[Recipe] Celebrating International Chocolate Day - Chocolate Pancakes

To be honest, am not a big chocolate fan. Am not the kind who will rush to grab that last piece of chocolate or attack the bar once someone hands it over. I don't opt for chocolate ice cream or chocolate cake, i always reach out for the apple pie or anything with berry in it. But then, one morning I walked into my kitchen, pulled out pretty much all that sat in one particular shelf in my fridge and discovered there was a bag of chocolate chips.. That was probably a sign from above asking me to make something with chocolate! Who am I to disagree..

I ended up making Chocolate Pancakes for breakfast and they were yummy..

Ingredients

1 cup flour
1 tablespoons sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tbsp Milk
1 egg
2 tsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla essence
Handful of chocolate chips[Ghirardelli]

Process:

1. Combine all the dry ingredients
2. Now add the wet ingredients and whisk well
3. Take a pan, add some oil/ butter and add dollops of the batter in small circles. Allow them to cook for 2mins on each side and voila, fluffly soft delicious pancakes are ready..

You can pretty much add anything you like to the pancakes. I have made using fruits, once with cheese and jalapeno as well.

I had these with honey!!

And guess what, today is International Chocolate Day! Who would have thought :-))

Preparation time: 5mins
Cookigg time: 5mins

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

ID, Sathyam Cinemas, Chennai

Many a sunday morning movies has been done at Sathyam. And they were all possible because we would grab a good breakfast at ID before the flick. We would all reach ID around 8.15, grab a table, and dig into the hot pongal or idli vada and gulp down a hot cup of filter coffee before moving over to the movie theaters. That is how good and reliable ID is.  And if you are not a coffee drinker, you can have a glass of fresh fruit juice to quench your thirst :) 

For as long as I can remember, we have eaten at ID- I enjoy their pongal, kasi halwa, and my alltime favorite is the keerai vadai. Apart from these, they also serve adai, and a MLA pesarattu which has upma stuffing. I love the chutneys they give, white coconut chutney, tomato-red chilli chutney and ofcourse the piping hot sambar. I have been here so many times that the staff know me by face. 

I have also visited their outlet in other malls and find the quality to be just as good! The most recent being a visit to Forum Mall where a friend wanted to grab a cup of kaapi when her son insisted he wanted idiyappam. He ate them plain and devoured them, which is a sign that the food is good. 

It is such a saving grace for movie goers and morning movie watchers like me and my group of friends! 

A big thumbs up for ID and Sathyam Cinemas!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Breakfast at Eco-cafe, Anokhi, chennai

Breakfast with a friend and her friend was what that saturday morning was dedicated to. This friend Ar, had a friend As visiting her from the Middle east and woven within the tour of Chennai was this Breakfast! I was the first one to reach Eco Cafe [ Anokhi] on Chamiers Road. The other gals landed within a few minutes and after a brief spell of introductions, we got down to business- ordering breakfast.

Ar & I ordered for a masala omelet with egg whites, As ordered one with both white & yellow and we also went ahead and ordered for some waffles. The waiter told us they had waffles with cheese & jalapenos only. And we also ordered coffee and iced teas. 

I love Eco Cafe- it is one of those quiet places where you can sit and sip on a hot chocolate, read a book or do some work [free wi-fi]. There is no TV blaring or music screaming in your ears. Infact, that particular morning the music couldnt have been better- it was Jazz and all the legends were featured~! :-)

Soon, our drinks arrived following which came the food. The table was too small for the dishes and so we requested them to hold the waffles till we were done with the omelets. The omelets were served alongside toasted bread accompanied with butter and jam.

It was divine. We had the toast with butter & jam, with omelet and along with the conversations the food and time also swept by. The waffles then landed on the table and we were amazed at their size. They were huge. We knew then that here-forth we shall order one waffle and share it. We were able to eat only 1, packed the other for later. 

Before we knew it, it was nearly noon and Ar had to go pick her son up from school. Spent a few minutes browsing through the store upstairs and one on ground floor and scooted from there. There are very few places in Chennai where you get this kind of food and ambiance. Totally worth the money you shell out. 

