greenismyvalley

Two views and dessert

2012-02-01T21:36:00.000-08:00

Remembering while enjoying the Morello Cherry Jam on Yogurt

May be I should try cooking this

le Pain Quotidien - Mumbai with Acchan- summer 2011

new york - with MIL - summer 2010

A drink anyone?

2012-01-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

BigM draws the Bar :)

From Cookies to Castles

2012-01-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

Graham cracker Castles from the cookie decorating class for kids

Photos courtesy - Work Fairy's hubbie

Not without the help of -The queen of comfort

Hurray for good friends

Abstract

2012-01-07T09:16:00.000-08:00

Indus valley Sculpture - National Museum Delhi

Drawing by BigM

Loving Picasso - Fernande olivier

Fuzzy Biryani

2012-01-06T09:09:00.000-08:00

Biryani from Malabar - via Shaheen's blog via Sister's twitter

the accompaniments are a clue to past of this dish

Date pickles (a la date relish for couscous)

Sulemani tea (mint tea anyone)

Morning

2012-01-05T08:45:00.000-08:00

vogue 1174 - From Bali with Love

2012-01-04T20:08:00.000-08:00

Illustration by LilM

Pattern Description:
Close-fitting, strapless, lined dress has seam details, piping trim, princess seams, foundation with boning, side front pockets, pleats and darts, above mid-knee length.

Pattern Sizing:
4-16 I cut the 6 though I normally wear 8 and could have gone with a 4 it looks like given the amount I had to take it in

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Very much so, even though I wasnt sure it was coming out right the zillions of times I tried this dress on while sewing

Fabric: 100% cotton Batik Sarongwrap from Bali gifted by a friend years ago. I had been saving it up for the tree of life like print in the middle of the fabric which I was able to get in the middle of the dress

Lining: Blue polyester satin from Joann

Were the instructions easy to follow?
I read the instructions many many times. The cutting of the multiple pieces triple times didn't take much time but all the rest kind of stretched over months. I was kind of puzzled by the facing and how it was first sewed on to the lining and then basted to upper edge. It was kind of confusing. Given that this tends to run large the places I reduced are the sides just underneath the bust till the waist and at the back where the zip is attached. Its kind of hard to adjust the bust area due to the piping. so thats something to look out for.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
So this is not one of those easy ones, but it teaches u so much. The inside of the dress is as beautiful as the outside. I especially loved the piping on the inside facing, the groos grain ribbon and hook for the waist stay. Like the couture details and attention. Love love the pockets
Fabric Used:,
100% cotton hand died Batik from Bali
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
Since I couldnt find horsehair foundation anywhere and it looked way to expensive online, so I used a quilted fabric and attached the stiffest interfacing i could find. I am not sure if this ended up being thicker than the horse hair but served the purpose well. I did read about another user using flannel the same way for the foundation. with all the tightening I did not need any further alterations to get it to fit. I did make it a little shorter since for me it does look like this looks better just grazing the knee

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I am not sure I would sew this again. If so I might sew the corset part separately as a piece to be worn and just make the dress with the lining

Conclusion:
a beautiful beautiful dress if you have the patience

Pattern review at
More pics at TenLilElves

Cookies come a visiting

2011-12-15T18:14:00.000-08:00

Perfect Cookies, all one size Thanks to SweetaPolita

for the cookie decorating class

An auspicious beginning

2011-12-08T21:12:00.000-08:00

Our chalkboard get inaugarated though its a hazard to knees

that get whitened unknowingly

Ganesha - BigM with a nod to Sanjay Patel

Still Life - LilM

Dinner is served

2011-12-07T21:06:00.001-08:00

Arugula, beets, orange, goat cheese , oil, vinegar salt & pepper

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

Wine - Souverain Cabernet 2008 a heady one thanks to a friend

Turning eight is a lil bit more light hearted ?

2011-12-06T21:56:00.000-08:00

All good things must wait

LilM turns eight and waits a little bit to celebrate

skating at Winterhawks

Rainbow cake from Whisk Kid Blog hmm may be we are the culprits here so we wont pass judgement on this cake

vanilla buttercream- skyhigh- why was I ever scared of this ?

illustrations - missed connections Sophie Blackall

What would have been better, that light green all over with white and orange dots ?

next time next time

Turning one is serious business

2011-12-05T21:37:00.001-08:00

Cake for Work fairy's daughter turning 1

most un-baby like as remarked by all my babies

Vanilla butter milk cake from Sky high with instant fudge frosting

verdict i like Smitten best yellow cake better but the frosting is a winner and I might try the cake again

What I wanted on it

from Missed connections - Sophie blackall

little red fondant hearts making a loop and landing on the platter standing up in the frosting

next time next time

Owls come to dinner

2011-11-29T21:22:00.001-08:00

the product

the inspiration

no longer to be found

Christmas dreams

2011-11-20T21:47:00.001-08:00

Lil girl by lil M

Art by Big M

Bull by D, unknown animal by LilM

Gold pot - waiting for narcissus

A Little Girl

2011-11-10T07:06:00.001-08:00

LilM's Art inspired by Sophie Blackall

the one of Missed connections fame that sis loves

Two Peas in a Pod

2011-11-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

Birthday Dresses for M & N

Modal , Tie die, embroidery by MIL

More pics at Flickr

Fall Flowers

2011-10-10T19:08:00.000-07:00

The cold heightens the colors

week night desserts

2011-09-30T09:07:00.000-07:00

Fig, Almond custard Tart - from Suzanne goin, just like Fig newtons- Sunday Supper at Lucques

Brown butter Plum cobbler- yum - via seven spoons via - comme un lait fraise

For the love of a leaf

2011-09-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

Bounty from the garden (zinnia's -Lilm, sweet peas, double cosmos, sunflowers, chard and lovely big silvery egplant bush, trivet by BigM)

For the love of a leaf

were the potatoes planted

now they are dinner, lunch and breakfast

The salad of necessity

2011-09-12T07:09:00.000-07:00

romaine lettuce

oranges (peeled and cut into chunks)

Tomatoes

asian pears

extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper

and not to miss the lemon juice

thanks to the queen of comfort

tie die by lilm &N

Old Delhi

2011-09-09T22:22:00.000-07:00

the minarets of Jama masjid, my version not touched up unlike the one from architectural digest
Not for the claustrophobic this view, a small misstep back ward to get a better pictuer and you may be down Alice's rabbit hole
Next time I want to stay here

Red

2011-09-01T18:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi

Embroidery by MIL - like little beads - from Alabama Chanin

Palmyra House - mumbai

2011-08-30T22:06:00.000-07:00

Palmyra House by Studio Mumbai architects

Found browsing at Crossword in Elle UK

The play of light

2011-08-29T22:28:00.000-07:00

Weekend trip to Otter crest

Stay at the inn at Otter crest

Tughalaqabad

2011-08-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

tughalaqabad fort on a Sunday early morning, hot, deserted and just for us, the best of this trip

Weekend- Report

2011-08-22T21:28:00.000-07:00

roasted rhubarb and orange with creme anglaise - Rose bakery - breakfast lunch and tea

holiday cherries, preserved kumquats & kumquat knickerbocker- Canning for a new generation

Best blueberry muffins - cooks illustrated

Simplicity 2209- almost done

pom pom sunflowers from the plot

Mussorie

2011-08-22T21:10:00.000-07:00

Mussorie where every view is wrapped in parcelled in the sweeping mist, that hides and then shows the many valleys of the himalayas. The beauty of these mountains is the hospitability of its valleys between the ever rising mountains. The one above is from a bathroom perched on the edge of a cliff....of a little dhaba where we started by ordering one paratha and left after eating 5. The town itself like all other hill towns is nothing much to write home about, but it would be a treat to live in one of those valleys and hike for a month and explore this place of many many plants and flowers. the dahlias bloom crisp here, their colors heightened by the cold barely holding on the steep hills...

Dehradoon

2011-08-18T19:50:00.000-07:00

A table at the resort

The journey to the foothills of the Himalayas was by Shatabadi expess in the company of sauve executives, strapping jats from Haryana, upset businessmen yelling into their cell phones and a swami soothingly addressing his disciples constantly on the cell phone. The scenery changes from the dry shrubbery of the Delhi to verdant plains with mountains in the back ground and in no time to the sightings of the Shiva statue in Haridwar. teh train emptied out at Haridwar, the businessmen and the executives included seemed to prefer it to Dehradun.

