Happy Holi-2

~ Happy Holi - 2 ~

Holi - is the most fun filled and boisterous

of Indian festivals . It is synonymous with colors,

music , fun & play . Lets add some spark to this

Holi by making some colorful edible play doh

for our little ones - a doh which little ones would love

to play , squeeze , squish & eat too ( without

even noticing that they are in the kitchen

actually helping you !!!!! )

Did I say EDIBLE ????

This is the versatile dough for making salted North Indian

crackers called Mathri / Matthi . Substitute the water

( used for binding the dough ) in the recipe with

spinach juice for green ones , beet juice for pink

& turmeric powder for yellow . Recipe (link )

Just run ur imagination wild with this

colorful magical dough ...........

Flower Power

Prepared Mathri dough - roll the doh n cut the flowers

with a cookie cutter , prick with a fork n deep fry/ bake .

Kids would surely love this part ..........

(Gadget - flower shaped cookie cutter - leaves are

easy n can be easily cut with a knife )

Colorful Swirls

Prepared Mathri dough

To make the swirl - Make 2 tortilla / roti size circles from the

pink n white dough . Sandwich together , tightly roll n cut

into 1"thick pieces . Flatten the thick roll with your

palm or a rolling pin . Prick with a fork n deep fry/ bake .

This versatile dough can be also used to make colorful

puris too ...

****************

I'm happy to send these to Asankhana's -

Let's celebrate with colors - Holi event

Happy Holi -1

~ Happy Holi - 1 ~

Holi is the spring festival of India . This festival of love

& unity also marks the triumph of good over evil.

Also synonymous with vibrant colors n joy ,

it is the perfect time to renew sweet relationships.

Entire country wears a festive look,the markets

are heaped with colorful powders n water guns

( called pichkaris) . On the day of Holi ,people greet

each other by smearing this colored powder

(called abeer gulal ) . Aromatic sweets n savories

are an integral part of the festivities.

Gujjiya Cupcakes

Round gujjiyas ( Chandrakalas ) , cherries , cupcake liners

Chandrakalas are mawa ( Indian cheese ) & nuts filled circular

gujjiyas dipped in sugar syrup . Recipe (link)

Colorful Rasgullas

Colored sponge rasgullas ( sweet cottage cheese balls ), Recipe

( While dividing the paneer - as per the linked recipe, add edible

color of choice to make colorful rasgullas . Another quick method

- buy readymade rasgullas, remove from syrup n keep aside .

Mix a few drops of edible color to the syrup n soak in the

rasgullas for few hours , but the rasgullas colored by this

method will remain white or will be of a lighter

color from inside. )

A Basket of Flowers

Fryumms/ Tapioca wafers - Recipe link ( Kitchentantra.com )

**************

I'm happy to send these to Asankhana's -

let's celebrate with colors Holi Event

Spring Time -2

~ Spring Time - 2 ~

A Thing of Beauty is a Joy Forever

- John Keats

The smell of the lovely flowers at the flower

show still lingers in my mind ... These vegetable

flowers surely do not have that sweet smell but they

truly have the power to make your salad platters

bubble with new life .......

Flower Garden

carrots, cheese balls , pepper corns/ capers , curry leaves .

The Lotus Pond

Onions , spinach

Cut onions in zig zag motion n divide into two flowers , gently

shuffle the layers to make petals )

Spring time-1

~ Spring Time- 1 ~

' Its spring its spring Oh I just can't wait

To find fruits on the vases And flowers on my plate'

- from Spring by Arvie Calimlim

Spring is the most beautiful season to captivate our

sight n senses. Besides being cheerful colorful n

blossoming with new life , it is also synonymous

to all the beautiful n colorful flowers . A recent

visit to a flower show warmed up my imagination

and inspired me to get a little bit of

sunshine on my plate too ..........

Physalis Topiary

Physalis (rasbhari/ cape gooseberry), wooden

dowel or a sturdy wooden stick , floral foam

Kiwi Blooms

kiwi slices, skewers

Guava blossoms

Red n white guava , black grapes , dill

The Fruity platter

Guava , strawberries

With Love-5

~ With Love - 5 ~

Every time is good time for love , yet

Valentine's Day has its own charm , n surely

lucky are those who are loved and cared for .

Get set for this occasion with these cute Valentine

foods that silently say - the ' Three Words '

your darling is dying to hear from you.........

Hearty Mornings

Bread, jam / jelly , sprinkles, strawberries, chocolates

gadgets- heart shape cookie cutters in 2 graduating sizes .

