Crochet Mandala - Link to the pattern given.

My Rangoli in Crochet using a burst of catchy colors for the season.....

A Mandala done for a CAL...

If you wish to try this pattern, here is that free Pattern.

Free pattern link, click here

Please remember, a pattern creator has done a great work to make our crocheting easy and made it free. So please follow the default rules for a free pattern. You can use them to create but do not sell the pattern .  Thanks to the pattern creator, they have provided few more patterns along with this one. If you want to check them, click here

A quick project! You can google for more such free patterns and plenty of them available... use your imagination and let the hue of colors bring out the beautiful Mandala in your work!

Happy Crocheting!

Crochet V Neck Shrug

Hi,

After a long time, I crocheted ofcourse with difficulty but happy for various reasons....

Made this Crochet V Neck Shrug for a CAL.

This is the first shrug I crocheted hence faced lot of difficulty in understanding the pattern. worked,  and reworked many times. My friend and the CAL leader patiently guided me and helped me finish the shrug on time.

Was done couple of weeks back... thought will share with you......

It's a great learning experience and I thoroughly enjoyed doing the project.  Will share with you in the coming days, the small crochet works which I would be doing if my eyes co-operate!

Would you like to try this pattern? Here is the link to this V-neck Shrug pattern.

.. till then I am signing off! Bye!

Happy Crocheting!

Wall Art - Buddha - for switch board

It is alway nice to bring some changes in our home, isn't it?. Why not do it in an artistic and inexpensive way?!!  So for next few days I will be sharing with you those wall arts.... 

Today I am sharing with you a wall art that I have done near the switch board.  This make that place look lively and interesting.

When people visit us, they first ring the bell... that's the first place where we can display our artistic work at our home! So here I am sharing what I have done near the calling bell switch. 

Meditating Buddha represent peace and knowledge. I found this the best one to welcome someone with an artistic touch!

If you wish to give it a try, here is the link for the tutorial..... "Wall Art Tutorial"

Have a great time!

Wall Art Tutorial - Easy and Inexpensive wall decor

Hi There!!

It is always nice to bring some changes in our home. Why not do it in an artistic and inexpensive way?!!  

Silohouette Wall Art!!!

You don't know how to draw or you don't like to draw? No problem, You can still decorate your walls with this simple art!

You can do it on the plain wall or near the switch boards or on the plain door. The paint should be washable one so that if you want to change your theme you can do it by gently removing the old silhouettes and with a sponge can clean that wall and put your new silhouette theme over there.

Since Kid's summer vaccation is also nearing, you can take their help thus they are also engaged in an artistic craft thus help in productive time pass! Small hands can make big wonder!

What you need are... :-

1. First, Choose a theme that suits that room.
2. Buy Materials (Black Chart, White Pencil, Scissor, Paper Cutter and Fevistick).   If you cannot draw but want to trace, then you will also need Yellow Carbon, Empty Ball Pen and theme in a trace paper. 
3. Clean that wall area (the paint should be washable one).
4. Get into ACtion!!!

• You can choose your own theme as per the room you are going to decorate. Could be animal, birds, humans, insects, Plants, Trees etc.  Silhouettes are the best, without much of drawing work. since you don't require any detail to be done. All you need is an outline. Keep it simple to make your work easy.

• Then clean the wall area, to ensure the surface is smooth and dust free. Let it dry (moist free).

• Draw the outlines for the theme of your choice using a white pencil, on the Black Chart. Or You can copy a design from trace paper to the black chart using a white or yellow carbon. since the outline will be faintly visible, use a white pencil and lightly draw a visible guiding line over the traced feature on the chart.

• Before you cut, spread a paper as this will ensure that the waste fall on the paper thus minimising your cleaning after your work is done.  Cut carefully over the outline, nicely using a scissor or paper cutter. I first cut that part from the chart and then work on fine cutting over the outline to make the process easy!

• Apply Glue stick or fevistick on the back of the cut silhouette and then paste it nicely on the wall. You can use a waste cloth while sticking them by gently pressing the work.

Abra Cadabra! Tada!! A beautiful wall decor is ready to bring your room Alive!

To check more of my wall art designs, click on the label on the right side viz., cookbook, crochet, kolam, Infinity, etc.. Under INFINITY click on Wall Decoration which will show you all the posts made by me, on this art. You may also check under "CRAFTS" and then sublisted "Home Decor" as well.

Green Chutney with Pudina (Mint)

During Summer time, we can opt for no cooking recipes wherever possible to cut our sweating time in the kitchen.  Sharing with you one such wonder recipe for this Summer.

There are variety of Chutneys prepared through out the country and many of them can also be used as a DIP.

So, today I am sharing a Green Chutney recipe which is Colorful, delicious and Flavourful. It is good to include greens in our diet. Coriander and Mint are such lovely greens that has lot of health benefits. Hence this no cooking recipe makes it more healthy.

I tasted this super spicy chutney in a street food vendor cart where they were making & selling hot vadapav and bread bajji. 

You will need :-

1. Pudina (Mint) leaves - 1 cup
2. Coriander leaves - 1 Cup
3. Green Chillies - 3 Nos. (or as preferred)
4. Garlic Pods - 3 Nos.
5. Ginger - 1/2" piece (optional)
6. Sugar - 1/2 tsp (optional)
7. Salt to taste
8. Lemon juice (optional) - 1 tsp

Procedure :-

• Grind everything together by adding little water to a fine paste. 

