healthy mithai for diwali

Beetroot Halwa Recipe

Ingredients

1 kg beetroot
1 1/2 litre milk
400-500 gm sugar
elaichi powder (cardamom)
saffron few flakes
1 tbsp ghee

Method

Peel and grate beetroot.
Put milk and beetroot in a heavy saucepan.
Boil till thick, stirring occasionally.
Once it starts thickening, stir continuously.
Add sugar and cook further till thickens.
Add ghee, elaichi, saffron and colour.
Stir on low heat till the mixture collects in a soft ball or the ghee oozes out.
Serve hot, decorated with a chopped almond or pista.

Carrot Burfi

Ingredients

carrots 5 lbs
sugar 2 cups
milk powder 2 cups
butter 1/2 lb
cottage cheese 16 oz

Method

Cook grated carrots and sugar together in a heavy bottom pan till done.
In another pan fry the butter and cottage cheese and then add the milk powder and cook
until the mixture leaves the side of the pan.
Then add the cooked carrots to the cheese-milk powder mixture and cook for another 5
minutes.
Butter a large cookie sheet or thali and coat it with butter or ghee. Spread the cooked
mixture on the cookie sheet.
Put some silver foil sheets on the burfi. Cut it into squares or diamonds when it cools.
Put the burfi in the fridge and it will keep for a month.


Hope you like these recipes,
Keep Smiling

party invitations

The first thing about a party is the invitation, there are a lot of ways to invite people over for a party . Its up to you what sort of impression you want to create. What is the right approach while sending out invites; personalised letters that are handwritten with a message or computerised labels and printed letterheads?  What would be the more sensible approach to create the right impression for invitees? Is a pre-invite required at all? We rely on a casual sms or a telephone call or a common mail for invite , but just imagine if you get a mail and you get a handwritten invite by post, which one would u feel more "invited"

The approach would depend on what kind of event you are planning. Hand written notes are great for dinner parties and smaller events. Points to remember when writing them is to mention individual names of the invitees, time and place as well as a RSVP or someone they could get in touch with if required. Also invites need to go out a week in advance and if it is a more formal event then you could even mention a dress code. The written invitation can then be followed up with a phone call. However, do refrain from inviting people solely over a telephone call. In contrast invites for bigger functions like weddings would obviously have to be printed. Printed letterheads are fine as well. Labels can be computer printed but make sure the font used is big enough and clearly legible with names and addresses correctly spelt as well as a return address if un delivered. I do recommend a pre invite so that people can block off their dates in advance during a busy social season and it will also help your event/function to be well attended. 

A telephonic or e-mail reply would be the simplest and most effective means of an RSVP though if you do want to get creative you could have little “Reply Cards” (with pre paid postage) printed that could be delivered with the invitations that the guests would mail back to you later with their response. Alternatively you could send them a little reminder like small box of chocolates or sweets to remind them of the upcoming event and maybe that could prompt an RSVP from their end. 

 Is there any importance of a Thank you note after attending a party or event?

It is mandatory to thank your host post the event whether with a thank you note, a phone call or even via a sms. Personally hand written notes are always the best option. While writing the thank you note remember to address it to your host and hostess. If there are multiple people hosting the event then each person merits an individual note. You can thank them for a great evening and also compliment them on the success of the event and sign off with your name at the end. 

So get creative and start inviting!
Keep smiling

planning the perfect vacation

Hello all,
I am just back from a lovely weekend , spend with my lovely family. I feel an average middle class family should be able to afford 1 abroad holiday, 1 week-long vacation and couple of mini breaks (when my husband reads this he will say "yes Preya, i get the message loud n clear"). But seriously we  can manage all of this ....let me give u some tips

• Mark out holidays on your calendars, festival time, school/college breaks , leanest work weeks
• Where would you like to go?adventure, beach, sightseeing, pilgrimage?
• Fix a budget, once the place  and no of days are decided.Keep in mind travel expenses, hotel stay, food, sightseeing, shopping, visa and travel insurance if going abroad.Minimise travel expenses by planning off season.
• If travelling with children , keep in mind time zones(abroad). Take a package tour, in this way your day to day itinerary is taken care of. Ask friends who have children to join you, it works great as your children have company and you get some time to put your feet up.
• if u intend to plan your on vacation go to websites like www.makemytrip.com, www.yatra.com, www.tripadvisor.com, www.lonelyplanet.com,
• Avoid carrying too much cash, travellers' cheques, debit cards and credit cards are safer options.
• Carry a few extra copies of all your documents . Let your family or friends back home know of your travel plans, itinerary , hotel nos, flight schedules just in case.
• keep a printed copy of your name , passport no and telephone no in your kids' pockets or their backpack.
• Do your health checkup before you leave and check on the place you visiting if it has been affected by any epidemic or any viruses.

