Smart Shopper

My friend, Juhi, and I often compare our notes when it comes to shopping for everyday items, especially if we have heard or noticed a great bargain.
So far (besides Juhi) the people who take the cake, when it comes to a great bargain, are my sister Monal (Ketaki) in India and RR.
Maybe because these people have been smart shoppers and independent for so long that they know a good bargain when they see one.
As for me, I tell RR to point to the item that he wants at a shop and then just keep shut :) That speaks volumes about my bargaining skills. Doesn’t it? ;)

The latest find:
This Valentine’s day kept giving back. After we returned from our trip to Boston on Wednesday last week, Rohith showered me with these gifts.

Cacey flats from 9W

Everyday cardigan from Gap (Navy Blue)

Red houndstooth dress from Ideeli

Here is the shocker: The entire attire for under $50! Now that is what I call a 'smart shopper'. Rohith bought those ‘Cacey flats' from nine west’s website during a day sale for only $23.99 (free shipping), the cardigan from a Gap outlet in Bosotn for only $6.99 (can you beat it?) and the red houndstooth dress for only (yes hear this once again for only) $9.99 from ideeli.com’s flash sale. Ideeli.com also offers $25 credit on referring your friends after they buy their first item along with flat $9.99 shipping/month.
As for me, this time I said that you can always teach this old dog a new trick Rohith :) So the entire professional ensemble for only $ 40.97!

The Oscars weekend:
Ever since we came back from the trip, I have been under the weather. So we decided to stay in and it got interesting as it was the Oscars weekend.

Neat trick to take out pomegranate seeds in less than 5 minutes

I was discussing with my friend about the neat trick to take out pomegranate seeds in no time and thought that I will share this neat trick with you all too. So demonstrated above is the assembly required for accomplishing it. Just let me know if you would like the details of how to go about it.
On Friday, I returned with a lot of green veggies from our neighborhood shop. This is what I made with my friend Juhi’s never failing recipe.

Bottle gourd with lemon and corriander with whole wheat pita bread

Brunch on Saturday morning:

I saw photos of our nephew having loochis (bengali version of pooris or puffed breads) along with aaloo bhaja (potato curry) on Saturday morning. It was just the perfect dish for a lazy saturday morning for us too. This is how they looked. I made one especially in heart shape for Rohith. He found it to be really funny!

Pooris with sookhey aaloo ki sabzi

 Saturday evening:
I spent the entire Saturday evening watching my favorite old movies on TV all by myself. It was a wet and dark evening and sadly Rohith had to run an errand in the city in such a depressing weather. I watched my favorite actor Morgan Freeman’s “Shawshank Redemption” and “A Few Good Men”. I can watch these movies again and again. My favorite dialogue from “Shawshank Redemption” is “Get busy living or get busy dying”. From “A Few Good Men”, everybody knows that it is the dialogue in the end by Jack Nicholson.
Rohith brought back burrito bowls from Chipotle to give me a break from cooking dinner. It was perfect!
Question for you all:
Is there a favorite dialogue that you recollect every now and then from one of your favorite movies?
Sunday:
Most of Sunday was pretty uneventful. We had a lot of pooris leftover from the previous day. Rohith whipped up some scrambled eggs, which went perfectly with them for the brunch.

Leftovers can be yummy too!

The Oscars:

I had already told Rohith that he will have to bear with me as watching Oscars is not his thing. To escape that he took charge of the kitchen last night. The stir fried noodles were out of this world, however watching him prepare those was equally heavenly! It was just the perfect menu for the Oscars night :)

Prep work

Party of the veggies inside the wok

Lip smacking

To cut the heat from the noodles, I quickly whipped up this dessert for us.

Blueberry and brown sugar yogurt

I added pomegranate seeds to mine. Yum yum!

Monday mornings:

I am really beginning to like this new drama series on TNT. It comes every Monday night at 10 pm. In reality, Monday mornings spell out a different meaning for a lot of people (including Rohith) and generally speaking they hate it. As for me, I am an exception and I look forward to Monday mornings. I always have.

