My Little World

Vada !

2010-10-19T21:58:00.007+09:00

I don't think i need to give an introduction to this Indian snack. There are a number of vadas in Indian cuisine but if you ask me, then i'll say "East or West, Uzhunnu vada is the best!"
This vada is made of black gram and is known by different names like Urud Vada / Medhu vadai / Uzhunnu Vada. You get the best ones from a Tamil or Udupi restaurant or from the pantry of Southern Indian railway..lol!

The other day evening it was raining outside and i craved to have some. But i was helpless as i didn't know any place where they do a home delivery of my favourite snack. Then i thought why shouldn't i try making some. I rushed to the recipe book and here goes the output.

I didn't get the doughnut shape, so i took the batter in a teaspoon and poured into the hot oil one by one.

Ingredients:

1. Black gram / Urud dhal / Uzhunnu parippu - 300 gm

2. Green chilly - 3 no.s
Ginger - 1 inch
Onion - a small one
Curry leaves - a few

3. Salt - to taste
Pepper powder - a pinch
Asafoetida - a pinch

Preparation:

Soak black gram for half an hour and grind it into a fine paste. (Use no water or very less water for grinding). Chop all the ingredients in the section two. Mix it with the batter and add the ingredients in the section three. Mix well and check salt. Put a little batter in water to check the consistency. The consistency is correct if the batter is floating.
Heat oil in a deep frying pan. Make small portions of the thick batter into ball shapes and put a hole in the middle. Otherwise make small sized balls. Put these balls into the boiling hot oil. When it is half done (white colour), take them in a strainer spoon and hold for a while till the oil in the pan becomes boiling hot again. Put them back in the hot oil and take out when they turn into golden brown colour. This two time frying will help to get the inside also cooked well and also it will drink less oil. Your crispy hot vada is ready! Have it with coconut chutney.

Courtesy: 'Veettammaykkoru Kaithozhi' by Sr.Dolorus Kannambuzha.

Beef Biriyani

2010-10-19T21:54:00.002+09:00

( will post the recipe soon )

A simple embroidery!

2010-10-19T20:07:00.009+09:00

Remember? an year ago i wrote about the Panthean street in Chennai and the materials i bought from there. I still have few bits untouched in my cupboard. Once in a while i take a piece out and make a dress. This light green cotton material too was bought from there. Hope a few lines of chain stitch and lazy daisy could add some colour to this kurti.

(A closer look to the embroidery)

Pork Vindaloo

2010-10-08T17:44:00.009+09:00

Vindaloo or Vindahlo is a dish from Goa, but the name is said to be originated from Portuguese. In Portuguese "Vin" is wine and "Ahlo" is garlic, the two main ingredients they used to prepare meat, especially pork. As it reached Goa, red wine got replaced by malted vinegar though the name remained the same.
And as we all know "Aloo" is potato in India, some started using potatoes too and the name became "Vindaloo".

Everytime when we go to our meat shop i get too tempted to buy pork but the picture of a tapeworm in my biology text book back in school always prompted me to change my mind.
The other day, anyway i have decided to buy some. And yes, finally our tummies delightedly accepted that delicious Goan dish.

Ingredients:

Pork (preferably fatless) - 1 kg diced.
Salt

Kashmiri Chilli or powder - 10 to 15 numbers or 3 / 4 tablespoons.
Vinegar

Onion - 2 big ones
Garlic - 1 bulb (10/12 cloves)
Ginger - 1 inch

Cumin / Jeera - 1 teaspoon
Cinnamon - 1 inch
Black Pepper - 6
Cloves - 6

Preparation:

Wash the meat well and dry it with a clean cloth.
Soak kashmiri chilli in vinegar for sometime and grind to a smooth paste or make a paste of kashmiri chilli powder and vinegar.
Grind the masalas (cumin, cinnamon, cloves and pepper) to a fine powder.
Blend together the chopped onions, garlic and ginger in a mixer.
Pour each mixture to the pork pieces one by one and mix well. Add salt. Also add more vinegar if you feel so.
Marinate it for one hour or so.

Take a deep pan or pressure cooker, dry fry few spices like cinnamon, cloves, pepper. Add the marinated meat to it and stir well. Pour water and close the lid and cook well. Remember the picture in my biology text!? So COOK WELL!

I kept it for 40 minutes in pressure cooker. If you are using a pan you can open the lid to stir it in between and check if it is cooked well. Open the lid and your fiery red pork vindaloo is ready. The red colour is because of the kashmiri chilly used in it. The gravy depends on the amount of onion, chilly and vinegar you used.
I used less chilly and more onions. They say the vindaloo dish always tastes better the next day. So i kept it for a day in the refrigerator and also added a little tomato sauce while serving it. Also i garnished it with fried onion and potatoes. Usually it is served with white rice but we liked it with chapatti. It was yummy!

Break my fast!!

2010-10-08T16:31:00.007+09:00

Good Morning!!
Here goes an easy breakfast especially for bachelors who are far away from home. Okay now talking about bachelors, I would like to dedicate this breakfast to my dear friend Tom who is in Canada right now.
Bread, oats and some fruits. So never skip your breakfast, this is an easy one to make and healthy too.

