B’s Easy Coleslaw Recipe

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I’ve always wanted to try to make coleslaw – as I know it’s pretty easy but the creaminess of it made me feel it shouldn’t be rendered a salad. LOL 😉  Prior to this recipe I came up with I’ve been buying store bought creamy coleslaw.  I usually like coleslaw without onion and that’s not an option when you buy packaged coleslaw!  So my version is healthier, onion-less and less creamy without compromising the taste.

Firstly, I used a food processor to grate carrots and cabbage:

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And I whisked the dressing together… and tried it to make sure it was the taste I wanted… Hmm.. And adjusted it accordingly!

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I refrigerated it for about 2-3 hours and let the flavours combine properly… 🙂  Doesn’t it look yummy?? 🙂

B’s Easy Coleslaw Recipe

Makes: Enough for 3-4 people as a side 

Ingredients:

  • 2 carrots (grated)
  • 1/2 cabbage head (grated)
  • 6 tbsp ‘lighter than light’ mayonnaise (I buy into marketing! LOL)
  • 3 tbsp milk
  • 2 tbsp white vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2-3 tbsp water
  • salt, pepper

Method:

  1. Grate the carrots and cabbage finely.
  2. Whisk all the dressing ingredients together.  Taste it once it’s done and adjust accordingly to your taste.  If you do miss the cream, add a few tbsp of cream 🙂
  3. Mix the dressing with the salad and refrigerate!

That was simple!  🙂  Enjoy this nice side with jacket potatoes! 🙂

xx

B

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Foodie Fridays: B’s EASY STOVE-TOP HOMEMADE SALTED POPCORN RECIPE

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Hello!  I’ve been trying popcorn at home.  I’ve adapted my recipe from this blog.  I really can’t believe how incredibly easy it is to make popcorn.  Not to mention – how cheap it is too!  (Cinemas mark up the price by 1000% or more! HAHAHA) Popcorn is best eaten when its warm 😉  Actually I love sweet popcorn (cinema-style) and have tried 2 different recipes but am not fully satisfied with the outcome.  So if anyone knows a good one, please leave me a comment or link!! 🙂

And here’s the picture of my home-made popcorn:

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B’s EASY STOVE-TOP HOMEMADE POPCORN RECIPE

Makes: Enough for 2 hungry people

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup corn kernels
  • 4 tbsp oil (enough to cover entire base of pan)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp butter

Method:

  1. Put oil in pan on medium heat,
  2. Add kernels and give it a shake to ensure kernels are coated evenly with oil.
  3. Put the lid on the pan (loosely) to allow air to escape.
  4. Give the pan a bit of a shake.
  5. Kernels will pop in 1-2 mins.
  6. Transfer popped corn (LOL poped corn = popcorn! LOL)  in a bowl and drizzle with butter and salt.

Note:  Putting half the amount of salt in the oil works well too.  😉  Do as you prefer!!

Enjoy!

xx

B

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B’s Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash Mash Recipe

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I’ve been MIA for a bit but am back in case I was missed 😉

Thought I’d make something different – so voila!  It was pretty tasty but not perfect.  So I will def be trying it again 🙂

First I steamed the sweet potato and butter squash cubes:

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Then I mashed em and added melted butter with seasonings…

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Voila!  It was a perfect side.

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B’s Sweet Potato and Butter Squash Mash Recipe

Makes: Enough for 2-3 people as a side

Ingredients:

  • 250g Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash (cut in cubes)
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • salt, pepper and chilli flakes

Method:

  1. Steam the Sweet Potato and Butternut Squash for 15-20 mins.  It’s ready when it’s very soft!
  2. Mash it with melted butter and season to taste.

SIMPLE & EASY!  Being vegetarian is not hard.  It’s easy when you use culinary skills – ok so not quite. 😉 It’s easy when you use different ingredients and have a variety of food on the table!

Enjoy!

xx

B

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Foodie Fridays: Tofu Breakfast Muffins with Quorn Bacon = B’s Eggless Egg Muffins Recipe!

