Recap - Jan 2012

Recap - Jan 2012 @ Hema’s Vantagadi:

Recap:

I started blogging this month with a change which made me to come up with 22 posts out of which 1 is just a link.

Change:

I peeped into Jan2012 Events and bookmarked each one into my bookmark toolbar. Once in a day, I used to check this folder and was eager to participate in the events. But I couldn’t make it up for few.

Lessons Learnt:

• Different varieties of sweet
• Pageviews, friends will increase when we participate in events. Hence make it an habit to participate in maximum of events.
• Remove word verification during group events

Highlights:

Total Pageviews in January - 4095

Highest Pageview: 23rd January - 671

Adsense: Removed adsense this month in my blog

Google friends list: Increased from 30s to 56 as on 31st Jan.

Google Readers: increased from 30s to 91 as on 31st Jan. (subjected to vary based on the deletion of bookmarks.)

Template: Template was changed on 30th Jan. New template is FooDeluxe from Premiumbloggertemplates.

HTML Work: Made the pages not to show and edited the links to each page manually.

Blog Name: Changed my blog name from Hema's Blog to Hema's Vantagadi in last week of January 2012

Non Event Post - 1:

A dog's willpower

Event on my blog: Double Celebration – Wedding Anniversary on Feb 14^th and Blog Anniversary on Feb 23^rd. Due to this I have an event called “Murari-Anniversary Giveaway” and the prize is Embroidery pillow cover. This started from Jan 5^th and will end on 29^th Feb. So far I have got 4 entries in the event.

Events I participated:

Event Participated	Event Link	Host	My posts	Remarks (if any)
Weekly Series
Black & White – Weekly Series	Black & White - #25	Susan @ The Well Seasoned Cook	Fafda
			Dark Chocolate Milk Shake
	Black & White - #27
Weekend Herb Blogging	cindystarblog	Claire	Onion Chutney	Event was started by Kalyn and it has been continued by Haalo.
	Weekend Herb Blogging-#316	Simona	Tomato Rice (direct)
Fortnightly Series:
Blogging Marathon	Blogging Marathon	Srivalli	Puri Urandai	It’s held last two weeks of the month. First Week: 16th Jan to 22nd Jan – Seven Days of Delicious Dhals Second Week: 23rd Jan to 29th Jan – Kid’s Delight Something Sweets.
			TenkaiKarjikayalu
			DatesKheer
			UradDhalHalwa
			Dark Chocolate Milk Shake
			Almond Bread Golls
			Rasayana-Sekarni
			Facial-Powder using Dhals
			Moong-Dal Balls
			GreenGramDal-Fruits Salad
			Masoordal-mysoredal
			Dal-Palak
			Poriyal Podi - Urad Dhal
			Aamvada
Monthly Series
Blog Hop Wednesday – ver 2.0 – Group Events	Blog Hop Wednesday	Radhika @ Tickling Palates	Fafda	Partner: Nayna Kanbar
Sweet Heat Bloggers Challenge	Sweet Heat Bloggers Challenge	Michelle @ Food, football and baby	Aamvada	Started By: Vanilla
			Poriyal Podi - Urad Dhal
MLLA Series	MLLA Series	Claire @ chez cayenne	Aamvada	Started By: Susan
			Poriyal Podi - Urad Dhal
Kids Delight	Kid's Delight - Something Sweet	Kavitha Iyengar @ Edible Entertainment	Puri Urandai	Started By: Srivalli
			TenkaiKarjikayalu
			DatesKheer
			UradDhalHalwa
			Dark Chocolate Milk Shake
			Almond Bread Golls
			Rasayana-Sekarni
Cook Eat Delicious Desserts	Cook, Eat Delicious - Desserts	Suma Gundlur @ Veggie Platter	Rasayana-Sekarni	Raven
MEC Series	MEC series	Kalyani @ Itsnot madras	Almond Bread Golls	Srivalli
			Dark Chocolate Milk Shake
Bake Fest	Bake Fest	Pradnya @ Pumpkinfarmfood	Almond Bread Golls	Vardhini
			Dark Chocolate Milk Shake
Breakfast Club	Breakfast Club	Aimée @ Food, Je t'Aimée	Dark Chocolate Milk Shake	Helen
One Time Events:
Chocolate Events	Chocolate Fest	Sravani @ Srav's Culinary Concepts	Chocolate-Cashew
	Chocolate Lover	Reshma @ Daily Cuppa
	Chocolate Mela	Srivalli @ Cooking 4 all seasons
Walk through memory lane	Walk through memory lane	Gayathri @ Gayathri’s Cook Spot	Aamvada
Let’s Cook Rice	Lets Cook Rice	Radhika @ Tickling Palates	Tomato Rice (direct)
Banana Event	Easy to Cook Recipes	Dr. Sameena Prathap	Rasayana-Sekarni
New “U”	New "U"	Vardhini	Puri Urandai
			TenkaiKarjikayalu
			DatesKheer
			UradDhalHalwa
			Dark Chocolate Milk Shake
Cooking Challenge – Flavour of Tamilnadu	Cooking Challenge - Flavours of Tamilnadu.	Vidhya Subramony	Puri Urandai
Cooking with Love	Cooking with Love	Saraswathi Iyer	Puri Urandai
Lets Cook with leftovers	"Lets cook with leftovers"	Nayna Kanbar	Pudina Rice
Cooking with Leftover Kitchen Chronicles	"Cooking with Leftover Kitchen Chronicles" - Jan2012	Veena	Pudina Rice	Kalyani
Celebrations – 2011 a flashback	Celebrations – 2011 a flashback	Smita @ tastebuds	Eggless Vanilla Cake Diwali Sweet Savory

Awards & Appreciations:

I got a “Happy Blogger Award” from Teena Mary and I am passing it to all of these people whom I am following in January 2012.

