Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Mixed Vegetable Juice

mixed vegetable juice (4)

INGREDIENTS:

  1. Kale leaves – 3 nos.
  2. Spinach – 2 cups
  3. Cabbage – 1/8
  4. Celery stalk – 4
  5. Carrots, medium (peeled ) – 4 nos.
  6. Beetroot, small – 1 no.
  7. Cucumber  (peeled) – 1
  8. Ginger – 2 inch piece
  9. Apple (peeled and cored) – 2 nos.

mixed juice_n

METHOD:

  • Wash well all the ingredients.
  1. After removing the stem, take the spinach leaves and wash them thoroughly under running water. Pour out the water, and refill the bowl with fresh water. Repeat until you no longer see any grit in the water.
  2. Kale’s curly leaves provide multiple traps for dirt, so kale should be cleaned carefully. Wash kale in a deep bowl of cold water, stirring it a bit to release the grit, then lift it out. Pour out the water, and refill the bowl with fresh water. Repeat until you no longer see any grit in the water. Then spread the leaves out on a large kitchen towel and roll them up into a cylinder. This dries the leaves. If you want to remove the stems from the leaves , you can either fold each leaf in half, then cut away the stems or grab the leafs with your hand and pull the steam away in the opposite direction. Now chop leaves in desired size and rinse in colander.
  3. Wash well and peel the carrots and Cucumber.
  4. Wash well and  cut both ends off the  celery stalks.
  5. Was well the Apples. Using a sharp knife, cut the apples into half from top to bottom. With a small spoon scoop out the seeds and fibrous sheathes of each half of the apples. Remove the stem and bud ends of the apple with your knife.

mixed vegetable juice (3)

Comments

Monday, April 28, 2014

Banana Oats Milkshake

Homemade juices, smoothies and milkshakes can be a great nutritional supplement for almost any diet and keeping body in healthy.

Banana oats Milkshake (3)

INGREDINETS

  1. Ripe Jamaican banana – 1 no.
  2. Oats – 1 cup
  3. Whole Milk – 1 cup
  4. Warm water – 1/2 cup
  5. Cocoa powder – 1 tsp.
  6. Honey – 2 tsp.
  7. Cardamom powder – 1 pinch

Banana oats Milkshake (2)

METHOD:

  • Boil the milk and allow it to cool.
  • If you want, you can cook oats by adding 2 cups of water in a small pot for a minute or two, stirring often until it becomes thick and bubbly. Remove oats from heat and allow it to cool.
  • Now place all the 1 to 7  ingredients in a blender and blend on high until creamy and smooth.
  • Serve immediately or Chill in refrigerator, pour into glasses and enjoy.

Banana oats Milkshake (1)

Comments

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Flowering Tree

Lovely paper flowers burst into bloom on the  branches of a spring tree.

Flowering tree-1Photo

I cut this beautiful flowering Tree file using Silhouette Cameo Electronic Cutting Tool.

IMG_3317 - Copy

Using this file, you can make  tree shaped greeting cards or incorporate this beautiful flowering tree design on a birthday card or on a wedding anniversary card.

flowering tree2_Photo

Paper-cuts are chiefly used as decorations. I really enjoy paper crafts for several reasons. First, there are so many things I can create from a few pieces of colorful paper or card stock.  Another reason is paper crafts are economical and easy to store. And paper crafts range from simple to complex. We can use recycled papers, tissue papers, magazines, wrappers, envelopes and cardboard containers for paper crafts.

IMG_3316 - Copy

Comments

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Apple Carrot Watermelon Juice

Here is the recipe of Apple Carrot Watermelon Juice .