'log-kya-kahenge' Syndrome!

2010-09-28T19:19:00.005+09:00

The other day i got caught up with a title in a newspaper, "log-kya-kahenge syndrome" ("what would people say syndrome"). The article was related to some political affairs in the country, but the title alone has made me think over it. Don't you think we all have atleast a minor percentage of this syndrome? Yes, we do have. And we hear it many times in a day too. But actually what is it that people say? Even if they say something, does it really matter to us? So the newspaper reporter was right, it is a syndrome, a very silly "nonsensical" syndrome.
I think we need to get out of this and for that we have to start loving ourselves first. I would say that loving yourself to an extent is okay. This will help you to lend an ear to your own self to listen to "what do your conscience say." Remember that you cannot always please everyone but God. And yes, you have to please Him.
I think if you are sure about what you are doing, then no matter what, just go ahead. Unless you hurt anyone around you, there is nothing wrong in whatever you do. Yes! That is it. You should not hurt anybody. That is the only sin as long as i know that exists in this world. Okay now you are not gonna tell me that you will get hurt everytime when i wear a green lipstick...lol! I meant a real hurt, ofcourse i may not have to tell you that hurt and ego are different.
So listen to your heart, follow your dreams and always remember that you have to please only one person, the God inside you.

Go Green!

2010-09-19T20:39:00.001+09:00

Months back i was told by my cousin about a new boutique named 'Kapas' in Bangalore. I wanted to visit the shop when she showed me those pretty dress materials and sarees she bought from there. Though i planned to drop in as a window-shopper, i ended up buying a piece of bottle green fabric.

With the fabric i made a kurti and tried a different neck pattern this time.

'Kapas' is near Kundanahalli Gate, Whitefield Road, Bangalore. I think that they have an outlet in HSR layout too.

Address:
No.5/3, Food Zone Complex,
Kundanahalli Gate,
Varthur main road,
Bangalore - 560087.
Phone: 9902097800.

Potato bajji

2010-09-08T17:01:00.000+09:00

'Bajji', an Indian snack generally made of besan (chickpea flour).
[As i prefer less besan, i add little maida and rice flour too with it].
Add some chilly powder, cumin powder, salt and a pinch of asafoetida to the flour and mix well with water to make a smooth batter.
Dip thin pieces of potato / raw banana / onion / big chilly / even boiled egg in the batter and deep fry in cooking oil. A crispy evening snack is ready!
And according to me a 'bajji' would taste better if it is raining outside. Don't you agree?

An eight piece skirt !!

2010-06-28T21:55:00.002+09:00

This skirt is special for me, not because i stitched it myself but the material is my grandmother-in-law's old saree.

The skirt is made by joining eight long pieces together. Upper portion of each piece is narrower than its lower portion. This gives a shaped look on top at the same time the lower part will have enough flare.

Stitch kit

2010-06-23T16:35:00.003+09:00

By the way did i tell that this year Valentine's day the gift i got was an embroidery stitch kit? I could finish it only by last week because of all trips in between. Hope i did a good job and now i can't wait to get it framed.

Breakfast Pancake

2010-06-23T15:40:00.007+09:00

I'm happy to know that my cooking tips are really helpful for many of my friends especially girls who are newly married and boys who are abroad on their work project. The next choice they have if they don't get their moms in phone is to browse my blog. They insist me to provide easy recipes and i see that easy breakfast items are more in demand. So here goes another easy breakfast, its nothing but fluffy pancakes.

Maida / all purpose flour : 1 cup
Egg : 1
Milk : 1 cup
Sugar : 4 teaspoons
Salt : a pinch
Vanila essence: 3-4 drops

Mix sugar and milk. Whisk an egg in a bowl and mix with milk [make sure the milk is not hot, obviously egg gets cooked when it is hot ;)] Add salt and vanila essence into the mixture. Beat well and add flour little by little into the mixture. stir well to make it a smooth batter. If it is thick pour little more milk. The batter is ready. Now pour little [say one ladle] on a hot greased pan and cook until both sides are brown. [like how u do dosas, this should be smaller and thicker in size]

Tips: a pinch of baking powder in the flour can do wonders. sugar can be powdered sugar. blend in melted butter in the batter for a good smell and taste.

Serving suggestions:
-- squeeze honey all over your pancakes
-- roll it with your favourite jam inside
-- decorate with fresh cream, cinnamon powder, cut fruits, chocolate chips, custard and the like.

Happy Appetite !

My SHOCKING PINK halwa!!

2010-06-09T18:56:00.010+09:00

It is a sweet made of sooji aka rava. It is called by different names in different places like rava halwa / rava kesari / kesari bath. It comes in various colours like orange, bright yellow etc. Mine is in shocking pink !!!

Ingredients:
sooji or rava - one measurement*
water - double the measurement
ghee - 1/4th of the measurement
sugar - 3/4th of the measurement
cashews and raisins - to decorate.