The resort (Rio Resort) is up an coming place very very well done ( tree logs placed in meadows, the view of the river, the gardens reflecting in the windows, the view from the beds, everything thought of by some one) just off it legs this summer and looks like suffering from off season blues. Its overseen by a gentleman who looks to have stepped right out of Cairo time (a shorter Alexander Siddiq). The lunch was excellent served in a semi open air structure next to the river. We had excellent guides and friend (Dineshji) from the resort to take us to the mean water of Robbers cave. The first whiff of the off - seasoness was the time it took to get tea after coming back from the walk (the milk had to be purchased). The night time went off well with the fireflies providing a memorable display not to portend the morning of no water, no gas to heat up the backup generator , the breakfast not ready etc.

Inspite of all that I would still recommend this place and predict that this going to be one smashing resort some day soon in the future and even now worth a visit.

Delhi- Day 1-Hauz Khas and the Trip

2011-08-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

Hauz Khas

We board the Rajdhani from wet Mumbai, armed with books to get us through the night for our journey to Delhi. Perils of train travel (the train station itself- which in this case turns out to be alright), mice in the compartment (well some one needs to clean up the leftovers – don’t they, though daughter isnt convinced and is pretty scared ), and the toilets….But compared to a 15 hour plane ride from NY to Mumbai this is cinch. New bedsheets, stretched out legs a compartment all to ourselves. The Choubey’s and Dubeys keep us well watered with a succession of edibles. Other than the make it yourself tea everything tastes pretty good and I try not to think of the mouse. A trap has been ordered but not delivered yet.

Everybody settles down to their books, mine being the magnum opus from Amitav Ghosh -River of Smoke. There is enough descriptions of various plants and flowers to accompany the rivers and the green valleys that are passing by that it soon night and time to sleep. Early morning is here quickly and I get back to my book and try to read from the light streaming through the windows, with curtains pushed aside just a little bit not to disturb the sleepers. I miss the Marie biscuits and self made tea, inspite of being awake and proceed on to breakfast in due time (Pohe, cutlets, omelet – more tea). Soon Delhi is here and we are out on the station trying to catch the metro to Malaviya Nagar. Delhi station ends up not being pleasant and hot, but sister is here in purple flow away pants, as befits the climate. Its peak time on the metro and we split and get into the women only compartment. The boy and father have to wait for another one. In 2 stations things are better , we can breath and we reach our station in no time. None of the exits are marked and there are no maps so after some up and down we chose the wrong exit from the metro. Now we have to cross a busy street to catch the rickshaw and it is 90F. Sister seems to know where to go so we proceed in 2 autos to our hotel, which is pleasant and in a residential neighbourhood. Well it is a home converted into a hotel. Just the way Iike it.

We have WIFI, hurray, so we plan the day lounging about and order a car. Father leaves to do work. And we leave to Hauz Khas. On the way I get to eat Jamuns after a long time and buy more books (Trees of Delhi) and pens. A village with tiny streets, reminiscent of Barcelona, replete with art galleries, eateries, bakeries and a monument. Almost all the monuments in Delhi are maintained well, this being no exception being especially in the rich enclave of the city. Lunch is Tibetan (or may be Nepalese), Yak milk tea with salt a little hard to drink especially in 90 weather, chiily chicken is good (not sure its Tibetan, but its good nonetheless). The light through the monument is exquisite, the swans at Hauz Khas beautiful. The inordinate amount of time spent looking at beautiful sarees and the money spent is soon to be lost. Well not the time just the money …..

Mumbai in monsoon

2011-08-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

Early Morning light

A visit

Near PandavKada falls

Before leaving town

2011-08-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

Cherry Macaroon tart - very india tasting due to the coconut

and

Best Chocolate cake with Chinese lettering for birthday girl just back from an immeresion Chinese Program

Birthday Dress/Vogue 1250

2011-07-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

Joining the bandwagon of this really popular dress that everyone has made. This one was made for the birthday girl as a present and delivered post birthday. This is one of the 2 hour dress with exactly 2 pieces. Given it is from DKNY the little details like the band on the back of the neck and the way the cowl fits up to the snug hip show.

The fabric is from high end fabrics on ebay . She has most amazing eco friendly knits. Modal tends to be a little bit slinky to sew with. The fabric arrives really fast so all in all i am really pleased with this source.

My review is here.

summer rain

2011-07-19T21:35:00.000-07:00

Summer rain is normally a rare thing, but no more for the last 2 years, but the effect is marvellous, cloudy days not withstanding

Its the season of blueberries and this turned out to be an awesome cake, moist, with a bite. I used salted butter and omitted the salt.

This cake is crusty outside and super-moist inside.

12 servings

by Huckleberry Bakery and Cafe, Santa Monica, CA

May 2010

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon honey
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/3 cup plain yogurt
3 cups fresh blueberries

special equipment

10-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides

Preparation

Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Whisk flour and next 3 ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk oil, eggs, vanilla, and honey in another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter, 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in large bowl until creamy. With mixer running on medium speed, gradually add egg mixture; beat to blend. Beat in flour mixture just to blend. Add ricotta and yogurt; beat on low speed just to blend. Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Scatter 1 1/2 cups blueberries over. Spoon remaining batter over in dollops, then spread to cover blueberries. Scatter remaining blueberries over. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar over.
Bake cake until top is golden brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool completely in pan on rack.

Thursdays with Hub

2011-07-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

Lunch at Davis Street Tavern

The best bread pudding with caramel sauce and salted caramel icecream

Working at BackSpace

Some thursdays back

Lunch at bubba's cart

Work at Tiny's cafe

July in pictures - 9th

2011-07-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

Climb up Dog Mountain with sis and the birthday girl

the birthday celebration- dinner and drinks at Departure lounge

view, warm weather, lots of leg, bartender on a high, and even good food

vegetable tempura, garlic fried rice with runny eggs, indonesian chicken with dates and oranges, asian pear and apple salad with vietnamese dressing, macadamia nut and cashew tart (like a crustless pecan art)

July in pictures - more 8th

2011-07-14T21:30:00.000-07:00

Barbeque at the Keates - black and white and upright purple and white fuschias, a nantucket house in the middle of portland.

chocolate chip cookie icebox cake- a hit - sweet even after being filled with unsweetend whipped cream and mascarpone
For a martha picture of the same cake look here

July in pictures - the 8th

2011-07-14T21:16:00.000-07:00

Birthday Cake for the queen of comfort - Dobos Torte- very chocolatey and rich, better a day or 2 later when eaten in small amounts with strong coffee

and flowers from the garden

July in pictures - the 5th

2011-07-11T21:30:00.000-07:00

breakfast - blueberry multigrain pancakes

bird feeder by LilM, shallot bag and crochet,no birds pecking yet

still waiting

July in pictures - the 2nd

2011-07-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

breakfast - Oatmeal Scones and Kande pohe with lots of tea

Biking up Mt Tabor

July in pictures - the 1st

2011-07-07T21:32:00.000-07:00

Dinner at the queen of comfort

The menu

Kadhi, puri, aamras, methi daal, cauliflower rassa, cabbage vadis

desserts

financiers and nectarines, home made pista icecream and plum upside down cake

Plum upside down cake (Ny Times)

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup packed golden brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

6 large plums, halved, pitted, each half cut into 6 wedges

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 cup milk

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir 6 tablespoons butter, brown sugar and honey in heavy medium skillet over low heat until butter melts and sugar and honey blend in, forming thick, smooth sauce. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides. Arrange plums in overlapping concentric circles atop sauce.

Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat remaining 6 tablespoons butter in large bowl until light. Add sugar and beat until creamy. Add eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in extracts. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk, mixing just until blended. Spoon batter evenly over plums. Bake cake until golden and tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool in pan 30 minutes.

Using knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Place platter atop cake pan. Invert cake; place platter on work surface. Let stand 5 minutes. Gently lift off pan. Serve cake warm with whipped cream.

