Places to visit in Columbus Ohio | Columbus attractions and sightseeing

Columbus is the capital city of the state of Ohio and located at the center of the state. There are many places to visit within the city and around it.

 I will start with downtown. Columbus downtown is a very relaxing place on any given day unlike downtown of other bustling big cities. 

 1. The Ohio Statehouse 
1 Capitol Sq, Columbus, Ohio-43215
You can go inside and take a tour yourself or guided tour, buy Columbus souvenirs from the State gift shop inside the building. Entry is free and airport style checking.You can park your car in State house parking lot  or COSI  parking lot or street parking.

 2.Columbus Zoo and Aquaruim

Click here to visit the official zoo website. It is fine zoo with Polar bears and other fun activities mostly for kids. Columbus kids are lucky.


3. Scioto Mile and Bicentennial Park
Scioto Mile is the place to see the Columbus skyline reflecting on the Scioto river. Walk along it or sit on the swing benches at the Bicentennial Park. There are fountains and restaurants, all ingredients for lovely evening. Parking is tricky here. You can park your car in the COSI  parking lot or street parking.

4. German Village
It is a historic neighborhood in Columbus consisting of German style streets and little homes and good restaurants serving scrumptious German food like Schmidts and Barcelona. Schiller Park located in the heart of the neighborhood is a beautiful peaceful place where you can even park your car for free and stroll around the place. 
Click here to visit the German village community website.

5. Topiary Park
This is a beautiful park where trees have been trimmed to create Seurat's painting "A Sunday afternoon on the Isle of La Grande Jatte" but I personally feel this is an overrated place. It is a good place to visit ones . click here The park is not maintained well. You can park your car in the Orange Garage for $10 near it or if you are visiting Columbus Museum of Arts nearby, you should park your car there for $5.

6.  Columbus Museum of Arts 
Good place for a one time visit according to me. Free entry on Sunday. The sculpture garden at the entrance is good to sit and enjoy the sun.

 Now, lets focus around the hidden gems around Columbus.

7. Alum Creek Dam
This is a Sate park and a huge area consisting of a dam, Below the dam recreation area, a beach, parks, camping and boating. Select where you want to go. I suggest you visit Alum creek below dam area in Lewis Center. Click here to know more.Free parking.

8. Inniswood Botanical Gardens and Metro park
Best time to visit is the spring when this place looks like a fairy tale filled with tulips and so many other flowers. Beautiful and very well maintained park.Click here to know more about this park. Free parking.

 9. Hoover Dam
Columbus has its own Hoover Dam, which is quite impressive. Full of activities all around, nice and energetic place for a jog or a game. Free parking. 

 10.Polaris Fashion Place
This is shopping mall in Westerville, 20 minutes from downtown,which is beautiful and has all the big names like Macys, JCPenny,Disney and more under one roof and an amazing food court and many good restaurants like the Cheesecake Factory, California Pizza and so on.

 With this list of places I hope you have an amazing time whenever you are in Columbus and looking forward to tour the city.
Thank you.

Complete trip planner for Wild wild west tour-Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Death Valley & Lake Tahoe


 
 






 Recently I went on a one week tour with my husband across 4 states(Arizona, Utah,Nevada and California) in USA. Planning is crucial and the blessing of the Weather God.
It was a very successful trip and I am going to share with you all the details of the trip along with tips and tricks and dos and donts.
1. Places we traveled- We made Las Vegas our base. We flew down to Vegas, rented a car and went to Grand Canyon south rim, stayed a night there, drove back to Vegas again. Stayed a night there and drove through the Death Valley and all the way up to Lake Tahoe on top of the Sierra mountain ranges. Stayed two nights there ,came back to Vegas and stayed for another two nights. 


 2. Type of car that you should rent- You should rent all-wheel drive cars or SUVs. They are perfect for this occasion as the elevation of the four states,namely, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and California, fluctuates so much and so often and these cars offer a much better situation for the driver.

 3. Flights- Frontier airlines offer very cheap tickets to Las Vegas compared to other airlines but their baggage policy is strict so that is another problem.  Click here to check rates now.

 4. Travel partners- This trip is going to be straining, lots of driving almost like an extensive road trip,tiring. So select your partners well. For this trip you need people who can adjust to any situation, can sit with their eyes open beside the driver for 11 hrs, can eat whatever you get at that given point and have lots of patience.
For example, we failed to find out such people so we went out alone, I mean just the two of us.

