~Oh Sweet, Sweet Atlanta~

Never mix business with pleasure. My first trip out to Atlanta was early last year and it was all business. I attended this week long Pharmaceutical conference with some colleagues where we showcased our products. It was very busy considering all the work we did in a short amount of time (booth setup, product discussions, and then packed up). We did some sightseeing whenever possible...I did most of mine the last day just before departure.
Last week I was back in Atlanta and this time it was all for pleasure and really enjoyed myself. I attended my friend's wedding and caught up on old times. There was dancing, singing and of course lots of eating. It was truly a memorable experience and much much more. After the wedding, I visited an old family friend and the eating continued through the weekend.
My friend is a busy mom who loves to cook and try new recipes. We have so much in common when it comes to cooking. We both love to experiment with recipes to create our own flavor combinations.  During my visit, she made a couple of yummy desserts. Fun for kids of all ages including me (I'm the biggest kid of all). One of the desserts was Kulfi - rich Indian ice cream. As my friend started prepping, I grabbed my camera and started snapping away.

Mango and Pistachio Kulfi

It didn't take long for the ice cream to start melting with the Hot Atlanta weather. So of course, I grabbed a spoon and got busy eating. I loved the addition of crushed pistachios and cardamom used for flavor enhancement. They complemented each other very well. This is a great dessert to serve for your summer parties and soirees.

Ingredients:

• 8 to 12 oz Kraft Low Fat Cool Whip
• Half Can Mango Pulp, (Can Size: 1lb 14oz)
• 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk - (Size: 14oz can)
• 1 can Evaporated Milk, (Can Size: 12oz can)
• ½ cup Pistachios, powdered
• 3 Cardamom Pods, seeded and powdered (optional)

Procedure:

Whisk the following ingredients together: cool whip, mango pulp, sweetened condensed milk, and evaporated milk. Slowly add powdered pistachios, cardamom and mix well. Then pour the liquid into desired molds or medium to large glass casserole dish and place on a stable shelf in the freezer for at least 6 hours. (Hint: For best results, keep overnight and serve the next day.)

While we waited for the kulfi to set, we gathered ingredients for the next dessert called Cracker Candy. Any guesses as to what this dessert may be or look like?

 

***Quick Tip:  Other delicious flavors to try are pistachio, saffron, and rose.

MTR's Diet Delite Spiced Cereals With Vegetables

Sometimes it's tough to eat a well balanced meal when you're too busy working and catching up with life. That's why it's nice to have "Ready To Eat" entrees handy. You just heat them up and enjoy. Which leaves more time for other stuff like RELAXATION. These days it's easy to find these types of meals; they're available everywhere. They're becoming quite popular even in India where now lots of people are turning to Quick and Easy products to make cooking easier and faster. There's also a variety of brands to choose from at our local Indian store: Deep Foods, Tandoor Chef, MTR, Gits, Rasoi Magic and etc. Some are tasty and some are just BLAH!
The last time we went grocery shopping, we picked up some. One of them was MTR's Diet Delite: Spiced Cereals with Vegetables.

Here's why we were drawn to this product:
- Whole wheat and lentils cooked with aromatic spices
- Low on fat, high on fiber and taste
- Made with 100% Natural Ingredients
- Suitable for vegetarians and mildly spicy

Everything stated above was clearly a win-win for us and so we bought it. I was delighted to see some of my favorite Indian dishes made even easier to eat since all you have to do is heat it up. I was excited to try a different kind of Pongal.

This does not look like the picture on box.

All my excitement went down the drain when I emptied the contents into a microwaveable bowl and heated it up. It was just a bowl of mush with some signs of vegetables and spices. It wasn't very aromatic and it surely wasn't tasty. We ended up cooking something to make up for the bad taste in our mouths.

We do not recommend buying this product. It's not worth it.

As the famous proverb goes: There are plenty of other "Ready To Eat" vegetarian meals on the market and we're sure we will find them.