MellowDrama

Last time we talked about the goodness in some of the produce that is amply available during the winters. The list of such healthy foods available during winters does not just end here. Let us take another round of the vegetable market and see what else is available and what goodness do they hold. Mustard: Though imprinted on our memories by the efforts of late Mr Yash Chopra, Mustard or sarson does more than providing beautiful background for film songs. Mustard leaves make for a wonderful vegetable in the months ranging from November to March. It is rich in phyto-nutrients which aid in prevention of many diseases. This leafy vegetable belongs to the Brassica family, the other members of which include cabbage and broccoli. The mustard leaves are rich source of anti oxidants boosting body’s immune system. It is also rich in Vitamins A, C, E and K aiding eyesight, healthy skin and mucous membrane. Mustard is low in fat and sodium content and is an excellent source of folic aci

I am feeling inspired right now. Maybe it has to do with the fact that dinner or school are not on my mind. Anyway I have stolen an hour and besides many other things that I want to accomplish in this one hour, I also want to write down my goals for the year 2013. This is the first of its kind, me setting goals, so applause please. Without much ado here are goals  that I would like to achieve before the NYE. 1. Write: I had almost stopped writing. Writing for pleasure that is, so I am setting a goal of writing minimum of 500 words everyday. In addition to that I will look harder for opportunities for doing columns in newspapers, magazines, e-zines. 2. Read: As I summarised my year 2012, I realised that I had hardly read a thing. I won 5 books in various contests on twitter but I have not yet read them all. Also I have been at The Last Mughal for a very very long  time. I intend to finish it within this month. Also the fact that I want to make a place for myself as a story-teller

In our country the winter season generally lasts from October to March. The days begin to get shorter and there is often just so much more to do, in terms of cooking and eating. A reason behind this is the ample amount of a variety of produce that becomes available in winter. When I close my eyes and think of the colours that correspond with winter I see lovely hues of greens, reds and oranges. Why don’t you try it? Close your eyes and think of the vegetables as well as various fruit that you associate with winter. Let us try and get to know the goodness that lies hidden in the wonderfully colourful world of winter vegetables and fruit: Spinach I took to spinach as a fan of Popeye the sailor man who in testing times grabs a tin full of spinach and wins against his rival. I shred palak leaves to use in soup or steam them to pair up with a healthy dose of cottage cheese to make an irresistible palak paneer or knead it into my dough to reap its goodness in the form of the reg

Winter is here. The thought of getting under layers and layers of woollens does not really make me happy. Also, winter brings with it bouts of cold and sneezing fits which leave me with a persistent headache. But what can make winter bearable is the food — the kind and the quantity — that one can eat during this season. A mere mention of rounds of hot ginger tea accompanied by delicious pakoras is enough to set my heart racing. Add a dollop of pudina or mint chutney and I could survive on pakoras alone for days and days together. Too much pakoras in my system now and I crave for something sweet, besides the tea, to restore the balance. A godsend answer to this craving is the Indian sweet called halwa. The wonderful Suji ka halwa When I was a kid, Mithun Chakraborty in the guise of a certain halwa-wallah brought joy to children in a Bollywood film. I did not get a chance to know him or the type of halwa but I have had my share of a variety of halwas that are sumptuo

The gravitational pull has been known to put many things into an aligned perspective. Remember the fame it brought to Newton? Similarly to straighten hair I would use the same- yes you guessed it right the magical pull, the GRAVITATIONAL PULL. The first step is to apply the right amount of weight to your hair to align them. In case of wavy hair, you can use coins to straighten them first. Using Rs 5 coins is highly recommended as the weight of this denomination has been found to be ample for slightly wavy hair. In case of more problematic hair aka dense curls, you will need to take help from a brother or a boyfriend keen on body building. Raid their body building equipment for dumbbells. The principle 'the weightier the better it is'can be applied while choosing the right degree of weight for your curliness. Moving on to the next step. After you have applied the appropriate weight to your curls/ waves, you have to lie down on a bed and let down your hair from the edge of