Wall art with Onion bag netting

This Wall decor with Onion bag netting is my mom's idea. Just cut some flowers and leaves and use a glue stick and some push pins to make your wall art.

Crochet Baby Poncho with a matching hat

Youtube is such a great help with all the videos for crocheting. Especially for beginners like me. One can easily follow some videos and make beautiful things which gives us a lot of happiness. We made a poncho for my baby. Its a big size for her but she will soon grow up and wear the poncho made by her mom and grandmom.

Fashion scarf and a matching hat

I also made a scarf and a hat for myself and ofcourse with my mom's help. I love them so much that i am wearing my scarf where ever i go. These kind of small things done by us gives so much of happiness and boost. I am so thankful to my mom in encouraging me in crafts since my childhood. And now i can make my own hat just in the same colour as my baby's hat...:)



Here is the link that i followed to make this scarf.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKRdMaTSTFs

Link for hat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnbRXoEqN5Y

Crochet baby hat with ear flaps and plaits

I love arts and crafts. Recently we made a hat with ear flaps and plaits for my baby. Here is the picture of my baby modeling it.




I followed a youtube link to make this hat. Here is the link if you would like to know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Lol4QU2vpY

Link for ear flaps.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G3mvDeeOIA

Egg Puff

Today i made Egg Puffs for my dad...love u dad.

INGREDIENTS

1 Pack Puff Pastry
6 Hard boiled Eggs
3 Tomatoes (finely chopped)
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 carrot (finely chopped)
1 tbsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tbsp Garam Masala Powder
1 tbsp oil

PROCEDURE

1. Keep the puff pastry sheets outside the fridge before half an hour to begin the procedure.

2. Heat oil in a pan. Add chopped onions. When they become soft add chopped tomatoes and chopped carrot. When they are fully cooked add red chilli powder, salt and garam masala powder. Keep it aside.

3. Cut the boiled eggs into half.

4. Take a puff pastry sheet, put a tbsp of prepared curry and a half boiled egg. Close it and press the edges. Repeat the procedure for the remaing puffs.


5. Preheat the oven to 350 degree and bake it for 20 mins. In between turn the eggs on the other side if necessary. Enjoy with a cup of tea.

Masala Vada / Chana Dal Vada

As my parents are here to help me with the baby, my mom is preparing different kinds of food for my hubby. This is one of her dishes.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup Chana Dal
4 Green chillies (Chopped finely)
1 Onion
1 inch ginger (Chopped finely)
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
Chopped Cilantro
Chopped Curry leaves
Salt
Oil for deep fry


PROCEDURE

1. Soak Chana dal for 3 to 4 hrs. Keep 2 tbsp of soaked dal aside and grind the remaining dal coarsely.

2. Mix all the remaining ingredients and kept aside soaked dal with the grinded dal.

3. Heat oil for deep frying. Take a small amount of mixture on your hand and pat it into a small round. Deep fry in the oil. Serve hot and njoy.

Welcome Little Angel Karthika

Welcome to our world, little baby



We are happy to announce the birth of our daughter
Karthika Murthy
Arrived on August 25th 2011, 2:34 pm, 5 lb 14 ounces, 17 3/4 inches

Step by step tutorial to make pista shell flowers

MATERIALS NEEDED

1. Pista shells. Collect enough shells. Wash and dry them.



2. Take a small square card board piece for each flower.

3. Play dough. I got this in dollar store. With a pack of one, we can make upto 4 or 5 flowers.



4. Glue, u get 3 bottles for a dollar.



5. Paint. You can use any kind of paint. I used nail polish to paint the flowers. I bought few shades in dollar store.


STEPS TO MAKE PISTA SHELL FLOWERS

1. Take a small piece of play dough in a round shape and stick it on the center of the card board piece.




2. Apply Glue on the center of the dough and stick the shells in the form of a bud. Stick an other round of shells around the bud. Repeat the same process until you get a flower shape.








3. Wipe out the extra glue. Let the flowers dry for a day. Cut out the extra card board. Stick a thick thread on the back of the flower to hang them.




4. When the flower is completely dried, paint it. You can paint a flower in double shade according to your taste. Apply 2 coats of paint for a rich color. Decorate according to your taste.

