NYC

I went to the city the other day, so here are some pics. I will come back to somewhat regular posting again in the near future, but no promises, because school is starting. However, after my running giveaway (enter here) ends, I will put up a 100 followers giveaway. Thanks so much for your following! After all of the scenes in the pics below, we had delicious Indian food for dinner (I may be Indian, but South Indian home food is very different from North Indian restaurant food). Saag Paneer (Spinach with Cottage Cheese), Korma (a divine vegetable medley), and Malai Kofta (Balls of potato and veggies in a creamy sauce, not a personal favorite, but delicious nevertheless). I love the city. Walking around, complaining about how much your feet hurt, having a good time, eating great food. Looking forward to next year's excursion.

My bag to tote around lunch.

Cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery. Well deserved with the 5-6 miles of walking. I got the Hummingbird, which in my opinion was too sweet and not as good in practice as it was in theory. My sis got carrot (divine) and my mom got red velvet (classic).

Sheep and llamas at the Central Park Zoo.

Central Park Mysterious-Fruit-Tree.

The almost-like-a-scene-from-a-classic back of the Met.

Gorgeous reservoir.

The absolutely stunning Guggenheim Museum. The only thing better than the architecture? The art.

Thanks and Sorry

I am so sorry I have been gone for a while now. Yes, I posted a giveaway, which btw you should enter, but I have been so busy lately. School is starting next week, so I am cramming now (that is what procrastination gives you, stress in the last week). On another not, thank you sooooooo much for helping me reach 100 (and 2) followers. This is so exciting for me! Another giveaway will be coming up to thank you guys so much. Meanwhile, celebrate with me and enter my currently running giveaway.

Bindu Designs GIVEAWAY

I am so relived my first giveaway turned out to be a success. So here is another giveaway to celebrate, or at least ease the blow of, the start of school. A pair of earrings from Bindu Designs. The earrings you can win are th Saturn-inspired earrings pictured below. Very simple, but very cool. Almost futuristic. Perfect to jazz up any simple outfit.

Click below for details on how to enter!

You can also get one bonus entry by liking Bindu on facebook under Bindu Designs. Her page is here (http://www.facebook.com/BindusDesigns).

This giveaway is listed at All Things Bloggy.

Easy Thai Veggies in Peanut Sauce(Shortcut and Totally Homemade Ways)

Such an easy dinner recipe. Especially if you use the shortcut I used. In my defense, we had the teriyaki sauce in the fridge and it had to be used. Click the picture below to see the recipe!

I have entered this recipe here and here along with these shorts and this fig compote.

Creamsicle Shorts-DIY!!!!

Just saying, these were my moms pants from the 80s before I made them into these awesome (if I can say so myself) shorts. You are impressed, I know. (Just play along). True, she did the cutting. And the machine stitching. But I sewed the lace on. Best part? White thread plus white lace means you cannot see the uneven stitches. Unless you look on the inside...in which case you would be a creeper anyway. So all good. I will try to style them soon.

Spiced Fresh Fig Compote

I went to the farmer's market today with my mom (The produce there is like 1/2 the price of produce anywhere else!) and saw fresh figs. My mom knew I have wanted to try them for a while, and so we bought a crate of 13. We came home, found really squished kind of rotten ones sandwiched between the picture perfect ones (typical) and cut a couple and tried them. Well...they tasted like nothing. And my mom felt nauseous after eating them. Thus, a compote. This is 10 times better than the raw figs. And there is very little added sugar/honey. This is definitely mixed in my greek yogurt breakfast tomorrow.

Eggless Apple Spice Cake.

