Merry Xmas and a Happy 2011 !!

Wishing all my precious readers a Merry Xmas and a Happy New year 2011. Cheers to a brand new year and bigger commitments :):)

I'm on Etsy !!

I have finally put my thoughts and ideas into full motion and here is the link !! Right now I'm selling handmade envelopes, but watch the space cos there's more to come !

http://www.etsy.com/people/UrmilaSantosh

Kolam with a different pattern

Saw this design in a photograph online somewhere and decided to try it out. The squiggles seemed easy to do. Does it look nice? :)

Samarth's Art Work :-D

Some of you who are following me on Facebook would have seen these images. These are my 4 year old Samarth's drawings and writing.

I'm on Colours Dekor too !!

Follow me on Colours Dekor which is a beautiful blog owned by Patricia Torres. Patricia is into home decor and like me; she loves all things simple, beautiful and aesthetic. Read my inaugural post at

http://coloursdekor.blogspot.com/2010/10/gifted-craft.html

My little artist

Samarth's begun to draw so beautifully !!

He drew a cute little flower last night on his blackboard and it was precious !! He also can draw an apple, a fish, a star and is still exploring. I am LOVING it !!

I really want him to explore his creativity and learn to think out-of-the-box. The school we have enrolled him in gives him the ideal environment and encourages learning through play. It's a mix of structured and unstructured, and he is enjoying it :)

Yummmmmmmmy Garlic Bread

Tried my hand at Garlic bread and it was splendid !

I happened to have several slices of leftover old bread and had just bought a small box of ready peeled garlic cloves. I didn't expect a fantastic result; but the result was delicious. I made it as a tea-time snack today, we were ravenous and wolfed it down !! I forgot to click a pic though :-)

[Image courtesy: leboncroissant.com]

My recipe

Bread: I used slices of regular sandwich bread [6 slices] which I halved horizontally. The one used commercially is the french bread [baguette]

For the garlic spread:

Crushed garlic [I used a garlic press, and about 5 cloves]. You can alter the quantity as per your preference

1.5 tbsp of butter

1.5 tbsp of low fat cheese spread / mayonnaise

salt to taste

a bit of white pepper if you want the spice

Method:

1. Halve the slices of sandwich bread.

2. Spread the garlic mixture on each piece. Now heat a tawa and place 2 pieces at a time with the garlic side up. Once the bottom of the slice is warmed, flip over and wait for a minute or so till it is well browned

Serve with ketchup! :D Happy eating !!

Egg fried Rice :-)

You're right !! I'm on a cooking spree and making my fave dishes this week :D Presenting - my version of the egg fried rice!!

Ingredients:

Basmati Rice - 1 cup

Veggies needed: Spring onions, Baby corn, Peas, carrots [use all, or choose any combination]

2 Eggs [whisked well]

Soya sauce

Tomato puree/paste [the readymade one available in supermarkets is fine]

White pepper

Salt to taste

Method:

Cook the rice al-dente and toss in a bit of oil and fry well till the colour turns mild brown. In another wok, pour a bit of oil and toss in the white part [scallions] of the spring onions and stir until it turns brown. Now add in the egg mixture and wait till the eggs get scrambled. Mix well. Now add the green leaves of the spring onions and the baby corn. Mix really well and add a bit of tomato paste and a bit of soya sauce. Add salt to taste, and a a bit of white pepper for the spice. Stir thoroughly and keep the flame medium-high so that the ingredients get roasted in the heat; and to get the slightly-burnt taste. Now toss in this veggie+egg mixture into the fried rice and mix together really well, on a medium-flame for 3-4 minutes. Done !!

Paneer Tikka ;-)

The word 'Paneer' conjures up images of yummy dishes in my mind. I am a self-confessed paneer addict and so is my gorgeous soulmate Pallavi :-) I've been wanting to make paneer tikka ever since I read this funny post on her blog.

So !! Yesterday night was experiment time :-)It did not resemble the restaurant version in any way, and looked pretty charcoal-grilled but the taste was really nice. I also sauteed some onions to go with it. Since I used a small leftover block of paneer; I couldn't slice it as big and thick as I'd have liked to. But the result was delicious and it was a great accompaniment to parathas ;-)

And yeah Pallavi, I have mustered the courage to put up photos :) whatever it is, it's my piece of art ;-)

Here's the recipe :-)

200 gm Paneer cubed or into small thick slices

For the marinade:

4 tbsp thick curd

Appropriate measures of chilli powder, garam masala powder and salt.
Mix all together. I added tomato paste also to this [readymade paste].

The marinade needs to be really thick.

Method:

Slice the paneer into thick cubes.

Now prick the paneer with a fork and apply the marinade covering fully. Let it marinate for an hour or two. An hour is usually enough.

