Silk and Prints

So it turns out that I have been avoiding my beloved blog lately out of sheer laziness (and the busy schedule at work). Even today, I have nothing much to say! Thought of quickly publishing this post since it's been more than 5 days since my last post. Wore these lovely silk pants on Sunday and just could not get enough of it. They are so easy going and so comfortable, I must say, I am going to hunt down many more silk babies like these!
Hope you all are quite ready for the weekend and yes, I have so much to share with you all, but let's keep it for the next post!
Till then, have fun fellows :)

Cheers
Ritika

T-Shirt: Gap (similar here)
Silk Printed Pants: Forever 21 (similar here)
Shoes: Forever 21 (similar here)
Sunglasses: Oakley (similar here)
Clutch: Target
Watch: Michael Kors

Lines to talk about

For me, living in a different country is a different experience in itself. I love being here but you if you ask me whether I like my home country more or the current country I am living in, I may not be able to give an absolute answer to it. There is so much here that I learn every day - at workplace, in restaurants, while shopping! I keep meeting new people – the shopkeepers, the waiters, my colleagues and I see so much of uniqueness in all the cultures. There are so many people and there is so much to learn about them. The more I ask, the more I learn.

 Wherever I go, be it my hair salon, my favorite shopping mall, the grocery store, a thrift shop, or my yoga studio, I meet so many different people, from different background, from different upbringing, from different societies. I observe them, their gestures, their traits, their style, the way they speak, laugh and live! Sometimes I talk to them, to satisfy my curious inner-self, to learn more about their culture. Some are shy, some are reserved, some are outspoken, different people and different personalities is what I say. No two people are same.

 I love being here, there are so things which were new to me, which I learnt only once I dared to give it a try and there are hundreds of other things which I still need to explore. I may be slow, but I am on my way..
I love this country for sure, but all of this does not make me love India any less. I love my home country in a different way. Our culture is so rich and so strong, we have a huge history to back it up! We have so many stories to tell. The incredibility of India lies in its secularism. You meet all kind of people living in harmony at one place. India itself is a hub of so many cultures and religious-beliefs, not only that the people in my country are beautiful, we are sensitive and emotional people. We keep emotions and feelings above everything. We listen to our heart. I miss being there as much as I love being here. Only if I can be at two different places.

 And the most I miss is my family and my close friends. But in life, we all have to keep moving, we just can't pause our beautiful moments, can we? With this thought, I keep moving, I believe in loving what you do and enjoying where you are. This will make your life happy and content. Yes, that is how I describe my current state of mind – ‘Happy and Content’

On my outfit - 
I was having a bad hair day and this hat saved me perfectly for this movie and dinner date. And guess what? 3 different, beautiful ladies complimented me for this hat! Thank you again!

I chose a light dress since, it's getting hot here, day by day. Love this dress which happens to be a recent purchase from Gap and couldn't wait more to wear it. If you follow me on Instagram, you would know I bought these shoes online recently and they seemed perfect for this outfit, since they give the perfect pop of color to the otherwise muted tones. I also color coordinated my bag and watch, for fun! You like?

Cheers
Ritika

Dress: Gap (similar here)
Hat: H&M (similar here and here)
Shoes: My Hot Shoes
Bag: Forever 21
Watch: Fossil
Necklace: Claire's (similar here)

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My Cooking Story and Cupcakes

Cooking gives me some kind of inner satisfaction. Especially, when I cook and the outcome is finger-licking, I cannot describe that winning feeling in words. I never knew I could be that good at it. It all started about 4 years ago, when I moved to New Delhi and started living on my own. Initially I used to rely on the local food joints or what they in India as dhaba’s, but very soon I was done with it. The grumpy feeling after eating outside food made me feel guilty. Not only guilty, I felt like I am cheating on my body, which is not a wise thing to do, trust me.

Then I decided to start cooking, as it was the need of the hour. I still remember very clearly how I used to call my mother and take instructions step by step and execute them while she was still on phone. This is how I leant. It used to be a boring task then, since I did know nothing about the meaning of spices, flavor, condiments, texture etc. But slowly and gradually I started to enjoy it, my hunger to learn more made me do a lot of research - online and offline. I used to watch cookery shows on TV and YouTube videos for hours on weekends, just to understand how the chef is doing it or why did he do it this way and not the other.