Preparation: Measure sooji aka rava and fry till slightly brown in a dry pan for sometime (stir continuously). Keep it aside and pour some ghee in a kadai and fry some cashews and raisins. Take them out and in the same kadai pour little more ghee if needed and pour water which would be double the measurement of sooji / rava. Add sugar according to your taste. When the water starts boiling add some food colour of your choice and put the fried sooji / rava into the water. Put the flame in simmer and stir well. "Kesari bath" is ready! Decorate it with fried cashews and raisins.

*measurement is important for sooji and water. water should be always double the amount of sooji you have taken.

A flared skirt

2010-06-09T18:30:00.005+09:00

Before i talk about this skirt, i would like to thank my friend Kalyani for gifting this beautiful piece of cloth to me. I first thought of making a kurta out of it, later changed my mind to try a skirt which i have not tried yet. Made a 'paper-pattern' as usual still didn't have the gut to cut the cloth. So first stitched a micro skirt which would fit only a barbie doll and later went for the real skirt for the real barbie.. (wink).

Kerala special "meen vevichathu"

2010-04-21T19:53:00.000+09:00

"Meen Vevichathu" is a fish delicacy in Kerala, a mouth-watering one too. Generally fleshy salt water fishes are used for this preparation and it goes well with "kappa" (tapioca), rice, and also with puttu, dosa and chapathi too [it depends on your taste combinations].

A simple Kurta

2010-04-04T19:48:00.000+09:00

An open neck kurta i stitched sometime back. I loved the contrast colour printed chudi-bottom with it.

Tomato Cheese Omlet!

2010-03-09T20:10:00.000+09:00

Bread and eggs are my all time favourite breakfast! I don't mind having them for all 365 days provided they come in different forms. Here goes a yummy tomato cheese omlet!

Chicken in Mint leaves

2010-02-21T20:20:00.002+09:00

This preparation has used lots of mint leaves and corriander leaves. It gives an aroma of biriyani as well..

( recipe will be updated soon.. )

Valentine's day gift!

2010-02-15T22:29:00.008+09:00

It was Valentine's day yesterday and i didn't have any plans as such. Didn't buy any gifts either. It was a sunday, a holiday. So we got up late as usual and had our breakfast. In an hour he received an emergency phone call and had to go out at once. I was home alone and that was when an idea flashed in my mind. A surprise gift for him when he comes back home. And my creativity started working (wink).. i don't wanna say more. This is the sweet gift i made for my sweet person. Howsaatt?

Preparation:
A full pack of "fifty-fifty" biscuits were soaked in mango pulp and layered them in a glass tray. While it was setting, i made a warm mixture of china grass (mango flavour) in half litre boiled milk and a quarter tin of condensed milk. And i poured the mixture on the layer of biscuits. After it got fully set, i crushed few marie biscuits and scattered the powder all over the surface of it. Then i chopped few imported dates i had with me and decorated the dessert along with few strawberries. I swear it was yummy and he loved it! I'm gonna call it a 'fruity biscuit pudding'! wattsay? ;)

An "Aloo-Parantha"

2010-01-18T20:29:00.004+09:00

A not so great "aaloo parantha". A North-Indian bread stuffed with potato filling. It was supposed to be thick but my thick ones didn't seem to be cooked well inside. So had to make them thin. It looked like a stuffed chapathi.

Clicks by Mathews

2010-01-01T22:02:00.007+09:00

I love photography but i am not that great in it. I guess my hubby got a talent in clicking them from the perfect angle :) But his busy schedules are disappointing. Sometimes he does some clicks here and there and never bothers to file or save those works. So i thought i will take few of them and put in my blog so that he may feel like doing it more.

his collection of shot glasses...

a toy mini cooper kept on our shelf...

our table lamp made by his cousin...

Imperfection to the Perfection

2009-12-02T21:10:00.004+09:00

The other day i really wanted to have some doughnuts. I browsed for the recipe. Hmm.. quite a lot of websites came out to help. I read them all. My over confidence didn't even allow me to think about writing it down. I switched off my laptop and went to the kitchen dreaming about those yummy doughnuts i would be relishing an hour later. aah! i took the flour and paused. eh.. how much should i take? egg? potato? or yeast? oh! God! reading more number of different recipes confused me totally. I was blank but didn't have the heart to quit kitchen without tasting few doughnuts. I thought: "anyway i have started kneading the dough, let me give a try." I have no idea what all i added but my hands were very busy adding "the" ingredients. Finally after a good struggle with the dough i was damn (..sorry) tired and lost my patience. I changed my mind, rolled them out into big rectangles, cut them into two halves with a knife and kept it on a tava to cook. I tasted them and wow! they were perfect Naans (a variety Indian bread). You know what? i made Naan!! (gigle)

Banana fry

2009-11-05T20:43:00.004+09:00

Aethakkappam aka banana fry, a keralite's all time favourite snack. Mine too. I don't think anybody needs a recipe for this still for those who are interested:
Cut banana vertically into four equal slices. Make a paste of maida, water and sugar (consistency of dosa batter). Add a pinch of salt. Dip the slices in the paste and deep fry till brown and crispy.

