Mutter Paneer:

Ingredients: For 2 Persons

• Paneer- 8 ounce
• Fresh Peas- ½ lb.
• Large onion-1
• Large Tomato-3/4
• Bay Leaf- 1
• Cloves- 2 nos.
• Ginger-garlic paste- ½ tsp.
• Coriander powder- ½ tsp.
• Garam Masala- 1 tsp.
• Chilli Powder- ½ tsp. (depending upon spice needed)
• Turmeric powder- A pinch
• Oil – 2 tsp.
• Butter- A small cube
• Salt- To taste
• Milk- A Small cup
• Cashew- Handful
• Coriander leaves- To garnish

Procedure:
- Fry paneer cubes in butter till it becomes light brown and keep it aside in a napkin to remove excess butter.
- Soak cashew in water for half an hour and grind it into paste.
- Grind onion into paste and keep it aside.
- Grind tomato into paste and keep it aside.
- Add oil in tava, fry bay leaves & cloves,
- Add onion paste and fry till it turns a little brown.
- Add tomato paste and fry till the raw smell goes.
- Add ginger-garlic paste, coriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala and fry for about three min.
- Add milk and let it boil for two min.
- Now add peas and let it boil for two min.
- Add paneer and cashew paste, stir well for a couple of minutes.
- Remove from fire, garnish with coriander leaves and serve.

Harmonious Nature:

We have read about the balance struck by nature with the food chain in every ecosystem. The creator has baked this world into a perfect cake with the proper blend of taste and nutrition. The world is a combination of opposites like the day& night, summer & winter, good & bad, beauty & beast. Beauty attracts attention and is in the eyes of the beholder. Every creature in this world is endowed with beauty in its appearance or its specialty. Here is my post to compare one of the beautiful creations and one of the weirdest.

Tips for the Bride-to-be:

Marriage is the first most expectant occasion in women’s life. The period before marriage and after engagement is the most enthralling one. Burning the midnight oil would be different this time, because it’s not for the sake of exams rather for the “special” person. “Sangeedha swarangal….” (Tamil song depicting lovers over the phone all through the night) attuned with the long hours phone call, loud-mouthed ones turning into the secretive ones, shy giggles being the sole conversations, knowing each other by silly questionnaires. The happiness infused by the special person sticks a smile on her face 24*7. So it is our duty to make the smile glow up on the D day.

-Keep working on your muscles by stretching it to improve flexibility, and to be fit. Regular workouts improve blood circulation to keep you fresh.
-Anxiety can lead to pimples; apply sandal powder on the pimples before to go to sleep.
-Shopping never ends till the final day; it is essential to protect from the sun. Avoid getting out between 11.00 am and 3.00pm when the sun is at its hottest. Apply sunscreen when you go out.
-Apply cream of the milk along with a few tea spoons of lemon juice on the exposed areas like face, neck, arms. This will help to remove the tan.
-Avoid soaps and go for natural ones like Kadala mavu (gram flour) for the body and Payatha mavu (green gram flour) for you face while taking bath.
-Do pedicure for yourself every night by soaking your feet in warm water mixed with crystal salt for ten minutes, scrub it with a scrapper, dry it and apply moisturizing lotion. Use moisturizer for your body every day.
-Apply hot oil on the hair roots and give a massage before taking bath, may be by your mom, sister or yourself.
- To have a cooling effect mix curd with Vendhayam (fenugreek seeds) soaked water and apply it before washing hair for about half an hour. (people who are prone to catch cold, people with sinusitis- don’t try this)
- Drink lots of water (about 4-5 lts a day) and increase your intake of fruits.

Keep working on these tips for about two months before marriage and the results will be evident on the special day. Those entire brides-to-be stay cheerful and beautiful than ever on the very special day.

P.S: This is my dedication to my sweet sister who is getting married on Aug. 20th. Wish you a long happy married life dear, I miss you.

5 ways to Amplify Happiness:

Happiness is in us. We have been created with all emotions impregnated in our nerves and tissues.
“Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions
-Dalai Lama”Life is a bumpy forest ride for each one of us, confronting the hidden enemies, overcoming the tough trail to reach the sanctuary to feel the peace and protection. Test of time might kick us into a dark burrow. Climbing up to reach the surface is for what we have been vested with power. Happiness is not lost when we are confronting a difficulty. It is when; we are going to experience it in multiplied quantity on overcoming the situation. Just as we train our muscles we can train our brain to be happy. Here are few tips to maximize happiness

5. Go with the flow:
This is the concept of being wholly involved in an activity. Let it be anything which takes you through its stride like a tiring match of tennis, or gardening. Engage in something that correlates to your personal strength and gives room to improve upon it.

