Oats Idli Recipe

Ingredients: 

• 2 cups oats
• 1/2 liter curd (slightly sour)
• 1 Tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 Tbsp urad dal
• 1/2 Tbsp channa dal
• 1/2 Tbsp oil
• 2 tsp finely chopped green chillies
• 1 cup grated carrots
• 2 Tbsp finely chopped coriander
• 1/2 Tbsp turmeric powder
• 2 Tbsp salt

Cooking Method:

1. Dry roast oats in a fry pan until it turns slightly brown and then powder oats in a mixer
2. Take fry pan, add oil, mustard seeds, urad dal, chana dal and allow the seeds to splutter 
3. Add chopped onions, green chillies, grated carrot and cilantro
4. Add turmeric powder and fry for a minute
5. Add this seasoning to grounded oats and add curd to it to make a batter ( adjust curd according to the consistency but don't add water)
6. Grease the Idli Steamer plates with oil or ghee and pour the batter into idli plates
7. Steam the idlis for 15 minutes

Bread Poha Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 cups bread - crusts removed and diced 
• 1 cup peas - Frozen
• 1/2 cup peanuts- roasted and peeled 
• 2 tbsp Olive oil 
• Pinch of Asafoetida 
• 1 tsp mustard seeds 
• 10 curry leaves 
• 2-3 whole red chillies 
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp salt 
• 1 tsp green chillies- finely chopped 
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves 
• Fresh coconut- grated 

Cooking Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan and add mustard seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, turmeric powder and red chillies
2. When mustard seeds starts spluttering add green chillies, peas, peanuts and salt 
3. Add bread and mix well 
4. Add  some water and saute till mixed and heated.
5. Switch off the flame and sprinkle lemon juice and mix it well 
6. Garnish with cilantro and grated coconut 

Onion Uttapam Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (360 gm) parboiled rice 
• 1/2 cup (90 gm) split and husked Bengal Gram (dhuli urad) 
• 1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds 
• 2 tsp salt 
• An iron griddle or tawa 
• Oil to smear the pan for cooking the uttapam

Cooking Method:

Soak rice, daal and methi in water for 5-6 hours. 
Grind fine, add salt and enough water to make a dropping consistency and leave to ferment 5-6 hours. 
Heat tawa, and brush oil over it. When really hot, splash a little water over it, and pour about 1 cup of batter on to it. 
It will spread a little. When the edges start browning a bit, pour a trail of oil around it. 
Turn it over and let it brown on the other side too. 

Before you turn the uttapam over, sprinkle a mixture of finely chopped onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves and green chillies.

Red Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 cup red lentils/masoor dal
• 4.5 cups water
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 red dry whole chili pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• salt
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• fresh cilantro/coriander leaves and lemon juice to garnish

How to cook:

Peel and divide the onion into half. Chop one half into small pieces. Make thin half moon slices with the other half onion.

Wash the lentils till water runs clear. Combine 4.5 cups of water, salt, turmeric and chopped onions. Cover and simmer till the lentils are fully cooked. Or use a pressure cooker, it is a much quicker way to cook lentils.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and the red whole dry chili pepper. Once the seeds sizzle and the pepper turns dark brown, add the bay leaf, sliced garlic and the onion half moons. Add the sugar and fry till the onions are brown and crispy. Add the  cooked lentils to the pan, stir to combine and simmer at medium heat for about 7-10 minutes. If the dal/soup gets too thick, feel free to add some warm water, to get the desired consistency.

Serve hot, garnished with fresh coriander and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serve as soup with crusty bread or as a side with plain rice (the usual norm to serve dal in India).

How to Make Cherry Blossom Lights

What do you need:

• White LED Christmas lights (battery powered) - http://www.dx.com/p/30-led-3m-battery-powered-christmas-light-white-led-3xaa-6483#.VqadoFMrLaY
• Tissue paper (shades of white and pink)
• a Branch (I used dollar store flowers, though a real tree branch will do)
• Floral stem wrap tape (brown)
• Vase
• Sand/ gravel or small stones
• Twist ties
• Glue (glue stick and craft glue)
• Pliers
• Scissors/rotary cutting tool

If you use lights that need to be plugged into an outlet, you need a vase that you can cut a hole in to allow the plug through the bottom.

