The Ants Cafe ~ Breakfast with Sanjeev

On my trip to Bangalore, met up with some very old friends..... That's Sanjeev who I met at my early days at Infoedge ~ naukri.com. He's one of the most talented Graphic Designers I know. Check out this work at designjaunt.com
We use to have loads of fun together in office. My first offsite at Infoedge was a trip to Dakpathar with this gang of guys and girls. It was one of the most memorable trips of my life.
Sanjeev's a very outdoor person, who has a passion for riding bikes and exploring new places. His biking club is called 60kph

His other constant love in life is Sassy....

We went to The Ants Cafe in Indiranagar. It's sweet little cafe on the terrace of a store selling things from Nagaland. Sanjeev ordered the Veg breakfast, which had exotic mushrooms, baked beans and grilled tomatoes.

I ordered the Chicken extravaganza omelet, which had Chicken sausage, Chicken salami, , Corn jalapeno, , Olives and Cheeeeeessssseeeeee...... Both our meals were extremely nice and we had a great time chatting up.

Colourful Healthy Eggy Easter

The glass painting in the picture is done by my sister when we were kids... This is to say... Sister... you're missed.... Come back for your birthday... May's Daring Baker will be for you :) Back to Easter...
Last year for Easter I had made Bunny shaped cookies for the kids and Zesty Orange Chocolate Brownies for the adults. Having breakfast with friends makes the weekend a much nicer weekend..... Making a healthy and colourful breakfast for Easter this time.... Crunchy Muesli and Soft Boiled Eggs coloured with Vegetable Dyes...

Isn't my little peep so sweet :)

Crunchy Muesli

Muesli made with Whole Wheat n Corn Flakes, Honey, Almonds and Raisins are perfect for a healthy easter breakfast. Toss the ingredients with a small spoon of butter(I'd prefer Olive Oil), Salt and some honey. Bake in a tray lined with parchment paper for about 45 minutes, stirring with a spoon a few times to ensure that the Muesli cooks evenly. Let it cool, Store in an air tight jar.

I saw this Video Podcast on Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs by Curbly.com and just had to make these coloured eggs....

Materials

• Free-range eggs

• Alum powder (available at the supermarket in the spice aisle)

• White Vinegar

• Vegetables and spices, see step one

• Cooktop

• Saucepan

• Measuring spoons

• Wooden spoon and slotted spoon

• Vegetable oil, wax, electrical tape, leaves, stickers, etc (optional)

Method:

1). Choose which colors you’d like to dye your eggs.

• For blue, use red cabbage

• For red, try whole beets (not canned), cherries, or cranberries

• For light green, use spinach or fresh green herbs

• For tan, brew some strong coffee, tea, or a handful of cumin seeds

• For yellow, try turmeric (a spice) and yellow onion skins

• For olive green, use red onion skins (the color is produced by a reaction with the vinegar)

• For purple, grape juice or frozen blueberries

2). For each color, fill a saucepan with at least three inches of water. Add in your vegetables or spices. It’ll take a lot…around two cups, packed. (I used 2 table spoons for 1 egg)

3). Bring the water to a boil, and add two teaspoons of alum powder – UNLESS you’re using onion skins, as it creates a funky reaction.

4.) Boil for thirty minutes.

5). Remove the pan from heat and allow it to cool slightly. You don’t want to add the eggs to boiling water, because the shells will likely crack.

6). Return to heat, and stir in two tablespoons of white vinegar. Add the eggs, and bring the mixture back to a full boil. Reduce the heat slightly, and cook for 10-12 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, and let the eggs cool in the dye.

7). Remove the eggs from the dye. If you’re satisfied with the color, then allow them to dry. For deeper, richer colors, strain the liquid, and allow the egg to continue to soak for up to eight hours. (Any longer, and the vinegar will start to disintegrate the shell.) If you plan to eat the eggs, put them into the refrigerator.

Using 1 of the eggs I drew a few flowers on 1 of them with a mini candle(the only form of wax I could find at 2am at night) to see if the wax design works... Well it does... So go ahead experiment with your creativity :)

A walk in Nature's lap n a Friend's Company over awesome Breakfast..... Can you ask for more?

Waking up to a rainy morning in spring after a dry n hot spell was just so refreshing...... A friend n I decided to go for a walk in the morning followed by breakfast at one of my favourite places...
Nehru park is an amazing stretch of green near Chanakyapuri. It's a place where a lot of my childhood has been spent..... We use to come here almost every Sunday to play, practice n picnic with family n friends..... Cut back to present:) The blooms here are extremely colourful and vibrant, everyone comes here for different activities.... Walking, Yoga, Jogging, Playing, Practicing sports and loads of other stuff.....


My dadaji(granddad) and aunt also go to the park everyday regularly.... They have their own set of park-friends and dadaji even has a party with eats from Chandni Chowk..... Dadaji was surprised to see my friend n me at the park so early in the morning......

We started walking, I was painfully slow due to my injured foot but the weather, people n fab surrounding n my friend had me going :) A lady was meditating between the tall trees.... Her face looked so calm n serene.... Didn't want to disturb her.... took a long shot from far, between the tall trees... The kids were having a blast, play cricket on simultaneous pitches n enjoying themselves....

The only thing which really irks me all this beauty is the litter..... This mentality just beats me... If we won't litter in our houses, then why litter in public places.....

Moving on we go for breakfast .... So you have till the end of this post to figure out where we went.... Do leave your comments on where you initially thought we went.
Is breakfast complete without Milk n Coffee... nah...

My friend's healthy breakfast......

My spread.... pork Sausages, fried Tomato with cheese, scrambled Eggs, multi-grain Pancakes, with a side of Bacon strips.....The weather and company made up for the lack of alcohol.... They just wouldn't serve before 11am....

So let's finish the suspense n tell you where we had gone unless you've figured out all ready.... Had gone to All American Diner at India habitat Center for Breakfast... n now you also know why we were looking for alcohol... I love the Margarita's they make here... Ok back to breakfast.... We met these gentlemen there enjoying their breakfast...

These pinwheel shaped pink-n-white flowers at the Habitat Centre held my fancy for a bit... Haven't seen them before n didn't even know their name.... A google search later I found that they are called 'The Phlox Peppermint Twist'....

Love this shot at Shanti Path..... need I say more... :)

A morning really well spent....... :)

So did you figure out where we went...... or did the picture reveal it?

Eggs in a Basket ~ For a Chick With Outlook

I love making eggs for breakfast in different forms... When I saw 'Carmen Cooks' post of 'Baked Bacon and Egg Bread Cups' on foodgawker.com, I just knew I had to.....


Since my home is vegetarian with the exception of eggs.... using bacon was out of question... yet I used lots of cheese, herbs and paprika to flavor the basket.

This mug was given to me by 'Daisy'.... Still a part of my prize possessions... :-)

Served with black coffee... mom n I enjoyed the lovely basket, warm out of the oven...