Apple Carrot Watermelon Juice (3)

INGREDIENTS

  • Apple  (Peeled and cored ) – 2 nos.
  • Carrot (peeled) – 2 nos.
  • Seedless watermelon – 2 cups

Apple Carrot Watermelon Juice (2)

 METHOD:

  • Cut the Watermelon into 4 pieces (make a vertical and horizontal cuts).
  • Take 1 piece of watermelon (1/4 part of 1 melon) and using a melon baller or ice cream scooper, scoop out water melon to a bowl.
  • Wash well and peel the carrots.
  • Using a sharp knife, cut each apple into half from top to bottom. With a small spoon, scoop out the seeds and fibrous sheathes of each half of each apple. Remove the stem and bud ends of the apples with your knife.
  • Push all the fruits through your Juicer and serve immediately ( I am using Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor.

Apple Carrot Watermelon Juice (1)

Homemade Juices, Milkshakes and Smoothies can be a great nutritional supplement for almost any diet and keeping body in healthy.

Comments

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Six Petal White Flower Tutorial

Here is the tutorial for remarkably simple and beautiful Six-Petal White Flowers that can be used to make a bouquet, a boutonniere, or  a brooch. These handmade flowers  are very easy to make and look amazing when completed.

white paper flower n

MATREIALS NEEDED:

  • White Papers or parchment, or vellum
  • Craft Glue
  • Scissors or X-ACTO knife
  • 18″ of pre-cut, straight lengths of floral wires
  • Floral Tape
  • 8 Petal flower punch

white 6 petal paper flowers (2)

METHOD:

  • Make six or more 3″ or 4″  circles of paper, parchment, or vellum. You can use a circle  punch, Silhouette CAMEO Die-Cutting Tool, a compass, or trace the rim of a cup.

white 6 petal paper flowers (6)

  • Fold each circle in half.

white 6 petal paper flowers (7)

  • Then fold  it into quarters, and finally into eighths, until you have a little triangle.

white 6 petal paper flowers (8)

white 6 petal paper flowers (9)

white 6 petal paper flowers (10)

  • Once folded, use scissors to round out the the top of each triangle.

white 6 petal paper flowers (11)

  • Unfold each of the shaped triangles, it will be look like below picture.

white 6 petal paper flowers (12)white 6 petal paper flowers (13)

  • Now remove one petal from each  flowers.

white 6 petal paper flowers (14)

  •  Then apply glue on one petal and set into a conical shape. This gives the blossom a bit of realistic dimension.

white 6 petal paper flowers (15)

Then crimp the edges of each petal..

white 6 petal paper flowers (19)

  • For making stem for your beautiful paper flowers, starts  with a straight, 10″ to 15″ length of floral wire. Use needle nose pliers to curl  a 1/4″ loop  in one end of the wire.
  • Cover the wire loop with green or other color tissue paper then cover it again with a small length of floral tape to create the pistil of the flower.
  • Gently thread a wire stem through the center of each completed paper blossom until the pistil is seated snugly within the hollow of the flower.
  • Take another small length of tape and wrap the top of the stem just under the blossom to keep it in place.

white 6 petal paper flowers (22)

  • Wrap the remaining portion of the stem with an equal length of floral tape - Pinch the tape at the top under the blossom and while holding the tape taut with one hand, slowly rotating the stem between the thumb and forefinger until the stem is covered.

white paper flower

  • Now cut out small 8-petal flowers from white or yellow paper using a small paper punch.  Glue each of  the punched flower on the center of each 6-petal flower.

white 6 petal paper flowers (24)

  • You can make many of these gorgeous flowers in different colors as you need, and then arrange them in a vase.

white paper flower1

Comments

Friday, April 18, 2014

Kerala Lunch

A normal Kerala lunch consist of plain cooked rice served with vegetarian gravy,  Fish curry or fish fry and side dishes.

kerala lunch (1)

Cheru Payar Thoran (whole moong beans/green gram)Recipe :

INGREDIENTS :

