FASHION

FASHION
FASHION

BEAUTY

BEAUTY
BEAUTY

FOOD

FOOD
FOOD

DEEP PURPLE AND UBER VIOLET: FALL FESTIVE MAKE-UP

 What's not to love about Fall ? The leaves all round are changing colors, and we get an excuse to change up our make up routine. Hello Vibrant Berries, Posh Purples and Ravishing Reds. I love it all.

MAC PURE HEROINE by LORDE !!! Its sheer Purple-Violet magic on the lips. I had been waiting all Summer to rock it in Fall. I was holidaying in India, when MAC had launched this collection. So the Husband was directed to pick it from our local MAC Pro-Store at the Country Club Plaza, before it ran out.

It was Durga Puja a few weeks back. Unlike in India, we Probaashis do not have the luxury of week long celebrations. We have to squeeze in as much of worship, fun and fashion in a single weekend. So everything amps up to a zillion degrees. Its one of those annual events, which have me planning all year round. Which sarees to wear? What accessories to pair them with? and most importantly what Make-Up do I team it all with ?

When you have a Diva for a mom, it makes life a lot easier. Maa handpicked my Pujo Sarees and all of them are bang on. Each one of them was extra special. Thank you Maa !! If I can learn half your style tricks,and can master some of your make-up tricks, I will surely become a Super Diva.

A Purple-Indigo  Mangalgiri Saree with a broad gold border, was my choice to kick start the celebrations.  It had come with its customary blouse piece, which I had even gotten tailored to my current size, during my visit to India in summer. But back home, when I was admiring the sarees for the Nth time, I decided to go for something different. The blouse was doing no justice to the wonderful weave of the saree. So out came the big guns. A hot pink Brocade Blouse, which I had also picked up. It was the perfect contrast.








The sheer amount of compliments which came my way, when I walked into the Pujo, was proof enough the choices were more than perfect. 

For my accessories, I had picked up a purple and pink Statement necklace, which came to the rescue. It had the touch of gold, to tie it all in. A big bright blue Bindi seemed to be the perfect companion.  

Now for the make-up !!!


A sultry Purple-Violet smokey eye might be a no-no for some, but it seemed to be the ideal choice for me. Pujo comes once a year,so its alright to go for the big guns.



When it comes to Foundation, everyone has their favorites. I, for many reasons, stick to my favorite brand, MAC Cosmetics. As my skin is parched dry with changing weather, I opted for MAC Face and Body Foundation. Its  a medium coverage, water based foundation. And you can build it up for increased coverage. The best part is part, it has absolutely no flashback. I knew I would be photographed a lot during these days,so could not take any chances. I used a Flat foundation brush to apply the foundation. Then used a damp Beauty Blender, to smooth it all out.


When you have a baby in the house, you will have dark circles undoubtedly. But the world doesn't need to know that on special days, do they ! So that's where your trusted Concealer comes to the rescue. Not only does it cover dark circles,and blemishes, but also gives that woken up appearance. A concealer in your exact shade match is great for concealing blemishes and spots. For under eyes, and in your cupid's bow, its best to go with concealer, which is two shades lighter than your skin. That just works wonders. The trick is to blend blend and blend. While applying concealer, I used the Deluxe Crease Brush from Real Techniques to apply it,and then used the same damp Beauty Blender to blend it all in. Did I just forget to mention which Concealer I used ? Well, I had used MAC Cosmetics Pro LongWear Concealer, in NW20, which is in two shades lighter than mine. While I am of a warmer undertone, and fall into NCs of Foundations, for the concealer, a different undertone, will work as a color corrector.  Just a single pump, will dispense enough product for covering both under eyes,


Now Concealer is a tricky product. It will slip out on you in a few hours, if you do not take the necessary precautions. So its always best to set it with powder. While any translucent powder works, I am partial to a particular Pressed powder . With Translucent powders, there's always the risk, that they might have silica, which gives off a white flashback in photos. So I opted for MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Natural in Medium, with a large powder brush to set my foundation. I am the shade Medium. That locks in your base, so that you can party harder and harder.