Tips: To make it crispy add two teaspoons of rice flour to the maida paste.

Baji chili fry

2009-10-02T20:02:00.002+09:00

Okay, the name of the dish looks little weird but i hope as long as it remains an experimental item, the name doesn't matter much. Also i'm not sure it is upto the mark to get uploaded or to be shared, still i take the risk!
Main ingredient: spiceless green chilies used for making "baji"- an Indian snack.
Preperation: saute onions cut into square pieces in little vegetable oil. when brown, add green chili sauce, tomato sauce and soya sauce. add a pinch of taste maker / maggi chicken cube / masala powder. add one tomato cut into four pieces. when brown, add the chilies cut into bigger pieces. add salt and cook well.

I don't say it was delicious still it was eatable and was something different for those who look out for a change. And i think you can replace the chilies with capsicums which may be a better choice.

An ode to Mathews!

2009-09-09T16:46:00.003+09:00

I never knew...
it's you who gonna be..
I wished to be a princess
when i was a child
I had a dream.. a wonderful dream
In the dream i saw a prince.. a loving prince
holding my hand with all his care
He took me to a castle
where we stood infront of a mirror
in the mirror i saw myself
so beautiful and happy.
I loved this dream.. a wonderful dream
never wanted to wake up from it
When i woke up, i waited
for another night to come.
so many years.. so many nights
and finally last night did come.
Oh..when i met you there...
I never knew...
It's you who gonna be...

-Maria George

Pooh Bear

2009-08-15T17:29:00.001+09:00

This is a drawing i did for my friend's son Rohan. I had an idea of gifting him a drawing when i came to know that he is a great fan of 'Pooh bear and friends' - 'Walt Disney' cartoon characters. Hope it came out well and he would love it!

A b'day gift for my cousin!

2009-07-31T22:05:00.008+09:00

Today, July 31st is one of my cousins' birthday. Talking about my cousins, i have 28 first cousins from my father's side and 24 first cousins from my mother's side, pretty huge family you know! but i bet this is a normal thing in many of the Christian families in and around the Central Travancore. I don't have any siblings still i never had a boring childhood because of this battalion.
Okay now coming back to my cousin's birthday today. Do you know what she asked me for a b'day gift? Really interesting!! She wanted me to write something in my "not so regular" blog. That was actually a pat on my back to wake me up from my laziness. I felt ashamed for being irresponsible to my sincere readers. What to do yaar? I always needed a push from nowhere to get started with something. Lazygoose!!....
So here i'm gonna start a new label "thoughts" and i am dedicating it for the b'day baby. Howsaat? 'Thoughts' can be any kind of thoughts, crazy, silly thoughts, advices, dreams, philosophies, anything that has once ran through my mind would be worth sharing. Whatsay?
So what can be the topic for the day? Let me talk about 'happiness'. Happiness, its hard to define i know. According to me happiness is like a moon. The moon is always there in the sky but we are not able to see it during the day when the sun is so bright. The same way happiness too gets hidden or unnoticed when we give space for tensions, worries, sadness or sorrows in our mind. Its just a matter of fact that you should open your eyes and recognize the same happiness you have with you.

Some people say that their life is full of tragedies. Is that so? I don't think so. Yeah, ofcourse we all have challenges in our life but again its all about how you take it. Unless you don't have sorrows how will you know what happiness is? For every hill there would be a valley. If there is no valley, then its no more a hill. So for every cold scary night there would be a bright sunny day tomorrow. This is not a text book theory i talk about. It's something that i always felt and experienced in my life. You will think that i'm crazy if i say that i'm so excited when i have troubles in my life, but its true because i know that when i reach on top of it i can feel the cool breeze over there, touch the clouds and have a smooth ride down the hill. It's like a 'treasure hunt'. You have to face a lot of challenges till you find out what has God kept for you in the treasure box. Also i believe that by the end of the day if you can weigh your emotions, everybody will have the same amount and equal share of it. Nobody is different from anybody, so stop worrying. Just trust your Lord and ride along, enjoying the sceneries around you.

A potato dish!

2009-06-23T18:09:00.001+09:00

Panthean street, Chennai

2009-05-29T19:03:00.000+09:00

I love Chennai for many reasons and one is ofcourse for the famous 'panthean street' in Egmore. You'll see lovely cotton materials all over the place and you feel like buying every piece of fabric flaunting there. Infact who wouldn't be, that too when you get it for cheaper rates. So, i always make sure to include the panthean street in our itinerary. I'm lucky to make frequent trips to Chennai as it is just 6 hours' drive from Bangalore. I wouldn't have travelled to my home town that often.

Cushion Covers

2009-05-13T23:32:00.006+09:00

Last time while returning from Chennai i made sure that i stuffed the bag with almost 35 meters of cloth from Panthean street. This trip happened immediately after my stitching course, so now you know why i bought so much.

Some 'off-whites' and 'creams' were specially chosen for our living room cushions, and the covers turned out pretty well! I'm not a bad tailor u know! (Ssshh.. cushion covers are said to be the easiest ones in stitching).

A peaceful host!

