May 06, 2009

Clicking Cookies, Strawberry Spring Cake, Carrot-Bell Pepper Rice and Summery Mosaru Vade.

Happy Mother's Day to all you sweet mommies, enjoy your Sunday! :)
Well....last week I told you I am planning for something special. Here it is! I know for most of you it may not sound THAT exciting, but for the first time in almost 18yrs after my kids were born and never leaving the husband for not more than a 5-6 days at a stretch in 20yrs, I am going away to have few weeks for myself alone, will tell you where I was when I come back!! Can you believe that? Great Mother's day gift for me for me from my family, can't beat it! YAY! See you in June! :)

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Christmas cookies:
I made these a year ago for Christmas, click on the title to get the recipe. Dough is the similar to sugar cookies but lighter with added red and green colors and sprinkled with color sugar to make them Christmassy. This is my entry to Bee's "CLICK-Cookies"(Links and logos are below).
Camera used is Sony Cyber-Shot 8-1 mega Pixels.

X Mas Cookies

Strawberry Spring Cake:
I am bringing this Spring cake to Meeta's Monthly Mingle! I used a recipe for a regular white or yellow cake and added fresh Strawberries blended to smooth puree instead of milk. Strawberry puree gives a very beautiful pinkish color to the cake and flavor is wonderful. I didn't feel like eating too much sugar, so instead of icing I just sprinkled some powdered sugar on top. You can't believe the aroma of this cake! Spring is here alright! :)

You need:
1/2 cup ( 1 stick) softened butter, 2 eggs, 1 cup regular white sugar, 1 tsp vanilla essence,
1 3/4 cups plain flour, 1/8 tsp salt, 2 tsp baking powder, 2/3 cup fresh red ripened Strawberries pureed.
Few sliced Strawberries to garnish which I forgot to save to decorate the cake! :D
You can also sprinkle 1/2 cup sweetened coconut flakes on top on the cake before baking but optional.

How to bake:
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a Bundt cake pan or any 9" cake round or square pan with no-stick oil or butter well and keep aside.

1. In a mixer bowl, beat the sugar and butter first until fluffy. Add in the eggs,mix. Then add in the vanilla.
2. Sift flour and baking powder, add to the creamed butter mixture and mix again gently on low speed until everything comes together.
3. Now, stir in the strawberry puree, beat until batter is well mixed and evenly pink. Pour into the prepared pan, tap on the kitchen counter to top get the bubbles out.
4. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven or until golden and skewer comes out clean form the center. Take it out of the oven, let it sit for 5mins.
5. Invert gently on the cooling rack. When cool, sprinkle powdered sugar on top to serve or you can use Vanilla icing.

Carrot and Bell Pepper Rice:
Here is a quick version of Tomato Bhath I make with added red bell pepper and Orange Carrots, which gives it a sweet and spicy taste. I usually buy baby carrots in a pack for using them quickly in Sambhar or Pulao without too much work of cutting etc. This time I found a few regular size organic Orangey Carrots, I peeled them slightly and sliced into 1/4" rounds to use them in this dish. It's quick to make, sauce can be made in the MW to mix with rice too if you have any leftover rice already. Here is my elaborate Tomato Bhaat!

To make spicy Veg rice:
Cook 1 1/2 cups of long grain rice with 1 tsp butter and water as usual, spread it on the wide plate and let it cool to separate the grains.

Microwave 2 Carrots, cut into round 1/4" thick pieces with 1/4 cup water and pinch of salt, 1 small Potato, peeled and cubed, covered in a bowl for 5 mins or until almost cooked and but not mashed, drain if you have any water left. Keep it aside.

Make the sauce:
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick pan, add 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp cumin seeds, let them splutter.
2. Add finely chopped onion, saute. Add 1-2 minced garlic and 1" grated ginger, 1/2 an Jalapeno, sliced, stir fry for 2 mins, and then add cubed 1 large red or any color bell pepper, 1/4 tsp salt. Fry for 2 mins or until they are soft a little, not too soft to keep the crunch.
3. Add 1/2 cup Tomato sauce, 1 tbsp Coriander seeds powder, 1/4 tsp or more chilli pd, 1 tsp MTR Rasam or Vangi bhath powder (optional) and 1 tsp Garam masala, mix and cook well.
4. Add Carrots and stir fry gently until sauce becomes thick, leaves the sides of the pan with oil shows up on top.