  • Cherupayar/Green gram/ whole moong beans – 1 cup
  • Turmeric powder –1/4 tsp.
  • Grated coconut – 1/4 cup
  • Ginger – 1" piece
  • Garlic –3 cloves
  • Shallots/chuvannulli/ Kunjulli  – 5 nos.
  • Green chilies – 2 nos.
  • Cumin Powder – 1/2 tsp.
  • Mustard seeds –1/8 tsp.
  • Red chilies – 4  nos.
  • Curry leaves – 1 sprig
  • Onion, thinly chopped – 1 Tbsp.
  • Pepper powder – 1/4 tsp.
  • Salt to taste
  • Water – 2.5 cups
  • Oil – 1 tsp.
  • kerala lunch (2)

    PREPARATION METHOD:

  • Pressure cook the Cherupayar/Green gram/ whole moong beans by adding 2.5 cups water and turmeric powder. I cooked it for 6 whistles on high flame. Switch off the flame and keep it closed and let the pressure go all by itself.  Open the cooker and drain the excess water.
  • Meanwhile Peel, wash and Chop the shallots into thin (but not too thin) rounds.
  • Wash and cut green chillies into thin round slices.
  • Crush grated coconut, ginger, garlic, shallots, green chilies and cumin powder together. Set aside.
  • Heat oil in a wide pan ,add mustard seeds and let it splutter.
  • Add curry leaves , red chilies and chopped onions to the pan, sauté till the onion turns light pink color.
  • Now add the cooked cherupayar/green gram with the coconut mixture and mix everything well.
  • Add pepper powder and salt. Sauté for 2 minutes.
  • Cover and cook your payar thoran for 2-3 mins on low flame.
  • Switch off the flame and serve hot with Rice or Kanji.
  • Kerala style lunch

    NOTE:

     

     

     

    Comments

    Wednesday, April 16, 2014

    ABG Juice

    Here is the recipe of Apple blackberry Blueberry Grape Juice.

    Fruit juice (2)

    INGREDIENTS:
    • Apple (Peeled, cored and chopped) – 1 no.
    • Blackberry – 1 cup
    • Blueberry – 1 cup
    • Red or black Seedless grapes – 1 cup

    Fruit juice (4)

    METHOD:
    • Wash well all the fruits.
    • Use a vegetable peeler to remove the apple skin.
    • Using a sharp knife, cut the apple into half from top to bottom. With a small spoon scoop out the seeds and fibrous sheathes of each half of the apple. Remove the stem and bud ends of the apple with your knife.
    • Push all the fruits through your Juicer and serve immediately ( I am using Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Juice Extractor).

    Fruit juice (1)

    Homemade Juices, Milkshakes and Smoothies can be a great nutritional supplement for almost any diet and keeping body in healthy. Comments

    Tuesday, April 15, 2014

    Paper Craft:Krishna

    krishnan (4)

    I really enjoy this paper cutting of Lord Krishna picture was quiet a task as it requires precision.

    krishnan (2)

    Paper cutting is supposed to be famous all over the world. I cut this file using Silhouette Cameo Electronic Cutting Tool.

    ente kannan (1)-krishna

    This cute black and white Krishna Picture will be very nice in Living room or Pooja room.

    ente kannan (3)-krishna

    Using household glue, I attached the Krishna picture and flowering branches  on a 12*12 inch white Cardstock.

    krishnan (5)

    I attached the white Cardstock with Krishna face and flowering branches to a thick 14*14 inch cardboard ( so I got a thick base). Then I framed this beautiful picture using old vinyl blind (glued vinyl blind in all sides of the cardboard for framing the picture).

    krishnan (6)

    Paper-cuts are chiefly used as decorations. I really enjoy paper crafts for several reasons. First, there are so many things I can create from a few pieces of colorful paper or card stock.  Another reason is paper crafts are economical and easy to store.  And paper crafts range from simple to complex. We can use recycled papers, tissue papers, magazines, wrappers, envelopes and cardboard containers for paper crafts.