 5. Things to carry- These places are very dry, arid and hot, weather changing very fast. So carry  all things comfortable like cotton tops and pants, long sleeved shirts to save yourself from the wrath of the sun and tanning, hat ,sun-glass, sunscreen,hand sanitizer. Buy a nasal moisturizing spray because the weather conditions are so bad that lumps of blood can form in your nose so a nasal spray will be helpful, you are going to thank me for this. Carry a jacket for the cool nights and sudden weather changes.

 6. Things to buy there- You need to buy lots of water, sports drinks like Gatorade, trail mixes because these help you to maintain the electrolytes of your body. Buy muffins and fresh fruits to snack on the entire driving time. 

 7. Restrooms- This factor can be a problem specially the women. In most of the places to visit like Death valley and lake Tahoe there will be primitive style restrooms which are complete nightmares but will help you to survive in some situations. Use those at emergency only, because they stink. Ladies, use a wet tissue to wipe your private part after using such a restroom.Otherwise, you will get gas stations at regular intervals and all gas stations comes with a local store equipped with life saver normal modern restrooms. So run to those stores every time you stop to refill your car. Don't forget to buy something from the stores.

 8.Hotels- 
Las Vegas-Some of the hotels at Las Vegas are quite cheap actually during week days, prices soar up during the weekends. Luxor, Excalibur are on the cheaper side of the price factor whereas Caesars Palace and Bellagio which are situated on the heart of the Vegas Strip are very pricey specially on weekends and on seasons.
Grand Canyon- Food and Lodging are pricey here because of the location. The most basic motel room for a night can cost about $200 or more. We stayed at Red Feather Lodge, very close to the Grand canyon entrance, decent rooms,several restaurants around and pricey.
Lake Tahoe-Hotels on the bank of the Lake Tahoe can be pricey because of the location and window view of the emerald blue lake water whereas if you decide to stay in Carson city which is about 20-30 minutes away from Lake Tahoe, you will have more option, better price and more comfort. Views are also not bad from here. We stayed in the Hampton Inn at Carson City and we could see the snow capped mountain peaks of the Sierra Nevada from the bed and amazing complimentary breakfast which I could not forget to this day.

 9. Death Valley points:Here is the list of spots where we stopped and had a time of our life.
#Dantes View
#Devils Cornfield
#Zabrieski Point
#Mesquite Dunes
#Vista Point
I could not stop by #Devils golf course which is beautiful and I highly recommend this. Off course, you have to accept that you cannot see everything in one trip, there will always be something or the other which you will miss out but it is okay. We should thank God for whatever opportunities he gives us. The entire journey of Death Valley was amazing, very picturesque place, strange landscape, mining areas, colorful mountains which are best to see at sunrise or sunset which is little difficult.
Special mention: On the way to Lake Tahoe, comes a little town called Bishop in California. It was a beautiful town ,green all around,cattle and you can see the snow capped mountains like a page out of a storybook. 

 10.Lake Tahoe points:Lake Tahoe is in the border of Nevada and California. 
#Emerald Bay beach, California- Highly recommend. Amazing view of the entire bay area from the paid parking place ,then you have to go down 2 miles to the beach and Vikingsholm.
# Lincoln Highway, the highway surrounding the Lake Tahoe is amazing,enjoy the drive and in and out of Cave Rock. The road felt like it was one of the road from the computer game bike race Road rash.
#Sand Harbour beach- It is the best beach of Lake Tahoe. Go to the other side of the beach for more views and photographic scope.
I tried going to Secret cove but it has no actual entrance and beach. The spot beside it is Chimney beach which has a parking place but no paved way to beach and it is a good hike going up and down. If you are adventurous enough, you can give it a try. Water is crystal clear. Those beaches are nude beaches and hence so much secrecy I think to guard it from getting overcrowded.

 11. Las Vegas points: Why should I tell you? But there are some free shows which everybody sees.
#Bellagio fountain show in the evening after dark
#Mirage volcano show
#Flamingo birds habitat
#Hoover Dam
Get a strip view room and you are all set to enjoy Vegas.
For the famous buffet, I dont recommend it that much. It is not worth it. But you should try one.
Enjoy


Homemade salsa with tomatoes and Pineapple:Zesty flavour


Recently I made this super flavorful zesty salsa with pineapples,onions and tomatoes. It is sweet, tangy with a little touch of heat from green chilies. Perfect with tacos , for which I actually made this.

