Creative Crochet: Snowflakes!

Crocheting is one of my favourite hobbies! I have been crocheting tid-bits since my college days but now,  it has really taken a serious turn where i am trying to create by learning new techniques every single day and putting forth certain pieces. Crochet has caught fancy of my imagination in a delightful way and it is a relaxation of a kind. Trying my hand at delicate thread crochet pattern as one may call it 'flavour of the season'  a crochet snowflake!!

Here is the picture of my crochet snowflakes:

the pattern is from 

http://sarahlondon.wordpress.com/2010/12/19/simple-snowflake/ 

Thank you for the pattern Sarah!

The snowflakes are tied to a twig of plant and hung lightly on a garden shrub. In crocheting I do 'amigurumi' crochet, crochet appliques, motifs and doilies! I enjoy crocheting.
There is another crochet piece a 'crochet clown face motif' made by me which I used as a cake decoration at my son's birthday party.

Spicy Garlic Chutney

Ingredients

Garlic Cloves- 10-15 no

Red Chilli powder- 1-1/2 tablespoon

Cumin Seeds- 1/2 teaspoon

Citric Acid Crystals - A pinch

Salt - As per taste

Desiccated Coconut - 1/2 cup

Method

Peel garlic cloves. In a spice grinder jar, take garlic cloves, red chilli powder, desiccated coconut, salt,  cumin seeds and citric acid. Mix well and all the ingredients and dry grind to a powder, transfer in a bowl. Serve as a side dish to any meal and enjoy the taste!

A traditional curd salad

Curds Salad

Ingredients

Curd 2 Cups

Sugar 1/2 teaspoon

Finely chopped tomatoes, onions, cucumber 1 cup
Green chillies chopped  2 nos.
finely chopped dhania (Coriander leaves) 2 tablespoon
Roasted and coarsely powdered peanuts  1 tablespoon
Oil 1 tablespoon
Mustard Seeds 1/2 teaspoon
Cumin Seeds   1/2 teaspoon
Asafoetida (hing) a pinch
Kadipatta  10 -12 leaves
Red chilli powder a pinch (optional)

Salt as per taste

Method

Wash onions, tomatoes, coriander, cucumber, green chillies under running water and finely chop. Mix all the chopped vegetables in a bowl, add salt,  red chilli powder,  chopped coriander, sugar and peanut powder. Take a frying pan, add oil and let it heat.  Now add mustard, cumin seeds, asafoetida, green chillies, washed kadipatta leaves. Let all the seeds crackle, pour over the curd salad,  mix lightly, garnish with coriander leaves,  refrigerate  and serve cold as a side dish. Enjoy the flavours and textures!

Nutrition in growing years

Nutrition in Growing Years

Proper nutrition of a child in growing years lays foundation of good physical and mental health in adulthood. It is a primary duty of the elders in the family to create awareness about the nutrition and growth going parallel in a child's life. For this, the conducive environment at home makes a positive impact on total health of the family. The requirements of nutrients begins as early as infancy till adulthood. Nutrition helps in accomplishing important milestones. Thus nutrition, nutritients and balanced diet are the important terms one has to understand clearly. A balanced diet should provide all necessary nutrients present in the food with different combinations when chosen so to create optimum benefit for proper growth. Nutrients are different important chemical constitutes present in a variety of foods. Specific foods help in specific developements in early years of a child.

The entire teenage period and a little over it spans up to a decade and more.  The growth spurt in these years is tremendous in boys and girls which prepares their body for adulthood. In today's context of lifestyle, where one can easily get attracted  towards more alluring foods such as pre-packaged or instant street and junk fatty foods than home cooked food, we need to create healthy and sound balance of awareness, knowledge about eating habits among mass sections of rural, urban educated and uneducated. Tasty and nutritious snacks, lunches, dinners, quick bites can be easily made at home for the young children who are always on the go. The foods thus prepared are cheaper than what we get in the market, once in a while indulging in pampering our taste buds is not harmful but it should not become the habit. The adoloscent period is marked by complex changes in one's body externally and internally which increase nutritional demands for specific functions. Working on meal planning with wholesome meals for full day ahead is beneficial. The calorific values of all kinds of foods in general should be taken care of by the meal maker of the family. The need of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals like Iron, Calcium for increasing bone mass is more in young age. Identifying the nutrient values of various foods and incorporating in rotation in our meal is a challenge and helpful for growth of children. Inclusion of fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts in smaller amounts which are concentrated source of energy and complex carbohydrates , protein rich fruits like sprouts, legumes, lentils, fish, and lean  meats, green leafy vegetables suffice the daily requirements of food intake.

The dietary guidelines thus differ according to age. Under and over nutrition is easily avoidable, preventing the deficiency diseases associated with the nutritional aspects of a young child. Similarly lifestyle diseases and problems related to obesity  in later years can be put off by staying fit with physical exercises, taking up some sports activity, making use of the day effectively by a child in his daily time table. 