Breakfast:

I planned on making dalia (whole wheat Indian porridge) but as fate would have it, it didn’t go as planned. My plan B always goes back to my favorite sandwich. This is what I had for breakfast/brunch today

My staple breakfast

Never disappoints

I also finished the remaining pomegranate seeds from last evening with the sandwich.

The rubies from the nature

Workout:

I am yet to get back to my routine as I am still not feeling 100% to restart my regimen. This week I hope things will be much better.

Week ahead:

A lot is going on and I am really looking forward to the mid week. I will keep you all posted. 

Have a great week ahead of you.

I will be rooting for you all. xxxx

Question:

Have you recently struck a bargain that you are very proud of?

Do write to me at pallavibhar at gmail dot come or comment below.

The joy of receiving things for free (planned or by chance)

I never believed that there is anything in this life for free. I have been a strong believer in the saying that “There is no such thing as a free lunch” until now!
Ever since I came to the United States, a year and a half ago, I have seen the promotions, freebies and sample give aways in a different light than I used to in India.
In India, specifically in New Delhi, free stuff was limited to the Act II popcorn samples that were provided at our neighborhood groceries store or a few free pharmaceutical samples, which at times our uncle used to hand out to us.
Now that I have so much time on my hands (between job search and networking) coming across freebies online and applying for them has become a sort of past time. I do this in between breaks from my job hunting sessions. The time spent wisely has it’s own rewards. This is the first thing that I received in mail on Wednesday this week.

L’oreal shampoo samples

I applied to this one as I used L’oreal hair products for the first time after coming to the US and really liked them. 

The website that I entrust the most when it comes to free sample alerts is Freeflys.com. Of course, there are a few ground rules as in all other online surveys and sample receiving websites. For starters, I never share my personal information, contact details or photographs when asked for and quickly leave that website. 

Trip over the weekend:

You might have been wondering where I vanished for all of last week. Rohith surprised me on this Valentine’s day and gifted me a trip to Boston over the President’s day weekend. 

Quincy marketplace, Boston MA

The weather was terrible however it did not deter us from venturing into the streets of Boston even if it meant walking like this through most of the trip. 

It was really that cold!

Free by chance:

I have been trying to persuade Rohith to take me to the 'Jersey Boys' broadway show for more than an year now, however he somehow did not warm up to the idea. Even his mum and aunt went to see them last summer while I ate my heart out at the 'sleepnomore' play instead. Let’s just say that sleepnomore play is just not my type. 

After roaming around the streets on probably the coldest day on Sunday last week in Boston, we stumbled upon the theater where the “Jersey Boys” were performing. As soon as we rushed inside the theater to catch the show, the security personnel handed over this to us

This was free!

The ticket to probably the best seats in the house was free for me. Rohith had to buy his own, which was not so bad. I could not thank the gentleman who gave this ticket to me or my stars for sending us there enough! We might go and see this one again as Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons are one of my most favorite rock and roll bands of all times.   

Last but not the least this time:

I got a notification yesterday that some parcel was waiting for me at the post office. I was a little anxious as I do not remember ordering anything for delivery. This is what came

This was free!

It breaks my heart that my favorite magazine since childhood has declared bankruptcy once again. I hope and pray that it does not cease to exist.

Lunch today:

So tasty :)

A phenomenal cook and my closest friend, Juhi, was eating chhilke waali moong ki daal (moong lentil with husk) for lunch the other day. It looked so tempting that I decided to give it a try last evening for dinner. It turned out so well that I polished the last bit off at lunch time today. Honestly the leftover was tastier than the original dinner last night. Kachchi pyaaz, neembu , hara pudina aur kaalaa namak (raw onions with rock salt, fresh mint and lemon) went perfectly with the daal. I wiped it off with a whole wheat pita bread.

Workout lately:

It has been on hold for a whole week now. I shall hopefully begin my regimen from tomorrow. I feel guilty for ignoring it between my trip, professional engagements and ailment. 

I will see you all on Monday now. 

Have a rocking weekend!

