My Tryst with Kitchen....

Hi All!! Today I thought of writing something that I stumbled upon by chance. Well yes..thats true. As they say "You can find motivation from anything/anyone around you" So I got my motivation from husband working on the weekend ( I am sulking :( ) But something ggod did come out of it and it was "Mango Peda" Yes you heard it right...My fav fruit in form of a peda and that too on the perfect occasion of Diwali!! I have mentioned the recipe below...

Ingredients

1.5 cups Mango puree

1 cup Mawa (or mix 1 cup milk powder in 1.5 cups milk) - I used Mawa.

1/2 to 1 cup Condensed Milk (depending on how sweet you like it)

1 tbsp Ghee

Pinch of saffron in milk (Optional)

Slivered almonds for garnishing.


Process

Heat the mango puree on medium high flame for 4-5 minutes stirring continuously. Then add Mawa (or Milk powder+ milk mixture) and again stir continuously till a smooth paste. Add the milk and saffron mixture. Then stir for another 10 - 15 minutes (CONTINUOUSLY) till the mixture starts leaving the sides and forms a dough like consistency. Take the dough out on a plate and let it cool. Start forming the pedas once its completely cooled. And devour :) The final product looks like this

PS: This is my first recipe post ever so sorry for no step by step pics. Hope you try this easy recipe and let me know how you find it in the comment box below. :) :)

May Favorites Segment

Hey all...Hope you are facing your Monday blues well. So the summer has arrived in Phoenix in full bloom. With temperature soaring in 100s , these are the items that have been keep me sane in this hot month of May.

1. My sipper - Well you have got to stay hydrated in this summer! And a what a better way than drinking your water from this cute sipper!

2. Neutrogena Sunscreen - This probably one of the most appreciated product in blogging world and well doest it justify its position. It is unbelievably effective, has 50+ SPF, Its light weight, water proof and voila..You have the best sunscreen :)

3. Swimming Noodle - Yes, I cant swim. I know what you must be thinking but believe me I am working on it. So me and CK have been fighting this heat with our frequent dips in pool. And while CK completes his laps , I hop in pool on my noodle. I absolutely love it!

4. NYX Butter Gloss - I recently bought it in shade Peaches and Creme and boy I absolutelt love it! You can spot me wearing this almost everyday.

5. Vasanti Brighten Up EnzymaticFace Rejuvenator - I got this in my Birchbox May edition. It is an exfoliating cleanser with papaya and aloe vera. I absolutely adore it. I have been using this for a month now and I find it really rejuvenating.

Hope you guys are doing fine in summers. Do let me know your ways to beat the heat in comments below. I will be back with some product reviews soon and I really mean it :)

Wedding Tales - Marathi Wedding Affair

This is a post over which I have been procrastinating for a while now....yeah ok for 14 months now! Humphhhh...OK I am lazy :p.  I got married on 1 Feb 2014 in Nagpur and all the memories still so fresh in my mind. It was an arranged marriage but I am so proud to say that you cant guess :D. So skipping the meeting details, we will jump to the events after the dates were fixed. The first event that was planned was the Engagement. And thus began our shopping spree which continued till our wedding and I swear I am not exaggerating!
Coming back to The Engagement... As per our Marathi traditions the girl has to change two saris, One given by In-Laws and the other given by Parents. But sadly due to lack of time and leaves, my parents and in-laws got a sari each of their own choice but boy was I surprised as I absolutely loved both the saris!!

This golden-brown gorgeous kanchivaram was given by my parents. They bought it from Chennai Mall in Hyderabad. Its a stunner and the color is so unusual!

After a small puja I changed into a sari gifted by my In-Laws. Again a total love...the beautiful combo of blue and silver is outstanding. It adds a little pop to the outfit :)

The Rings :) :) Both rings are from PNG Jewellers in Pune. We wanted something light and a daily wear. And we found the perfect rings after lots of trials :p


After this began the golden phase of our courtship as we were officially engaged and ready to set on the new path :)

PS: Sorry for the poor quality pic :(

My Week thru Instagram

Hi everyone! Hope you have overcomed Monday blues and are having a great Monday. This post describes my week in pics from instagram. You can follow me on Instagram, my handle is AvantiBannoreKilledar... :) So lets begin!!


And the SPRING is here!! yayy... i so love this season. Flowers all around me...

This was my look for one of my dinner date with my hubby CK. I will do the look breakdown soon!

I spotted this beauty during a shopping spree to a mall in Phoenix. Its a Lamborghini :)

Phoenix is a city blessed with beautiful sunset views...Literally...check for yourself.

And introducing my new favorite... :) Its super yummy but only for those who love dark chocolate..

So that was it guys. Let me know how was your wekend in the comments below. I will be happy to read :)

Birchbox April Edition

This is my third box of Birchbox Subscription. Though first two boxes were OK, this month's box took my breath away! Its a beautiful box which shouts SPRINGY!! Take a look guys...

Not only does it look good but the products inside also seem promising. It has 5 products in it. You can see all names in the pic above. The one that I am most excited about is Vasanti Cleanser.
The reviews of these products coming soon.
Happy Weekend peeps.

Lip Essentials

I am sorry for not being regular in posting but my GMAT preps have been keeping me busy. So the other day I was just wondering what my next post should be about and then suddenly my eyes my on green basket and voila! I found my next topic :)

Well in US, the weather is transitioning from Winter to Spring, so the weather changes have made lips really chapped and flaky :( And these three products were my saviors :D Presenting to you my three musketeers....
1. Burt's Bees Replinishing Lip balm : It contains pomegranate oil which helps in fast healing of chapped lips. And yes it did wonders for my lips. Happy me. But it has no color :(

2. Nivea Fruity Shine:  I have this in peach color. It is the most moisturing colored balm i have EVER used! Absolute lovely. And the little sparkles in it are adorable!! I love sparkles (the reason i have named my blog).

3. Himalaya Lip Balm : It contains wheatgerm oil and carrot seed oil. It does nourishes my lips but what i dont like is it leaves some white residue after sometime. ugh! So I have to keep on applying it.

Well these are just some favorite ones out of the whole bunch that I own :p As I say a girl can never have enough lip balms! :) Apart from these products you can try some home remedies like ghee or olive oil. They work good too but are GREASYYYY.

Post your favorite lip balms in the comment box below. Happy Spring peeps!!

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm

Well to be frank ,what appealed to me about this product was the shade name....Sultry Sulfureuse! Yeah it sounds like name of some chemical rihgt? And it appealed to the Chemical Engg inside me...lolz!!
Coming to the product. The shade that I bought is 225 Sultry Sulfereuse. This shade is suitable for all indian skin tones. Its a nice warm pinkish type color.

It glides on easily and gives hydration upto a certain extent. I felt it dries on lips after a while and I have to apply lip balm to keep it hydrated. But the color is to die for!! I am hooked to it from the day I bought it. Absolutely love it :)
It is very affordable. It is available for USD 6.85 at any drug store.
So overall score that I would like to give it? Hmmm I will give it 6.5/10 :p Am I Strict?? lolz....The products have to fare very well to score perfect 10 :D :D

If you want me to review any particular product do leave your requests in comments box.

Cyaa all soon peeps! :)