Christmas_NewYearEve_2011

I am very delighted to see events happening in various blogs. More people are getting connected with each other due to these events, even from different cities, remote corners of the world. 

I feel its great to see the world come closer with friends through various things, here are few of them:

• Famous Social networking site viz., facebook or twitter 
• Blog
• Email
  

Christmas is nearing, most of us are becoming busy in practicing Carols, Sending invitation for Get-together, planning to go for a long picnic accompanying two or more families with your mobile kitchen. 

During this time, I am eager to held my second event called - "Christmas NewYearEve 2011" which would end by 31st December 2011. Recipe is Eggless Cake.  

Click here for first event.

Logo:

Slogan:
    Complete the slogan "I love eggless cake because ...". This prize is apart from recipe prize.


Rules:

• Please do send me any number of entries to the event.
• For a successful entry to the contest, each entry must include logo and it must be linked to this page. The format should be:

          Your Name

          Blog Name
          Recipe Name

          Recipe URL

          Recipe Picture         

• Non bloggers can also send me their recipe along with its photo and a subject line "Christmas_NewYearEve_2011 at Hema's Blog" to my email. 
• You can participate in slogan contest also which is as above said. Its not a mandatory.
• Afraid to say that, archived items are not allowed in my contest.
• Duration for my event is from 1st November 2011 to 31st December 2011.
• Kindly link to this event page and usage of logo is better as it spreads a word.

Prize is Microwave Bowl.

Recipe Prize winner and Slogan Prize Winner would be announced on 2nd January 2012.

Winner, kindly acknowledge within 3 days of the time with your complete postal address before it reaches the other participant.

Friends, kindly make this event a grand success. 

One more  news: You can send in your same cake entries now to Pari's event. Do check it out here.

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Diwali_Sweet_Savory

Diwali is a festival of lights. I remember the small story about this festival.

Story is as follows:

Once the SUN asked all the other sources of light, when I set, who would give the light to the world. Everyone was in immense silence, then a small diva light said in his low voice, i would be happy to give the light after you set. That's the reason, today we all lit small diva(s) in the night and early in the morning during Diwali and Karthika masam.

• As I was browsing thro' Saras food and events page I came across Anu's Contest for Diwali. Hence, I thought let me post my sweet and Savory and send.

Logo1:

 

• Through Google search page I came across Kirthi's Kitchen, which is also hosting Diwali contest, hence sending my recipe. Thanks to Della's Page also to host this event.

Logo2:


Besan Laddoo & Khara Boondi is my sweet and savory for this time Diwali.

Besan Laddoo:

Ingredients:

• Fried Gram - 250 g
• Sugar - 300 g
• Cashewnuts - 50 g
• Ghee for frying - 100 g
• Cardmom Powder - 2 tsp

Method:

1. Powder fried gram, sugar in food processor / mixer
2. Fry cashewnuts till golden brown and keep them aside
3. Heat ghee and add powdered mixture and cardmom powder, fry them till you get a nice aroma
4. Add cashewnuts also to the above mixture
5. If required add milk and make small balls

 25 to 30 balls can be made. Serves: 4 to 5.

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 10 mins

Khara Boondi:

Ingredients:

• Corn Flour (Kadala maav / flour made from fried dhal) - 250 gms
• Salt - 4 tsp
• Chilli Powder - 2 tbsp
• Oil for frying - 100 gms

Method:

1. Heat oil in kadai
2. Mix corn flour, salt and chilli powder in a vessel using water. (The mixture should be medium neither thick nor thin)
3. Use the same vessel where you filter the extra oil when you do sweets or pooris and pour the mixture. Spread the mixture throughout, such that they fall from the small holes.
4. Remove the boondis once they are golden brown
5. Repeat step 3 and step 4 till you complete all the mixture (Salt and chilli powder will vary according to one's taste)
6. Once done, remove the oil
7. Add little oil and put curry leaves and mix it with boondis

Serves:  4 to 5

Preparation Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 15 to 20 mins

Submitting to:  
Celebrations 2011 event on Tastebuds, which made me happy because I am revisiting my post, surprised by her event because it such a great event which made me to revisit my post. Yep, posting new things is only not important, revisiting them is a great thing. Thanks to Smitha.

