Riddikulus-ly Pink Beetroot and Strawberry Smoothie

I am posting this just to get over my ridiculous need to blog about food only when I have something random, funny, introspective or nostalgic to go along with the recipe. For once, I don't. I mean, I don't have anything of any importance to say right now. And the lack of having anything of any consequence to write about, has been stopping me from posting about food. Which is ridiculous.

I know what you are thinking. How are they related? Just writing about a dish, its recipe, the cooking method; that should be enough, right? Yeah. It should be. But I am weird. That's the only explanation. I like my food to have a story. Any story. (Also I kinda like to think that all you guys come visit my blog as much for the crazy stories as the decent recipes). So I am now trying to post without a story. Or without anything really. Other than the food. And now I have successfully rambled on about nothing without a mention of the recipe! Riddikulus!

Oh, and if you think that I spelt 'ridiculous' wrong there, then clearly you haven't read Harry Potter and you cannot ever be my true best friend. Ok, yes, I know you may not want to be my true-best-friend, but its your loss, really. And since this post (which started with all good intentions) has now really fallen under the ridiculous category, let me enlighten you with the advantages of a 'Riddikulus' spell:

How to get on my 'Rite' side and Product Review of RiteBite Max Protein Bars

It is very easy to flatter me. Really. All you need to do is read my blog and tell me how much you like it. And, for the rest of my life, I will keep telling everyone what a nice person you are. Promise! 

Ok maybe I am not entirely serious (I am serious.) But what I definitely appreciate is people actually reading my blog before sending me mails about product reviews, invites to events, etc. I have ranted about spam mails earlier on this blog, so I will not repeat myself. But I have to express how very gratifying it is when someone mails you regarding a product review after following your blog, reading the kind of posts you write, knowing their products and your blog are a match, and then contacting you. Truly. Its a pleasure that's almost as good as a midnight ice-cream snack!

So coming back to the review at hand, I was approached by Naturell India to review some of their Protein Bars. Now I must admit that the husband and I are actually huge fans of this other brand - Nature Valley Crunchy Granola Bars. These bars make for great healthy snacks. But I am always on the lookout for newer brands and flavours. So I jumped at the opportunity to try Naturell's Rite Bite Bars.

Now the ones I received were actually Protein bars. And from what I have read on their website, these bars are great after-exercise snacks. I was sent 3 different varieties. And just so that I could gauge the pulse of the public, the Junta ki Awaaz and all that, I took these bars along to office for the girls to taste and give their verdict!

3rd Blogoversary with Pumpkin-Choco chip "In-betweeners"!

I’m an In-betweener. At any given point in time, I am, in my head,  in between complete chaos and total order. I have an innate desire to have things under control – I nag and bug people around me and work myself into a frenzy till all the things to be done, are done. Then I experience a few days of smug satisfaction.

And then I go back to worrying about all the disorder that keeps growing around me. Coz didn't you know? Order breeds disorder! Balance of nature and duality of universe and all that shit.

So the 3^rd anniversary of this blog came and went by... and as usual, I was in the middle of too much chaos to actually write a post on that day. 

 

But that’s ok, because this blog understands. The Weekend Epicurean came about as a result of my being an “In-betweener”. I was in-between houses, my finances were a mess, I hated my job, didn’t know where life was headed and I had no clue what I wanted to do 5yrs from then!

Then I started the blog, shifted to a new house, quit my job, took a year-long break, swore to shift careers, and then went back to the same career. Yeah. Well. Oh, and did I mention I still don’t know what I want to do 5yrs from now?

Yup, somewhere in between all this change and constancy, this blog continues to breathe and grow. Albeit a bit slowly and lazily, but it survived nevertheless.

The Birthday Food Trail

There is so much to update all you guys on!! Now I know none of you has really been waiting with bated breath for me to get back to my blog (except maybe this really nice girl called Nafisa who actually mailed me asking where in hell's name I was :D). Nevertheless, I will proceed to tell you how exciting my life has been in the past few months... and you will agree that blogging really HAD to take a backseat!

• I discovered this awesome TV series called 'The Vampire Diaries' and watched 3 seasons back to back! That's a total of 66 episodes. And if you are making faces about vampires and equating it to 'Twilight' already, I will personally come and kick your shins. Watch it. Its wicked, funny, crazy and has a breakneck speed to its plot! Not to mention, the sexiest men on Television...

• I have been making multiple trips to Chennai on work, eating a lot of the awesome Chennai sea-food, and along the way, managed to put together our first big South TV event successfully :)

• Attended a full-on Delhi type wedding in the winters and had soooo much fun! The sarees, the clothes, the jewelery, celebrating Karwa Chauth, rehearsing for Sangeet performances... obsessing over hair and make up, matching shoes and bags, and of course - dancing like crazy to Bollywood numbers! Radha on the dance floor, anyone?!

• Went for a friend's rocking birthday party and woke up in her house with very little memory of the previous night :P Hehehe... ok, not all that bad, but trust me when I say it was that kind of a fantastic party. 

