Showing posts with label Miscellaneous. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Miscellaneous. Show all posts
Longwood Gardens, PA
Magnificent gardens, spectacular horticultural display, refreshing fountains covered acres of pure and serene garden. High energy fireworks, rhythmic fountains and soothing music illuminated the night sky. A pleasure to the eyes and heart.
Vacation
Hello friends and readers,
If you wondered why they were no updates on my blog, I was away on a vacation with my family to the Sunshine State. We went on a road trip all the way from New Jersey. It was a long drive, but was worth it. Roads and free ways of the Carolina's and Georgia were a pleasure to drive on.
If you wondered why they were no updates on my blog, I was away on a vacation with my family to the Sunshine State. We went on a road trip all the way from New Jersey. It was a long drive, but was worth it. Roads and free ways of the Carolina's and Georgia were a pleasure to drive on.
It was quite a wonderful trip....
The weather was very co-operating and gave us an opportunity to see a lot of places in Orlando. Beaches, theme parks, race tracks and resorts were filled with people from all over the place. We had consumed "Orange" in some form for every meal of the day it goes without saying how sweet and perfect they were! I vouch for "An Orange State."I have to mention here that Disney brings out the child in us. It's so magical that it lets us dream beyond our imagination. If you believe hard enough dreams do come true! An opportunity to celebrate childhood with our children and hold on to sweet memories for ever.
I am back to reality now, so, please check for regular updates on the blog! :)
Saggubiyam Vadiyalu
2 cups Rice flour
1 cup Sabudana - Saggubiyam
3 tsp Chili-ginger-coriander paste
1 tsp Jeera
1/4 tsp Food colouring - Optional
1 Lemon
Cook saggubiyam with 1:2 ratio water in pressure cooker. It is easier and we want it completely cooked. Remove, keep aside.
In a large vessel take 1:7 ration water to each cup of rice flour and bring to boil. Then add jeera, salt and Chili-ginger-coriander paste and mix well. Take a taste and add accordingly. Food colouring can be added at this time.
Take rice flour in a vessel and add enough water about (1:2)and mix well. We have to add rice flour to the boiling water and if it is not done well, lumps to rice flour are formed and it will not cook evenly. By mixing in water and stirring into the hot water slowly, it makes the job much easier.
Cook on medium heat till bubbles pop up and then add the cooked saggubiyam and mix well. Keep stirring from the bottom of the vessel so that the bottom does not burn. Remove from the flame once bubbles pop up.
Let cool for half hr and then add lemon juice and mix well. Do not close the lid when hot, vapour will settle down. Cover with a paper napkin for a while and then put the lid on.
Prepare this during the day and let it sit over night. It will settle down and thicken.
Lay out a polythene cover where there is plenty of sunshine. Take hand fulls of the dough in your hands and drop them in small "drops". Use a spoon if you are not comfortable to use your hand. Once they dry they become very light and when fried they puff up and become bigger.
2 to 3 days of good sunshine is enough for drying them. Once they are dry, they come off from the cover by them selves.
Store in an air tight container, no expiration date, can be used all thought the year.
Enjoy as side dish with rice or a spicy snack with tea/coffee.
Appadams and Vadiyams
Appadam, gummidi vadiyam, sagubiyyam vadiyam and majjiga mirapakayelu.
How about dinner with appadams, vadiyams, rasam/charu and curd with rice?
Simple dinner, when it's time to do groceries.
BTW, have to thank my daughter for teaching me to edit and enhance photos, kotha vidhya.
For quite some time now, I wanted to have borders and words on my pictures. Guess, if I sit on the idea, it won't help. She was checking my blog and thought I could use some borders, so she volunteered to help me.
Tidbits to save cooking time.
Make powders and podis in excess and store them in Ziploc bags in freezer to retain their freshness and aroma for a long time. Label them with Name and Date of Preparation (DOP).
Clean up refrigerator and freezer every month, you will be surprised what you can find in it. Mark items that are nearing expiry date with a red marker.
Have To-Do list on the refrigerator; keep filling in as you figure out things you are running out of, less trips to the grocery store!
After a grocery/vegetable shopping day: wash, cut and freeze some vegetables, might come in handy when you have unexpected guests.
Label jars and containers so that a friend or a family member can help you in the kitchen when needed.
Save basan – senagapindi in the freezer to retain its freshness and to prevent it from getting bugs.
Remove curry leaves from the stems and save in an air tight container in the refrigerator to retain its color and freshness.
When you soak kabuli chenna or any beans, save a couple handful’s in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. These can be used while making pasta’s, curries or rice items.
When using pressure cooker for dal or rice, use an empty vessel to cook some potatoes or beans. There is always something you can make with them or a vegetable for the next meal. Plan ahead to reduce cooking time.