Cupid's Lunch

Rice, beet juice, salt, lemon juice , lettuce

n flavorings of your choice .

With love -4

~ With Love - 4 ~

Valentines Day is incomplete without cakes n chocolates.

Anything made with love is surely the best gift for our

loved ones n these cute little muffins n chocolates are

the perfect treats to melt a heart............

Loving Muffins

Muffins , Fruit rolls/ sheet

Chocolate Lovers

Nothing melts a heart like yummy homemade chocolates.

Recently I came across a wonderful Chocolate maker

from Delhi - Mrs Deepika Garg. Mrs Garg is the lady behind

ChocoDelite , a brand that specializes in variety of chocolates

( sugar free also ) , truffles & yummiest homemade cakes.

-customized to one's liking . Packed in beautiful artistic gift

wraps n very reasonably priced these are a perfect way to say

" I'm Nuts for you Honey !!! ''

For more info on yummiest gifts mail her at -

deepika_garg2003@rediffmail.com

**********

A very warm thanks to Shruti from Mindful Meanderings

for sending the lovely prize - the books n the beautiful

hand painted card. Do check her blog for the

Feb 's Artsy Crafty Challenge (Paper Crafts theme )

**********

Award time

Warm thanks to Nisha of Nisha's Kitchen &

Devi of Devi's blog for passing this Kreativ

blogger award . Thanks a lot for liking my

blog buddies. This award truly encourages

me towards more creations....

With all love I pass this award to all my blogger

buddies. Kindly accept the award from my blog

n pass it on to encourage other bloggers too ...

With Love-3

~ With Love - 3 ~

Valentine's Day is the most important day of the year

and surely deserves an extra special dinner to

celebrate the beautiful feeling of Love . Make

your beloved feel special with this easy to

make heart shape ( seductively stress - free )

Valentine Pizza ................

Pizza Love !!!

Whole wheat Pizza bread , beet hearts , sliced olives

cheese n peas .Shape the circular pizza bread into a heart

( non artists do not worry - just wrap the bread well in a

cling film /wrap , draw a heart on the film or place

a heart shape paper cutout on the film n secure with tape,

and gently cut out the shape with a pizza cutter !!)

Use heart shape cookie cutters to make veggie hearts .

(Before baking )

As suggested by Ramya - I'd love to send it to Priya's

' Heart for St. Valentine day event '

With Love-2

~ With Love - 2 ~

Lets celebrate Love by making some cute

little treats for our little cupids. The season

of Valentine has begun ,so heart shape yummy n

healthy foods are the best way to to say

' I love u my little sweetheart '

Fun Lollies

carrots, black n green grapes , bananas

Gadgets- heart shape cookie cutter , toothpicks.

Tiffin Treat

Heart shape cookies ( i've used Britannia Little Hearts ),

carved apple , grapes on a toothpick n lettuce

Love u baby

Girl's face - Bread , lightly tossed green n purple cabbage

( for hair ) , bow pasta ( farfalle) , spinach hearts

With Love-1

~ With Love - 1 ~

Love is in the air !! With Valentine's Day just around ,

what could be better than to show our endless love

towards our little ones ( n their daddy too.. ) by

preparing cute heart shape foods.

Of course, the quickest way to heart is through

the stomach n these cute little fun treats will

surely leave them asking for more !!!!

Ur the Apple of my Eye ...

Apples, strawberries, lemon juice

Gadget- a sharp pairing knife / carving knife

Good morning , Honey !!

Fried egg with greens , painted hard boiled egg ( unpeeled )

************

The Artsy - Craftsy Challenge @ Mindful - Meanderings

Kids crafts esp the Hand, foot n finger prints are a great way

to capture a moment of childhood . Recently

Shruti @ Mindful - Meanderings had a wonderful contest in

which the kiddos had to turn their cute lil handprints to

wonderful works of art .Do check out the creations from budding

lil artists at her blog . My daughter Nandika's creation -

'The Handprint Fishes' won a second prize . Thanks to the

jury n the voters for liking her creations !!

The Handprint fishes ( Nandika's winning entry )

India's National symbols ( her another entry )

Handprints remind me of a lovely poem ,

that i had bookmarked long time back -

hope u'll like it too !!!

Miss you when we're not together

I'm growing up so fast

See how big I've gotten

Since you saw me last ?

As I grow , I'll change a lot ,

The years will fly right by

You'll wonder how i grew so quick

When and where and why ?

So look upon this handprint ( these handprints )

that's hanging on your wall .

And memories will come back of me ,

When I was very small.

( source )

.