Mix with cooled rice:
5. When the sauce is ready, mix with rice, adjusting the salt. Serve with slices of Lemon, Potato crisps and a salad.
Tastes better after few hours when the spices get a chance to mingle.

Karnataka style, cooling Summer snack Mosaru Vade/South Indian style Dahi Vada:

Mosaru Vade is a Karnataka style Summer snack which literally means vadas soaked in yogurt in Kannada, one of my favorite snack to make and chill to have on Summer days. It's basically fried and cooled vadas soaked in Spiced Yogurt. It can be chilled to serve or served at room temperature.
I make it once or twice in Summer every year. Since it involves deep frying don't feel like making it often although I would love to eat Mosaru Vade. Sometimes I freeze some vadas for later use. When thawed and warmed in the Microwave, it's ready to go into the spiced Yogurt.

Make plain Urad dal vadas first without adding any onion, herbs etc. Recipe for vadas are here and here. Cool them before you add to the spiced yogurt. Here is the Rasa vada if you would like to try. You can make vadas in any shape like round vadas, vadas with a hole in the middle to make this Mosasru vade. Since they are soaked in the yogurt sauce, shape doesn't matter. If they are too big to soak in the yogurt, tear them into big pieces. To grind without adding much water, you can use either Sumeet mixer or ULTRA grinder or any grinder which is tough enough to make fluffy thick Urad dal batter. Some add hot vadas to a bowl of water, let it soak for few seconds and squeeze out the water to make it soft and then add to the yogurt. I don't do this, I just add to the yogurt and chill for few hrs.

Spiced Yogurt:
1. You need 6-8 Vadas for 4 people. Add whole vadas or tear them in to big pieces if vadas are large.
2. Take a wide mouthed deep bowl, add 2 cups of plain Yogurt (I use Dannon) and 1/4 cup water, beat well until it's smooth with no lumps. Add enough salt to taste.
3. Take 1/2" fresh ginger and 1 large garlic, pound in a mortar Pestle with pich of salt and 1-2 tbsp of water, squeeze only the juice to add to yogurt, mix.
4. Add seasoning and 2 tbsp finely chopped Cilantro. Mix well. Add Vadas, make sure they are immersed in Yogurt. Top the vadas often with yogurt to soak them well. Chill in the fridge as an option, delicious to dig into a cold snack on a warm evening sitting on the deck! :)
Season:
Heat 1tsp of oil in a pan, add 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds, 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, 1-2 sliced Green chillies or 1/4 tsp red chilli flakes, few curry leaves. Fry until they splutter, cool before adding to the yogurt, mix well. Adjust the salt and heat and thinness too, can add more yogurt if it's very thick.
When Mosaru Vades are soft and plump, serve scooped in a bowl with some of the Yogurt sauce on top.

Logos of all the events and link to event hosts, enjoy hosting girls! :)

X Mas cookies, goes to Bee's "CLICK-Cookies" event.
Strawberry Spring Cake, goes to Meeta's "Monthly Mingle #32-Spring cakes" event.
Bell Pepper-Carrot Rice, goes to Sanghi's "FIL-Carrots" event.
Mosaru Vade, goes to Priti's "Festive Food-Summer Treats" event and to Sweatha's "FIC-Favorite color" event which is started by Harini.
I am also sending Bell Pepper and Carrot rice, to EC for her "WYF-Quick meals" event.

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Tried and tasted from other blogs. My thanks to all of you ladies for posting all these delicious dishes, we all enjoyed them! (Click to enlarge both the collages)

Pesarattu, from Vaishali.
Spicy dal-Potato fry, from Subhie Arun.
Doi Dim, from Sandeepa.
Capsicum Peanut curry, from Supriya.
Egg curry in Milk sauce, from Aquadaze.
Potato Curry with Podi, from Cham.

