Archive | June, 2009

Elephant Umbrella Stand

24 Jun

Finally summer is here!  And so has the BBQ’s , Cookouts, Backyard bash’s  and Soriee;s outdoors. So as everyone is trying to compete for the best outdoor gear, here’s one that I truly love and is on my wish list.  This is an Elephant Umbrella Stand! How exotic and unique!! Love this! and of course with an Elephant with its trunk up is always great, because in Indian and some Asian cultures it is a symbol of good luck. So for $89.95 its a great good luck charm for your outdoor bash to be a success and gurranteed to be the object of conversation at least if I had it – it def will be.

 

Elephant

http://www.zgallerie.com/pc-5536-21-elephant-umbrella-stand.aspx

Now I do know its white and it can go with any palate since its neutral but if your pretty handy with paint you could also color it to match your plate set or general design of your backyard.  I was playing around with Paint and envisioned what I could do or ask someone else to do since my painting skills are pretty bad on my own.

Elephant2

Enjoy its Wednesday!

Apartment Therapy’s – My Great Outdoors 2009

23 Jun

 Have a great backyard and entertaining space you absolutely love and would you want to be  featured on Apartment Therapy. Then check out this great website with lots of great ideas whether you live in the city, burbs, have a big or small backyard and let your imaginations run wild!Ends June 30, 2009!

 Mygreatoutdoors

http://contests.apartmenttherapy.com/2009/my-great-outdoors

Here’s a peak at the Danish Ambassadors Garden paradise in DC 

danish1_dc

http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/my-great-outdoors-2009/my-great-outdoors-the-danish-ambassadors-garden-paradise-087285

Onion googles – need to try it !

18 Jun

I watch the Food Network & Bravo Channel for all the different cooking shows and I admire each one of the chef’s chopping skills.I always wonder if I was ever on a challenge would I be able to finish, the answer yes if my chopping skills were better ,but I guess I would probably have to go to school for that.

So for now, Ill stick to the slow pace except for those dreaded ONIONS! I cry buckets everytime and believe me its not a pretty sight!.Hence I was looking online for something that would help, and behold ONION GOGGLES !! I would probably call it the “Tear Buster” and that my friends will help me win alot of challenges or pretend challenges at home against the TV.oniongoggles

http://www.broadwaypanhandler.com/broadway/product.asp?s_id=0&pf_id=rsvp_onion_goggles for $19.99 or http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=onion+goggles&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=1124260121&ref=pd_sl_2gsp6taxv7_b for all sorts of varieties and price ranges.

Believe me I’ve tried everything, put the onion in the fridge,in cold water, chop near the stove so that the vapors will get burned or something like that. Nothing works.

If anyone has tried these, do tell.I’d love to hear some feedback.

Kati Roll Semi – Homemade

16 Jun

I think by now everyone knows my obsession with the Kati Roll Company in NYC http://www.thekatirollcompany.com/. In hopes that someday they would decide to land a place in the Nation’s capitol. But since that has not happened, I have decided to take matters into my own hands for a temporary fix. Before we go any further, let me put a disclaimer that I am not the expert here since it’s not something I grew up on but it’s this is a pretty darn good interpretation for the everyday working professional. 

Since the closest supermarket is Giant that where I decided to get most of my ingredients.

8 boneless, skinless chicken breast

2-3 Tablespoon Giant brand non-fat yogurt

Mission brand 8” Soft Taco Carb Balance Flour Tortillas

 Tiger Tiger  Tikka Paste  http://www.tigertiger.info/ 

Mint – Cilantro Chutney - I have both readymade versions in my fridge all the time but I’ve included the recipe to make from scratch too

1 White onion- I would prefer red onions but forgot to pick it up!

 Olive Oil

 1 Can Amy’s organic red beans (Optional as a side dish)

 Ingredients

First take the chicken and chop it up into small cubes and then take 2 to 3 tablespoons of yogurt, add salt and add a couple of tablespoons of the Tikka paste till all the chicken is covered with the flavors.  You can always add some more  chili powder to make it spicier than the paste since it’s usually medium or mild that available in the local supermarkets. Cover the chicken and place it in the fridge for about an hr – 2 hrs so that the flavors soak in, the longer you leave it in the better it is. ( I had it marinate for an hr while I did errands).

Take the chicken and spray some oil on your baking dish so that they do not stick and leave it in the oven for about 400 degrees for 30 mins. During this time chop the onion and sauté them till they are soft and slightly browned with some olive oil. Check on your chicken so that it’s not too dry or under cooked then for the last 5 mins turn on your broiler and it will help crisp the surface of the chicken to mimic the grill. Ideally if you have a grill put it on skewers and it will be fantastic but if its rainy like it has been in the DC metro area or simply you don’t have one, baking is the only option.

Mint & Coriander/Cilantro Chutney – Whenever I’m at an Indian Grocery Store or  local grocery store in the International aisle, I stock up on this. It goes with a lot of things and can easily bring a lot of flavor with some fresh lemon juice or with yogurt or even with mayo. But if you have time or grow these plants in your backyard it’s easy to make too  – Here’s the recipe from a blogger love4cooking and from wiki how!

http://love4cooking.blogspot.com/2007/03/mint-coriander-chutney.html

http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Mint-Chutney

Last step, take your tortillas and heat them with some olive oil on a pan and then assemble them with Chicken, Chutney and Onions.

Grande Finale

Final Verdict, it was yummy not quiet really a Kati roll since I used tortillas, but it’s my version of Kati Roll in an American world.

Simple Brunch Fun

6 Jun

I love waking up on a Saturday morning and having an idea to take a  recipe to try for it  first time. Breakfast is something I struggle with in being creative, besides the usual egg,pancakes,crepes,fruit smoothie or cereal. So imagine my excitement when I knew I could combine an old favorite such as pancakes into a cupcake! Inspired by another blogger  katincooks.com with her recipe http://katincooks.com/2009/04/14/stuffed-pancake-cupcakes/ , I decided to make my own and making it healthy by using banana and no butter.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Pancake Cupcake ( PBCCBPC)!

Ingredients

 

2 cups Original Bisquick mix

1 cup milk

2 eggs

2 Bananas

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Essence

2 tablespoon of any raw honey – I love this one by Toigo Orchards Apple & Peach Blossom Raw Honey

For the filling – 5 Chocolate Swirl Chips & half  spoon  of crunchy peanut butter – my personal favorite is the Jif kind cause that line “choosy mom’s choose Jif ” has always stuck in my mind -got to love that marketing campaign.

maple syrup for serving

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously coat the bottom & sides of a 12-muffin tin with butter. I use the silicon ones and it’s guaranteed to turn out perfect. Make Bisquick pancakes per instructions on the box. Take two ripe bananas and blend in your blender into a smooth paste and add it to the pancake batter. Add the vanilla essence and raw honey.  Fill each cup in the muffin tin half-way. Add the filling mentioned above, and then cover with the remaining pancake mix. Bake 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven, place on serving dish & drizzle warm maple syrup and some fresh whipped cream (optional).

Serves 6

Prep WorkRaw Honey

Grand FinaleThe Inside

Add some fresh strawberries,fried sunny side up egg on lightly fried sliced Bologna on a Wheat Toast. And who could forget home brewed Dunkin Donuts coffee with some french vanilla creamer.

Simple, fun and yummy brunch on a sunny Saturday!

Enjoy :-)

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