Garlic and cilantro/fenugreek rolls | Bread baking

Baking is therapeutic, its like creating something magical! I baked these garlic cilantro fenugreek pull apart rolls for the first time for a birthday party. They came out excellent with the yummy filling.
It was loved by my friends and vanished in no time!

Ingredients

For the  dough

4  cups – All purpose flour  (Maida)
1 Tbsp Instant yeast
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 ½ cups warm water
2 Tbsp olive oil/butter

For the filling

Mix all the ingredients given below to prepare the filling.

2 Tbsp butter at room temperature
1 tsp mixed herbs – oregano,basil,rosemary and garlic powder
¼ tsp fresh ground pepper
¼ tsp salt
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1 Tbsp fine chopped cilantro/coriander leaves
Few sprigs of fresh fenugreek leaves.. You can use kasoori methi if fresh not available
Prove the yeast – add the sugar to 1/2 cup of warm water. Mix well. The water has to be just the right temperature- not too hot because that will kill the yeast not too cool because the yeast won’t prove. Drop some on the back of your wrist and it should feel warm there. Add the yeast and rest covered for 10-15 minutes. The yeast should froth like soapy bubbles. If it doesn’t, throw the mix and start afresh. Proper proving of the yeast is vital to good bread!
In a big bowl, take the flour and salt. Mix.
Once the yeast has bloomed, add it to the flour and knead the dough with the remaining 1 cup of water. It will be sticky and it is meant to be like that.
Add the Olive oil/butter and knead for another 10-12 minutes.
Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover with cling film, or a kitchen towel and rest for 11/2 to 2 hours. The dough should double up. The time actually depends on the weather conditions-if very hot, it doubles sooner than the 1 ½ hours. This is the first prove.
Remove from the bowl once the dough is doubled and gently knock out the air. Here I split the dough into two. I used one half to make the pull apart rolls and the other half for a square focaccia and 6 mini burger buns.
Roll it out into a  big square or circle as desired of about one inch thickness . Spread the filling generously.
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Roll the circle/square to make a cylinder.
Cut into equal pieces using a pizza-cutter or a knife.
Place the cut cylinders into a well greased baking pan.
Cover and let it rise for about 45 minutes (till doubled)
When there are 20 minutes to go, pre-heat the oven at 200C.
Brush gently with milk and bake  at 180C for 20-25 minutes till golden brown
Serve fresh out of the oven.

The pull aparts are great on their own or can be served for any of the meals :).
Happy Diwali! !

Sending this to blogging marathon 58 hosted by Srivalli.
Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#58

Kids rangoli

Wishing you a very happy diwali dear friends.  Today is the first day of this 5 day celebration called as dhanteras or dhantrayodashi..today the goddess of wealth is worshiped.

The above is a lovely rangoli prepared by my 11 year old niece.  Isn't it pretty :)

Madhubani painting

 Madhubani is a district of North Bihar, a place where art and crafts have reached its stage of excellence. This part of the country is renowned for wall paintings,floor paintings, canvas painting and decorative crafts like wooden toys, Pottery toys and papier-mache products. Madhubani painting is an emblematic expression of day-to-day experiences and beliefs. As such, symbolism, simplicity and beauty hold them together in a single school of traditional art. The symbols that these Maithili painters use have their specific meanings as,for instance, fish symbolize fertility, procreation and good luck, peacocks are associated with romantic love and religion, and serpents are the divine protectors. Characterized by vibrant use of colour, underlying symbolism and traditional geometric patterns supporting the main theme, the Indian folk art form of Madhubani succeeded in creating a place for itself in the international house of fame and is

now recognized worldwide. Thematically, Madhubani paintings are mostly based on religion and mythology. (source google)

I have always been enchanted by this art and wanted to give it a try. I found lovely inspiration in google and pinterest and tips and tutorials shared by crazy lassi really helped.

Some of the pictures while making this:

Do let me know how you liked my humble attempt. Thanks for stopping by.

Sending this tohttp://www.creativejewishmom.com/2015/10/w-1.html

Pottery | Handmade diya for Diwali | Clay diya for Diwali

Handmade pottery diya - clay diya for diwali

Hi Friends

Sharing a lovely work by little miss and me. Yes it is our pottery attempt last year for Diwali. Do you rememebr our earlier pottery attempt? You can check it here. I confess it did not get easier at second attempt! This is no easy task :) Miss S and me made this clay pot.Loved it to the core.Then when it got fully dry,gave it two coats of acrylic red color and later I made the rural design with yellow paint.We used a wax candle inside this to get the lovely aura.Do let me know how you liked our handmade diya.Thanks for stopping by.

 

 Before painting.

Handmade pottery diya - clay diya for diwali

Sending this to 

http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2015/10/w-1.html

Ma Durga Rangoli

Isn't this gorgeous!  Could not stop myself from sharing this.  It is a rangoli for the ongoing navratri festival , made by  one of my neighbors. 