 Ingredients:

 #Tomatoes(I used roma tomatoes which are quite hard because you have to take only the flesh/wall part. Cut into small cubes)- half cup

 #Pineapples(cut into small cubes)-half cup

 #Onion(red/yellow,cut into small cubes)-half cup

 #Green chilies-depends on how much heat you prefer. I used 2 green chilies

 #Chilli flakes- a pinch

 #Zesty italian dressing-2-3 tbsp
If you dont have this dressing you can make your own by mixing<* juice of 1 lime/lemon, 1tsp white vinegar,salt,black pepper,sugar 1 tsp, chilli flakes, red bell peppers cut into very small pieces.*>until it is of syrupy consistency.

 Procedure:
 Put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well with a spoon until everything is coated in that zesty sauce.
Chill for 1-2 hours before serving.

 Try this at home and let me know if you liked this. I love this salsa much much more than a store bought jar of salsa. I served this with shrimp and chicken tacos, Doritos and even as a salad dressing.

 Thank you.
Tell me what recipes you would like me to post.

Wild rice with stir fried chicken and veggies



Wild rice with stir fried chicken and veggies is a  quick and delicious dish together and can be enjoyed separately with other sides as well.

 Wild-rice recipe:
 I had my first wildrice pilaf at Red Lobster, an American seafood restaurant and since then I am in love with wildrice. I buy wild rice from Whole Foods Market, it is available in other markets as well. Though it is wild, it is a pricey item. 
 You can even mix up some basmati rice with the wild rice.
Ingredients:
Wildrice 1cup
Water 2 -3 cups
Butter 1tbsp
Salt to taste

 Preparation:
Soak rice overnight.
Wildrice takes abnormally a very long time to get cooked. So, soaking it overnight or 24 hrs makes it easier.Wash rice well and drain excess water.

 Procedure:
1.Saute wild rice in butter for 2 minutes.
2.Pour 2 cups water initially, then 1 additional cup water if required.
Some people like their wild rice al dente , that has a bite to it, for them 2 cups should be good. Add additional water for softer texture.
3. When the rice is ready, check and season with salt.

 Chicken and veggies recipe:
Veggies include mushrooms, green beans, bell peppers, onions. You can add carrots and broccoli too.
Stir fried version:
Ingredients:
oil 1-2 tsp
black pepper half tsp
salt to taste
Paprika or Kashmiri chilly powder half tsp
Chilly flakes half tsp
Zest of half a lemon

 Procedure:
1.In a frying pan, add 1-2 tsp vegetable oil. Start frying the chicken on high flame, season with salt, pepper and Paprika.
2. Add mushroom, green beans and then add bell peppers and other veggies.  Cover and cook for 5 minutes and then stir again on high flame.
3. Now add chilly flakes,lemon zest and check salt. Stir 1 minute.

 Baked version:
In this version, you can use potatoes as well, potatoes cut into small dices.
Ingredients:
Olive oil 1 tsp
black pepper half tsp
salt to taste
Paprika or Kashmiri chilly powder half tsp
Chilly flakes half tsp
Zest of half a lemon
Cumin a pinch

Procedure:
1.In a baking pan with high sides, mix all ingredients (chicken,veggies and spices)together.
2. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
3. If chicken is skin on then no need to cover, but if the chicken is boneless and skinless, cover the pan with an aluminium foil. But if you cover the entire time , chicken and veggies will release all their water and that will be there, so you can cook 15 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered.

Enjoy!


Netflix Dreamworks Spirit Riding Free Review



This is brand new animated series on Netflix.  This show is set in the wild wild west, horses and rail roads. The story is about a girl named Lucky and her horse she named Spirit. 

 Spirit could not be tamed but somehow Spirit chose Lucky to ride him, and like that Lucky became the owner of the strong headed horse who cannot be kept under any boundary or cannot be roped. Spirit is wild but at the same time he is caring, understanding and loving. 
 I will give the show 8 out of 10. Worth your time. 

 The show brings out something very different, horse aspects that were not explored before. Horses are kept captive against their own will, forcibly trained and even not taken care of always and so on. Horses are such magnificent animals , they are faithful and risk their lives to save the lives of their masters. Horses must be loved more , seen with more respect and you will fall in love with horses more after watching this show.

Chicken Pesto Pasta with green beans, bell peppers and diced tomatoes


Chicken Pesto Pasta with green beans, bell peppers and diced tomatoes can be cooked in 15 minutes, stove to table. This is an excellent dinner or a brunch recipe. Easy and delicious.

