LIFE IS FULL OF COLORS, LIFE IS ABUNDANT, LIFE IS LIKE HOLI

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Thank you guys for being with me here though I did not post anything in the whole year. Love you all. 

MARCH is Special month for me for many reasons. First is, its the month I am born ;-) . I love March because it is the season for Mangoes. In my husband's family ,10 of us celebrate our birthday :-). March 1st starts with my Sis-in-law's son"s birthday and March 30th ends with my daughter's birthday.

And I started blogging on March 12, 2009.

Another most favorite reason is its the month where we celebrate the  festival of colors HOLI. Yes!!! this post is all about HOLI. I want to thank Jagruti for inviting me to share about this festival and how do I celebrate my Holi.

Here is the link for Jagruti's space to read about other friends who has shared about their celebration and their view about Holi

http://www.jcookingodyssey.com/2016/03/channar-puli-paneer-gulab-jamun.html

only few photos of my Holi celebrations. 

Holi is the only festival I celebrate with all my tann, mann and dhan :-) ;-)
Though there are so many stories behind this festival and many religious beliefs and customs to follow,  I believe life is like this festival. Its full of all types of colors. All emotions we feel represent each color. And I love all the colors of  life which allows me to enjoy this life every moment.
Coming to the HOLI day. My day starts early with making breakfast and lunch ready and keep it aside so that once we come back after playing, the food should be ready. I can play without any tension. Till two years back, mom was there with us on this day and two maids were there to help mom to make special Holi food. I was not worried, but now as I am alone here, I had to prepare and keep. And  its not only  me, my friends bring their food and keep it in my house. We all play and come back to our house and enjoy the food together. We all go in our bikes in a group and visit almost all the nearby areas. Stopping wherever people are playing,  playing with them, screaming with joy. I am out of the world on that day. Sometimes I keep on shouting "happy new year" , "happy birthday" some irrelevant wishes and dance on the road with friends and kids. People think I have taken Bhaang!!!
After playing, taking bath, we all gather in our house, have the food and drinks and it goes till 6 pm.
Puran poli is must on that day in North Karnataka.
Just to give a twist, I am linking my old recipe of

Biscuit Poli for Holi. 

Its different from traditional Puran poli.

(http://niveditaskitchen.blogspot.in/2010/03/biscuit-poli-for-holi.html)

  

HOLI HAI BHAI HOLI HAI, BURA NA MAANO HOLI HAI :-)

Waiting for this year HOLI. Its only a week ahead, already planned for the day.

My next posts will be on "My journey of thirteen days on raw food diet"

Keep Smiling,

PARLE - G KHEER FOR PPCS

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Sorry for not participating in the event in the last two months.Health was  a priority.
I always loved Parle-G biscuits, and who won't love these oldest sweetest biscuits. When I was young and not well, I always demanded Parle G because I knew this is the time to convince my mother and enjoy my biscuits dipped in coffee or tea. And I love that cute boy on the wrapper, I am sure you all too love him. 
Today I am here with a sweet using my favorite biscuit,which tastes good when eaten hot and tastes heaven when eaten cold.

I am talking about Kheer. I love kheer (again same slogan). I can have anything sweet. O K, leave me here only.

Coming to the recipe,

This is little different but very easy. You don't have anything and have very little time for an unexpected guest. And you really want to serve a better food with a great dessert. Your search ends here...

Ingredients:

Milk - 1/2 litre or 500 ml

Sugar - 3/4 cup or less(ask your tongue for it :-)  )

Parle G Biscuit - 8 to 10

Cardamom - 2, powdered

Ghee - 1 tsp

Method: 

• Boil the milk in a thick bottomed pan. 
• Once done, add sugar and keep on a low flame. 
• Boil it for at least 20 minutes, the milk will reduce to 3/4.
• Crush the biscuits and add it to the milk, 
• Stir and cook it for some more time(around 10 minutes).
• Be careful not to leave it alone, or it will burn at the bottom.
• Now add the cardamom powder and ghee.
• Mix well. Boil for few more minutes.
• Remove from fire and allow it to cool. 
• Have it warm or keep it in the fridge, have it chilled.