They have quite an elaborate menu to choose from, so indulge!

Breakfast worked out to Rs450 per pax.

Food- 9.75/10 [waffles had gotten cold by the time we got them]

Service- 10/10 [very attentive and prompt]

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Strawberry smoothie

Bells were going off in my Tummy as it was breakfast time and i had completely forgotten to make Oats or Porridge in the morning frenzy.. Did what i do under such circumstances. Open the fridge, stand in front of it as if a light bulb will burst in my head and ideas will flow.. 

Well, lucky me! I did spot just what i wanted and voila, breakfast was ready in a jiffy... My eyes fell on a box of strawberries with a few left huddled up in a corner and a small tub of beaten curd.. Grabbed the ice cube tray and headed for the kitchen... 

Strawberry smoothie in a jiffy i call it.. :-) 

There was enough for the 3 of us, Grandparents slurped it up, and have since then been asking me how i made it, what was the secret to the richness and creaminess... 

Recipe

Strawberries - 3 per person 

Curd or yoghurt- 2 tbsp per person

Ice cubes- 2-3 per person

Mixer 

Sugar/Honey- optional

Method:

Take the mixer, put in all the ingredients and run the mixie for a few minutes till all blend together well. 

Add sugar/honey if you want.. It is nice as it is..

Tips:

Clean the strawberries, remove the leaves on the top 

Beat the curd a bit

Break the ice cubes if possible into smaller chunks for easier/faster processing

Pour into a glass and Enjoy!! 

You can make smoothies with bananas, figs, mango, and just about any other fruit you can think of!! Just avoid Pineapples :D

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Parfait3

So, finally i managed to visit the much hyped Parfait3, which is walking distance from home...  from the outside, it looked like a cafe, a bistro maybe...  but on entering i realised it is much more !!

The minimalistic decor and the colours are just perfect, adding to the experience... There was also an outdoor seating area, but we thought it might get hot. It is tucked away, and so one cant really see you while walking on the road...

The menu was damn interesting... I noticed you got yummy breakfast, and some Continental dishes as well. I tried their breakfast, pancakes and juice, while my friend tried the eggs... 

A friend who'd been here earlier recommended the hazelnut drink, which was sinful, and such a bang of flavours. I noticed they also had some Pastas, burgers, sandwiches along with fish n chips, and even mushroom pie... I liked the fact that they had a good mix of vegetarian and non vegetarian items on the menu.. 

Since i was there in the morning, i dint try any of the main dishes. The menu boats of an extensive Dessert list as well. From Shakes, ice cream, to cakes and cookies. 

We polished off the pancakes and drinks and walked out with a content look on our faces.. It was surprising to see the crowd in the morning... We decided to walk home, and on the way i noticed there was Arun ice cream and Cup o Cafe on the same road- both of which looked abandoned...

I am sure i would revisit Parfait 3 to sample some of the other dishes served. The cost i felt was just right, reasonable and it was a cool place to meet friends or just hang out on a lazy afternoon... 

When talking to the man behind the counter, i came to know they offer  Home delivery for places upto 3kms [Yayy, i sure do live within that radius]

Do visit here if you want to have something besides idli and dosa for breakfast!!

Ambiance- 4/5

Pricing- 4/5

Food- 4.5/5

Service-4/5

Address: 

No.16, manikeshwari road, Kilpauk,

Chennai-10.

They also have branches in Velachery (100 feet road) and Anna Nagar.

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Saravana Bhavan, NSC Bose Road, Chennai

We waited and waited... We were tired and hungry.. We had been walking for nearly 2hours and all of us had been up at 5am!! 

And then finally, a good 25mins later the plate of Pongal & Vadai with Sambar & chutney landed on our table... I dug my spoon into the pongal, blew on it and took a mouthful to realise it was COLD... Sigh.... Now i am double sure that i Still dont like Saravana Bhavan............ 