 Ingredients:
1.Chicken cut into bite size pieces- 1 cup
2. Penne pasta(or any pasta)- 1 cup
3.Green beans cut into halves- 100 grams
4.Bell peppers- half cup
5.Diced tomatoes- 1 piece |or|cherry tomatoes cut into halves- half cup
6.Basil Pesto- 1 tsp
7.Salt and pepper to taste
8.Vegetable oil- 1 tbsp for frying

Procedure:
1. In a  pan full of boiling water, generously salted , boil pasta of your choice. I used Penne pasta because I have that on hand now, you can use any pasta that you have. Save little pasta water, you may need it later.

2. Simultaneously, in another frying pan, heat up 1 tbsp of vegetable oil and start frying the chicken on high flame.

3. After 5 minutes or when the chicken is about 70% cooked, put in all the green beans, season with salt and pepper.
Salt every layer.

4.After 3 minutes, put in the bell peppers. I used bell peppers of different colors like red, yellow and orange. You can use any bell pepper or you can even skip bell peppers if you dont have it.

5.Add the tomatoes just before adding pasta. We dont want the tomatoes to be completely cooked and mushy. Tomatoes should be 50% cooked. But as the flame is on high, it will take only a minute to cook down the tomatoes.

6.By this time, pasta is perfectly cooked.6-8 minutes is perfect for al dente pasta but please check packet instruction of your pasta. Drain and put the pasta and little pasta water in the frying pan. Mix.

7. Put in a tsp of Basil pesto, I used store bought pesto which has lots of Parmesano reggiano in it , so it will be very salty.

8. Give everything a good stir so that every thing gets nicely coated in the creamy pesto sauce, check salt and pepper. 

Pasta in ready.




Disney Sofia the first review | Kids series on Netflix


Disney Sofia the first on Netflix is a great addition and is a great show. It is about a princess named Sofia who was not born a princess. She became a princess when her mother, a village commoner, married the King of Enchancia, King Rolland who is a very fine kindhearted man. Along with a new father, Sofia also got a sister, Amber and a brother, James. Together they make a very good and loving family. But the adventures start because Sofia wears a magical amulet that her King father gifted her. She gets various magical powers depending on the situation and so on.

 They are currently running the Season 3. Me and husband have become great Princess Sofia fans. We watch an episode of Sofia every night. We think she deserves a place among other Disney princesses like Rapunzel and Belle.

  My advice to all the moms and dads out there is- Let your children watch this show. Every episode teaches a new lesson on life and sharing and friendship and helping others and how small things matter in our life.
Your children will be able to learn and absorb good things from this show. You must also watch this show, it will delight your day up.

Navratan daal or 9 beans soup| A lighter version| Daal recipes


Navratan daal is a thick and rich Indian lentils dish of 9 beans. Here is a lighter , healthier and easier version of the navratan daal or 9 beans soup with only five ingredients. My husband loves this dish and often carries this for his office lunch and so can you. 

You can buy Navratan daal at any Indian grocery store or Indian section of your local supermarket or you can make your own lentil mixture.
Watch the youtube version of this recipe here

Indredients are very basic:
 Navratan daal 1 cup soaked overnight and pressure cooked for 5-8 whistles
Ginger chopped or julienne half tsp 
Garlic chopped half tsp
Green chillies chopped 1-2 pcs
Tomatoes paste 1 cup (I made a smooth paste of 2 roma tomatoes in my mixer grinder)
For seasoning, 
Salt and pepper as per taste
Cumin 1 tsp.

Procedure:
1.In a pan, heat up 1 tsp vegetable oil.
2. Put in chopped ginger,garlic and green chillies and cook them for 1 minute.
3.Then, pour in the tomatoes paste and season with salt, pepper and cumin and cook for 5-8 minutes or until the mixture is cooked and reduced to half.
4. Mix the cooked lentils and the spicy mixture and simmer the whole thing for 5-10 minutes to adjust consistency.

Thats it, it is that basic and simple and delicious. Enjoy with bread or roti. 


Chicken Meatball soup with Spinach and vegetables



Now, this is a very flavorful soup which tasty, light and easy to make on weeknights and perfect for your diet days.


 Ingredients and Procedure:
To make chicken meatballs:
Ground chicken 1 cup. 
1.Season the ground chicken with chopped parsley(fresh/dried),
salt and pepper.
For binding, use 1 tbsp milk and 1-2 tbsp of breadcrumbs.

 2.Mix with spoon or your hands whichever is comfortable for you.

 3.Wash your hands and oil them. Make small meatballs. Oil your hands whenever you need. I needed to oil my hands twice.
Keep the meatballs aside,lets see what we need to make the soup.

