Chef's update..Eggless Cake

As mentioned in the last post, after cookies baked cake as well. Infact I was baking cake after a gap of three or four months. In April my sis visited us and she had baked varities of cookies, cakes etc... and we all enjoyed it. May was another busy month and my laziness caught up.... Now I have started again, along with cookies baked cake as well. This time I tried the "Banana Choclate Cake", following my sis recipe with slight changes as suggested by her. It came out well.

You need

Maida - 1 cup
Arrowroot powder - 4 tblspn ( you can use corn flour)
Cocoa powder - 4 tblspn
Baking Powder - 1 tblspn
Baking Soda - 1 tblspn

Mashed Banana - 1 Cup
Brown Sugar - 4 tblspn
Honey - 3 tblspn
Oil - 1/3 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup + 2 tblspn
Yogurt - 2 tblspn
Vanilla Essence - 1/2 tspn
Cashew to Garnish - Optional

Have a view of my Banana Choco Cakes.

Method

Sift the fry ingredients together - Atta, multigrain flour, arrow root powder, coco powder, baking powder and cooking soda.

Mix banana, brown sugar and honey well. It smells like Panchamritam. Add milk and whisk till blended, followed by yogurt. Finally add oil and vanilla essence. Beat till everything is blended nicely.

Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet mix, mixing after each addition. Transfer to a greased baking tin. I usually dust the greased with some flour before transferring the batter. Garnish with few cashews on top. If you wish you can add some to the batter too.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C for 35 minutes or till a skewer inserted comes out clean.

The cake was very moist and spongy. Perfect sponge cake with chocolate flavor and no hint of banana. For those who you like the cake to be sweet, you can increase the sugar by 2 tablespoon.

Since my hubby likes sweet, he wanted it to be little more sweeter, so in the above you can add some more sugar to taste it better. More than eating all this, Gowri's interest is in preparing !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chef in the making

Gowri is very much interested in cooking and she is the one who manages to get me out of my cozy to try cookies/cakes etc.Before I start about this, I would like to share about My sister - Jayasree who is very good in cooking and manages her cooking blog Kailas Kitchen. Recently she got an opportunity to be part of cookery show for a Malayalam Channel - "Jai Hind" which is expected to be aired soon.

Coming back to the topic, you must have understood now who is the inspiration for Gowri- yes it is my sis. Gowri spents atleast one month of her summer vacation with my sister. She gets opportunity to see different varities of dishes/cookies/cakes etc prepared specially during her visit and has developed some interest in cooking. Gowri not only encourages me to cook but she comes to help me also in the kitchen to pick up things, measure, mix etc.. She understand the recipe and manages to explain to me or her periamma's how to prepare cakes/cookies/French Fries/Pizza.................list goes on.

Most interesting part is sometimes she tell me " I have taught Kunjumani Periamma(this is how she address my sis) how to prepare Burger/French fries etc)...........she manages to say with that much confidence you might believe it :)

Last week, after a long gap, i decided to bake cookies and she was my help in kitchen. Of course I followed the recipe sent out by my sis and online help from her over phone. Here is the eggless cookies recipe if you wish to try after reading this.

Preparation Method :

Maida - 2 cup
Cooking Oil - 1 Cup
Powdered sugar -1 cup
custard powder/corn flour/arrow root - 1/2 cup
baking powder - 3/4 tspn
baking soda- a big pinch
vanilla essence - 1 tspn


Seive the dry ing. together - maida,bak. pwdr, soda
Mix oil and sugar till well blended.
Stir in the dry ing into oil+sugar. add essence. mix well. if stiff add milk
180 C for 35 mts (Adjust according to oven you have)


If using coconut, reduce 1/2 cup maida and use coconut instead and reduce oil.

Shall post in the next Eggless Banana Choclate Cake.

Enjoy trying the cookies. Thank you Gowri for making the lazy goose work !!!!!!!!!!

Summer Holiday Homework 2010(Class-I)

Milestone achieved for my blogging. Finally, am happy to post the 25th post in the blog, though it took me almost 2 years.

This one is on the Summery Holiday Homework for Class Ist. As last year, there were stuffs to be written, colouring and activity sheets. Written and coloring was done by Gauri with my assistance and activity sheets and designing the cover sheet by myself.

This year two Activity were there - One to make Ganesha with Beads and second one to make Peacock with Ice Cream Spoons. Below are the pics of them.