A VACATION IS AN EXPERIENCE WHICH SETS IN BEFORE YOU EVEN LEAVE, SO MAKE IT MEMORABLE !!

Keep Smiling

diwali low calorie recipe

hello all,

thank u manjusha for sharing one more shop with us.

I was just going through my recipe books , yes i am already planning my Diwali menus as i love entertaining and would surely have couple of parties at home so i chanced upon this Low Cal Shahi Tukri (bread pudding sort of)recipe which i am going to share with u.The reason i sharing is also because if u ve unexpected guests , yes we Indians don't really let anyone know we are coming home, we take it for granted that's how its supposed to be.When situations  like these arrive and you are in fix then this recipe is great as the ingredients are always at ones home (bread , milk , sugar and some dry fruits). so here it is.....

you will need, 4 slices of bread , 2 1/2 cups of milk, 1/3 cup sugar, 5-6 green cardamon(skinned & crushed),a few strands of kesar dissolved in 1 tbsp water, 150gm paneer(grated finely), 4-5 almonds (cut in thin long pieces), 4-5 pista (cut in thin long pieces), 2 tbsp desi ghee.
1.remove the sides of the crusts and cut each slice in 4 triangles
2.heat 1tbsp ghee in a non stick pan, add the 8 pieces and cook on low heat till they are golden and crisp. add some more ghee and fry the remaining.
3.dip the fried slices in cold milk and remove immediately to a serving platter or individual bowls.
4.heat the remaining milk with sugar and cardamoms ,till it turns thick(10-15mins)
5.add the grated paneer and cook for 1-2 mins till it looks like rabri.remove from fire
6.cool the rabri and pour the cooled rabri over the toasts.
7.sprinkle with shredded almonds and kesar

hain na simple!enjoy

keep smiling

preya is here: festival time

preya is here: festival time: "Hello! Come Ganapati festival and the festival frenzy starts! Id, Navrtari, Dusshera, Diwali, Christmas and New Years' Phew . Indians have a..."

festival time

Hello!
Come Ganapati festival and the festival frenzy starts! Id, Navrtari, Dusshera, Diwali, Christmas and New Years' Phew . Indians have a very festive life and why not .
What is everyone planning ? Shopping on your mind?A very good friend of mine suggested this website where u can shop online , these days thats the smartest thing to do. www.fashionandyou.com

There are other portals too , but I am an old fashion shopper .  I will go into the shops see for myself and mind u not just 1 or 2 maybe 7 or 10 shops hmmm and and do i end up buying anything ? ya maybe sometimes ;).
 Good ethnic options in Andheri are the Westside, Pantaloons or Lifestyle stores , very affordable and lots of choices , ample opportunities for mix and match .These outlets have accessories so u can complete your look. Mega Mall in Oshiwara has Global Desi (Anita Dongre), my personal favourite , very chic ethnic Kurtas and sets. If you are looking for fusion wear its perfect. You can hire my services if u need to put a look together. Tirumala near manish market is great for material buy, if u have enough patience and time then please do visit this shop .It also has sarees which are pretty. Good old Lokhandwala market is a good option for accessories, shoes, chappals, butvas even jewellery. Those who have diamonds will always flaunt it but a nice colourful salwar kameez with gold kholapuri chappals and nice jhumkas with a fashionable batva(indian purse), does manage to turn heads.There is colaba causeway for great silver jewellery, a favourite college haunt.O yes how can i forget FabIndia , if you want to buy great cotton and raw silk kurtas which it is famous for(what can i write about it),it has lovely silk saris for whicgh they have matching stitched blouses at 250 to 400 range. Now when the darzi saheb is very busy u have fabindia to rescue!!!That reminds me Khadi bhandar has its Gandhi Jayanti sale which goes on for 3 months (Oct-Dec) , i have been wanting to go there for many moons . Its the best to visit at this time and get your quota of pure handspun khadi kurtas , real honey (for kiddos) and nice incense sticks.
Happy shopping everyone . please share if u have any other good (affordable)options !
My following blogs will be about , Diwali sweets recipes , how to decorate your house in a small budget, some Diwali etiquette and some home pack recipes for glowing skin.
I also make chocolates can give you ideas on return gifts for your parties
Do write in 
keep smiling 












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about me

hey beautiful people ,
my name is preya , i am 34 yrs old and i ve just started blogging !
i was an aviation professional for 10 years , then  got married to a very nice man and i have a 31/2 yr old boy.
as of now i am a homemaker/freelancer. i freelance as a grooming consultant and a fashion stylist.
on my blog i intend to definitely make friends , give tips on my expertise , share thoughts and try n reach out to all those who want to share but never been asked to
so lets share n blog n have fun and meet nice humans along the way 
keep smiling :)
preya