Shallow fry and enjoy it. Sauteed onion slices and capscium slices are also great accompaniments :D

The Attack of the Evil

She cringed as it tried to twist her neck.The evil forces had arrived, she realized. It pounded her head into bits and pieces, and smirked. Soon, she thought, she wouldn't be alive any more. She wanted to retch, so she tried to get off the bed to move towards the open bathroom. It pinned her neck to the pillow, rendering her helpless. Stiff-necked, she tried to move but fell just near her bed. The back of her head felt non-existent and she passed out.

When she regained consciousness a few minutes later, she was aching all over. Clutching her neck, she pleaded with the evil forces to let her go. They said, not yet !! Not until we have achieved what we wanted to *smirking again* !!!

She could hear the phone ringing in the living room and she knew it was him, her sweetheart; and she pined to hear his voice. Immobile and sore, all she could do is let it ring on and on.

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And then, she woke up. Yet another migraine-induced nightmare that had succeeded in giving her the creeps. She looked around to make sure everything was okay. With her head still pounding, she checked every nook and corner in the large house. Moved towards the medicine chest, found her pills and popped one. There was noone who could help her deal with all this. She'd become tired and weary with constant debilitating headaches, which were no less than evil forces that were there to stay.

Life had to go on.

Recent Designs

Chinna Chinna padham veythu, kannaa nee vaa :-)

Right from when the festive season kicked off, I had dreamed of building this pandal for my darling Krishna for this year's festival. I am delighted that my decorative efforts paid off :-)

Enjoy these pics from Janmashtami at our home here in Abu Dhabi, this year of 2010

Everything turned out JUST how I had expected it to. Even the eats for neivedhyam tasted perfect, just the way I had imagined it would. Special thanks to Savithri for her mom's Nei Appam recipe, and to my precious Jaya chitthi for her microwave therattipaal recipe.

Onam 2010

Spot the Hidden Butterfly :D

New Wall Art

I've always had the 'palm tree' Wallies on my living room wall [purchased from Ace Hardware], it has been that way for the past 2 and a half years. So I now decided it was time for a change.

When we moved to this home in Feb 2008, I had no clue that I'd become so artsy craftsy. And that I could use these skills to decorate my home. But then, quite frankly I didn't have the time since Samarth was just 17 month old baby and quite a handful.

I still think my home isn't as decorated as I would like it to be. I have to wait for sonny boy to grow up a little bit more before I can put anything fragile on the floors or reachable areas. Until then, wall-decoration ~ here I come ! :-)

Take a look at my wall now and tell me how you like it :-)

Only the images have been printed off the internet. The rest of the background work, designs and art is mine !! Same for the pic below.

For the Yashoda-Krishna photo above, I added the curtain design and flooring and the night background by myself. Like it?

Waiting for the bevy of festivals

I can't really explain why; but this year I am totally looking forward to the festival season :-) :-) :-) Even though I celebrate by myself here in Abu Dhabi; in our cosy home - it is still something that I await.

I'm totally awaiting Gokulashtami for a special reason. This year, my inlaws have gifted me a small mini-stage made in oxidized silver for my deities to sit on during the pooja. I also plan to make a small jhoola for my new Vennai-krishna idol :-) And of course the Lord's favourites: Appams, Pal Payasam and Vadai. I also deck up my little boy as a baal-krushna :-)

Moving on, to Ganesh Chaturthi which is always replete with Modaks. I create my Ganesha idol by myself, as has been for the past two years; and last year I had also made a special pedestal for Ganaraya to rest on. Planning to make some paper flower decorations this year; as extra ornaments :)

And then there's Navratri and Diwali. Full of heavy-eats. Hope I can find some low-cal recipes for this year :-P

Happy Festive Season, to all my blog readers :)

Our Trip to Bahrain

Such a quaint and quiet city, yet it bubbles with a unique energy. I am already totally head-over-heels in love with this lovely little Kingdom; with just one visit there. If I had the choice; I'd even be be happy to move there!!

That's the khau-galli in Juffair :P

This is Old Bahrain

That's the grand Mosque

:):)

Pasta and Bechamel Sauce with veggies :P Delicious !!

Interesting Border Kolam :)

Egg Noodles + Veg Manchurian ~ maketh a yummilicious meal !

Whackworthy Individuals - Contest at Blogadda.com

Normally I’m this person who believes in non-violence. I prefer to mete out the silent treatment to those around me and it always works. But being an Arian, ‘non-violence’ shouldn’t really be a part of my dictionary, should it?

