{Vintage shelf}

Esta foi mais uma das aquisições apaixonadas na Retrovilla. É uma estante antiga, forrada com papel-de-parede vintage, com o bom gosto da Helena sempre a dar cartas... A decoração ainda não é a definitiva, até porque já ando com umas mastrioskazinhas roxas debaixo de olho, mas quis mostrar-vos o que lá temos, para já. 

{A Carlota adora brincar com a estante, como se fosse uma casinha :)}

  

This was another passionate purchase at Retrovilla. It's a vintage shelf, decorated by Helena with pieces of old wallpaper. The decoration is not final (I'm with some purple matrioshkas on my mind), but still I wanted to show you how it looks like today.

{Carlota likes to play with the shelf, pretending it's a little doll's house :)}

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Retro japanese

Gosto de bonecos antigos de borracha. Aliás, gosto de bonecos e bonecas antigos. Na minha opinião, hoje em dia não há brinquedos tão bonitos como antigamente. Pode ser saudosismo, não sei. Por exemplo, eu acho que a Nancy antiga é bem mais bonita que a actual. A Sindy é mais querida que a Barbie. Quando vou às lojas de brinquedos com as minhas filhas, é cada boneca mais feia que vendem!! Não consigo entender porquê, mas deve haver alguma razão económica subjacente - de certeza que são produtos que se vendem!

Os japoneses são exímios em fazer bonecada querida e eu, como tenho particular propensão para tudo o que é bonito, fico fascinada com brinquedos de borracha com carinhas amorosas... Então tenho conseguido encontrar alguns, que trago para as minhas babies e que deliram com eles (também os mostrei em posts anteriores). Mas, enquanto que há bonecos antigos relativamente baratos, os de borracha devem ter-se tornado collector's item e não são tão baratos quanto isso...

E qual é a vossa opinião? 

 

I like vintage rubber dolls. Actually, I like all kinds of vintage dolls. In my opinion, they don't make beautiful toys like they used to. For example, I find the old Nancy doll much prettier than the new one. Sindy is cuter than Barbie. When I go shopping for toys with my kids I sometimes get scared with such ugly dolls!! I can't understand why, but there surely must be an economic reason behind this - these toys must sell!

Japanese are on top when we talk about cute toys and I get attracted to all things pretty, so I've managed to find some vintage and reproductions of old japanese toy,s like the ones on the photo (and some on previous posts). The kids love them, but some of these rubber toys are expensive - I guess they have become a collector's item and while you can find some cheap vintage dolls, these rubber ones aren't that cheap...

What's your opinion on this?

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Fusion 9

Getting invited to Dine out midweek at a new swanky restaurant is definitely one way to perk up the week. I was headed to Fusion 9 in 2nd floor in Tulip Aruna Hotel, looking forward to meeting other bloggers and foodies.

The lunch started at 1.30 and went on till 4.15 or so, there was plenty of conversation, interesting discussions, and ofcourse good food.

 The main seating area

 

 The candle stand on the table

 

 Herbed bread

 Veg Dimsum

 Almond & Basil soup

 Bang Bang Mushrooms

 Veg Sushi served with pickled ginger, Wasabi and soya sauce

We were seated in a smart private room, and were given free reign to order whatever we wanted. We all decided against the Buffet and went A la carte. The last time i was here with a friend, we ordered some dishes from the menu and they were quite good.. The portions i discovered were quite large, which made the price they charged seem worthy!

Anyways, today, we were a near even split between Vegetarians and Non vegetarians... We opened with a soup- Almond and basil soup, that was served with a interesting flavoured bread stick in the soup. The soup tasted good, but was quite thick and not very hot, not really my kinda soup... We were then served a plate of Veg and Non veg dimsums...

These were quite nice, the veg dimsum had onions, garlic, ginger and few finely chopped vegetables in it.  Within minutes they were devoured and we were all set to order few more starters. In the veg category, we sampled Bang Bang Mushrooms, Chilli Paneer Sticks and Veg sushi, oh not to forget the Mezze platter.

The mezze platter had pita bread... hummus... curd mix.... small steamed samosa like things with spinach stuffing.. and then ofcourse there was the infamous Baba ghanoush...

