Now look here, we all know the real reason why cupcakes are so maddeningly popular, don't we ?

By themselves, as delicious as they are, them Cupcakes would never have reached such iconic levels as they do now. For all their yummy-ness, Cupcakes are basically delectable utensils for eating frosting, particularly when it comes to certain cupcake "flavors" like a red velvet. By the way, if you want to know what the hell a "red velvet" is, it's nothing but a really fancy excuse to shamelessly lick a quarter to half-cup full of Cream Cheese Frosting.

For my money, Cream Cheese Frosting, you see, is the best frosting out there till date. And judging by the number of blogs that praise this decadent bit of topping, I'm certainly not in a minority. I have had a lot of Frostings with my decadent eating habits, many different kinds and varieties, but I have fallen head-over-heels in love with the end-all, be-all recipe for the most Decadent Cream Cheese Frosting ever.

Continue reading the full story and the recipe for the most decadent Cream Cheese Frosting ever >>

yours truly, RA

The quality and type of icing nozzles that you use has the most direct impact on your baked treats. Poor nozzles give poor results. Yeah! big shocker there! Metal nozzles and screws are recommended, they are the most popularly used ones, but many also use the ones made of plastic with no complaints. However, if you are not the hobbyist type and more of a serious baker, then you'll find that high quality, durable metal icing nozzles are an invaluable investment.


Not to worry, it isn't remotely necessary to purchase the entire set at first. You'll do good to rather get the basic set(which are the ones most people eventually use regularly), master their use and become competent with them before investing in any of the more fancy icing nozzles. Examine each nozzle carefully to see that the shapes and edges of the openings are cleanly and deeply cut, and that there isn't any surplus solder on the inside to impede the smooth flow of the icing. Make sure that the join running the length of the tube is fast and secure.

The minimum number of tubes required by the beginner is six. These are the ones you'll find in most beginners icing sets...

There's more...find out what the Icing Beginner's Perfect Nozzle set is at the DeliciouslyD blog >>

yours truly, RA

For anyone undertaking cake decoration, before anything, you must learn to make an icing bag. Also called as pastry bags, they are what you fill with your choice of icing for your cake or pastry decoration and topping. They are especially ideal when decorating a cake with many colors. As with most things nowadays, you can buy ready-made icing/pastry bags, but again as with most things nowadays, you'll eventually find out that the home-made ones are the best to work with.


Learning to make an icing bag is one of the most basic skills of the baking arts. It is ridiculously easy to make, I cannot understand why anyone would want to waste money buying ready-made ones. All you need is a roll of Greaseproof Paper and a little practice. They can be fiddly at first, but are well worth perfecting.

Although several types of icing pumps and plastic icing bags complete with connectors are available, it is easier to use a nozzle with a home-made greaseproof (waxed) paper icing bag. In India, it is commercially known as 'butter paper'. This also makes it cost next to nothing.

There's more...Read the full story about how to make your own paper icing bags as the DeliciouslyD blog >>

yours truly, RA

Well, this is the latest song that caught my fancy. I can't get this out of my head, the tune keeps playing back in a ***king loop.

Song : Summer Wine
Artists : Ville Valo in a Jack Sparrow inspired beard and Natalia Avalon
OST : Das Wilde Leben (The Wild Life)

This song is from the Original Sound Track of the movie Das Wilde Leben, a german film released in english as Eight Miles High. Achim Bornhak's movie focuses on the restless life of Uschi Obermaier, the icon of the 1968 movement in Germany and groupie. At the age of 16, Uschi is bored by her job in a photo lab, but soon becomes the "it girl" of Munich's club scene. When she gets to know Rainer Langhans, they move to Berlin and live in "Kommune 1", the first politically-motivated commune in Germany. While the other occupants claim she isn't political enough, Uschi just wants to have fun, works as fashion model and leads international music stars in temptation...

The movie is an utter waste of time, but this song is pretty good, Mr.Valo's voice makes it so.



yours truly, RA

The typical small neighborhood Sweet Shop that lies just by the corner will not have dim lighting, some random light background music, waiters in prim and proper uniform waiting for your order, professionally designed menu card, interior design that probably cost more than the total invested capital of a dozen small shop owners and cosy seating with cool comforts, but places like The Venkataramana Boli and Sweet Stall is proof that you don't really need all that 'shop dressing fluff' if you offer your customers sweets that let them experience their momentary piece of paradise.

For a good treat, the ambiance is largely irrelevant. If you have a hankering to satisfy your sweet tooth, then you will not get a better taste of sinful pleasure than their top selling treat, the traditional Sweet Poli. It is their signature product, wildly popular, and always in danger of being sold out, if the speed at which they are disappearing off their trays is any indication. Even if you're one of those people who come to a sweet shop and still want to stick hard to your diet, they don't disappoint. This wonderful little Sweet Shop makes Oil-free coconut and Dal stuffed versions of their mouth watering Polis for the health conscious.

