Sweet Recipes

Besan ke ladoo

Ingredients
½ cup ghee
2 cups of besan
1 cup powdered sugar 
1/4 cup chopped almonds & raisins 
1/2 tsp powdered cardamom

Method
1) Keep the kadhai on low heat.
2) Mix the besan and ghee in the kadhai and stir constantly to avoid lumps. 
3) Once slightly brown, allow to cool. 
4) Add cardamom and sugar and mix thoroughly. 
5) Make small balls of the mixture and serve.

Gujiya

Ingredients
Ghee or oil to fry 

For the Cover 
500 gms maida 
6 tbsp oil / ghee 

For the Filling  
500-600 gms khoya 
1/2 tsp green cardamom powder 
25 gms chopped almonds 
25 gms raisins 
25 gms dried coconut (grated) 
350 gms powdered sugar to taste 

Method
1) Mix maida with the 6 tablespoons of oil to make a soft but tight dough. Cover with damp cloth.
2) Take khoya in a frying pan and roast it till light brown in colour. Let it cool and add dry fruits, coconut, sugar and cardamom powder. Fry for two minutes and remove from the heat. Allow it to cool.
3) Divide the dough into small balls and roll each ball into a small flat round.
4) Take the khoya mixture and put it in the rounds and seal them using some extra dough. Make sure the filling doesn't ooze out.
5) Heat ghee in a kadhai and deep fry the gujiyas on a medium flame. Fry till golden brown in colour; then drain and remove. Store in an airtight container.
 
Shakkar para

Ingredients
1 cup  maida
1/4 cup fine sooji 
2 tblsp oil 
1/2 cup water 

For syrup
3/4 cup sugar 
1/2 cup water 
1/2 tsp coarsely grounded cardamom 
3 tbsp coconut powder 

Method
For the syrup
Put the water and sugar in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue stirring. Heat the syrup till its about half thread consistency. Add cardamom to the syrup and mix it well.

For the paras
1) Take maida, sooji and oil and make a stiff dough adding water slowly as needed. Cover the dough and keep aside for 15 minutes or more. 
2) Make a big chapatti of the dough and prick it with a knife or fork so that they don't puff while frying.
3) Cut the dough into several small one-inch squares (paras). 
4) Heat oil in a kadhai and fry the paras till golden brown in colour. Allow them to come to room temperature and make sure they are crisp.
5) Put all the paras into the syrup and mix but make sure all of them are coated with syrup. 

Monthal
 
Ingredients
2 cups besan (coarse) 
1 cup ghee
1½ cup sugar
100gm mawa/khoya
Elaichi powder 
Chopped almonds & pistas
 
Method
1) Fry the besan in ghee till it turns dark brown. Take it off the flame and mix in the mawa/khoya.
2) Melt the sugar in water to make a thick syrup. To check consistency, stretch a drop to 1.5 strings between your thumb and forefinger. 
3) Mix the sugar syrup with the cooked besan (make sure only one of the two mixtures is hot) and cardamom powder; set in a decorative plate to cool.
4) Once the mixture has set, garnish with almond and pista and cut into bite-size squares.

Badam ka halwa

Ingredients
1 cup of wheat flour 
1½ cup of blanched almonds 
1 tsp cardamom powder 
¼ tsp crushed kesar 
1 tbsp of warm milk 
8 to 10 blanched almonds finely chopped in to slivers 
1¼ cup of ghee 
3 cup of water 
1 cup of sugar 

Method
1) Take the kesar and dissolve in warm milk. Keep it aside. 
2) Dry and powder the blanched almonds. Keep aside 10 almonds for garnishing.
3) Melt ghee in a pan and add some flour to it. Stir and fry mixture for a couple of minutes. Then add almond powder to the mixture and stir again. Fry the mixture till it becomes golden brown and you can smell the aroma.
4) Stir the mixture continuously. Add some water and again stir. Add some sugar too. When the ghee froths, add cardamom and kesar to the mixture and stir.
5) Serve with garnishing of chopped almonds.