Suggestions :-

• This chutney tastes superb when fresh. 
• It Can be refrigerated and used for one day only as it may lose its fresh aroma as it gets old. So prepare it fresh.
• This chutney can be served as an accompaniment to Idli, Dosai
• Can be used as a spread instead of Mayo for a healthy eating. 
• Can also be used as a bread sandwich Chutney.

Solkadhi and Kokam Curry

Sol Kadhi / Solkadhi is a popular pink drink from the Konkan Region and also famous in the state of Goa.   The kokam curry or Kadhi can be consumed mixing with plain rice or it can be drunk as a digestive aid after a hearty meal. You can also take a sip of it as a health drink like I do :-)

During our visit to Goa, we found that this drink varies at different household.  some add coconut milk and some add buttermilk instead. Some make it plain and call it kokam curry, which I have mentioned with a photo at the end of this post.

Kokam or Kokum is also known as Kodampuli (Malayalam) / Kodai Puli or Pazhaya puli (Tamizh) / Garcinia Indica. / Aamsol (hindi)

It is the oldest known souring agent of our country and is used to replace tamarind in certain dishes. It has lot of medicinal benefits. It has antioxidants, anti-inflammatory properties, soft on your stomach compared to tamarind, Improves digestion, etc

Fresh Kokam Fruit looks like this (as in the image below) [image courtesy : google search]

When dried but moist it will be slightly pinkish in color  (as seen in the image below) :-

If it is completely dried and not fresh in the market then it will be brown in color (so you may not get the pink color but it is still good for health).

The Kokam, gives this recipe a slightly tangy taste and that lovely pink color.  It is consumed in various forms viz., suppliment for tamarind in cooking, kokum syrup is readily available in the market as a health drink, it can be consumed with buttermilk or coconut milk as Solkadhi.

Before we get into the recipe, let us know the possible variations in taste and flavour.

• Solkadhi can be prepared in two ways. It can be prepared with coconut milk thus becomes very good for stomach and rich in taste or we can replace coconut milk with buttermilk to make it more subtle yet yummy.

• Again, you can control the flavour as per your preference. Chopping the ingredients and adding them to the kadhi will keeps it light as only when you bite on the chillie pieces or the coriander leaves, you get the strong taste and flavour. The other option is to grind them together and filter. This method will  give a differnt color (little dark) and strong flavour to the kadhi.

• There is another simple preparation of kokam called kokam curry.  One of my friend said that it is also called "Tivli" where to the kokam water, just salt and chopped green chillies are added and served along with a meal.

• When you feel little lethargic to cook, this becomes the best accompaniment for rice eaters.

• Soaking is required. Thus it makes this recipe a no-cooking recipe. However, if you forget to soak it, you can boil  the kokam till it becomes soft and then use it in the recipe.

You will need :- (Serves 2)

1. Kokum petals - 6 nos.
2. Green Chilli - 2 nos.
3. Coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
4. Buttermilk - 1.5 cup 
5. Water - 1/2 cup
6. Salt to taste

Procedure :-

• Soak Kokam for  2 hours. This will ensure that kokam becomes soft and also infuses its taste, flavour and specially the color to the water.
• Finely chop the green chillies and coriander leaves. 
• After soaking squeeze and extract water (just like you do with tamarind) and filter it.
• Add finely chopped green chillies, finely chopped coriander leaves to it.
• Add Salt to taste, buttermilk  and water to it. 
• Mix well and serve.

Variations:- 

1. Coconut milk: In the above recipe, if you intend to make using coconut milk, then add 1 cup of coconut milk and 1 cup water (dilute as per your preference)
2. Grinding : If you want to infuse strong flavour and color to the recipe, then grind the kokam, green chillies and 2 tbsp of chopped coriander leaves with little water and filter it and use in the recipe either with buttermilk or coconut milk.

Enjoy the delicious drink or add it as a curry to plain rice and enjoy the simple yet delicious meal!

Manga Kootan / Raw Mango Curry

Summer time and that means arrival of Mango in the market!!

Ancient times, our ancestors used the local seasonal fruit and vegetables in their cooking and that's called "Nadan" cooking.

Today I am sharing with you a "Nadan" Recipe, a yummy Sweet, Sour and Spicy curry using Raw Mango.

Raw Mango Curry / Manga Kootan - is a special dish made during Vishu time (new year as per Malayalam Calendar in the month of April) . 

Simple yet tasty curry which can be had with Plain Rice and also a good accompaniment for Dosai.

Which variety to be used :- Thothapuri variety is the best. But you can use the pickling mango as well but in lesser quantity as it may be more sour.

Coconut oil is best suited for this dish.

You will need :-

1. Raw Mango (Big) - 1 No. 
2. Cucumber (Madrasi Kakdi) - 1/2
3. Jaggery - 1 Tbsp
4. Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
5. Green Chilly (Vertically Slit) -  - 2 Nos. (or as preferred)
6. Salt to taste

For Tempering :-

1. Coconut Oil - 1 Tbsp
2. Mustard Seeds - 1 Tsp
3. Red Chillies - 2 nos. (broken)
4. Curry Leaves - 1 sprig

Procedure :-

• Chop Mango and cucumber and put it in a vessel and pour enought water to cover them well.
• Add salt, Turmeric Powder, Jaggery, Slit Green Chillies and bring to boil.
• Cook till the mixture thickens slightly and is cooked well.
• Make the tempering using coconut oil and add it to the dish.
• Simple, yet delicious Manga kootan is ready to be served!

Enjoy the season of Mangoes!

Other Mango Recipes:-

1. Raw Mango Rice
2. Quick Raw Mango Pickle
3. Mampazha Pulissery (A curry using Buttermilk and Ripe Mangoes)