 For the soup:
 For vegetables, I used onion, garlic, carrots and baby/tender Spinach.
1. In a big pot, pour 1 tsp oil and saute 1/3 cup of chopped onion and garlic, 1 cup carrots. Season with salt and pepper. 

 2.When they become soft, pour in about 5-8 cups of chicken broth or water or both depending on how much soup you want to make. 
I used both chicken broth and more water.

 3.Let it come to a boil, then one by one drop in all the chicken meatballs. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.

 4.Put in 1 cup of egg noodles/any small pasta and cover again for 5 mins.

 5. Finally, put in a bowl of baby/tender spinach and cook for 2 minutes. Spinach reduces to nothing so your bowl full of spinach will come down to nothing so if you want add some more.

 6.Check for salt and pepper.

 Your delicious soup is ready. You can check my youtube video on the same recipe.
click here

Hummus recipe



Hummus is a very popular middle eastern dish that is mainly enjoyed with pita bread or as a side to other items.

To make hummus we need very few and basic ingredients.
1.Chickpeas (soaked in water and completely boiled for 4-5 whistles in a pressure cooker) 1 cup
2. White sesame seeds half cup
3. garlic 1 clove
4. Olive oil half cup
5.Lemon juice half cup
6. Salt to taste

Proportion of chickpeas and sesame seeds should be 2:1.

Procedure is the simplest of all.
Just dump in all ingredients into a mixer grinder or food processor. Blend it into a smooth paste like texture and if required you can add water or olive oil to adjust the consistency. Your hummus is ready.
Instead of sesame seeds you can also add tahini sauce if you have or want. But tahini sauce is actually made of sesame seeds like a thin paste of sesame seeds infused with lemon juice.
Traditionally , hummus is served with pita bread but you can also serve it with roti like I did and it tastes absolutely phenomenal.
Make it and let me know how it was.

Spinach and Baby Lima Beans soup| Spinach recipes| Healthy vegetable soup


Spinach and Baby Lima beans soup is my husband's recipe. This is a very simple healthy and light dish,the recipe is easy and quick to make. Both the ingredients are rich in vitamins, minerals and fiber. We all should find more recipes to introduce such healthy ingredients into our daily diet.
You can visit my youtube channel to see this in action. Click the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQ4OGqwUzJc

 Ingredients:
1.Spinach 10 oz
2.Baby Lima beans 12 oz
3.Water 3 cups
4.Dried red chilli 2
5.Bayleaf 2
6.Panchphoron 1 tsp
(Panchphoron is a 5 whole spice mix consisting of cumin, black cumin,white mustard, fennel and fenugreek)
7.vegetable oil 1 tsp 

 Spinach and baby lima beans should be taken in almost equal amounts. If you are using frozen ingredients, no need to defrost it before cooking, Anyways you are going to cook the dish in a pressure cooker, so no need to defrost.

 Procedure:
1.Use a pressure cooker for this dish as it 
reduces the time and effort by half.
2.Pour 1 tsp of oil, put in Dried red chilli 2
Bayleaf 2, Panchphoron 1 tsp and saute.
3.dump in spinach and lima beans, Salt to taste and turmeric powder(optional). Saute.
4.Pour 3 cups water.
5. Pressure cook for 4-5 whistles.

 Your Spinach and Baby Lima beans soup is ready.
Serve with bread or paratha or enjoy as it is.

12 Best Places to visit in your Smoky mountain trip

Road trip comes along with your trip to the Great Smoky Mountains. The best time to visit Smokies is the Fall season but Spring is also a very good and convenient time to visit because hotel prices remain low, good weather, spring blooms and wildflowers.

1.If you are passing through Kentucky, then you should stop at Harland Sanders Cafe and Museum for a quick lunch. Its the original KFC and has a little museum attached to it showcasing KFC history and stuff, so it will be a 2-in-1 stop.








2.Get your hotel at Gatlinburg or book a cabin in the hills. Gatlinburg is the litttle gateway town to the mountains situates on the lap of the mountains filled with hotels, restaurants and shops. A long walk around the streets will be entertaining.

 3.Ober Gatlinburg is best attraction in Gatlinburg itself. It is a cubicle hanging in a ropeway all the way up to the mountains. The guide will describe all the places it passes through with beautiful views of the mountains and the picture perfect town of Gatlinburg. The place where it drops you has many other activities to do like ice skating, cafes,fun rides and Scenic Chairlift. You can get tickets on spot or online. Click here to visit the official website.