Finally, the Front Cover:

For more pics, click this link : Summer Holiday Home Work 2010

Summer Heat and Volcanic Heat....

As mentioned in the last post, volcano erupts heat and sometimes cools down quickly - the ups & downs are continuing. We all are troubled by the scorching summer heat which too continues at 42/43 degree cel. Gowri is still continuing her enjoying vacations which is till 4th July, the last week before she resumes school. Just got to know today that her vacations are extended till 6th July .. two more days for masti.

Gowri is getting more addicted to TV and our repeated saying of "Don't watch too much of TV" falls on deaf ears. The only option left at my end was to disconnect the cable without her knowledge. I have been successful with this arrangement for the past four days.Being very shrewd at these things, somehow she has taken my story that some maintenance work is going and cable will be available from evening only. No TV and still she manages to skip studies unless insisted.
This has been the routine for the last 10 days. I go for driving class for half an hour at 10:00 AM and she joins me for my class. We will be back home by 10.45 AM. Around 11 :00 - 11 : 15 have lunch and then we both play Scrabble verbally, reading out stories. Her vocabulary has increased tremendously! Yesterday when we were playing she had to say a word starting from "D".. She answered " Dominoz " - yes she is very
crazy for Pizza's and when ever she knows its going to be Pizza fordinner, she ensures to polish off atleast 3 pieces of it.
Got her a new Story book today, since she was bored of hearing the same stories. Today, spent few hours reading them. I took a small nap and by that time it was 2:00 pm, time for me to get ready to office. While sleeping also, I get up frequently in between to check whether Gowri is not busy doing any new mischeifs.

Hope to get Gowri's addiction to TV reduced by involving her in different activities. Let me try how many days I am successful in this. :) . I can't imagine that day when Gauri starts reading all this.............

Next one is going to be the 25th Post and hope to get it posted sooon, before my laziness or work catch  me :)

Volcanic Eruption %$&@

Don't jump to conclusions from the title before start reading this. I know, you must be guessing that this post is something educational or about the recent volcanic eruption in the Europe region.... No Not At All.. this is about great Gowri's swinging moods & behaviour erupts,which does have a time pattern. You must be guessing, ok go read ahead and I assure you some laugh :)

Gowri sticks to her morning routine, even during holidays. She is an early riser and doesn't sleep beyond 7:00 a.m even during winter. She is up by any time between 6:00 and 6.30 a.m. She finishes brushing and

her bath together before she comes down (we have a duplex and her room is in the upstairs). She spents few minutes praying to God and chants few slokas too. Its then she has her morning coffee or Boost, which ever she feels for the day.

Most of the days, she has it along with me and then it will be most likely coffee. While drinking coffee, she measures the quantity I have in my glass and in hers and ensure it is equal. After completing all this, if some

one reminds her to study, she picks her books and ask either my myself or thatha(my papa) to sit along with her to help in the studies. All this goes smoothly till 9:00 or 10.00 am - precisely the time when her appa leaves to office.

You must have wondered for such a nice girl, where is the title suiting... Volcanic Eruption. Till now you have read about the sleeping volcano. After 10:00 am, the volcano starts heating up and it will erupt any time if any one at home whether it is me, thatha or paati restricting her, from doing anything which is not expected from

her. Mostly she watches TV - cartoons of Shin Chan, Doremon etc.. Once I watched an episode or two along with her and I found the messages from those are more destructive rather than some morals. Since then, I have locked the channel. So now, she get to watch only Pogo & Disney. It is also going to be locked since she is getting more addicted to TV.

I start to office at around 3:00 pm and I try to engage her in reading story books, playing etc till then. She will come along if she has interest. At any time, if she is pulled out of whatver she was doing ignoring our warnings that she better stop, then the Volcano erupts. We all loose our temper, except my mother, who will stand by her. At times, my mom too loose her cool and there will be no one to support her. Then she will calm down after crying and pouring out all her feelings.

Last Friday, since she was very mischievous on Thursday, the report list was given to her dad,Rajuppa, in the morning infront of her. That day, volcano was so silent. It was quiet, surprising all of us. Till afternoon, no noise at home, everything cool. We all try our level best in different ways and tactics to ensure Volcano does not erupts.

Let's see how long we are successful, may be till the age she is matured enough for a greater level of understanding.

