Naz Lifestyle Diaries

Yes finally the holy month of ramadan is well on the way. It is winter in Mauritius, thus shorter days and the time passing quickly. It is getting colder and colder as the days are going by. For the first time the temperature has dropped this much and on some days it is very windy and it becomes unbearable. Alhamdoulillah  it was a very quick ramadan , with the winter days being shorter and thus passing by quickly . I started writing this post in ramadan but unfortunately I could not finish it for some reasons or the other . So here I am continuing with it as I do not have the heart of  deleting these very little lines as every  words or phrase are written with very much efforts . And the time I spend writing these, counts.  Well as you all know time is precious to every one . You probably know the saying " time melts like ice" . You won't get it back. Well my intention was to posts some iftari snacks recipes I made in the holy month of ramadan and look, now I have ...

So when thinking about fish it is always the same old boring recipe of fish curry isn't it . And when it is so hot hot hot !!! we have to think further to accommodate our taste so that we can enjoy a meal. This is where we could be stuck in a dilemna which would never end . Having visualized all the possible options in my mind , ultimately I do not have the choice but to pick one recipe. It is saturday and dinner at my home is kept simple like pasta, rice casserole, kentucky ( of course homemade ) etc. Hmmmm fish cordon bleu comes to my mind and I instantly decided to make this sophisticated and delicious fish parcel. Let's get started without hesitation. INGREDIENTS: 6 fish fillets (thin) Some thin tomato slices Some cheese slices Few Tbsp flour 2 eggs beaten Breadcrumbs Salt , pepper, red chilli powder 1 tsp garlic paste METHOD: Season the fillets with salt, pepper, chilli powder and garlic paste. Place fillets flat on a board, put one tomato slice and one  ...

As promised, I am going to give you instructions about how to make the pattern of the A line dress today. So I hope you are all hooked to learn a little about sewing and pattern making today. If you have a little notion about sewing it will be easier but do not worry if  it is your first attempt, it will not be difficult as well. So let us take some measurements. I am giving you these measurements as an example. You take your own measurments and it is in centimeters . 1.Shoulder length _  38/2  = 19 2.Waist length      _  38 3.Around the waist _  70/4=17.4 +1.5 ease allowance=18.9 4.Bust                     _   79/4=19.7+1.5 ease allowance=21.2 5.Hips length          _  15(adolescent)  Adult= 18  It is standard size 6.Around the hips   _  96/4=24+1.5 ease allowance=25.5 7.Sleeve length          _  ...

On Tuesday  we decided to do our shopping at Supper U in the nearby city. All the household tasks were quickly executed and we headed towards our destination. After a quick round through the shops in the mall we did our shopping in the supermarket. It is always a pleasure to shop for groceries in hypermarkets as there are varieties of articles , clothes, food etc.  In the refrigerated area after buying meat and fish , I saw paneer ( cottage cheese ), in blocks and in cubes. I could not resist, so I took one block. The day after was market day, and I went to buy vegetables. When I saw spinach, I immediately decided to make paalak paneer for dinner. So I bought two bunches. I made naan and  a mixed vegetables curry and I made pickle with green chillies and tamarind. I thought I would make a vegetarian menu as I am fed up  of  the  same dish with chicken etc. Paalak paneer Ingredients: 200 gm paneer(cottage cheese), cubed 1 bunch spinach 1 onion choppe...

So let us just take a break from food and talk about fashion. Yes, cooking and sewing are my upmost hobbies. As well as I like to cook succulent dishes,desserts, baking all sorts of cakes, cookies etc, my interest in sewing clothes is likewise. My interest in sewing started well back to my childhood days when I was in the primary school. Once a week we had sewing and embroidery classes at school. We learned to make embroidery on napkin, then in upper classes we would make underskirt, nighty and stitching it by hand. I  remember it was a strap nighty in a red with white tiny dots fabric. I then transformed the nighty into a dress by adding sleeves to it !!! Do not ask me how, I do not remember.  I used to wear that dress when going to tuition on Saturdays.  During school holidays my mother encouraged me to take embroidery and sewing classes. I would also learn to do crochet on my own, making table placemats, caps etc. I would also do embroidery projects ,such as placemats...

Sunday is time for celebration as everybody is at home.Getting up late and for breakfast having hot tea with bread and 'gateau piment'(fritters made with yellow peas), 'gateau pomme de terre'(potato fritters), samoosas and many other mauritian snacks.They are normally bought but sometimes I do make them at home, yes of course if I am in the mood of making them! And on rare occasions we have pancakes with jam etc. Reading our favourite newspaper, listening to the radio and dragging the breakfast time, and being lazy....This is how it is every Sunday morning in my home.All this while I would be pondering over what to cook for lunch.Sunday meal  is always an elaborate one with the rich and delicious dishes I make to please everybody. Fortunately this Sunday the task was easy as it was unanimously decided by everybody that I prepare Bryani!....Hmmm. Bryani is the most delectable and popular dish in Mauritius.It is  a family dish and is served on almost every special occasio...