And now for the Fun part ! The Eyes !! The Purple Eyes !!
For those of you who might be thinking that this post could have been a sponsored post by MAC Cosmetics, for all the products used so far, now here comes a change in the line up. For the Eyes, I used Urban Decay Primer Potion all over my lids. Let it settle down for a minute, before you start loading up your eye shadows. Since I was working with darker colors on the yes, and my base was already done, I used some loose translucent powder below the yes, to catch any fallouts. And this loose powder can be brushed away with a fan brush, once the eyes are done.




I used 'Blue Bus', Eye Shadow from Urban Decay with a flat shader brush from the inner corner of the eyes, to the middle. Then with a fluffy crease brush, I used'Gravity', from the middle to the outer corner. These colors were from a limited edition palette, so feel free to use violets of your choice.

With another fluffy crease brush, I used 'Naked' from Naked 1 palette of Urban Decay, in a windscreen wiper motion, in the crease, to buff out the harsh lines. Alternately, you can also use 'Soft Brown', from MAC as a transition color.

Blend blend so that there are no harsh lines.


I used MAC Black Track in Fluidline, which is gel liner, with a fine liner brush from Sonia Kashuk to line my eyes, and finished it off, with Maybelline Falsies Mascara. Always stick to waterproof mascara.


Nars Orgasm Blush is a wonder blush, as it is known to suit and flatter every skin tone and undertone across the g;lobe. So if you're starting your make -up collection, make sure you pick up one. That's a blush on which you can bank on any occasion. Diffuse it for a lighter look, or go heavy when you want to. Its a beautiful Peachy Pink with light gold specks in it. Its not a splurge,its an investment !

Last but not the least, the piece de resistance: MAC Pure Heroine Lipstick by Lorde. I lined the lips with MAC Nightmoth lipliner and then filled in with the lipstick.


The result as they say, is magic !!!

Whats not to love about looking good ! And Make Up can be your Best Friend !!

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DULCE DE LECHE CHEESECAKE WITH CHILLI CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:

The best  and worst part of time is that it changes. So while we sulk over a bad day or a bad hour, it passes over to bring in sunnier days. But this transition is not magic. What comes to the rescue are memories of happier times, memories of craziness. And its a happy memory of an amazing trip, which saved my baking disaster.

I was a bit disturbed over certain matters, I had been blaming myself for things I had not done over the past few years and all that jazz. Kind of a philosophical low down with oneself. I decided to divert my mind, and get to baking. But as 'WillieWonka once said, that his Candies did not taste good, when he did not feel good. I am no Willie Wonka,but its the same case for me. The disturbed mind, resulted in a slightly over baked Cheese Cake. We had just shifted to our new home. And I was so used to slow baking power of the oven in our old apartment,that I did not pay heed to the fact that the new oven in the new home should be more powerful . I might need to adjust baking times or how much I was pre-heating. Big Mistake !!

This was a Cheese Cake I had been planning for days. Dulce de Leche Cheesecake. It just spells decadence all the way. And Cream Cheese. and Graham Crackers. You cannot go wrong with that, can you ?! It seemed I had.


 I wanted to trash the entire Cheese Cake, once I came face to face with the cracks. I was so disgusted with myself. But then better sense prevailed. I decided to let the Cheese Cake cool over night, after I had taken it out of the Spring form pan. Maybe sleeping over it, would help me think better. 

That's exactly what happened. I woke up with memories of a trip to New Mexico. We had visited a small Chocolate Shop in Santa Fe. Kakawa Chocolate House. The lady who owned it, was surely 'Willie Wonka,' in Flesh and Blood for me. The flavors she had  paired with chocolate were just divine. It should be on the must visit list for every Chocolate lover. While we had been on a tasting spree, what really had stayed with us, were the Ancho Chili Chocolates. I had never tasted Chili and Chocolate together, and it was just divine.







So why not whip up a batch of Chocolate Chili Butter cream , to frost the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake. A southwestern touch which would not clash with the south of the border Dulce de Leche taste. The morning did not seem bad at all. What an inspiration !! The benefits of taking a crazy number of holidays a year !!

