Hope smothered

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I wrote this poem after hearing about the incident that recently occured at a school in Bangalore where a staff of the school raped a 6 year old.

Didn't you see the twinkle in her eyes?
Didn't you see hope reflecting on her face?
Didn't you see the flutter in her wings,
to unveil all that is beautiful in this world?

How could you change that twinkle to an ember?
How could you put off that hope?
How could you cut off her wings,
kill her soul with such a hideous act of your lust?

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Ritu turned TWO!!

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This post is late by a month. Ritu's second birthday was on July 5th. Since it was a long weekend, we traveled with few of our friends. Ritu loves traveling just like we do. Her birthday according to Malayalam calendar was on July 14th. Arun and I took a day off from work.

We celebrated her birthday in the RV we rented out to visit Shasta lake and Crater lake. The trip was awesome and we all had lots of fun. We stopped at a Walmart and Ritu picked an jungle themed cake. She was thrilled to see a monkey, giraffe and elephant on the cake.

We celebrated her 'pirannal' ( birthday according to star and Malayalam calendar) with few of our friends and a grand sadya( kichadi, pachadi, koottucurry, thoran, avial, parippu, pappadam, pulissery, sambar, moru, palada pradaman). 

This happens to be the only good snap we took on her pirannal

Since we were on our trip during her birthday I couldn't write a post then. I used to write monthly notes till she turned 1. Here is the note to the birthday girl as she turned two:

You are a fun loving girl. You have a blast at any party we attend. You simply love being surrounded with people. You are now obsessed with birthday parties. You pretend the Popsicle making tray to be your cake and the sticks to be the candle. You blow the candles and give us each a piece of cake and pretend eating yourself too. How cute is that.

You are good at solving puzzles. Its fun to watch you sitting still and solving a puzzle because that rarely happens. You love to jump and run around. You want to go on all the big kid slides at the park. You already do all of them and now you are eyeing those big ladders and other stuff for climbing up. You can climb the ladder in the structure which scares me quite a bit but I try not to discourage you. You love walking on the almost 3 foot tall wall in our backyard that is just a feet wide. As if the whole backyard is not enough. Now lets just not talk about how much that scares me. Anyway what is the point when all you say if I try coming closer is 'Amma stay there' with a hand gesture asking me to stop coming any closer.

You love music and dance. It amazed me how quietly you sat down by yourself in front of a stage when we had a cultural evening and two ladies were performing an Indian folk dance. You pulled me to the front of the audience, placed your water cup down and sat down on the floor to watch the dance. You often ask me to dance with you 'lungi dance' and 'barso re'. You have learnt few steps of lungi dance when I was teaching joechettan. You enact happy, sad and angry Ritu. This one below is how you show us happy Ritu.

You start dancing the moment you hear a song. You stop everything you are doing and listen while your chitta sings.

You are compassionate. We have got many notes from teachers that you hugged a friend who was sad. We are so lucky to get so many hugs and kisses from you. Spontaneously. It is so fun. If we make up a sad face you hug us tight and kiss us abundantly.

Your current favorite animal is panda. You love splashing water in tub. You love playing rain while taking bath. You love bath times. You love all fruits, berries, ice cream and cake. You love books, puzzles, toy car, toy kitchen and scooter. You love Teletubbies, singing happy birthday song and ABCD song.

You mostly speak in English though you know Malayalam words quite a bit. That's because all your friends speak in English and you love interacting with all of them. It doesn't bother me. That is totally okay for now. When we return to India I am sure you will pick it up as fast as you picked up English. We try to speak always in our mother tounge Malayalam to you. Achan does a good job compared to me. But for now we are enjoying all those 'how are you friends?', 'please', 'excuse me', 'sorry', 'good night, sleep tight', 'that hurts', 'wake up', 'oh my Goodness', 'wow beautiful'(I get compliments on all of my new dresses) all said in with so much cuteness that we feel like hugging you tight each time you say those.

Love you loads! Hugs and kisses!

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My latest interest and a delicious fondant recipe!

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I have been lately fascinated by fondant decorated cakes.I have seen many themed cakes decorated using fondant and all looked so magnificent. Any intricate three dimensional designs are possible using fondant. While shopping for our daughter's first b'day I also realized that a fondant cake costs around 3 to 4 times a normal cake. But once you see a fondant covered cake you will know why. A lot of artistic effort goes in the making of one.

First attempt on a chocolate cake

I love doing creative stuff and enjoy learning new skills. So after seeing another beautiful fondant cake recently I decided I would try my hand at it. But there is one issue with fondant covered cakes. The fondant is mostly thick and full of sugar and has a gum like consistency that you just don't feel like eating it. So even though they look pretty most of the times you end up peeling it off and throwing it away. On my search about fondant I read that homemade fondant taste much better than store bought ones. And more over the ones available at stores are costly too.

