DIY: Sunburst Mirror

The other day, I was going through the materials in my store room- most of it was utter rubbish and ready to be tossed into the bin. When I saw packets of skewers (leftovers from BBQ parties) and an old broken mirror- I got an idea!
You can see sunburst mirrors everywhere, in all the Home Furnishing and Decor stores- all of them at exorbitant prices, while this one can be made in under 12$!

You need:
- old round mirror/ acrylic mirror sheet cut into a a circle
-plastic/ cardboard round frame
-cardboard cut into the same size as the mirror
-3 packs of bamboo skewers
- Geometric set (compass, ruler, pencil)
-Fevicol/UHU all purpose glue
- Gold Paint


Directions:
- Cut out the mirror from the acrylic sheet in your desired shape and size. Or use an old round mirror.
- Cut out a frame for the mirror from a cardboard and attach it over the mirror.
- Glue another circular cardboard behind the mirror. This will be our working area for attaching all the skewers.
- The skewers can be arranged in any pattern you like. I wanted to arrange them in a sunray pattern and this required extra work and measurment.
- Draw concentric circles with a compass over the cardboard. Attach the skewers on the outermost circle to create a long sunray and attach skewers in the innermost circle to create a short sunray.
- It just takes a few hours and you are done!
- Paint it any color you like to match your theme.
- Its a classic piece so you do not have to worry about replacing it when the whole trend of sunburst mirrors fades away!
- Light up your living room, bedroom or your mantlepiece with this bright statement piece!
Next time, I am definitely going to think twice before tossing something into the bin! ;)

DIY: Candles from a Mason Jar

Tired of those old boring mason jars lying around in your kitchen?
You can up-cycle them to these wonderful candle holders by using this simple DIY!

All you need is-
- old mason jar/cookie jar/any glass vase
-paper
-glue
-scissors
-gold spray paint (I love gold, but you can use anything really)
-black glass painting liner tube
- candle (thick)

Directions:
-Clean the jar with some soap and water. Dry completely.
-Cut out two heart shapes from paper (same size and shape) proportionate to the jar.
-Glue this paper hearts to the front and back of the jar so that you cannot see the other heart from the front of the jar. Use a tacky glue just to stick the edges of the hearts so that the paint does not bleed through the edges.
- Now use your favorite spray paint and spray all over the mason jar (protect your eyes and wear a nasal mask).
- After it dries out, peel out the paper hearts carefully.
- Line the heart shape with glass liner and draw small spirals all over the heart.
 and Voila! You have a pretty candle holder!

I just stuck to a simple design, but you can create anything you like with different colors, different shapes etc!

Feel free to post the pics of those you have made either here or on my instagram page!(@hzarswomen)

Zara

Recipe Log: Indo- Thai Chicken Sauté

Its almost lunchtime, I peek into the fridge, pull out some possible raw materials to make a last-minute-edible kitchen invention. I had no idea what I was going to make and how it was going to taste in the end. As I hurried, through the whole process of adding ingredients and spices to tasting it- I thought it is going to turn out fine, ONLY if I keep it simple. Keep it simple, ladies! Always! It's the rule of the kitchen.
I prefer to use chicken thighs/drumsticks for most of my cooking that involves a chicken broth/stock, simply because I do not like using those high-sodium chemical-tasting artificial chicken stock cubes. Also, chicken breasts dry out quickly, so I would not recommend using them for this recipe.
In the end, it turned out to be delicious. I decided to half-fry some eggs to go along with it (inspired by the Thai Nasi Goreng) and serve with Indian Flat bread/layered Chapati.


Step 1:
For Cooking the Chicken, You Will Need:
- 500gm Chicken Thighs
--2 tbsp olive oil
-4-5 baby potatoes
-5 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
-1/2 tsp turmeric
-2 green cardamoms
-1 clove
-3 whole black pepper
-1 shard of cinnamon
-1/2tsp black pepper
-salt to taste
-1/4 cup of water

Add all the ingredients in a vessel, bring to a boil and then cook under low heat until the chicken is tender (about 20-30mins). Add splashes of water if necessary (if the chicken is drying out).
Check the seasoning of the broth and chicken. 
Shred the chicken from the bone. Peel the Baby Potatoes (optional). Filter the chicken broth and keep it aside for the next step.

Step 2:
For the Saute, You will Need:
-1 medium brown onion, diced into cubes
-1 green capsicum, diced
-1 spring onion, chopped
-4-5 Thai Red chillies, chopped
-2-3 garlic cloves split
-1-2tsp soya sauce
-1 tbsp olive oil or canola oil
-salt to taste
-1/4 tspblack pepper, freshly ground
- 1/2tsp Red chilli powder
-coriander leaves, finely chopped for garnishing

 In a wok, add the oil, onions, capsicum, garlic cloves, red chillies and soya sauce sauce and saute on medium heat. As soon as the onions are starting to soften, add the shredded chicken and the baby potatoes and mix well. Keep adding the chicken broth little by little until the desired consistency is achieved. I prefer the saute to be slightly on the dry side, so I use only 3-4tbsp of the chicken broth. Check the seasoning again and add the black pepper and the Red chilli powder (skip this step if you do not want it to be spicy!)

Garnish with coriander and serve with a fried egg and Thai Rice/brown bread/flat-bread! Enjoy!

Prep time: 5 mins

Cooking time: 30 mins

Serves 2 people

Until Next time,
Take Care Ladies
-Zara