Lemon Pickle

INGREDIENTS

Lemons 8
Salt 5 tbsp
Cumin Seeds 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tbsp
Fenugreek seeds 1 tbsp (Methi seeds)
Turmeric powder 1 tbsp
Red Chilli powder 4 tbsp

SEASONING INGREDIENTS

Oil 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1/2 tbsp
Red chillies 3

PROCEDURE

1. Wash the lemons and pat them dry. Take 3 lemons and squeeze the juice and keep it aside. Cut the remaining lemons into small pieces. Take a glass container and mix the lemon pieces with the squeezed lemon juice and salt with a dry spoon. Mix thoroughly and close the container with a tight lid. Keep the container aside for a week to 10 days until the lemons become soft. It depends on the thickness of the lemon skin.

Note: Make sure to use enough salt to avoid fungus.


2. Dry roast cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, mustard seeds. Grind them into a smooth powder. Add this powder and red chilli powder to the lemon pieces and mix well with a dry spoon. Keep the container closed for an other 3 to 4 days to let the lemon pieces absorb all the flavors


3. Heat oil in a pan, do the seasoning. Bring it to a room temperature before adding it to the pickle. Mix well and serve with hot rice and dal or with curd rice. Enjoy.

Pista Shell Flowers

I know that this is a food blog. But i could'nt stop myself from posting one of my craft projects...:) Recently i made some flowers with pista shells. Since 2 months i started collecting these pista shells without throwing them away. My husband asked me 'what are you going to do with those shells...r u gonna make a curry'. Very funny. After collecting enough shells i started making these flowers. Check them out.

Poori with Mutton curry

Last sunday we had poori with mutton curry as an early lunch. Here is the recipe for poori and mutton curry.

INGREDIENTS

Wheat flour 2 cups
Salt 1/4 tbsp
Warm water as needed
Oil for frying



PROCEDURE

1. Mix wheat flour and salt by using warm water to make a firm dough. Keep it covered for 30 mins.

2. Divide the dough into equal sized balls. Roll each ball into a round by using a rolling pin. Make sure the rounds are not too thin.

3. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, drop the poori into the oil. Gently press with a spoon which would help poori to puff up. Turn the poori onto the other side and fry for 30 sec. Take it out of the oil onto a tissue paper. Serve hot with a curry.

Uggani / Puffed Rice(Borugulu) upma

Uggani is a famous dish in my native Anantapur. We make it for breakfast. Mirchi bajji is a must side dish for uggani. Whenever i think of food, i miss my home very much. Back there we can have the luxury of just going out and eating whatever we like. Thats the thing we cant find here whatever else we have...

INGREDIENTS

1 big bowl Borugulu (Puffed rice)
1 Onion (chopped lengthwise)
1 Tomato (finely chopped)
3 Chillies(chopped lengthwise)
5tbsp Chickpeas
3tbsp Coconut powder
1/2 tbsp Red chilli powder
1/2 a lime
salt
Cilantro
Turmeric

SEASONING INGREDIENTS

Mustard Seeds
Cumin Seeds
Curry Leaves
Chana dal
Red Chilli
Oil

PROCEDURE

1. Soak puffed rice in water for about 5 minutes. Then squeeze all the water out and keep them another bowl.

2. Do the seasoning in a large pan. Add onions and green chillies. when onions are soft, add tomato and turmeric. Now add puffed rice, mix well.

3. Grind chickpeas, coconut powder and red chilli powder together into a fine powder. Add it along with salt and mix well. Simmer it for few minutes.

4. Squeeze half a lime and garnish with cilantro. Serve hot.

Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba.

23 November 1926 - 24 April 2011
Love All, Serve All
Help Ever, Hurt Never!

We love you swami..you will always be in our hearts.

Happy Ugadi & Happy Birthday to you Kanth!!!

Happy telugu new year(SreekharaNama samvathsara Ugadi) wishes to you all..may this year brings you a lot of joy, peace, love and gud health. May all your dreams come true. This year ugadi and my husbands birthday are on the same day...so we have a double celebration...:)The above picture was taken back home in India

India won the World cup!!!

Hip hip hurray!! India won the world cup!..its a sweet victory..We love you Sachin.

Freshly made Carrot Juice

Orange Juice

Nothing is more refreshing than freshly made juices in this hot summer. Without being lazy i am preparing these healthy juices daily. Hope you all stay cool this summer.