After the guests left - day 1- June 30th

2011-07-07T21:22:00.000-07:00

flowers in spanish drinking glasses for a birthday

dinner at Gruner

First day of summer vacation - a report

2011-06-23T22:38:00.000-07:00

Birthday cake for the visiting little doll

Lazy breakfast at home. Lunch at St honore. hike up the hill. Sharing the joy of lying down on barely wet grass underneath trees and watching the white puffy drifting clouds.

flowers for a high school graduation

Summer Days

2011-06-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

wine coaxes the tongue, mood and the body - Wine Tasting at Kramer Vineyards

Birthday Cake for Big M

2011-06-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Does a 11 year old need a monkey cake ? A 11 year old who waits 4 months for warm weather before celebrating may be needs one. Banana cake from smitten, topped chocolate butter cream, no special handling needed, advice from the the queen of comfort - a hazel nut topping for next time

with candles

BigM does dinner - Milind's spaghetti with garlic, wine and spring veggies

2011-06-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

All plated up, start to finish job by BigM

Her goes the recipe from our neighbour the discerning chef with notes from him to Big M

what follows is a rough recipe ....i made this up ..so follow it as a guide line and adjust it to taste.
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
about 4-5 cloves of garlic crushed
2 cups of white wine
kosher salt
pepper
1 lemon - zested (keep the zest) and then juice extracted from lemon into a cup
red chili flakes to taste
1 pound pasta
1. heat oil
2. put crushed minced garlic into oil - add 1/2 teaspoon of salt now
3. saute for 2-3 minutes
4. add 2 cups wine and let boil until the mixture reduces at least by half
4. add lemon juice and let boil for a minute more
5. add chili flakes and simmer the sauce for 2 minutes
6. add pepper and zest and additional salt to taste
7. cook pasta al dente and drain
8. add the sauce to the pasta and mix throughly
9. taste salt and pepper and spice and add salt, pepper or additional red chili flakes to taste
10 . serve hot and enjoy !
if the taste does not turn out like you tasted in sunriver then let me know and you and i can cook it together at our house this weekend so you have a live demo.

blanch any veggies you like - broccoli, peppers, asparagus, green peas ...- about 2 cups and add to the pasta if you like.

Simplicity 2250- The green eyelet jacket

2011-06-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

The pattern was bought because I wanted to make the simple jacket. And I knew I wanted to do it in eyelet. I had seen a green one on jcrew. This was easy easy to do and to top it I have a complete green ensemble in different shades of green. The scarf is from India and last year Jcrew had the same kind paired with a white eyelet bare shoulders dress. Paired with a light green linen skirt , I went to work on my plot at my office. And the comments keep coming about matching with my plants.

The hardest part of the pattern trying to fit it all in the small amount of fabric I had. The interfacing kept poking through the holes so had to be cut out slowly where the holes were.

The inspiration jacket

I am still terrible at adjusting the sleeves. I am hoping that make more of these is going to make me better at this.

The changes I would next time, no bias tape, just top stitch from top after folding the sides in, add a single button and pocket flaps. . And may be line the whole thing . Colors to make it pink linen to be worn with orange shorts and gray wool to be finished with black velvet ribbon.

gory pics of the neckilne

I have a review here

A vacation

2011-06-02T20:50:00.000-07:00

Clear skies and snow

Lazy crossing down the river and horses in the meadows

Color me Purple

2011-05-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

Miltonia Boulivot- thanks to a the queen of comfort

blueberry muffins - cooks illustrated

African violets blooming - thanks to another friend

Dinner is served

2011-05-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

Friday Dinner

Burritos

Dressy Chocolate loaf cake from Dorie GreenSpan

Almond, Custard, and Chocolate for Teachers

2011-05-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Everytime I decorate a cake it looks like everything is going wrong. the layers are uneven , some thing is wrong with the icing, the idea in my head is too grandiose, there isnt enough time, cake is too sweet icing is too bitter. The problems seem one too many. In the end since this is process of melding of flavors, each one contributing to the finished product in a way that is not apparent till savoured it all works out ok. The frustations not withstanding.

Icing tends to be so forgiving. It feels like i am slathering cement on a wall and willing it to be smooth, even and shiny. This icing was something, its moist and flowing one moment and hard as a rock the next. The next time I want to prepare some chocolate iced flowers and keep this will be the icing to go for. When I took out the cake from the icing tray to the platter some of the shlees fell off, but they could be picked up and put back in place. See some more at Good Heavens Baking Blog. Since I didnt get to eat this not sure how it tastes, though from the note it looks like the teachers did like it. The cake is from Sky high and I plan to post the recipe soon

Hello Monday

2011-05-16T20:57:00.000-07:00

At the Farmers market - signs of late season

The color of the season ?

The outfit that didn't make it to the Party

2011-05-12T11:44:00.000-07:00

Dress meant for easter, but worn for Big M's recital at the romantic festival. He played Vals Lento by Enrique Granados and Ballade by BurMuller.

Review for the top - Mccalls 2818 is here at pattern review. The top and the skirt were both learning experiences, one better than the other. the top itself due to its princess seam was something I wanted to learn. I had some problems witht the top, since I was wearing inside the pencil skirt. the top is not made to be fitted it looks like. Also the fabric kept poking out at the back right above the skirt. But the outfit looks very very polished.

As for the Easter party itself, it was done at our place this time, since the easter girl has moved to sunnier weather. We had had a spate of warm days prior to the day itself, but as usual easter was rainy. thankfully it didn't rain hard till about 4 in the evening so things went well.

A friend made the easter hunt special, long and interesting with her clue hunt for the older kids. On our menu a version of couscous and chicken , and olive oil cake from suzanne goin

Braised Chicken with Saffron onion and Date relish

Ingredients

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
6 chicken legs with thighs attached
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
2 tablespoons sliced flat-leaf parsley
1 chile de arbol, crumbled
2 teaspoons bittersweet paprika
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup sliced fennel
2 bay leaves
¼ cup chopped San Marzano canned tomatoes
2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
½ cup white wine
½ cup sherry
4 cups chicken stock
¼ cup cilantro leaves
Italian couscous (recipe follows)
Saffron onions (recipe follows)
Date relish (recipe follows)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Italian couscous:

2½ cups Italian couscous, or fregola sarda
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Saffron onions:

1 teaspoon saffron threads
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 cups sliced onions (about 1¼ pounds)
1 bay leaf
1 chile de árbol, crumbled
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Date relish:

½ cup Deglet Noor dates
2 tablespoons super-good extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons sliced flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon sliced cilantro
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Toast the cumin seeds in a small pan for a few minutes, until the seeds release their aroma and are lightly browned. Using a mortar and pestle, pound them coarsely. Repeat with the coriander seeds.

Place the chicken in a large bowl with the smashed garlic, thyme, parsley, crumbled chile, cumin, coriander, and paprika. Using your hands, toss the chicken and spices together to coat the chicken well. Cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking, to allow it to come to room temperature. After 15 minutes, season the chicken on all sides with 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon salt and lots of pepper.

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

Heat a large sauté pan over high heat for 2 minutes. Swirl in the olive oil and wait 1 minute. Place the chicken legs, skin side down, in the pan, and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown and crispy. (If your pan is too small for all of the legs to fit, brown them in batches so you don’t crowd them.) Every so often, swirl the oil and rendered fat around the pan. Turn the legs over, and reduce the heat to medium. Cook 2 minutes on the second side. Arrange the chicken (in one layer) in a braising dish. The chicken legs should just fit in the pan.

Pour off some of the fat and return the sauté pan to medium heat. Add the onion, fennel, and bay leaves. Cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until the vegetables are lightly caramelized. Add the tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes, stirring and scraping with a wooden spoon. Add the sherry vinegar, white wine, and sherry. Turn the heat up to high and reduce by half. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.

Add the cilantro and pour the broth and vegetables over the chicken, scraping off any of the vegetables that have fallen on the chicken back into the liquid. The liquid should not quite cover the chicken. Cover the pan very tightly with aluminum foil and a tight-fitting lid if you have one. Braise in the oven 1c to 2 hours.

To check the chicken for doneness, remove the lid and foil, being careful of the steam. Pierce a piece of the chicken with a paring knife. If the meat is done, it will yield easily and be tender but not quite falling off the bone.

Turn the oven up to 400°F.

