Walnut Chutney

Walnut Chutney is very very simple to prepare and it goes well with Dosa/Idli. Its similar to the South Indian coconut chutney, but far more healthier than that :) Try it out yourself...

Ingredients:

Walnuts: 10-12 in number

Ginger: 1 inch

Garlic: 1-2 pods

Green Chilli: 3 or as per taste

Coriander Leaves: 1 handful

Coconut gratings: 3-4 spoons

Yogurt: 1 bowl

Salt as per taste

Method:

Put all the above ingredients and mix it thoroughly in a blender/mixie adding sufficient water. The chutney is then seasoned with ghee and mustard. If needed add one red chilli to make it spicier.

As simple as that! Try it, taste it and enjoy it!!!

Warm Welcome

Any minute she could knock and say "Mom, I'm all set to come out." We were all prepared to welcome her. I had packed for my hospital almost 2 weeks in advance with all mom-n-baby essentials. My mom had neatly stitched a number of baby clothes & was eagerly looking forward for her arrival. My dad had already booked a ward in the hospital. My husband waited for my call so that he could fly to India immediately. My sister was all set to welcome the little one.

THE DAY finally arrived. It was May 26th early morning. I woke up from bed & knew the wait had come to an end. I quickly freshened. Meantime, my mom prepared some breakfast for me as I needed a lot of energy in the hours to come. I had breakfast & drank a big glass of milk & we geared up towards hospital. My labor pain had begun. On our way, I called Adi. Luck favoring us, he straight away got a direct flight from Singapore to Bangalore.

We reached hospital & in minutes, I was taken to the labor ward. The nurse monitored me & my growing pain. I think, in a woman's life this is the only time when we wish for more intense pain. I wanted more of it. That would shorten the delay. More the pain, lesser the duration of wait.   

My parents were excited, happy, tensed, worried & a whirlpool of emotions filled their hearts. Luckily my baby didn't keep the wait too long. She was quick. By noon she squalled out loud, bringing smiles on everyone's face. She looked like a pink doll... so tiny, so tender, so lovable, so innocent - words are not sufficient to describe this little wonder of the universe.

I was exhausted, true! But it was NOT the movie-kind-of-experience I had expected. I thought I would cry, yell, pull, sweat and all those kinds you get to see in films. It was definitely a memorable experience which can only be felt. It is too personal to share it all here. :) Nevertheless, it was an unforgettable, lifetime go-through that I would cherish all my life. Her first cry, her first touch, her first looks have all formed a pleasant imprint within me.

Welcoming Ritvi on 26 May, 2011

Baby Bloom

Isn't it a wonderful idea to grow a plant/tree to mark the birth of our little one?
Yes! I did just that! To mark the blossom of our little baby, I decided to plant a flowering plant in our (my moms) garden.

We got a large pot with beautiful pink and yellow hibiscus plant.  My mom loves flowers and she would relish adorning it to The Goddess.

Just like how the lovely flower shines with the first rays of the sun, I hope my baby too smiles bright each day of her life...

Just like how the plant absorbs all of nature's goodness and blooms, I pray that my little one too, absorbs all the goodness of this universe... 

Just like how the blossom brings smile on our face, I hope my darling too, brings joy and happiness in everyone's life...

Born on 26th May, I hope both my little flower and the pink-n-yellow flower gets nurtured the right way. Hope they get all the nourishment one can find in this nature.

I have planted a flowering plant in my mom's garden. Also, I have a little avocado plant growing in my in-laws' back yard. Hope to get some fresh n tasty avocado fruits in a few years from now. ;)

Well, for all those who want to do something like this, I suggest you sow a sapling and see both the plant and your little one grow as the years pass by. I suggest you plant a fruit bearing tree. You are helping nature by growing a tree. At the same time, you and your little one can enjoy the fruits it will bear in years to come.

I wanna win...

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Just Arrived

We've been expecting this for months
Our new baby has finally arrived...
We are deliriously happy to announce
the birth of our little angel...

Born on 26 May 2011, our little girl is doing fine and I am enjoying my motherhood...

Celebrating Life!

My Fav: Masala Puri

Yet another amma's recipe down here. I prepared this yummy chat over the weekend. It has too many ingredients and i keep forgetting them. So I have put it here to help myself recall when I'm lost in the immense deep world of recipes & ingredients :)

Ingredients:
Ingre A:
Potato - 2 (cooked and mashed)
Peas - 1 bowl (cooked and semi-mashed)
Ingre B:
Mint leaves - 1 bowl
Coriander leaves - 1 bowl
Ginger, Garlic - minced or paste
Green chilly 5-7 in number
Black pepper 15-20 in number - powdered or coarsely ground
Cloves 5 in number 
Cinnamon - powdered
Ajwain 1 spoon
Cumin Seeds 1 spoon
Fennel Seeds 1 spoon
Salt as per taste
Ingre C:
Onion - 2 chopped into small pieces
Carrot - 1 grated
Lime juice - few spoons
Ingre D:
Sev, Puri, Boondi, or any variety of such mixtures would do. You can prepare them all by yourself or just run to the nearby shop if you are like me :)

Method:
- Cook potato and peas (Ingre A) and mash them and keep aside.
- Use a blender/mixie to make a green paste of Ingre B by adding sufficient water.
- Now in a large thick bottomed wok, add some oil & once it becomes hot add mustard.
- Add mashed potato and peas to the wok. Also add the blended green paste.
- Add sufficient water (around 2-3 glass or more) and bring it to boil stirring occasionally. Add salt as per taste and let it boil for sometime and your pani is now ready.

Click on image to view in details

Serving:
- In a bowl, add sev, semi-crushed puri, boondi, chopped onion, grated carrots. Then, pour some pani over this mixture. Finally you can garnish it with a few drops of lime juice & some more onion, carrot and coriander leaves. Serve it hot.
- Remember to eat it hot and fresh - otherwise, the mixture becomes soft very soon and its crispiness goes away.
- Note: You can refrigerate the pani for upto 2 days and re-heat as needed.

My First Crochet Project

During my teenage days I have done abit of knitting. But crocheting was a totally new skill for me. I was determined to learn and borrowed few library books, downloaded free tutorials and patterns from the internet. I did have some knotty time with the yarn and the needles.
It was then I found this site which was very helpful to me (links given below). The instructions were so simple and the video helped me a lot to start off.

What you'll need:
- Sufficient yarn : I used roughly 8 rolls
- Crochet Needle: UK Size 12 ( you can use any size depending on your stitch pattern).

Prerequisites:
- First of all, spend at least 2 days learning basic stitches (SC, DC, HDC - a few to name).
- Learn to decode the crochet instructions.
- Last but not the least "dedication" & "commitment" is a must. :)

Once you know the basics, you can begin your project. I personally felt traditional granny squares are the easiest patterns and you will hardly go wrong or make mistakes. I took about 3 weeks to complete this project. I spent roughly 1 hour every day (mostly while commuting to & from office) to complete a 25'' x 25'' baby blanket. Don't forget to block your project at the end to give a proper shape... and now I am so happy n proud about it. Can't wait to begin using it :)

Started on Jan 15, 2011

Completed on Feb 07, 2011

Links:
Granny Square Tutorial:
http://www.hookedonneedles.com/2009/02/learn-to-crochet-traditional-granny.html
Blocking Instructions:
http://www.eunnyjang.com/knit/2006/05/block_me_amadeus_1.html