Visiting Monal DownTown for the first time

I have been enviously looking onto Monal Downtown since long because everyone around me had been posting stories and pictures of Monal Downtown, be it of Centaurus or Saddar branch! 

I'm glad I finally tried it- thanks to bunch of the friends I have in university. Though Monal is far-off from my home but I had to give it a try! 

Credits: The Savy Reader

When I entered the restaurant, I didn't know from where to enter from (lol, I do act dumb at times), but my friends who had arrived before me guided me or else I would have embarrassed myself- no doubt on that. 

Credits: Lovethispic.com

The first thing that attracts me when I enter a restaurant or a home for the first time is obviously the interior, and there are very few buildings that have left me in awe. Monal Downtown, Saddar was one of them.

So, the floor of Monal was the chess pattern- yeah that balck and white cheque boxes and I found it cool 😌. There were few plants, not the artificial ones, used to decorate the restaurant and a wooden carving wall piece grabbed my attention! I forgot to take the picture, I'm sorry 😒. Hey, but I have this picture of thier roof xD

Oh, and I have a picture this plant too which was placed at the entrance😀

Let's come to the food now. All four of us ordered Italian Platters which had Spicy Fettucine, Sole Medditerranean Fish, Morrocan Chicken, Beef Stake and Brownie. Ain't this enough for one person? But what if I tell you that more than enough if you are not a fan of meat, like me? 😒

All of this in one plate, at a time does sound awesome, no?

Since, I am a huge pasta fan so I ate it in first few minutes and loved it. It had all the sauces, fully balanced and I wanted more of it 😛.

Morrocan Chicken was no less in taste, because it was tendered well and juicy. I enjoyed every bite of the chicken piece.

It was the first beef stake that I tried, and it wasn't a bad experience though. Beef was cooked well and all of the spices were in accurate quantity. It was a bit hard but that's how a beef is, no?

Coming to the Mediterranean Fish, I didn't like it at all. I usually love fish that's home-made. But, this fish was of no match to the one my mom fries. I guess this was the reason I didn't enjoy it and had to pack it and bring home.

Serving the platter with a piece of brownie loaded with chocolate sauce was not a bad idea. It took me a while to finish it, probably because I was full but my friends love brownies and they appreciated the taste. It was all soft and moist, the chocolate sauce was definitely cherry on the cake.

This go-ey-ness might drive you crazy

You'd be surprised to know that it costed me only 760 PKR including taxes. I leave it on you guys to decide if it is economical or not.

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Miracles of Apple Cider

Hi guys!
I am back with my another blog. Today I am going to tell you about the uses of 'Apple cider vinegar'. Apple cider vinegar is not like an ordinary vinegar, it has tremendous health benefits. Other than health benefits, are you guys aware of its beauty and other household uses? No? I will tell you all about it.

 How's my photography? 

At my home, it is commonly used for salad dressings, in soups and sauces. Home-made salads with apple cider vinegar dressing are healthy and a clean option. It tastes different than salad with ordinary vinegar.
My mother is a diabetic patient. Doctor has adviced her to consume Apple cider vinegar. She takes Apple cider vinegar every night before going to sleep for lowering blood sugar levels. I think it has helped her alot.

Adding gif can never be a bad option

Apple cider vineger is also helpful for weight concious people. It helps in lowering body fat. Consuming Apple cider vinegar helps you feel full and you consume less or small amount of food which is helpful for weight loss and helps in reducing belly fat. It reduces your daily intake of calories.
I have also heard that it is a great pickling agent and also helps in preserving food but I haven't tried this at home. It deactivates enzymes and kills any bacteria that may cause spoilage of food.
Apple cider vinegar is known to have antibacterial properties and beacuse of it is used to eliminate bad smell from the house ( you can make deodorizing spray by mixing apple cider vinegar with water).
Apple cider vinegar is a popular home remedy for sore throats (mix apple cider vinegar with water for gargling).
It is also said that massaging diluted Apple cider into your scalp may help you get rid of dandruff.

It also lowers the risk o cancer. Studies have shown that it reduces esophageal cancer.
You can also use Apple cider vinegar to make a skin tonic that also reduces the signs of aging. Here is the recipe of skin tonic:

Add 1 cup of Apple cider vinegar in 2 cups of water. Apply it using a cotton pad. If you have a sensitive skin, make a more diluted solution.
It can also be used as a weed killer. Here is the recipe to make a weed killer:
Mix undiluted vinegar with soap and lemon juice to make a homemade weed killer.