Buy potatoes and onions in bulk and store them in open trays with plenty of air and light. Use ones that are soft or little damaged first.
Grated Coconut
When you have an extra piece of coconut, grate it and save it in a Ziploc bag, comes in handy for a quick garnish or chutney.
Chili-Ginger-Coriander Paste
Take equal ratios of green chilies, ginger and coriander: wash, chop and grind and place spoon full’s in an extra ice cube tray and freeze it. When it is hard remove the cubes and transfer to a Ziploc bag and save them in the freezer. Avoid using the mixer for chili-ginger-coriander paste. This has a good life and color is also perfect.
Ginger- Garlic Paste
Take equal ratios of garlic (peel and chop) and ginger (wash and chop), dry grind them with a tsp of turmeric and save in an air tight jar in the refrigerator.
Tamarind extract
Soak tamarind in hot water for 3 hours and grind in a mixer to form a smooth paste using very little water. Transfer the pulp into a micro oven able container and cook for 10 mins. Add turmeric and mix well. Let cool and transfer contents into an air tight jar and use as required by mixing in water or as pulp. This will help you reduce cooking time by making the tamarind juice.
Clean up refrigerator and freezer every month, you will be surprised what you can find in it. Mark items that are nearing expiry date with a red marker.
Have To-Do list on the refrigerator; keep filling in as you figure out things you are running out of, less trips to the grocery store!
After a grocery/vegetable shopping day: wash, cut and freeze some vegetables, might come in handy when you have unexpected guests.
Label jars and containers so that a friend or a family member can help you in the kitchen when needed.
Save basan – senagapindi in the freezer to retain its freshness and to prevent it from getting bugs.
Remove curry leaves from the stems and save in an air tight container in the refrigerator to retain its color and freshness.
When you soak kabuli chenna or any beans, save a couple handful’s in a Ziploc bag in the freezer. These can be used while making pasta’s, curries or rice items.
When using pressure cooker for dal or rice, use an empty vessel to cook some potatoes or beans. There is always something you can make with them or a vegetable for the next meal. Plan ahead to reduce cooking time.
Buy potatoes and onions in bulk and store them in open trays with plenty of air and light. Use ones that are soft or little damaged first.
Grated Coconut
When you have an extra piece of coconut, grate it and save it in a Ziploc bag, comes in handy for a quick garnish or chutney.
Chili-Ginger-Coriander Paste
Take equal ratios of green chilies, ginger and coriander: wash, chop and grind and place spoon full’s in an extra ice cube tray and freeze it. When it is hard remove the cubes and transfer to a Ziploc bag and save them in the freezer. Avoid using the mixer for chili-ginger-coriander paste. This has a good life and color is also perfect.
Ginger- Garlic Paste
Take equal ratios of garlic (peel and chop) and ginger (wash and chop), dry grind them with a tsp of turmeric and save in an air tight jar in the refrigerator.
Tamarind extract
Soak tamarind in hot water for 3 hours and grind in a mixer to form a smooth paste using very little water. Transfer the pulp into a micro oven able container and cook for 10 mins. Add turmeric and mix well. Let cool and transfer contents into an air tight jar and use as required by mixing in water or as pulp. This will help you reduce cooking time by making the tamarind juice.
Children and Food
Children need variety of food to grow strong and healthy. Whether a toddler or a teen, strategies to improve nutrition and encourage good eating habits is a challenge to parents.
Family meals:
Make sure the whole family has a meal together every day. Usually it is dinner and the weekends, turn Off TV, and make dinner/meal time special with good conversation, pleasant talks and good food. Schedule a time for each meal. A child looks forward to it in a daily routine.
Let the child serve his/her own food, this will teach them to be in control of their diet.
Respect if the child says he/she is “Full”; do not teach to over stuff. They will not know when to stop in future.
Do not bribe over food with Desserts. Encourage kids to taste/try every dish that is prepared. If they really don’t like it, excuse them!
Be a Role model:
Remember your child is observing the way you eat. Set an example by following what you are preaching, eat healthy food yourself! Do not pass on certain foods.
Involve Kids in the process of planning meals:
Take the kids to the super market grocery store. Let your child pick items for a meal of a day of the week, listen and give suggestions. Fresh, colored fruits and vegetables will be appetizing and tingle the taste buds of a child. Plan out a balanced meal together, let the child help you with small things like garnishing, it makes them feel responsible and proud.
Stock up Healthy food:
Remove chips, cookies and chocolates from the snack shack and replace it with Fresh fruit, nuts, crackers, pretzels, pop corn, dried fruit – dates, prunes, raisins; corn chips, Gold fish etc.
But, let me add here; do not deprive the child of junk food. Portion control is a key word.