A and N jodi of "Delectably your's" blog sent me a pack of their homemade spicy Rasam powder last week. It was very flavorful, lovely red color and aromatic. I made some Rasam for Idlis using this Rasam pd, it was super delicious. Thank you so much to both of you to take time to send it to me. Hope I didn't bully you into sending me some too N! Hugs to you! ;D

Movie I watched:

"Last chance Harvey"


Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson, both are excellent actors as you know, play the lead roles in this movie. Both are tired, hopeless and middle aged (old?), doing mundane jobs and caught up in routine lives in their own countries meet in London accidentally as strangers in a bar when Harvey lands there to attend his estranged daughter's wedding.
His daughter prefers her step father to give her away rather than him which makes him feel left out, skips the wedding, tries to leave London but had to stay back when he misses his flight and gets fired from his job in US as well, decides to make amends as his last chance after his daughter gets married by attending her reception
instead. He asks Emma Thomson to be his date on a whim to attend the wedding reception and what goes on after that is the story you have to watch. All goes well in the end, no tragedy here, so great movie to watch if you like the actors! :)

Guitar concert links:

Here is a photo and the video of Tushar's wonderful 8th grader Guitar concert with his classmates and his Technology teacher Mr.P who sang on that evening of April 28th, 2009. This is the last concert for all of them before they move on to High school this Fall. Videos are 3 1/2 mins long, had to cut it short to 1 1/2 mins upload there. It sounded much better in the auditorium than you see here in the video with my shaking hand holding little Sony camera and all! :P
8th graders did better than High school Guitar major students! Here is the video of the second song. Well...my son is the tallest at almost 5'10" and "super model skinny" 14 year old kid there, sitting second from left! He saw Hugh Jackman the other day in the movie. Now he wants to go the Gym this Summer to train with wts etc to have muscles like a mini "Wolverine!! :D

Sayonara for a while!
Here are each and every post from "Foodie's Hope" blog and all posts of "Aroma" blog from my recipe Index if you want to browse. I have updated few current events on the sidebar and will not be updating the rest until June 3rd. I will be not able to answer your question or email you back as PC is not available to me while I am away, Trisha will just publish the comments if any. If you do have any question, hold on to them until I come back please.

See you all later then, be good. Bye! :)

150 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh dear Asha!! just have fun, unwind and have a blast on your break...sending some well deserved girl time giggles your way!! hugs!!

sra said...

Go and have yourself some serious fun, person! I am a big supporter, and practitioner, of holidays, girl holidays and such stuff. Will look forward to reports of all the fun you had.

FH said...

Thank you so much sweeties! I truly have forgotten how to think, laugh and have fun for myself! About time Arvind became a "single parent" for a while, huh? ;D

jayasree said...

Ashakka, glad you are taking a break for yourself now. But you and your family will both miss each other. Enjoy your time with your buddy. We will miss your posts and your lovely comments too.

Love to have that bowl of thayir vadas. Cake and colorful rice are yummy too.

Happy vacation, akka.

Not sure if my previous comment reached you, if yes, ignore this.

Unknown said...

Tats great to spend time just for ourselves atleast at some point of time and what u hve is a real gift! Have a great holiday and be back soon to blogging :)

Soma said...

Asha I am totally with you going away alone!! Yaa for your decision & You Well Enjoy!!!! A well deserved bread & Happy Mother's Day.. Hugs to you..

I hear you for I have been married for 14 years, starting this life at 21, & since then I had no break, never any help from India even when kids were born.. & i do not blame anyone.. I am screaming a break, my hubby is ready to give me one, but my kids are still small.. one 3, i don't know if i can do it myself:)

that strawberry cake is something i need to do, for mine had flopped last year!

Hugs to you!! & enjoy yourself!

Priya Suresh said...

Ashakka have a fabulous time alone..Happy mothers day..Am drooling over the strawberry spring cake..Colouful bell pepper rice and refreshing masoru vade...love those colourful cookies..so yummm!

Anonymous said...

Hello Asha,
Happy mother's day to you too.Enjoy your break and come back soon.

shalini

Parita said...

hey asha..do enjoy your self and have lots of fun...very well deserved holiday dear...all the dishes look great as usual..cia :)

UjjU said...

Hey Asha! Enjoy your break & have a great mother's day. The cookies are looking too good, so colorful :) N mosaru vades should've been yummy! Wish if you could fedex them to me :(. Few more days n I'll have my MIL over here to make all those goodies. After you get back, blog maadi nimma adventure baghe :)

EC said...

Mosaru vadas are my favourite too...Thanks for the spicy and tasty rice variety for the event..Hope you have a wonderful vacation ..enjoy urself..

Gita Jaishankar said...