Vacation Continues... this time a Happy one :)

Yes, you guessed it right, as I mentioned in my last post about her another vacation, this is about the masti vacation Gowri spent with her periamma & periappa. This was in April even before her school actually closed for vacation. My sis was here during first week of April after a gap of 4 years to Gurgaon.(This was another reason that this time Kerala trip was not planned).

My sis spent around 2 weeks and Gowri had a gala time with her Kunjumani Periamma(My sis used to call her Kunjumani & she inturn add that while calling her) & Satish Periappa. Gowri enjoyed my sis variety of cuisines, biscuits & cakes baked for her. Gowri is very much interested in cooking and she spents time while preparing dishes or baking. Hope this interest continue when she grows up and can actually assist.

Gowri does have picked some receipe's while sis was preparing and she used to present as if she has taught periamma. Also, she too teaches me explaining the steps and ask me to prepare promising she will help me.

I am lazy gooze in cooking and at times I bake cakes or biscuits just becoz she is behind me. If I tell her, I don't know then she tell me " ask your akka, call her and she will sent you the receipe or go to internet and you will get video's of how to prepare." She is very good in grasping and initially when I got the oven, akka explained me how to bake biscuits and for convenience she gave me a link where it is explained with video.

Gowri had school and enjoyed doing homework with Periamma & evening outing to HUDA market(local market nearby). She used to take them by telling the Rickshaw wala were to go etc....Before my sis was to leave she wanted to go for a outing to spent time with us & Gowri. Though, we identified one or two locations due to poor review from people dropped them and finally decided to go to Apno Ghar. Though it was also not upto our expectations. It was also poorly managed and the Amusement park was totally waste. Gowri, her appa & periappa enjoyed in the water pool.

Some cool snaps :) Gauri loves to pose for camera & some of the random solo Pics of Gowri taken by akka.

Some of the Pics at the outing at Apno Ghar :

Vacation,time for masti.... but this year on a different note :(

I had started updating the blog regularly since Apr '10, but again starting now after a break of almost a month. I had received couple of notes, why blog is not updated and to start updating. Read this to know the reason.

Come May 2nd week, it's additional masti time for kids..they do have masti even during school days. Tough time is for parents and grand parents to complete homework and revisions.

Vacation starts and it is time for watching repeat telecasts of Doreman,Kitertsu,Shin Chan the great, Chotta Bheem and many more..., then time to Play with friends and at last, if time left out, after all these some studies. This is the routine for Gowri. She plays a very obedient kid infront of her appa that he gets impressed, to get goodies from appa in the weekend. Get up before 7.00 am, complete her daily routine, Prayers, study. Once appa start to office, she is back with a bang to her true colors putting things upside down at home. Then she is the Commandor.

Normally Gowri's one month vacation is spent in Kerala with my sister. This year, it was not planned for multiple inconveniences. This time Gowri had a very different vacation for the first time, but not a good time to celebrate:( . Gowri's school vacation started from 8th May and something different was planned by God.

Gowri's, Papa thatha(My FIL), was not keeping good health quite some time due to old age. (One of the reason why Kerala Vacation was not planned this year). On 9th May, Gowri's Thatha left to heavenly abode. Gowri did understand that thatha will not be coming back and is now God. Since thatha was staying with us and vacation time, all her Periappa's family had come and were staying here all the 13 days. For kids, especially for Gowri, too small to understand the gravity of the situation had a gala time with her loving cousins - Shubha didi, Vishal Bhaiya, Shreya Didi. For the first time she got the opportunity to spent long time with Cousins. In addition she had two more cousins - Vani didi & Prashant Bhaiya. She enjoyed a lot with no one behind her to tell about studies and no one behind them constantly to put control, as elders were busy in the rituals.

After 13 days, Sat & Sun(22 & 23rd May) all all her cousins have left, though vacation continue for kids, works piled up in office for all the parents after two weeks leave,except for Kontha Periappa & Raji Periamma who decided to stay for first masikam. She enjoyed another 15 more masti days with them getting opportunity to speak to Ananya(Poonam Didi's cute little one who are in Singapore). Periamma & Periappa left on June 8th and Ponnamma Paati on 9th June to Vishal Bhaiya's house to stay with them for some time.

For Gowri, it was back to routine, started finishing the Summer Homework, revision (already started forgetting things learnt during April with in 15 days of not touching books) etc... Still the Masti time continue for another 20 more days.

Wait for Vacation Part II ... to be updated very soon.

