Look how greedy Gulliver gets!

I may not have brought all the recipes home yet, but here's to an organ called stomach and a feeling called heart. Some clicks on the way. Have your fill. Will keep you lured. That's a promise.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ticketplease/sets/72157625814943799/

Greedy Gulliver came back with Soup in a breadbowl!

In America, the best way to get around is to hit the road. Especially around the Fall. I believe, no matter how much you plan, some places are just meant to be part of your journey, some places that were nowhere on your itinerary. One hungry detour was to Sedona.

Sedona is a geological marvel of a place, characterised by red-rock monoliths named Coffeepot, Cathedral and Bell...even Snoopy - because of some striking resemblances! A wildly wonderful place that lies at the mouth of the Oat Creek Canyon, home to some of the largest Ponderosa pine trees and is just a little diversion enroute to Vegas, which is where we were headed. God bless the diversion. Camping and picnicking, nature walks, treks, fishing and boating, horseback riding, birding, golf, state parks, sightseeing, museums, shopping for antiques and tribal stuff - just choose your trail and let Sedona take over you. Trust me, you'll happily give in. For the stay, my pick would have been the cozy inns or better still, the camps by the river. Much to my heart's discontent, this was just a pitstop for us.

A constant roadtrip can leave you very hungry and someone like me, very greedy too! You come to a point where you want to stretch every muscle and just attend to belly needs. Beyond the magnificence of this place and the generous weather during the Fall, what really got me hooked about this place is a simple and down to earth soup in a bread-bowl! Of course we'd been having the bountiful beef burgers, mesmerising mexican platters, large hearted breakfasts at i-hop, pork and turkey sandwiches at the malls, but what really trapped my tastebuds was this simple and absolutely delicious presentation of perfectly made thick mushroom soup (in this case) in a bowl - made of bread! So while you slowly savour the soup of your choice, you also get to scrape off the gooey soup-soaked bread with it. Now that may not sound very appetising, but you would believe me if I said it was simply sinful, wouldn't you? Go love yourself and add that tiny dollop of butter and crush some peppercorns generously. A crunchy greek salad or a sandwich with it is my idea of a perfect lazy wintry meal.

How to make a breadbowl? Check here - http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/italian-bread-bowls/Detail.aspx

The Wildflower Bread Company at Sedona would be happy to have you for its homestyle breakfasts, hearty soups, tempting salads, gourmet sandwiches, freshly tossed pastas and sinful desserts. A large appetite strongly recommended. Burp... from Greedy Gulliver!

Greedy Gulliver’s hot new favourite – Honey Ginger Lemon!

I’m honestly not much of a taster. Always wary of what my tongue might have to go through, my reluctance took a comfortable backseat when I recently landed in a rainy and nicely chilled Manali. Highly recommended by friends, this new drink not only had some of my favourite ingredients, but had a huge fan following too.

All it needed was one HGL, and then some more. The thing about this hot healing combo is, it is available everywhere in the hills and is the perfect solution to cold and ageing bones as mine that don’t bode too well with wet atmospheres. Above all, slurrpily healthy.

In fact, you can make it at home too. All it needs is hot water, with some good juliennes of ginger, some lemon juice and honey to taste. Perrrrfect!

And not that you need to go all the way to Manali to get a taste of its HGL, but having it there is an experience you'll never forget. And that's a promise.

Greedy Gulliver bites into a lip smacking Daabeli!

At 10 rupees a piece, can you escape getting greedy? Who wants to even otherwise! So what if it’s oily…some things are better off had at the roadside, and are meant to be enjoyed in their natural environments. Doubt anyone can disagree there.

Made of – mashed potato, chillies, fresh coriander, some other Indian spices and mixed with pomegranate (mmm interesting) and peanuts, Daabeli is the hotcake of Ahmedabad. It’s a sweeter cousin of the well established Vada Pav.

Available every twenty steps in every possible area of the city, this is a quick bite that doesn’t ask for much and if you don’t mind the sweetness, you really can’t stop at one. I could actually open one of my own Daabeli stalls - then eat my Daabeli and make my millions too.

This is one hot bite that is all-season, tawa-fresh and cures hunger pangs deliciously.

And believe me, trying gets you what you didn't order for as well!

Greedy Gulliver seeks Indulgence!

After the ethnic exuberance of the city of Ahmedabad, it was time for an authentic rendezvous at the other end of the spectrum. As I stepped into this little heaven called Indulgence, I did exactly what was expected of me. Indulged.

It would be highly inappropriate to contain my excitement at this point. What happens when you step into a shop with a white pebbled floor? I decided to let go of all inhibitions and jumped a few times amidst the pebbles for that candid childlike experience. For Rina, of course this was just another day and a regular phenomenon. She greets me with a warm smile nevertheless.

Rina Kakkar not only makes handcrafted chocolates, breads and desserts, but is known for crafting a beautiful little world of sin called Indulgence. Amazingly, she cannot be accused of spreading a whole lot of immorality around.

Sinful chocolates that most of you would lunge at, handcrafted to suit many a palette is a specialty here. Mirchi chocolate anyone? Or Paan chocolate? This place is surely here to give you the extraordinary. I leap towards the breads, the cookies and am already in the mood of biting into a crunchy cold salad.

And if you thought you’re just going to be able to take away that parcel, you will definitely rethink of leaving this cozy place. It offers a limited but an ideal ambience for some gup-shup with an old friend. Need I say, a hot favourite with kids and a delightful option to have even when you want a getaway from homemade food. There are some palatable yet low-cal meals on the table and a pretty uncommon hand ready to cook up just about anything to suit your occasion and mood. But do give her some time. Highly recommended is the continental variety and those with a sweet tooth, can stop worrying about those calories and happily indulge.

Time for some Tabouleh salad (our very own Indian daliya…hehe) and planning the dinner with my aunt Rina. No favouritism here, but I think I will be seeing you soon on the Indulgence fan page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Indulgence/323211754212?ref=ts. Till then, take my word. Go ahead and indulge in a healthy and gratifying experience. Oh, and no need to thank me. It’s a pleasure.