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I tried making this at home after thinking about how much I loved McDonald’s Egg Muffins when I was non-veg.  I tried to somehow make a vegetarian version of Egg Muffins!  It was divine.

Here’s the result!

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It was really easy too!  Great for a weekend brunch 😉

The most important step is marinating the tofu so the flavour and colour gets absorbed properly.

Here’s a picture of how the tofu pieces should look after marinating it:

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B’s Tofu Breakfast Muffins with Quorn Bacon 

Makes: 4 Muffins

Ingredients:

  • Half packet of firm tofu cut into big rectangles (see picture above)
  • Quorn Bacon Slices
  • 4 Muffins
  • Cheese Slices
  • Seasoning: Turmeric Powder, Soya Sauce, Chilli Powder, Salt, Pepper (Mix in a bowl

Method:

  1. Place kitchen towel under and over tofu pieces to absorb extra moisture.  Leave for half an hour.
  2. Marinate the tofu with the seasonings mentioned above.
  3. After half an hour, pan-fry the tofu patties till they are done (a bit crispy on both sides).
  4. Pan fry the bacon slices.
  5. Assemble with cheese in the muffins.

Enjoy it with any sauce you like 😉  I had it with BBQ sauce and baked beans on the side with hash browns!

xx

B

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Technology Tuesdays: What makes kids happy these days!

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I came across this picture about had a good laugh!  It’s so true.  All my young cousins – aged 8 onwards are wifi obsessed!

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Foodie Fridays: B’s Red Sauce Topped Over Spinach & Ricotta Tortellini

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Last night’s dinner was divine.  Well, how can anything with cheese be less than divine?  😉

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I felt guilty using everything that was basically ready-made so I made the red sauce.  I like pasta extra saucy so I make sauce in abundance!

B’s Red Sauce Topped Over Spinach & Ricotta Tortellini (EASY)

Makes enough for 2 starving souls.

Ingredients:

  • 1 packaged of Spinach & Ricotta Tortellini (I have no skill or patience to make my own pasta! LOL)
  • Some olive oil (around 2 tbsp)
  • Handful of Cherry Tomatoes (the more the healthier) I use about 250g- cut in halves
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 can of Italian Plum Tomatoes
  • 1 can tomato puree or ready made red sauce (optional just to increase the amount of sauce)
  • 2 tbsp of concentrated tomato puree
  • some cheese (the more the merrier)
  • Seasoning:  fresh basil, dried herbs, salt, pepper, tabasco, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, sugar

Method:

  1. Put oil in pan and cut finely chopped onions.  After onions are translucent and a little brown add tomatoes and cook.  If its drying up add some water and keep cooking.
  2. Add the can of plum tomatoes and the concentrated tomato puree.  Simmer for half an hour or longer.
  3. Cool and blend afterwards.
  4. Add all the seasoning and some water (see your preferred consistency.  I don’t like my sauce to be too runny!) Add sugar according to sourness of the tomatoes.  If you simmer it longer it will be less sour and less sugar will be required to combat it.
  5. Add cheese just before switching stove off so it will be stringy. Yummy! Add it to the prepared tortellini 😉

Note:  I serve it with herb baguette and roasted asparagus to just make the meal a bit more complete! Bon appetite!

xx

B

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Travel Thursdays: Monsoon in Kerela

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It’s Travel Thursdays and I’ve decided to blog on old travels etc – just because I haven’t got new exciting travels to blog about.  We are saving for it! 🙂  Kerela is known to be the most beautiful during monsoon season – frankly I was skeptical as to why this was so.  After going during this season I can safely say it is a paradise for PHOTOGRAPHY but that is about it.  I like going out, being on the move without an umbrella and my feet soaked.  So it’s all about perspective I guess!

