Mothers Day

~ Happy Mothers Day  ~
( Homemade treats for mom by lil ones !) 

Mother is such a simple word, 

But to me there's meaning seldom heard .

For everything I'm today . 

My mother's love showed me the way 

( What Mother Means by Karl Fuchs)

With mothers day tomorrow  , its time to think for some 
tiny treats that kiddos can make .Its difficult for the little  ones 
to take over all the cooking duties for a day , but they can surely 
add a zing to the celebrations with some tiny treats . These treats
 are fun to make, easy  and impressive!!!! So lil ones wear
 your  aprons and chef hats and get ready to gear up some 
lipsmacking stuff for momma . Don't forget to make this edible 
handmade card in  advance !!! These tiny treat will definitely 
speak louder than words :) 


Edible Card for Mom 

Forget the printed market cards, this cute card is not only easy
 to make but yummy to eat too !! Play creative and use mom's favorite 
cookies for flowers . Instead of making colorful paper cutouts for 
clouds, leaves and grass, tiny tots  can even draw and color these.

Materials required- Colored A4 size pastel sheet,glue,  colorful 
paper - green and blue ( or crayons), 2 flower shaped cookies ,
 some cling wrap and double sided tape. 

Method- Cut out grass and leaves from blue and green sheets
 respectively . Fold the A4 sheet and paste the cutouts ( or draw and 
color the same). Tightly cling wrap the cookies and stick on the card
 with double sided  tape . Write some lovely words or a poem inside
 and present it to momma early morning tomorrow along with 
some flowers from your garden .

Nutella and coconut truffles

These easy to make coconut ladoos or  truffles make a great 
edible present too!! With jus a few ingredients and 5 mins in hands 
they can perfectly  add a sparkle to the celebrations. 

Ingredients - 2 + 1/2 cups desiccated coconut ,200 gms ( 1/2 tin ) 
condensed milk , 2 drops vanilla essence ,2 tbsp nutella , 
some oil/butter  for greasing the hands 

Method- Mix together 2 cups coconut with rest of the ingredients
till it forms a soft dough . Divide the mixture and shape into round
 discs. Place 1/4 tsp nutella in the centre and gently shape into balls . 
Roll in reserved desiccated coconut and serve. 




Reviewing The Color Caravan e-store

Mommies are you still confused deciding upon the gift to pick up 
for your wonderful mommies ??? Then just head off to the newly 
launched  " The Color Caravan" e-store . They have a wonderful 
collection of exquisite Indian crafts in a contemporary new avatars -
 from pattichitra bottles to gorgeous madhubani containers , from 
beautiful chikankari , embroidered Kantha cushion covers , hand
 painted trays ,cushion covers , ladles,earrings to gorgeous stoles,
 dupattas & purses, they have it all.Take a look at their products
 by visiting their website -http://www.thecolorcaravan.com/ or find
 them on Facebook -https://www.facebook.com/thecolorcaravan  .

Warm Cabbage Salad

~ Warm Cabbage Salad ~ 

Loved by adults and mostly disliked by lil ones , the humble  cabbage 

is loaded with unique health benefits. These incredibly nutritious 

leafy greens are not only rich in  fibre and  minerals but also a very good 

source of Vitamin A and  C too (I know its hard to believe, but researches

 show that  it has a higher Vitamin C than oranges !!!) . Being  rich in iodine 

and sulphur it helps in growth and  muscle development owing to which it 

must be consumed well by the kids.

Besides making this warm salad,  I love sneaking in cabbage for stir

 fries, soups, cutlets, sandwich fillings, parathas , pancakes and even curries . 

With mothers day just around the corner what could be better than sharing 

one of my favorite recipes I have grown up eating !! Mom used to add tiny 

bits of tossed boiled  potatoes along with some mustard seeds(and serve it 

 as a side dish with lunch). But this tweaked version with colorful bell peppers 

and a hint of sesame can wonderfully double up as a warm salad too !!

I am a great fan of colorful bell peppers , the vibrant  red yellow and greens 

besides adding a gorgeous oomph to any recipe beautifully impart  a sweet 

peppery flavor too. I often cut the colorful leftovers  in strips n freeze them

 in Ziplock bags for being used in future (frozen availability year round 

makes life so much easier). 

The aroma of fresh curry leaves and nutty sesame imparts a beautiful crunchy

 and earthy flavor to the recipe . Serve the warm salad with a light lunch or some 

 lemon juice drizzled hot  Bottle gourd Rissoles .If you like some heat don't 

forget to throw in some hot red chillies and some coarsely crushed chilly flakes . 

Warm Cabbage Salad 

Ingredients -

 1 medium sized cabbage finely shredded , 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp urad

 dal ( split black lentil), 2 tsp sesame seeds, 7-8 curry leaves, 1/2 cup finely sliced 

colorful bell peppers , 1  dried  chili ( sabut lal mirch), 1 red chilli finely chopped 

or some chili flakes, salt to taste .

