Guacamole

New year ... new post :)
Wish you all had a great start to the new year.

I am not one for new year's resolution ! But for the last couple of weeks me and my family are consciously indulging into healthy diet and hoping this continues as our everyday habit this year :)

Our new healthy snack addiction these days has been Guacamole - an avocado based sauce which originates from Mexico.

There are tones of information on the web with health benefits of this fruit.
And equal number of interesting Avocado recipes. 

In the past in an attempt to introduce Avocado to our diet, I used to mix it with wheat flour in making Indian bread like roti/chapatis.
After having tried Guacamole, I am sure I would love to eat Avocados in this form instead :) 

You could choose to eat this sauce with chips/nachos/pita or healthier options like toast, sandwich, roti or even Idli and dosa.

The secret lies in choosing the perfectly ripe Avocado. I found this link useful.

To make Guacamole, there are many recipes with various combination of ingredients. I started with this .
My favorites so far are those in photograph above - Onions (Red onions works better), jalapenos (I read black pepper is a good substitute but I prefer chilies !), Tomatoes, lime, coriander (I love lots of lime and coriander), salt (liberal amount) and of course Avocado !
I recently added sweet corns to this and that tastes wonderful too !

So give your own interesting recipe to this healthy fruit and stay healthy this new year !

Photographs by: Anupama Puneeth

Garden Love

"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts when eating a homegrown tomato"
~ Lewis Grizzard

Photographs by Anupama Puneeth

The tree story ...

This morning everything was usual .. the rush hour and morning madness
...until I heard strange noises from the outside... sounds from the machine ... something drilling or cutting
simultaneously as my brain deciphered what that could be, I could feel a knot in my stomach.

The tree service trucks were there cutting down some of the trees in my community. Trees not very old ... and house to many squirrels that we adore and admire each day.

I hoped they had good reason for doing this and I did check...but I don't think I am convinced. 
That makes me think ... is there anything I can do ?

Reminds me of this quote from movie 'The Lorax' - "I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues."

Only consolation was that they would not touch the trees in my front and backyard...at least not this time ! 'coz these trees are not damaging the roofs or the building structure yet.

There is always Music amongst the trees in the Garden, but our hearts must be very quiet to hear it.  
~Minnie Aumonier

... my heart is quite but the music is dying :(

Sweet Celebration

My little sunshine turned 5 years !
... a perfect occasion and reason for trying out some home-made sweet treats for the little guests :)

A super simple cup cake decoration ... just a swirl of butter cream icing topped with some sprinkles and M&Ms.
The heart and also the letters in first picture are made from royal icing. It was actually left overs after the pink roses (below) I made for the birthday cake.

First attempt in making a cake of this big a size ! You bet I had my fingers crossed through out :)
Its a simple vanilla cake with butter cream icing. The sides were decorated with the basket weave and this worked pretty well since I still struggle to get the perfect finish with this icing.

For the decoration I made Wilton roses using royal icing.
The left overs of which I used to make the letters, hearts and also number 5 which unfortunately broke :(
So with royal icing, be sure to make plenty of extras in case a few of them break !

Not a great shot, but wanted to show full picture of the cake.
I realize the writing on the cake isn't great...so there is always an excuse to make more cakes and work on that :)

Bread sandwiches cut into Dolphins and heart...using a sandwich cutter.

The Brownies looked pretty plain and simple. So used some butter cream frosting for this quick design.

It was quite some work and planning in getting all this ready in-time for the party. At the end, it was all worth-it !

Spring-ing to action !

As we get set and march into Summer, its been a fantastic spring so far.
For last few weekends it has been a lot of activity in our backyard. 

It started with re-potting my existing plants ...

...then some new additions 

...and few more !

Tried my hands making these Terrariums

We have had a challenge with outdoor plants in the past due to the squirrels. But the optimist me did not want to give up ! Infact made a more ambitious attempt and made this tiny vegetable and flower patch in my backyard...after taking some measures to keep the squirrels away :)

some vegetable seeds that I sowed with a silent prayer ... are now springing to action now. 

Can't wait to cook with veggies from my own backyard :)

The backyard is now the sweet corner of our house .. be it my cup of tea, evening snacks... all the fun time with family and friends is now centered in our backyard.

... and she danced in glory

A heart filled joy and tear filled eyes as I looked at 'my sunshine' dance in glory !
Oh..they grow up so fast :) I am sure every parent thinks so !

Terrarium love

For several weeks now I have been eyeing at these beauties and finally made my own.

The idea is simple...
Find a container, add some rocks for drainage, possibly a little sand (I believe this is optional and skipped this), next add a layer of charcoal, specially if its a closed terrarium to keep the soil fresh, then a layer of potting soil, finally add plants and you're done !

I tried my hand at this bigger jar and it was so simple and easy that I couldn't resist making another one..a baby Terrarium ! 

This one's actually a hanging glass but I am a bit skeptic since it looks pretty fragile and not sure if it can withstand all the weight from inside. So not experimenting this, at least for now !

I love indoor plants and have quite a few. But these terrariums have brought a different charm to our living space and of course a new element of decor. 

A piece of nature in your living room .. It can become a self sustaining system once it reaches that equilibrium.

Making a terrarium seems very simple technique and doesn't necessarily need gardening skills. 
Below are some links that I found very useful. So do check them out if you too are inspired in making one of your own.

Video on Terrarium how-to by Sprout Home
Lots of tips at Apartmenttherapy