Stock cut vegetable or fruit trays/platters in the refrigerator. Ready to serve platters come in handy for a quick snack. Use low fat dips, cottage cheese, ranch dressings, chocolate dips, or yogurt base as a perk to get them started.
It is easy and quick to bite into a baby carrot or celery stick while dipping in ranch that is handy.
I would encourage parents to have a dialogue with their kids about healthy food habits. Read the “Food Labels “together and teach/ explain what it means.
Encourage kids to drink plenty of water. Limit sodas, colas, sugar drinks and substitute them with fresh fruit juices, lemonade, iced tea, yogurt and Popsicles.
Substitute white bread with whole wheat or multi grain breads; potato chips with corn chips or tortillas with salsa. Avoid deep fried foods, choosing broiling, grilling, roasting or steaming instead.
Presentation:
Colorful and attractive appearance/display of an item tempts the child to take a taste. Small servings, especially finger foods or food that can be picked up with a tooth pick are exciting for a child to explore. A bowl of pineapple cubes served with a tooth pick is fun for a child to eat while playing. Spare the mess though!
Food that is made to look like art raises curiosity in a child. Pancakes decorated like smiley face with whipped cream or PB & J sandwiches cut into diamonds or cool shapes will be greatly appreciated.
3 Meals and a snack:
A time honored tradition of breakfast, lunch and dinner has been the three meals of a day.
A good heavy breakfast is a “Must” for school going kids. A solid Breakfast of cereal with milk or oatmeal with fresh fruit, nuts, and raisins will give the energy a child needs to concentrate in School. I prefer No-sugar Breakfast, as the kids tend to be hyper during the first half of the day and burn their energy too fast and be too tired later.
A Healthy school lunch with a grain based main course, bread, pasta, rice etc. A side serving of: fresh fruit, vegetable or beans (baked, fried, cooked) of any kind. A Milk product like cheese, yogurt etc will balance a noon time meal.
After a tiring day at school, kids need a quick snack to jump start the rest of the day. Milk, fruit juice, nuts, multi grained chips with salsa, egg salad, crackers, sprouts and hummus etc.
Children should be encouraged to get out doors more and play and run around, ride their bicycles etc. This will give them the exercise they need. A healthy diet and physical fitness goes a long way in a child’s life. Awareness of both can make them mentally and physically strong.
A family dinner with mom’s traditional food is not a bad idea. Encourage kids to eat the same, when alternatives are shown/ offered they are definitely chosen!
A small treat for a dessert occasionally should be fine. But serve fresh fruit after dinner during TV time.
I am not a parenting expert of any kind. I am, myself a mother of a 12 year old daughter and 9 year old son. I do this with my kids and so far, have been successful with it. Both of them have embraced the better of both the worlds. They enjoy and eat Indian food as well as International food. We, as a family are vegetarians and they choose to be too. It is very easy with my daughter but I need to be creative with my son. He is not a big food fan. He hates nuts and calls them “stones“, so I created a “mixed nuts” powder and use in my cooking and both of us are happy. He does not touch fried food, but that, I pass on for now.
Last summer I bought some salted shelled peanuts and asked him to help me remove the nuts. During the process he tasted one and felt they were not bad. So, baby steps with nuts went as far as a peanut!
We take our kids on fruit and vegetable picking every year. We look for the season’s picks in farms around our area and make it a family outing. They have started appreciating fruit and vegetables more. I just hope they enjoy that as much as I do.
Views expressed in the article are entirely my ideas, worked for me, sharing it with you all. I am more than happy if they work for you too.
Family meals:
Make sure the whole family has a meal together every day. Usually it is dinner and the weekends, turn Off TV, and make dinner/meal time special with good conversation, pleasant talks and good food. Schedule a time for each meal. A child looks forward to it in a daily routine.
Let the child serve his/her own food, this will teach them to be in control of their diet.
Respect if the child says he/she is “Full”; do not teach to over stuff. They will not know when to stop in future.
Do not bribe over food with Desserts. Encourage kids to taste/try every dish that is prepared. If they really don’t like it, excuse them!
Be a Role model:
Remember your child is observing the way you eat. Set an example by following what you are preaching, eat healthy food yourself! Do not pass on certain foods.
Involve Kids in the process of planning meals:
Take the kids to the super market grocery store. Let your child pick items for a meal of a day of the week, listen and give suggestions. Fresh, colored fruits and vegetables will be appetizing and tingle the taste buds of a child. Plan out a balanced meal together, let the child help you with small things like garnishing, it makes them feel responsible and proud.
Stock up Healthy food:
Remove chips, cookies and chocolates from the snack shack and replace it with Fresh fruit, nuts, crackers, pretzels, pop corn, dried fruit – dates, prunes, raisins; corn chips, Gold fish etc.
But, let me add here; do not deprive the child of junk food. Portion control is a key word.
