mayurisjikoni

healthy cookies   Isn't amazing how one can bake so many different cookies by just adding some more ingredients or interchanging ingredients to the basic cookie dough. I love oatmeal and coconut so no wonder I had to bake these cookies. Instead of the usual chocolate chips I added some dried cranberries. My neighbours know when I am baking as they claim that the smell of freshly baked goods reaches their homes. The cookies hardly lasted for a few days. I will be baking another batch pretty soon. Cannot plan when as these days we are facing a lot of power cuts. Make these cookies to treat yourself to a sweet snack with either a hot cup of tea, coffee or milk. Don't forget to dunk them..... tastes the best! OATMEAL COCONUT COOKIES Makes about 48 1 cup plain flour/all purpose flour ¾ cup wholewheat flour (atta) 2 cups oatmeal (quick cooking variety) 1 cup butter (200g) 1 cup desiccated coconut 1 cup dried cranberries or blueberries or chocolate chips 1 cup brown sugar ½-¾ cup milk

sweet and sour     My mum use to make huge quantities of lemon pickle and store it in those old fashioned ceramic brown and cream jars. The pickle would be served every Sunday along with khichdi and kadhi. She would make the pickle by leaving the lemon pieces in a container, covered with muslin cloth for days till the lemon peel would become soft. I never learnt how to make the pickle from her. A few years back Vibha bhabhi made the pickle and shared the recipe with me. Tips like leaving the lemon pieces to marinate in the fridge was my kaki's valuable tip. I have tasted lemon pickle that is left in the sun and don't really like it as it tastes like as though the lemon is about to rot. Perhaps they had left it for too long in the sun. I don't remember my mum's lemon pickle ever tasting like that.      Two pickles that are always found in my fridge are chundo and lemon pickle. I love both with parathas, rotis, masala puris. I usually like to have lemon pickle with khic

chatpata delight       My all time favourite pickles are chundo and lemon. Chundo goes well with theplas, parathas, left over rotis, masala puris, plain puris and even as a spread for a sandwich. I find Tarla Dalal's recipe for chundo absolutely perfect. However, I have made very small changes to by using a raw apple mango. I like using apple mango because firstly its not a stringy mango and because even when it is raw its not overtly sour. This means that I use a little less sugar than required. So whenever the mango season begins (we are lucky to have two seasons in a year), I make chundo. Small quantities remain fresh and I store it in the fridge for freshness. CHUNDO (SWEET MANGO PICKLE) Makes about 1 cupful 1 cup raw mango peeled and grated 1 tsp salt ¼ tsp turmeric powder (haldi) ¾ - 1 cup white sugar 1 tbsp red chilli powder pinch of asafoetida (hing) 1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) 2 one inch cinnamon sticks 8 to 10 peppercorns 6 to 8 cloves 1 dry red chilli 1 tbsp oil 1 tsp lemo

wedding preparations have begun        My son is getting married in April and the preparations have begun. In a few days I am off to India to shop till I drop! Easy to say that but am pretty tensed as I have so many things to do. In spite of writing all the 'to do' things on a list I am just worried that I may forget something. Its at times like this, one does not want to make a mistake in case you hurt someone's feelings. When I got married, all the preparations and decisions right from the guest list to my wardrobe was decided by my parents and family. These days things are different and the bride and groom have a big role to play in the preparation and decisions. It is not easy with family being far and wide but I really thank God that we have emails, whatsapp,sms, easy phone call facilities etc. Family members from India, Canada, UK, Dubai and France stay connected and plan the wedding.         I made these coconut chocolates to give out with the invitations where ever

Diwali is incomplete without this Theme : Re Do Old Posts BM #81 Week 4 Day 2    Gur na ladwa is a common sweet made during diwali by most Patel homes. I remember when Nunu was living here in Mombasa, diwali lunch for all our relatives would be at our house and the menu would be gur na ladwa, tuvar dal, rice, a green vegetable, chana nu shaak and some sort of farsan. I use to help Nunu make the ladwas but after she started spending Diwali in Vrindavan, I didn't have the courage to make them on my own. 2 years back, when I called my mum on Diwali, she asked me whether I had made ladwas. When I told her that I haven't and joked with her that she never taught me how to make them, she scolded me and stated that during Diwali I should make them if not for ourselves but at least to offer them to God. 2 days after Diwali she passed on. Last year I tried out Nunu's recipe for the first time and realised that its really not a big deal to make gur na ladwas. This year, in spite of

Healthy and refreshing    Did I mention its pretty hot here, yes I think I did. Yesterday we were without power the whole evening and night! Afternoons can get quite humid. These days, we don't even feel like have a cup of hot tea. So I resort to making iced tea. Sometimes, I just get the herbal tea bags and infuse it in hot water in the morning and put it away in the fridge to cool. Today I decided to make some lemongrass and mint iced tea. There was a time when I had a huge lemongrass plant in my garden and I was giving away parts of it to friends and relatives to plant in their garden or pots. Now I have to either buy it or get it from my friends! One of friends gave me a huge bunch of lemon grass just a few days. I am enjoying making iced tea and normal tea with it. Make this refreshing and cooling iced tea on a hot day or serve it after a heavy meal. LEMON GRASS AND MINT ICED TEA Serves 4 3 cups of hot water 1 tea bag a handful of fresh mint leaves, or about ½ cup 3 to 4 lemon