The 'Piripirilicious' Fries at McDonald's

The weekend is here! A time to unwind and relax after a tiring week and to recharge before the start of a brand new week ahead. And one way to do just that is to step out, hang out with family and friends, chitter-chatter over lunch and catch-up on each other's lives.

Yup, that is exactly what the husband, brother and I were up to today, at McDonald's! 

McDonald's or McD as its more popularly known among us all, is a leading international fast food chain and is undoubtedly one of the top listed favorite food joints. The three of us are pretty fond of burgers at McD, and had not been there in a while. So today, we decided to meet up at one of its many outlets and get some lunch. 

Their burgers are an all-time favourite. With the perfect pairing of patties and soft burger buns with just the right amount of seasoning within, the burgers are yum. Team them up with some fries and a serving of soft drink and you have a very satisfying meal. They have some economical offers when you convert your burger orders into meals. 

After much consideration, we decided and placed our orders and within minutes, the goodies were all lined up at the pick-up counter. And oh, they upgraded our Colas to Cold Coffee at just an additional Rs.3 per drink. 

Quite conscious of what I put into my body, frankly I am not a frequent visitor to fast food joints, but once in a while, it is absolutely fine to indulge and just chomp of those delicious fries, sip on that cola, while you enjoy the succulent burger. Come on, we are unwinding remember? :)

We all opted for meals, and this time around, we opted for the newly introduced Piri Piri Fries. Having heard a lot about it, we were curious and wanted to give it a try. 'Piri Piri' translates to 'Pepper Pepper' in Swahili and is an African chili. McD has created their own spice mix using these chillies.

So along with the fries, we were given a little sachet of Piri Piri Spice Mix costing just Rs.15 and a Shake Shake bag!! Sounds fancy, doesn't it? :D Oh, I just couldn't  wait to dig in! :D

The making of the Piri Piri Fries turned out to be a fun DIY activity. 

• Toss in the regular french fries into the Shake Shake bag. 
• Empty the contents of the Piri Piri Spice Mix sachet into the bag.
• Shake. Shake. Shake!

.....and ta-da!! The Piripirilicious fries were ready! :) Evenly dust-coated in the aromatic Piri Piri seasoning, the fries looked fiery.  

The Piri Piri spice was very flavourful and gave the regular fries an all new personality. The contents of the sachet seemed very generous and so we used only a single sachet to season two servings of fries. That seemed just about right to our liking. 

Now, I wouldn't completely trade the regular fries with Piri Piri Fries, it is just a very good alternative and I would opt for it on and off. I still love the crispy regular fries that McD serves. So, we carried back home the rest of the spice mix sachets, which I plan to use to season some sandwiches or pastas!

The delicious fun meal at McD was exactly what we needed on a lazy Saturday afternoon. 

Now, is not that a picture of a happy meal :) 

Nan's Yum-yums! Bread Bakers - a bread baking workshop (July 2014)

 

Ever since Junior Bakers happened, where I experienced the joy of spreading the love for baking, I couldn't wait to do it again! This time, I wanted to let those apprehensive bread lovers, that baking your own bread at home is far less daunting than most think it is and in fact it is actually therapeutic! 

So, the agenda for my second workshop was purely on breads. A lovely bunch of 5 ladies came in along with their kids, some who baked along with their mommies, while some participated as individual bakers! It always amuses me how the baking bug can bite even tiny little tots... :)

It was a wonderful 4 hours during which we learnt the basics about yeast, with loads of tips and tricks which I felt would help these bakers while they begin their baking experiments back home. Then, we baked 3 variations of breads - Herb and Cheese Pull-apart bread, which was a crowd pleaser and a favourite amongst the kiddies, Cinnamon Hearts, Pizza Stuffed Buns. 

Each of the participants baked all these goodies and took them back home with a lot of pride and loads of smiles. :) Their boxes of goodies looks absolutely great and my heart swelled with pride and joy for them :)

An interesting aspect of this workshop was that a few participants came in with special requirements which we could blend into our workshop and meet each of their needs. 

The garlic bread was a special request by one of the little bakers, who happens to be a huge fan of the Domino's Garlic Bread Sticks. So his mommy wanted to learn how to bake that foe him. And so, we baked a Garlic Bread Stick as well.

Another participant had specially requested to bake only with wholewheat and so all her baked were made of only wheat flour. And then another mommy, wanted to learn how to bake a simple wholewheat bread loaf and we did that too, as a group.

