A wall of quotes: Day 7

A day full of Holi greetings from all near and dear. The warmth of the greetings combined with the thought that for the next few days people in India and many around the world were going to be celebrating this beautiful festival of colours made me feel happy and also sparked a little thought in me. 

The innocent mischievousness within the most mature adults pouring out like little kids on the playground, the children running helter-skelter with handfull of sweets filled with their mothers love for them, everyones pure white clothing soon becoming a canvas of satrangi (seven) colours, the sweet and spicy flavour of thandaai (or bhaangh) cooling everyones tongues, smiles and laughter shining on each and every face. The high from all the joy and celebration of togetherness is most defiantly a precious feeling. 

All of which also made me realize that there is so much to learn from this festival, if our life was a giant canvas and we the painters, then would we be satisfied with a black and white painting or would we paint our canvas with all the possible colours that we could find to make it as interesting and fulfilling as possible?  For those of us who believe in a creator of the universe- a supreme power- source of all energy "GOD" if he is providing us with the colours, then there must be a reason for every colour that he gives us and it is up to us to realize its strengths and weaknesses, embrace its beauty and celebrate its existence.

May this festival of Holi- colour 

every eye in the colour of wisdom,

every tongue in the colour of love,

every hand in the colour of  togetherness,

every heart in the colour of strength,

& every soul in the colour of purity.

       

A wall of quotes: Day 6

Easier said than done, nonetheless, can result in beautiful experiences and

also makes it easier to face fears, especially when we remember to 

expect the unexpected.

A wall of quotes: Day5

Words by an Indian artist whose murals discuss her point of view on the Indian mythology and socio-political environment. 

What I admire about her work is the somewhat child like nature of it.. free and "fearless" of any personal and social boundaries. Her art is a freeflow of vibrant energy with a purpose that strikes a chord somewhere deep within. 

"I paint flowers to prevent them from dying"

-Frida Kahlo

Some interesting stories from Shilo Shiv Suleman and her Facebook, Blog, Twitter.

A Wall of Quotes: Day 4

A Wall of quotes: Day 3

A few screenshots from My Fair Lady, 

one of Audrey's most eminent performances,

Audrey's character in the movie- Eliza Dolittle seems to mimics 

her flawless beauty and winsome personality.  

Her every move is simply breathtaking. 

A wall of quotes: Day2

A wall of quotes: Day1

I intend to start covering a wall of my room with my all time fav' quotes! 

This one'l be my first :)

"Pasta" Alla Vodka

Today I wanted to make some pasta for mommiee dear- and ended up searching the net for a 100 diff recipes or something. when researching my fav thing to do is to go through all my pinterest recepies- I like to call this board: Kitchen Sweet Home. and even when it doesn't have the exact recipe I'm looking for it will always have a bucket full of inspiration for me.

Like this really cool blog I came across by following the links : is called "The Pioneer Woman". This blog had the most beautifully photographed illustration of the recipe which inspired my kitchen adventures tonight :) 

The classic is called "Penne Alla Vodka"- which I tried for the first time when I was visiting my sister in Singapore last year. We went to this cute little cafe there called- Kith Cafe- a quaint little place- perfect to chill with family and friends if you are ever in Singapore!

Back to the recipe:

Ree's (Creator/Author of The Pioneer Woman) Recipe:

I'm copying it here just for convenience sake, however, urge you all to check out her post which includes delicious photographs of how the pasta looks at each stage of the cooking process- the change of colours and everything- so much more inspiring than just a list of words.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Pasta
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Chopped Finely
• 2 cloves (to 3 Cloves) Garlic, Chopped
• 3/4 cups (to 1 Cup) Vodka
• 1 can (About 14 Oz.) Tomato Puree
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon (to 1/2 Teaspoon) Salt
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
• 1 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions, being careful not to overcook.

In a large skillet over medium heat, add olive oil and butter. When butter is melted, add in chopped onion and garlic. Stir and allow to cook for two minutes. Pour in vodka. Stir and cook for three minutes. Add in tomato puree and stir.

Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Allow to simmer, being careful not to overheat. Stir in red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of pasta water in case sauce is too thick. Add cooked pasta to the sauce, tossing to combine. Splash in a little water if it needs it. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Pour mixture into large serving bowl. Garnish with more Parmesan cheese.

Eat it out of the serving bowl. Faint. Repeat as needed.

As  you can see the classic Penne Alla Vodka involves heavy buttery creamy stuff!
And as much as I love tasty food, I just can not get myself to put that amount of fatty acids in my food.

so I made a slightly healthier option which was ABSOLUT-ly delicious!

1) Much less or no butter: I only added a teaspoon of butter at the end- and could probably do without butter altogether aswell. The reason to believe in the minimal if not no use of butter in cooking is that it probably does more harm in the long run than good in the short run! we all know what they say about saturated  and trans fats.

2) Full cream can be substituted w/ homemade cream- 1 tbs flour : 1cup Milk ratio.

3) Add a few veggies: mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers, asparagus, olives, capers, even some herbs like oregano and basil go well with this recipe. whatever is available and whatever you fancy really :D

4)HomeMade Tomato puree: (this portion is enough for a 100-120grams serving of pasta).  a blend of 4 boiled tomatos to 1 roasted red bell pepper (both pealed) is a good proportion. I like to add a dash of olive oil a pinch of salt and pepper and 1/2 to 1 clove of garlic(finely minced/ crushed). Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend until you are happy with its consistency.. I prefer mine a little rustic and raw so I blend it up to the point with 90% of the tomatos and and peppers are in puree form- a few lumps and bumps keep the journey interesting :) but if you prefer a smoother more perfect sauce keep blending until its a light soup consistency- if you still not happy add a bit of vegetable stalk or pasta stalk even. (Please note that this puree is for fresh use and not for preservation purposes.- I wouldn't keep it for more than an over night) 

5) I like to garnish my Italian with herbs. I love the aroma of fresh herbs- Rosemary, Mint and Basil are my the top 3 choices of kitchen aromas ;) you can add cherry tomatos aswell.

Please feel free to comment would love to hear suggestions and experiences :)

Enjoy!

inspiration from all around us..

These two examples reminded me of how beautiful simple things in life are,

and how our imagination and perception can change the meaning of things around us.

We have the power to paint our world in the colours we want to.

An empowering feeling :)