Summer Fiesta !

I would love to host the coolest party in town...to bring tempers down ! Well,I would choose a poolside venue of a five star hotel.I would invite all my family ,friends & well wishers.The dress code would be casual summer wear...cool cottons.There would be pastel shades in clothes,even bright Kurtis & Kutrtas & handloom sarees,pajamas,salwars & patialas,flowy dupattas ,etal ! The party would be in the evening, after Sunset on a Friday, so that if we party late night ,the next day ,all can get plenty of rest.It would be a vegetarian party as I am a vegetarian & wish, the world follows suit !

There would be soothing music being played at the party venue...a DJ would play the choicest music....bollywood,Western,Jazz,Classical...Indian ,Western etal. Music will enhance the get together.Friends,family can all mingle & enjoy.The music will just create the right ambiance & soothe the nerves.

The party would begin with cool drinks..no alcohol ...I am a  teetotaler.The drinks would be watermelon juice with chunks of watermelons floating in ,rose milk ,aam panha & kokum serbet.These are all cool drinks & ideal to beat the sweltering heat.There would be appetisers like pani puris & dahi batata puris.I am sure, all will gorge on the appetisers which are favorites of many.Pani puris & dahi batata puris will make ample use of Tamarind & date chutney.

Then will be the main course.In this there will be phulkas & no puris as I am health conscious .Puris are totally unsuitable during summer as they are seeped in oil.With phulkas made from Aashirvaad Select & royis from Aashirvaad Multigrains ,I will ensure that the party food is as nutritious as it can be !There will an assortment of paneer curries....Paneer Malai,Mughlai Paneer & Darbari Paneer.These are very apt  for a vegetarian party as paneer is an excellent source of protein.The guests will just keep licking their fingers as these curries will just melt away in their mouths ! There will be aloo tikkis & cutlets  with a platter of mango chutneys  like Shredded Mango chutney ,Mango Jeera Chutney & Mango Garlic chutney.Raw Mango is an excellent coolant & these chutneys with their tangy tastes will tease the taste buds of all my guests ! There will be  plain rice to go with dal bhukara .There will be salads to add crunch to the dinner...like slices of cucumbers,tomatoes,onions,radishes,beetroots & there will be sprouts salads as well.Salads add freshness to food & sprouts are simply nutritious! There will be the usual pappads ...roasted & not fried.I am health conscious.I would prefer that my guests can indulge without worrying about their waistlines !



The dessert would be the cool Jodhpuri Moong dal halwa...moong is a coolant & this halwa is a personal favourite !

I am sure my party would be the coolest one, as all the gourmet dishes are sourced from the Kitchens of India.The best thing about the party will be gifts that will be take aways...all from the Kitchens of India.I will gift Hazoori Petha Halwa  & Mango Saffron Conserve ! These are cooling gifts as the ingredients of the gifts are natural coolants....perfect compliments  for the scorching summer !

I will try the Apple Cinammon conserve in baking eggless cakes in place of apple sauce .I am sure ,the results will be amazing ! I deserve this gift, for arranging the feast of feasts !

This blog post is my entry for "My Gourmet Party " on IndiBlogger in association with Kitchens of India .Kindly "Like " "Comment " & "Share ".

The gift of time !

This post is a part of the contest at BlogAdda.com in association with Badhai.in

I love receiving gifts.Giving gifts is not my cup of tea.I do give gifts & that too without discrimination.This means, that I find the cheapest ones available.I go to sales & buy gifts.I know, that as you read this ,you must be thanking your stars, that you are lucky enough to be have never met me ! I am like that only.

Most of the people we meet & know, generally have everything they needed & gifts are unnecessary except for the feel good factor.Moreover, our gifts may be not liked by them because they preferred a different brand,colour,type etc etc.Many of the gifts, we give to others, are simply recycled so much so, that often ,they are gifted back to us !

I have many NRI ( non resident Indians ) friends.They gift me & I in turn, have to hand them presents. For NRIs,the choice of tohfa gets very narrowed down.Electrical items are a big no as these items  available  here, are especially suitable  for Indian power fluctuations.Heavy  & bulky items cannot be gifted as NRIs generally have lots of baggage of their own.Clothes are also ruled out as dressing up abroad is a different ball game unlike here.

I once had this problem of what to gift my NRI friend who was on a short visit to India..She is working & has got many Indian clothes & she would hardly use the said dresses.She said she wanted nothing as she  had done most of  her shopping .

Gift unwrapping at Birthdays is so exciting !

I was confused.I was racking my brains to come up with any idea of a special  gift for her.I asked my other friends,parents,neighbours ,etal but to no avail.I tried shopping for something unique & that gift shopping experience drove me crazy & I failed . Very soon, it was time for her  to return.

The phone rang .It was my friend.I again asked her if she needed anything ,I would gift her that.She said she wanted  something.I was thrilled .She enquired, if I could accompany her the next day or any day in that week for meeting  friends.She said she needed company as  the city was not what it was, when she stayed here.I agreed, as I had no work lined up the next day.I had also felt the need to talk with her & gossip about our other friends , acquaintances,the city,our neighbours,& so many things.I just couldn't  let go of this chance of spending so much time with her.

The next day ,I met her at her parents place & we left together.She paid for all the travel ( I love this about my friends - they never let me spend a dime ! ).We met her friends.She also finished some last minute shopping & other errands on the way.We gossiped throughout - I gossiped & she listened.She had no choice.After all, she had asked for it ! We did get emotionally nostalgic about the times we had spent years ago.

It was late evening ,when I left her at her place & bid her goodbye.It was a day well spent for me.I doubt if it was the same for her ? She must have got a splitting headache listening to my ranting. And she called me up before she flew back.She told me how much she loved me for having given her the gift of my time ! She said that I had given her the most memorable tohfa - of love,  by being there with her, when she needed me ! I was on cloud nine ! I mean, this was priceless for me, for reasons stated earlier , & even  for  her !

Henceforth,I know that, I must spend time with those, whom I want to gift.That is me -gift wrapped  !