I found this recipe here, and it was absolutely amazing. I added 1/8 tsp nutmeg, some freshly ground ginger, and 4 ground cloves. I only used 1/2 tsp cinnamon and 3/4 tsp vanilla. I used a little less than 1/2 cup of sugar, and I used homemade fat free yogurt. I also did not use the almonds. The cake came out super moist and absolutely divine. While my cake was extremely apple-y, unlike the one in the picture on the website, I like how my cake has holes in it from the apple. It looks kind of cool and rustic, in my opinion. Do not fret about the fact that the cake is egg-less. It is still moist, it still rose, and it is still delicious. And I made it in a toaster oven. Energy efficient! Just remember to sift the flour. Sifting is key. I used a square pan, about 9-10 inches in length and width. The cake serves 16. The portions are small, but they are satisfying. And you cannot beat the calorie count. You can even afford to have it with a bit of vanilla ice cream. (Although I found out you can only have 25 g, or 5 tsp, of sugar a day, or you could poison your liver, so only 1 scoop). Here are the nutrition facts.

By the way, I am linking up here and here today. Check them out for other amazing recipes.

Musical Monday: "I Speak Six Languages"

For some reason I cannot post videos anymore, but here is the link to this awesome song from The 25th Annual Putnum County Spelling Bee, ie this year's school musical that I am too wimpy to try out for. The image is from here

From the Week

Embroidery on a kurta (indian shirt) I am wearing, Caramelized pineapple with ricotta cream (yum), Pesto Wrap veggie filling, adorable deer family 1, adorable deer family 2

Cuteness verses Childishness

I prefer to call this shirt cute. True, it is from Limited Too (not Justice!!!). True, it is a bit short. But it is comfortable and it is cute. I tried to make it a tad more grown up by adding a menswear inspired best and a simple skirt. And shoes that kill my feet. Did I succeed? Sort of. Just look into those big blue eyes (on my shirt) and agree with me. I look grown up and mature. Got it? Good. Also, I am linking up here today.

Strawberries with Balsamic

Easiest dessert ever. Just cut some strawberries in half, sprinkle with a tiny bit of black pepper (I swear, pepper makes everything better), a tiny bit of sugar, and a drop of balsamic vinegar per strawberry half. You can put herbs and whatnot for an amazing sweet savory experience, but this is even easier. And really good. And pretty. Like cute little, slightly caramel stained, bright red hearts. Awww. And also, I joined an awesome blog hop called Followers to Friends. Check it out here.

Red Chili

So, I know I have posted a chili recipe before, but this one is different and delicious. Pair it with a whole-wheat tortilla and a bit of cheese and some mixed-green/cucumber salad on the side and you have an absolutely divine meal! This recipe serves two. So you chop 2 cloves of garlic and 2 scallions and saute them in 1/2 tsp of oil. Then you add ground cumin (1/4 tsp), dried oregano, dried parsley, 1/2 a red pepper, salt, and 1 dried red chili and cook closed until the pepper is just cooked. Then add 2 chopped tomatoes and 1 tbsp of chopped fresh cilantro. Cook the tomatoes. Finally, add 1.5 cups of cooked kidney beans. They count as vegetables, which makes them healthier, and they are delicious. Then add a bit of fresh lemon/lime juice and voila! A nutritious, unfussy, and delicious dish.

Headphones DIY

I got inspiration for this from Refinery 29. I like their version better, because I used lanyard, which is heavy and makes the earphones fall out, but I think mine turned out nicely as well. I used chinese staircase pattern and two colors (green and purple). The pattern is: 4 (purple 12-13 stitches, green 12-13 stitches, alternating purple green 3 times, 2 stitches per color) then 1 (purple 12-13 stitches) then 1 (green 12-13 stitches) then a lot of purple, a little green, a little purple and alternating. I did not cover the rest because it was already a bit heavy. I also messed up a bit at the end, as you can see, but I still really like them. They don't get tangled, and they are fun. And chinese staircase is so easy; it is essentially tying knots over and over again. See this tutorial to learn how to do it. This website is the best for lanyard stuff. I have made many things from this website, and everything came out nicely. To add string, all you have to do is plan ahead and place it on the wire and weave over it to hold it in place. Easy, awesome DIY.