Random Home Haul

The thing with buying stuff for your home is that it is ENDLESS! You can never have enough, things will inevitably go bad, need constant replacement and there will always be some crazy deal to lure you in ;) I thought of sharing with you some stuff that we have purchased recently.

These baskets are from Tiger and they are  really cute, inexpensive and ideal for stacking onions, potatoes, avocados, sweet potatoes etc. I think they were priced at £2 each.

Tiger

We picked up this Russell & Hobbs toaster  and a (sort of) matching kettle from Currys & PC World during January sales. They came at a delightful price point of £20 each.

Futura Toaster by Russell & Hobbs

Black Heritage Kettle by Russell & Hobbs

If you live in the UK, you will relate to the insanely ridiculous amount of pennies one ends up collecting on a daily basis. This cute piggy bank from Evolution was for £1.50 during sales and is the perfect not-too-big-not-too-small size to chuck in lose change.

Evolution Stores

Can you tell that I have been obsessed with mugs lately? 

First of all my "stretchy- kitty" mugs from Tiger- love at first sight and priced at £2 each, they are a definite bargain!

Tiger

I also picked these enamel mugs from Evolution Stores priced at £2.50 each. I think they are really trendy at the moment. The only downside is that you cannot put them in the microwave.

And I finally picked a classic design! This gorgeous pair is from Grace's Teaware (bought at TK Maxx) for a silly £2 each!

Tkmaxx

Happy home styling xo 

Little Black Primer Starring Kendall Jenner

Kendall Jenner made her debut for the American beauty giant Estee Lauder with the launch of their Little Black Primer.

Jenner stars in a black and white video featuring the new mascara which also acts as a subtle lash tint and a water-resistant topcoat. Use it as is for tinting your lashes, or as primer to boost or as a topcoat! Sounds promising doesn't it?

Priced at £20, the Little Black Primer will be available nationwide from March 2015, and will be previewing exclusively at Boots nationwide from 21 January.

Image- Estee Lauder 

Aashni + Co Wedding Show

If you are in the UK and planning a desi wedding, all roads lead to the Aashni + Co Wedding show in association with Zouch & Lamare on Sunday, 25th January 2015.

Not only do you get to see beautiful & rather opulent designs by some of the most sought after names in the world of Indian bridal couture but also a chance to meet a few designers in person.

The list of participating designers includes Anamika Khanna, Anushree Reddy, Arpita Mehta, Ashima-Leena, Elisha W, Jaipur Gems, Kotwara by Meera and Mufazzar Ali, Manish Malhotra, Monisha Thahryamal, Nikasha, Pallavi Jaikishan, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rimple and Harpreet Narula, Sabyasachi, Shehlaa, Sonali Gupta and Varun Bahl. 

What: Aashni + Co Wedding Show 

Where: Ballroom Suite, The Dorchester, 53 Park Lane, Mayfair, London W1K 1QA 

When: Sunday, 25^th January 2015

Single Ticket: £30 

Timings: 11 am to 6 pm

http://aashniandco.com

Contact Number: +44 207 985 0155

Happy shopping everyone :)

Chiken Fajitas

You may ask what is so special about fajitas! Nothing really besides being simple, easy to cook and bloody delicious. First of all, this is inspired by Jamie Oliver's chicken fajita recipe and I absolutely love him. Secondly, the hero of this dish if I may say so is the fresh salsa and guacamole! It takes your average chicken fajita to next level awesome :)

Ingredients

500 grams boneless chicken
1 red and 1 yellow pepper
1 medium sized red Onion
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Cumin seeds
1/2 tsp chilli flakes
2 tbsp smoked paprika
Salt & pepper to taste
A glug of olive oil
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
8 Tortilla wraps
Yogurt instead of sour cream
Grated cheddar to top it up

Salsa
2 Tomatoes (diced into tiny pieces)
1 Onion (diced into tiny pieces)
1mild or medium chilli (de-seeded & chopped)
A big handful of chopped coriander
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper & paprika
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tsp Ketchup

Guacamole
1 ripe avocado (sliced, peeled and cut into small pieces)
1 tomato (diced into tiny pieces)
Half an onion (diced into tiny pieces)
Handful of chopped coriander
1 tsp lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt, pepper & paprika to season

In a baking tray, cut chicken into even bite-size pieces and throw in sliced peppers, onions wedges and a few coriander leaves. Add ground cumin, cumin seeds, smoked paprika, paprika, chilli flakes, lemon juice and olive oil. Massage the chicken pieces thoroughly and make sure everything is mixed and spread evenly.

Grill the chicken & vegetables in the oven at 200 degrees Celsius. This will take approximately 30 minutes to cook.

In the meantime, get your salsa and guacamole by combining & mixing in all the ingredients together in two separate bowls.

Lay out each component separately so everyone can assemble their own fajita!