• Met up with one of my favorite film bloggers - the wonderfully witty, sweet and namkeen, intelligent, beautiful Dolce and Namak who was in Mumbai on her first Indian trip. And what a great time I had! I had gone with trepidation wondering if one lone desi girl and 4 goras from Canada would have anything common to talk about... But I really shouldn't have feared. Bollywood, Tollywood, Kollywood, food, filmy gossip, we covered everything and there was still so much we could have rambled on about!All aided by a wonderful meal at Zaffran...

• Planned a fantastic Bachelorette trip for a very dear college friend (now colleague) in Goa with 6 other utterly fabulous girls. And what a Hen party it turned out to be! But but but, what happened in Goa, stays in Goa. Sooo... my lips are sealed ;)

• And in the midst of all the above excitement was my husband Sid's birthday.

Now all those who know me personally, know that the husband is a weird creature. Mine in particular. He doesn't drink (not even wine), doesn't smoke, doesn't like meeting people, and warns us every year to not make a big deal about his birthday. Yet, who doesn't like a special birthday? So you can imagine what a tough time I have every year trying to plan something that doesn't involve drinking, people or loud music.

This year, inspiration struck. The hidden genius within me awoke from its sleep and came up with a foolproof plan. Now what's the one vice that Sid has? Its his love for food! Ok, you might say its not a vice really. But hello, we are talking about a man who will finish a full meal of 5 rotis with dal and veggies, and then just because someone is offering hot rotis, will proceed to eat 5 more. Yep. Vice.

So my genius plan - A Birthday Food Trail! The 3 days leading up to Sid's birthday on Monday was to be declared the Birthday Gourmet Weekend. The idea was to research restaurants we have never been to, that serve food that Sid would love, and take him there for a surprise meal.

Sounds simple, right? Nah. Sid is a foodie but his true love is Indian food. So Italian, Chinese, Japanese, everything went right out of the window. The deal was to look for places that serve authentic regional Indian cuisine. AND to keep it a secret. Phew.

SATURDAY LUNCH: So the Food Trail started on a Saturday afternoon with lunch at Purepur Kolhapur in Vile Parle. Yes, authentic, fiery Kolhapuri khaana. As usual, the party consisted of me, Sid and our close-as-family friends G&A. And man, were we in for a treat... Sid was gobsmacked. He had never even heard of the place and kept guessing where we were headed. And even after we arrived at the little, inconspicuous eatery, he didn't know what to expect.

PUREPUR KOLHAPUR

A few of my favorite things...

These are a few of my favorite things...

I know I have been neglecting this space for far too long. The guilt was killing me, frankly :/
So I decided to upload something just to assuage my feelings :D

Here is a collage of some of my favorite things! The food of course is just the same collage that I use for my blog header, but then you already know how lazy I am. So I will not make excuses :P

Movies, TV series, Books, Food - what more can anyone want?!

Pink and Pungent - The wonders of 'Down South'!

If you are an Indian from any part of the country, you know exactly what 'Down South' and 'Up North' means. For all of India's diversity and vast expanse, the majority of the population is just called North-Indian or South-Indian. Unless of course you are from the North-east, and then I don't have to spell out what kind of unflattering and politically incorrect names YOU are called! 

But going back to the North-South divide, what I mean is that if you are not from the 4 southern states of Andhra, Tamil Nadu, Kerala or Karnataka, you are called a North-Indian. Doesn't matter even if you live on the western-most tip of the Rann of Kutch or right on the Bay of Bengal in Orissa! Northie you are! And similarly, if you are anywhere from the South, you are a Madrasi for the rest of the country. 

I'm not going to go on about this because you and I have heard and read enough about these stereotypes and prejudices. But today I'm going to talk about food stereotypes of the 'North' and 'South'. 

50 Shades of Weird!

Weird is the new brilliant.

I’m reading the very weird “Fifty Shades of Grey”. If you don’t know what that is and haven’t heard of it yet, you have either been living under a rock or have just landed from some other planet. Or, well... you are just weird!

Ok, confession time. This much-hyped, totally overrated, erotic romance full of “kinky f***ery” and BDSM elements? Well, I’m on the last part of the trilogy :l 

Fine, go ahead - Judge me. I don’t particularly like it, but I’m still reading it. I mean I even know how it will end. And there is really no plot except all the heavy duty sex. And yet, I’m reading this weird set of books. Sometimes I really feel I read books compulsively. If I have it, I must read it. Even if it’s boring or bad. I don’t think I have ever left a book halfway. Oh wait! I have. ‘My Name is Red’ by Orhan Pamuk. But I’m hoping to finish it one day soon. Maybe after Fifty Shades. If I can go through 3 books of Grey, then I can definitely go back to Red!

A peek into my Secret Life with Spicy Sweet Potato Soup

Hello y’all!

*breezily walks in without a care in the world*

What? Don’t look at me like that. I do not like the accusation in your eyes, no sir! Let me tell you (all attempts at breeziness forgotten) that I had a very good reason to disappear. Again. For a month. Ok, more.

Ermm.... I had work.

No, actually it was an emergency.

Ok, ok, writer’s block.

Fine! Have it your way. Don’t blame me if you can’t deal with the truth! Here you go.... brace yourself.

I WAS ON AN EXCHANGE PROGRAM AT HOGWARTS.

Ha. Didn’t think you could handle it. Truth is a dangerous thing my friend...

Sigh... before my handful of readers walk away in disgust, let me tell you what I have really been up to in this last month.