Mindy, my Cake Decorating Teacher would probably frown at the fact, that I had decided to give Shortening a complete Miss. I was playing to the heart, so butter it was all the way. Since it was not an elaborate decoration, but simple swirls, I was assuring myself that probably we could sail through. A hint of Cinnamon. A pinch of Salt. A smidgen of Cayenne Pepper. Yes, you heard that right. Cayenne has this extra warmth,which I prefer, among chilies. And loads of confectioner's sugar. Whizz went the hand mixer and in no time, I had frosted the center of the cake. Not a bad camouflage to the cracks below it. In my mind, I was breathing a sigh of relief, that I had not trashed the Cheese Cake and given another chance. 

The best part, was how well it all tasted together. I had been sure that Cheese Cake would be completely dry as I had over baked it. But it was surprisingly moist. The frosting just nailed it big time. One bite and I knew I had to make it again very soon. This time, I would surely adjust the baking time.


DULCE DE LECHE CHEESECAKE WITH CHILLI CHOCOLATE  BUTTERCREAM FROSTING: 

Cake recipe courtesy:  Huffington Post

Ingredients : 
Crust:
Graham Cracker Crumbs: 1 1/4 cup
Brown Sugar: 1/4 cup
Dulce de Leche: 1/4 to 1/2  can

Cake: 
Cream Cheese: Softened: 2 pkgs
Dulce de Leche: 1 can
Eggs: 4
Flour: 1/3 cup
Vanilla extract: 1 tbsp
Salt : A pinch

Frosting:
Butter: 2 sticks: room temperature
Powdered sugar: 2 1/2 cups
Semi sweet Chocolate chips: 3 oz
Cayenne Pepper: 1 1/2 tsp
Cinnamon: 1 tsp
Salt: A pinch

Springform pan: 9 inch
Wilton Tip number 16
Piping Bags
Coupler
Spatula


Procedure: 

Pre-heat oven to 300 F .

Crush the Graham Crackers by putting them in a zip lock bag, and sealing them. Then run a rolling pin over the sealed bag, till all the crackers are crushed. Mix Graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and molten butter in a large bowl.



Grease a 9 inch spring form pan, and lay out the graham cracker mixture. Ensure that its a uniform flat layer by pressing it all down.




Open your can of Dulce de Leche.


Pour out a quarter of a cup of the Dulce de Leche over your layer of Graham cracker crumbs. Smooth it out carefully with a spatula.



Whisk the room temperature Cream Cheese till it is fluffy. 




Add in the rest of the Dulce de Lechhe, and mix well.


Add in the eggs one by one, vanilla and the flour.



Do not over mix. Pour it out carefully over the crust.


Bake in a pre-heated oven upto 40 mins(or upto 1 hour). Cake will be a bit soft and jiggly in the middle. Over baking might lead to cracks. Adjust the baking time, according to the power of your oven. While the recipe had called for baking the cake for 1 hour, it had led to cracks in my cake. So I lowered the baking time, the next time around.

Let the cake cool down overnight or for a couple of hours.

Run a spatula around to loosen the cake from the sides of the spring form pan,

While the cake cools down, prepare the Frosting.

Mix in the Frosting ingredients, and mix well till fluffy and smooth. ensure that its Medium Consistency.

Attach Wilton Tip 16 with a  coupler to a disposable piping bag.

Fill it in with the prepared Buttercream Frosting

Hold the bag at 90 degree angle.

Form a star, and without releasing pressure, raise tip slightly as you form a tight circle over the star in a tight complete rotation. Pull tip away, continuing the circular motion of the rosette.  





Bon Appetit !!! 
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POTOLer DOLMA: STUFFED POINTED GOURD IN A RICH GRAVY

Happy new Year People !!! Its a bit late, I know, but we are still in the first quarter of the year. So do accept my super late wishes. Hopefully the year started with a bang for everyone. It almost did for me. I am planning a trip to india, and what can be a bigger high than that !!