I will be rooting for you all xxx

Question for the evening:

• Have you ever got anything for free (by chance or by applying)?
• How did you celebrate your valentine’s day this year?

Do write to me at pallavibhar at gmail dot com or comment below. 

My first ever snowfall experience of this lifetime

We were here

I told you all last week that we were in for a snowstorm over the weekend. It seemed to have started on a lighter note in the form of sleet and rain in the morning on Friday, however by night time it started to snow lightly.

Weekend begins:
Rohith came home early on account of the snow storm and brought these goodies for tea time.

Marble pound cake and banana bread from Starbucks

We also had some salty and spicy snacks (sev) that we brought from India with tea.

Ratlami sev (gram flour snack)

Dinner on Friday:

It was just fit for the cold weather. After tea, Rohith got down to his business as usual of making the impending pasta from Thursday. In the meantime, we made our favorite campbell’s mushroom soup. That brought back childhood memories for Rohith. When his family was posted in Andamans, India, his mother used to make the Maggie’s mushroom soup for them all the time.

Healthy and yummy!

No exaggeration however Rohith makes the best pasta in marinara sauce that I have ever eaten. I even compare his marinara sauce to those we eat in the restaurants. This is how it looked.

Pasta in marinara sauce with freshly grated parmesan cheese

Afterwards, we decided to take a walk in the snow as it was my first ever snowfall of this lifetime. I cannot tell you how excited I was. It felt as though I turned 10 years old once again. 

So happy!

Reluctantly posing :)

Saturday morning:

I was so excited to show the fresh snow to all my folks back home that I got up at 8 am only. This is what we all saw and Rohith exclaimed that it will never get more beautiful than this.

Surreal

Breakfast:

Rohith always insists on a breakfast fit for the kings over the weekend. His typical breakfast comprises of Ham, egg and toast with hash browns. Of course he doesn’t get to cook/eat any meats at home, so poor thing makes the best of what he has. This is what he made.

Stuffed omelet with croissant and baked potato with home made butter, salt and pepper

The sun came out in the noon and it was very bright once again.

Allt that glitters

Workout yesterday: 

I decided to take a break from working out over the weekend as my lower back and hamstrings were giving me trouble. However I did yoga poses from fitsugar to relieve me of the tension in my lower back and hamstrings.

• Sun salutations 1 and 2
• 20 minutes weekend yoga sequence
• Yoga sequence to relieve you of back pain 

We decided to stay at home for most of yesterday as it was very cold. In the evening, we went down for laundry and enjoyed these yummy pizza slices from our neighborhood pizzeria, while the clothes were in the wash.

Granma and plain slice. Yum yum

Sunday came and went:

We had a very late and lazy start to the day today. It’s Chinese new year today and we had made plans to go to China town for the parade. However, we changed our minds and decided to stay at home instead.

Breakfast this morning:

We decided to give omelets a break and prepared scrambled eggs instead. Rohith had the brainwave to add potatoes to them and it made the scrambles eggs super dry, just the way we love it. I absolutely cannot stomach the runny, wet omelets.

I added my twist by adding avocado to our eggs. I also spread my toast with avocado and shavings of parmesan cheese. Please note that I use an entire avocado in 3-4 times, as  we all know that an entire avocado is equivalent to a full size ice-cream sunday in calories. 

My favorite

Dinner tonight:

I had a pack of paneer (Indian cottage cheese) lying around along with one green bell pepper and fistful of frozen peas, so I decided to make this quick kadahi paneer for dinner tonight. It took me less than half an hour to accomplish it. I also made fresh chapatis along with it. Rohith said that it was restaurant quality. I am noting the recipe at the end of the post. Let me know how it comes out if you try it. 

Quick and tasty kadhai paneer

We spent the rest of the evening watching “Sherlock Holmes” on TV. Jude Law is absolutely the most handsome Dr. Watson ever.
The week ahead:

I have a big day tomorrow for more reasons than one. My closest friend here, Juhi, celebrates her birthday tomorrow and I have a very important professional engagement too.

I will let you all know how it went on Wednesday now. Have a great week ahead.