Happy Mother's Day dear :) Have fun with your friend! Its nice to spend some time just for ourselves with a close friend, I enjoy it very much. Take care :)

SJ said...

I know exactly how you feel. My mom left me (I was in 9th grade) my sis (who was in6th grade) with my Dad (who could make only Maggi) and went off to my native for some function. We were unhappy with her then- eating my dad's maggi is no fun! But now I understand how she must have felt- she was a homemaker, and her whole life revolved around kitchen, kids and husband. She definitely needed that break. You have a lovely break. Don't worry about your kids they are smart enough to take care of themselves :)

Nandinis food said...

Happy Mother's day! That's a real gift to have a good vacation! ENJOY! Your clickie cookie is fluoroscent and yummy! Love the (spring is here) 'imaginative snow' garnishing on the strawberry cake! Can I buy a piece? Just kidding! Carrot-bell pepper rice is flamboyant! Mosaru vadai....mmmmm......I'd like to grab the bowl! :D
I like Emma Thompson. She acts well!

A journey called Life said...

ohh sounds exciting! have a fun trip ashaji

Anonymous said...

Enjoy the time Asha..But when i read you,was feeling like am also moving away for a while and worrying bit..oh my,have all strength and enjoy the days ahead as i really believe what your friend commented is TRUE..Experience and do write..
the spread looks awesome as always..gone for bell pepper rice and mosaru vade..yum yum
Btw,great time for Trisha and Tushar in advance !!

Vishali said...

Have a nice time Asha dear! Enjoy nicely.

All the dishes are so delicious. Bell Pepper Tom bath looks so yum:).

Congratulations on Trisha completeing her High school.

And, thank you for trying Pesarattu. I am glad u liked it and appreciate the effort u take in putting everything on the site.

Okay then, Wishing you a very happy Mother's day in advance and a very nice holiday. Take care sweetie.

FH said...

Thanks to all you girls. You don't know what a comfort to read all your wishes and comments. I am a worrier, so my brain feels numb and sometimes I even think I made hasty decision to leave the kids, but then they are so much older now. May be they need a break from me too!:D

sj, I resented my mother too when she went off for 2 mnts to her mom's house in Summer every year!! Now I do understand! ;P

Soma, I feel for you too girl. I didn't have any kind of help from my family either when I had both my kids too, but coped well somehow. But never took time for myself tho'. It's hard when kids are dependent on you most of the time. Wait until they grow up a bit and take time to go away alone or just with your husband for a while. Hugs to you!:)

Purnima said...

Asha, this truly is a lovely Mother's day gift..don't think too much, just chill out! Lovely cake, Splending colorful CLICK, loved the spicy looking rice n Mosaru Vade! Collage yum- two bookmarked! :)
Congrats on the boy! Truly they hv done so well..liked the video! (Hey my bro 6.2" - height was after his 8th n it never stopped! :) Oh my nostalgic wt school days n growing phases!) Thks for sharing ur lovely food work n also for mentioning your vacation! Have a great time!! C u back next month!!

notyet100 said...

enjoy ur vacation and come bck chrged,,.:-)i knw how importnt it is to ave some me time for ourselves,...ve a blst,,.:-)

VIDYA VENKY said...

lovely recipes as usual...guitar concert was wonderful saw the video...have fun & njoy ur break......waiting to c u soon

Laavanya said...

I think it (the separation, that is) will be tougher on you than the kids and it sounds like they both are pretty mature and responsible so will manage fine. After the first few days, am sure you'll let yourself have some fun and not worry so much. It is sure to do you a lot of good :) Have a great time.

Those are some yummy dishes and mosaru vade is my all time favorite. The strawberry cake looks so moist & delicious.

Vani said...

Oh, you surely deserve this break, Ashamma! The kids will be fine (though I don't think you'll stop worrying about them!) Have loads of fun and just RELAX! Hugs to you!

Vikis Kitchen said...

So sweet Asha, but I m going to miss u a lot. U know what, I imagine u as one of my best friend Benitha Akka (whose girl's name is also Trisha... coincidence), I feel like yalking with u while reading ur lively posts.
Now I havent finished reading the entire post and links...but wanted to comment immediately.
Ur life style is some what similar to mine... me to have almost forgotten a person in me:) . Thats a wonderful idea to be with friends. Enjoy your vacation da. Have lot of fun . Eagerly waiting for ur stories when u come back.
Have a nice time and a wonderful vacation dear.