You are wonderful in every way!

Hi friends. .sharing with you a card I made for the hop to stop. It is a blog hop for the cause to stop domestic violence. 

So many people silently suffer from domestic violence day in and out.  Sometimes they do not have an option to escape. .other times they just need a little push..motivation to change things and be free. Through my card..just want to assure then that they do not deserve any of the violence that they are subject to. .They are wonderful in every way. .and only they can change the situation they are in...hope to Kindle their souls so that they have the courage to start a new leaf of life. 

I created this beautiful quilled humming bird for the family frame of mine. But then the bird was looking too big in it..hence decided to use it in some other project.  Little miss totally loves birds..and I have to make sure there is pink and purple color in the bird ;)

Sending this to

http://damselofdistressedcards.blogspot.ca/2015/10/the-hop-to-stop.html?m=1

http://beyondgrey.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/bgc72-anything-goes.html?m=1

http://www.creativejewishmom.com/2015/10/wheels

http://indianquillingchallenge.blogspot.in/2015/10/iqcg21-make-it-festive.html?m=1

http://cutiepiechallenge.blogspot.in/2015/10/challenge-92-pretty-in-pink.html?m=1

http://eclecticellapu.blogspot.in/2015/10/october-challenge.html?m=0

http://inkspirationalchallenges.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/challenge-93-word-prompt-glow.html?m=1

http://starstampz.blogspot.com.es/2015/10/add-sentiment-challenge.html?m=1

http://alwaysplayingwithpaper.blogspot.in/2015/10/the-challenge-45-sketch.html?m=1

The Art of Living experience

Recently attended the first course of the Art of living – Happiness program which is conducted under the divine blessings of Shri Shri Ravi Shankar Gurudevji. This is indeed a gem of a program which should be attended by each and everyone who wants to gain a better understanding of self or just be happy! You could have n number of reasons to attend it or no reason at all.. But I feel at the end it will be worth while.

It has brought such a peace and tranquillity in mind, which is very difficult to even imagine in this busy and stressful lives of ours.

I heard about the course long time back and thought will do it one day. After marriage my sister in law, who is a ardent follower of Shri Shri, recommended that me and my husband do this course. Finally got an opportunity when we heard that the beginner course is being conducted  very near to where we stay. Really didn’t want to miss this chance! And I am so glad we didn’t :)

The course stared on the day of my birthday and I thought this is the best birthday gift I could ever get. Waking up at 5 in the morning, feeling the fresh morning breeze, meeting  Jayaram Bhat Guruji, other participants and facilitators , there was something pious and positive about everything. During the course, we were guided on how to do the stretches for  all the body parts, pranayam (3 stage and basrika).We were guided on performing the sudarshan kriya, meditation. Have never felt anything like this before.  While doing the sudarshan kriya and meditation, there are moments when you just loose all sense of the world, you feel one with the source, it’s simply amazing!

There were also some games where we were taught how to live in the present. We observed that we were so happy when we live in the present instead of drooling in the past or worrying about the future. Just like children, they are happy because they live in the moment. Also creativity thrives only in the present moment. We cannot be creative thinking about past or future. Its the now that makes our mind think creatively.


The sessions started with asking some of the most basic questions in our life, like what is it that we want from life, what will give us happiness.

The questions are very basic but we hardly think about them. We all want to be happy, but we never sit down and think what will make us happy. How can we contribute towards happiness of others. We worry all the time, but we rarely sit down and write what is it that we are worried about. Discussing these in the course and hearing other perspective, adds so much to ourselves, our thinking, which remains unexplored most of the time. Adding to it the vast knowledge that Jayaram guruji shared with us, made for an unforgettable experience.

Some takeaways from the course that I would like to mention:

1.       We all have ego. Should it be there?
a.       It should be there, but in the right proportion. It should be like salt in food. Too less won’t make the food taste good and too much will make it inedible! How nice a comparison! And it makes perfect sense!

2.       We all greet each other with “Jai Gurudev”. Jai means victory. Guru is the enlightened one. Why do we need to pray victory for him. He does not need it.
a.       There are two mann in each one of us, bada mann and chota mann. Chota mann always seeks comfort and will try to do things which are easier or comfortable. Bada mann knows what is good for you. So even if that thing may cause temporary pain, bada mann will ask you to do it. Often we ignore the bada mann and listen to our chota mann. Bada mann is also called guru. Hence by saying jai gurudev, we wish each other that let the bada mann within you win. Love the explanation!

3.       You can attain happiness when you do selfless service and sadhana. You feel a sense of fulfilment when you do anything for someone without expecting anything in return.

4.       You are not alone anytime. Just as you trust your mom/dad with anything, you share your problem with them and feel lighter, similarly guruji and the art of living family is always there with you. You can leave your worries with him and be happy :)

I feel really fortunate to be associated now with such a wonderful community. Also feel proud that it is made in India :)

Not limiting the entire experience of 6 days in one post, will come back again with some more learnings from the program.

