Pink Linen Pillow Cover

This is my second work on a pillow cover. I bought linen material from a shop in Ruwi and stitched two pillow covers to do embroidery. Only the first one I completed. It was a long process. I got the design from net. It was consisting only a horizontal border. I made it as a corner design by arranging it horizontally and vertically by joining the two stems at a point. Simple!

And here is the completed work.

For stems, I used stem stitch. Leaves done in fishbone stitch and the buds with network outlined with outline stitch.  Network I learned from LAKSHMI's sadalas.blogspot.com.

http://sadalas.blogspot.com/2010/03/network-embroidery-vedeo-tutorial.html
                                                   &
http://sadalas.blogspot.com/search/label/Net%20work

Beginner's Hand Embroidery

This is my first hand embroidery work which I did on an off white pillow cover....

Cute birds on off white pillow cover

Bird on the left side

Bird on the right side

I got the design from internet. I used stem, chain, outline, lazy daisy & back stitches to complete each small bird. It was a simple work. But took 2-3 days to complete.

HAPPY VISHU

എല്ലാവര്‍ക്കും വിഷു  ആശംസകള്‍ 

Happy Easter...

Happy easter....

Easter Time

Easter time is here again

And bunnies everywhere,

Don't salute, a substitute,

There is no holy hare.

So colored eggs and jelly beans,

Don't mean a bunny thing, '

Cause bunnies do, what bunnies do

And have no gifts to bring.

So Easter Time's, the time to know,

A lie could not survive

And here's the proof in gospel truth;

JESUS IS ALIVE!!

Paneer Masala

I just  love this recipe. Goes well with Chappathi / Poraotta / Naan and plain rice. 


Ingradients

Paneer (Amul) -12-15 pcs 

Keep it outside from freezer  for sometime. 

Wash in fresh water and boil for 3-5 mins and drain it.(or u may defrost and fry the paneer till light golden colour in oil).

Vegetable Oil - 2tbsp

Onion - 3 

Tomato -1 big

Garlic - 3-4 pods(china)

Ginger - 1.5 inch pc

Grind onions, tomato, garlic& ginger together and keep aside. 

Kashmiri chilly -1/2 tsp

Turmeric pdr - 1/4tsp

Coriander pdr -1/4 tsp

Garam masala -1/2 tsp

Cashew nuts - 8-10  (wash&soak cashew in hotwater for 10-20 minutes and grind)

Kasuri methi 2-3 pinches

Preparation method 

Heat oil in a pan. Put the gound onion paste into it. Simmer - till oil separate. No need to stir continuously. Better simmer and cover with a lid. Stir occassionaly. When it is almost dry, add masala powders. Fry again by stirring well. Add drained or fried paneer pieces &  mix well gently. Add enough water for the gravy. Add cashew paste.  Adjust the gravy thickness by adding water. Gravy must be thick. Springle kasuri methi over the gravy and turn off the stove. Remove from stove.

Server hot with chappathi or Naan.

Easy Appam Recipe

Ingredients

Raw rice(Pacchari) - 1 glass
Grated coconut - 1 - 1 1/2 handful
Cooked rice - 2 tbsp
Salt - 3/4 - 1 tsp
Sugar - 3 tsp
Yeast - 1/4 tsp

Preparation Method

Soak the rice for atleast  4 hours. Grind it with other ingredients. The consistency should be of that of DOSA.
Keep aside for fermenting. It will take 6 - 8 hrs to ferment.
Pour mix into a pre-heated Appa chatti and turn the chatti in a cirular motion so that the appams will make perfect round shape. Close the lid.
After the appam is done, transfer it into serving plate and repeat the process for other appams.

Vegetable Macroni Recipe

One of my favourite dishes. Try this for lunch/dinner or during tea time...

Ingradients


Macroni(cooked) - 200 gm
Vegetable oil
Ginger-garlic paste - 1 tsp
Onion(chopped) - 1/2 cup
Green chilly(chopped) - 1 no
Vegetables(chopped) - 1 cup
(Carrot, Beans, Tomato and Green peas)
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp
Soya sauce - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves(chopped) - 2 tbsp

Preparation Method 

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Fry onions and green chilly. 
• Add ginger-garlic paste. 
• Add chopped vegetables and green peas and fry for few minutes. 
• Add salt, garam masala and stir well. 
• Add 1/2 cup of water. 
• Reduce the flame and cook for 5 mins.
• Add cooked macroni to this and mix well. 
• Close the lid for 3 - 4 mins. 
• Add tomato and soya sauce. Mix well. 
• Garnish with coriander leaves  & Serve hot.

Alan's Farewell day in KG2

March 22nd was Alan's last day of the school year. They had a class party arranged in school. Usually on such party days, we-the mothers have to send 3 packets of snacks for our kid's friends. They will share it in school. Most probably Alan used to bring back home at least 2 packets each time complainig that there were enough snacks, nobody took more...

He was in the F-section of Indian school. Luckily he and his friends got the same teacher for their KG1 and KG2 - Ms. Subha Shetty. She is such a wonderful teacher... Alan & his dishum dishum friends used to trouble their mam a lot. Even then she loved and cared them very much. On the last day of their class, she was really upset and was in tears...

I sent with Alan a small handkerchief for his Mam as a humble gift from our side... Given a picture of the hanky below.

I completed it within one and half days... On 21st night I sat till  3am in the morning to finish the work, washed it and then kept it for drying. Then went to bed... I didnt get the exact font for the wordings first, then dropped the idea. Then my friend Maya gave me the idea of using Alan's handwriting for the wordings. It worked out on the next day since he was 'busy'. Although the work is not so satisfactory, I liked it -  Especially when my husbad had a glimpse of smile on his face when he saw the finished hanky. The work is not so neat... but even then I liked it...

Some more pictures of the individual flower pots.

Flower pot 1

Flower pot 2

Flower pot 3

Sayonara

Jisha