Sharmila said...

What a truly great friend you have Asha! All the best ... go ahead and have a great time!
So many years without a break makes me shudder ... all mommies are unsung heroes at the end of the day. :-)
Lovely spread as usual... especially love the vadas. :-)

TBC said...

Have a good vacation and enjoy your time away from the family without feeling guilty. :D

Finla said...

Yeah i know what you mean , we just take care of others needs and forget about us.
I am so glad tha tyou are taking the break for yourself, i am sure you will have a fabulous time, so stop worring and enjoy the trip.
Trisha stricter than you, poor tushar ;-)
I love that strawberry cake the most, will try to make them, just made a strawberry dessert with youghurt now.
We didn't had electricity from morning till now as they are working on the whol street.
I like the scond song much more than the first one.
Congrats to thushar.

bee said...

have a great time, and remember, when the cat is away, the mice will play. lol.

Pavani said...

Have a great time Asha, a girl definitely deserves a break. Waiting to see you come back rejuvenated and with lot of goodies. We are leaving to Sweden next weekend and will be back before long weekend. Its just a week but I'm excited that I dont have to worry abt cooking, cleaning or work. Have fun, we'll miss you too.

Bong Mom said...

Asha

I am so excited about your get away that I haven't checked the recipes yet. Have fun you girl. I haven't been away alone after kids either.

I am sure your kids will be fine and trust me they will enjoy for some days but by June 3rd they will be begging you to come back

Have loads of fun and I am as excited as you :D

Pooja said...

Happy Mother's day in advance to you :) You truly deserve a break and it has come at the right time too. Enjoy your trip and have loads of fun. I'm sure your kids would be able to manage on their own..esp your son coz as you said he would be free from Indian food for a while right..hehe..but also,may be that would make him crave for home cooked Indian food after a while!!

All the dishes are mouth watering. I love the addition of strawberry puree to cake..wow great flavour! Also the spicy yoghurt for vadas..yummy! The rice too looks tempting and the cookies..wow!

chef and her kitchen said...

Ashakka,Have fun and enjoy ur well deserved break/holiday..we will miss your valuable comments for our dishes till then..
Lovely rice and mosaru vadas..they r my fav too!!
Nice cookies n cake too..

indosungod said...

Have a great time Asha! Taking time off to be by yourself is good for the soul and body :) They will manage, they get responsible and behave themselves when we are not around. I am not talking about just the kids here.

Love those dahi vadais, they are the best.

FH said...

Thanks to all of you girls, I am tearing up already. Don't be so sweet to me Y'all, it's gets harder for me to leave!!!!

Bee, THANK YOU VERY MUCH! That made me feel even better!;D
Kids have exams for the next 3 weeks, so they better behave! As for the big Cat, he will know what I go thru' everyday (or NOT!!)!;p

Viki, hugs to you girl. Yeah, most of our lives run parallel and get caught in life without thinking for ourselves. Hope our families appreciate that in the end!:)

Ashwini said...

U r going on vacation.. thats good news.. have a wonderful vacation and time off from family...

lovely recipes once again!!!

suvi said...

that is one well deserved break Asha...have a blast and have lotsa fun! You will be really missed though...

Love love love your starwberry cake!

Thanks for trying the curry, hope you liked it.

Indian Khana said...

Enjoy your break Ashaji.....you sure deserve that ....and try not to worry too much..which you going to do anyway :P.....like the cookie and cake...looks yum..and thanks for the entry :)

Unknown said...

oh you lucky girl..enjoy yourself..cake looks yum..

Seena said...

Good Asha, now your kids have grown much, they won't need us in everything.Once my D was away from me for 3 days, she went to take part in some school youth festivals.I think it would be a great experience for them and us too.. a lesson for the future too.. :)
ok , enjoy and come back with more recipes.. :)

FH said...

Thanks girls, I will try hard not to worry and enjoy! :)

Hahaha! Indo, I know what you mean, desperately hope so too girl. I think it's good to be away for a while for everybody. Determined this time not to call or e mail too much!:P

Sandeepa, may be in few years when your kids are in 5th grade or so, do get away alone for a week. I think a short getaway should be mandatory for all mothers once a year. Regardless of how much we enjoy motherhood, we all need that break! :)

Happy Mother's day, enjoy.