2009-04-21T17:52:00.004+09:00

This is not an incident but a surprise. Last time when we went to Chennai we stayed in Mathews' friend Clement's place. The stay was really interesting as the host and family got stuck with their relatives at the other end of the city. So me and my hubby received the keys from a reliable person and were having fun playing the hosts for ourselves. we explored their refrigerator and made dinner, watched TV and went to bed. Yea, ofcourse we made sure the doors are locked, switches are off and gas cylinder too was turned off, very responsible guests you know!
Hours past mid-night, Mathews heard some suspicious sound from the kitchen. He sneaked out of the bedroom and tip-toed towards the kitchen but he couldn't find anything wrong there. He went back to bed and got up early to check the place well. After few minutes' search he found out a nest and a squab (young one of a pigeon/dove) on a slab right below the roof. The mother dove used to commute through the kitchen window all these days. The Clement family had no clue about this additional family staying in their house for weeks. We were so thrilled to share the news with them! So, in Clement's house we were not alone, we ofcourse had a special host!

Salade de Macaroni!

2009-04-04T17:19:00.006+09:00

Again an experiment and this time its Macaroni. Result was hmm..lucky i would say. Guess continental food lovers would like this.

Preperaion:
-- cook macaroni and mix it with some mayonnise.
-- chop onion, tomatoes and capsicum in small squares. saute them in olive oil or any vegetable oil. sprinkle salt and pepper, stir well and keep aside.
-- arrange them together and thats it!

Have it with some toasts and baked potatoes.

A Desi Pizza!

2009-03-16T19:55:00.002+09:00

This is going to be a funny recipe. I am not sure whether i can call it a pizza, it is a modified form of an Indian oothappam. Idly - Dosas are a common breakfast/dinner to most of the South Indians. Not to get tired of this food we have invented lots of varities in them esp. variety of dosas. This one is specially invented by my husband.

Cut all the vegetables u have with u into small similar pieces. Onions, Tomatoes, Capsicum, corriander leaves, anything according to ur taste. Mix them in a kadai by adding little salt and pepper. If u want it to be spicy then add finely chopped green chillies too. Heat the kadai for sometime till the vegetables are partially cooked. No need to add water, just stir well while cooking. Keep it aside.
Spread dosa batter in a tava like how u make dosas usually. Sprinkle a spoon full of partially cooked vegetables over it. Cook both sides well. The colourful, attractive Indian Pizza is ready!

For more taste: add finely grated cheese on the dosa before taking it from the tava.
For Eggetarians: take the dosa batter needed to make about ten dosas in a separate bowl and add one beaten egg into it. Mix well and use it.

A Birthday Snake!

2009-03-10T18:15:00.004+09:00

Its been long since i updated something in my little world. So now i have got loads and loads of things to tell u. This is going to be a li'l scary story. 6th March 2009 was Mathews' birthday. We didn't do anything special other than roaming around in the city and having food from outside. It was around 10 p.m and we were already back home, we heard people shouting from down. It was a friday night so we thought the weekend celebrations have started at nearby flats. Just then somebody knocked at our door. It was our friend Bijunu who gave us a surprise with a big black forest cake. We were so excited to cut the cake and while i was getting the knife he casually told us that the watchmen were telling him that they saw a snake at the basement. Hearing this, both of us were like "what?? a snake??". Then i wanted to go and see it..even Mathews too. So we kept the cake aside and went down taking the camera and torch.
There i saw both our watchmen carrying sticks and bricks but sitting on top of the wall safely. I felt like laughing at them by the thought of the word "security". Are these people guarding us? Anyways i didn't show the gesture out. We knew from them that the snake has hidden behind a slab kept near the wall. Mathews managed to take few snaps of the reptile. It was hissing like anything out of fear and was trying to move away from the place. We didn't know what to do. We didn't want to harm the snake, at the same time we didn't want anybody to be harmed too. Then Mathews thought about Chaithanya, his friend who is an animal lover. Chaithanya and his wife are moving towards conserving the wild life and they have attended so many classes on dealing with snakes.
Chaith and Anithra rushed in. From Chaithanya's expression we understood that its a dangerous snake eventhough he didn't tell us that. Then it was almost an hour's hard work of Chaith, Anithra, Mathews and all of us helping them by providing bucket, waste cloth, torch, sticks, stones etc..etc finally the snake was trapped inside a closed bucket. Hurray!! Everybody clapped and cheered!!
Then Chaith revealed the truth that the reptile was nothing but the most dangerous Viper. The poisonous one. Oh!! Thank God for saving all of us.

Anyway Mathews' birthday became a special day for all of us. It was one minute to 12 a.m, Mathews' cut his birthday cake with his friends and me around and also the bucket with Viper in our living room.

House for Sale/Rent in Cochin!!

2009-03-01T15:25:00.001+09:00

Okay, by this post i swear i am not into real estate business, still family is family and i don't mind doing it for my sister. I'll stop beating around the bush and without any previous experience in the field, let me start.
My sister and her hubby are willing to sell/rent their new 3 bedroom house [1900 sqft] built in 6 cents of plot in Vytilla, the heart of Ernakulam / Cochin city. If u or u know somebody interested plse let me know asap. It is a housing villa of five other similar houses in a pretty big area. Expected rate is 84 lakhs which i think is negotiable. For renting details i gotta check with her.