Holi 2010 - Festival of Colors

Gowri love playing Holi with colors and water guns.One week before Holi markets will be filled with colors and variety of water guns. Gauri is behind nana to get one for her. Every year she want to get a new water gun, even if the last year one is intact. As I mentioned in the last year Holi post, in our current place, Gauri had much friends to play holi and I am the only one to play with her. To make her Happy, I play with her and she makes me wet in the winter.

This year Holi was on 1st Mar.. for me no holi, no diwali if it falls in the monthclose or beginning of the month.. for me everythings becomes work at office.. nightmare monthclose.. But this year we as a team planned in advance and worked on Saturday to complete the activities and enjoy Holi. Thanks to my team for working on a saturday and which gave me time to play with Gauri.

Gauri ready with Water guns & colors to play Holi

Gauri makes me wet and shiver in winter. When I ask her not to put water she gives an explanation " Amma this is Hot Water, how will you feel cold " but even it is hot after putting, your body will start feeling cold.. she does not listen and continue playing with water guns enjoying putting water on me.

Enjoy Playing !!!!!!!!!!!!

Onam 2009 - Kerala Festival

Onam, God's own country's biggest festival, the Festival of flowers. Though staying out of kerala, we do celebrate Onam by putting Onam(Decoration with Flowers) everyday. Appa gets the flowers the day earlier and amma put the Onam every day early morning all the days. Myslef & Gauri join her on the weekends.

Gauri & Amma with the Onam in front our house, posing for the photo.





"Onam is celebrated in the month of Aug/Sept to celebrate the yearly home coming of Asura King Mahabali who ruled Kerala. He was a pious king and kerala was  believed like a heavenly place with no thiefs, people were self sufficient, healthy & wealthy. The people of the country were very happy and lived in peace. "

In today's world all these are stories... we can dream to have these days coming back...

Though brought up outside Kerala, I wish Gauri to know of our culture and enjoy it .....

Navarathri - 2009

Gauri, near Gollu

Navatri is celebrated in high spirits both in North & South. In south, one of the attractions is keeping  "Golu", decorating idols at home. After settling in Gurgaon, my mom wanted to keep Golu but with difficulty in getting the idols etc it was getting postponed every year. Last year appa got some stuffs from kerala and we managed to get few from Delhi as well. Some of the golu pics.

 

Since we were short of idols, Gauri picked her toys for decorating the Golu and make the steps full.

 
 
 
 

Fancy Dress Competition - Theme Independence Day

As I mentioned in the last post, Gauri's next event is Fancy Dress Competition and the theme is India's Independece. This is again a competition and it happens during the Aug. In Nursery, Gauri got a Consolation Prize. This year, she managed to get Second Prize. Congrats !!(This event was of Aug 2009)

Dressed in the costume and rehearsing at home, dada watching the performance !

Rehearsal and the final note !!

Quote she mentioned : The Power to Question is the basis of all Human Progress by Indira Gandhi.


In Nursey, she quoted in English. This year, I was particular that she should be saying in Hindi. I am poor in Hindi as I learnt only after shifting to Delhi. Thanks to my papa. He can handle Hindi very well. He translated the above phrase in Hindi with some additions to make it better. (English Version of it : We Indians want to come up and The Power to Question is the basis of  all  Human Progress)

Gauri would have managed to get First, I think just the costume she would not have. That was time when  "Swine Flu " was spreading every where, I deliberately did not hire the costumes. Managed with the Dhothi and kerala dress Gauri had.

Congrats Gauri & Keep it up !!!!

Extra Curricular Events - Poem Recitation

As I mentioned earlier, about posting about Gauri's last year's activities, here is one of them.
Gauri has lots of extra curricular activities in the school which grooms the child very well - Poem recitation both English & Hindi, Fancy Dress Competiton, Show & Tell, Narrating stories... list goes on.

In Prep she had Poem Recitation which were competitions and she participated. In English, she recited the Poem " Little drops of Water " and got selected in the primary round. After this round, Adarsh Mam, her class teacher in Prep, had sent a note to get her a good Prop for the final round. In the Final round, though she recited well, she did not get .. reason is obvious.. Just the Prop was not so attractive. As I already mentioned about my creativity... what all I could do is put some powerpoint slides on the Poem theme.

Here is Poem & the Prop which she presented.