Jaya M said...

asha,
enjoy your stay at your friend's place and more ,have fun there :))..after all sometimes mumma needs her well deserved break form her daily rotiines and obligations lol ...
happy mothers' day to you too..
hugs and smiles

saffronapron.blogspot.com said...

Hey Asha didi,
Happy mother's day.
Your post brought tears to my eyes. I thought of my mom who's been just like u all these yrs and never taking a vacation for herself. When i go to India this time, i'm planning a 2 week vacation just for her to visit her sister and enjoy with no worries.
You go and have fun. I would say that u should not feel gulity but happy.
Enjoy and our prayers for your family to be safe and sound when u are away.

FH said...

Thanks Jaya, I will! :)

Smitha, you make sure you do send your mom away to be with her sister for a while. I am sure she won't ask anybody for that "alone" time like I do but believe me she will appreciate it. I just decided suddenly that I should go away. I will try and enjoy fully!:)

kalpana said...

Strawberry cake sounds like a good breakfast idea for my son.Will surely give it a try.Mosaru vada looks yummmm!
Enjoy your time with friend! Have fun! eagerly waiting for your post about your trip :)

Cham said...

Time to have fun that is a real gift :)
Have a wonderful mOther's day!
The straw cake and vada is droolworthy!

Archy said...

Asha, enjoy ur break, have fun !!
Shall try strawberry cake for sure!!

FH said...

Kalpana, Strawberry cake smaeeled so good, try it! :)

Cham, I am so excited, I am sure I will enjoy. Thanks for the Podi recipe, aloo was so yummy!:)

sathya said...

Have a great time Asha, Thats a wonderful Mother's Day Gift.
Happy Mother's Day Dear :)

Varsha Vipins said...

Oh..Akka..have tons of fun dear..I am gona miss you..just got back after the trip yday..it ws soo much fun..:)still tired,n on break..:)
That rice n mosaru vada are super fab Akka..dying for that rice now..yumm.:)
Have a great great time,n enjoy a lot..I am sure Trish n Tushar can take good care of themselves..:)

Ramya Vijaykumar said...

Happy mothers day to you Asha, everyone of us definitely need time for ourselves, never taking a break always with the family is what we follow as a tradition for ages now... Well deserved vacation, have fun... Nice cookie picture... I was so yearning to have some moseru (thayir) vada, it was cold in the morning and then suddenly its so hot out here... Rice looks delectable all those together should definitely make a feast....

FH said...

Sathya, thanks, I sure will enjoy.

Varsha, good that you enjoyed your vacation, rest for few more days. Unpacking is the worst. I will see you in June. Hugs to you.

Ramya, I think so too. We mothers just feel too guilty leaving the kids and family to enjoy ourselves. It feels like I am doing something illegal !:D

Mahimaa's kitchen said...

yummy dishes.. love everything right from cookies to dhahi vada..yum.

Shivapriya said...

Delicious. I got lots of stuff from India. My Mil is here she came last week and my sis and family will be visiting us end of this month. Just took some pics of suff with post it soon.

Happy Mothers day dear!! Hugs

AnuSriram said...

Wow.. This is the best gift for mother's day... a break from routines! you must feel happy now! Have fun.. enjoy with your friend. TC.

Pooja said...

Have a great time Asha..Mouthwatering cake and colorful rice...Vadas are looking Yumm.
Happy Mothers Day!

Indhu said...

I love love the cake... it looks beautiful... and the vade looks so tempting...
Enjoy the well deserved break.. have a blast :)

Nandini Vishwanath said...

Have tons and tons of fun. I recommennd girl vacations every year :)

Men are useless. Let them be. I have a feeling :P only Trisha will miss you!

And YOU be good ;)

anusharaji said...

have an awesome trip sis
njoy the time
looking forward for the hawaii shots.

Vibaas said...

Happy Mother's Day, Dear Asha! Have a wonderful time with your best friend. Your son sounds so much like my first one about the indian food. I dont think he will miss indian food if i go somewhere :D

All entries are awesome as usual and i'm really wishing to have atleast half the enthusiasm of yours :)

Subhie Arun said...

happy mother's day asha akka....enjoy urself...if u got chance go thru this book eat pray love ...a woman search for eveything...quite interesting...

