Yummy... Mouth Watering...Recipes!!!!!

- By Mocktail Mummy Vidhi

Nachos chips: 

 An easy recipe of home-made nacho chips that's healthy too!!! You can enjoy this with salsa, hummus or even plain and simple mayo topped with your favourite veggies. Hmmm!! I know you are drooling already!!

Ingredients :

• 1 cup Makkai ka atta (corn flour)
• 1 cup wheat flour 
• 1 cup lukewarm water 
• Salt to taste 
• Oil to fry
• Mixture of red chilly powder and sanchar (salt)  

 Method : 

• Take corn flour and wheat flour into a bowl.
• Add water and salt to it and make a dough to bind it. 
• Add a tablespoon of water at a time.
• Once the dough becomes firm make it into a ball and let it rest for 15 minutes.
• Take rolling pin and roll out the dough to make a large size chapatti or pizza base.     
• Next, with a round pizza cutter, cut out chips as we cut our big round pizza into 8 pieces. Make small holes on the chips with the help of a fork. This helps air to pass making them crunchier and prevents it from making bubbles during the process of frying.  
• In a pan add oil and let it become hot.
• Add the chips in the oil and deep fry it.
• After deep frying it, place the chips on a tissue paper to soak excess oil. Just sprinkle the mixture of red chilly powder and sanchar(salt) on chips.

       Nacho chips are ready to be dipped in……. slurp!!

Blue Curacoa Mocktail

Serves : 2
Time : 10 min

Ingredients :

• 1 big lemon (cut it into half and then into thin slices)
• 10 to 15 fresh mint leaves 
• 2 cup Sprite drink 
• ¼ cup blue Curaçao syrup 
• Ice cubes as required 
• Chat masala (optional) 
  
Method : 

• Begin with taking 4 or 5 slices of lemon and mint leaves and crush it with the use of stirrer in a glass. (use any metal stirrer instead of glass or plastic one)
• Now add blue Curaçao syrup in it.
• Fill half glass with the ice and pour Sprite into it.
• Mix it with stirrer upside down (never do round motion of stirrer for any drinks)
• Now sprinkle chat masala which is optional, but definitely gives that Indian Tadka to it.

Yummy and sparkly Curacao is ready…..enjoyed by adults and kids equally!!!

Virgin Mojito Mocktail

Serves : 2

Time : 10 min

Ingredients : 

• 1 big lemon (cut it in half and into thin slices)

• 10 to 15 mint leaves 

• 2 cups Sprite soda drink 

• Ice cubes as required 

• Green chutney (mixture of green chillies (medium spicy), lemon juice, mint leaves and salt)

• Chaat masala (optional)

Method : 

• Take a serving glass, add 5 to 7 mint leaves and 5 to 7 lemon slices then add a pinch of green chutney. Use a muddler  or stirrer to gently crush or bruise the mint leaves and lemon slices.

• Now add ice cubes as required.

• Slowly pour the chilled Sprite into the glass till it almost reaches to brim and stir to mix. 

• Garnish with a slice of lemon, a small sprig of mint leaves.

• Sprinkle chaat masala on it. (optional)

Voilà !!! Your Virgin Mojito is ready to rock any party.

SPECIAL PARENTS....SPECIAL CHILD!!

Life is mystery and a story. For some the story is fairy tale and for some a melodrama. But do we appreciate that we at least have a story, a story that is unfolding each moment! A story full of magical moments... Now you will say whats magical in the boring routine? Don't you think GOD is kind enough to bestow so many things that many people might not even have dreamt of...like having all 10 fingers in place, having two strong legs to jump on, eyes that are witnessing all good as well as bad and most important; a mind that thinks...Aren't these the gifts? Life isn't about what you want all the time. Its about loving what we have and being grateful about it! I recently witnessed one story, live in front of my eyes that made me think about all these things. Let me share it with you...

Like every year, even this year we went to watch Ganesh Visarjan with our kids. The only reason behind was that they should know about our festivals, culture and traditions.

We went to one junction from where we could see all this. All we could see around was huge crowd of people walking on the road leaving no place for vehicles to move leading to traffic jam.

All we could hear was NASHIK DHOL on which artist were performing LAZIM DANCE. People around were enjoying it, but were sad as well on farewell of their favourite God LORD GANESHA.

In that, hustle – bustle one thing struck my heart hard very hard. I saw a man carrying a special child in his arm. The man was in his mid 40’s and the child was around 12 to 14 years old, the child was not able to sit or stand or could even hold his neck. He couldn’t even balance his body. The father was running left and right, to show his child all the Ganesh idols passing by. He was dancing around in 360 degree, just to make sure that his child doesn’t miss any one of them. The only one reason behind that was the happiness on the face of that special child after watching them.

The boy was smiling and clapping whenever he liked the idol and the father was trying to capture that happiness in his heart... maybe forever. This continued for an hour or more and now the father was tired carrying him maybe because of his weight.

But,  I didn’t see any discomfort on his face. All I could see was.....happiness, satisfaction, peace or something really out of the world.....a bliss. My words fail to describe.....no author could have ever captured it in words. Throughout my write-up I have written special child.....did you notice that???????

Yes, he really was a special child who is blessed by GOD with such special parents who can go to any extent selflessly......just for their child’s happiness. Aren’t they all special??? Do you agree????? What they are doing is a “TAPASYA”.  These parents are really very very strong!!!! I strongly believe in it and I agree to this!!

And so, with the end of our season of Grace, Gratitude and Grandeur we would like to express Grand Gratitude to special parents of special child Gracefully!!!

Won’t you join us............................

GRANDPARENTS - SOUL OF LIFE (PART 2)

The transformation of a parent to Grandparent is phenomenal. The care and bonding multiplies to several folds when a grand-child makes his or her entry in to the family. Young ones need something stable to hang on – a culture connection, a sense of belonging, a clear path and that is what grandparents provide them. Grandparents play different roles such as loving companions, caregivers, mentors, historians, teacher and friend to name a few!

In continuation to my previous story on how important GRANDPARENTS are, in our life; I would like to share my daughter’s experience.  My parents had voluntarily offered to take care of my daughter and insisted me to focus on my career. The minute detailing in each of the activity was commendable and heart-warming. The early morning body massage and bath with ancestral technique used to be admirable and fun loving to watch. My daughter loved to sit with my dad while offering morning prayers to God. Morning prayers is one of the things that my daughter doesn’t forget to say every day and this gives a sense of spiritual feeling. My daughter's wardrobe used to be filled with dresses; however those were neatly segregated to cater to multiple changes happening throughout the day. Though my mother insisted on daily attendance of school, the eager eyes could be easily seen till the time my daughter returned home. My daughter used to love the food since it had the magical touch of love and experience. My mother took her to market places to ensure her ambit of learning enhanced and also she appreciated the value of money. They always taught her to respect the elders, not to lie under any circumstances and lead a respectable and successful life.

Even though they had to invest lot of time towards my daughter, they managed their daily chores also very well which is quite appreciable. The consistency in the efforts and the dedication without any expectation is something which cannot be expressed with words. I can proudly say that the discipline and humility which is reflected in my daughters behaviour is something which has been inculcated by my parents from her early days. There is no way I would be able to repay my parents for what they have done for me and my daughter as it is priceless!!!

As we progress, there is some change which is seen in our living structure; wherein people, nowadays prefer nuclear families. My only message and learning is that grandparents act as roots of the family who standby during our good and difficult times and help us to sail through smoothly.

TAKE CARE AND TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOUR PARENTS.