The only thing we look forward to in the morning is HOT breakfast.... and we were the only people in the hotel- about 30 of us, some in the AC rooms and a few of us outside...

 

We had finished our walk around the Mint street and part of the package was breakfast at Saravana Bhavan on NSC Bose Road, adj to the High Court. 

And then, a friend ordered a plate of mini idlies dunked in sambar, which looked good, but not sure if that was ok... The Poori & potato curry did look quite appealing...

But must give it to them- The Coffee was good- Not too sweet, not too chikkaryish, but just right!!! 

The hotel did have a good feel to it, it was an age old building with the ceiling in true Madras ceiling style, with beams running the length of the ceiling and across as well. There was long stemmed fans buzzing away.... 

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Splendor in the grass

Ontem lá trouxemos a tão ansiada mesa para o jardim. Comer ao ar livre é um prazer, não concordam? Aproveitamos os saldos e compramos uma mesa que dá para os 4. Eu queria-a redonda, para quebrar com as linhas dos móveis da sala e que são todos rectangulares. Claro que tinha de ser em branco! :)

A minha casa teve algumas obrinhas este ano, fico mesmo feliz! Pusemos um toldo, o que permitiu tirar o guarda-sol do jardim e a base que o suportava (era mesmo sólida e enorme) e, assim, temos mais espaço no estrado, pois não está ali uma peça que o quebra a meio. Hoje de manhã tomamos o pequeno-almoço lá fora, apesar de não estar um sol radiante. Mas adoramos!

Na mesa as chávenas de chá (eu não dispenso um chá de manhã) e algumas das minhas loiças favoritas...

A couple of tea cups (I always have tea for breakfast) and some of my favourite bits and pieces...

Expliquem-me, por favor: por que é que gostamos tanto de comer ao ar livre?

Yesterday we finally brought home the table for the garden that we have been wanting for so long. Eating in the garden is such a pleasure, don't you agree? We got a nice white and round table in the sales - I wanted it round to change the main lines of furniture of the living room - they're all rectangular. And of course it had to be in white! :) 

We've managed to make some changes in our home this year, and that makes me really happy! We now have an canvas awning and that way we don't use the sun umbrella any more. It had such a huge and sturdy holder that it almost divided the floor in two! Today we had breakfast in the garden, even though the sun wasn't shining that much. We loved it anyway!

Can you please explain me why people love to have meals on the outside?

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Everybody loves the sunshine

Hoje, para grande surpresa minha, acordei com sol. Depois de uma noite terrível - a Conchinha está doente e acordou de duas em duas horas - lá consegui arrancar-me da cama, de garganta arranhada e olheiras até ao queixo. Quando vi o dia que estava, fiquei tão contente! Foi pegar na mesa que está na lavandaria, toalha em cima e toca a aproveitar o resto de sol! O meu pequeno jardim aquece facilmente, é protegido a toda a volta por muros altos. Claro que foi comer e vir para dentro, que ainda não estamos propriamente no Verão! A foto de baixo foi tirada para fazer um experiência com as cores da toalha e do prato de bolo.

E pronto, são estes os pequenos detalhes da vida de uma mamã que é a tempo inteiro ao fim-de-semana! :) Espero que gostem das fotos!

To my great surprise, today I woke up to a sunny day. After a lousy night with my little peanut being ill, waking up every two hours, I managed to drag myself out of bed with a sore throat and bags under my eyes. But I was so happy when I saw the sun that I took the small table out of the laundry room, grabbed a tablecloth and set the table for breakfast outside. My little garden warms quite quickly as it is surrounded by high walls. But nevertheless, we just took our meal and went back inside right after, as it is not summer yet! The last photo is an experience with the colors of the tablecloth and the amber cake stand.

Well, and these are a few details of the life of a full-time mummy at weekends! :) I hope you like the photos!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad

Morangos no jardim

O meu pequeno-almoço no jardim... Tenham um óptimo dia!!

My breakfast in the garden!...

Have a nice day!

reade more... Résuméabuiyad