Friday, August 31, 2012

Grilling Peaches

If you start with a grilled peach, it's pretty tough to mess it up. With any luck, you'll make it even tastier. This dessert looks unusual and impressive, but it's incredibly easy to make. The mascarpone topping isn't overly sweet, the pistachios add a nice crunch, but the peach remains the real star and rightfully so.








Grilled Peaches with White Chocolate Mascarpone Cream and Pistachios
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

2 ripe peaches, halved and pitted
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
4 ounces mascarpone, room temperature
2 ounces white chocolate, melted
1/4 cup pistachios, roughly chopped

Combine melted butter, brown sugar and vanilla. Cut peaches in half and remove pit with fingers. Use a melon baller to clean up the hole left behind. Dip peaches cut-side down into butter mixture, then grill peaches cut-side down over medium heat for about 1 minute. Reserve remaining butter mixture. Whisk together melted white chocolate and room temperature mascarpone until combined. Dollop about a tablespoon and a half over peaches. Drizzle with remaining butter mixture and top with roughly chopped pistachios. Serves 2.

Egglant Tacos


These eggplant “tacos” are a tasty appetizer… It’s basically just a little round of baked eggplant with brie and cilantro in the middle, folded up like a mini taco! You could also serve them alongside a main course as a vegetable. Bake/roast the eggplant rounds on a greased cookie sheet, drizzled with olive oil (generously) plus a bit of sea salt if you wish. If you flip the eggplant half way through, it’ll get brown on both sides. About 8 minutes on each side works- but watch them closely- if some slices are thinner, they’ll cook faster.
I could eat a whole plate of these….Enjoy!








By Erin Gleeson for The Forest Feast

Viva Mexicano



I'm fairly certain I could eat Mexican food every day of my life. When you think about it, the same 7 ingredients are used in every dish, just in different combinations... a revelation that came to me during a late night Taco Bell run in college. And it's so simple to set up a fiesta bar, as Camille shows us for The Cooking Channel. We're actually doing something similar for our rehearsal dinner.

What's your favorite Mexican meal?


{Images via The Cooking Channel by Melanie Grizzel} 

Two Faces






"Every great work of art has two faces, one toward its own time and one toward the future, toward eternity."



{Images via Behance by Miki Takahashi}

Gourmet Ice Cubes

Just think of all the fancy drinks you can make with gourmet ice cubes! Aren't they beautiful? Kids, do attempt to try this at home...
  • Cucumber & Basil
  • Fig & Rosemary
  • Lime & Mint
  • Lemon & Honey
  • Raspberries & Blackberries






{Images via Brit by }

It takes 2 to Tango

So I have no real passion for standing out of the crowd with my fine jewels, or being the most amazing dressed... I do not even hope to be one of a kind bride - i know when I will wear something I like I will feel one of a kind anyway... When i dance - i do not wish to replicate somebody - but I know i will enjoy it and it will look flawless !!

But i hate the constant pressure every person getting married have to go through ... SANGEET DANCING !! I mean what is it.. why can it not be simple.. why does it always have to be a perfect entertainer ?? Beat that - somebody is def going to have a plunge pool stage replica and will do see.. I am forseeing the future of Sangeet on 31/08/2012 .. LOL

But seriously. how amazingly graceful would you have to be to be able to dance TANGO under water ?








{Images via Sinatra Blue by Katerina Bodrunova}

A Stand-Up Paddle Board Wedding Ceremony





Another Bitching Session with you peeps. The SANGEET session. Yes, Kunal and I are finally dancing. We are putting it out in the universe and just going to suck it up and learn a few steps and just perform. While on the discussion of sangeet - the decor was a matter of family discussion the other day.... And while it is going to look something completely opposite - my mind wandered onto this lovely couple. How amazing does the natural exterior beauty created by god form as a backdrop for the most amazing day of ur life ?? you likes ? 

Wouldn't you have loved to be a guest at Jessie & Jane's wedding? Their friends and family got to witness their nuptials from a cliff-side hot tub while they joined together on a tiny island in the middle of a lake. Via stand-up paddle board! In a red dress, no less. My kind of people.




Savoring the Seasons

A Whole damn summer got over and now the monsoons are almost on a close.. Where did my picnic / trekking for the year just go. This damn wedding shopping is taking the better of me. I cannot wait to just be MARRIED now ... ofcourse I have my share of jitters every time I think of the 100 days that r left.. but atleast it will put an end to a phase of every girls life - WEDDING SHOPPING. I would much rather be with Kunal Shah tucked away in an amazing place like this.