 Its been ages since I wrote. So today I said to myself, lets write. Even though I am still in the middle of cooking, I convinced myself that I can type away.


I have been cooking almost every alternate day. Also diligently taking photographs. But when it comes to putting it all together, I have been a tad lazy. So I am not going to bring on the new Mom cribbing anymore, as its more than 10 months. So I thought, why not begin this year's writing quota with a very popular Bengali delicacy: Potoler Dolma . Don't confuse it with the Greek Dolma. It something totally different. Cored pointed gourd, are stuffed and then they are simmered in a rich gravy.Its one of those dishes, which you cannot make everyday, as it involves some prep work and time. But surely something, which every Bengali worth her/his salt, loves without a doubt.

We do not get Potol at our neighborhood grocery store, so we have to wait for it, till we drive down to the desi/Indian stores. Whenever we do manage to go there on Fridays, we pick it up. Why only Friday, you might ask?! Well, the fresh stock of vegetables comes in on Friday afternoons, with treats like Potol or baby Okra. And if you are late, or act lazy, then they just fly off the shelves, in no time. So sometimes picking up mere veggies you grew up with, needs almost a Game-Day like prep. After all this trouble(read: Co-orodinating Baby's schedule with all this madness), if we can lay our hands on some Potol, we try and make something special. So that at least its worth the trouble. While Potol can be cooked numerous ways, the more tedious recipe, is my favorite: Potoler Dolma.



When it comes to the choice of stuffing,sky is the limit. You can customize it, while keeping with the basic Bengali flavors. You can either keep it vegetarian, or do otherwise. While the obvious choice is cooking the cored out insides of the Potol with some shredded coconut, mustard paste, chili powder and then grinding it all together. That makes for a pretty decadent stuffing or sure. But if you are like, you will surely up the ante a bit more. How does Chopped Shrimp sound? It just spells magic in this particular preparation. So lets not waste any more time, and let the pictures do the talking.

POTOLER DOLMA: 

Ingredients: 
Potol/Pointed gourd: 10-12
Prawns: A handful
Mustard paste: 1 to 2  tbsp(according to how hot you want it to be)
Red chili Powder: According to Heat preferences. If you still want the color but not as much heat, then use Paprika.
Shredded Coconut: Frozen/Fresh: 1/4 cup
Salt
Coriander Powder
Mustard Oil
Cumin seeds: 2 tsp
Tomato Paste: 2 tbsp
Ginger paste: 1 tsp
Onion-Ginger-Garlic Paste: 2 tbsp

Procedure: 

Scrape the pointed gourd in alternate stripes. Be careful not to remove the whole skin.Scrape out the shiny green bit of skin. With a knife, cut at one end, and use a spoon to core out the vegetable. Keep the seeds and the innards in a separate plate.

Heat Mustard oil in a large non stick pan, and lightly fry the cored out Potol. Remove and keep aside. Ensure that the potol is still soft and pliable. Let it cool down.


In the same oil, add in the cored out seeds and flesh, coriander powder, red chili powder, shredded coconut(if using), prawns and onion ginger garlic paste. Fry these on a medium heat, stirring frequently, Season it well.


After a few minutes, add in the mustard paste and mix everything well. Cook this mixture through.



Remove the mixture from the stove top and let it cool down. Blend it all together to form a smooth paste. And then fry it once more for a couple of minutes if you feel it has not been cooked through.


The puree and the fried potol should have both cooled by now. Stuff the potol carefully.


Now in the same pan, start making the gravy or the sauce for the Potol. Add in some mustard oil, and let the cumin seeds splutter. Add in the tomatoes paste, salt, Coriander Powder, Ginger paste and fry the masala well for a couple of minutes.  You can add in a few spritzes of water if you feel your masala might get burnt.


Add in water for a gravy and let it all come to a boil. Carefully introduce the Potol and reduce to a simmer.


Check or seasonings. Let the gravy reduce to a thick consistency and should ideally stick to the potol. Turn off the heat, and serve with hot steamed Basmati rice.


Bon Appetit !!! 
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