Linking it to 

Potluck party, Cyber style! - Fun and the Challeng... 

Keep Smiling,

IYENGAR BAKERY KHARA BISCUITs for ICC May

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Every month,  is getting more interesting, I am enjoying it and wait for the announcement every month. Sometimes, I will finish the challenge soon and its really difficult to wait for 15th of that month.

I prepared these biscuits which Srivalli has choosen from Champa's Savory Shortbread cookies / Iyengar bakery Khara Biscuit for Indian Cooking Challenge.

The very next day I prepared these and was waiting for the 15th. Here I am with my version. 

I remember mom making biscuits like these. But she had that old round, big oven like a round tiffin box. She always tried biscuits, buns, breads and cake in that. I never tried with her :-(, but here I am getting very challenging and fare chances of learning many new foods. When you are in challenge, you will do it.
That holds good with me..


Ingredients :(I used half the qty from the original recipe, it gave me more than 30 biscuits)
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Butter - 1/2 of 1/3 cup(I had fresh home made butter :-))  )
Green chilly - 1
Yogurt or curds - 2 TBSP
Sugar - 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Fresh coriander, Curry leaves and Fresh mint - 1/4 cup, finely chopped

Method:
Line the baking tray with baking sheets.
Preheat the oven at 160C

In a bowl, mix nicely the APF and salt. 

In another vessel, beat the butter and sugar till creamy. Add the yogurt and continue the beating.Add the dry ingredients. Keep on mixing without much pressure on your hands.

Add the green chilly, and green leaves chopped. Mix well. the dough will be dry. Don't add more curds or water to make it wet.

THE DOUGH SHOULD BE CRUMBLY.

Take half the portion and make into a ball. Roll into 1/4" thick chapati.

Use the Cookie cutter if you have to give the desired shapes or you can use some steel bowl with sharp edges, or bottle cap or even the normal knife to cut these to give any shape.

Transfer these on baking sheet slowly.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Keep checking of getting burnt. My biscuits took 15 minutes to bake. 

They will be soft when hot. But will turn into crispy once cool.

Store in a air tight jar.

This is the last portion left out after cutting with the cookie cutter ;-)

My daughters enjoyed the biscuits with their friends. Planning to bake it again.

Keep Smiling,

My Blog's First Anniversary with Tea and Biscuit!!!

Tried and tasted by Nivedita

Hi All,

Even though I registered my blog in December 2007 only, I started posting  in it from March. March 12th was my first post published! So I thought, this day should be the birth day of my blog. I started to blog with lot of doubts, confusions and questions in my mind. But within no time, this one year went off!! I have 192 posts in my blog today which includes, recipes, my thoughts and few things from my daughter.

When I revisited the posts, I was happy to see that, my most of the recipes have been participated in one or the other event. I need some one to push me to do some good work!!! I laugh, when I read my first few posts, as the language is so bad, with lot of grammar mistakes. Now also, I am not so good in writing, but improved a bit! 

I want to thank all my friends here, who always took time to visit my blog, and came up with their sweet comments and suggestions and requests and support. 

"WISHING A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BLOG"

I would like to recall my first post, which was an introduction about why I came in to blogging,

Hi All

Its almost more than a year I thought of entering the blog world. But!!!!!!!! this "but" is the mother of laziness!!!

Having 2 kids, managing alone everything, it was impossible for me to sit and share my world with others.

From past one month I am regularly following few blogs and surprised and really amazed about the knowledge, these girls have. Keep up the work. Jai Ho Blogging.

Learning words from blogworld also.

Started to learn now, just laugh and forget at my mistakes. Mistakes makes man not perfect but takes him to perfection. (No one is perfect in this world!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

I will try to share my recipes in next few days and will try to share my views also.

Bye for now.

Keep smiling!!!

And PJ was the first to comment on my post! I was so happy to see my first comment!!! Thanks PJ for giving me that happiness. 

Coming to the recipe for birthday!!! Are you wondering, why am I posting the recipe for Tea!!!