I hope this is helpful for you. Do share your experience of using Apple cider vinegar.

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Nocciola- The Chocolate Heaven

The first ever tasting was hell of a experience!

"You can't buy happiness, but you can buy a chocolate"

Last week I was invited by Noociola Chocolateri to taste their food. They have a unique name which is quite difficult to pronounce. They mainly deal with desserts and trust me its a dessert heaven. They were previously known as Nutella spot but now they have changed their name to Niccolia chocolatire. They have two branches in Islambad, one in F11 Markaz and the other one in Bahria town phase 4. I went to Bahria town branch.

To begin with, it has a beautiful minimal interior with elegant Italian touch. It was quite good but it was a small outlet. I didn't expect it to be that small though but I like such settings.

Anyways, I did like their walls and that brick style appearance. I am a fan of such walls since forever. All those nutella jars had me drooling! It had artistic touch with a beautiful digital potrait on the wall.

Do you see those white bricks?

I don't know the history of this potrait, though!

Walls also had interesting quotes related to chocolates. The one I mentioned was from that! Lol xD

Here's another!

When we went there, there was only staff and no one else. I think they shall put a board of their restaurant somewhere on the main road too because it was difficult for us to find it in first place. It serves a peaceful ambience with soft light music. If you are the person who doesn't like hustle and bustle of the crowd then this place is made for you!

Staff is very coperative there. I went there with my family and we ordered four different items. They dodon give menu cards on every table instead menu is displayed on the digital screens. This created quite a problem. I didn't had my glasses at that time and I couldn't see the menu. I know this is sad. Unfortunately, the staff didn't had the menu on thier monitor. So, I took out my phone, captured the menu and saw it. Quite a job, no?

Then, I ordered single scoop of both Belgian chocolate ice-cream and oreo ice-cream which were very tasty and were loved by my parents.

I know they are plain.

I liked oreo ice-cream more. You know why do they look plain? Because, I didn't know I

had to mention the toppings separately. Blame my eyesight and waiter's ignorance! 

We also ordered hot chocolate chip cookie with vanila ice-cream and trust me was the best cookie I have ever had.

Nutella filled- cookie slice with Vanilla ice-cream

And last but not the least we ordered volcano monster shake- Nutella Volcano shake. It was very very yummy with hot gooey brownie at the top and bottom as well. It was so heavy that my sincere efforts were put in to finish it but I loved it.😄😉

Everything was up to the mark at Niccolia. It is a best place to satisfy your sweet tooth. Do give it a visit with your friends and family to enjoy chocolate fanticies in a comfortable environment.

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Minced Peri Bites with Mayo

Who loves Peri Bites? What! You don't? Then, you haven't tried minced peri bites yet. Follow my my costumized recipe and try them right now because I guarantee, you won't regret!

Isn't this picture tempting?

Let's start with the ingredients:

½ kg mince (keema)
2 teaspoon chilli garlic sauce
1-2 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoon grated cheese (cheddar or mozzarella or one tbsp each)
10-12 green chilies (approximately 3 inches in length)
2 eggs
2 tablespoon flour
2-4 tablespoon cornflour
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper
1 cup bread crumbs (for coating)

And that's hit! Try this simple method now. Calling it simple, because it only involved frying and mixing! Watch out:

Put cooking oil in a frying pan, add the mince and the chilli garlic sauce, and cook until the mince is tender (approximately 80% cooked). Add pepper salt and vinegar.
Using a knife, carefully make a cut perpendicular to the base of the chilies, 1 to 1.5 cm in length; remove the seeds with caution without tearing the chili surface
Insert one little amount of mince into each chili followed by a small quantity of the cheese using your hands.
Keep these chilies in the freezer for 1 hour
Now mix the egg white in a separate bowl and pour it on top of the chilies; also mix in the flour cornflour, salt and pepper into the mix and coat all the chilies evenly
Roll each chili in bread crumbs, followed by a dip in the milk and back into the bread crumbs for a nice, thick coat
Once all chilies are done, put them in the freezer for another 15 minutes so that the coating can settle properly
Deep fry in very hot oil until they have a nice golden coat

Tad'da! Go try them and let me know how did they turn out.