Transfer the chicken to a baking sheet, and return it to the oven to brown for about 10 minutes.

Strain the broth into a saucepan, pressing down on the vegetables with a ladle to extract all the juices. If necessary, reduce the broth over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, to thicken it slightly.

Place the hot couscous on a large warm platter. Spoon the saffron onions over it, and arrange the chicken on top. Ladle some of the juices over the chicken, and top each leg with a spoonful of date relish. Serve the extra broth and date relish on the side.

Italian Couscous

Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over high heat.

Add the couscous and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until tender but still al dente.

Drain the couscous, return it to the pot, and toss with the butter, parsley, and a pinch of pepper. Taste for seasoning.

Saffron Onions

Toast the saffron threads in a small pan over medium heat until they just dry and become brittle. Be careful not to burn the precious saffron. Pound the saffron in a mortar to a fine powder. Dab a tablespoon of the butter into the powder, using the butter to pick up the saffron.

Heat a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the olive oil, remaining butter, and saffron. When the butter foams, add the onions, bay leaf, chile, thyme, 1½ teaspoons salt, and some pepper. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, as the onions wilt. Turn the heat down to low, and cook another 20 minutes, stirring every now and then, until the onions are soft and sweet. Taste for seasoning.

Date Relish

Pit the dates, and slice them thinly lengthwise.

Toss the dates with the olive oil, lemon juice, parsley, and cilantro. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and some pepper.

Notes

The chicken is even better when it’s braised the day before. Remember, it needs to marinate a day ahead.

Mothers day

2011-05-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

Breakfast at St Honore's

Yellow tulips from the garden

Lunch at neighbours and sunshine

Gift from LilM

Drinks with friends at Mint820 (awesome lamb burgers, bad avocado drink and rhubarb cooler)

Dessert at the Heathman

Hope all of you had a wonderful mothers day

Butterick 5450 -the Kentucky Derby dress, done on Pretty woman Polka dots

2011-05-09T11:39:00.000-07:00

Made for a Kentucky Derby Party as a part of School fund raisers, where hats surpassed one another and needed much vertical and horizontal clearance and craning and lifting of necks. Inspired by the prttey woman brown polka dots which I have always wanted. Done in slinky Polyester (not one of my fab fabris, But this wont be worn much- thats the excuse :)) from Joann. The belt is from Anthropologie
The dress is pretty similiar to the originalI was going though the skirt is more fitted and the waist is higher on my dress. I did not have time to alter the pattern :( But the dress is so famous many people did bring up the reference.

We even did some betting and lost all the money. The surprise winner this year with 25/2 chance was Animal Kingdom

Wasnt hard at all to sew. Though I basted all the pleats on the front and back of the bodice and the ones on the skirt. i was able to put it on without the zipper, though i will have to put in the zipper at some time if I am not planning to rip the dress. The fit of the dress is excellent.

McCalls 6319

2011-05-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

This was the easiest of them all till now and very sophisticated looking, once I increased the body length by 1/2'' and the skirt length by 2''. This version is McCall's 6319 view A without the exposed zipper. I left out the elastic at the waist which makes it wonderfully easy going instead of in your face sexy.

Also just like Erica I also left out the lining which makes the making of the dress even more faster. The fabric is from trim fabrics. This is the first animal print dress i Own. Its easier to go against Ur grain when u sew yourself. The orange coral necklace is from Hawai.

The necklace is based on a sun dance catalogue design, pearls and beads on black cotton. Since I hadn't made a pendant yet used an old earring for today

Places visited in the dress: Bread and Ink Cafe
                                           Waffle window - u can get an waffle from here and eat at Bread and Ink
                                            Mink- the prettiest clothes
                                            Powells on Hawthorne

morning post

2011-04-27T08:06:00.000-07:00

Lots to report on but for now just a shot of our morning meal

Waiting for the golden light

2011-04-15T07:33:00.000-07:00

Welcoming the new year, wet and cold where the forsythia's

till cling to the branches and refuse to fade

Gifts

2011-04-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

For Lil Sis. Lion by LilM. Reversible tote Bag based on Craft passion

In side a portable art kit. Orange fabric from ikea

Quilt by Lili M for Amma

Morning

2011-04-14T08:01:00.000-07:00

To share

2011-04-13T07:07:00.000-07:00

Bird house painted by Lil M

Bg M's art work for school fund raiser- inspired by Ferrari horse

More Red - Simplicity 2219

2011-04-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

simplicity 2219-Made for Lil Sis--everyone wants a red dress so i guess the fabric wasn't much of a problem. Rayon Jersey Knit from Joanne with 2 way stretch.

This was difficult dress. I cut a size 12 which was way big at the bust so had to take it out and fix it. Put in interfacing at the front of the neck which i did not like at all. Next time no interfacing. Finishing for the sleeveless version is good but this one isn't all that good. Next time around will attach the front ruched part to the front neck instead of the lining and enclose everything. the dress is also pretty long so shortened it a bit. Self lined.

See version from Green apples

Flowers from the garden:

Places visited

Ned Ludd- Love their sour cream panacotta with rhubarb icecream

Flowers and Plants

2011-04-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

Flowers for work fairy

windowsill garden- inspired by genine

Spring is upon us at last ...some gardening was done today

done reading " the time travellers wife"

on the desk : Love - Toni Morrison

More Red

2011-03-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

Red dress DKNY V1179 for sister

Cooking

Chard paatal bhaji

Stuffed Bitter gourd

Chana daal vadas

Beet Curry

And some places visited

Cacao

Pine state biscuits

Dove vivi - again

Red and white and some such other things

2011-03-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

I am on sewing spree it seems. these are the 2 dresses made for the two birthday parties ...the red one is Butterick 5559 seen on amanda's first and the white one butterick 5523. I have been exclusively reading sewing blogs. These are my real first dresses made from a pattern, and may be its beginners luck - things have been turning out ok

Amanda's adventures in sewing
Shoes and sewing - to rip off Anthro
eugenia;s fabulous world of fashion

We did have a birthday party for sis and made a cake from sky high - strawberry shortcake

Done reading - Returning to Earth by Jim Harrison, a poignant on death life and nature, now I want to read his writings on food
Mira i will get to that award soon - thanks for that

Snow work- burda March 2010

2011-02-24T16:00:00.000-08:00

finished top from Burda March 2010 issue - Fabric from Joann from ages ago

Today

2011-02-24T08:51:00.000-08:00

snowed in

A Tuesday Post

2011-02-23T11:18:00.000-08:00

Rough draft for a school project- by BigM

We were at Toro Bravo yesterday and didnt have the 2 hr wait that is the usual thing at this place. I guess it helps it was tuesday night. Big M has a cold and so had to miss his evening soccer practice which gave us a free evening to try out the place. We are all still coming back and gtting into out normal mode after 3 days of skiing at Mt Bachelor. Lack of reading material has prompted me to do a purchase at costco which is turning out to be pretty interesting reading : The Grave digger's daughter" - by Joyce Carol Oates. A few pages at night every night seems good.

Valentines

2011-02-15T21:44:00.000-08:00

The Love Bug

Valentine Collector

Valentines - inspired by inchmark

Happy Valentines Day

Evening Light, Morning Light

2011-02-13T11:23:00.000-08:00

Evening Light- unravelled yarn for BigM's love bug

Morning light - Earrings by LilM inspired by Mette

Happy Sunday

The year of the rabbit and Malaysian Chinese new year Pineapple tarts

2011-02-12T08:21:00.000-08:00

The year of the rabbit was celebrated a tad late at our neighbours along with the super bowl. We made pineapple tarts from this lovely canning book - Canning for a new generation.

The dough is really really short and hard to deal with and like the extra instructions for this at Simple Pleasures. My chef friend has also now instructed me in a new method basically using two spoons to form the kayak like shape which I might try some time soon

Wishing every one a lovely year of the rabbit

An update

2011-02-10T19:00:00.000-08:00

Spring is not yet here but the days are getting longer on a cue just after the sun starts its northerly journey. We are done celebrating the event again dressed in black, with tea and laughter inspite of the busy schedule at work. This time around the menu had the customary sesame seeds and jaggery along with and almond based chutney for idlis and other goodies which I have now long forgotten.