Let the fun begin ;)

David Beckham For H&M Spring/Summer 2015

Modern essentials selected by Mr. Beckham! Oh yes!


H&M's spring/summer 2015 lines up pieces curated by Beckham and also more David Beckham Body-wear. Thank God H&M released this campaign, perfect remedy to get over Justin Bieber's Calvin Klein ad.


Take a look! Enjoy ;)

Images- H&M

Crazy January Sales In England

I spent last two weeks shopping here in England and thought to myself today - I have just about enough  items to make a blog post out of... Crazy Bargain Alert btw!

Moschino @ TK Maxx

MO 681 sunglasses in blue priced at £131 reduced to £25 

New Look
Real leather ankle boots priced at £60 reduced to £20

Nike Factory Outlet
Nike Zoom Structure Triax, Structure 15 Fly Wire Trainers priced at £70 reduced to £43

Kurt Geiger at TK Maxx

Araminta Lock Bag in tan priced at £69 reduced to £20 

Dune at TK Maxx 

Winged Tote bag in navy originally priced at £65 reduced to £35

Happy styling xo

Salmon, Avocado & Cucumber Salad

Salmon, Avocado & Cucumber Salad
(From www.bbcgoodfood.com)

Ingredients (For a single portion)

For the salad
1 salmon fillet
Olive Oil
A handful of mixed salad leaves such as rocket, watercress, baby spinach, chard etc
Mint leaves
Half or 1 small cucumber
1 Avocado

For the dressing
Juice and zest of half a lemon
1 tsp honey
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
A few chopped mint leaves
Salt & pepper as per taste

Massage the salmon fillet with olive oil, salt & pepper and squeeze some lemon juice on it. Put it away to grill in a preheated oven at 200 degrees celsius, skin side up. Grill for approximately 4 minutes on each side.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients in a jar and giving it a good shake.

Slice & peel the avocado. Place leaves in a salad bowl and throw in the cucumber (cut into wedges or diced or grated). Top it with avocado pieces and the salmon fillet. Finally dress your salad.

Enjoy!

The IML Jeans Co. Experience

Out of all the clothing pieces, the most difficult one to pick (for me personally) has been denims; something that I find myself wearing at least 50% of the time if not more.

Thanks to my inverted triangle body shape (aka broad shoulders & narrow hips), I have in the past always felt jeans slipping away from my waist. And, most also felt a bit uncomfortable on the stomach. (TMI! I know!!)

Also, trying on 4-5 pairs at a busy store can prove to be a hugely stressful task. On many previous occasions, I‘ve left the mall panicking at the thought of never-ending queues. Or made the mistake of picking up something I thought would look nice on me; but when I got home and tried it on, was a complete & utter DISASTER. We’ve all been there! Haven’t we?

So when I discovered IML Jeans Co. it was obvious why I was jumping for joy! IML (It's My Life) offers bespoke denim services and custom makes them after taking not just 4 or 5 but 13 measurements!

IML stylists organise a measurement / trial session at the comfort of your home or at any location of convenience. You get to choose the fabric, hardware, thread colour and can also opt to put your initials on the front or back pockets. And the waist is labeled with your name!! Seriously, how cool is that!?

My goto pair is a dark washed medium to high-rise skinny leg fit! That is exactly what I opted for at IML. The fabric is extremely soft and stretchy and you know it is great quality as soon as you touch and feel it.

If you too are struggling to find good quality jeans, you must give IML a go. Not only do you get yourself a customised pair that fits like a dream, but also excellent service.

www.imljeans.com

Happy styling xo

Quinoa Beetroot & Kale Salad

Ingredients

For the salad:
1 cup white quinoa
A handful of curly kale
250 grams of carrots
250 grams of beet root
50 grams of feta cheese
Pine nuts

For the dressing, throw the following into an empty jar-
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste
2 tbsp left over juice from beetroot

Close the lid and give it a good old shake! And your dressing is ready.

Cook the beetroot by boiling and just as it goes tender chuck it in a baking tray along with carrots (sliced & diced) with some olive oil and let the vegetables roast for about 30 minutes at 200 degrees celsius.

Meanwhile clean the quinoa under a running tap thoroughly and then slow cook it on the hob for about 20 minutes till it gets fluffy and tender. For 1 cup of quinoa use 2 cups or slightly more water.

5 minutes before quinoa absorbs all the water add in kale as well. Let the quinoa & kale rest for a few minutes covering the pot with a lid.

Lightly toast a handful of pine nuts.

And now its just an assembly job! Throw in the quinoa and kale in a salad bowl. Add carrots, beetroot, pine nuts and then the dressing. Mix it well with salad tongs and you will see the quinoa turn into a beautiful beetroot ish  shade. Finally, crumble feta cheese on top!

The salad tastes great even without feta, so all the healthy ones can skip it if they want to ;) Let us know if you get to try this recipe and if you enjoyed it.

xx