Tips on where to stay:

  • Marriott Kochi Hotel– simply because you can’t go wrong with a five star in a country which is relatively cheap to your currency!  Our stay a night was equivalent to a 3 star in London or a BnB!  We had a buffet breakfast each morning.  The spread was fantastic.  Hot indian breakfast was made fresh 🙂  For those of you who are not accustomed to indian food – there was continental and english breakfast too.  But I always say in India do as the Indians do!  OK so I say that in every country!  Why not try to enjoy the country locally?  We go there for a different anthropological feel so we might as well enjoy it!
  • Taj Hotel – We stayed here for a night.  It’s much pricer that’s why just a night!  The style of the hotel was rather Maharaja-Type.  That translates into the olden Indian Kingdom Type of Hotels.  The architecture was amazing.  The food was pretty immaculate too!  Another advantage was that there was a complimentary boat trip around the Arabian Sea to see the Chinese Fishing Nets.

FYI – The floods were shocking!!!  One night a road we went by was completely flooded that our car came to a stop.  The driver sent his son outside to look for an alternate route.  The water was up to an average man’s knee.  Fortunately, we weren’t stranded for long.  We also passed by random villagers who were fishing with their hands in the floods and witnessed a big catch.  A man was flapping around the huge fish!

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This picture shows the minor floods in the daytime.

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My favourite local Kerela food – the Kerela Prata!  It’s a flour based bread that you dip in curry.  It costs about 5 Rupees which is about 5 pence!!  OMG.  SO CHEAP.  Always go to a country where your currency is king! 😉

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Indian Masala Tea that is being ‘pulled’ by the man.  Some countries call this “pulling-tea”.  It’s amazing how they do this.  If it were me I’d end up burning myself!  I was in awe.  We actually let ourselves in the kitchen and asked him if we could take a photo.  I can’t speak the language as this is South India and I know Hindi and Punjabi which are both North Indian Languages.  Luckily, he knew a bit of english 🙂

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TAJ HOTEL: The hotel swimming pool which looks like an infinity pool.  The sea the hotel overlooks is the Arabian Sea.  It was beautiful!  I actually feel this picture does not do justice to the place.

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The Chinese Fishing Nets.  Apparently Chinese people introduced the method of fishing to people in Kerela.  I saw this from the complimentary boat ride 🙂

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Sunset view of the Arabian Sea.  It was simply breath-taking!  🙂

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The hotel had south-indian cultural dance performances which were interesting to watch.  We watched for a bit but didn’t really understand what was going on.

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My happy feet!!  There was a really nice spa where I indulged in a relaxing pedicure.  I chose a bright color to cheer myself up from the perpetual rain.  But I guess that’s what monsoon is about!  😉

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The morning buffet range was wonderful.  These were the desserts!  🙂

Must-see shopping mall:

  • Lulu Mall – it has recently opened and has major brand names and also has designer indian wear.  I picked up outfits to wear for upcoming weddings!

Enjoyed my trip there as it was different from what I’m used to for a holiday.  It also really made me appreciate the devloped lifestyle that we lead and often take for granted.

xx

B

The Liebster Award

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I’ve just been nominated for this award.  Thank you so much Ginger!  You can check out her stylish blog about make up, nails and fashion.  It really makes me happy to receive random blog awards as I am still a new blogger.  I really enjoy being part of the blog-os-phere (wouldn’t that be an interesting term?)  After saving this as a draft – I got another nomination from the Wanderer.  You can check out her blog too! Thank you so much!  This is making me feel like I’ve won the Blog Grammy’s or something..  If only they came with trophies. HAHAHAHA!

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Here are the rules: (Thanks to copy and paste I’m taking them from Ginger!)

1. Each nominee must link back to the person that nominated them.
2. Answer the 10 questions which are given to you by the nominator.
3. Nominate 10 other bloggers you like and who have less than 200 followers.
4. Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
5. Let them know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them!

What is your favourite quote?
“Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more thanI have seen.: -Benjamin Disraeli

Who is your favourite author?

To be completely honest I don’t have one anymore.  After doing almost 2 years of Law school I could never imagine having to read again!

What is a song that has a lot of sentimental value for you?

It’s not in English! It’s a Hindi Song – Aas Pass Kuda

If you had to name one essential beauty product, what would it be?

My Inglot Foundation and Black Pencil Eyeliner.

Do you prefer the country side or the city?
I prefer the city for living as that’s all I know!  From Japan to Singapore to Sydney to London!  If I lived in the countryside, I’d probably die of boredom!

