BLOODY MARY: NYE SPECIAL

As I start scribbling this, its just a few hours left for the year to end. Seriously, how fast did this year just roll by. I want to take this opportunity to Thank You all for extending your support to me for another year. This blog is a labor of love,which is fueled by the support and appreciation I get from all of you. All the support and all the love mean the world to me. Its been another year of active blogging and the blog was honored to be part of so many wonderful journeys and so many collaborations. A BLOG AWARD was such a high point. Thanks for being there by my side. I promise the next year to be even better.

On a personal front, this has been a year of highs and lows. But I choose to think about the Highs this morning. My daughter RIONA sailed through her much hyped Terrible Twos. And while it was challenging at times no way was it Terrible. Spirited would be a better word. From her pre-school runs with her to accompanying her on her activities , it was a great year of Mommy-Daughter bonding. From the family front, we enjoyed some major vacations. In fact I am scribbling this post from the last vacation of this year. A huge Thank You to my husband for making the times so special for us. Last, but not the least, I became and Aunt just a few weeks back. My younger brother is the world for me. While he is a married man now, he shall always remain my baby brother. So when he became a Dad, I was over the moon. Welcome to our family RAINA. Mommy and Baby are both doing fine. So, now we have two QUEENS in the family. RIONA means QUEEN in IRISH(GAELIC) and RAINA means QUEEN in FRENCH.

Enough of personal ramblings. Coming back to discussion about New Year Eve parties. Seemed like yesterday that we were getting ready for a NYE party and its time for another one. If  you are planning to host a party at home for friends and family, you must be having your hands full. I have hosted NYE parties at home for years, so I completely understand. The last moinute touches to all the food the cocktail in the pitcher, cooling off in the fridge and you rush to get your hair and make up done in your bedroom, while the toddler is having a field day. What I feel is that, when it comes to parties at home, , its the classics which never go out of style. You can always rely on that slinky LBD and some red lips. Carrying on the red trail, you can never be let down by the classic Bloody Mary. Your guests will love it and you will enjoy it yourself. Neither does it need a zillion ingredients like some other cocktails, nor does it shy away from packing a punch. I love teh fact that you can play around with it a lot. A few days back, I saw an episode on a Food show, where they added fresh oyester brine, or oyester juice in the place of salt, to a Bloody Mary, to give it a sea food kick. That's a nice idea. Coming back to the classic Bloody Mary, its a fool proof recipe, which will clearly make you the star of the show.

So if you are planning to spin it out for the New Year Eve party tonight, here's how the recipe rolls.

BLOODY MARY :

Ingredients:
Vodka: 2 oz
Tomato Juice: 4 oz
Horseradish(grated or prepared): 2 tsp
Celery Stick : 1 per glass(for serving)
Tabasco: 1-2 dashes(depending on your heat level)
Lime juice: 1 tsp
Paprika: A pinch
Black Pepper: A pinch
Salt or Celery Salt
Lemon Wedge : 1

Procedure:
Rub a wedge of lemon along the rim of the glass and dip it in a plate of slat or celery salt.

Fill the glass with ice.

In a shaker, mix all the other ingredients. Fill it ice. Shake the ingredients together and strain over the salt rimmed serving glass.

Garnish with a celery stick and serve .

Cheers and Bon Appetit !! Happy New Year !!

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WHAT I WORE FOR CHRISTMAS EVE : HOLIDAY OOTD

Hello everyone. Hope all of you had a great Christmas. I had hosted a Christmas Eve party for my friends this year. Yes, we hung up our travelling shoes this time around and decided to do something different. As it was Christmas Eve, I decided on a Red theme party. All my guests loved the idea and got really creative with their outfits.

For me, few things shout out Christmas more than the Classic Christmas plaid. I was planning on picking up similar plaid shirts for all three of us. But the idea of wearing denim for a Holiday party was not that appealing to me. And plaid shirts can be quite androgynous. I needed to feminize the outfit, besides co-ordinating it with the Classic Red lip and light gold eyes. This ivory full midi skirt was just perfect. Being high waisted with a touch of shine, it was a great contrast to the classic plaid. Paired it with basic black tights. Compliments were flowing all night and I could not stop gushing and blushing. What plans for New Years for you all?

