Happy Holi friends!   One of the most colourful festivals of India.  I however, desist from playing holi cause I find it too messy...This was my special Rangoli for the occassion and enjoyed making it.

The other day, I went to the main vegetable market, where veggies are sold at wholesale rates.  Plus the freshness of the vegetables makes you go crazy.  I literally had a strained shoulder the next day.  You can imagine, how much I bought.  Corn was just too fresh and difficult to resist not buying.  So I bought around 3 kgs. Thought I can store it in the freezer and use it as and when required. I have a dear friend Rupal and I learn so much from her.  When we interact, there is always something new that we find and share the nick nacs. She shared one of the easiest ways to separate the corn cob.  

One needs to just remove all the green covering and the silk by hand, break the cob into two and just flip the corn off the cob using the thumb.  It gets done in a jiffy.  Was a pleasure doing this task.  Then simply toss them in a ziplock and freeze them.

Mint Fresh

My friend has a farm and has grown mint on a small patch.  He sent me a big batch enough for days!! What to do with so much I thought. Tried this and have been using it regularly  now. Fresh mint aha.... I pop a cube here and there whenever I need it 

All you need is a lil bit of patience.  I added 7-8 leaves in each of the ice cube tray and poured water.  Froze them and stored in zip locks in the freezer.  They are so handy and remain fresh for a long time.

A good beginning

Happy New Year

Happy Sankranti

A fortnight into the New Year already!!  Time flies!!  

May the year have in store lot of happiness, good health and cheer

for you .

The beginning has been great

Have had so many moments to treasure

Inspiration to create too!

Just as how cakes are baked during Christmas, its Til laddoo for Sankranti.  I have talked about this festival last year here.

Til's nothing but sesame seeds.  How interesting to note that because it has a power to generate heat in the body, this became a tradition to make til laddoos during the winter festival Sankranti.

I have a wonderful blog to run upto whenever I want to make something.  Shilpa of aayisrecipes is a wonderful cook.  Her passion for culinary art is amazing, clearly visible on her site.

So I made

Thanks to Shilpa, they turned out well.

I baked a cake... with orange zest and orange juice

Another learning... Used Ribbet! to create this collage.

There is more. And here's a preview

This journal of mine gives me so much of joy.

Adding a little holiday cheer

MERRY CHRISTMAS

&

BEST WISHES TO ALL THIS FESTIVE SEASON

Its always nice to add a little holiday cheer.  Even festival times call for extra cheer.  Though its nice to add cheer all year round.  Its upto us how we steer our day along.  

Here's how we added cheer

Tossed some exotic vegetables.  Its more a soup.  Don't know what its called :)

The colours just sing

We made this fried rice.  These pair up to be the favourites of all at home

My centre piece.  How can I forget that.  A dash of rose petals definitely  bring in cheer. 

The beautiful crochet doily was made by my mother for me

How could I miss out on baking a cake for Christmas.  Certain sweets are associated with a festival 

I recently attended a baking class.  Oh! that has given me so much of confidence.  We get a number of recipes on internet.  But this hands on experience does give confidence.

The exquisite ingredients required for icing requires a visit to a bakery essentials shop far way.  My kids did'nt have patience to wait so long.

So I made a base vanilla cake.  It turned out to be yummy

Am so happy and so were the kids

This blog post has come up after a lonnnng time. Literally from Diwali to Christmas.  Doesn't matter.  This is a journal for me to record moments..... 

Beautiful and Treasured.....

A lovely handmade gift and some brownie baking

Thank you Tammy.  I received a lovely handmade gift from Tammy of  t's daily treasures.  Its a crocheted dish cloth.  Its crossed the seven seas and reached me from USA.  And she took out time to send a little gift while on a holiday there.  That makes it more lovely. I will preserve this and not use it as a dish cloth cause hand made gifts are precious.  May be I'll use it as a base for some dolls Oh! there's a handmade card too.  

Here....