Parents who look lovingly upon their ‘angelic’ children spreading havoc have always; I repeat, always amazed me. And have annoyed me endlessly. There was this little 3 year old boy at my son’s nursery class – who would insist on pushing my son around every day as we stood outside the nursery to head home in the afternoons. A little, harmless shoving around is nice for the kids and especially boys. But one day, it was clearly the limit because he shoved him so strongly that my son fell against a tree. And the mother!! She stood watching her son; not uttering a single word. I glared at him and his mom to get the point home. Thank God my boy was not hurt. Else I’d be writing here about HOW I whacked her [tee hee!] I have no idea how some parents cannot absolutely discipline their children. Even after I questioned her about her son’s behaviour, she just ignored me and walked off!

People who spit on the road anger me because they cannot be fined under the law here where I live. Especially those who make all sorts of grunting sounds to accompany their filthy act, make me want to pick the nearest weapon of assault and whack. They just don’t care that other people are walking past them. And why is it joyous for them to deface the very pavements that they hang around every day? It disgusts me to no end. I am praying for the day when the Singaporean law system is applied to every country around the world. I am proud of the way Singapore has enforced their rules regarding hygiene and general demeanour; in such a strong way that the residents have no choice but to abide by it.

In my opinion, people who backbite either at their workplace or in personal relationships, are insecure personalities with low self-esteem. They cannot fathom that other people can be happier than them and would go to any lengths to ‘crush’ the happiness, and draw attention to themselves. One would only understand, if one had been a victim of such behaviour. I for one, can never understand how some women can perfect the fake ‘Ooh-HOW-are-you, ooo-long-time-no-see’ routine. When it’s obvious, they’re thinking exactly the opposite at that very moment. Like, how did SHE come here, to this event?

People who show a blatant intolerance towards children, are annoying. For heaven’s sake, children will be what they are. They have the right to jump around and do funny things. It’s the only time they can get away with such behaviour, right? But no, some ‘adults’ just don’t get it. I have been given ‘the look’ by some people at public places when my son is running around generally and manages to get in their way. Have they have forgotten that they were kids once-upon-a-time too? By the way, I think adulthood is not just about growing physically. It’s also about maturing, growing wiser and learning from experiences.

Last but not the least, I want to whack people who compare. I mean those who are always in the race to get ahead and show that they are better. This urge to compare trickles into every little sphere of their lives and never really leaves. Salaries, expenditure, toddler’s weight, children’s exam scores, new vacation spots and the list goes on and on. Woebegone are those who are at the receiving end of such people’s constant meaningless chatter. Somehow it’s a very Indian concept because I interact with European women frequently and have realised that they don’t really waste time discussing such.

The challenge lies in making a difference. To try and spread LOVE all around us to make this world a happier place to live in.

Mystery Fiction Contest @ Blogadda.com

Hi Folks ! This is my entry to the 'Mystery Fiction Contest' at Blogadda.com . You can find the announcement to the contest here: http://blog.blogadda.com/2010/05/12/a-mystery-fiction-contest-whodunnit

It was absolute fun figuring out who the killer could've been. I couldn't think of a more suitable answer than the one below :) Here goes..

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It’s very obvious as to who is the killer. It’s Lila’s conscience, the person who lived inside her!! An integral part of her that had borne way too much over the years. Heavy, disturbed and shaken, it just could take no more.

All her life, Lila derived pleasure in dominating over her men and other relationships; which had given her more than just plain happiness. It was a feeling of sadistic joy. However, ever since her last relationship with G had crumbled, she had come to realize that there were forces beyond her control that could destroy her forever. Demons had entered her body, ones who could remove her very existence from this world. And that feeling of helplessness shook the ground below her feet.

It really didn’t take much to bring her to the thought of ending it all, yet in style. There’s a very valid reason behind why Lila invited who was a part of her life to that last, grand finale of a party. She was too proud to apologize for the relationships soured because of her personality traits; but the person living inside her made her do it. She was to die of the virus that was G’s parting gift to her; but submitting to that death would’ve meant that she had given up!! No way would she ever let that happen, would she? She was Lila, she couldn’t bow down even before the wishes of the Almighty.

There is a reason why the others had tried to kill her and they had failed. No one could grant a suitable punishment to Lila, other than the person who lived inside her. In that flash of a moment, Lila emptied her life of all the memories and materialistic assets that she had clung on to and decided to leave. In the manner that befitted a woman who had fallen in her own eyes.

P.S: This is what I think I may have seen at Lila's house - Poster

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YuMmY-iN-tHe-TuMmY: My besan laddoos

Fun with PlayDough

Back to creating my kolams :) :)

My own designs

These are kolam designs I have created on my recent trip to India...

Inspiring Kolam Designs

The ones above .... the first one by my sister Sandhya; and the second one by Anil - the helperboy at my uncle's home. Fantastic, aren't they?

The ones below have been created by some Iyer women whom I don't know. Kudos to their talent !!

My ART work :)

Mera TP