    Comments

    Monday, April 14, 2014

    Kerala Lunch

    A normal Kerala Lunch consists of Plain cooked  Rice served with Vegetarian gravy , fish curry or Fish fry and side dishes.

    manju-lunch (3)

    I love this combination of Cooked Rice with Sambar, Avial and Oven Roasted Tuna fish.

    manju-lunch (2)

    RECIPE: Sambar, Avial and Oven Toasted Tuna Fish

    manju-lunch (1)

    Comments

    Saturday, April 12, 2014

    ബാല്യം

    കാലമേയെന്‍റെ
    ബാല്യമേകിടാമോ
    തിരികെ,യെന്നാൽ
    പകരമെന്തും
    നല്കിടാമെന്നോതി-
    യെത്രയോ തീവ്രമായാ-
    കലിതാഭ കാല
    വിഹായസ്സിലൊരു
    മാത്രയെങ്കിലും
    വിഹരിക്കാൻ വെമ്പുന്ന
    ഹൃദയങ്ങളെയൊത്തിരി
    ഞാനറിയുന്നു....

    കാലത്തിൻ
    കൈവിരൽത്തള്ളാലന്യ-
    മായോരാനന്ദ മോഹന
    സ്വപ്നമോരോ ബാല്യവും-
    അറിയാമതെന്നാലുമൊരു
    വേള തിരിഞ്ഞോടിയൊന്നു
    പുല്കാൻ മോഹിപ്പിക്കുന്നതതിൻ
    നിഷ്കളങ്കോല്ലാസ ഭാവമോ?
    മായാത്ത മഴവില്ലഴകിൻ
    മധുമാസ കാഴ്ചകളോ ?

    ഉൾപ്പൂവിലൊരു കോണിലായോർമ്മ
    ചെപ്പിലുറങ്ങുന്നയെൻ ബാല്യത്തിൻ
    മഞ്ചാടി മണികളിൽ നിന്നൊരു
    പിടിയിവിടെ വിതറുന്നു .....

    നിലത്തു വീണുടഞ്ഞു പോയ
    കുപ്പി വളകൾ പോലെ
    ചിതറിത്തെറിച്ചൊരു ബാല്യം
    ആ വളപ്പൊട്ടുകൾ
    ഇടയ്ക്കിടയ്ക്കെടുത്തു
    ഞാനെന്‍റെ  മാറോടണയ്ക്കാറുണ്ട് ...
    അവയുടെ കൂർത്ത
    മുനച്ചീളുകൾ തീർത്ത
    മുറിപ്പാടുകളിൽ നിന്നു
    ചോര പൊടിയുന്നതു
    ഞാനറിയുന്നു....
    അതൊരു സുഖമാണ്‌...
    സുഖമുള്ള നോവാണ്....

    മുകുള മുകുരത്തിലെല്ലാത്തിലുമെന്ന പോൽ
    നിഷ്കളങ്ക ഭാവമായിരുന്നീ വട്ട മുഖത്തും
    ചിരിക്കാൻ മടിയുള്ള ചുണ്ടുകളും
    തുളുമ്പാൻ വെമ്പി നില്ക്കുന്ന
    മിഴികളുമായിരുന്നെനിക്കന്ന്….

    കളിക്കൂട്ടുകാരില്ലാത്ത കാലം
    കളിപ്പാട്ടങ്ങളില്ലാത്ത കുട്ടിയായ്
    കാട്ടു ചെടികളോടും കണ്ണാം തുമ്പികളോടും
    കിന്നാരം പറഞ്ഞു തീർത്ത പകലുകൾ
    തൊടിയിലെ പൂച്ചെടികൾക്കു ടീച്ചറായി
    ഇലകൾ തല്ലിക്കൊഴിച്ച കാലം
    കട്ടുറുമ്പിനേയും പേനിനെയും
    നല്ലവരാക്കുവാൻ കുപ്പിയിലടച്ചു
    ശിക്ഷിച്ചോരിളം പൈതൽ.