Wild Wild Bachelorette Party





I really wish I become half the wild child that I really want to be in some life time... Ofcourse while on that subject I want to definately want to be Disha Doshi even then... and get married to Kunal Shah... ! Only there is a slight difference , I'd like this for my Bachelorette Party..R U LISTENING...
The Party should include
1. frothy petticoats,
2. bedazzled sunnies,
3. colored smoke bombs,
4. or an English countryside


I really wish there is a next time soon enuf ;)

A Bicycle Bar



While we are still on DELIVERY mode for food packedges... lets visit Ed and Joe dress up in old English gents attire and deliver cocktails to the good people of London on their vintage butcher's bicycle bar. They call their "pop-up drinks project" the Traveling Gin Co. It's a brilliant concept really. Reminds me of Tiffany's sandwich and cake delivery bike. I hope these boys cycle overseas soon!

Sandwiches & Cakes on Two Wheels



This might be the cutest business idea ever. Tiffany makes organic vegetarian sandwiches & cakes and delivers them to people on her pink bicycle. She started Tifamade in Paris, but now she plans to bring the concept to the States.

Tiffany is a finalist in the Daily Candy Start Small Go Big contest. Vote for her so Tifamade can grow and expand to a city near you. Her dream is to have a fleet of girls delivering her food on pink bicycles all over the world. Sign me up!

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Destination : Melbourne... Event : Bachelorette Party !!



Let's be honest. Sometimes there is nothing harder in life than being happy for somebody else. Like lottery winners. Or extremely successful people who are 27. And then there's that hell on earth that only your closest friends can inflict on you -- the most amazing Bachelorette Party !

I am a soon to be married, engaged 25 year old Indian CITY loving Girl who is caught in the dilemma on the destination of her “MUST BE AMAZING” bachelorette party. Hey I’m not boasting, but if you are me and you have been to 34 countries in this wide world – you have got all the basic “go to” destinations covered. Which brings me to the big question… Where to throw a Bachelorette Party ?? Something Fresh, somewhere all my bachelorettes have not been. Here is a Checklist :
Bachelorette Party !
ü  City Life
ü  Art / Theatre Scene
ü  Cute Cafes
ü  Roaring Night Life
ü  Touristy / Architectural delights
ü  Fine Dine Restaurants / Bars
ü  Parks for picnics
ü  Live event / Concerts
AND OFCOURSE
ü  SHOPPING and SPAS
Sticking to my filmy-ness I stuck a world map on the wall.. took my gun and aimed mindlessly to see where destiny takes me. The vacuum on my FOAM-bullet ( just in case you thought I own an actual gun) hung onto the region of Victoria – MELBOURNE… my eyes became wide and my room full of bachelorette’s started dancing with excitement ! We popped a bottle of ‘Diet Coke’ – ( not to forget, 3 months before the wedding every calorie counts.. no Champagne till “The Day” ) and I raised a toast…. “Girls, it's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!” .

Ofcourse my girls and I did not waste much time figuring out the logistics and the financials. We can rule the world with our blackberrys’ you know. One Google search and a couple of clicks through www.visitmelbourne.com/in and we were sorted with fine tuning my Bachelorette Party.

Rhea was quick to add ..Sex and the City is going to have to film a “Partir Deux” featuring us in Melbourne ! All the girls laughed and it was an icing on my ever-growing cake.. Conde Naste describes Melbourne as, “Sophisticated and slick, edgy and rough, Melbourne’s physical and cultural landscape is shaped by a dynamic population, ever-ravenous for a bite of global culture” added Amirah. What more does a girl want than being the center of attention ?? I am going to be the protagonist of my very own Sex an the City, Melbourne THE MOVIE !!!!

My movie starts with us girls walking against the backdrop of Opulent Victorian-era architecture which will offer a stark contrast against the conventional boulevards of Fitzroy with its small café’s eateries and restaurants where we will have lunch. After which we take the tram through the urban frenzy through central Melbourne and neighborhoods’ of different characters. Of course nothing screams more Elizabeth Taylor than us girls bi-cycling through St Kilda and Carlton with the air in our hair and a bounce in our voices.
Under the afternoons sun, ofcourse its goinging to be the best part.. visiting some of the world’s best art, music, cuisine, fashion, performance, design and ideas on the Collins Street, Spring Street and Exhibition Street. Everybody has seen some amazing artists on my blog who originate from Melbourne through Flinders Lane and what a better way than to actually see them in person ?? I’ve also heard that some of the best exhibition of early Australian art on display at the National Gallery of Victoria… nothing like getting a piece or two of Melbourne to feature on my blog, isn’t it ?