I will be rooting for you all xxxxx

Question for the day:

Where did you experience your first ever snowfall of lifetime and how was the experience?

Paneer in spicy kadhai masala:

Cooking Time: 20-30 minutes
Servings: 4

 Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes
 Category: Vegetarian

Ingredients

•	Cottage cheese (paneer),cut into 1 inch triangles	500 grams
•	Oil	3 tablespoons
•	Bay leaf	2
•	Cloves	2
•	Cinnamon	2 inch piece
•	Dried red chillies	2
•	Coriander seeds,crushed	2 tablespoons
•	Onion ,sliced	1 medium
•	Ginger paste	2 teaspoons
•	Garlic paste	2 teaspoons
•	Coriander powder	1 teaspoon
•	Red chilli powder	1 teaspoon
•	Tomato,chopped	5-6 medium
•	Salt	to taste

Method
Heat oil in a kadai; add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon, red chillies, broken into two, and half the crushed coriander seeds; sauté for half a minute. Add onion and sauté for a while; add ginger paste and garlic paste and sauté for a while longer. Add coriander powder, red chilli powder and tomatoes. Cook over high heat till the oil separates. Add paneer and salt and half a cup of water. Cook, covered, over low heat for five minutes. Serve hot, garnished with the remaining crushed coriander seeds. 

10 things that I have realized in my life

I read about the '10 things that I have realized in my life' the other day and thought about compiling my own list. So here you go.

1. Always buy more fruits than you think you need.
2. Never take anything for granted.
3. Do not buy anything (but books and fruit) when you are emotional.
4. Take criticism better than you think you do.
5. Take an unusual class.
6. Go on an unplanned adventure.
7. Save time for error.
8. Save room for fairy tales (they can actually come true, I know).
9. Let people surprise you.
10. Let that person in.

Dinner at home:
Day before yesterday was the only day available for me to cook. I decided to try my luck once again and make curry of pattagobhi (cabbage) with aaloo, matar, tamatar (potatoes, peas and tomatoes). To my sheer surprise, it turned out so tasty that Rohith completely polished it off. 

Aaloo pattagobhi matar ki sabzi

 We ate it with store bought whole wheat, brick overn baked pita bread, as I was not in a mood to make the  rotis/chapaatis. 

Whole wheat pita

I also made the obligatory strawberry and blueberry yogurt to curb the salt and heat from the sabzi.

Very berry yogurt

 This time I tried to add the organic agave nectar that we bought from Marshalls this week. It is more or less  like maple syrup and honey. Tasted alright.

My latest discovery

Rohith surprised me with these mini ice-creams as desserts even after having yogurt with the meal.

My most useful kitchen gadget:

Indispensable now

I can’t believe that all these years, in India, I have worked with the regular kitchen knives all along. With the one above, I can do the same stuff in half the time than earlier. I learned to jullien and chiffonade on my own watching the shows and chefs on the TV and youtube. I cannot tell you the height of confidence that I have working in the kitchen with this thing now.

Last night:

We had company unexpectedly. Rohith was all set to make pasta in marinara sauce, instead we ordered in Chinese. I had the veggie fried rice and Rohith had shrimp and veggies with brown rice. It got so late and we were so hungr that I even forgot to take the pictures of those. 

We got this red wine and served it to our guests, which we got from the farmers’ market at Union Square the other day. They really liked it. I had cranberry (my favorite) juice. 

 However, this white still remains Rohith’s all time favorite.

Workout this morning:

Again I had so little energy that it took me all morning today to gear up for the workout. The thing about working out is that once you have crossed that threshold and convinced yourself to stay on track, it’s a breeze.

Against all odds, this is what I accomplished:

• 12 minutes hot body workout
• 10 minutes full body workout
• 6 pack abs and get rid of those love handles.
• Get rid of those muffin tops
• 10 minutes VS workout.

I did not do the post shower Sun salutation,  as I was starving. 

Brunch this morning:

Was left over with the curry and remaining store bought methi k paranthe. I spread yogurt on crispy paranthas and my friend, Juhi, exclaimed that it looked almost like a margarita pizza slice. LoL!  I was so hungry that I forgot to take the pictures again. 