 4.Scenic Chairlift will be an wonderful experience if you dare to do so. I will recommend this only to fit people , because this is a cable chair thing for two people hanging with a rope going even higher up to the steep Mount Harrison at a view point and the hanging chair wont even stop to pick you up at the station. You have to jump-sit on the moving chair as it will pass through the station.  I dont want to make it scary, but it is what it is. You have to get the tickets on spot where Ober will take you. So it is a two part journey. Photos will be taken at the very end while you are still hanging on the chairlift, smile or kiss and make it worth all the risk.



5.Visit Laurel Falls and Cade's Cove on the same day, as both are on the same route. Laurel Falls is a 1.3 miles steep walk, possible to tag along children,it comes first on the way. The waterfall is good and worth the steep walking.

6.Cade's Cove is a beautiful scenic area on top a mountain. It is not a particular point, it is a scenic loop of 7-11 miles drive-through comprising of lush meadows, little cottages, winding roads, horses, deer and good views. It is a photographers haven. There are several parking spots on the road where you can stop your car and come out to enjoy peaceful nature and take photographs.
7. Roaring Forks Motor Trail is a scenic drive through with Little river by the road side all along. There are several beautiful rapids which calls for wonderful photography opportunities.(the first pic of the page)

 8. Rainbow Falls is another hiking people look up to. Sadly it is really long and can take about 5 hours or so. We didnt have time to do it.

 9. Last but not the least, Clingmans Dome. This is sacred place of worship for the Cherokee tribe. There is a steep road taking you up there and there is the Appalachian Trail passing along with it. You can go by one and return by another. You will be North Carolina at this stage. On the way you can also visit the border between the two states.
Note: The washroom at Clingmans dome is ancient style and you will have a bad experience using it. So take precautions or you may drink less water and wait till you reach Sugarlands Visitor Center.

 10. The Island at Pigeon Forge is an amazing place filled with shops, restaurants and free parking. There is fountain in the middle of the plaza surrounded by rocking chairs which displays light and sound fountain show at regular intervals which is very enjoyable.

 11. Helicopter rides in this area (Sevierville)is way cheaper compared to other places. We did the Scenic Helicopter tours for $35 a person. Rates start at $9, $18, $25 ,$35 and so on. It was worth it and had to buy our photograph taken by a staff at the end of your ride. Check out details here.

 12. For great food options, I will recommend Cicis pizza which is a pizza buffet, a dream come true. We had another dinner at Panda Express at Pigeon Forge and then went to see the fountain show at the Islands at pigeon Forge..

 There are many many other beautiful places to see in the Smokies but this is just what I saw on my trip.

12 Easy BBQ Recipes:Chicken,fish,mushroom,shrimp,paneer: Complete food guide to a grilling party| Grilling recipes


Spring has just set in. As the weather outside improves, you gear up for exciting outdoor activities . BBQ and grilling remains one of our favorite activities on a lazy weekend or vacation or camping.Here are 12 of my favorite and best recipes to give you a beautiful bbq party.

 Chicken:
BBQ recipes with chicken can be endless but here are 6 of my favorite ways to grill chicken which are hassle-free and super tasty to brighten up your day.

 1. Chicken Tandoori: Buy Chicken Tandoori masala from the INDIAN SECTION of any grocery store near you or at your Indian supermarket.
Marinate chicken cubes or whole chicken or drumsticks in a mixture of plain no flavour 
yogurt and Tandoori masala with salt to taste, leave overnight. Next day carry your marinated chicken to your bbq location,put them in skewers and grill. Enjoy with lemon and onion wedges.

 2.Chicken Tikka Masala: Buy Chicken Tikka masala from the INDIAN SECTION of any grocery store near you or at your Indian supermarket.
Marinate chicken cubes in a mixture of plain yogurt and Tikka masala with salt and paprika to taste,leave overnight. Next day carry your marinated chicken to your bbq location,put them in skewers and grill.

 3.Chicken Teriyarki Rolls: Buy Teriyarki Sauce from the Sauces or chinese SECTION of any grocery store near you or at your Chinese supermarket.Marinate thinly sliced chicken with teriyarki sauce with salt to taste,leave overnight. Next day carry your marinated chicken to your bbq location,put them in skewers and grill. A bottle of this sauce is always useful to make any week night stir fry.You can eat grilled teriyarki chicken just like that or you can make chicken rolls with tortillas and burritos with these along with lettuce and mayonnaise.

 4.BBQ Chicken: Buy BBQ sauce from any grocery store.Season chicken cubes with salt and pepper and grill them for about 15 minutes or more till they are completely cooked. Brush bbq sauce on them just couple of minutes before taking them out of fire. In this way the sauce does not burn. 