Article and Image Source: Idiva 

Glowing Skin

Get Glowing Skin this Diwali

You don't want your lovingly hand-painted diyas to outshine you at this year's family Diwali party. You'd rather everyone compliment your rosy glowing complexion than your artfully designed rangoli. That's why you're going to follow our 'Get Glowing Skin this Diwali' plan faithfully, without procrastinating.
 
So here's what to do:
 Do it at home
 
If you're the domestic goddess or have a pampering mother who will happily whip up some home-made face packs, try these natural skincare treatments for a natural, healthy glow. 
 
a)      To cleanse your skin daily mix oats and milk or curd (dahi) into a paste. Leave on for 10 minutes. Then wash and pat your skin dry.
b)      For dry skin mix almond powder with milk/curd, honey and glycerin. Almond and honey are excellent moisturisers.
c)      Take advantage of seasonal fruits. Mix a segment with mashed a couple of strawberries; oranges are mild bleaching agents and will help with skin pigmentation problems, the strawberries help control oiliness.  
 
Naturopath Roopa Shetty, from Nirmal Herbal Spa in Mumbai, says these natural face packs can, and should, be applied everyday. "Leave them on for 10 minutes and then wash. Also, don't miss out on the moisturising benefits of seasonal fruits. So eat your strawberries and drink your awla juice," she says.
 
Quick tip: Most of us want to know how to deal with open pores. The downside is, the problem can't be reversed, but you can shrink them. Apply a mixture of egg white and honey, again for 10 minutes, to tighten pores. This also helps remove fine hair on the face.
 Get professional pampering
 
Corporate goddesses, with either little time or little inclination for DIY facials, can rescue themselves in the pampering environs of a spa. 
 
Most spas are getting into the festive spirit with therapies featuring 24 carat gold dust and natural ingredients like milk, lemon, chocolate or rose. Experts suggest booking a treatment at least 15 days before D-Day so you can benefit from your glow-enhancing facials. 
 
Dr Shobha Sehgal, head Beauty Vertical, Indian subcontinent and business head day spa at VLCC, says the glow from treatments such as their brightening/softening milk-based Party Peel last up to 15-20 days. 
 
Of course, you have to work to maintain this glow. Dr Sehgal adds, "Home care is necessary after any treatment. Use sunscreen and cleanse and moisturise your skin maintain the effect of the treatment for a longer time."

Make-up essentials
 
If you have time for neither, fall back on trusty make-up kit. Since we're talking festive, pick eyeshadows, blush and gloss with golden brown tones, they'll give you a happy glow. 
 
For your cheeks: Add a rosy-gold blush with Bourjois Blush Ouvert (N°16 Rose). To highlight your cheekbones, sweep the powder from apples of your cheeks upward.
 
For your eyes: Highlight your eyes with MAC's Making It Easy (Satin red brown/Pearly beige rose/ Satin dark beige) eye shadow, rim the eyes with Yves Saint Laurent chocolate brown pencil liner.
 
For your lips: M.A.C's Disco Blen superglass gloss, with its triple dazzle, helicone pearls will do the trick for instant kissable lips.

Image and Article Source: Idiva

Anti Aging

Anti Aging Natural Facial

When it comes to anti aging, natural and ancient methods are sometimes the best and least expensive route. Skin care experts state there are visible benefits from raw egg yolk when used in an anti aging natural facial. While many other ingredients are helpful, one expert even stated that there's nothing else in the world that restores the skin like egg yolk. And the Romans believed in eternal youth possibly more than any culture, and were heavy believers in olive oil, while the honey from long ago had great anti aging natural skin healing abilities.

Some people see immediate results, and there seems to be great potential with this facial over time. For best results many suggest organic, free-range or "pastured" eggs, olive oil sold in dark bottles, and raw, wild honey has more healing powers similar to "ancient" honey than dead commercial honey. Here's the anti aging natural facial directions:

1) Beat the egg yolk.

2) Add one teaspoon of olive oil and mix together well.

3) Heat a metal spoon (holding it under hot water works well). You want something warm to help the honey melt and mix in, but not something so hot you end up with a fried egg anti aging facial!

4) Use the hot spoon to mix in the teaspoon of honey. Your anti aging natural facial is complete.

5) Apply your anti aging natural facial to clean skin for 20 minutes, then rinse.

Article from: Ehow