Thoughts on getting back to blogging, and a cake

It was not fun being away from blogging on and off for about 2 years. There were lingering thoughts in the back of my mind about recipes to share, stories to tell, and photos to capture. In the year before I went missing from the blogosphere, I made the most friends I ever did in a span of 365 days, and loved it. We exchanged emails, made phone calls, shared laughter, recipes, everyday ups and downs, all the while learning a thing or two from each other. Thank you folks, you have touched my life in more ways than you think.

When I look into my routine now, I realize that there is just enough time to accommodate blogging into it. After all, you are only as busy as you think you are. Life’s little rushes will keep on catching me at times, but I will try to post as often I can. Please stay tuned. Just for a start, here is a cake I made for our wedding anniversary this year. My mind was set on a coral color chiffon wedding sari from the Sixties that I saw a while ago, very similar to the ones those charming leading ladies draped around and danced on in the Hindi movies from that period.

Happy anniversary V&S !

To Pramila, Thank you.

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CLICK – the photo event, sunny days and tapioca pearl pappadoms

Another interesting edition of CLICK-the photo event is here again. Theme is bi-color, a challenging one if you ask me. But this time I am kicking my shoes off, and carefully watching the event from the sidelines. Bee and Jai asked me to join the panel of judges for this month’s event, thank you folks. So while the gavel rests here, please do pick up your cameras and challenge yourself into shooting something in bi-color. The colors I picked for my judge’s entry are white and yellow. I could have gone for more contrast, but all I was thinking about while taking this photo was sunshine.

We enjoyed a couple of warm sunny days during the past long weekend. A jaded yard long bean plant that we had almost given up on, set vine and started twining up in what seemed like hours. Such was the power of sunshine that pushed us in to a tapioca pearl pappadom making spree. This is one easy recipe,what you need most is an abundance of sunshine. Jalapeño peppers and cumin are the spices used in this recipe, what you add in there is open to your imagination.

To make about 2 dozens of medium size pappadoms, please follow the recipe. You could make them smaller if you wish

1 cup tapioca pearls
1 jalapeño pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt
4 cups + water

Grind pepper to a coarse paste, crush cumin seeds. Boil 2 cups of water and add tapioca pearls. Lower the flame and cook covered for about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. At this point if it gets too thick add just enough water to keep the mixture loose enough to stir. (This step replaces the overnight soaking of the pearls) Turn the heat off, keep covered for 3-5 minutes. Add two more cups of water, salt, and cook with stirring for about 6-8 minutes in medium heat till the mixture thickens and the pearls are completely translucent. Stir in cumin and pepper paste, cook for 1 more minute. Lightly brush a wax paper with oil, and wipe away the extra oil Drop spoonfuls of the mixture on to the prepared wax paper, spread with the back of a spoon to make circles or irregular shapes. Let it dry in sun for several hours (It took almost 5-7hrs for me). Peel the pappadoms off the paper and store in airtight containers. If you still have the sun on day 2, arrange the pappadoms on a paper lined cookie sheet and dry for 1-2 hours. This improves the shelf life.

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While the sun shines ........

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