Its a blessing to see the sun again and the little sprouts coming up in the garden, primroses, daphne and the little iris

Loving your tatters

2011-01-07T11:43:00.000-08:00

Though its hard to be not tempted by the enormous discounts offered by all and sundry at the end of Christmas, LilM still seems to love some of her old clothes and is not yet ready to part with them, even when they have gaping holes letting the cold winter in. So to keep her happy we did some patch work using some bits and pieces from our cupboard.

Happy New Year

A late Christmas post and Nigella's Fruit cake

2010-12-30T15:17:00.000-08:00

Though we have been plagued some illness this Christmas season, we have also had a quite two week vacation at home without an agenda. Which meant that there has been loads to time to cook and clean and sew.

Most of the time came after Christmas so the stocking (Big M design and execution) was done post Christmas. We did manage to bake some cookies and and a fruit cake.

The cookies were basically a Chestnut Russian tea cake to finish up the rest of the Chestnuts from the fruit cake and a spritz cookie from cooks illustrated

Here goes the fruit cake recipe from Nigella which we try to make almost every year and which isn't very sweet. The only fancy ingredient is the chestnut paste

One-Pan Christmas Cake

Time: About 3 hours

2 1/4 cups golden raisins

1 1/3 cups dark raisins

1 cup currants

1/3 cup candied cherries, quartered

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 1/2 cups dark muscovado sugar (available in specialty food stores)

3/8 cup sweetened chestnut purée (available in specialty food stores)

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons dark rum

Juice and zest of 1 orange

Zest of 1 lemon

3 large eggs, beaten

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 cup strained apricot jam

Candied fruits for decorating cake

Nuts for decorating cake.

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch-wide 3-inch-high spring form pan with a double layer of parchment paper that extends about 2 inches higher than sides of pan.

2. In a large saucepan, combine golden raisins, dark raisins, currants, candied cherries, butter, sugar, chestnut purée, 1/2 cup rum and the orange juice. Add orange zest and lemon zest, and mix well. Place pan over medium-low heat, and bring to a simmer. Stir until butter has melted, then simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to stand for 30 minutes.

3. Add eggs, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to pan. Stir to combine. Pour mixture into prepared cake pan, and smooth surface. To keep cake moist, wrap strip of heavy brown wrapping paper around outside of pan, tying it with string; paper should be twice height of pan.

4. Bake until top of cake is firm and dry, and a toothpick inserted in center is slightly sticky, 1 3/8 to 2 hours. Cool on a rack and remove brown paper. If desired, pierce cake several times with a skewer, and pour remaining rum into holes. When cake has cooled, remove it from pan and discard parchment paper. Wrap first in waxed paper and then foil, and store in a cool place until ready to decorate.

5. To decorate, combine jam and 1 tablespoon water in a saucepan. Place over low heat, and stir to make a smooth glaze. Remove from heat, and cool. Paint top of cake with half of the glaze, and decorate it with candied fruits and nuts. Paint a second coat of glaze over decorations.

Yield: 1 8-inch cake.

Drawings from a disaster and some lists

2010-12-28T20:27:00.000-08:00

Outpourings from BigM

And before the year ends some lists.

some more books that were enjoyed this year

1. Freedom from Jonathan Franzen : the single best read for me this year, oh well i guess its on everyone list it looks like

2. Sea of poppies from Amitav Ghosh: A first in a trilogy, the delves deep into everything it touches and never fails to leave hope and dignity for all its denizens

3. Collected Stories by William Trevor- The Irish Chekhov who deals out tales of people, lonely, with almost no hope left, only drops of whisky to keep them company and of evil in unknown places..eerie

Cookbooks:

What can I say I love to cook desserts ???

1. Sky High: Irresistible three layer cakes: A book for baker not for some one starting out but exquisite

2. Ready for dessert - David Lebovitz: Unusual flavors and some new techniques

Happy New Year

Sparkle

2010-12-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

Strawberry Cake again for LilM's late late Birthday

Last years Cake

Art and Apples

2010-12-13T16:33:00.000-08:00

Apple cake Via Dorie Greenspan the darling cook book writer on everyones list from Lebovitz to NYTimes

Buttery custardy oozingly good

Italy Flag via Big M

Cranberries , Apples and a Cake

2010-12-03T19:46:00.000-08:00

LilM's fall leaves

Dinner yesterday was anything but stellar. But we had dessert. A quick one thansk to Ina Garten's new book- How easy is that that was featured in the Oregonian.I wasnt expecting much from something that said quick, but I guess Ina is the queen of comfort food and even done quick this is good. Our children couldnt stand the sourness of the cranberries but loved the cake, the neighbours' children loved the sourness et all.SinceI wan t to try this again with some other yet to be determined fruit...here goes the recipe

LilM - girls with masks

Easy Cranberry and Apple Cake

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over for stems

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced

1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon grated orange zest (about 2 oranges)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 1/8 teaspoons ground cinnamon (divided)

2 extra-large or large eggs, at room temperature

1 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (divided)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled (1 stick)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sour cream

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Combine the cranberries, apple, brown sugar, orange zest, orange juice and 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on medium, add 1 cup granulated sugar, the butter, vanilla and sour cream and beat just until combined. On low speed, slowly add the flour and salt.

Pour the fruit mixture evenly into a 10-inch glass pie plate. Pour the batter over the fruit, covering it completely. Combine the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar and remaining 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle it over the batter. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean and the fruit is bubbling around the edges. Serve warm or at room temperature.

LilM Wolf Mask

Giving Thanks ?

2010-11-28T20:41:00.000-08:00

We are easing into a house sans visitors. MIL has left and so had SIL one after the other and then the holiday weekend quickly followed so that easing in has been a little bit smoother unlike the last time.

Loads of good food had been had at other peoples houses. And we cooked some dessert - Date Brown butter tart and Pumpkin pie. We have a going gaga over pumpkin and I even bought a waffle maker to try out the pumpkin waffles which are absolutely delicious, almost as good as the pumpkin muffins.

Framed pics by lil sister after many trips to pottery barn to secure the frames. One such resulted in trying out various potions at Sephora, a first for me and sis in town. Joann trip to get pajama flannel for the kids just before the store closed on Friday after thanksgiving. And then the weekend was sealed with a brunch at home with friends, Vellayappam , Chicken Curry, coffee cake, waffles and orange juice

Through the Blue mountains - Hampi

2010-11-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

Sweltering mumbai pregnant with rains, teeming Bangalore where nothing much can be attempted other than living in all enclosed environments that have no connections to reality, dry Hampi where the golden brown stones precariously balance on top of each other as though set there by Hanuman himself.

Tungabhadra flows it seems like, uncaring, of the of the passage of time or the passengers it ferries, sometimes showing the bazaars of yore carved on the riverbed, sometimes hiding them. Days of past glory still bring in the never ending stream of visitors from faraway places, just as it did eons ago to the bazaars , that sold gold and diamonds, silks and spices.

Now they come to see the stones touched and formed by the hands of old, the temples where no statues remain, the tall platform where the palace once stood, the aqueducts that ferried the water for the ladies, for a smoke of weed while watching the green valleys, or for the cool breeze on top of Hem Kunta hill where for days together one could sit in one of the old Mahals undisturbed and read about India today - a la Arvind Adiga's -White Tiger.

This is a place which seems stuck in time and moving ahead all at once. The touch of reality is missing here too, though it far more different than the one in Bangalore where the swimming pool and the various courts to play tennis and basket ball, or the in house mall and spa, the manicured gardens, the 3000 residents within a walled compound could live happily may be away from the mess that is Bangalore. May be Hampi was that enclosure of the old with its aqueduct and diamonds that flew like the tungabhadra itself.

Today 80 year old grandpas from faraway Rajasthan, embroider pouches and waistbands, forms necklaces out of old coins, little children speak french and English and sell postcards and help u across muddy paths with a smile, every amma in town sells falafel, and rents rooms clean to a fault, painted bright blue that tries hard to mask the mustiness, and auto rickshaw drivers are trained historians, guides, and the vital connection to everything u think u may want.