This recipe I have used is all over web. So I am not sure who should be credited for the recipe. But the reviews were spot on. It makes absolutely delicious fondant. The one you don't feel like throwing away. The recipe is simple but it is a messy one. Now when I say messy please do not underestimate. It is so messy that at some point you might even think of abandoning the whole effort. Marshmallows are melted to make this and you have to knead it with confectioners sugar to make dough. All recipes warned to cover your hands with lot of vegetable shortening. Well I didn't have vegetable shortening and just spread normal cooking oil on my hands. Once I started kneading the entire stuff stuck to my hands. I couldn't even pull my hands out for kneading. It took me at least half an hour to control the whole thing.

Second attempt on pineapple flavored cake

Marshmallow fondant

Ingredients

Mini marshmallows 10 oz ( I used kraft brand jet puffed marshmallow. Good quality marshmallows must be used)

Confectioners/powdered sugar 1 lb

Water 2tbsp

Vegetable shortening as needed

Method

Place the mini marshmallows and water in a large microwave safe bowl.

Heat it up in microwave in 30 sec interval until marshmallows melt completely stirring in between every interval.

Once melted add confectioners sugar in small amounts and stir with a spoon coated with vegetable shortening.

Keep adding confectioners sugar and stir until the mixture is thick and difficult to stir.

Spread vegetable shortening on counter top. Spread confectioners sugar on top and pour the mixture on top.

Knead this until a smooth dough is formed. Add confectioners sugar as needed to form the dough.

Cover the fondant in shortening or powdered sugar and immediately wrap it in cling wrap and keep it aside for an hour.

Before using the fondant knead it again to make it smooth.

If you would like to color the fondant, take the required amount of fondant aside and use a tooth pick to add the desired gel color. Knead well to spread the color well.

This fondant is delicious. The fondant will stay well in the refrigerator for 3 days. You just have to cover the fondant well in cling wrap and store in a zip lock bag. You will have to keep it outside for sometime before using and then knead it again to make it smooth. There are many yputube videos that details on making fondant decorations. I tried two types of flowers. I want to learn more and I am still obsessed with fondant decorating even after making two within a week's time.:)

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A fun random questionnaire

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My friend R who blogs at quintessentially yours tagged me to try this questionnaire. I found it to be a fun one. So here is my take on this.

1.  What’s your favorite genre of music?
I love melodic music that fall under any genre.

2.  What’s the name of the furthest city that you’ve travelled to?
That leaves me wondering whether the reference should be my home town or my current place of living. If it is home town, the farthest city I have traveled to would be my current place of living Reno, Nevada, USA.

3. Who is your favorite author?
Picking one would be difficult. I love books of Jeffrey Archer, Khaled  Hosseini, J. K. Rowling, Jean Sasson and many others.

4. What’s your least favorite chore?
I love cooking. But every other stuff that needs to be done on a routine bores me. I hate all kind of chores. So picking a least favorite is again difficult. But if I have to, that would be dusting.

5. Who is the sexiest person on TV right now?
I don't watch TV at all. So no clue.

6. What would be your ideal job?
Event management. I feel the opportunity to use creativity is the highest in this job.

7. What’s your favorite quote?

I came across this quote just recently but it struck a chord and has left me thinking. So this is my current favorite:

"I have become my own version of an optimist. If I can't make it through one door, I'll go through another door - or I'll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present." Rabindranath Tagore

8. What is the most annoying habit you find in people?

Negative attitude. They not just pull themselves down but everyone around them too.

9. What is the one accessory without which you will not step out of your house? 
My wallet if I am going out alone. My hand bag converted diaper bag if I am going out with Ritu.;)

10. Which 3 items on your “bucket list” do you hope to achieve in the next 5 years?
Learn swimming, perform classical dance, do parasailing.

Now you might be wondering what is the relevance of that picture of a pen I included in this post. Well it is just a random picture for a random questionnaire. It is my colleagues pen. He is left handed. When I first saw this pen I thought someone bend it really bad and then I came to know that it is a specially designed pen for left handed people. Isn't that interesting?

I am leaving this questionnaire open to anybody who would want to give this a try. You can use comments section if you don't have a blog. Enjoy!

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Tofu Caramel Custard Pudding

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As I mentioned in my previous post, we are a dessert loving family. I always wanted to try making a dessert using tofu. I have seen many recipes in the past for chocolate pudding using tofu as main ingredient. But since Arun is not a huge fan of chocolate pudding I thought I will make a vanilla flavored pudding. That's when I thought of caramel custard pudding. My last attempt was a major disaster. I have been thinking of making it again. So I decided to try one using tofu.

I used silken firm tofu and used gelatin to get the pudding to set. Tofu makes it a tad bit healthier even though the pudding has sugar in it.

The caramel is prepared at a low flame as the chances of it getting burnt is very high.

Tofu Caramel Custard Pudding

Ingredients

Firm silken tofu 1 12.3 oz packet (I used organic mori-nu brand tofu)

Sugar 1 cup divided

Vanilla 2 tsp

Knoxx unflavored gelatin 1 tbsp

Water 2 tbsp

Method

Keep small bowl or ramekins ready.