The evenings will be perfect for some eye-candy… go bird watching ;) ( if you know what I mean by that )  around the Australian Football League or the Melbourne Cricket Ground . Of course other evenings I want to come back giggling and discussing haute couture while parading back to our hotel with crispy paper bags with perfect ribbons…no bachelorette if complete without a shopping spree…WE LOVE TO SHOP !  After dropping our bags we are going to attend the myriad music festivals that the city offers.

In the nights, oh the nights are going to be glamourous – we are going to put on our best dancing shoes and head to Federation square, Crown Towers Entertainment Complex or simply Eureka 88 for night out in the city and a toast will be due for my impending WEDDING. Of course we will be discussing diamonds, beauty and honeymoon and our lives beyond.

And when we want a change in landscape we are going to go to Philip Island and pose next to the Penguins, drive to 12 Apostles and the great Ocean Road and see the dramatic Victorian coastline and visit the Grampian National park for some rugged mountains and wild flowers.

A day trip to Yarra Valley & Dandenong Ranges to sample some fine Australian Wine or a quick stop on the way to the Great Ocean Road or the thermal springs at the Mornington Peninsula at a spa will leave us rejuvenated to come back to my honey with sweet memories and inside jokes and a lifetime of  it was “The Best Bachelorette Party” in “MELBOURNE” !!!

Ahhh… My girls and I cannot wait … “It's your time to visit Melbourne NOW!” It’s my time to Visit Melbourne NOW ! … It’s everybody’s time to Visit Melbourne now !”


Visit www.visitmelbourne.com/in for more details NOW ! 
Disclaimer : This post was written for Indiblogger + Tourism of Victoria Blogger Content :) Wish me luck folks.. ! 

Friday, August 17, 2012

Happy 100th Birthday Julia Child





In honor of Julia Child’s 100th birthday, here are my top 10 favorite quotes of hers. Many of these are from My Life in France, which, if you haven’t read, it absolutely must go to the top of your list. Absolutement!

“Life itself is the proper binge.”

“The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit. ”

“Remember, 'No one's more important than people'! In other words, friendship is the most important thing--not career or housework, or one's fatigue--and it needs to be tended and nurtured.”

“Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it's done right. Even a pancake.”

“How can a nation be called great if its bread tastes like kleenex?”

“Just speak very loudly and quickly, and state your position with utter conviction, as the French do, and you'll have a marvelous time!”

“Always start out with a larger pot than what you think you need.”

“I think every woman should have a blowtorch.”

"Being tall is an advantage, especially in business. People will always remember you. And if you're in a crowd, you'll always have some clean air to breathe."

“If you're afraid of butter, use cream.”

Thursday, August 16, 2012

They Killed the Goat


“A BIT TOO CONSERVATIVE” I said to her. I had seen her one too many times at these Post IPO- Wallstreet Success Parties. She was pushing the strand of hair that was falling out of her tight French Roll. Fernanda was taken aback. I was one for making small talks with complete strangers… “A BIT TOO SLUTTY !” was a quack reply eyeing my RED Jimmy Choo $ 575 shoes. We booth smirked and that was the beginning of a friendship .. ! Within months we became each others “GO TO PERSON” 

Fernanda , 28 was born near the borders of the United States of America. Just about the same time I, Disha Doshi – now 25 got through Kellogg Business School. One would think that the two of us would have hardly anything in common coming from 2 different parts of the world – But I was surprised at how much I felt she was like my sister ! We had long chats about my life, my work, my past, my present – the Jabber Master I can be. It was not until I found a box full of unopened letters all from the Dominican Republic that I first realized how little I know of her and her past. Ofcourse I always found it fishy that she went missing come every Sunday morning – she told me she went to church.. but not until I followed her. I knew there was more to those letters. Between 223rd and Madison Ave was this descript building in shambles. The plaster was peeling and it looked like the roof was going to crank any minute. The Signage outside read “El Embajador – D.R.” It was a breathing space and a small library where Dominicans’ living in New York found Solace.

I waited a whole 2 hours before I saw her coming out and confronted her ! You have to tell me… What on earth are you doing here. You have been so distant lately, what’s wrong !!! Can you please tell me. I beg of you…” She darted towards the bus stop..She was angry at the fact that she was being followed. We boarded the next bus towards her home – her eyes told me She was disappointed in me for not having trusted her and let her be. Throughtout the walk back to her apartment I could feel that She was upset that I had blown the cover off the wound she had been nursing. But more than anything when we sat down in the warmth of her living room, I felt she was relieved that she could finally confide in someone ! Like she was waiting for someone to come rescue her of her agony.