OUTFIT DETAILS :
Classic Plaid Shirt : Old Navy
Ivory Full Midi Skirt : Express
Black Tights

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MY NEW HAIR CUT AND MY KARDASHIAN WAVES : RED CARPET HAIR

Before you start judging me for using the Kardashians as an adjective, let me clarify that I am not a fan of the Kardashians, Whether we like them or not , its hard to ignore their presence. And the reason I used this adjective was that it came up in the conversation of two friends so spontaneously, that it made sense to use it in the title. A better and more apt term would be Red Carpet Ready Hair 

BEFORE

BEFORE

It was time for a hair trim and I wanted to maintain my length as much as possible. But if you have similar textured hair like mine, then you know, how the right hair cut from the right stylist is important. Or else the elements play havoc, add to it the churned heat indoors, and my hair almost becomes a frizzy triangle, in ombre shades almost. That's where the Right Hair Stylist comes into the picture. Not only triangle is done away with but you hair is almost turned a 180 degree in terms of styling. Yes, I am talking of the magic of  Master Stylist Amanda Pogue of Studio A Salon. Magic, it is for sure. Even with zero make up on, she turned me into a total diva after I spent some time on her chair.

After out numerous virtual consultations, we did have a detailed conversation once I met her last evening. I was in the verge of growing out my hair. My chunky blonde highlights had outgrown into a beautiful ombre revealing my dark roots. She added long layers strategically so that my hair didn't lose its shape even when I was growing it out. And the length wasn't compromised much, It was a good length and somehow the highlights looked even better after the hair cut. 

Having someone wash your hair and do it for you, is such a luxury I feel. Its almost Zen like. Add to that , the part about styling it. The cherry soaked in liquer atop a decadent cheesecake almost. Amanda asked me how i wanted my hair to be styled when she finished the Cut. Earlier she had styled my hair into poker straight hair and even enhanced my natural curls . This time around, I asked me what her suggestion was. She mentioned if I wanted large waves like that of the Kardashians. I had never had my hair styled with a large barrel curling iron before and I leaped at the idea. 

Amanda added some frizz control product and blow dried my hair with a large round brush. 

Then she divided my hair into 4 different sections. Like we do so when we are straightening our hair with an iron. starting from the lowest section, closest to my nape, she sprayed some hair spray and used a 1 1/4 mm Curling Wand to curl my hair. She further divided this section of hair into a left and right section. She curled the right section facing inwards from the right. And curled the left section facing inward from the left. 

She left the curls fall and did not touch them.

 Once she had finished all of the hair , she used a touch of oil to lightly finger comb through the roots of hair to the ends. 

The result was Red Carpet ready hair . I just had a touch of eyeliner and some mascara and no other make up. Not even a smidge of concealer. Did I mention that the Toddler had a rough night of night terrors and Mommy was awake almost all night. Despite the dark circles devoid of concealer below my sleep deprived eyes, I looked like a movie star. The best part of a great hair cut and style is that it instantly lifts your spirits, Love love love my new hair. Thank you so much Amanda. What a lovely Christmas gift it is. I cant stop admiring myself . 

So if you want to experince your own Diva moment at the stylist's chair , fix your appointment with Master Stylist Amanda Pogue, at Studio A Salon , at Overland Park, Kansas. 

Merry Christmas everyone !

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MUSHROOM RAGU BRUSCHETTA

Bruschetta it is for Sunday's Foodie post. Are you planning a Brunch at home, and want to switch up things a bit. Then Bruschettas are a great choice. Personally, I am a bit biased for Bruschettas. I can have them for Brunch, Lunch , or Dinner. The flexibility it offers, in terms of the toppings you can serve it with, make it an obvious choice for me for parties. I can have a few different bathes of it to suit the tastes of my guests, and before I know it, we are receiving big hugs on how tasty they are.

Usually its the Man's ideas and his bruschettas which take centre stage. I am happy to take pictures of them and write about them and take mouthfuls of them, whenever he makes a new batch. I swear by his GRILLED LIVER BRUSCHETTA. Its so good that I always thought that its difficult to top that. But he just did that. The Man and his passion for cooking are really worth writing about. He wanted to a vegetarian version for all those Meatless Mondays. Mushroom Ragu Bruschetta is the new star of the show.

