Date Night! :D

My in-laws very graciously agreed to watch the kiddos for a few hours tonight, so Hubby and I got to go out to eat at our favorite local Indian restaurant.  It was great to spend a few hours together, just the two of us.  I can't even remember the last time we were able to do that.

My meal from the buffet:  Naan, rice, Chicken Tikka Masala, Tandori Chicken, Lamb Curry, and I cannot for the life of me remember what the stuff in the bowl was called.  It was kind of a sweet, spicy main course. I topped it all off with some rice pudding.  Yum.  And I completely did NOT count points tonight. ;)

Even better, the restaurant was playing the instrumental soundtrack to 'Veer-Zaara", and it played the entire time we were there! :D  It was all I could do to not completely geek out and start singing along (well, humming along, at least...I don't know Hindi!). :}

Then, when I got home, I had a package waiting for me in the mail (one of my last splurges from last month before reforming and getting back on budget):

Jakks Pacific's 18" Rapunzel doll from the Disney Princess and Me line! :D  I've been wanting to review one of these dolls for a while, and I got a her for a great price on eBay.

As you can see, though, her hair is a bit...um..."Tangled" (hee hee), so I definitely have my work cut out for me.  Speaking of which, the kiddos are all in bed, and Hubby and I are going to catch up on some Olympics while I start detangling this gal's hair.  Stay tuned for a Disney Princess and Me Rapunzel doll review, coming soon! :D

Bollywood and Indian Cuisine-What More Do You Need? ;)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Friday night was our "Bollywood Night" at Mimi's house.  We had so much fun! :)  Mimi and I dressed up in salwar kameezes (I think that's how you spell it!) that we'd found at Goodwill.  I also wore my bangle bracelets and my anklet.  We ended up watching two Bollywood movies.  It was a great night to pretend I was a teenager again with no obligations.  Just food, friends, and fun. ;)

The first movie we watched was "Dil Bole Hadippa", starring Shahid Kapoor and Rani Mukerji.  It had some great songs and some really funny parts, but it also had enough content in it that it's not one I would recommend.  Pity, too, because some of it is absolutely hilarious! 

Emma and Piper, the two Bollywood fans, joined us for the evening. ;)  In fact, you can read Emma's take on things HERE. 

Here's a look at our delicious feast.  Mimi went all out when she picked it up from her favorite restaurant!  She and I have both had Indian food before, but my friend from college, who joined us, has never had it.  I can't remember what everything was called (it's only my second time eating Indian food!), but I've labeled everything that I had. :)

The rice is just like our steamed white rice.  It goes great with the chicken tikka masala, which is basically tender chicken pieces in a creamy, spicy (but not too hot!) sauce.  Chicken tikka masala is still my very favorite Indian main dish, by the way. :)  The aloo gobi was really good too.  It has potato and cauliflower in it, both things I'm not a big fan of, but together in the amazing sauce they're delicious!   The garlic naan was awesome!  It's very similar to a tortilla, but it had garlic and other spices on it.  It was really thick and soft, too. :)  The tandoori chicken was something new I tried...not spicy at all and very tasty.  Mimi told me that she normally gets tandoori chicken for first timers because it tastes very similar to chicken the way we normally prepare it.  The mango lassi is another must!  I'm not usually a fan of mango, but these are amazing!  The mango taste is really mild, and they're basically sweet smoothies.  Then there's my favorite Indian dessert so far:  gulab janum.  Imagine a doughnut hole dipped in an incredible sweet sauce.  Yum!!  

I have to admit, I didn't exactly count Weight Watchers points this evening. ;)  It was worth it, though!!  

We finished the evening with "Rab Ne Bana di Jodi", which my friend had never seen.  I did a review for this movie in my Bollywood Reviews post, if you want to know more about it. :)

We had such a fun night!  I think we'll definitely have to schedule another one soon! ;)

I'm hoping to get one more post in before my trip, but I'll just have to see how things go with all of the packing and whatnot. ;)

Zaara's New Home and Updates

Hi guys!  Just thought I'd give you a few updates.  First off, my Zaara doll is now officially in her new home with my aunt.  Last Friday night, my aunt invited me over for a "Bollywood Night".  :) 

She and I have both really gotten into Bollywood movies, and she's always enjoyed East Indian food.  In the past, I've always been uninterested in trying traditional Indian cuisine, but since I've been watching all these movies from India, I figured it was only right to at least try it once. 

My aunt was excited to hear of my change of heart.  She went to one of her favorite Indian restaurants and ordered everything.  Then we sat and ate our Indian food while watching a Bollywood movie on Netflix.  It was so fun! :)

Because of the theme, I thought it would be an appropriate time for Zaara to move to her new home.  We took some pics with her and the food, as you can see below.  We had a great time together.

Zaara is ready to eat! :)

Our yummy dinner.  And sorry, I don't remember what everything was called.  My favorite was the chicken tikka masala with rice (the two long dishes on the left hand plate), the delicious mango smoothie (in the disposable cup at the bottom...it probably has a more authentic name too), and the amazing dessert.  I don't know what it was, but it reminded me of a doughnut hole dipped in a sweet sauce.  Yum!!

Our Bollywood movie...Yay!! :D

Zaara (with slightly wild hair) thinks she's going to like it here. :)

In other news, my Claire doll's auction ended on Saturday afternoon.  She will soon be on her way to her new home.  And just a reminder, Ella's eBay auction ends tomorrow!!  She's only at one bid right now, so it's a great deal.  I'm hoping she goes to a good home.  I've included a direct link to her auction HERE.   
I'll be doing a few more posts this evening as I have time, and I'll be updating the "Belle's Bullitens" page on Tess and Maggie's blog as well.  Hope you enjoy them! :)