Cooking&more

little girl was down with a bad bout of  flu , she is recovering now, but is still out of school. We needed some quiet time activities to engage her without tiring her out. So on to pinterest for some ideas. Came across a couple of ideas to make play doh and decided to give it a try. Must say it came out pretty good. It has a lovely texture and is malleable just like the store bought play doh, and its also 100 percent non toxic. The original recipe called for cream of tartar, I substituted it with baking powder, and instead of food colors, I added turmeric to get the bright yellow color. Home made play doh Recipe source: familyeducation.com (makes 3 large tubs of standard play doh) 1 cup all purpose flour 1/2 cup salt 1/4 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon turmeric (optional) 1 tablespoon oil 1 cup water (use as required) Put water to boil. Mix all dry ingredients together, make a well in the centre and add oil. Mix it together. Add boiling water slowly as required and mix

Honey and nut cake I was am  an ardent lover and most gluttonous consumer  of gluten in all its myriad forms. Toast for breakfast? Wraps for lunch? Pizza for dinner? Yes, yes, and yes!! Anyday! Not to mention all the cookies, cakes, muffins, samosas, kachoris, veg puffs, etc I consumed between meals. My body was the kind of place where I like to imagine good gluten goes when it dies!! But, having recently read the excellent and most convincing book, grain brain, by author Dr David Perlmutter, where he talks about the harmful effects  of gluten on the human brain, and the benefits of following  a gluten free diet, my husband and me decided to drop gluten from our diet for a month and see if we noticed a perceptible difference  And to be sure we did. Not only did we notice that our thinking was more clearer and we were more alert and less fatigued during the week, but also that we were more calmer and composed. We also found, that on days when we gave into temptati

This post is not about food, but rather the lack of it. While, we the privileged few, are inundated with ch oices ranging from what to cook? (will it be healthy paleo Buddha bowl or or a comfortable bowl of warm c reamy pasta) whether to eat out or cook at home? and where to eat out? (will it be Chinese, Vietnamese, Mexican, Indian or Thai?) , thousands of our fellow humans are struggling from malnutrition and starvation and do not have access to the most basic and fundamental necessity -food. Wars, famines, political unrest and climate change, all have taken their toil on the agricultural  productivity of the world. There is a serious shortage of food across the globe. The hunger map published by the World food programme, shows how rampant the problem is. To download hunger map click here Quoting from the world food programme, " In 2015, 795 million people across the world did not get enough food to lead a normal, active life.  This translates to one in nine of the wor

The other day my active seven year old, who is too busy battling zombies and creepers on mine craft and building superstructures with Legos, and whizzing by on his scooter at the speed of light, to even think about food, unless I shove it right under his nose, Actually   actually  came and asked me to make a pizza for him!!! Now that's one request that's not going to be ignored. So I decided. pizza it is !!! And what's more no store bought pizza sauce with unpronounceable ingredients . I am going to make my own authentic Italian mama pizza sauce.  But sadly I do not know any Italian mamas or Nonnas for that matter, I looked up the internet for recipes, and found so many that I really didn't know which one to use, so I went ahead and boldly came up with one of my own. A recipe both simple to prepare (but be warned- it's not fast) and delicious. It's also versatile. You can use it on a pizza or toss it with some pasta, or even in a sandwich or a wrap. You

Here in Hyderabad shopping for vegetables is a breeze. A genial old man comes with a cart laden with a variety of seasonal vegetables right up to my doorstep. All I have to do is select what I want, specify the quantity and he will weigh it and sell it to me. A nice and easy way to shop for veggies However, the flipside is I often end up buying more than I need, either because the vegetables look so fresh and tempting or because the vegetable seller sweet talks me into buying them. Once bought, I often cook a small batch once, then relegate the rest to the bottom of the crisper, fully intending to cook them after a few days. However I forget all about them, and the next time I come across them, during my weekly pantry cleaning sessions, they are a shrivelled and misshapen mess thats good for nothing but a bowl of soup!! Your  story too? I am guessing yes!! Because no matter, whether we buy food in a supermarket or in a local farmers market we tend to buy more than we need, we don

There was this family tradition we followed since I was a kid, and which me and my husband have continued with our children too and that is to cut a cake and eat it so we eat something sweet to welcome the new year.It has always been our my fond hope and belief that in so doing we are ensuring sweetness and joy for each and every moment for the rest of the new year. Optimistic much?? I guess so!!  Idealistic?? Definitely Surely in all the twenty plus years, of  carrying on this tradition, even I, a self styled incurable romantic and stubborn idealist should have realized that this trick doesn’t work, that you cannot bribe the fates with cake, that every year will bring its share of joys and sorrow, and as thousands of  internet memes going around, and the cynic in me say,  “ A new year is just a change in date and no big deal. Circumstances don’t drastically change because it’s a new year, and the resolutions (making resolutions on new years is so passé) can be made at any tim

The last time my in laws came to visit, my father in law  gave us  the best gift possible-the gift of health and well being!  He planted this holy basil plant in our yard. Holy basil also known as Tulsi  in Sanskrit, is the most revered plant in India, enjoying an exalted status as the consort of  Lord Vishnu . The plant has been attributed to have various medicinal properties so much so that having a Tulsi plant in your yard is considered akin to having a second medicine chest in your house.  I remember as a child, my mother giving us a herbal decoction with Tulsi leaves and other herbs at a the slightest hint of a cold, and more recently, when my own little girl was down with a bad cough my MIL plucked a few leaves from the Tulsi plant, extracted their juice, mixed it with a bit of honey and gave it to her for soothing relief. Also having a Tulsi in the yard is a bonus beauty booster as it comes in handy to fight dandruff or fix that pesky pimple!! So here are some home rem