Reality - a state of mind? What else u can say about a completely Rajasthani outfit with camels and whirling dances in the middle of Hampi. The garden here is done by some one with a trained eye. Butterflies flutter about yellow and red flowers carpet the lawns. Breakfast is served atop a tower with views of the surrounding ,mountains

The first part of our 10 day journey through the blue mountains

Recipes for disaster averted

2010-10-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

African violets in the pot, salmon and potato nests, plate from NY botanical garden, pic by work fairy's hubbie

Some weekends ago we put together a surprise for the work fairy. The surprise element was engineered by the fairy hubbie, my part being only the sending of the invites and hosting it .......

Childhood friends flew in from far away places, all the siblings of the fairy made their appearances, and she was showered with bangles, love, cheer and good weather.

The clan was put to work. MIL made a little baby sweater, Big M cut out the patterns for the Kimonos and we all together made the gifts one stepping in for the other.

Over-reach is not a thing to be attempted is not a lesson I have learnt yet I think. Especially not with cooking. Every occasion becomes an avenue to try out different things. So the tarts were little less cooked...the decorations couldn't be made. But once the games started everybody loosened up and I guess it didn't matter.

We fixed the ratatouille tart the next day (the problem- trying to pre assemble a puff pastry tart in advance with some tomato sauce on it isn't a good idea. Meant that the base didn't cook) the Tomato tart base was put together by neighbour M (also needed some more blind baking of the shell) and so was the pear chocolate cake. The cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies and madeleines were made by Big M. Pohe and Kothimbir Vadi by MIL. Kadi for the Samosa Kadhi chaat by Moi.

The Fairy Sister made potato nests, peach and plum tart and a chocolate cake.....

Loads and load of food and laughter and surprise....

Back to the Stove and the moistest chocolate cupcakes

2010-09-27T10:41:00.000-07:00

The busy season is replaced by a warm Saturday spent shopping for yarn and a Sunday spent cooking. The kids are busy playing soccer and tennis and with each other.

We visited a friend's mother in downtown, her home with a view of Fremont bridge...and tasted some good Konkani food. So that was an occasion to try Smitten Kitchen Grape foccacia recipe with grapes from the community garden. On the table the nose gay for her (butterfly bush, dahlia, rosemary, oak leaf hydrangea and a yellow rose) and the foccacia and flowers (chrysanthemums) that could no longer be supported on their stems floating in a bowl now.

BigM was into his cooking spree, so chocolate chip cookies on Saturday night and then chocolate cupcakes on Sunday , the recipe from a friend. We had tasted them a while ago and pronounced them purrrfect.

Very Moist chocolate cupcakes (Ina garten ???)

1 1/2 stick butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/ 2 cup sour cream

2 tbsp coffee (brewed - not coffee powder)

1tbs vanilla

1 3/4 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup cocoa

Makes 2 dozen

Pre-heat oven to 350F

Combine all the dry ingredients (cocoa, flower and baking soda)

Whisk together the butter milk, sour cream, coffee and vanilla.

In a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment cream the butter and both the sugars.

Add the eggs one at a time and beat till combined.

Now add the dry ingredients and mix at the lowest speed followed by the buttermilk mixture in 3 parts, starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

Bake in cupcake moulds with liners for 20-25 minutes.

The end of the busy season

2010-09-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

All Pic courtesy - Work Fairy's hubbie

Flowers grown all summer just for the occasion, scrounged from many sources, incense, lights and sweets and a lot of helping hands. A wealth of friends who take the time on weekday to grace the occasion and make it festive. At the end of it all it feels exactly like the little light in the picture burning calmly in the darkness.

D makes a Ganesha every year out of clay to whom we bid adieu at the end of 5-7 days in our backyard pond in a blue pot. The only occasion on which I feel a need for more space in the house, especially with the rains this year, which meant that we couldn't use our outdoor space.

Now autumn sheds its slanted light not portending the gray that was and is to be....

Onam Chronicle

2010-09-21T15:04:00.000-07:00

Onam for us comes at our own convenience. Sandwiched between celebrations galore its the first one to be chopped off the list of celebrations. So last year there was no Onam. This year it was a day early. Its all about food and the end of summer. School has either started or is going to start soon. Normally its lunch. This time it was an early dinner at 6 given the children's schedule. The list of things to be prepared is long, so the planning has to be perfect.

The menu

Olan – coconut milk, snake gourd (parval), black bean

Kalan – curd, coconut, plantains,

Erisseri- pumpkin, red beans, coconut paste and fried coconut topping

Payar Mezhukupurutti- sauteed Chines long beans, red chilly powder, black pepper

Cabbage Thoran - cabbage, green chillies, cumin and coconut

Parippu - Green moon bean lentil, with coconut and cumin

Pappadum

Neyya - Clarified butter

Pradhaman- Rice flakes steamed in banana leaves , with milk and sugar

Payasam- Red rice from uncles farm with jaggery and coconut milk

Sambar

Aviyal -

InjiCurry

Manga Achar

Naranja Achar

Pacchadi

The plan of attack

Day-5 Cut Beet Root (Tues), Make Inji curry and Achars

Day-4 Cut Cabbage and Payar and clean cheera

Day -3 Cut Aviyal, Sambaar stuff

Day-2 Make all the different coconut pastes refrigerate with their corresponding cut veggies,

cook Sambaar Dal

Day -1 Make Sambaar, Kaalan, Erisseri, Beetroot Pacchadi,

Cook monng bean lentils, Pradhaman, mango curry, cucumber pacchadi

Day -Payar, Payasam, Cheera, Cabbage, Olan, Aviyal, Parippu, Rice

Trotting along

2010-09-07T14:49:00.000-07:00

Pic courtesy of B'day girls dad

Work fairy's daughter celebrated her fourth birthday at a farm with horses with everyone to ride on and good weather. Even though she had a lovely tasting pink cake we made some chocolate cupcakes with marzipan lady bugs and bumblebees. We tried one too many recipes and honey bee cake from Nigella which didn't hold up too well since it wasn't cooked the requisite amount of time and then a chocolate cake from Magnolia bakery which got overcooked.

The new expensive oven sans timer and a lack of a microwave timer is really really not working I think. And I guess making a cake in between helping a friend with flowers for her puja and making a full scale onam meal is kind of hard. Next time may be we will try one thing at a time

The cake inspiration comes from artocrat, with some trees made by Big M at Grace art camp using pipe cleaners and happy birthday cut out from Origami paper.

Indian Independence day weekend in pictures

2010-09-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

Kids at India day- the black this year and the white from last year and Grace art camp

Cake for Katayama Framing

Fairy Garden

2010-08-10T14:38:00.000-07:00

Fairies live here our neighbour is convinced :) I think the best compilment I have ever received.

Weekend was spend biking 5 bridges with the kids and some food at Elephants and Mothers Bistro
pics courtesy SriY

Three Birthdays

2010-08-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

Three birthdays celebrated together and two cakes, one rescued and one cobbled together, the cream cheese icing barely holding the little birdies, inspired by a post by kickcanandconkers brought to attention by sis
Will do it again with butter cream and that should hold all of them in place.

Goodie bags done by BigM in between the numerous water balloon fights that was part of the birthday celebration

Cistus Nursery

2010-08-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

Cistus Nursery- Sauvie Island

Picnic at Sauvie Island, Berry picking, climbing trees, Tea, blueberry boy bait, goldden beets and neighbours visiting from Taiwan

Summer Notes

2010-07-15T14:48:00.000-07:00

Last Year was talking lilies too : Lilium Regale

Blue skies, temperatures fluctuating between seventies and and nineties, but mostly in the seventies, the first tomato of summer on the table and some peas , really really late this year due to winter like spring weather, friends visiting from everywhere, children lounging around at home and lots of things to do in the garden. So where is the time to put it all down. There is barely time to enjoy a nap outside on the swing and watch the butterflies.

I couldn't even remember why I had a tub of blue cheese in my refrigerator..aha left over from the Potato tart.(good but not awesome)..Tarts have been baked for dinner a plenty .. tomato tart (multiple times since its so yummy), zucchini, ricotta tart and lots of Thai food (Pad Thai, green curry, sticky rice, mango slaw) the new found obsession.

We also spent a weekend at the quite Rockaway beach and took the steam engine and visited heaven like Garibaldi bay. For niece it was like an endless sand pit and even the bigger cousins haven't grown out of the sand obsession yet.