Actually, I wanted to start my blog with tea! Again I thought, it is very basic thing, and I wanted to start with something different. So the tea recipe went on postponing. 

I thought today is the best time for this recipe as it is a birthday of my blog.

Last week, I took photos of making tea! And believe me, I enjoyed making and taking pictures as if first time I was making tea!!!

Here goes the recipe with pictures,

                                      

After water, the tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...(Read more here ). 

Each country, and in each country,each region or state, the method of preparing tea is different. There are many types in tea, white tea, green tea, black tea(my daughter's favorite), herbal tea and KT! It is very interesting and vast subject to study.

So, without much introduction, I am coming to a very normal and regular way of making tea, (as it is the post has become very long!!)

To make two cup of tea,

Water - 1 cup

Hot or warm Milk - 1 cup(do not add cold milk)

(or if you do not like more milk, adjust the qty by adding more water and less milk)

Sugar - 3 tea spoon

Tea powder - 2 tsp

You can add, a pinch of Cardamom powder or dry ginger powder or crushed fresh ginger! OR, some times add half a piece of Parle G biscuit in that and check the taste! It really tastes great! 

Keep the water to boil and add tea powder and wait till it starts boiling. Add sugar and wait for 30 seconds. Now add hot milk and allow it to boil for a minute.  Remove it from the fire and strain in to cups.

Enjoy it with biscuit or any favorite snack.

A game played in our ladies club;

There was a "One Minute" competition in our ladies club for sports day. Every body was given a question to write in one minute, the things we need to make tea! Ladies started laughing, thinking that how much time we need to write the things to make a cup of tea!! 

What do you think what all you need to make a cuppa tea?????

My mother was the only one to write all the things needed. And here is the list,

1.Gas stove

2.Lighter or match box to lit the fire

3.Lifter or Pakkad to hold the vessel

4.Vessel to make tea

5.Tea spoon to put tea powder and sugar

6.Cups

7.Strainer

8.Water 

9.Tea powder

10.Sugar

11.Milk 

Any thing else we need to make a cup of tea???

Need the best wishes and support for my blog to come up with more recipes and other things also.

Keep Smiling,

Biscuit Poli for Holi

Tried and tasted by Nivedita
Hi all,

In North Karnataka, there is a tradition that during the Holi festival, people prepare poli or stuffed sweet paratha or (ಹೋಳಿಗೆ in Kannada). My mom wanted to make puran poli. But last week, I saw 2 packets of Complan Biscuits in the box, (which I bought 2 months back for my kids). I was thinking what can I make with that. Then, few days back I prepared Chocolate Halwa which I got from Srivalli ( here is the recipe ). There was little condensed milk left with me. So I thought of making poli using biscuit and condensed milk.

It was fun preparing as my mother also joined me and helped me to do this.

I had one Chocolate cream biscuit and one orange cream biscuit packet. First I thought I will mix both the biscuits. But my mother told me to make separate as both taste different. It was good that I listened to her.(I seldom do that!!! :-( ). 

Ingredients :

Chocolate cream biscuit - 1 packet (10 pieces were there in one packet)

Orange cream biscuit - 1 packet

Condensed milk - 3 tbsp for each biscuit

I crushed the biscuits(one by one)  and put it in a blender to make it a powder. Transfered in a plate and added condensed milk to the powder to make a dough.(you can see in the photo). Make small balls to stuff and keep it ready.

 For dough

Wheat flour - cup 

(for healthier reason, I used wheat flour, you can use all purpose flour or maida also)

Pinch of salt

Oil - 1 tsp

Mix together in a bowl and prepare soft dough and keep it aside for half an hour.

Take small ball of wheat flour dough and roll little. Keep one biscuit ball in the middle and cover the dough properly.

Roll it to make a circle. And fry it both the sides. Repeat with other balls.

I could make 4 polis from each flavor. (total 8 polis!)

My elder daughter enjoyed the Chocolate poli and my neighbor loved the orange poli. It tasted really great! I really recommend everyone to try this, especially for the kids.

I hope all of you enjoyed the colorful festival Holi. My both daughters had a blast. Here are the photos : 
  

                     

Keep Smiling,