A Green Thumb!

2009-01-10T17:02:00.001+09:00

This New Year 2009, we have decided to share our living space with few plants. As we stay in an apartment where direct sunlight could never reach, the only option for our new garden project were indoor plants. I have started hunting for them. Our first plant was called Euonymus. It was a cute shrub with white outlines on its small green leaves. But few days later we understood it is missing the sun badly. It couldn't even survive till i could take a snap of it. Hm..sigh! the first plant is always the first plant.

Then came the smart little Syngonium, a cent percent indoor type. This time we were very careful. And the plant didn't disappoint us either. It has heart shaped leaves with a mixture of pink and green colours. Now it has got a baby plant too. I'm damn happy. Now i got two of them.
While talking abt gardening, u may think that i'm very sincere in taking care of plants. Yes, I am sincere in admiring them and love to keep them all around but when it comes to digging my hands in soil, i'll act as a sophisticated stuff and my poor hubby gotta do all those boring job. You know watt? he is really sooo sweet! (gigle)

Believe in Yourself

2009-01-05T19:23:00.001+09:00

You are neither green nor blue
The colour is what's inside in you
An unseen colour till you let it reflect
when u start believing yourself

Let it be white or black, red or green
yellow or cyan, make it visible.
The colour doesn't matter
unless you find what colour you are

The grass is not blue
and the sky is not green
You couldn't be any other colour.
The colour in you is what you are

Halt for a second!
Turn around and look at yourself
The uniqueness that reflect your colour
what makes you 'YOU'.

- Maria George

Its december, its christmas!

2008-12-30T21:37:00.000+09:00

Christmas 2008 - our first christmas together. We ofcourse made it memorable by putting up star, x'mas wreath, decorations..also we invited few of our friends home for dinner. Its not just the x'mas day but the whole week we celebrated. We had a santa from Chicago who brought us French Martini. We went for a movie together, my first movie out in bangalore. Thanks to Santhosh, Chaithanya, Chetan - Deepthi, Bijunu, Senthil and Gowtham for visiting us during x'mas time and making our first x'mas together a delightful one.

A wheeler on x'mas night!

2008-12-29T20:47:00.001+09:00

24th December 2008, we were on our way back home after vigil night holy mass. I saw a young boy doing wheeling [isn't it that called so?] on his bike. I was seeing something like that for the first time and i couldn't believe my eyes. I really got scared that he might fall down but he was good at it. A week later i read in newspaper, the tragedy happened to a teenager who was chased by police for doing wheeling on public road. He by chance ran into the army premises and was shot dead by guards. I feel sorry for him and wonder is he the same guy i saw on road the x'mas night!?

Beef Curry!

2008-12-02T16:28:00.004+09:00

Here goes the tips for making a delicious beef gravy / stew.

Cut beef into small pieces by removing fat. Wash it thoroughly and cook it in a pressure cooker with nicely chopped ginger, garlic, onion, curry leaves and salt. [cook for 45 mins].

Make a paste of powders - chilli, corriander, turmeric, garam masala - in a small bowl with little water. Fry sliced onion and curry leaves in a kadai till golden brown. Add the masala paste into it. Stir well till brown. Add nicely chopped tomatoes to it, again stir well till brown. Add already cooked beef in the cooker to it. Add coconut milk (which is lighter in consistency).Check the salt and turn the flame off when it starts boiling. Add the thick coconut milk/cream. Stir well and serve it hot.

This dish will be best with rice, chappathi, 'palappam'(kerala cuisine), 'puttu'(kerala cuisine), and even with noodles.

Preparing coconut milk:

Add little water to the scraped coconut flesh and either simmer it or grind it in a mixer slightly. Then squeeze it through a cloth, and the thick liquid collected is coconut milk or coconut cream. This process may be repeated once or twice to produce lighter coconut milk, as different consistencies are required for different recipes.

Palappam

2008-12-01T21:24:00.000+09:00

Beef fry! (Kerala style)

2008-12-01T16:49:00.005+09:00

Beef fry is popular in every nook and corner of Kerala, no thattu kada would ever miss this dish in their "today's menu" board.
Preparation: Please view the above recipe for pressure cooking the meat. Then pour some oil in a kadai and fry chopped onions and curry leaves till brown. Add corriander powder, chilli powder, turmeric powder, (if needed, garam masala too) to this. Stir well. Add cooked beef and stir well till it turns dark brown. Sprinkle some pepper flakes/powder if you like it little spicy. Beef fry is ready! This tastes really great with kerala parotta and thats one of my favourites!

Cauliflower stuffed dosa!