Wait! there's more...
Continue reading the full story about the Venkataramana Boli & Sweet Stall at DeliciouslyD >>

yours truly, RA

If only Japan's Kuchofuku recognize their potential, they could make a killing here in India. In a country where the temperature gets so hot, that some people save on cooking fuel by cooking their food right out in the sun - this Japanese company would have a huge, I mean HUGE demand for their products.

Kuchofuku is famous for products like their Air-conditioned Bed and clothing. And now, they've come up with an air-conditioned cushion to keep your butt cool. Seriously. I'm told its the latest rage in personal cooling.


Called the Suzukaze (which means "cool breeze"), the cushion keeps you elevated from the chair so cold air could come in directly from underneath. No more fretting uncomfortably with wet pants and wet chairs during summer. Using new materials and energy-saving fans, Suzukaze cools you in your seat without consuming much-needed power and emits almost no noise at all.


Continue reading the entire story about the Suzukaze Air Conditioned Cushion at the Popcorn and Cola blog >>

yours truly, RA

I've eaten a lot of candy to date, quite regularly in fact, and I don't plan on changing the status quo. But till now, and I say this without any doubt whatsoever, the Snickers Candy bar has remained, and still is, my eternal favorite.

Charged up Snickers
Well, that all changed yesterday. One of my friends came back to Chennai, from New York recently and she came to visit me with a gift. Knowing my penchant for Candy, she brought a case, rather a big box (big enough to hold a regular TV), full of popular Chocolates and Candy bars sold in America. I'm not going to list all the candy in the box, it'll take me an entire day. But what caught my eye right away, were the limited edition Snickers Charged in a very shiny silver wrapper inside a shiny silver box.


Whats in it?
The new Limited Edition Snickers Charged packs 60 mg of caffeine, 250 mg taurine and other B vitamins (about 10% of your RDA). The bar is slightly smaller than the regular one, the same case with all the limited edition bars. It’s 1.83 ounces instead of 2.06. And a slightly smaller bar equals fewer calories. This one is 250 calories compared to the 280 in the regular bar. Not much of a difference, I say.

The Charged edition smells the same as the regular Snickers, has the same texture - the same crunchy peanuts, golden chewy caramel and damning-sweet nougat with just a hint of salt. Take a bite, you'll see it tastes just the same regular Snickers.

Then it comes, the kick of caffeine.

Continue reading the full story about the 'Charged-Up Snickers' at the DeliciouslyD blog.

yours truly, RA

The thing is, I am currently in an open relationship right now, you know, the non-exclusive 'Friends with benefits' pact. And I and my partner find it immensely satisfying. We are best friends, she and I, the quintessential "Call up at 4am" kind. We understand each other very well, more than anyone else who has understood us, including our parents, friends etc. Essentially, we turn to each other for anything we need, physically and emotionally. I thank the fates everyday for bringing this wonderful, beautiful woman into my life. We gel so well, people often comment that we are exact duplicates of each other in opposing sexes.

We love each other, but not in the traditional sense, rather in a 'best buds' kind of way. We enjoy our intimacy and our mutual desire for one another burns so much that it sometimes frightens me. We both have a very healthy sex drive and do not limit ourselves to one another, we are always on the lookout for sex outside our relationship. Its all well and good, we have a nice, cozy setup in place.

My problem is, recently her parents found out about this arrangement of ours, on account of her family friend who, in the first place, had no business poking into our affairs. While her parents are fairly liberal and free thinking, even in matters of love and sex, they have expressed strong misgivings about the kind of relationship their daughter and I have. Me? I don't give a damn, really, about what anyone thinks of my personal life. But the girl is very close to her parents and wants them to approve of our relationship. She has convinced her parents to have a sit-down with both of us, together, and talk things over. Guess they want to make sure I don't hurt their 'little girl' in any way.

I can see that, but I am terribly flustered at the thought of discussing our 'relationship' with them. I've never met them before and quite frankly, I don't know what I should say to them. The girl is no help here, she finds my fidgeting to be rather funny, but I know that she too, is anxious that her parents like me enough to approve our relationship. Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly capable of having a civil conversation, but the fact is, I am naturally emotionally flat when I speak to people. My partner doesn't mind this, she is one of the very few people who have learned to adjust with me, but I am concerned as to what her parents will think. Her parents live in Hyderabad, they are coming down to Chennai in a couple of weeks to meet with us. I don't know how I should go about this. I am a big fan of the "Be yourself" line of thinking, but I'm not entirely sure being "myself" is such a good idea in this particular situation

yours truly, RA