Have you also experienced art of living? Do share your thoughts, views.

Endless card - anniversary card

Hi friends

Sharing a card today..its called endless card. I found the technique very fascinating as it will keep curious souls wondering at least for some time :)

You just turn the flaps of the card and it will form interesting designs something like a kaleidoscope! and you can go on turning the flaps endlessly :)

I used some yummy pattern paper and some cute stickers and cut outs to make the card. Hubby dear could not believe that I made it, he thought it is store bought. Receiving such a nice compliment from him and since he was insisting so much, i did not give it to the people i made it for, and it is still with me ;)

Sending this to
http://simplypapercraftsforalloccassions.blogspot.co.uk/2015/09/challenge-14.html?m=1

http://aeiheartuchallenge.blogspot.in/2015/10/challenge-29think-pink.html?m=1

http://inkyimpressionschallenges.blogspot.ca/2015/09/iic-274-dots-stripes.html?m=1

http://inkychicks.blogspot.it/2015/09/challenge-57-think-pink.html?m=1

http://dreamvalleychallenges.blogspot.ca/2015/09/challenge-116-recipe.html?m=1

http://www.simonsaysstampblog.com/wednesdaychallenge/

http://avenue613.blogspot.in/2015/10/challenge-144-anything-goes-or-use-pink.html?m=16

http://beyondgrey.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/bgc72-anything-goes.html?m=1

http://cutiepiechallenge.blogspot.in/2015/10/challenge-92-pretty-in-pink.html?m=1

Play dough ganesha - kids craft

Hope you had a nice ganesh festivals friends. .for those who celebrate it. Today was the last day of this ten day festival called anant chaturdashi.

Sharing this cute little ganesha made with play dough by little miss and her big didi :)
It also has a accordian fold fan behind ganpati.
Do let me know how you liked this simple and kid friendly craft.

Ukadiche modak for Ganesh chaturthi | Maharashtrian modak

Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the favorite festivals in maharashtra. Usually it is celebrated for 10 days. But now it also has flavors like 1 and half day, 3 days, 5 days, 7 days. This I came to know only after coming to Mumbai, coz earlier it always was 10 days at my native. There would be a Ganesha idol brought to home and the house decorated beautifully. My father loved making handmade lantern and decorating the place where Ganapati would be worshiped for those ten days. We kids enjoyed helping him J

The Ganesha idol is worshiped every morning and evening. The worship involves various offerings to the idol including flowers and durva. Ganesha is offered an offerings of 21 modaks, modak being his favorite! Aarti song is sung by all praising the lord and asking for his blessings. On the last day, the idol is taken in a procession to a large body of water such as a lake, river or the sea for immersion.

There is usually a common big celebration in most societies. A big pandal or shamiana  is erected and a huge Ganesha idol is brought. Various activities, like fun fare (aanand mela), competition for kids and adults, common feasts etc are organized in the society to celebrate Ganesh fest. This gives the society a common purpose and fosters unity.

Usually we make the fried Modaks for Ganesh chaturthi. You can check it here. http://lav-art-craft-food.blogspot.in/2012/10/modak-for-anant-chaturdashi.html?m=1 However MIL made different modaks this time. They are called ukadiche modak, meaning steamed modak.  We loved the variation! And it’s healthy too..since it has the goodness of jaggery (rich in iron), coconut and there is zero oil in it ! Forgot to mention..no maida or plain flour. These are made using rice flour.

Sharing the recipe for the same. Hope you too like it.

Ingredients:
For Stuffing:
1 cup Grated Coconut
1/2 cup Powdered Jaggery
1/4 tsp Cardamom Powder
For Outer Layer:
1 cup Rice Flour
1 cup Water or as needed
1 tsp Ghee
A pinch of salt

Method:
Combine the coconut and jaggery in a pan.Mix well and let the jaggery dissolves completely. Cook on a medium flame.
Stir continuously until you get a thick mixture. When it thickens add the cardamom powder and mix well. Remove from the flame and let it cool. Shape the mixture into round shape balls and set aside.

Add water, salt and a teaspoon of ghee in a saucepan . Bring the water to a rolling boil and turn off the flame.
Take the rice flour in a mixing bowl. Add the boiling water little by little to the flour and mix it well with a spatula.
Let it cool for 2 - 3 minutes. When it is still warm knead it well to make a soft dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky.
Grease your hands with some oil / ghee and divide the dough into round shape balls. Shape the dough ball into cup.
Place the coconut stuffing in the center and carefully pleat the edges.
Then gather all the pleats together in the center very carefully.
Pinch the together to seal it properly. Repeat the same procedure until all the dough finishes.
Arrange them on a steaming plates or idli plates and steam cook for 10 - 12 minutes. Your modaks are ready!