Celebrations....Two of them!!

I am not one for huge celebrations...have always been overly-practical, even when it comes to celebration...prefer minimum fuss and fanfare!!! But there are some times and occasions when even the Queen of Practicality(myself!!!) wants to cheer...

Well, for one it is the beginning of a New Year in the South Indian calendar...so, Happy Tamil New Year / Happy Vishu to one and all!!! A new season and new year are definitely big reasons to celebrate....plus, the other occasion that makes me want to celebrate right now, is the fact that I am on my 50th post with this blog!!! Yaaaaahoooo!!!!

So, here is my two-in-one celebration recipe...of course, you know me...it is definitely Healthily Decadent...you will see...also here is a little verse, my daughter (the precocious poet, herself!) wrote to help me celebrate my blogging milestone!!!

"When my Mom started blogging...

  She started with a blog about cooking,

  And wanted to share it with Everyone,

  So her experience would be Fun!

  So, I made this poem for her 50th post,

  Now let us all make a toast! Yippee"

This dual celebration recipe for Carrot Beetroot Kheer makes its way to Shama's Payasam/Kheer Festival event. I tried out a variation to the Carrot Kheer I prepare usually, by adding some beets to it and of course, nut-obsessed that I am, had to also add some almonds and cashewnuts...which to my mind...make any dish richer and creamier than it normally would be...so here is a crazy yet surprisingly tasty kheer/pudding...let the celebrations continue...I hope!

Recipe for Carrot-Beetroot Kheer with a nutty flavor(South indian style pudding)-

Serves: 4

Prep/cook time: 25-35 mins.

Ingredients:

Carrots - 3 chopped

Beetroot - 1 small chopped

Almonds and cashew nuts - 1/2  cup chopped, combined

Milk - low fat - 2 to 2.5 cups

Sugar - 1/2 cup(could add more for sweeter kheer...I like my sweets to be not overly sweet)

Cardamom powder - 1 tsp

Saffron - few strands

For garnish - slivered almonds roasted(would taste better if roasted in a little ghee/clarified butter)

Method:

In a heavy-bottomed pan, let the milk boil on a low flame and keep stirring so it does not stick to bottom of pan.

In the meanwhile, blend together chopped carrots, beetroot and the almonds with a few more spoons of milk till you get a fine paste.

Then, add the blended carrot mixture to the boiling milk alongwith the cardamom powder and saffron strands.

Let the mixture cook on a medium or medium-low flame until it comes to a slow bubbling consistency...which takes 8 to 10 mins...do not boil too long or the mixture could end up becoming watery.

Once you a get slow rolling bubble consistency, take off the heat and add sugar...garnish with roasted slivered almonds.

This kheer tastes best when it has been chilled in the refrigerator for atleast a couple of hours...plus the consistency becomes creamier after refrigeration...

Enjoy!!!

Small Wonders Series and Reposting for Event

After a hectic weekend filled with activities for the kids, I felt I needed to unwind by posting something(even if it was a repost) and do some bloghopping...my daughter also wanted me to post a Rangoli(also known as Kolam or Alpana) that was her entry for an exhibition at a temple here in the Bay Area this weekend...She was of course very excited to send in the entry(but then there is very little she doesnt get excited about) and even more excited when she got a certificate and plaque for sending in her entry...she was walking on cloud nine the whole of yesterday imagining herself as the next Picasso:))) So here it is, the medium that she  used for the Rangoli was lentils, colored powder/Rangoli powder and glitter powder:

Repost for Usha's Healthy Inspirations Event - Salads:

My first entry is a Recipe for Vibrant Mixed Fruit and Veggie Salad...this salad is not only colorful with varied flavors from fruits, vegs, nuts and dryfruits...it also packs a healthy punch of anti-oxidants and is ready in under 10 minutes...a great accompaniment to breads, pastas, rotis and even great as a snack by itself!!!

My second entry for the same event:  Easy Tangy Green Beans Salad with a crunch.
This is another 10 minute recipe and very versatile as a side-dish or salad...could be served warm or cold.

Small Wonders - Poems from my 9 year old daughter

One favorite way(that I have already mentioned a million times in my young blog...I know :)) I have of getting the best of both worlds is to cook foods that are not just goooood, but also are good for you!

Another way of achieving the best of both worlds(my pet theme in life) is to keep the kids gainfully occupied in three or four gainful interests of their own choice so they are being productive (which makes me feel fulfilled and quite the happy mom!)and then I dont have to hear the constant refrain of  "Amma...I am bored".My 9 year old daughter is very sure of her few interests. My toddler son on the other hand of course, finds too many things that interest him around the house. But that is the topic for another day.

Going back  to my daughter, she is as precocious as most other 9 year olds these days...one of her favorite pastimes is to write poems...right now, she is going thru this phase where she asks us to pick any topic under the sun and she says, she can come up with a poem for that!!!

Now, here is a rhyme (that I obviously like) that she came up with specially for my blog, when she knew that I recently created one:

The title is: My Favorite Food

My favorite food is the kind my mother makes,
Whether she cooks, fries, or puts something in the oven to bake.
I think homemade is better than store-bought,
And at my house you will like it a lot.


Another one that I think is quite cute goes like this:

The title is: Season signs

A summer's day is like winter's paradise,
A winter's night is like night-time ice.
Together you can sniff ,
That they are opposites like jumping off a cliff,
Or falling into a pit.

Spring is not something that an animal would be grieving,
Because the animals' babies are born,
Fall is when the leaves are leaving,
When the leaves start getting worn.


I wonder if I have a major talent  under my roof here???