Method - 

Heat oil in a large wok / kadhai . Add  urad dal & dried chili n roast on 
slow flame till the lentils turn brownish. Put 1 tsp sesame and the curry
 leaves and roast for  another 15 secs. Add in peppers , cabbage and salt
 n cook on  high flame stirring intermittently  for 7-8 mins or till cabbage
 is cooked yet firm. Sprinkle some chili flakes and remaining 
sesame and serve. 

( Opt- Just before serving add some pomegranate pearls for an extra zing)

Buckwheat cake

~ Rustic Banana Cake ~ 

(Using up  the festive leftovers, egg free too !!)

India is a land of  colors,traditions and  festivals . Just last 
week  we finished celebrating the spring festival of Navratras . 

Each day of this  nine day long festival is dedicated to nine forms of 

divine feminine power or Devi . Although our family fasts for just the first

 and the last days , there are many who fast , worship and abstain themselves

 from consuming grains and  eggs during the  nine days. Amaranth( ramdana) , 

Buckwheat (kuttu) and wild rice ( sama ke chaval) along with nuts,  fruits,

vegetables n  milk products are consumed during this period. Post the 

festivities I decided to consume the leftovers of buckwheat flour , 
raw sugar, nuts and  overripe bananas for a treat .

Sunday mornings need a bit more !! Its the day when i tend my tiny
 balcony garden , take out lil one for a morning session of skating /
 badminton ,make some special breakfast and of course finish 
the piled up laundry . While I was still in the balcony , I noticed this 
beautiful eagle just on the railing and off came in my camera for 
 capturing the beauty. 

Eagles had become the hot topic of the morning, while lil one was 
still busy in discussion , I headed to the kitchen to bake a treat . 
Today I was not only in a mood to  please the craving palates but also 
to finish up the festive leftovers . After all I love experimenting with new
 flavors !!!!

Buckwheat flour ,  known as kuttu ka atta in local dialect , is high in fiber, 
manganese , copper and  zinc , which are great for immune system. I love to 
use it for making savory  pancakes through out the year and usually grind 
the grits in small batches , as it goes rancid when stored long.We didn't have
 eggs at home , so  flax seeds mixed in water came as a rescue .

Banana Buckwheat Cake 
with Dark  Caramel glaze 

Ingredients - 
1 cup buckwheat flour , 1/2 cup all purpose flour , 
1/2 cup powdered sugar, 2 tbsp powdered raw sugar ,
1/2 cup apple puree(boil 2 apples n puree), 4 small bananas mashed  ,
 1 tsp baking soda, 1 tbsp oil ,  pinch of salt ,  2 tbsp powdered flax 
soaked in 2 tbsp water (or 2 whisked eggs ), 1/4 cup walnuts . 

Method - 
Preheat the oven to 180C. Sift together flour, soda n salt and  keep 
aside .Whisk together sugars, mashed bananas, apple puree , oil and
soaked flax mixture. Gently fold in the flour mix and half the walnuts .
Pour in a greased and; dusted  8" pan , sprinkle the remaining walnuts .
Bake in a preheated oven at 180 c for 35- 40 mins or till toothpick 
inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool for 20-25 mins , unmold 
and pour some  caramel glaze and  top with some more walnuts .
 Slice and  serve with some sliced apples . 
Note- I sliced the cake into 2 layers and poured some caramel 
in between too. .

Dark caramel glaze
Ingredients -1 cup powdered dark raw  sugar ,2 tsp water , 1/2 cup
 cream , 2 tbsp butter,  pinch of salt . 
Method- Melt sugar and  water  in a large pan, till it turns into liquid . 
Turn off heat and gently whisk in butter and  cream till smooth . Finally 
add  salt and  mix well. 

Caterpillars ......

~ Very Hungry Caterpillars ~

Big creepy crawly red headed caterpillars was  the theme

 of our fruit platter today .My lil one is a great fan (and me too!)  

of the famous Eric Carle book -' The very hungry Caterpillar '. The

 story that revolves around a red faced caterpillar has been an

 inspiration for our crafts ,parties and activity themes innumerable

 times . Anything and everything on stick has its own magical charm , 

so when grapes got  popped up on skewers to make fruit sticks , 

tomatoes  certainly had to perch up to make yummy caterpillars !!!

Spring is the season of cherry tomatoes ( and grapes too) , although its 

the season of fluttering butterfly parties  yet I feel caterpillars never 

go out of fashion .....they make a great theme for any party !!!!!!! 

The famous Eric  Carle's  Book and caterpillar kebobs  are surely 

an inspiration for putting ones brains in right direction........

Even if you are short of time ,make these a few hours or even a 

day before and let them sit in the refrigerator till serving .

Caterpillar on Stick 

Just thread some grapes and a cherry tomato on a wooden skewer .

Dab some peanut butter and stick the candy eyes ( I made my own with 

royal icing and choco chips - pipe drops of royal icing on an acetate/ 

ohp sheet , place a choco chip on each and leave to set overnight )

 In absence of these cut some tiny cheese circles and top with pickled /

 regular pepper corns or capers. Using a toothpick prick 2 tiny holes

 on top and fix in pieces of parsley/ cilantro stalks to make 

the feelers. Finally use a food marker to make the mouth. 

Don't forget to involve ur lil ones while making these, I bet they would 

have super  fun making and  relishing it too !!!!