And then the best part of the workshop... was the lovely lovely feedback that they left for me! These beautiful words from my baking students, made me happy and feel that it was all worth it!! :) Thank you all! :)

Some of the participants, have hence begun baking at home and have shared some beautiful pictures of their bread creations. I am happy to have been able to help them discover the bakers in them! :)

More pictures!! Hop over and check out the Bread Bakers photo album to relive those memories and be a part of our fun through the pictures :)

Do such workshops interest you?

Stay tuned to my updates on my Facebook page for future workshops.

OR 

Drop me an e-mail to discuss your requirements. 

Nan's Yum-yums! Junior Bakers - a FUN baking workshop for kids (May 2014)

There has been so much happening lately, that I have been trying hard to catch up with time to update my little blog and share with you all, the happens at my end! Days seem to be sprinting past like lighting and I am on my heels trying to keep pace. Well, fast-paced months these, but full of fun alright! 

Let me begin by filling you in with the details about the new horizon Nan's Yum-yums has entered. I have put into action a long brewing thought of mine.Baking workshops! Yes, I am now conducting baking workshops and have successfully completed two in the last 3 months!

It was sometime in the beginning of this year, when an idea struck me. Its was almost two years since I began my home baking and I have been enjoying it all along. Baking gives me boundless joy and I wanted to spread this joy among people who were eager and willing to learn.

So, the day came much sooner than I expected and in early May 2014, I conducted my first baking workshop at a beautiful activity center called Bloom and Grow. This workshop was specially planned for little kids, aged 7 yrs and above. Junior Bakers, as I named it was a milestone for Nan's Yum-yums and a first of the many I plan to conduct in the days to come.

I had planned on a batch size of 10 and it was a pleasure having 11 little junior bakers, aged between 6 and 12, came along and join me in this workshop. Some mommies and daddies joined along to encourage and help their tots. The excitement of the little ones rubbed off on me and the room was full of energy and FUN! 

We baked 2 kinds of muffins - Apple Cinnamon and Carrots and Walnut muffins and baked some Cinnamon Rolls and Bread Bunnies. 

This enthusiastic little lot, insisted on kneading the bread dough with their tiny little hands, which I generally prefer kneading using the hand blender with bread hooks. Oh, they were such delight to watch! 

This workshop was truly a memorable one. With some technical challenges and time crunches, we managed to pull off the 4 hour session with loads of goodies and some lovely memories. I was proud of my bunch of junior bakers, for being patient and supportive throughout.

More pictures!! Hop over and check out the Junior Bakers photo album to relive those memories and be a part of our fun through the pictures :)

Do such workshops interest you?

Stay tuned to my updates on my Facebook page for future workshops.

OR 

Drop me an e-mail to discuss your requirements. 

Sabudana Fritters and Yogurt Peanut Dip | Sago Vada [shallow-fry method] | And the Indian Food Blogger's Meet!

It has been over two years since I have been a food blogger and I still consider myself a ‘fresher’ in this field. From even before I began my blogging odyssey and also along the way, I have come across some established food bloggers who have carved out a niche for themselves in the blog sphere. They have constantly kept me motivated, awed me with their passion and dedication for blogging and have inspired me with their ability to juggle the various facets of their lives with ease.

Blogging may seem like a simple hobby to many, but only when one ponders into this beautiful world and delves deeper does one understand the intricacies of the art. Yes, to me blogging is an art.

So, as I am still taking wobbly baby steps and just learning to hold my paint brush right, I am only lucky to be able to share some space with some very talented artists of the food blogging world. I first heard about the Indian Food Blogger’s Meet (IFBMeet) through Aparna [My Diverse Kitchen]. I got to know her through a bread-baking group on Facebook. She along with three other talented bloggers have planned this wonderful event as a platform for like-minded bloggers from across the country to come together and share ideas and thoughts. I am delighted to be able to be a part of it, get enlightened and meet some of the bloggers in person, whose blogs have been a fond read of mine for a while now.

IFBM, a first of its kind in India happening on the 1st and 2nd of August in Bangalore, promises to be jam-packed with workshops, talks and events for like-minded bloggers. Food styling, food photography, food writing, cook-book publishing... you name it and they have it all planned up! I am excited, as this is going to be my first ever blogger-meet up!