Great produce will always shine through. When he mentioned Mushrooms, I presumed it to be just some plain button mushrooms from the produce aisle. He corrected me and mentioned that it was a few varieties of mushrooms which went in the mix. Some luscious and creamy Fontina Cheese and a dash of rosemary. Not to forget the generous amount of garlic.

Don't be let down that the varieties of mushroom I wrote about are not available where you stay, or the time of year, when you read it. The beauty of this recipe is that, it can be made with any variety of mushrooms which might be available. The idea is to mix in a few types of mushrooms to add to the flavor profile. This Ragu can be an awesome showcase for wild mushrooms.

This was a crowd pleaser both for our weeknight dinners and for all the guests we served them too. Go ahead and give it a try. Am sure you will be getting a lot of hugs from all those you serve them too.

MUSHROOM RAGU BRUSCHETTA 

Recipe Adapted from: Best of the Best : Vol.13: Food and Wine Books

Makes about 8 servings :

Ingredients :
Olive Oil: 1/4 cup
Shallots: 1/2 cup
Garlic cloves : 3-4
Oyster Mushrooms: 2 cups blue, 2 cups orange
Shitake Mushrooms: 2 cups
Salt and Black Pepper
White Wine: 1/3 cup
Heavy Cream: 3/4 cup
Rosemary(Fresh): 1 tsp -Minced
Fontina Cheese: 1 cup: Grated
Parmesan Cheese : 1/3 cup

Bread of your choice : For the bruschetta

Procedure: 

Heat oil in a large non stick skillet and add your shallots and garlic. Cook it until the shallots are translucent and the garlic is just starting to caramelize.

Increase the heat and add the mushrooms, in small batches. Keep on adding more as they start shrinking. Keep stirring until the mushroom begins to brown. Season with salt and balck pepper. Cook for around 8 minutes.

De-glaze the pan with white white and reduce it . Cook around a couple of minutes to reduce the wine.

Stir in the cream and rosemary . Reduce the heat to low.

Mix in both cheeses and turn of the heat.

Slice our bread in the shape you desire. Turn the broiler on your oven. Line a baking tray with some foil or parchmemt paper. Top a tablespoon or more of the Mushroom Ragu you just prepapred on the bread slices. Sprinkle some more Parmesan Cheese on top. Broil for around 3 minutes. Be very careful that your bruschetta don't burn. Serve warm.

If you want to try out the GRILLED LIVER BRUSCHETTA I was talking about earlier, then read all about it Here. Meat or no meat, we got you covered for your Bruschetta fixings.

Bon Appetit !

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RED AND BLACK: HOLIDAY PARTY OOTD

'Tis the Holidays and we all have our calendars full. Office parties, Pictures with Santa with your kiddo, entertaining at home, and so on. A touch of red seems obvious, when you are planning outfits. The only thing which can compete with the touch of Reds, is a splash of sequins of glitter.

 I decided to stick to Red for now. We had to take my daughter for her Meeting with Ole Saint Nick and do some pictures later on. The Man and our toddler were all co-ordinated in Plaid and black. While I was saving up my new plaid for another get together, I went ahead for the Red and Black theme to co-ordinate with them. A red chiffon top with some extra ruffles never hurt anyone. Threw over a Cape like Sweater or should I call it a Poncho, I had picked up from Target. It was Ebony and Ivory in all its glory. Paired it with my dark wash Jeggings and to off set it, went for grey suede ankle boots. The idea was to let the red and black elements of the outfit shine through.

I had to wear a Classic Red Lip. MAC Ruby WOO, it had to be, for sure. I skipped the customary smokey eyes, I usually always sport and went for something more subtle. A wash of Champagne gold on the lids with some soft brown on the crease and outer corner. Slightly bold eyebrows, black gel liner and loads of black waterproof Mascara. A wash of my favorite Peachy Blush. We were all set.

OUTFIT DETAILS :
Black and White Poncho from Target 
Dark Wash Jeggings from American Eagle
Grey Suede Ankle Boots - Off Broadway
Red Sleeveless ruffled Chiffon Blouse from H&M (Sold Out), similar one in sleeves He re

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