    അന്തിക്ക് കൂടണഞ്ഞ
    കാക്കക്കൂട്ടങ്ങളുടെ
    കലപിലകൾക്കിടയിലിരുന്നു
    തുറന്നു വച്ച പാഠ-
    പുസ്തകത്തിൽ നിന്നൊരു
    വാക്കും ഗ്രഹിക്കാനാവാതെ
    തപിച്ച കുഞ്ഞു മനസ്സു്......
    ഉരുണ്ടു കൂടുന്ന കാർമേഘങ്ങൾക്കു്
    ഇരുൾ പരക്കുന്നതു കാണവേ
    സംഹാര താണ്ഡവമാടാനായൊരു
    രുദ്ര മഴയു,മതിനു കൂട്ടായതി-
    മാരുതനുമൊട്ടു വിദ്യുത്മാലയും
    പ്രതീക്ഷിച്ചെത്രയോ വട്ടം
    ദുന്ദുഭി നാദത്തിൽ മനം
    വിറച്ചു വിറങ്ങലിച്ചു
    നിന്നിരുന്നൂ....
    എത്രയെത്രയോ കുഞ്ഞു സ്വപ്‌നങ്ങൾ
    കണ്ണീരിലൊലിച്ചു പോയിരിക്കുന്നു...

    ആരാരും കാണാതെ
    ഒച്ച വയ്ക്കാതെ
    കരയാൻ പഠിപ്പിച്ച ബാല്യം.
    നിണമണിഞ്ഞ നീറ്റലുകളൊന്നിനെയും
    നോവിക്കാതിരിക്കാനോർമ്മിപ്പിച്ചു...

    ത്രിസന്ധ്യയ്ക്കു് ചന്തത്തിൽ
    പൂമാല കോർത്തതു
    കണ്ണന്‍റെ തിരുമാറിലണിയിച്ചു
    നിലവിളക്കിൻ നറു ചിരി
    നാളത്തിലാ തിരുമുഖം കണ്ടു
    കണ്ടങ്ങനെ നാമം ജപിക്കവേ
    പ്രാണനിലെരിയുന്ന
    തീച്ചൂടാലെന്തിനിത്രയേറെ
    നൊമ്പരങ്ങളെനിയ്ക്കായ്‌
    കരുതി വച്ചൂവെന്നെത്രയോ
    തവണ ചോദിച്ചിരുന്നു....
    സ്നേഹത്തിൻ വെണ്ണക്കുടവുമായരുകിൽ
    നിന്നെന്നെ നോക്കി ചിരിച്ചതല്ലാതെ
    കള്ളക്കണ്ണനൊന്നിനുമുത്തരമേകീല്ല...

    എങ്കിലുമോരോ രാവിലും
    ഇരുട്ടിലെന്‍റെ
    കണ്ണീരൊപ്പിയെടുത്ത
    തലയിണയ്ക്ക് നന്ദി....
    പാട്ടു മൂളിയുറക്കിയ
    കൊതുകുകൾക്കും നന്ദി....
    എനിക്കെന്‍റെ ബാല്യം
    തിരികെ വേണ്ട .....

                           *****മഞ്ജുഷ ഹരീഷ്***** Comments

    Thursday, April 10, 2014

    Kerala style Oven Roasted Tuna

    Here is the recipe of  a delicious  Kerala Style Baked Spicy Fish. I bake fish pieces in my conventional wall oven so that I can avoid frying it in oil.