Serve immediately with tomato ketchup or mayo sauce.

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Coffee cake topped with wafers and smarties

Hello everyone!

I hope all of you are doing well in whatever you are doing. I took a short break from writing. I was busy with my work. Today, I will be sharing the recipe of my favorite ‘Coffee cake topped with wafers and smarties’. It is quite easy to bake but definitely the yummiest one. 

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain flour

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup oil

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

6-7 teaspoons coffee

3 teaspoons coco powder

½ cup smarties

Wafer biscuits

1 packet cream

Procedure:

First of all you need to preheat the oven at 180^o C. Grease the pan with oil so that the batter doesn’t stick to the pan. Whisk the eggs well in a bowl with the electric blender so that they become foamy. Add 1 cup sugar in eggs and blend them together. Now add oil and blend the three ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, coco powder and 2-3 teaspoon coffee. Add egg mixture in it and mix well. Pour the batter in the greased pan and pop it in the oven. Bake it for half an hour. After half an hour check if the cake is baked by inserting a match stick in it. If the match stick comes out clean, cake is ready but if it does not come out clean bake it for another 5 minutes. Your cake is ready. Take it out of the pan and let it cool down. 
Now for the topping, whisk cream, add grounded sugar and coffee in it and whisk it to make it foamy. Pour this mixture on the cake and garnish with wafers and colorful smarties. Your scrumptious coffee cake is ready. Serve it with coffee or tea. It also tastes yummy with vanilla ice-cream.

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Food Corner- Cupcakes

Hello lovelies!

Today, I’ll be sharing recipe of cupcakes. Without wasting any time, let’s get started.

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain flour

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 cup oil

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

Food color (orange, green, yellow)

Procedure:

Before stating, you all need to preheat your oven at 180^o C. Place the paper cups in cupcake tray. Whisk the eggs well in a bowl with the electric blender so that they become foamy. Add sugar in eggs and blend them together. Now add oil and blend the three ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda. Add egg mixture in it and mix well. Now separate the batter in 3 separate bowls. I used 3 different food colors so I used 3 bowls. You can use as much colors you like. That’s totally up to you. Take a pinch of 3 different food colors, mix them separately with one teaspoon of milk each and then pour them in their respective bowls having batter.

Now, pour the batter in the cupcake tray and pop it in the oven. Bake it for 20-25 minutes. After 20-25 minutes, check if the cupcakes are baked by inserting a match stick in it. If the match stick comes out clean, cake is ready but if it does not come out clean bake it for another 5 minutes. When cupcakes are done, take them out of the tray and let them cool down. I like them plain. But you can serve them with vanilla or chocolate toppings. Do give this recipe a try and enjoy your cupcakes with hot coffee or tea.

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Chicken Barbecue

Hello lovely readers!

I am back with yet another blog. I’ll be sharing recipe of Barbecue chicken. My father loves chicken so almost every week we have Barbecue night at our home. It is usually a very fun night. Barbecue chicken is quite easy to make but it requires a lot of spices and flavors. Below is the full recipe of the Barbecue.

Ingredients:

1 cup yogurt

1 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoons fresh ground cumin

1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

2 boneless chicken cut them into cubes

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 tablespoons vinegar

1 tablespoons soya sauce

Preparation:

In a small bowl, whisk all the ingredients together. Add this paste on the chicken. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour. I marinated my chicken overnight so that after being cooked, it is soft and gooey. Preheat the coal for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Brush chicken with oil. Cook it for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear. When Barbecue is ready, serve it with chili garlic sauce and naan.

I hope you like the recipe.

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Recipe- Chicken Bread

Hello lovelies!

Today I will be sharing a quick chicken bread recipe. It is quick and super easy. I tried it 3-4 times and believe me it turned out delicious. The dough was perfectly made and it was soft. Chicken filling was spicy. The filling inside the chicken bread is totally up to you. Many people like to add their own special touch by adding extra spices. Every time I tried it, it turned out to be amazingly delicious.