Weekend ahead:

We have the tax season going on, so Rohith would be tied up in that mostly, therefore we did not plan anything. As luck would have it, the Tristate area has a snow storm warning issued for the weekend and the coming week. I will share the pictures next week and also hope and pray that it is not as severe as they have predicted.  

I hope that all of you in the Tristate region remain safe and warm all along.

I will be rooting for you all xxxx

Questions for the day:

• Do you have something to add to my list of 10 things that you have realized in your life?
• What is the most useful kitchen gadget that is indispensable for you?
• Do you have any favorite brand of wine that you would like to recommend?

Do write to me at pallavibhar at gmail dot come or comment below. 

5 lessons that we can learn from silver lining playbook: the movie

Light display in the park opposite flatiron building last evening

The thing about train rides in NYC is that you have so much time at hand. I mostly pray silently, sit quietly staring at the floor or outside the window or listen to songs on my iphone.
When Rohith and I are together then it is another thing. We usually catch up on the day’s events or better yet try to catch half a movie on the ride back from the city.

The latest:

The movie

Recently, we got to catch the much talked about movie: silver lining playbook. It is based on a novel. which I am yet to read.
We saw half of it on our train ride to CT last weekend and the remaining on the train yesterday. It is really a sweet and simple movie, which you can watch at home along with your family minus muting a few words and phrases.
5 lessons that we can learn from silver lining playbook: the movie 
I summed up these five life lessons that we can learn from this movie. I would love to hear whether you agree with me or not.

• Life is unexpected (I told you earlier too)
• Whenever life leaves you astray, your parents are there for you
• Love can come in any form and often times you are too blinded by your situations to notice it
• Father’s have a tough time conveying messages, showing emotions to their sons
• Last but not the least, every dark cloud has a silver lining literally. 

I am not going to review this movie, as I shall leave that to you folks to comment and tell me.

Dinner at home:

I was in a mood for something really simple on Monday night, as I had a very early start yesterday. I decided to give my friend, Juhi’s, simple ghiyaa (bottle gourd) recipe a try. It was downright yum. Let me know if you would like to try it and I will request her to share it with you all too.

Ghiyaa (Bottle gourd) with lemon. Yummy!  

To spice things up for Rohith, I made this quick spicy kachoomar salad along with it.

Spicy kachoomar salad

He even treated me to the ice cream from Baskin and Robin’s on our way back from Marshalls.

Strawberry frozen yogurt. Aha!

I love shopping at Marshalls as it is like a puzzle every time. You never know what you will get. In other stores, it is like 'shooting fish in a barrel’ , according to Rohith. 

Last night:

My first day at the assignment went better than expected. I hope that it is on a long term basis. After the assignment was over, we headed to Burlington for picking up a few last minute things for my folks. On our way out, we noticed Olive Garden opposite to that Burlington location and decided to give it a try. It was cold, rainy and downright miserable outside. Their salad is definitely out of this world according to Rohith. We kept it really simple and went for their soup and unlimited salad for dinner. We ordered very refreshing drinks for ourselves though. This is what we had

Mix vegetables soup with shell shaped pasta. Yum!

Spicy sausage cream soup

Unlimited salad: Heavenly!

Strawberry and mango limanata

Workout this morning:

I was so tired from yesterday that it took me all morning to gear up for the workout. This is what I accomplished for 10 minutes each:

• Hot body warm up 
• Get 6 packs and rid of those love handles
• Get rid of muffin tops
• VS abs workout

As always, I did my Sun salutation 1 and 2 post shower. 

Tomorrow:

I am working on that assignment again tomorrow and will see you all on Friday now.

Please pray for me :)

I will be rooting for you all xxxx

Questions for the day:

• Which is the most inspiring movie(s)  or song(s) that you have watched or listened to, which resonates with your life in some manner?
• What do you do to spend time on long train/bus rides or flights?

Do write to me at pallavibhar at gmail dot com or comment below.