    Kerala style Oven Roasted Tuna (3)

    INGREDIENTS:

    • Frozen Tuna steaks – 1

    To marinate

    • Turmeric Powder – 1/4 tsp.
    • Paprika/Kashmiri Chilly Powder – 1/2 tsp. (Alter according to your spice tolerance)
    • Coriander power – 1/2 tsp.
    • Black Pepper Powder, freshly crushed – 1/4 tsp.
    • Fenugreek Powder – 1/4 tsp.
    • Ginger,crushed  – 1 inch piece
    • Garlic paste – 1/4  tsp.
    • Lemon Juice – 1/2  tsp.
    • Salt – to taste

    Kerala style Oven Roasted Tuna (2)

    METHOD;

    • Heat a small pan on low-medium heat and add all the powders to the pan and roast it for 1, 2 minutes till its raw smell disappears. Let it cool for 10 minutes.
    • Make a paste using the above listed ingredients  “To marinate” by adding 1/2 tsp. water and keep it aside.
    • Wash well and cut the tuna steaks to medium sized pieces.
    • Wash the tuna pieces  2, 3 times.
    • Carefully cut small crosswise slits down the length of each tuna pieces, being careful not to cut all the way through. This will help the marinade penetrate the fish pieces better, help it to cook evenly, and it also looks nice when the fish pieces are cooked.
    • Now apply the masala paste on the fish pieces. Refrigerate it for at least one  hour.
    • Preheat oven to 400 degree F (200 degree Celsius). Line a baking pan with Aluminum Foil.
    • Place the fish pieces on the prepared pan 1 inch apart and bake uncovered for around 15 minutes.
    • Turn the pieces carefully and bake for another 10-20 minutes depending on how crisp you want your fish to be.
    • Be careful not to bake it for too long or else it will become dry.
    • Serve hot with rice and curries.

    IMG_3167

    NOTE:

    • Make sure that the fish pieces are not too thin or else it starts falling apart.
    • If you want a nice crispy crust, broil them during the last 2, 3 minutes.

    Kerala style Oven Roasted Tuna (2)

    Comments

    Wednesday, April 9, 2014

    Leftover Makeover recipe: Bagel Bread Pudding

    Bread pudding is a better way to use up old bread or leftover bagels or breads. You can use any type of leftover yeast bread for bread pudding, from bagels to doughnuts to sliced white bread, or any combination that sounds good to you. This recipe always comes out deliciously sweet.

    Bagel Bread Pudding (10)

    INGREDIENTS:

    • Bagel – 1 ( you can use any type of bagel)
    • Milk – 1/2 cup
    • Egg – 1
    • Melted Butter – 2 tsp.
    • Sugar – 2 tbsp.
    • Sultanas, Currants and Raisins –  1/4 cup
    • Slivered Almonds –1/8 cup
    • Cinnamon powder  – 1/4 tsp

    Bagel Bread Pudding (13)

    METHOD:

    • Grease inside of an 8-inch square pan with 1/4 tsp. butter and keep it aside.
    • Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
    • Roughly cut the bagel  into 1–inch pieces.

    Bagel Bread Pudding (1)

    • Place the bagel pieces to a mixer jar  and crush once. No need to grind well to get  fine bread crumbs .

    Bagel Bread Pudding (2)

    • Transfer the crushed bagels to a large or medium sized mixing bowl.

    Bagel Bread Pudding (3)

    • In a medium bowl, beat the egg.
    • Add melted butter to the egg and beat well.
    • Now add sugar, cinnamon powder and mix well.
    • Pour milk to the egg-butter mixture and mix well.
    • Then pour the milk-egg mixture to the bagel pieces and mix well.
    • Add Sultanas, Currants , Raisins and Slivered Almonds to the bowl and mix everything well.

    Bagel Bread Pudding (5)

    • Now pour the bagel mixture to  the greased pan.

    Bagel Bread Pudding (6)

    • Bake it uncovered in your preheated oven  for about 45-55 minutes or until top become golden brown.

    Bagel Bread Pudding (7)

    • Serve warm or cold, with or without whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

    Bagel Bread Pudding (9)

    If you want, you can shape the pudding with a cookie cutter or  even with a glass. I shaped these bagel pudding with an oval  shaped cookie cutter.

    Bagel Bread Pudding (11)

    If you don’t like dried fruits, you can omit Sultanas, Currants and Raisins.

     

     

     

     

    Comments