After an hour or so, as the conversations flowed, so did the main courses we had ordered.....

 Potato Gnocchi

 Arabian Platter [Shish taouk ,kafta kabab, Samak Meghoui(fish), Grevettes Malaki(mutton)]
Info source: Chennai Food guide on Facebook]

 Parmesan Risotto

Swiss Roasti Potatoes
[Info source: Raghu on Facebook]

I quite enjoyed my Parmesan Risotto, it was quite rich and filled with flavours.. The potato gnocchi was ok, the sauce was a little runny and the gnocchi felt a little heavy... The other potato dish was yummy, especially the way the vegetables served along with it had been cooked, so light and yet a burst of flavours when they hit the mouth...

I did sneak in a few fries from Ali's plate and sampled Rocket leaves from Doc's prawn dish... It was the 1st time i was seeing and tasting Rocket leaves, and must say they have a wierd taste... :-)

For dessert, we each ordered something different, though Shalini and I ended up ordering the Apple Tart, which was good, but i dint like it enough to wipe the plate clean.. I prefer my apple pie and tarts hot , and so this tart was served cold and kinda limp.... The Brownie was divine, and so was the Caramel Custard... Dint try the Tiramisu, though the look on Ali's face said it all :)

 Creme Caramel... aka Caramel Pudding

 Apple Tart

 Brownie with Ice cream

There was one other dessert on the menu, which i had sampled during my earlier visit. it was the German Chocolate Cake, and must say it was quite divine... but a tad sweeter than what i like... was deliciously sinful... :)

German Chocolate Cake

Oh, i nearly forgot.. Towards the end of the lunch, we all ordered a glass of Lemon Iced tea- which was alright...  it was less tea, and more lemon juice..

So, the Lunch was fairly good... Food was delicious, and i felt this was a restaurant was true to its "World cuisine/multi cuisine" title, especially in Chennai.... Though its a tad expensive when compared to other restaurants, the food portions as i mentioned are large and so it works out well at the end..

The main seating area is well lit and quite spacious. There is a bar island in the center of the area, and a buffet lunch daily.

Make a reservation before landing there, especially over the weekend, have heard the place gets quite full.. The seating options are sofa and normal table chair style with plenty of natural light floating in...

Food 8/10
Iced tea 7/10
Ambiance 9/10
Service - The 1st time i was here, the service was very good- 8/10, and 2nd time was for a review, so i shall not rate the service!

Fusion 9
Tulip Aruna Hotel
Sterling Rd, Nungambakkam
Chennai, Tamil Nadu

044 42664299

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My Bambi just cares for me

Já vos tinha dito que adoro o Bambi... o "Bamba", como a Conchinha lhe chama...


P.S.: Se alguém souber onde consigo encontrar mais fronhas de almofada com rosas lilás ou roxa, é favor de comunicar! :)

I've already told you how much I love Bambi... "Bamba", as Conchinha calls it.

P.S.: If any of you knows where to find pillowcases with purple or lilac roses, please do tell me! :)

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Lavender in the air...

Olá a todos, espero que estejam bem! Mais um fim-de-semana de alegria e descanso, que é o que todos precisamos. 

Mostro-vos outras fotos do quarto das minhas filhas, que vai ganhando a forma final - o candeeiro novo chegou esta semana e agora ando apaixonada pela colcha com o mesmo padrão do abat-jour. Vai ficar tão lindo o quarto das minhas meninas!! Tem evoluído aos poucos e ainda falta alguma arrumação, daí eu ainda não ter fotos completas do quarto, mas eu acho que está a ficar amoroso. Vou mandar fazer uma arca à medida, para encaixar ao fundo da cama e conseguir arrumar o resto dos brinquedos e livros para os quais não temos espaço. 

Desculpem esta quantidade de posts sempre com o mesmo tema e a cor lilás, mas já sabem que é das minhas favoritas e foi nestes tons que optei por decorar o quarto delas. Também adoro o cheiro da alfazema, e sente-se o aroma no ar quando entramos no quartinho (eu gosto de saquinhos com alfazema nos armários)...

Espero que gostem!

Credits: the lavender photo on the top right side belongs to Project Wedding

Hi everyone, hope you're doing well! Here we are in another happy weekend, ready to relax a little - we all deserve this!

