Okay, I admit, I also wanted to go to Europe, after seeing DDLJ (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge), meet my Rahul, have fun, roll down the beautiful green moutains and the snow covered alps. Hey, dont judge me, if you are a desi girl like myself, you have been in the same dream right next to me, crooning your heart out on Shahrukh Khan (for those who dont know much about Indian culture and movies, DDLJ is a hit movie back in the days, and S Khan was a new bollywood moviestar).

I dont see how you could backpack your way through Europe. Its crazy expensive.

In Switzerland, there are a whole lot of mountains, a whole lot of beautiful cows, with bells around their necks, and a whole lot of either grass or snow on the mountains. And oh yes, the lakes. So overall, it is very beautiful. Definitely a destination for honeymoon.

The two things I did that I enjoyed the most in Switzerland are: Toboganning and Para gliding. Totally worth it. Infact toboganning is not that expensive too. We did it only a couple times, because of the time constraint. Para gliding was awesome! I think we paid something like $150 (for 20 mins of flight and the picture CD). You feel like a bird. I am not kidding.

Zurich is a wonderful city. Nice to walk through the streets.

I love Paris, no matter how cliche it sounds. Also, I ate crepes with chocolate and banana topping in Paris(yes; at a road side cafe).

We visited the Louvre museum, to see the Mona Lisa, (super disappointed – because it is sooooooo small in size, and they dont let you get close to it). But I think museum is fun, if you get a guide who would explain the history behind the art. I got bored soon. Beautiful yes, but for a art major, it would be Disney Land.

Eiffel Tower on the other hand, totally awesome. I would recommend getting there during day light, so you can make the most of the parks around it, have kind of a picnic. Look at the beautiful bridges, admire the beautiful old buildings, oh I miss Paris.

We rented a car, we bought a GPS with Europe maps (totally worth it), but I think sometimes, it makes sense to just get lost. Our trip started at Amsterdam, drove through Germany (stayed at a very nice Wegner Hotel (very nice people, family owned I think, delicious breakfast). Most of the trip we were in Switzerland; Grindelwald (you can take a train from here to Jungfrau), Zurich, Interlaken, Geneva, etc. Then drove to Paris, finally from there back to Amsterdam (lived in a very nice BnB). We drove on highways in Germany and France, would definitely recommend to take inner roads once in a while.

So, recap: Love: Toboganning, Para gliding, Paris!

Hi dear friends!! I am back!! Yes, I have more recipes, interesting news. Some from new friends, some from old friends…

Its good to be back. First off, my reason for disappearing….we had a little baby boy. Ofcourse I am going to say he is cute, all moms think their little one is cute, but he is funny. Really.

But now, he is 5 months plus, I am getting some “me” time.

So, lets not waste any more time, and get into it.

Today, I have a couple new recipes, some interesting comments/thoughts, where to find deals and sales, etc etc.

So, lets go to the next post!

I found this interesting site where you can find pricing for just about anything. I think I was looking for painting house exteriors in Google, where I found this site. Take a look, you will get an idea for how much things such as car repair, home remodeling projects, cosmetic surgeries, etc etc cost.

Check it out at:
http://www.costhelper.com/ 

Do you have expensive taste buds but low on your budget? Then next month is perfect for you. During the week of  February 24, 2008 – March 01, 2008, you can dine in some of the most pretigious restaurants across town.
Every city celebrates this; in bigger cities, more restaurants participate. It ranges about $ 20-$40 for a 3-course lunch/dinner.

For more details on the participating restaurants in the Cleveland area, go to the website http://www.downtownclevelandalliance.com/restaurant_week.asp.

For other cities across US, search google using search words “‘city name’ restaurant week”

Bon apetit.

If you are shopping for cool stuff at Ikea, and if you are a shopaholic like moi, and have been at it for hours; then I would suggest taking a little coffee break and having a couple of their amazing desserts from their awesome selection!

Desserts at Ikea - I love you Gateau, Almond Torte
I would recommend two that are so gooooooood! One is the I love you gateau, which is layers of pure delight! It starts off with a thin layer of cake followed by a thinner layer of berries, again a layer of cake, then a thick layer of whipped cream or mascarpone cheese. All this is topped off with a pink fabric like layer which just falls over the whole thing. They sell a box of their desserts too in their cafetaria. (btw ‘gateau’ is cake in french)
I love you Gateau at Ikea
The other dessert you must try are the chocolate or almond tarte or is it torte! I dont think I can describe anymore, as I have started drooling over my keyboard :(

If you dont believe me, then you simply have to go and try it at Ikea and decide for yourself. :)

I think I am the last one, but no problem, its that time of the year again friends! Go Shoppin!!!!!! Sales are going on almost at all places, if you have Gabriels, check it out, they have additional 50% off the clearance, I also heard JC Penny is givin out bargains, so what are you waiting for….come on…..off you go!

p.s. dont forget your purses/wallets and have fun!

Excellent market for buying fresh and economically priced vegetables, fruits, bread and most importantly cheese!!! I just had to take a picture of the cheese center :) It is very interesting. Take a look. You can visit their website for store location etc at http://www.corradosmarket.com.

Corrado's Market

I just love year end sales, White (After christmas) sale is good….not as great as Black Friday (Thanksgiving sale), but some stores have great deals, like Gabriels, TJMaxx, Macy’s, Target etc. Check them out!

Sale on adorable costumes (stock up for next year, cant beat the prices- 75% off!!) and candy(75-90% off) at Walgreens, Target, and almost all other stores.

food/sept-015.jpg
Dont you just drool over the tools chefs use on shows, the gleaming silver, the magical machines, that make your life easier, aah!

Well, I have just one tool in my kitchen that I cannot live with!!!

Fixwell Kitchen knife; Made in Germany. I bought mine from India.

I tried to google it for getting the url of their company. And this is the site I found Hansa-germany.com. I am pretty sure this is the company.

Well, I am not sure as to how popular this brand is in US, but my mother in India, has been using it for the past 30 years. I think she has just a couple of the same knives in her drawer. It cuts anything from tomato, to bread to meat. And the edge never goes dull!!! And the best part, is the cost, I think in India, it costs approx a dollar per knife!