Maria Fernanda Granda Goncalves was born a US Citizen but often visited her grandmother in her native Dominican Republic. Her earliest memories are that of walking on the Malecon,  eating small dollops of ice-cream in the restaurant facing the sea on Bella Vista, of enjoying swimming with her grand mother in the country club, and enjoying the sun rise above the National Palace in this capital city. When she closed her eyes she said she could imagine the Palms and Almond trees along the Malecon. She still remembers the sight of the city’s forest of roofs, towers, domes, belfries and tree tops.

She had heard stories from her Grand Mother.. and those stories about the city her mother  was born in Cuidad Domingo were harsh ! It was not until her last visit in the summer  that her grandmother told her of her mother. The Dominican Republic was then ruled by Chief, The Generalissimo, His Excellency Dr Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina – the unelected Military strongman. Under his regime Government employees were required to "donate" 10 percent of their salary to the national treasury,and there was strong pressure on adult citizens to join the party. Those who did not contribute, or join the party, did so at their own risk. Opponents of the regime were mysteriously killed. Bridges and public buildings were named in his honor. The nation's newspapers had praise for Trujillo as part of the front page. Eventually, even churches were required to post the slogan "Dios en cielo, Trujillo en tierra" (God in Heaven, Trujillo on Earth). Trujillo and his family amassed enormous wealth. He acquired cattle lands on a grand scale, and went into meat and milk production, operations that soon evolved into monopolies. Salt, sugar, tobacco, lumber, and the lottery were other industries dominated by him or members of his family.

Apart for political and economic oppression, Trujillo demanded of his aides and cabinet that they provide him with sexual access to their wives and daughters. Maria Maximo Gomez was one such feast for Trujillo and also Fernanada’s Grandother. Maria was the wife of Trujillo’s minister who he laid eyes on, on one of his house visits. He went to bed with his ministers' wives, not only because he liked these ladies but because it was a way to test his ministers. He wanted to know if they were ready to accept this extreme humiliation.
Mainly the ministers, and her grandfather were prepared to play this grotesque role—and they remained loyal to Trujillo. Trujillo's sexual conquests and public humiliations of his enemies also served to affirm his political power and machismo. Fernanda’s mother Maria Flavia Goncalves was the child of the Generalissmo. She remained incognito to the Generalissmo. Maria Maximo Gomez Protected her daughter Maria Flavia.. She never let her daughter out of her sight. She even sent her to an all girls school where the church guarded these little girls – until the oppression became even more intense – and the Generalissmo now preferred his women younger.

Years passed , Maria Flavia was to fall in hands of her benefactor soon – it was her destiny. It was through the church the little girls were taken out to sing at the Fair of the Nations – at the 25th Anniversary Celebrations of the regime. The little girl, did not know she came face to face with her daddy ! She was in awe of this man who presided over thousands of people gathered together to celebrate their Nation and Its Generlissmo. Maria Flavia was even more estatic when her daddy pulled her out of the choir and raised his hand .. everybody fell silent. He asked her to sing.. and right out of her memory, Maria Flavia sang “The Sparrow Party” a Calypso Song all with the  tambou twavay drum.

Her eyes twinkled as she saw him walk towards the nuns – she knew her prize was coming. He spoke a few words pointing towards her. Maria Flavia thought her life was about to change. Indeed it did. The nun’s were horrified. Her daddy had just asked her to be brought to the National Palace. It was not until later that evening she was dressed and taken upto his chamber. Her daddy entered the room and pushed her face down and devoured her body. That was the last day Maria Flavia lived in hell. She escaped and found herself on board a ship.

Maria Fernanda Granda Goncalves was born just inside the seas of the United States of America and it was the last time she ever met her mother Maria Flavia. She died of an infection. Upon arrival this little one was given the citizenship of this free country ! When asked Father’s name the ship boy came forward and gave his name to her and a life and an education. When she turned 16 he even connected Fernanda to her Grand mother in The Dominican Republic. After a few visits, she passed away and that was the last time she ever went there. In her last few hours Fernanda was told who she really was…

 But each Sunday Maria Fernanda Granda Goncalves took a trip down to “El Embajador – D.R.” only to read about the Dominican History and the Animal that her FATHER was… to know MORE about where she was from !!

I put my arm around her .. and calmed her tears down… “No more visits to “El Embajador – D.R.” … #SoakNoMore !!!

Disclaimer: This is a true story with fictional characters, an entry written by me — Disha Doshi for Indiblogger’s #SoakNoMore contest. 

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Google Doodle


Google has been honoring the 2012 London Olympics with a new doodle each day of the games, and while I appreciate the gesture, Ive spent way too much time on the google doodles !!! 
Today -  Wednesday's Google doodle will let users play a basketball game to celebrate the men's quarterfinal basketball game. Here is a look at some of the doodles.. :) Which one did you enjoy playing the best ?? 













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