In a heavy bottom pan heat sugar on low flame. Keep stirring to avoid sugar from getting burnt.

When the syrup turns a golden color remove from flame and pour into the prepared vessels.

Tilt the bowls and make sure the caramel coats everywhere.

Blend tofu, sugar and vanilla in a blender until a smooth paste is formed.

Heat water and add gelatin off the flame. Mix to dissolve gelatin.

Add this to tofu paste through a strainer to remove any undissolved gelatin.

Mix and pour to the prepared pudding dishes.

Refrigerate for minimum 6 hours or overnight.

When I checked the pudding after 6 hours I could see that when I tilt the bowl contents were moving around. I was disappointed thinking it didn't set. There was no other explanation. Caramel had hardened at room temperature. So it was weird that it is moving around now. Nevertheless I decided I will check it out and took it out from the refrigerator. That's when I noticed that the pudding has set perfectly. Hurray! :)

Since the caramel was already melted the pudding was all ready to come out. But still inverting it to a plate was a bit tricky. I placed a plate on top of the bowl and inverted both plate and bowl together. Viola my pudding looked smashing in the caramel sauce!

The texture was amazing and pudding tasted delicious. Nothing hints tofu in this pudding. Moreover its much easier to make. This recipe is definitely a keeper.

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Oven Roasted Spicy Chickpeas

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We are a snacking couple and a dessert family. That is a dangerous combo. So I am making efforts now to prepare healthy snacks at home. I found this recipe for roasted chickpeas and it brought back memories of masala peanuts that we get in bakeries in Kerala.

I was inspired by this recipe. But since we like it spicy I used chilli powder, cumin and salt instead of Cinnamon and sugar. It is easy to make. I made this from dried chickpeas ( after soaking in water overnight and cooking it in a pressure cooker). But you can always use canned chickpeas/ garbanzo beans. That would make the process even more easier.

The key to getting crunchy chickpeas is to get rid of the mositure. I cooked my beans in the evening and let the water drain. Later I pat dried the chickpeas and also left it covered with paper towel overnight.

Oven roasted spicy chick peas

Recipe by Sally's baking addiction

Ingredients

1 (15-ounce) can chick peas (garbanzos)

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin powder

Method

Preheat oven to 400F degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
Rinse and drain the chickpeas very well to remove the starch. Spread them out onto prepared baking sheet and pat very, very dry. The drier the chickpeas, the crunchier they will be. The skin of the bean may peel off as you pat them dry. That is ok. You may remove the skins or leave them on.
Once 100% dry, place chickpeas into the oven and roast for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove from the oven and drizzle with olive oil. Using a large spoon or spatula, mix the beans around to make sure they are all evenly coated. Mix chilli powder and salt and sprinkle over beans. Mix around very well to heavily coat each bean. The beans will be flavorless, so you want to make sure each one is thoroughly coated. Place back into the oven and roast for another 15 minutes.
Leaving the chickpeas inside, turn the oven off and crack open the door slightly. Allow the chickpeas to sit inside as the oven cools down for 30 minutes. This will help them get crunchier as opposed to sitting at room temperature.

These came out to be super crunchy and tasty. All three of us liked it. I made it only mildly spicy as I knew Ritu would also want to munch on these. I stored it in an air tight container and they stayed fresh for 3 days.

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We are speaking sentences!

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This is a random post on Ritu's talking skills. The way she talks with all hand gestures is fun to watch. It is super cute and at times makes us laugh quite a bit. So I am listing some of them here:

• Usually, while rolling out chappathis, I give Ritu some dough to keep herself busy. Last night after playing with it for a while she gave the dough to me and said 'kanjufin cow'. I couldn't understand her and she kept on repeating it. It suddenly occurred to Arun that she might be asking 'Can you find cow?'. Now that made half sense. I usually make cow, pig, dog faces from the dough for her. So she wanted me to make a cow with the dough. Usually she just says the animal name 'cow' and I would get it. This day she was trying to use a newly learnt sentence. I am assuming her teacher would have asked her 'can you find ---' while reading picture books to the kids. So these days all questions start with ' can you find'.

• Ritu loves to see everything I do in the kitchen. Last day I was adding spagetti to a pot of boiling water and she exclaimed, "Pasta swim".

• There is a recent Malayalam movie 'Kili poyi'. Arun keeps singing the title song which is 'oh oh kili poyi'. Ritu has this habit she picked from school of saying 'oh ho' when something goes wrong like her toy falling down. So now her oh oh is always followed by 'kili poyi' in a tune that is funny and cute to hear. We always end up laughing whenever we hear it.

• Ritu loves her bath time. The water from the hot water tap takes few minutes to turn warm and she doesn't like the cold water. So when she says 'thanuppu' (cold) I will ask her to wait for sometime and then ask her 'eppazho' (now?). She uses 'eppayo' at many occasions now, few I am not even sure whether its applicable.

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