“Surround yourself with people who are going to motivate and inspire you.” — Charles M. Marcus

Yes, I am going to be doing just that! :)

So, as I gear up for this exciting event that is just a fortnight away, I am sharing with you all a lovely recipe of an age old favourite dish, the cooking process of which has been given a healthy twist. I have been making the deep-fried version of sabudana vadas at home for long. It was only recently, while browsing through a foodie group that I am a part of, that I bumped across this method of preparing this yummy snack. It uses a paniyaram / appe pan and minimum oil! It caught my attention and I simply had to try it to believe it. I was delighted with the result and though this takes more time than deep-frying, and am never going to be deep-frying this any more! :)

These sabudana fritters are super crispy on the outside and soft in the inside. And oh, that simple to put-to-gethher dip... no you don't want to miss that! :)

Mr.Beans - The Coffee Lounge, Bangalore - a Review

 My husband and I are always on a lookout for good eateries which serve great food, have aesthetic ambiance, are conveniently located and more importantly are friendly on the pocket. In other words, a place where we can just hangout, unwind and relax.

Well, I am sure most of you are also on this hunt and would love to know of new places in the city! If yes, read on and meet our new friend... Mr.Beans :)

The Front Lounge Room with Cheerful Posters

One of our recent discoveries of exactly one such hangout, is Mr.Beans Coffee Lounge. Conveniently located in Koramangala, Mr.Beans is a tastefully decorated cafe which serves a wide variety of exquisite and authentic, lip-smacking yums from across varied cuisines. 

The instant we reached the cafe, what caught our fancy is its warm ambiance. There is no formal or a structured table-chairs seating arrangement here. You will find all sorts of seating here... from sofas, benches to chairs. Have your pick and enjoy your time at Mr.Beans.

The Outside Seating Area

"Nan's Yum-yums! Junior Bakers" - A FUN baking workshop for kids!

Hey there! Exciting news on Nan's Yum-yums! :)

Yes, finally my dreams are getting little wings and flying into horizons anew! I am planning my first baking workshop for kids!

 Summer holidays are here. Schools are closed. Loads of free time on hand. So let's use this time to get creative, shall we? :)

Come along and join me in this FUN workshop and learn some simple, eggless baking! 

Discover the baker in you!! :)

Date: 4th May 2014, Sunday
Time: 9 am - 1 pm
Location: Bloom and Grow - Koramangala, Bangalore 

Age: 7 yrs onwards  

(up to the age that you consider yourself a kid!! :P)

Fee: Rs.1000 

 (all materials will be provided for the workshop)

What awaits you in the workshop?

• A batch of 10-12 kids.
• Individual hands-on baking experience.
• A tutorial for baking healthy muffins and kids-friendly bread/buns. 
• Bake your own goodies and take them home!
• Mommies are welcome to join the workshop along with their Junior Bakers.
• Make new friends and have loads of fun! :)  
  

 

If this interests you and if you need more details, please drop in a comment here or send me an email.  

Looking forward to meeting some enthusiastic little Junior Bakers :)

Excited? I definitely am! :)

Awards galore! :)

Over the past month, I got the 'One Lovely Award' twice over from Pallavi from Cook. Eat. Burrrp and Gauri from Runnergirlinthekitchen. Oh, am delighted. Thanks girls! :) I have been putting off posting about awards, as I was not sure what to really post about myself and wondered if it would interest others at all! But then the other side of these awards is the fact that it is shared with others, and that really does feel good and I wanted to do that to my blogging buddies :)

So I got down to it and here goes... 

Beyond the URL - by Cook-Eat-Burrrp

Blogging opens up avenues to meet up with so many people from across the globe who share a similar interest with you. Oh yes, so true... I have personally made some good friends through blogging and am glad to share recipes, thoughts and random rants with my blogging buddies :)

 

It was through an event that she hosted on her blog page last month, that I met Pallavi. She blogs at Cook-Eat-Burrrp and the caption on her page goes 'Not just another food blog' true to its nature as she does try to bring in a lot of innovation out there from creative recipes to interesting reviews and events. 

 

Recently she ventured onto a new section on her blog page called 'Beyond the URL'. She would interview fellow bloggers and post them up on her page. To my great delight, she reached out to me to make a start to this series. Instantly it interested me as it was a great chance to get to know fellow bloggers better.

 

You can read the full interview here: Beyond the URL - Nandita Pai Shirali

 

Fellow bloggers - those interested, do reach out to Pallavi and lets have some fun getting to know each other better :)

 

Great going Pallavi... here is wishing you all the best on this venture!! :)