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Pongal - New Year

Every year Pongal is celebrated on 13th, 14th and 15th of January. It is also considered as a New Year for Tamilians (especially for harvesting group).

The people would take out the paddy crops and make it as rice.

13-Jan is celebrated as Bhoogi Pongal.

• In Andhra, people collect almost all waste materials from their entire area and burn all of them. They call that as "Bhoogimantalu".

14-Jan is celebrated as Surya Pongal.

• People get up early in the morning prepare different dishes. Draw Surya(sun) and Chandra(Moon) and keep all the dishes for naivediya for god including sugarcane in banana leaves.
• Andhrites and Kannadigas mix groundnut seeds, til, hurigadale(roasted gram), small pieces of chopra, small pieces of jaggery and share with their relatives and friends saying "Yelu Bella tindu ole matadu" means "eat til and jaggery and speak good things".

15-Jan is celebrated as Mathu Pongal.

• Non-vegetarian people will avoid eating non-veg on 13th and 14th will prepare different non-vegetarian dishes on this day.
• In the evening, farmers decorate their cows, buffaloes, oxen, bulls and make them to jump across the fire by thanking God to give them good crop. And praying for the same till the next year.

Andhrites and Kannadigas call this festival as Makara Sankranthi, while Tamilians call this festival as Pongal.

I thank Saras to post on Pongal.

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Happy Ganesha Chaturthi

Dear Viewers,

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!

Ganesh Chaturthi falls in the Hindu calendar month of Bhadrapada on Chauthi or Chaturthi. Its a belief that Goddess Gowri (Swarna Gowri)would come to their parents house for Gowri festival and Lord Ganesh would come to take back his mother on Ganesh Chaturthi. Ganesh loves to dance on that day, along with the dancing group(s).

This year (2009) we are celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi on August 23rd on a Sunday. And Gowri Puja is also celebrated on the same day.

But the sculpturers would start making sculptures of Gowri and Ganesh from June only. You can see different kinds of sculptures and here is just one image of Ganesh in which there are 6 ganeshas along with the main one. There will be traditional Ganeshas and also fancy Ganesh.

This puja will extend from 1 day to 1 month. In houses it would be kept for maximum of 1 to 3 days. While on streets, near shopping malls, it might go from 5 days to 1 month.

I remember, when i was at Chintamani a big Ganesh would be kept for 3 days and 4th day they would leave it back in water. It means that Ganesh is taking his mother Gowri and then returning back to his home. There used to be competitions viz., painting, essay, dancing, skits, thol-mol-ke-bhol (means one gift article or something like that would be shown and we have to guess the price of it) and all the people who used to stay on this road will become so close to each other and it looks as if they are all in one family. Prasadams would be done atleast by one house per day and distributed to the people who come to visit Lord Ganesha. There would be neatly decorated mantap with shamiyana on the road with serial lights and music. Few shops would sponsor per day for prizes. There will be excited crowd to address all these things all the 3 days. And on the fourth day they will book a tempot to carry the Ganesha all the people will go and drop the Ganesha into the lake by telling "ganesha banda kayi kadabu tinda hote mele banda chikka kerele bida dodda kerele yeda" [kannada line] which means - Lord Ganesha has come and ate the sweet (kadabu) he was carried on our stomachs he fall into small lake and got up from big lake. These moments is really eternal in my entire life.

Remember, on this day better not to see the moon. If you couldn't avoid then read the story of Lord Ganesha or see the moon on bedege, second day after the amavasya.

Once again, wish you all Happy Gowri festival and Ganesha Chaturthi.

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