Got "Ready for Dessert" for a friend's birthday and made her a pistachio cake from the book and got her a bouquet of the fragrant lilies that have overtaken the garden.

And a recipe from Oregonian from dessert 2 nights ago which tastes awesome even without the lavender sugar. Next time will double the topping, the recipe is stingy on the topping and may be even make it with Lavender sugar

Blueberries Baked in Cream With Polenta Topping

Makes 4 to 6 servings
This is delicious. Just be sure to make the lavender sugar at least three days ahead to allow the flavor to develop.
Ingredients

Filling

4 cups (2 pints) fresh or frozen blueberries (measure while frozen; no need to thaw)
2/3 cup lavender sugar (see note)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup whipping cream

Polenta topping

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons lavender sugar (see note)
2 tablespoons coarse cornmeal
Pinch ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled

Instructions

To make filling: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse berries. After they have drained and are somewhat dry, pour them into a 9-inch buttered ceramic tart pan.In a small bowl mix together lavender sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Stir the milk and cream into the sugar mixture and whisk until smooth, then pour the mixture over the berries.

To make topping: In a food processor or bowl, blend flour, lavender sugar, cornmeal, cinnamon and salt. Add butter and pulse until clumps begin to form, or cut the butter in by hand.

Sprinkle polenta mixture on top of the blueberry filling mixture. Place tart pan on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until the berry mixture is thick and bubbling in the center (dessert will set as it cools). Cool before serving.

Note: To make lavender sugar, put 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender buds and 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a spice grinder or clean coffee grinder. Blend for about 1 minute or until the mixture turns to a soft powder. Add the lavender-sugar mixture to 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar. Place the sugar mixture in a container with a tight-fitting lid, preferably glass. Allow it to sit for a minimum of three days before using. (Tip: To clean a coffee grinder, add 1/4 cup uncooked rice. Pulse on and off about 10 times. Discard the rice, then use a damp cloth to wipe out the grinder and remove any remaining traces of coffee.)

Another method is to layer the lavender buds and 2 cups sugar in a glass jar and let sit for at least 3 days; then strain out the buds when you use the sugar.

Adapted from "Discover Cooking With Lavender" by Kathy Gehrt

Kiddie Fashion - NY files

2010-07-09T10:07:00.000-07:00

The 4th- Weekend report

2010-07-06T14:55:00.000-07:00

Compared to last year we seem to have done a lot this past weekend. (the joys of keeping a diary are becoming apparent :)) It may be that we haven't had very many sunny days this season as of yet (though this week is supposed to be a scorcher) that we have been more enthusiastic about getting out of the house.

Having seen one Broadway show in NY we were all raring to go watch Lion king, which delivered more than our expectations. To add to that on Saturday we squeezed in Farmers market. lunch at Chef Naoko and some strawberry picking.

Sunday the laziness did set in, so some garden work was done, and the kids each made their own cakes all by themselves, a coffee cake by Big M and cup cakes by Lil M. They even cleaned up all the mess....And then we decided to break out of it and go for a run, the kids biked and MIL walked up Rock creek Park.

The grill was cleaned up with BigM's help and the decked spruced for our first outdoor dinner of summer, followed by fireworks at home and some at Oak hills.

On Monday made an elaborate Kerala style meal (Salmon curry, Sambar, Avial, Cabbage thoran, peach and cucumber Pacchadi) for a friend's mom and dad with some Punjabi rice pudding for dessert and Idiappams and Sothy for appetizer.

Punjabi Rice Pudding with Pistachio-Cashew Masala

Pudding

• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup basmati rice
• 4 cups whole milk
• 3 cardamom pods, crushed
• 1 piece of orange peel
• 2 T. brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 T. granulated sugar
• 2 cups of cream

Masala

• 1/3 cup chopped pistachios
• 1/3 cup toasted and chopped cashews
• Pinch of ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp. orange-blossom water
• 3/4 cup piloncillo syrup (or a simple brown-sugar syrup)
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. finely chopped tangelo zest

Peel one piece of orange zest with a vegetable peeler. Wrap cardamom pods and zest in a piece of cheesecloth and tie off with twine. Set aside. In a saucepan, combine water and rice and simmer about 30 minutes, until most of the water is absorbed. Add milk and orange cardamom bundle; simmer until milk is reduced by half. Last, add the sugars, salt and cream and simmer until reduced by half and the liquid takes on a thickened consistency. Chill immediately. For masala, combine all ingredients in a bowl and spoon a heaping tablespoon onto each rice pudding. Serve when the pudding is chilled, and garnish with a dollop of sweet masala. Serves eight.

Last Year: Red White and Blue

Gardens and Plants- the NY files

2010-07-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

Going from verdant Portland to muggy and humid NY at the end of June is definitely not the best way to see the gardens in NY. Still there is something to be said about acres of green topped by 100 year old trees. Portland gardens tend to be smaller and more come see me close kind since the whole of Portland itself is like a giant garden with some outcroppings of buildings and settlements here and there.

The New York botanical Garden in Bronx which I wanted to visit because of the Emily Dickinson exhibit is inspired by the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew. The effect is of having visited some large country estate, this being a place of show wealth and splendour, more park like than garden like. Who else has can afford endless grass lawns under large trees where each weed is picked by hand.

Some take aways from this garden for me other than reading the lovely nature inspired poetry of Emily Dickinson, a wish to make a Herbarium and some lovely glass plates from the garden shop.

The soul selects her own society,

Then shuts the door;

On her divine majority

Obtrude no more.

Brooklyn Botanical Garden unlike the NY one is more garden like with pools of water lilies and flowering plants, a Japanese garden with beautiful Koi and a fragrance garden full of wild herbs a large conservatory. From here I take back a book from the artist Charley Harper, hoping to do some embroideries and growing a terrarium in my large Green vase.....

As for the rest of NY the humidity means that also those tropical greens grow like crazy under the tress, white impatiens, pink begonias and all sorts of coleus fat and happy. The combination of white impatiens with some dark green under shade is unbeatable.

Seeing- The NY files

2010-07-01T10:02:00.000-07:00

Shades of Yellow and Modern

Bamboo at Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Picasso at the MET, Banana flower at Brooklyn

I know I have been missing in action for some time now. We have been enjoying the balmy NY weather last week. The last time I was in NY it was rainy and bite chillingly cold and that's all I remember about that trip. To add to that we had stayed in New Jersey which is never a good way to see NY.

This time we rented a two bedroom apartment on the upper west side a block away from Central park in the heart of the city, which changes the whole perspective of experiencing the city.

From seeing endless array of evergreens of every shade to endless array of concrete of every shade is something of a change. But NY with its never ending energy envelopes you in it pulsating warmth.

Mississipi Mud Cake

2010-06-15T13:53:00.000-07:00

I have been hearing and hearing of mud cakes but never finding a recipe that I like. Its supposed to be moist and dense and Le cupcake always mentions them. And then a friend at school told me she wanted to bake a Mississippi mud cake with me. But her descriptions of the cake and what I found on the web never seemed to match up, till I questioned the source from where she had tasted the cake and was told about the alcohol in the cake and the chocolate chunks. Armed with that a renewed searched was commenced and I hit up on this recipe at About.com. This one is sans the marshmallows and the gooey icing which I am sure the kiddoes would love to death :)

We had a lovely evening cooking up this dense and rich chocolate cake baked at a very low temperature that keeps it seriously moist.
The saner adult version of Mississippi mud cake with bourbon....

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/4 cups strong brewed coffee
1/4 cup bourbon or brandy
5 1-ounce squares unsweetened chocolate
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
unsweetened cocoa powder
sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, for serving

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 275°.

Sift the flour, salt, and the baking powder together ensuring it is mixed in well.

Combine the coffee, bourbon or brandy, chocolate, and butter or margarine in the top of a double boiler. Heat until the chocolate and butter have melted, stirring occasionally.

Pour the chocolate mixture into a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on low speed, gradually beat in the sugar. Continue beating until the sugar has dissolved.

Stir in the dry ingredients. Beat the eggs and vanilla separately and fold into the chocolate mixture until thoroughly blended.

