Cross-Stitch Family Portrait

This is the day and age of obsessive "selfies". They are everywhere. The social network is teeming with them. And here I am in my own anachronistic world peering at those tiny square of an Aida fabric trying to embroider a cross-stitch family portrait. It took more effort than I thought. So here is the end result.

The last time I attempted a cross-stitch was in the 5th grade! This time around I wanted to do stuff much more professionally and extremely neatly.

The inspiration for this project came of this place -
http://www.marthastewart.com/857131/cross-stitch-family-portrait

Now counting cross-stitch is not as easy as it looks. There is the whole matter of getting everything properly accurate once you start embroidering. Also I wanted to make slightly bigger figures so I had to put in some math to scale up my picture.

Here is the original plan all put on a graph paper -

Once I had a general idea of the portrait, I spent a fair amount of time learning all about colour blocking. I wanted to use colours that go well together yet look really vibrant and coordinated. After spending quite a few hours, I kind of decided on the colour scheme and started shopping.

The major stumbling block was acquiring the right Aida fabric. I wanted a count 14 or higher. Finally found it on the pony craft store - http://www.ponycraftstore.com/product/viewdetail/aida-fabric-white-42-x-48cm-70402

Also more hours watching videos and learning to cross-stitch properly, I think I managed to do a decent job with this piece. Look at the back side of my embroidery to get a gauge of the quality. There is not a single knot anywhere. All the crosses cross over the same way and I have all these beautiful parallel lines on the back. So I finally did something right! And what a lesson in patience!

Now all that is left is to carefully wash this up, add some interfacing to stiffen the backside and frame it up. This one goes up on my craft station at the new house!

Enjoy.

Mini Caramel Apple Pie

When one gets apples, make apple pie!
I know that one was cheesy :). Apple seems to be Adrika's very first word( or so I think!). So here is something to commemorate that.

This recipe makes about 4 muffin cup sized pies.

Pie Crust

1 and 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tbspn sugar
1/8 tspn salt
1/2 cup oil
4-6 tbspn milk

Mix everything in a bowl till moist clumps form. Keep adding milk to help clumping. Once they just about start coming together, the crust dough is done. Press to the muffin cups by hand . Try to keep the bottom slightly thicker so that fluids don't leak.

Filling

1 Apple cubed small with peel (healthier!)
2 tspn sugar
1/2 tspn lemon zest
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tspn cinnamon powder
1/4 tspn nutmeg powder
pinch of salt

Mix everything together.

Salted Caramel

1 cup sugar
3 tbspn cream
1/2 tspn salt

Add the sugar to a deep bottom pan and set on low-medium heat. Just swirl it around, never use a spoon or spatula to stir. Be patient, it takes some time for the sugar to liquidize. After it melts and turns a deep orange/red, switch off the flame. Add the cream and salt, be careful this will splutter and the whole thing is super hot. Mix in the cream well, till caramel sauce is formed. Allow it to cool completely. NEVER EVER EAT HOT CARAMEL EVER!

Putting it together

Preheat oven to 180C. Fill the pie crust with layers of apple filling and caramel sauce. Bake for about 25-30 mins or till the top edges are browned.
Let it cool completely for about 40 or 45 mins before eating.

 Enjoy!

 

Ravioli

We love Italian cuisine (including the tiny tot who loves pasta!).
This ravioli is made from scratch. Even the pasta dough was homemade and is eggless. It is a tedious procedure but turns out really nice.

Spinach and Cheese Ravioli in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Fresh Pasta Dough 
Makes 27-28 raviolis

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup semolina
Pinch of salt
1 tbspn olive oil
3/4 to 1 cup warm water

Mix the flours and salt. Drizzle in the olive oil and work the dough into bread crumb consistency. Add water little by little so that it keeps resembling bread crumbs. Slowly they will start clumping together. It will form a nice dough. Ensure it is not too soft. If required add more semolina. Set aside covered with a damp cloth for 30 mins.

Spinach and Cheese Filling

1 tbspn olive oil
1 big bunch of spinach leaves
1 cup of mixed cheese (Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmesan)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a pan, add the spinach. Cover and cook the spinach to wilt it. Once wilted, open and cook to evaporate any liquid.
Once cooled, chop the spinach and move to a bowl. Mix in the cheeses and season with salt and freshly cracked pepper.

Assembly of Ravioli

Roll out the dough on a well floured surface to as thin as you can. Paper thin is preferable (1/3 cm thickness). The thinner the pasta sheet the better the cooked ravioli would taste. However if it is too thin, then it would burst open while boiling. This is one of those hit and try method of figuring out the right thickness. But think paper.
Try to roll out the dough into a rectangle.We need to finally fold the sheet into half length wise. Next place teaspoon worth filling into one half of the sheet at equidistant spaces and cover over the other half to enclose this filling. Remove any air bubbles. I use a cookie cutter to cut them out into circles and crimp the edges with a fork.

Once made, let them dry out on a floured surface for 20 to 30 mins.


Creamy Tomato Sauce

1 tbspn olive oil
1/2 medium onion finely chopped
4-5 pods garlic finely chopped
3-4 medium de-skinned tomatoes chopped finely
1/2 cup tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste
Red chilli flakes
Oregano
1 cup cream
Grated parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a pan, add the chopped garlic and onion. Cook till onions are translucent. Add the tomatoes and puree. Cover and cook for 10 mins. Add the salt, pepper and other spices. Once cooked well, add the cream and grated cheese. This sauce really tastes divine!

Final Assembly

For final cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Put in the raviolis and let it boil for 2-3 mins. They will start to float when done. Remove and add sauce on top. Garnish with more cheese and basil.