INGREDIENTS

Dough:

 ½ cup unsalted butter (melted)

2 cups whole milk (warm to the touch)

4 teaspoon granulated sugar

1 pack active dry yeast

5 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2-3 teaspoons salt

Filling ingredients:

1 cup boiled chicken

1 small onion (chopped)

Salt as required

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

2 green chilies (chopped)

2 table spoon capsicum

2 tablespoon butter

Mozzarella and cheddar cheese

Sesame as required

1 egg

PREPARATION

1. Generously grease the oven tray.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together warm milk, melted butter, and granulated sugar. The mixture should be just warm. If it is hotter, allow to cool slightly.

3. Sprinkle the yeast evenly over the warm mixture and let set for 1 minute.

5. Add 4 cups of flour to the milk mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined.

6. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

7. Preheat oven to 180˚C

8. After 1 hour, the dough should have nearly doubled in size. Remove the towel and add an additional ¾ cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Stir well, then turn out onto a well-floured surface.

9. Knead the dough lightly, adding additional flour as necessary, until the dough just loses its stickiness and does not stick to the surface.

10. Once the dough is done, start preparing filling. Saute chopped onion, boiled chicken, capsicum and green chilies in butter, for few minutes. Add salt, black pepper and other species (if you want).

11. Roll out dough, place the filling and make it into a chicken braid. Wash it with egg and sprinkle sesame.

12. Bake it at 180 degree in a pre-heated oven for 15 - 20 minutes until golden.

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Product review- Matcha tea

Hello readers!

I am back after a short break or may be a long one ;). I was busy with my studies and stuff. One of my resolutions of 2018 is to be more active on the blog. Today I will be reviewing Matcha tea.

Match tea is quite different from our ordinary green tea that we consume in Pakistan. Its leaves have different texture. Unlike ordinary tea, leaves come in fine powdered form. When it comes to preparing meals and beverages for your family, one thing should always be a priority i.e. healthy nutrition. Matcha tea has certain health benefits. Having a single cup of Matcha tea in morning will help you to run throughout the day with enthusiasm. Whenever you are feeling low or you are in a bad mood, have a cup of Matcha tea, it will definitely brighten your day. Matcha tea is quite famous these days and a lot of people have made it a part of their daily life.

The best way to describe Matcha tea powder would be to say it’s a great antioxidant and a natural weight loss help, a mood-enhancer and as I found out when I started drinking it, a healthy sugar-free alternative to tea and coffee, as it is a source of much needed energy by the body, without the jitters.

Matcha tea also helps you to lose excess body fats. Make Matcha tea an integral part of your weight loss plan. It is beneficial to have Matcha tea between meals. Sipping Matcha tea with or between your snacks may help keep a check on your appetite while you follow a reduced calorie diet. Sipping Matcha tea will help you fell full hence resulting in less consumption of food. You can also have a cup of Matcha tea 30 minutes before your daily work out session. This will boost your fat burning capacity.

If you want to prepare Matcha tea in the full traditional Japanese style, all you need to do is just add a cup of water to it – it’s pretty straightforward. When it is stirred with water, it turns into this intense, full-flavored green tea.  Of course, not everyone is not fan of rich green tea flavor. I get it. There are some alternative ways of making Matcha tea a part of your daily diet.  You can add it to your cooking and drink-making recipes. It works exceptionally well: when it’s added as an ingredient, Matcha’s taste becomes more subtle.

I found this product quite good and I would like to make it a part of my daily diet in future as well.

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Scrumptious Apple Bread Recipe

Hello everyone!

I hope all of you are doing well in whatever you are doing. I took a short break from writing. I was busy with my work.

Today, I will be sharing the recipe of my favorite ‘Apple Bread’. You must have heard

An apple a day keeps the doctor

I don’t eat apple much. To keep the doctor away, I eat apple bread ;) I love having apple bread in my breakfast with a cup of tea or coffee. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 cups of plain flour

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup oil

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon coco powder

2 pealed apples (cut them in cubes)

1 cup walnuts (small pieces)

Procedure:

First of all you need to preheat the oven at 180^o C. Grease the pan with oil so the batter doesn’t stick to the pan. Whisk the eggs well in a bowl with the electric blender so that they become foamy. Add sugar in eggs and blend them together. Now add oil and blend the three ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, coco powder and cinnamon powder. Add egg mixture in it and mix well. Now add apples and walnuts in it and mix well. Pour the batter in the greased pan and pop it in the oven. Bake it for half an hour. After half an hour check it by inserting a match stick in it. If the stick comes out clean, apple bread is ready but if it does not come out clean bake it for another 5 minutes. Your apple bread is ready. You can have it with coffee or tea. It also tastes yummy with vanilla ice-cream.

