Rains Make Me Miss My Friends

Monsoons are in full flow. Well, sort of. And this is around that time of the year when I really start missing Lonavala, favorite monsoon picnic spot of Mumbaikars like me. Being the most easily accessible hill station from Mumbai, it’s a favorite weekend spot for me and hubby, throughout the year. More so during the monsoons when the natural splendor of the place is at its beguiling best. The thing I miss most about Lonavala is the Rainmaker’s. I miss just relaxing at the shack, not doing anything, not going anywhere. Just sitting, watching the rain fall.

And I love watching Dhanya and Mathew working at the shack, interacting with the guests. It’s amazing how she manages all the work in her tiny kitchen and still be around to greet the guests and share a casual conversation. She seems so much at ease with her work and life, it sort of makes me envious. Ever so slightly. No meaningless deadlines to chase, no stress-spills, no lots tempers. Just a husband and wife team, going about their life, bringing some color into other people’s life while at it.

Another thing that I find really interesting is Dhanya’s cool style. I have always found her to be effortless and casual. Needless to say, she dresses for comfort and stays away from brands. But she is a classic example of how the right attitude can make a simple jeans and tees attire the ultimate style statement. Her accessories show her love for colors and I have seen her carry even the most mundane outfit with a bohemian panache that somehow elevates the outfit, making it look “cool”. Maybe staying away from the pollution-laden, illness-inducing city has its benefits. But mostly, I think it’s just my pal Dhanya.

I decided to do a short style profile of her different looks. All casual, but different. Outfits or sassitude, you be the judge!

Dieter’s Nightmare

Sorry for not having posted in such a long time. Well, it all started with an innocent decision and has now spiraled into a mess. My laptop had definitely slowed down, and needed formatting. That was just the beginning of the trouble. Won’t go into the details. Let’s just say the dirty word – Virus. Now my OS DNA is affected and I am left alone and unequipped in the digital world. Restoring and saving my laptop will take some time now, so I am posting less frequently.

Pity, because I had some really nice new pictures to share. I guess that would just have to wait. Meanwhile, things are heating up at work, what with an approaching launch on 21st July. See who wore what to the Press Meet Here.

Meanwhile, I will leave you with a picture of Dhanya and Me at the Rainmakers. Please ignore Danny's middle finger; I think she was a little stoned. And that other picture is of my famous Dream Chicken. It’s an old recipe of grilled chicken stuffed with pepper cheese, and topped with mushroom and cream sauce. It’s served with stir-fried vegetables and garlic and herbs bread. It has like a million divine, brain-exploding, feel good calories. So sinful, I will be denied an entry into slimming heaven for the next seven lives. Now I am hungry.

All that food talk... this was waiting to happen!

It’s all Vain and Vapid’s fault. Of late, there has been way too much food talk on her blog. So this post was just waiting to happen. I dug out some old pictures of one of the Food jamming sessions that Dhanya from Rainmakers, and I used to indulge in till last year. Her kitchen is always pretty well-stocked with supplies for the shack, so it’s not difficult getting ingredients to improvise.

So one day, we just sat and decided to do something special for dessert. I had just read about Ice Bowls and thought they were really cool, literally! So while the husbands sat discussing movies and arguing about world politics, Dhanya and I decided to make our first Ice Bowl.

The ice bowl was easy. We decided to adorn it with some slices of sweet lime and some mint leaves. While we were waiting for it to freeze, we decided to make a impromptu coffee dessert. So we added a little bit of this, a dash of that… sprinkle this, whisk and fold that… and voila! A dessert was ready. That too went straight into the deep freeze.

The results, as you can see below, were not too bad for a first attempt. I really feel that this is a great way to add some excitement to the dessert. Needless to say, the boys were thrilled beyond belief!





I am waiting for a slightly less work-loaded weekend, so Hubby and I can drive down to the shack. I really miss the Food jamming sessions with Dhanya. And being just too busy with my job, I hardly get time to do fun cooking at home.