Do try this out at home; won’t take long at all. I’ll leave you with a pic of my ‘easy stew meal’ with flat-pan appams and Kerala-style fried prawns:

I like the gravy to seep into my appams; messy, but oh so yum!!!!

Lust List - December

The last lust list of the year!!! Wow, time is speeding by, I feel like I just posted November’s lust list last week!!

There are actually a lot of things I am lusting after right now. (In addition to making me lazy, this time of the year also makes me very materialistic :-)). However, I’ve shortened the list to these beauties. Feast your eyes on them, girls!!

1. Dark Orange Rodna Halter Dress

Source: Anthropologie

Isn’t the cut of this Anthropologie dress lovely? Perfect for the parties you’ve got all those invites for. Of course, if you live in colder climes, a coat will be needed, for which see end of list. This is actually dark orange though it looks kinda red in the picture. I love it anyway!!

2. Red Cosmetic Pouch

Source: Hidesign

I like most of Hidesign’s stuff, despite comments that they all look alike. This cosmetic pouch is simply darling and it has a pocket in front too!! So cute, I want to use it as a handbag/clutch/something-to-show-the-world!

3. Charlie Striped Mug

Source: CBS Store

Mmm, yes I know, not usual lust list stuff. But it’s true, I have been looking for a similar mug (also, cheaper) ever since I saw it on Two and a Half Men. I admit, I’m not really a fan of the show, though hubby is (all men are Neanderthals!); but the mug caught my eye and since then I’ve wanted to make it mine.

4. Color Block Scarf

 Source: Asos

Please don’t yawn on seeing ‘color block’. Just look at the scarf. Pretty, right? It goes great with neutrals like shown, though I would prefer to wear it with a solid colored bright dress in one of the colors being blocked. P.S. – Any resemblance to Charlie’s Mug shown above is purely coincidental :-)

5. Lace Snowflake Necklace

 Source: Etsy

Perfect for Christmas!! Even if it doesn’t snow where you live :P. I like the gentle colors and the delicate patterns. Something very dreamy about it.

6. Metallic Flat Sandals

Source: Aldo

Assuming you have a whole lot of parties and things coming up and assuming that you’re planning to dance at them, I would like to suggest these comfy yet glam flats from Aldo. They have a whole range of lovely flats, but I liked these the most.

7. Suede Trim Trench Coat

Source: Burberry

I’ve saved the best for the last. Ladies, here is the Suede Trim Trench Coat from Burberry in Dark Canvas Green. Yes, I know, you want it. And you want it now. How can you not? Look at that lovely rich color and that texture. Don’t you want to touch it?? I do. (Long sigh) :-).

So, which one did you like the most? Any special plans for year-end shopping?? Let me know!!