2008-11-22T22:17:00.000+09:00

If you are a veggie, and a usual idly-dosa eater, then u should definitely try out this one. The filling inside the dosa is what makes it different and interesting.
For the filling:
Wash small pieces of cauliflower thoroughly, cook with turmeric and salt. [soaking in salt water helps to kill small worms & insects. boil well while cooking].
Heat oil in a pan / kadai -- saute chopped onions, ginger and curry leaves -- add corriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala -- saute chopped tomatoes -- make a thick gravy [add water if needed] -- add cooked cauliflower into it -- check salt -- turn the flame off when it starts boiling.
Now the filling is ready. Make an ordinary dosa and keep some filling in the center and fold / roll it. Tastes good with chutney / sauce.

A stitch in time...

2008-11-20T22:16:00.000+09:00

My new venture is to become a tailor. Come on! plse don't laugh at me. I have no idea how far its gonna be successful, still i have joined for a stitching class in bangalore. It is conducted by 'Singer'. This is a place i would recommend to all of u who are passionate in learning stitching.
Bindu, the teacher, is a young lady who teaches u very well. U can learn basics of machine sewing or to make salwar kameez or sari blouses or frocks or all of the above. For each section u have to pay separately. But the charges are reasonable only.
The class is open on 6 days a week morning 11 to evening 5. U can select any batch of 2 hours, like 11am-1pm, 1pm-3pm, 3pm-5pm. she teaches individually so that u can make sure that u are learning every bit of it. Being a house wife, the timing is very comfortable for me.
The classes are held inside the singer showroom, commercial street, Bangalore. Opposite to Woody's Veg Restaurant. Contact no: 080-25587892.

Creative Candle Stand

2008-11-10T19:22:00.000+09:00

It was an enthusiastic day for me and i wanted to do something creatively. And that was the reason for converting a chipped glass tumbler to a candle stand. we had a beautiful green candle with us and i thought i will make a stand for it. With the help of my painting brush and some green colour i could bring out a new candle stand for our prayer table.

A simple breakfast

2008-10-03T04:56:00.001+09:00

It can be called a Continental breakfast or an English breakfast, anyway i assure u that its an easy breakfast. It is very rich so that u wont feel hungry for hours.
Tips:
-- cut potato into long pieces and cook them. sprinkle some salt and pepper.
-- cut vegetables - carrot, tomato, capsicum, and whatall u like to have for salad. sprinkle some lime juice and salt to taste. [capsicum burns off ur fat, so have loads of them]
-- a meat cutlet or a burger patties or ur favourite sausage or an omlet or a bull's eye. [use less oil for frying]
-- two slices of whole wheat bread. Avoid brown/white bread as maida is not good for health.
Your healthy breakfast is ready. Start ur day with full energy!

2008-10-02T21:02:00.000+09:00

Another easy breakfast. Few cooked beans, potatoes, a tomato omlet and a piece of wheat bread. Its gonna fill your tummy like anything. Its healthy too.

Also u can try a bull's eye cooked both sides with pepper and salt sandwiched between a bun with little mayonnaise, lettuce, either potatoes or tomatoes. Hmm...its gonna be yummy.

Me as a Cook

2008-09-30T04:44:00.000+09:00

Offlate I have found myself too interested in being in the kitchen. Yea, I always loved to be there for munching something but this is different. After our wedding my designation has been changed to a 'home maker' in other words a 'food maker'. Yes, I have started my experiments with food and i'm loving it! You can expect the output, cooking tips, recipes and snaps in the future posts. Guess it will help few of you moving on the same track.

Journey from Night to Light

2008-05-03T02:10:00.000+09:00

Night was dark but bright enough to reflect
a beam of candle in four passionate eyes.
Aroma of sweat spread out
dampness inside the room.

The silhouette on the bedroom wall
faded away by the fuzzy fumes.

It was the same unforgettable night,
as a gift of his divine love,
Your father dropped a seed of life
inside my womb.

There sprouted another heart beat to
make me feel complete.
Awaited nine months of sleepless nights
caressed me with a whiff of nostalgia.

I was torn while wrestling with pain to
push that little life out of me.

The day I saw you born on a red blood carpet,
we met for the first time
like strangers; where again reflected
a spark of joy in four tearful eyes.

- Maria George

Could a mother ever leave her child?

2008-04-21T17:00:00.000+09:00

A blank paper could answer well when asked

how would be a mom's love look like.
But in my wildest thoughts I ever wondered

how it would look like.

Imaginations took me for a ride into nature;

my all-time favourite place.

Is it something like how the clouds melt

themselves into raindrops?

There i met a definition where theories and

rules of life exists no more.

Triumphed with joy I ran back to my study

to pen down that overwhelming emotion.

I went on filling up the paper but the letters

seem to be invisible.

And finally the definition was ready resulting

a perfect blank paper.

-Maria George

Last Spring!

2008-04-16T19:12:00.000+09:00

Again bloomed a spring that

took me back to the last one.

While standing on my balcony

in a holiday mood, I had

some fun watching the street kids

playing with the squirrels.

Suddenly I turned back to

share a smile and realised

that you are not there with me.

It was just an year ago I enjoyed

the spring of my lifetime.

Now the loneliness pricks me back

by piercing a hole inside my heart.

I Miss You !

