Spice up #MovieNight with #Bollywood movies & @TajOttawa Takeout (#Ad) #TajOttawa

Pairing your favourite Bollywood movie with the taste of India, 

is the perfect way to spice up Movie Night. 

Disclosure: Although I have worked with Taj Indian Cuisine in the past in exchange for a delicious meal, 

I was not compensated for this post. All opinions are my own. 

In our house Friday night is Movie Night. For years it meant the whole family gathered to eat pizza and watch a movie. My kids are adults now, and more often than not it's just my Hubby and me, so I suppose now it could be called Date Night. I love our Friday Movie Night tradition, but after almost 2 decades of Friday night pizza I'm  ready to mix it up a bit, both in our cuisine and movie choices. So I'm spicing things up with Taj Indian Cuisine take-out (or delivery) and a couple Bollywood movies. 

My Taj Takeout Movie Night favourites:

Vegetable Samosas (a perfect way to start any taste of India dining and movie adventure)

North Indian Salad (a fresh salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions)

Butter Chicken (because you can never go wrong with Butter Chicken)

Chicken Korma (chicken with herbs and nuts in a delicious creamy sauce)

Alu Matar (Potatoes and peas in curry sauce)
Basmati Rice (Indu's personal recipe)
and of course lots of their #naantastic naan bread!

My top Bollywood Movie Night picks ...

As I laughed watching trailers for each of these movies I was reminded why I enjoyed them so much. (Just an FYI all of these are currently available to stream on Netflix Canada)

Finding Fanny: 2014 (NR) 
This comic and heartwarming movie tells the story of an aging man who learns the marriage proposal he sent to his girlfriend decades before was never received, and the road trip he takes to find her. 

Piku: 2015 (TV-PG)
The parent and child relationship is complicated, as seen in the interactions between an eccentric aging father, and his efficient, and opinionated daughter. Put them both in the same car for a long distance road trip and result is a comical clash of wills.    

Queen: 2014 (TV-MA)
After Queen is jilted at the alter, she decides to travel solo on what was to have been her European honeymoon. Her experiences push her out of her comfort zone, and challenge her to think about who she is, who she wants to be, and how that fits with her traditional family and life in Delhi. 

The Lunchbox: 2013 (PG) 
An error in the usually ultra-efficient and reliable, but complicated Mumbai lunchbox delivery service, unexpectedly leads to a housewife making the lunches, and the soon to be retired widower receiving them, to become become lunchbox penpals.   

Mumbai, Delhi, Mumbai: 2014 (TV-14)
This movie follows the typical Bollywood rom-com story-line of: boy and girl meet, boy and girl instantly dislike each, followed by a comedy of errors, misunderstandings, coincidences, and of course dancing, that eventually lead boy and girl to rethink how they feel about each other. The story begins with a young woman, who at her mom's insistence travels from Mumbai to Delhi to meet with a potential marriage candidate. Everything is going as planned until she loses her cell phone. 

Do you have a favourite Bollywood movie? If so what Indian dish would you pair with it to spice up movie night?  

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about spicing up movie night. 

For drool-worthy pictures of Taj's delicious dishes follow them on facebook, twitter, and instagram.  

List of #ThingstoDo in #Ottawa this June #MyOttawa #OttCity #Ottawa2017

Will you be in Ottawa this June?

If so here's a list of things to do. 

Weather you live in Ottawa or are just visiting, you'll find there are all sorts of things to do in the Capital. Why not venture out beyond the Parliament Buildings and discover all there is to do.  
Click on the link below for my list of events and activities happening in and around Ottawa in June. Bonus: Many of the events and activities listed are free! 
Continue reading ...

Although my list is long, it's far from complete, so if I've missed something please let me know in the comments section.

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about what to do out and about in the Capital. 

Note: I was not compensated for this post in any form. The purpose of the post is simply to share information I feel is of interest to my readers. All opinions are my own. 

Supper's Ready! With help from @SupperWorks #SupperWorksOttawa #Ad

Supper's Ready!

Disclaimer: I was invited to Supper Works and prepared two meals for the purpose of this post. All opinions are my own. 

Wouldn't you love to say that every night, about a nutritious meal your family actually wants to eat, that didn't take an hour to make? I think most of us have the best intentions, and want to be organized, plan and prep for busy weekday meals. But even with the best intentions it can be tough, and sometimes you need some help. With SupperWorks it's like having a personal prep team to pick up the slack when your busy schedule trumps your best intentions. They shop and chop, you get all the glory! 

As I was preparing my meals at SupperWorks Nepean I realized that my first impression or thoughts were this was perfect for a busy family with young kids. It is all about feeding lots of people fast and easy. Work, school, sports, lessons, and life often meant lots of juggling and meals on the run. But that isn't my life now. My kids are older and the days of carpooling to swim lessons, Beavers, hockey, snowboarding, skateboarding, etc. are long over, but we're just as busy.

With one child in college (aka Thing 1) and the other at university (aka Thing 2) our schedules are mixed and unpredictable. Having a meal that can be on the table quick and easy is wonderful. A meal that someone else did the shopping and prepping for even better. One my culinary-challenged son (that would be Thing 1) can put together is fabulous! The Nacho Chicken Stew couldn't be easier to prepare, and it pulls together many of my family's favourite flavours. I'm thinking a Mother-Son evening at Supper Works would be the first (baby) step towards his culinary independence. He gets to pick and put together several meals, and learns how to prepare a non-microwavable meal.

Thing 2 on the other hand is a bit of a foodie, and just moved into his first apartment. With his busy university schedule and course load, having the prep work done for him is a big time saver, and means the difference between having a healthy meal or grabbing a bag of chips or skipping meals. The half rather than full (family size) portions are perfect for dinner for one with leftovers for lunch the next day. Note to self ... It would also make a great apartment warming gift. Perfect for when he's really busy and doesn't have a lot of time to prep and cook for himself, and far more nutritious than the bag of chips or expensive takeout that's the normal go-to options when there's no time to cook. 

I realize I'm always more motivated to prepare a meal when it's for the whole family then I am when cooking just for myself. On my own I tend to grab whatever is fast and easy but not necessarily healthy, skip meals, or grab takeout. It hardly seems worth the effort if it's just for one or two people. The trouble is my life and family's schedule means it's almost always about feeding one or two people at a time. The option to prep meals in half portion sizes rather than the full family size means it fits my life as it is now. And let's face it a healthy diet is important and I'm worth it!

Carte Couture: (a fancy new term I made up for custom-fit menus that work for you)

I guess that's one of the things I found most interesting about the idea of Supper Works ... that it fits your individual lifestyle. Whether feeding a large family or just yourself, whether you want vegetarian, or gluten free, whether culinary-challenged or a foodie there are options that fit. 

Currently there are three Ottawa area locations. I'm sure you'll find both Susanna at the Kanata location, and Alison at the Nepean and Orleans locations have all sorts of ideas and ways to customize your meal planning to fit your specific lifestyle, and make "supper work" for you. Be sure to check out what fellow Ottawa Blogger Kamerine from The Life of K had to say about her SupperWorksOttawa experience.

Bon Appetite!

Yep, just me Cathy thinking out loud about meals made easy.