4. Appreciate little things:
While you are on your way back home, take time to enjoy the beautiful sunset rather than listening to a radio along with the horns.
Make others feel better by saying “Thank You” for the little help they offer.
Jot down things you are grateful to relax.

3. Stay Positive:
You can’t just wait to be happy. Look out how to be happy and find ways to improve your life. And when it takes longer for the bend on the road or the silver lining, you need to look harder for it and keep trying. Persistence and positivity will shower happiness.

2. Connect with your localities:

Happiness in old age is related to the bond shared with friends and relatives. We always need someone to cling on, pat us when we are down. So build a community. Happiness can also be reaped by helping others. It is the joy of giving.

1. Get fit:

A healthy mind needs a healthy body. Exercise is said to reduce the stress hormone and will increase happiness. A regular workout of at least half an hour a day will improve positive feelings.

Truly Adorable and Hilarous.

This is the tagline of the latest animated movie “DESPICABLE ME”. It has got the third biggest opening among the animated movies of 2010 earning $164 million domestically.

It starts Steve Carell as Gru with his army of “Minions”, a capsule shaped humanoid, competing for the super villain. The struggle begins when he tries to get loan from the Bank of Evil to steal the moon. But the loan is denied, saying it can be granted only with the essential shrink ray. Meanwhile Vector, the son of the bank president brags about his victory of stealing the Pyramid.

Gru steals the shrink ray from East Asia and which is stolen again from him by Vector. He adopts three girls from an orphanage who sells cookies to Vector to get back the shrink ray. Gru’s assistant Dr. Nefario invents a cookie robot which can help Gru find the shrink ray while the girls try to sell the original cookies. Gru abducts the shrink ray from vector with the help of minions. They take him to an amusement park and is forced to ride the roller coaster. Here is where he bonds with the girls and there goes the story. The situation where he has to choose between his girls or his Super villain fame, he opts to be the sweet and caring father and also a caring leader for the minions.

The animation work is excellent that we can never see them as toon; the voices have matched perfectly with various expressions delivered at the right moment. The minions are the cute little ones, which have created their own niche with their hilarious activities. This is truly a family entertainer to forget all your worries and laugh with the minions.

Here is the minions’ territory, go play with them :)
http://www.miniondominion.com/

From the Bird's Eye

Every one of us would want to fly high a bird, some say to feel lighter, or to feel the air brushing our hair through, or to view this enormous world in the bird’s eye view. We can have one of those, from one of the tallest buildings in this world, i.e., the John Hancock’s Observatory, Chicago. It was the tallest building in the world when it was built in the year 1968. Now it stands as the fourth largest in Chicago and Fifth largest inthe world. Standing up tall at a height of 1,127 foot with a tubular architecture gives it a symmetrical appearance and strength at times of strong winds. It has 100 floors in it and the observatory is at the 94th floor.

Every one of us would want to fly high a bird, some say to feel lighter, or to feel the air brushing our hair through, or to view this enormous world in the bird’s eye view. We can have one of those, from one of the tallest buildings in this world, i.e., the John Hancock’s Observatory, Chicago. It was the tallest building in the world when it was built in the year 1968. Now it stands as the fourth largest in Chicago and Fifth largest in the world. Standing up tall at a height of 1,127 foot with a tubular architecture gives it a symmetrical appearance and strength at times of strong winds. It has 100 floors in it and the observatory is at the 94th floor.

This turned over the entire scene; it was the dark blanket covering up the city. Soon it resembled a model that was in the museum. The monster trucks shrunk into the tiny ones, the limos appearing like that of a dachshund. The view will make you sit and observe the dwarfs down. It would be you with your digital tour guide, silence all through when you peep beyond. The only place you could experience the highness in air is the skywalk, a part of observatory which has the fresh air (The rest is completely glass) through an iron mesh. It is said your face would freeze within seconds during winter in this skywalk due to the chillness of air at such a high altitude.

Here is the day and night view along with sea shore. Everyone should visit this in life.