Pour the batter into a generously greased 3-quart bundt pan that has been dusted lightly with cocoa powder or flour. Adjust rack so cake will bake in top half of oven. Bake for about 1 hour 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick or cake tester inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then unmold onto a wire rack. Let cool completely.

When cake is cooled, dust lightly with cocoa powder. Serve with sweetened whipped cream or ice cream, if desired, or drizzle with chocolate or vanilla glaze

Weekend Update

2010-06-10T22:51:00.000-07:00

Going by the rain that is falling in never ending streams one would never dream that we had a summer like Saturday with not a cloud in view. Skirts, shorts, sleeves what sleeves, water balloon fights and loads of food were on display at Cook's park where little M's school had their yearly school picnic. We made some Magnolia bakery cupcakes and coffee cake in a pan, easier to share.

Thursday we went to our first first thursday of the season walk, in the Pearl. It was rainy wet and cold. Mostly wanted to replace my green bowls by Kenneth Pincus. In the process ended up seeing a bunch of art, walking the streets in the rain under umbrellas and visiting Daily Cafe.

The food was alright, the place is comfortable and beautiful. Kids enjoyed coloring Joel Henriques coloring sheets. His blog is a must visit.
LilM performed Merlin's dream for her spring recital this Sunday and got a lovely pink hello Kitty necklace from her teacher.

Flowery Fella and How to make a two legged dog

2010-06-09T12:06:00.000-07:00

LilM is the mistress of sewing and she gets ample opportunity at school to try out her skills. Here latest obsession is felt bands fastened with button to be worn on the hand, embroidered with roses.

Some moons ago she decided to make herself a dog, inspired I think by something seen on cyber chase.
So after school she talked to her dad about her plans and then went about doing it.

A grid was drawn on small sheet of paper and a dog drawn on the grid. then the grid was drawn again on a larger sheet and the dog drawn again. Then the pattern was cut out pinned to cloth and the cloth cut out.

She sewed it all by hand and then I went and re-enforced it on the machine. The only help we needed to give her was buying some stuffing, googly eyes and pompoms. Everything else from start to finish was her show alone. Now the doggie with 2 legs lies on her bed with a rose band fastened around his neck.

Also see sis' post on the same

Almost wedding cake

2010-06-01T21:57:00.000-07:00

Ahh well it wasnt a wedding. But to go by the amount of cake we baked it would have looked like we wanted to feed atleast a 100 people. But the bunch was closer to may be 30 and consiting of mostly butter averse, hard partying, skinny, to be 40 soon or already 40, food is guilt, but a drink is always better kind of crowd.

The birthday girl with a big heart, a ready place for a friend at home and something always in the refrigerator to feed everyone who drops by looked Barbie like in her Max Azria black gown floating on the dance floor, chinking her champagne glass with friends at midnight.

The DJ played older Amitabh Bacchan songs and some new ones and we did "twist and twist and twist".

Me and another friend baked the cakes. Me a vanilla one with mango curd and her a large chocolate one with gancahe. All the coloring of the fondant, rolling and cutting the flowers, dusting each flower with gold dust was done by my little army. The car was made by Big M.

The girl took 3 attempts but shes been my best one so far. One with a neck this time. and a sleevless gown. First time making high heels and a wine bottle. The skis that were planned to be on the cake never made it. And I dont have a picture of the completely assembled cake. Other than that things went well.

Only needed about a day and fine Japanese meal to get back to normal

Rassa-Cauliflower in dry coconut gravy

2010-05-28T16:14:00.000-07:00

Lazy afternoons in mumbai, with the heat that makes u stay indoors and the sheer energy required for travel in this metropolis, all I do, I think is watch lunch being made. The small cauliflower being torn into florets, the peas being peeled, the onions being chopped finely, the tiny potatoes scrubbed and diced. A meal prepared with care. The dry coconut (copra) is grated and combined the spices and ground into fine paste. Each of vegetables are sauteed in oil that is not too hot so they steam slightly and get coated in oil. And then in a thick bottomed small pan the paste is sauteed again till the whole house is perfumed , each of the separately sauteed veggies added and some warm water a little bit at a time. Then the lid goes on, and atop the lid is some more water that keeps steaming to be added to the curry if needed in little measures on the lowest flame. The fires keep going till the oils in the gravy separate out and float on the top. Smells wafts through the windows to the outside world proclaiming our lunch for the day.

This lunch is not a job to be done but pure pleasure. She walks in and out her kitchen talking to us in between the sauteing, the grinding...It may be 3 before we get lunch, but its always always good. Soft roties laced with ghee, the vegetables coated in gravy, a salad with peanuts, soft white rice, a pot of yogurt set in the morning, some pickles., the fan whirring the heat coming in from the open windows...

We have a 16 year old notebook with recipes that D carried with him from home that I use to make the Rassa . And slowly the writing is fading out,so its time to put it on the new medium of choice, over the ether, that hopefully doesn't fade with time.

Cauliflower Rassa

Vegetables (just one of this will also do)
1/2 pound cauliflower florets

1 potato peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cup of shelled peas (fresh or frozen-if frozen defrost)

For the Masala
2 tsp- dried unsweetened dessicated coconut (or grated copra if available)
1/ tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1/8 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp chili powder (adjust to taste)
3 cloves
10 peppercorns
1/2 inch stick of cinnamon
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 a large onion diced fine

Powder all the ingredients for the masala excludingng the garlic and onions. Once powdered add the garlic and onions and make a paste with 2-3 tsp of water.

Warm oil in a thick bottomed pan. Add the cauliflowers , saute on a low flame till the cauliflowers are partially cooked but still crisp. Remove to a plate. The oil should not be too hot, u are trying to get the vegetables to sweat and be steamed. Repeat with peas and potatoes and remove these to the plate as well.

Warm another tbsp of oil in the same pan and add the masala. Fry till the masalas releases it aroma and the oil separates out. Add the sauteed veggies and stir to coat the vegetables with the masala. Add 1/4 cup of warm water, and steam the veggies in the gravy covered. Keep some water on top of the lid and keep adding the water to the gravy to make sure the curry does not dry out. The gravy should be fairly thick. Once the vegetables are almost cooked removed the lid add the diced tomatoes and cook for some more time til you see a layer of oil floating on top. Add some cut coriander if desired.

Serve with rice or rotis

Pioneer project

2010-05-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

Log cabin for school pioneer project - Big M and Dad

quilt and mattress for the cabin by me and LilM

Last Year: Bridges

greenismyvalley

Two views and dessert

A drink anyone?

From Cookies to Castles

Abstract

Fuzzy Biryani

Morning

vogue 1174 - From Bali with Love

Cookies come a visiting

An auspicious beginning

Dinner is served

Turning eight is a lil bit more light hearted ?

Turning one is serious business

Owls come to dinner

Christmas dreams

A Little Girl

Two Peas in a Pod

Fall Flowers

week night desserts

For the love of a leaf

The salad of necessity

Old Delhi

Red

Palmyra House - mumbai

The play of light

Tughalaqabad

Weekend- Report

Mussorie

Dehradoon

Delhi- Day 1-Hauz Khas and the Trip

Mumbai in monsoon

Before leaving town

Birthday Dress/Vogue 1250

summer rain

Blueberry Cornmeal Cake

Ingredients

special equipment

Preparation

Thursdays with Hub

July in pictures - 9th

July in pictures - more 8th

July in pictures - the 8th

July in pictures - the 5th

July in pictures - the 2nd

July in pictures - the 1st

After the guests left - day 1- June 30th

First day of summer vacation - a report

Summer Days

Birthday Cake for Big M

BigM does dinner - Milind's spaghetti with garlic, wine and spring veggies

Simplicity 2250- The green eyelet jacket

A vacation

Color me Purple

Dinner is served

Almond, Custard, and Chocolate for Teachers

Hello Monday

The outfit that didn't make it to the Party

Ingredients

Italian couscous:

Saffron onions:

Date relish:

Directions

Notes

Mothers day

Butterick 5450 -the Kentucky Derby dress, done on Pretty woman Polka dots

McCalls 6319

morning post

Waiting for the golden light

Gifts

Morning

To share

More Red - Simplicity 2219

Flowers and Plants

More Red

Red and white and some such other things

Snow work- burda March 2010

Today

A Tuesday Post

Valentines

Evening Light, Morning Light