" Little Drops of Water
Little Grains of Sand
Make the Mighty Ocean
And the Beautous Land

Little Words of Kindness
Little deeds of Love
Make our Earth an Eden
Like the Heaven Above

And the Little Moments
Humble though they may be
Make the mighty ages
of Eternity "

Congrats Gauri for putting your efforts in clearing the first round !!!

Annual Function & Graduation Ceremony

Don't be surprised by the title " Graduation Ceremony ". During our days, we get the opportunity to attend Graduation Ceremony once in a life time achievement, which is considered as a Prestigious one and people wait for the D day. Now you attend as & when you complete a milestone - a leaping step towards the actual Graduation. Coming back, Gowri had the Graduation ceremony for taking the next next leap of moving to CLASS I after successfully completing the Nursery & Prep.

As every year, this year also, Gowri had the Annual Day Function along with Graduation Ceremony on 9th Mar '10.

Please enjoy some of the Pics :)

Ready to Rock on for the Musical Ballard !!!!!

                                        

      

                                                                                                                    In the classrom with friends

Closing Ceremony 

Subbalakshmy(Gauri) along with her Class Mam - Adarsh

                        

Gauri has now Graduated to Class I :) All the best Gauri for your successful career.

Summer Holiday Assignment

Though delayed, I am recalling & posting some of the activities or events which Gauri had in the last year. You can see one by one coming up in the blog. Thanks to my new job, atleast for now I am getting some time to catch up & update the blog. Moving to the topic, I started, every year, Gauri gets some assignment as her Summery Holidays. So you can guess now, whose home work it is! Yes, you guessed it right.. It is my home work.

During my school days, Summer Vacation is time to enjoy with friends, visiting grand parents, relatives. Gauri too enjoy all this and I have to work on her assignments. Those activities which need to be written or simple pasting I ask her to do. Finally arranging it for the presentation, look good etc.. it is my work. Creativity is something which I don't have and for Gauri's work I have to be creative. So I am learning to be creative. Thanks to websites :)

Gauri's Prep Summer Work - Three Activities -

• My Holiday Homework - Covering some learning activities
• My Album - About herself, family, address..
• Making Draw using Matchbox.

Things in the Kitchen - An activity in the Holiday homework.

Naughty Gauri :)

As I mentioned in my last post, due to busy schedules I did not manage to get time to update the blog. There is a long list to update and starting with some instances happened in April last year. I recall as it is time again for a new session and new interesting & at times troubles waiting for me :)  

April'09, new session started for Gauri. New session, new class mam.... One Friday, my father called in the afternoon, the time Gauri back from her school, to let me know the note from her mam to give her a call. I called her up, follows the list of complaints - " Not listening in the class, not drawing the pictures neatly, not writing stuffs in her copies ....... a long list". I listened and thanked for the feedback.

Back home, first thing the next morning, " Medidation" started - due to winter since getting up just on time to get ready to school, we stopped insisting on her regular Meditation.

Also, everyday before leaving to school, reiterate to her to listen in the class, writing neatly etc... planned to put her to drawing class during the vacations.

Just a week, again next Friday a note from her mam to call her up again. Really got worried imagining the extend she being naughty that mam has put the note again the consecutive week. She has developed the habit of tearing papers from her note book. Inspite of advising her, she is continuing. Though her Mam advised and every one at home she continued with this for a looooooooong time.(Almost till Jan 2010).

Again a week after, message from  Mam to call her. I was really shocked & suprised and started wondering what to do with her to improve....... But this time for a change it was for a positive feedback... That she has started improving in class and Mam wanted to share the positive feedback.

Gauri... Waiting for the new mischieves you have planned for your new session, with the energy gained during the short summer holidays by watching Shin Chan & other TV favourites.

Gowri's Birthday Celebrations on 24th Jan 2010

Almost a year back, I lasted posted in the blog. As always, I had so many reasons to keep me busy and not to find time to update the blog. My sis used to remind me and give me tips for quick updates, but I managed to escape. Finally I found time to re start it.
As any other child of this age, Gauri too love celebrating her B'day. She starts the preparations atleast a month before. Day in & day out she reminds us of her b'day, gift she wants and invitee list. This year, 24th Jan being sunday, Gauri invited her cousins to celebrate her long awaited day.

Enjoy some of her B'day celebration pics

                     Gauri in her new dress, Enjoying the day with her loving brother & sisters

Cake Cutting

Gauri with her new cycle.. this years b'day gift from appa.

Happy B'day Gauri on turning 6 year old !