Definitely, this helped me a lot. I started to enjoy cooking and did not hesitate in experimenting. Now, I did not need to write down all the recipes and measurements for a specific recipe. If I knew the ingredients, I could cook it very well adding my personal touch to it. I was pretty much enjoying my cooking sessions once in a while on weekends.

Then, things changed drastically once I moved to U.S. I was a full time housewife now. No office, no outside work. I started experimenting with different kinds of cuisines like Mexican, Thai etc. Then I decided to explore the world of baking. I bought all the necessary things required for it. I tried making a few cakes. The first few were not a happy story, but the more I tried, the more I kept getting better. I also shared one of the chocolate cakes recipes with you all. I am happy where I am now. My latest experiment were these Orange and Banana Cupcakes which I baked on my Blogiversary. I am not exaggerating when I say that they turned out Perfect. Better than all the cakes I have ever baked. This has to be my best baking experiment till date. They are soft like a sponge, light as air!

A girl can have too many passions!

For those who would like to give it a try, here is the recipe (mind you, they are eggless)–

Ingredients:

3/4 cup wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (1 large orange should be good enough)

1 banana

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 cup powdered sugar (use 3/4 cup if you like it to be sweeter)

1/2 cup unsalted butter (Can use oil instead)

1/4 cup milk

Preparation: 

1. Pre-heat the oven to about 180 C or 360 F
2. Mix the flours, baking powder and baking soda in a bowl
3. The butter should be soft enough. Add this to the sugar and beat till the sugar has completely mixed in
4. Run the banana and about 2 tbsp of milk in a blender
5. Add the orange juice and the pureed banana to the butter
6. Beat well and combine the dry ingredients into this, mixing it in gently, do not over mix
7. Add milk to it and mix well. You may add more milk if the batter is too dry
8. Line the muffin tray with paper holders (I skipped this step)
9. Spoon in the batter up to 3/4th level of the holder
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. (It will depend on your oven, so check frequently after 15 minutes.)
11. Allow it to cool and then remove the muffins from the tray

Hope you enjoy this super easy eggless recipe! Let me know how it turned out if you try.

I turned one today!

Hey you all..

Its March 27th today. It's my birthday today.. I turned one today. Exactly one year ago this day, my creator gave birth to me, a blog, which she proudly named 'Rising Colors'. May be because she loves colors – and not one, but all of them.

I know what you are thinking - Who am I? I am Rising Colors - the blog itself. It is always she who writes a post, but because it's my birthday today, she let me write this one myself. Well, thank her for that. She is the Boss! Oh, but she is too kind. 

It feels so good. In this one year I have achieved so much, came so far, gained so many admirers, readers, friends, some known and some anonymous. And l love you all, very much.

Every now and then, my owner pens down her ideas, her thoughts on to me and then, I take it forward to the world. I am not only her messenger but her true friend, her medium through which she shares everything that comes to her mind, like a diary - but an open one.
She loves me, a lot, treats me like her baby. I really like the way she communicates with the world through me, I like being so close to her. I never question her or judge her. I just listen. I listen to everything she has to say. Is it not what she created me for?
She has changed so much in this one year. She learned a lot on this journey with me, she is more confident now, takes higher risks and how can I forget, she also met her creative-self! There are way too many ideas and thoughts that keep popping in her mind and sometimes it's too much for me to gasp, not that I am complaining! I love every bit of it.

Usually she comes to me when she has something to say, or express. There are times when she is sad, or angry, then I calm her down. I let her vent, I keep listening. After all she is my creator, and I love her straight-forwardness. But the rest of the times I enjoy being a pal of a happy cheerful girl. Sometimes, she is so funny, she cracks me up! Her happy pictures enlighten me. I know I am always on her mind even when she is cooking or reading or watching a movie, or hanging out with friends. She is always looking for inspiration, just to make me more beautiful and creative! I love the way she designs me - I feel so beautiful, I know she works hard on me, and I will never let her down!

How can I forget I also have a silent contributor - her husband, her photographer, the love of her life. He clicks her the best and he is also her best critic. And I am sure you agree with me here. She loves him very much, or can I say beyond infinity. I know this because she keeps telling me that all the time! I am happy to have such an amazing life!

Well, thank you everyone for your wishes. I know I am still a small baby. And I would love to grow with you all - my friends my readers. This one year was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G and I hope to celebrate many more birthdays with you all.
Thank you for everything!
Oh and to all my Indian readers - Wish you a very Happy and Colorful Holi..!!

P.S. Did I mention she is going to bake banana and orange muffins today? I am too excited for that!

Love,
Rising Colors..