Quick Capsicum Stir Fry

Ingredients 

2-3 Capsicum (Yellow, Red, Green) chopped lengthwise
1 Baby corn chopped
2 Carrots chopped lengthwise
1/4 Cup French beans
2 Teaspoon Sprouted beans (optional)
1 Tomato chopped lengthwise
1 Onion chopped lengthwise
1 Small Cucumber chopped lengthwise
2 Tablespoon Olive oil
1/2 Teaspoon sesame seeds
1/2 Teaspoon each Garlic and ginger chopped
1 Teaspoon Vinegar
Salt as per taste
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon each Soy sauce, Tomato sauce, Chilli sauce
1 Teaspoon cornflour paste (slurry),  Cornflour mixed in little water

Method

Heat oil in a wok, let the oil heat up, now add sesame seeds, chopped  ginger, garlic, chopped onion, fry these a bit.
At this point add chopped carrots, babycorn, french beans sprouted beans and  stir, do not overcook, now add capsicum, cucumber give it a stir.

Add one teaspoon each soy sauce, green chilli sauce,  tomato sauce, salt and slurry of cornflour mix. Well finally add vinegar, transfer in bowl serve hot with steamed rice or noodles.
Enjoy!!

Dakkhani Flavour

Tomato Chutney

This is the chutney I made yesterday. It turned out really well. Does not take much time to prepare, can be used with idli, dosa, rice, chapati, or even as a bread spread! So here goes the recipe with the required ingredient list ...

Ingredients

• 2 tomatoes roughly chopped
• 1 onion roughly chopped
• 3 cloves of peeled garlic and small piece of cleaned ginger (optional)
• a few sprigs of mint leaves and 2 tablespoons of coriander leaves
• 1 tsp sesame seeds
• 1 tsp gram seeds (chana dal)
• salt to taste
• 3 green chillies chopped
• 1 tsp dessicated coconut
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• a pinch of sugar
• 2 tablespoons kadhipatta (curry leaves)
• 3 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp each mustard seeds
• cumin seeds (Jeera) and turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp asafoetida (Hing)
• few fenugreek seeds (Methi dana)

Method

Heat a fry pan and add oil. To this pan of heated oil, add mustard, cumin, fenugreek, sesame seeds, gram seeds one  after the other in that order. Once they crackle, add asafoetida. Now add washed green chillies and washed and pat dried curry leaves. Wait till it turns crispy. Now add garlic and ginger, fry a bit, add turmeric, followed by onion and tomatoes. Fry for a few minutes until the mixture wilts a little. Do not cook tomatoes fully. Add mint leaves at this stage. Saute it a little. Add desiccated coconut, sugar, salt and mix well.Take the pan off the heat, Let the mixture cool.

Grind this in mixie for 2-3 rounds add lemon juice, transfer in serving bowl and serve.

Consume within 2 days.

The education of a child!

"The children today are the citizens of tomorrow." The growth of a nation depends almost entirely on how the young minds are moulded. That explains and justifies the enormous plan expenditure that goes out to fund the primary education and also the recently introduced the "right to education" as one of the basic rights of a child. A child will grow gradually through  the means of education, can reach great heights with right kind of tools. A better child becomes a good responsible citizen whereby one can be assured of the future of our nation in these children who have allround development: physical, mental and spiritual. Thus goes the saying, "A healthy mind resides in a healthy body." Primary education gives a foothold for later years. In today's context, the different media expose a child to all kinds of educational tools which can prove beneficial and also detrimental to one's growth if care is not taken. For example, today children are computer literate and their exposure to all electronic gadgets is immense. The key is in the awareness about maintaining the balance between the degree of usage and the advantages that can be derived. Thus a pallette of avenues with myriad colours make children a better citizen of tomorrow. Side by side it is the prime duty of parents as well teachers to inculcate the right values and morals in the children.

Education begins at home. A child perceives and imbibes subconsciously the values and conduct  through upbringing. So parents and core family's responsibility increases many fold. As a child enters formal education system he or she takes to the system like a fish takes to water. So here starts the enormity of learning process through trials and tribulations, success and failures, experiences.

The process of enriching the life of a child at very young age is essential. Personality development aspects such as intellectual, emotional, social, make his total development and his well being. Bringing forth and recognizing thus, the trapped potential of each child at the right age is the need. This gives a total new direction to his education and he or she will not be called a wasted potential in later life.

A child's interests can be varied ranging from arts music crafts sports apart from his regular studies which when boosted  reward us with wondrous results! 

Children with special needs of physical and mental kind need tender care, understanding and patience. When we look around, we find the effortless ease by which  an athlete or a musician or a sport person or an artist making a mark by sheer grit, determination, hard work, discipline and one point focus.

A steady guiding hand and force for a young child is the key to his success. The journey of life starts with education, learning through failures. Creating the right environment for children to express themselves in school, freedom of expression helps to unwind. Positivity and accepting the failures, keeping at bay the negative emotions at any cost proves beneficial. Life itself is a great teacher, and a child should get his due share through right education and environment.