 5.BBQ Cajun Chicken wings: Buy BBq sauce and cajun spice (low sodium) from any grocery store.  Mix bbq sauce and cajun spice in 2:1 proportion.  Grill chicken wings till completely cooked and then brush the bbq cajun sauce on them just couple of minutes before taking them out of fire. In this way the sauce does not burn. 

 6.Teriyarki Sesame Chicken wings: Mix 1 or 2 tsp of dry roasted white sesame seeds with teriyarki sauce, adjust salt if required.Grill chicken wings and brush the sesame teriyarki sauce on them just couple of minutes before taking them out of fire. In this way the sauce does not burn. 

 Fish:

 7.Indian style grilled Salmon: Buy Shan fried fish Masala or Shan fish seasoning from the INDIAN SECTION of any grocery store near you or at your Indian supermarket. (I personally recommend this brand because I use it regularly and love it. But if you do not get this then you can buy any fried fish seasoning which has dried herbs in it.)
 Prepare a spice mixture of: 
fish seasoning+ turmeric powder(optional) + paprika+little cayenne or red chilli powder+salt to taste. Generously sprinkle this spice blend on the salmon fillets, both sides and rub. Now, on a piece of aluminium foil lock the marinated salmon pieces with little minced garlic and lemon juice or lemon wedges on top. Grill for 10 minutes each side.
You have the most amazing salmon. 
You can also make this salmon dish at your home OTG or oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes and broil 2 minutes for that amazing crispy top.

 8.BBQ Tilapia: Buy BBQ dry spice from the spices section at your local grocery store. Marinate the tilapaia fillets with this spice+salt to taste+paprika. Now, on a piece of aluminium foil lock the tilapia fillets with lemon juice. Grill for 10 minutes each side.

 9.Zesty Shrimp: Marinate large shrimps with Olive oil+paprika+italian seasoning+lemon juice+salt+pepper. Leave it overnight. Arrange them in skewers which is a little difficult task. Grill for 10-15 minutes and you have the yummy zesty shrimp. You can also make this dish at home in a frying pan and serve this as a starter.

 10.Buttery Shrimp with tartar sauce: You can also grill shrimps with salted butter and minced garlic and enjoy them with tartar sauce which is made for seafood, available in the fresh seafood section or at the sauce section of your local grocery store.

 Mushrooms: 

 11. Mushroom Bombs:This is the ultimate mushroom recipe which you can make at home or at your bbq party. For this you need whole or half mushrooms. Saute some minced garlic in butter which will give you "garlicy butter". Now marinate the mushrooms in that garlicy butter+Soy sauce+italian seasoning+pepper+ salt to taste. Put them in skewers and grill for 10-15 minutes and eat them whole at ones. Enjoy the flavor bombs. Mushrooms are spongy in nature, all these flavors get absorbed so well if you keep them marinated overnight and when you eat them they just burst into your mouth. Amazing feeling.

 Paneer/Tofu:

 12.Paneer tikka Masala:This item can make you the star of the bbq party. Marinate paneer cubes( about 12 cubes) with a mixture of : 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste+1 tbsp of oil+juice of half a lemon+pinch of turmeric powder+1 tsp paprika(kashmiri chili powder)+ 1 tsp garam  masala+2 tsp chaat masala+1tsp cumin-coriander powder. Arrange this in skewers with onion and bell pepper cubes. Grill. Panner takes only few minutes to cook, say 7-12 minutes.
You can also serve this dish as a starter in your home, grill it in oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes and broil 2 minutes for that amazing crispy top.

  Happy Grilling!!!




Disney Tinkerbell movie on Netflix: Best Tinkerbell movies: Kids movies on Netflix




Lately, I was watching a lot of Disney's Tinkerbell movies on Netflix. Tinkerbell is a favorite cartoon character for most of us but in our childhood (for 90's kid) we mostly experienced them in comic books. But at the age twenty four now, I am enjoying watching these equally.
I loved all the Tinkerbell movies especially-

1. Disney Tinkerbell: I think this is the first movie of Tinkerbell. It shows the birth of fairies and Tinkerbell and to love yourself no matter what you are.

2.Disney Tinkerbell and the legend of the Neverbeast: This is a fascinating movie which revolves around the friendship of the huge Neverbeast (which wakes up ones in about 1000 years to protect the fairies) and Tinkerbell.