Enjoy!

Coorgi Delights

Coorg is my absolutely favourite vacation destination. I am a jungle/mountain kind of person and this spot literally hits the spot!
Its green and untouched. Its full of coffee estates and people living lives I wish I was living! In a farm house tucked far away in a remote corner of the planet. Coorgi people are very warm and have a very rich culture. They are a warrior race (a lot of them still serve in the armed forces) and are proud of their unique heritage. Their food is divine. Here are a couple of recipes I learnt in 2009 during our maiden trip to Madikeri.

The beautiful winding roads

Paputtu

This is a breakfast idli type bread. Its slightly sweet and sumptuous.

Ingredients -
Idli rava - 1 cup
Water - 1 cup
Milk - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 tablespoon
Salt to taste
Grated Coconut - 3/4 cup
Cardamom seeds - 2-3 pods

Procedure -
If you don't have the pre-made idli rava, one can process 1 cup dry rice in a mixer to get the rava (think phirni type rice).
Wash idli rava, soak in 1 cup water for 1/2 hour. Mix the milk, coconut, sugar, salt and powdered cardamom seeds.
Pour the batter in an oiled thali or flat bottom plate with sides. Paputtu is shaped like a pie. Steam for 25 to 30 mins.

Kooru Curry

I am calling this kooru curry, but kooru is rajma. I am using lobhiya here. One can also use butter beans.

Ingredients -
Lobhiya - 2 cups soaked overnight and pressure cooked for about 20-25 mins
Onion - 1 medium finely chopped

For seasoning -
Oil - 1 tspn (We use a non stick hence the less oil, increase if required)
Rai - 1 tspn
Urad dal - 1 tspn
Curry leaves - 4-5

For paste -
Coriander seeds - 2 tspn
Coconut - 1/2 cup grated
Dry red chillies - 3-4
Garlic pods - 3-4
Black pepper - 1 tspn
Jeera - 1/2 tspn

Turmeric powder
Tamarind to taste
Jaggery to taste
Salt to taste

Procedure -


Heat oil in a pan, add rai, urad dal, curry leaves and chopped onion. Fry till onions are translucent. Add cooked beans, salt and turmeric powder.
Grind the ingredients mentioned under paste. Add this paste to the cooking pan. Add water to make a gravy. Boil till ground paste is cooked. Balance out with a bit of tamarind and jaggery to taste.

This is a popular meal in the household. Ajay loves the curry, Adrika loves the paputtu!

Coorg is indeed the Scotland of India. Its a breath-taking place where one can see a million fireflies dance about at night. It is one of those hidden gems. Here is to many more holidays in paradise.

Funfetti Cupcakes

Saturday mornings are leisurely. It's a half day for Ajay's college so there is no rush of packing up his lunch. This Saturday morning we enjoyed a bit of sunshine after days and days of rain. It's a glorious day! Time to celebrate with some dessert for breakfast!

Ingredients:-
Makes 6 large cupcakes

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tspn vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tspn baking powder
1/2 tspn baking soda
1/2 tspn salt
3/4 cup milk
confetti sprinkles

Procedure:-

Cream the butter and sugar till light and pale. I used a hand whisk (easier to clean!). Add the vanilla extract and the egg. Beat well till fluffy and light.
Add all the dry ingredients. Mix it in with the milk into a smooth batter. Add the sprinkles at the very end and do not stir too much for they start losing colour.
Bake in a 170C preheated oven for 30 minutes or till a toothpick comes out clean.

Chocolate Tart

This is by far the most decadent dessert I have ever prepared, indulge with caution!
Football fever has gripped the family. This was prepared for the opening night gala.

Ingredients:-

For the pie shell -
90gms unsalted butter cut into cubes
1 tbspn veg oil
3 tbspn water
1 tbspn sugar
1/8 tspn salt
150 gm or 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

For the filling -
300ml cream
2 tspn sugar
pinch of salt
250gm dark chocolate
50ml milk

Procedure -

The pie tart shell recipe is by my favorite dessert chef David Lebovitz. Here is the complete procedure -
http://www.davidlebovitz.com/2009/05/french-tart-dough-a-la-francaise/
Quick summary - In an oven proof bowl combine butter, oil, water, sugar and salt. Place bowl in oven for 10-15 mins till butter is bubbling and starts browning at the edges. Remove from oven and dump in the flour. Stir quickly until it all comes together. Transfer to a 9 inch pie shell and spread it evenly with fingers. Reserve small amount of dough for patchwork later. Take a fork and crimp sides and prick shell. Bake for 15 mins. Cover and patch cracks and bake for 5 more mins till golden brown. Let is cool completely before putting in any filling.

Filling was inspired by Jamie Oliver's chocolate tart filling.
For the filling, boil the cream, sugar, salt on simmer. Switch off and add chocolate pieces. Let is melt on its own, do not over stir or the cream would churn into butter. Add some milk to adjust consistency(want a soft serve type consistency). Fill into the baked cooled shell and refrigerate for 3 hours till set.

Here is our most ardent football fan -

Enjoy!

Bets in the house -
Me - Argentina
Ajay - Germany
Adrika - Don't understand what the fuss is about

Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Another visiting aunt and another gift bag! This time around using up the lip smacking dried cranberries.

Ingredients:-
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups instant oats
1/4 tspn baking powder
1/4 tspn salt
1/4 tspn nutmeg powder
3/4 cup dried cranberries

Procedure:-
Preheat oven to 165C. Cream the butter, sugars. Add in the egg and beat till light and fluffy.
Add flour, salt, baking powder, nutmeg. Add in oats and cranberries.
Bake for 20 mins or till golden brown.

Enjoy!