 

Name	Blog Name	Blog	Following Since
Hasna	Kachuss Delights	http://hasnasdelights.blogspot.com/	4-Jan-12
Sravni	Srav's Culinary Concepts	http://sravscc.blogspot.com/	16-Jan-12
Reshma	Daily Cuppa	http://daily-cuppa.blogspot.com/	16-Jan-12
Hema	Aromatic Cooking	http://aromatic-cooking.blogspot.com/	16-Jan-12
Nagalakshmi V	Edible Garden	http://www.cookingandme.com/	17-Jan-12
Ramya	Maneadige	http://maneadige.blogspot.com/	17-Jan-12
Lakshmi	Taste of Mysore	http://www.tasteofmysore.com/	17-Jan-12
Cool Lassie	Pan Gravy Kadai curry	http://pangravykadaicurry.blogspot.com/	18-Jan-12
Sushma	From my kitchen to yours	http://sushmapinjala.blogspot.com/	18-Jan-12
Susan	The Well-Seasoned Cook	http://thewellseasonedcook.blogspot.com/	18-Jan-12
Claire	Chez Cayenne	http://chezcayenne.blogspot.com/	18-Jan-12
Santosh	Santosh's Kitchen	http://santoshbangar.blogspot.com/	18-Jan-12
Ms.Chitchat	Chitchat@crossroads	http://chitchatcrossroads.blogspot.com/	19-Jan-12
Kaveri	Palakkad Cooking	http://palakkadcooking.blogspot.com/	30-Jan-12

Tribute: I am following Amu's Crazy world from 30-Jan-12 after I heard from a fellow blogger about her sad demise as a tribute to her. 

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Menthya Rasam - BM#13 - Week 2 - Day 7

Menthya Rasam - BM#13 - Week 2 - Day 7:

Yesterday was the last day of BM#13, yep this time i am late by a day in posting. I will definitely catch up with other marathoners from next time.

As I told you earlier Rasam is a healthy fluid which helps in digestion. 

Ingredients for Menthya Rasam:

• Tamarind - a small lemon size
• Fenugreek seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Green chillies - 3
• Oil - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
• Asafoetida - few pinches
• Chopped tomatoes - 1/2 cup
• Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
• Chopped coriander - 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves - a few
• Salt - to taste
• Jaggery - a small sized one
• Cooked Toor Dhal - 1/2 cup

Method

• Soak the tamarind in water for an hour and then extract its thick juice.
• Heat oil in a kadai and fry fenugreek seeds to slightly brown remove it and keep it aside.
• In the same oil fry green chillies and then blend them with roasted fenugreek seeds 
• Heat a little oil in a kadai and when mustard seeds splutters add asafoetida, tomatoes, and turmeric power and fry well under medium fire until the tomatoes are well mashed.
• Add the tamarind extract, the grounded powder, chopped coriander, curry leaves, with enough salt and water. 
• When the above mixture boils add cooked toor dhal and allow the mixture to boil.
• When it boils take it out and serve it with rice. 

Medicinal value of fenugreek: Arthritis has a low incidence rate in India where a lot of fenugreek is consumed. Drinking 1 cup of fenugreek tea per day, made from the leaves, is said to relieve the discomfort of arthritis.

 

Here is a summary of 7 days rasam prepared by me:

Day 1 - Jeera Rasam

Day 2 - Inji Rasam

Day 3 - Pulichaar

Day 4 - Belluli Saaru

Day 5 - Rajma (Red Kidney Beans) Rasam

Day 6 - Red Lenthils Rasam

Day 7 - Menthya Rasam 

Just a note: If you would have read rasam which I had posted for 7 days (including this one), then definitely you know the main ingredients in rasam are the following:

a. Tomato and/or Tamarind or anything which adds sour taste

b. Rasam Powder or Pepper-Cumin Seeds Powder - 2

c. Salt

d. Jaggery

e. Ginger and/or Garlic

A slight variation in this would result you in different types of rasam.

Rasam Powder: Dhals + Pepper + Cumin Seeds + Red Chillies

(i will post the recipe soon)

Pepper - Cumin Seeds Powder: As the name says blend pepper and cumin seeds coarsely and add it to rasam instead of Rasam Powder.

Worth glancing  other Blogging Marathoners recipes in BM# 13

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Rajma (Red Kidney Beans) Rasam - BM 13 - Week 2 - Day 5

Rajma Rasam:

Rasam with Rajma?? Don’t be surprised yes follow the same method of making Ullavalu Rasam and you have it. It tastes great and it is thick in consistency. Only thing is I made it little lengthy.

Ingredients:

Rajma (Red Kidney beans) – 12 to 15 beans

Tomato – 1/2

Tamarind Water (medium consistency) – 3 tsp

Crystal Salt – 1 tbsp

Rasam Powder – 2 tbsp

Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp

Jaggery – a small piece

Water – as required

For seasoning:

Mustard Seeds – 1 tsp

Oil – 2 tsp

Curry leaves – few (optional)

Coriander leaves – few (optional)

Method:

Wash rajma and soak it overnight

I wanted to try if it sprouts (ha ha) – optional step – So left them in clean handkerchief and put them in a vessel which contained fresh water in the morning

Drain the water and cook it for 3 to 4 whistles

Add tomato along with rajma and blend it

Heat oil in a kadai and once the oil is hot, add mustard seeds, when it splutters add curry leaves

Add tamarind pulp, rasam powder, crystal salt, jaggery, grounded rajma mixture, cilantro and allow it to boil nearly for 10 minutes

Rasam is ready.

Kindly have a look at dishes prepared by other Blogging Marathoners in BM# 13

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