Source : http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Cherry-Blossom-Lights/

How to perform Varalakshmi Vratham

Varalakshmi vratham is performed by married women in south india on second friday of sravana masam. It can be performed on any friday of sravana masam according to their convenience.

Vratha Vidhanam:

Necessary Items to perform pooja:

• Goddess Lakshmi Murthi for kalasham or use photo for performing pooja
• Peeta (Wooden Plank) or plate for placing Kalasham
• Pasupu (Turmeric Powder)
• Kumkum
• Gandham (Sandle Wood Powder)
• Rice
• Akshinthulu (Rice mixed with water and turmeric powder)
• Povvulu (Flowers)
• Tamalapaakulu (Beetle Leaves)
• Vakkalu (Beetle Nuts)
• Tenkayalu (Coconuts - 2)
• Panchamritham (Milk, Honey, Sugar, Yoghurt, Ghee)
• Karjuralu (Dry Dates)
• Silver Coins for kalasham
• Fruits (5 kinds)
• Bananas
• Prasadam (5 kinds)
• Thoram - 3 (Thread covered with turmeric powder made of 9 strings with flowers )
• Maamidi Thoranam (Garland made with mango leaves)
• Blouse Pieces - 2 (one for kalasham and one for goddess vayanam)
• Sanagalu (Black Chick Peas)
• Pot made of steel or silver to hold Kalasham

How to Perform Pooja:

1. Clean wooden plank and put chandanam and kumkum around the corners and spread rice on plank for placing kalasham and make sure it is facing East.
2. Take washed pot and put rice,dry dates, beetle nuts, leaves and coins inside pot and apply chandanam and kumkum in a swastika shape.
3. Apply turmeric and kumkum to coconut and place on top of kalasham surrounded by mango leaves and place blouse on top of it.
4. Fix lakshmi idol to coconut using thread.
5. Decorate it with jewelry, flowers and saree and keep a new blouse piece.
6. Make a cone shaped turmeric vinakaya and placed it on beetle leaf for performing ganesh pooja.
7. Light lamps before starting vratham and make sure you have glass with water and spoon for Avahanam, incense sticks, karpuram and match boxes.
8. Worship lord ganesha and start Varalakshmi vratham according to instructions in vratha book
9. After finishing vratham, invite married women to home and offer vayanam (blouse piece, kumkum, turmeric powder, beetle nuts, flower, senagalu)

Next Day after pooja:

Perform pooja for kalasham and slightly move kalasham to north side and rice used in kalasham can be cooked on next friday and offer coconut used in kalasham next friday.

Happy Varalakshmi Vratham to everyone and I hope everyone will get their wishes fulfilled in your life.

Home Improvement Tips/Solutions

Bleach Sanitizes pool toys :

Dip a sponge into a mixture of two cups of bleach and one gallon of water, then wipe down pool noodles and beach balls. Scrub off grime with a brush, and rinse with water.

Vinegar Brightens Patio Furniture: 

Fill a Spray Bottle with white vinegar and spritz over chairs and tables to remove mildew stains and prevent mold from forming.

Coffee Grounds Banish Ants: 

Sprinkle some grounds near doorways. Coffee's high nitrogen content burns bugs, so they won't walk across it and into your home.

Flip-Flops become doorstops: 

cut a wedge of rubber from an old thong and use it to prop open a door and let the summer breeze in.

Dryer Sheets repel Bugs: 

Keep sheets of this laundry staple in a cup outdoors - they make the humen scent that attracts mosquitoes.

Foil cleans the grill: 

while the coals are still red-hot, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the grates and close the grill's lid. the next time you grill, crumple up the foil and use it scrub off the burned residue before you start cooking.