3.Disney Secret of the Wings: This is very captivating movie which shows Tinkerbell has a sister who is a winter fairy, so they cannot live together because the wings of each kind of fairy are adapted to their particular weather and breaking rules can actually harm them. Rules are actually made for protection.

4.Disney Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy rescue: This movie shows how Tinkerbell gets trapped by a lonely little girl and finally the friendship between them and Tinkerbell's rescue by her gang. The girl and her father will get to see all the fairies and have tea with them at the end. 

 Apart from Tinkerbell Movies , here is a list of the best animated Disney movies that I have really loved and I think you and your kids will have a great time to watch these movies.

1.Walt Disney short film Collection : This is a collection of 12 short films for 1 hour 29 minutes covering some the best movies like 'Frozen fever', 'Paperman' and so on.

2.Disney Mickey's Once upon a Christmas: This is a collection of three films on Christmas stories of Mickey, Donald Duck and Goofy individually. It will be a very heartwarming watch.

3.Anastasia: This is the story of the lost princess Anastasia and a wizard. Captivating storyline and some amazing animated work.

4.Disney Atlantis Milo's Return: This movie shows a group of researchers discover the cursed Atlantis under the sea guarded by a monstrous creature and its rescue.

 5. Disney Sofia the first: This is a series about the adventures of a little girl named Sofia who became a princess overnight when her mother married the King of Enchancia. Currently they are released Season 3. Each episode ends with a good lesson.

So now you have a list of movies absolutely best for your kids. So no more wasting time in selecting the perfect movie for your little baby. Find it in Netflix and have a great time.




Cherry Blossom in Columbus, Ohio, USA


Columbus in Ohio is definitely not the name which comes in your mind when you hear Cherry blossom. But for all the local residents to enjoy the lovely cherry blossom in Columbus itself , I will be sharing with you a list of places in Columbus.

 1. Inniswood Botanical Garden which is also a metro park is the top place to visit for cherry blossom from mid April to early May. There are a number of cherry blossom trees at the entrance and then inside too. At this time there will be lovely tulips too. I had a wonderful time here last year at April end. All the flowers were at their peak stage.

 2. Franklin park conservatory promises to showcase some cherry blossom tress at April end. I am planning a visit.

 3. Scioto Mile has something always for all season.

 4. Shafer Street, Athens, Ohio 45701.: I read about Cherry blossom in this street in an article but I have not been here. But I plan to go this time and check this place.

  Thats all for now. If I discover more places I will update here and also post pictures so check out this page later and also the above places in the upcoming cherry blossom season.

 Tell me about any cherry blossom places you know in Columbus in the comments section below.

Cleaning with baking soda and white vinegar.

I recently got to know about the unlimited uses of baking soda and regular white vinegar. So, today I am going to share some useful and life changing tips with you.

 1. Here is this cleaning recipe: mix 2 tsp of baking soda, 2 tsp of  your dish-washing liquid and 1 tsp of white vinegar. 
When you pour the vinegar/lemon juice ,you will notice the mixture is becoming frothy, this is because the baking soda is getting activated. Baking soda needs something citric in nature in order to get activated. Vinegar and lemon juice are the most common things present in our homes.
Use this mixture to clean your basin, kitchen sink , bathtub, bathroom walls,taps and so on. Just rub the mixture wherever you need to clean and keep it for 5 minutes. Then just rub with a thick scrub soaked in water and then wash away with water. Squeaky clean results,even at the most pathetically gross areas. Hard water changes the looks of the taps but after cleaning with this mixture your tap will come back to its original looks. Mark my words- this will be a life changing experience.

 2. Pour some white vinegar on the paper towel or a cloth and rub stained areas like table tops and floors.  You can also clean your rusted scissors in the same way. You can wipe floors with this too. Vinegar also acts as a deodorizer , it absorbs all the foul smelling substances and dont worry about the vinegary  smell, it vanishes in a couple of minutes.

 3. Does your shoes smell really gross? Problem solved. Sprinkle some baking soda in your shoes  at night, like powder, spread properly and sleep and in the morning.... Voila!! All smell gone.
This trick works for any gross smelling places because baking soda also acts as a deodorizer , it absorbs all the foul smelling substances. Sprinkle baking soda in your bed, sofa, carpet, shoe rack, drains and so on.

 4. You can also keep a cup or a bowl of vinegar wherever you think is smelling foul. Vinegar will absorb all the bad smell.

 All the above tips and tricks have been tested by me and all worked. Try these and let me know how well it worked for you in the comments section below and also share more 'baking soda and vinegar' cleaning tips with us .
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