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Chicken Barbecue Pizza Recipe

As posted on my instagram, few days back, I baked Chicken barbecue pizza. I was a bit busy back then so I am sharing its recipe now. I have not baked it for the first time so the recipe is quite simple for me but maybe be few of you find it hard. All you need to do is… follow it step by step and be patient.

Doesn't it looks yummy?

Ingredients:

Pizza crust:

4 cups plain flour

1 packet instant dry yeast

2-3 pinches of salt

2 teaspoon sugar

3 table spoon olive oil

Warm water for kneading

1 cup milk

1 egg

Topping:

2 cups diced boneless chicken

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded chedder cheese

Half cup sliced capsicum

Half cup chopped onion

Crushed red chilled (if you like spice)

Almost 1 cup Barbecue sauce

Procedure:

For making pizza dough, mix all the ingredients together and to make a dough. Make sure the dough is not sticky. If it is sticky then you can add more flour. Cover the dough with a piece of cloth and leave it for 2 hours to swell. Roll out the dough and place it on the already greased pan. Make sure it is not too much thick. Preheat oven 180 ºC. Toss the chicken in the pan and cook it with a little bit of salt and black pepper. Add half of barbecue sauce in it. Spread the other half of the sauce on the dough. Now spread chicken on it. Sprinkle it with onion, capsicum, mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Place it in the oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Once the edges are browned to your liking, remove from the oven. Sprinkle crushed red chilies. If you don’t like too much spice, no worries…leave it off!

*Yum, Yum*

Enjoy it while it is HOT!!!! :')

The delicious Cinnamon rolls for your appetite

Hi readers!

I am back with writing. Today, I have a delicious recipe to share with you guys. I am quite passionate about baking. I love to bake when I don’t have anything else to do. I will be sharing the recipe of my favorite cinnamon rolls which I tried almost two weeks ago and they turned perfect.

INGREDIENTS

For Dough you need:

½ cup unsalted butter, melted

2 cups slightly warm whole milk

½ cup granulated sugar

1 pack active dry yeast

5 cups flour, divided 

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

For filling of rolls, you’ll need:

¾ cup butter, softened

¾ cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

FROSTING:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened 

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons whole milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

PREPARATION:

1. First of all, butter two disposable foil pie/cake pans. 

2. In a large bowl, whisk together warm milk, melted butter, and granulated sugar. The mixture should be just warm. If it is hotter, allow to cool slightly. 

3. Sprinkle the yeast evenly over the warm mixture and let it set for 1 minute. 

5. Add 4 cups of all-purpose flour to the milk mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. 

6. Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and set in a warm place to rise for 1 hour. 

7. Preheat oven to 350˚F/180˚C

8. After 1 hour, the dough should have nearly doubled in size. Remove the towel and add an additional ¾ cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Stir well, then turn out onto a well-floured surface. 

9. Knead the dough lightly, adding additional flour as necessary, until the dough just loses its stickiness and does not stick to the surface. 

10. Roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about ½-inch thick. Fix corners to make sure they are sharp and even. 

11. Spread the softened butter evenly over the dough. 

12. Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon. Press the mixture into the butter.

13. Roll up the dough, forming a log, and pinch the seam closed. Place seam-side down. Trim off any unevenness on either end. 

14. Cut the log in half, then divide each half into 7 evenly sized pieces (about 1½ inches thick each). 

15. Place 7 cinnamon rolls in each cake pan, one in the center, six around the sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm place to rise for 30 minutes. 

16. Remove plastic wrap. Bake the cinnamon rolls in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. 

17. While the cinnamon rolls are baking, prepare the frosting. In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese, butter, vanilla, whole milk, and powdered sugar, until smooth.

18. Remove the cinnamon buns from the oven. While still warm, drizzle evenly with frosting.

 After 20 minutes, cinnamon rolls turned out like this. 

    

*drum roll*

Final look.J

They are ready to be served! Yayy! 🙋

Enjoy the scrumptious cinnamon rolls and do let me know how they turned out. 



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