- Maria George

My display pic - a tattoo

2008-01-05T20:25:00.004+09:00

Many of you may be wondering what is my display pic is all about. Its a design i did for my husband's tattoo. He wanted something related with an angel [now u guys know who is this angel hehhe.. ;) ] So me, the designer, took out the best part of an angel -the wings. then i kept the letter 'M' in an old-roman-style coz both of our names start with 'M'.

The tattoo was done in 'Irezumi'- a professional tattoo studio in chennai. The address is : No.18 (old No.44), College Road,
Nungambakkam, Chennai-600 034. Tel: + 91 44 42317318.

The rates may be li'l expensive but you are worth it. They use all sterlized /disposible needles and stuffs. My husband never had an itching or any other side effects. And the guy over there is amazing. He is really talented.
So why dont you guys check out Irezumi?

Christmas 2007

2007-12-28T18:52:00.000+09:00

Christmas vacation went on good this time. My cousins were busy decorating the x'mas tree and the effort put to bring out an aesthetic crib made their and even my x'mas fantabulous. Traveling rose joy amongst us while visiting relatives in Kanjirapally and Pulincunnu. Though the greenery of Veliyanadu served a feast for my eyes, it cannot be strove with the feelings my tummy had for chechi's mutton biriyani. Apart from all fun, the days were spiritually wrapped since it was x'mas time and visits to those famous shrines added a tinge to my faith.

Just Four Lines...

2007-04-21T19:46:00.001+09:00

In the corner of my little heart
I keep a teeny-weeny flower pot
full of colourful dry flowers
in all shades of my blood.
While they droop to spread
the stink of my rotten dreams
I nurture them with dew drops
overflowing my sunken eyes.
- Maria George

Still I know, you are a mistake

2006-08-24T16:10:00.001+09:00

The sweetest words the charming moves
Why would you win my heart?
You are a mistake
I’d love to cherish all my life.

Memories, a whole lot of ‘em
sweetest and the sweetest
one could ever have.
Still I know, you are a mistake

I saw a better me, in the depth
of those sparkling eyes.
People say that sky is the limit
but not for the praises you had for me.

Handsome is what handsome does
I found you most beautiful
in your heart and soul.

The dreams you had: to walk
in the rain holding my hand,
under the trees, we sit together
The words you scribble
belong to me and only for me.

The blissful moments flushed my cheeks
and my tender heart triumphed with joy.
Those days I had with you...
“Thank you”, is not the word.

Shall I curse the moments
you asked for my hand or
those dry flowers that refuse to die.
My mind wanders in confusion
Still I know, you are a mistake.

I am not strong enough
to pluck the roots out and
the hurts I’ll have will never heal.
They will bleed and bleed
till I wash myself away.

Look at me how helpless I am
Have nothing in return
except these words.
Here again I bat my eyelids
but to leave a drop of tear for you.

Oh! my sweet heart
for what did I love you?
It’s time to say good bye
and afraid to ask this again,
"Have I ever lived in you?"

Is there a rebirth where
I could make a promise,
born to be one and never to depart.
Gift me one more worthful life
to live in its fullness together.

-Maria George

A gift in my life

2006-02-01T21:06:00.000+09:00

A gifted note for a musician,
And that's what he is for me.
The rhythm of life-
the beat of my heart.

"let the dreams be dreams forever"
but I was shocked to see my dream
smiling straight at me.
I hug, kiss and cling myself to him.

Yeah, this is my dream in its true clothes
What should I call this?
'a shocking blissful surprise'?
Just wait; what's gona stop me from this?

Execuse, execuse me from rules and prejudices
Love is true and truth is true love
Why don't we start a new religion?
A reigning religion named LOVE.

-Maria George

എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും ബ്ലോഗിലേക്ക്‌ സ്വാഗതം

2006-01-02T03:10:00.000+09:00

എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും ബ്ലോഗിലേക്ക്‌ സ്വാഗതം - I welcome you all to my blogspot.
Request you to send your comments, opinions and suggestions to help me improve this blogspot.

Oil on Canvas

2003-03-09T23:03:00.001+09:00

It was during a vacation after my B.A., while staying with my brother and family in Cochin, i came to know about a painting school through my sis-in-law. It was near convent junction, the happening shopping spot of cochin city. An art school lead by a convent named 'Sisters of Nazareth'. They have courses on tailoring, embroidery, cooking, all types of painting and all types of crafty things. I have decided to go for oil painting classes as i got impressed by my sis-in-law's works in oil painting, knife painting and the like.

My first painting on canvas was a bunch of three pretty yellow flowers. And i was very happy to finish it.

A Leopard on Canvas

2003-02-21T13:53:00.002+09:00

My second oil painting was a leopard waiting for its prey on a tree branch. Oh God!! it was really a difficult task for me and that day i decided not to do things that have got 'faces' and 'expressions'.. I took months to finish it and i was pretty satisfied by the result. Everybody encouraged me to do more and i felt so proud of my work. I got compliments from most of them except my cousin. Ofcourse, he too gave me a compliment by saying "Di, the painting u've done of a dog is excellent!"