Stock cut vegetable or fruit trays/platters in the refrigerator. Ready to serve platters come in handy for a quick snack. Use low fat dips, cottage cheese, ranch dressings, chocolate dips, or yogurt base as a perk to get them started.
It is easy and quick to bite into a baby carrot or celery stick while dipping in ranch that is handy.
I would encourage parents to have a dialogue with their kids about healthy food habits. Read the “Food Labels “together and teach/ explain what it means.
Encourage kids to drink plenty of water. Limit sodas, colas, sugar drinks and substitute them with fresh fruit juices, lemonade, iced tea, yogurt and Popsicles.
Substitute white bread with whole wheat or multi grain breads; potato chips with corn chips or tortillas with salsa. Avoid deep fried foods, choosing broiling, grilling, roasting or steaming instead.
Presentation:
Colorful and attractive appearance/display of an item tempts the child to take a taste. Small servings, especially finger foods or food that can be picked up with a tooth pick are exciting for a child to explore. A bowl of pineapple cubes served with a tooth pick is fun for a child to eat while playing. Spare the mess though!
Food that is made to look like art raises curiosity in a child. Pancakes decorated like smiley face with whipped cream or PB & J sandwiches cut into diamonds or cool shapes will be greatly appreciated.
3 Meals and a snack:
A time honored tradition of breakfast, lunch and dinner has been the three meals of a day.
A good heavy breakfast is a “Must” for school going kids. A solid Breakfast of cereal with milk or oatmeal with fresh fruit, nuts, and raisins will give the energy a child needs to concentrate in School. I prefer No-sugar Breakfast, as the kids tend to be hyper during the first half of the day and burn their energy too fast and be too tired later.
A Healthy school lunch with a grain based main course, bread, pasta, rice etc. A side serving of: fresh fruit, vegetable or beans (baked, fried, cooked) of any kind. A Milk product like cheese, yogurt etc will balance a noon time meal.
After a tiring day at school, kids need a quick snack to jump start the rest of the day. Milk, fruit juice, nuts, multi grained chips with salsa, egg salad, crackers, sprouts and hummus etc.
Children should be encouraged to get out doors more and play and run around, ride their bicycles etc. This will give them the exercise they need. A healthy diet and physical fitness goes a long way in a child’s life. Awareness of both can make them mentally and physically strong.
A family dinner with mom’s traditional food is not a bad idea. Encourage kids to eat the same, when alternatives are shown/ offered they are definitely chosen!
A small treat for a dessert occasionally should be fine. But serve fresh fruit after dinner during TV time.
I am not a parenting expert of any kind. I am, myself a mother of a 12 year old daughter and 9 year old son. I do this with my kids and so far, have been successful with it. Both of them have embraced the better of both the worlds. They enjoy and eat Indian food as well as International food. We, as a family are vegetarians and they choose to be too. It is very easy with my daughter but I need to be creative with my son. He is not a big food fan. He hates nuts and calls them “stones“, so I created a “mixed nuts” powder and use in my cooking and both of us are happy. He does not touch fried food, but that, I pass on for now.
Last summer I bought some salted shelled peanuts and asked him to help me remove the nuts. During the process he tasted one and felt they were not bad. So, baby steps with nuts went as far as a peanut!
We take our kids on fruit and vegetable picking every year. We look for the season’s picks in farms around our area and make it a family outing. They have started appreciating fruit and vegetables more. I just hope they enjoy that as much as I do.
Views expressed in the article are entirely my ideas, worked for me, sharing it with you all. I am more than happy if they work for you too.
Populapetti
Populapeti: A fixture in Indian Kitchens, this one is a “Must have”. It is a round box which exactly fits 7 small cups. These cups should be filled with:
Jeera – Jeelakara
Mustard Seeds – Avalu
Urad dal – Minapappu
Chenna dal – Senaga pappu
Fenugeek Seeds – Menthulu
Vammu - Ajwain
Pepper Seeds – Miriyallu
There will be a plate like layer on top of the cups; this is a perfect place for Red Chilies and Garlic pods.
Hing (Ingua) normally comes in a ready to use shaker.
This is a handy way to organize these items which are used in less quantity but are very essential in enhancing the taste of almost every dish.
Sometimes people use the 7th cup for turmeric instead of pepper, but I like to have turmeric and red chili powder in glass jars.
Tadka or Poppu is tempering of the dish with oil and these items. The oil is the base in the tadka which helps to bind all the items in the dish with the spices and other things used while preparing the dish.
People add tadka at the end sometimes to retain the crunch of the dals and as a garnish when the dish is really simple.
Tadka is a personal thing; I like to have mine with more mustard seeds, hing and red chilies. Suite your taste buds. Key to good tadka is fry till all of the items are nicely fried/roasted.
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