What is the saddest film you have ever watched?
One of the sweetest movies would be PS I LOVE YOU and THE VOW!

If your house was on fire, what would be the three items you would save?
Items? Hmm.. My passport, phone (all photos are in there!) money?  Actually I have been in a situation where in an Earthquake we had to leave the house ASAP as it was going to crumble into pieces (it didn’t in the end).  However, being put in that situation teaches you that you don’t take anything with you when the time actually comes.  Your safety and your family’s safety is what is utmost important and you run to safety together.

What is your favourite season of the year and why?
I love Spring and Autumn.  I don’t like extreme weathers such as severe summers or winters!

If you could do any job in the world, what would you choose?
I’d love to endorse my own brand.

Everyone has something that comforts them when they are ill, what is it that makes you feel better?
When I lived with my Mom in Sydney she cheered me up with hot soup and just being there.  I do miss the pampering!! But my husband is really sweet (although he cannot cook and probably will never enter the kitchen but he always comes to check to see how I am doing) 🙂

Now I’m going to nominate other bloggers for this award 🙂  Please answer the same questions as I just did.  I’m actually pretty lazy to come up with new questions as these work just fine.  I found them pretty random and different from other award questions so will give them back to you 🙂 Also many of my nominees have a huge following but yet they deserve it!

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My Liebster Nominees are- I’m just selecting 5 btw:

Food For Fun – Liz is an absolute great blogger!  Do check our her blog and follow her – she’s an active user and one of my favourites!

Ada- more food please – Ada is a fellow foodie! Check out her site if you are hungry!

Ryan’s Photography – Ryan takes amazing photos.  Some of his pictures inspire me to travel to nature more! Check them out!

Laurie’s Lovely Living – Laurie is like my soul-blogger-sister!  Her posts are wacky and fun.  Her pancake photos make me drool.

Trinity’s Kitchen –  Trinity has an awesome blog!

 

Hope you all enjoy these Liebster Nominee Blogs!

xx

B

Technology Thursdays: The New iPhone 5c and 5S

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The latest announcement by Apple has finally been made.  There had been a lot of anticipation for it at home (my husband of course)!

So what’s all the fuss about?  What’s the actual difference?

Basically I can sum it up in three points.

  1. They now come in colors!  (But is it worth buying it just for a color especially since there are colored cases available?)
  2. They are cheaper. (That’s good if you don’t already own an iPhone)
  3. Tighter security with the users thumbprint is now possible. (That’s really cool but it doesn’t warrant me buying a new phone since I already have the iPhone 5) – iPhone 5S

Hmmm…  I don’t actually get the fuss. The functionality is pretty much the same – but it looks pretty.

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Here’s a screenshot of it from the Apple website.  I wonder how the sales would be for this one!

xx

B

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B’s Eggless Milo Custard Recipe

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I really really wanted custard last night.  So yes, I made custard at 11 pm and made a variation for my husband with Milo.  It came out really really yummy for chocolate lovers!

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So I made normal eggless custard and added milo to it.  I was pretty generous with the milo as you can see.  While it was on the fire I whisked it so it became a smooth chocolately (it’s a word I swear! hahaha) custard.

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It was good… Hmmm… The husband loved it.

B’s Eggless Milo Custard Recipe

Makes:  Enough for two hungry people.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 1/2 tbsp custard powder
  • 2 tbsp evaporated milk
  • 3 tbsp sugar
  • vanilla essence to taste
  • generous amount of milo (optional)

Method:

  1. Boil milk with sugar until its dissolved.
  2. Add evaporated milk.
  3. Mix custard powder in a bowl with water till there are no lumps.  Add to the milk and whisk.
  4. Add vanilla essence.
  5. Custard is ready 🙂  Add milo and whisk if you want a chocolate mixture!

Note:  I love custard and can eat it with anything!  When my sisters were here, we had it over scones topped with Nutella.  That was really good 🙂 The leftover custard can be refrigerated in a bowl.  It will set in a few hours and can be eaten cold! 🙂

Enjoy this simple vegetarian dessert 🙂

x

B

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