I'm showing you some more pictures of my daughters' bedroom - the purple lamp has arrived and now I'm craving the duvet cover made with the abat-jour fabric. Their room is going to look great when we finish decorating it - it has evolved slowly, so that's why I still don't have photos of the whole bedroom, and besides other things, we still have to find a chest to keep the rest of their stuff. I have to have one made by measure, so that it fits perfectly at the bottom of the bed. 

I'm sorry if the last posts are about the same theme and the same colour, but you know how I love lilac and that was the main colour that I chose to decorate their room. I also love lavender and we can feel its sweet aroma when we enter their little room (I like lavender sachets in the closet)...

Hope you like this!

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Southwestern Potato Salad

I love a good potato salad.  So when I saw this southwestern version, I jumped on it. 

It called for a cup of mayo, I had to cut that down.  The greek yogurt worked just fine, the texture was perfect and the flavor was wonderful! 

Southwestern Potato Salad Recipe

Adapted from Delightfully Dowling

2 1/2 lbs. potatoes

Salt
1 - 6 oz. cup Greek lowfat yogurt
1/3 cup mayo, light
2 tbsp. honey mustard
2 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. Ancho chile powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 plum tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno, finely diced
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Black pepper

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot & add enough cold water to cover. add 1 tbsp. salt & bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 12-15 minutes.



2. Drain well, let cool slightly, & slice 1/4" thick. Set aside.
3. Stir together the yogurt, mayo, mustard, lime juice, ancho powder, cayenne, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno, green onions, red onion, & garlic in a medium bowl. pour the mixture over the potatoes & mix gently until combined. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Total calories = 1555 calories
8 heaping cups = 194 calories per serving

One Year Ago...

Tomatillo Salsa


This is linked with Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots and Jello
Ultimate Recipe Swap:Potatoes at Life as Mom


Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.

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Buffalo Chicken Lasagna

I was excited when I saw this recipe.  Another way to use my Franks Buffalo Sauce!  Yea!

I think I scared my husband when he tasted it though.  He got home late and I didn't tell him what it was when he grabbed a piece.  I think he was expecting regular old lasagna. This threw him for a loop!

He liked it but just wasn't expecting the hot sauce and pepperjack flavor.

This is one of my higher calorie meals so it wouldn't be something that we'd eat all the time (though it was so good, I could eat it all the time!)

The flavor was perfect, not too spicy. Just the right amount of kick.  :-)

Buffalo Chicken Lasagna Recipe
Adapted from Prevention RD

12 lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 large onion, diced
3 cups spaghetti sauce
1 cup Franks buffalo wing sauce
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 1/2 cups water
15 oz. ricotta cheese, low fat
1/2 cup egg substitute (or 2 eggs)
6 slices pepperjack cheese
Cook chicken in pan on medium high heat with 1/2 cup of Franks hot sauce. Cook until shreddable.  You will need to add some water so it won't stick.  Shred chicken.  Add onion to pan and cook for a few minutes to soften.  Add shredded chicken and the other 1/2 cup Franks hot sauce.  Stir and heat for a few minutes.  Add spaghetti sauce and water and stir. 

In another bowl, combine ricotta and egg together. 

Spread 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of pan.  Arrange 4 noodles over the sauce.  Spread more of the sauce, then a layer of ricotta, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese.  Add another layer of sauce, noodles, ricotta, and mozzerella, noodles and ending with the sauce.

 Cover and bake 70 minutes. Uncover and place cheese slices on top, then bake for another 15 minutes uncovered. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.  

Total calories = 4300
8 servings = 538 calories per serving

One Year Ago...

Pasta Rotini with Eggplant Tomato Sauce

This is linked with:

Let's Do Brunch at My Sweet and Savory
Works for me Wednesday at We are THAT Family
Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop
What's on your Plate? at Good Cheap Eats
What's on the Menu at Dining with Debbie
My Best Recipes at This Chick Cooks
The Mommy Club at Crystal and Co.
$5 Dinner Challenge at $5 Dinners
Fall Crawl at The Artsy Girl Connection
Weekend Wrap Up Party at Tatertots and Jello



Calories calculated from calorieking.com. Some numbers are approximate and rounded.

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