I had some cake baking fun too.  My time tested brownie recipe.  My friend Minu gave me this recipe and I have made it umpteen times.  A no hassle cake.  It can be made in a jiffy.

Let me share the recipe.

Ingredients :

Refined flour  2 cups

Powdered Sugar 1 1/2 cups

Curd   3/4 cup

Oil      3/4 cup

Baking powder 3/4 Teaspoon

Cocoa powder 3 - 4 teaspoons

Mix all ingredients in a bowl 

Add a little aerated water (soda) for consistancy



Pour it into the baking bowls and I put some in cup cake bowls too :) Sprinkle some cashew nuts.

Bake it in an OTG  at 200 degrees for 45 mins.  In a microwave it takes approx 7-10 mins.

and its done :) Simple isn't it?

One can decorate the brownie with icing too.

Here's one I baked for my daughter's last b'day

Have a nice week end.  I have a packed week ahead.  Though its a long weekend, my little one's exams are round the corner.  So its study time with few fun moments here and there.

Lets make 2013 bright

HAPPY NEW YEAR

To make the New Year bright, I thought of making something bright and colourful.I created a `Mandala'.  

I saw a lot of crocheted mandalas on the internet.  I was surprised to learn from SANGEETHA sometime ago that madala is a Sanskrit word meaning a circle.  Is doily and mandala the same?

I zeroed down on Barbara's Spring Mandala She has beautifully put up a tutorial which is very clear.   I Learnt two new crochet stitches

The surface stitch which look like a chain of hearts... the second pink circle and the interlocking stitch... The one next to it in blue and green.  Such an easy stitch and looks stunning.

Happy that I could complete the mandala quite fast... thats like starting on a positive note in the New Year.  Onto a second one now :) Mandalas are addictive. I'd gift this one to a friend.

There's a crochet crazy world out there.  Lets make it bright and work out new projects.  To those who love crocheting.  Does it not give so much of pleasure?

Oh! how could I forget the Brownie!

I baked a cake... a no hassles cake.  Will share the recipe the next time

 Signing off for now. Wish you all a Happy, Healthy, Peaceful and a Rocking year ahead :)

Wordless!

:)

Aroma of Turmeric leaves

Just as certain pictures or scenes bring back childhood memories, so do aromas too.  The aroma of a turmeric leaf brings back fond childhood memories to me.  Of a sweet called Patoli in konkani language.  Oh! I used to pester mom to make 100 patolis. :) Just love Patoli.  Patolis generally are made for a festival celebrated in honour of King Cobra in India known as Nagarapanchami.  Back home in my hometown, this is the season when the turmeric pods sprout and leaves are formed.  They have a beautiful aroma.  This sweet is made on those leaves, thus adding a pleasant aroma to the sweet.  

A cousin of my husband, brought along some leaves when she was here and I made yummy Patolis.  Have a look.

This is the beginning  Chop off the tips of the leaves after a thorough clean with water.  Make paste out of refined flour.  Add a little salt and a tablespoon of jaggary.  Evenly spread it out on the leaf taking care not to reach the edge of the leaf so that it does not spill out.

Make a mixture of coconut and jaggary and heat it it till it mixes well.  Should not be too long else, the mixture gets hardened.  Then spread a little in the centre of the leaf, length wise like in the picture below.

Now, fold all the leaves and steam it in the pressure cooker for good 20 minutes.

Ah! yummy patolis ready.  Spread ghee on it while eating.  The aroma of the leaf is simply inviting and Patolis taste so good.

Tangy chillie chutney

It takes a jiffy to turn out this tangy chutney. Simple, easy and swift.  I make it to last for a couple of weeks and it just vanishes within a week. Tempting and tangy :) Tastes good with chapatis.

Heres how we go about. You may vary the quantities as per taste.

Green chillies....Stir fry for a while in a little oil and enjoy its aroma

Garlic pods and ground nuts....

Coriander leaves...

Grind coarsely without water. Ya... add salt as per taste.  Store the chutney in the refrigerator.

Tangy chilly chutney is ready