FH said...

Thanks girls, will see you all in June! :)

Anusha, Hawaii comes later after this trip, will post.

LOL! N, don't give up hope girl, they will come around eventually!;D

Subhie, will check that book. Thanks girl, need some books to read now! :)

Sreelu said...

Asha, Happy mothers day, have fun ,there is notin better than good time with girl friends.

KonkaniBlogger said...

Asha, take it easy and enjoy your well-deserved time to urself to the fullest. So sweet of ur kids to support you! Am goin to India too next week, so have a good summer and see you in August!

Pavithra Elangovan said...

We will miss ur posts surely and vadas is looking so good and cake too...Have fabulous time

Smita said...

Happy Mother's Day Asha! That dish is almost like dahi vada right??? It looks so yummy and the idea of crushing those ginger and all and just adding the juice is so different...haven't tried that before...

Lakshmi said...

Happy Mother's Day Ashakka. Enjoyy your time with your dear friend. Cake nodi bayalli neeru bartha ide, mosaru vade superagi kantha ide!

ms said...

hi asha,
im late but have a great mothers day! I suspect you will have more separation anxiety than your children :) enjoy your break,

ms

Mandira said...

Have fun and enjoy Asha... and happy mother's day to you too :)

amna said...

even before a break you are so meticulous. Have a nice one :)

Divya Kudua said...

Happy mothers day to you dear Ashakka..you seem to have got a great gift for yourself!!Have a great time with your friend and away from all those hustle-bustle,I'm sure you are gonna enjoy yourself:)..I'm sure Trisha can manage on her own and look after Tushar:)

Suparna said...

Hi Asha,
Back from my short break just yesterday,visitng Shirdi was a divine experience, we had darshan twice :) we also touredthe places around shirdi, shall post the snaps do take a look when u r back :)
Asha, am glad u are taking a break for YOURSELF u deserve it, u've been such a giver all the way!
kids will be just fine ...they'll surely missssssssssssssss u but from what I read abt them I think they'll understand it's Mom's day out ;) Enjoy the time with ur friend and freak out freak out freak out dearie.
Do let us know abt ur trip after returning.
TC

Saritha said...

Nice to know that u r taking a break,enjoy every minute of ur time and have a great days ahead
Lovely snaps of the cookies....

sob sob will miss ur sweet comments....

Unknown said...

Have a great time Asha ka!And love the cookie click!

accidental diva said...

As usual everything looks awesome akka. Btw have fun on your break..I truly believe there is nothing as refreshing as spending some quality time with girlfriends:):)

Meeta K. Wolff said...

i love cakes like this! simply fantastic and 100% fulfillment! asha dear thanks for the lovely entry! hugs!

FH said...

Thank you all, appreciate your support. I was feeling guilty already to leave when kids have exams etc but I can't take a break any other time, we will get busier again after I come back. Yes, I will enjoy and try not to worry! Hugs to all of you! :)

Ashwini said...

Wow..reading your post reminded me of my mother. She was just telling me over the weekend that all these years I was cooking and looking after you girls , now I am doing for your father. When will I get a chance to go away for myself or someone cooking for me. I felt really very bad. Even now she worries about us.
I feel all moms should take time for themselves and be selfish for sometime. Have a Happy vaccation. I know even though your body will be there your mind will be thinking about your kids.
Enjoy your time with your friend, chat,gossip,laugh,eat..Kids will be fine.

Nice post as always. Enjoy and have fun!!

FH said...

Ash, that's true! We all take our mothers for granted, don't think them as separate people. We love to see her when we come back home fussing over us and don't stop to think that may be she needs somebody to serve or fuss over her too. I am sure most of us don't do it on purpose but we all do it anyway :)

Tell you what! Next time you meet her, arrange some fun stuff for her to spend time with her sister or a friend and let her enjoy. I bet she would love it.

Yes, I will miss home but this time I am determined not to keep in touch too much and be VERY selfish!;D

anudivya said...

Look at all the amazing treats you have been cooking/baking up, and here I was basking in my laziness from my break.
Congrats to your daughter :)
I am off to check your other blog now...

veena said...

Hi dear ...wish u a very nice time ..just enjoy and come back with new recipes ...

FH said...

Haha! Anu, glad you dragged yourself here this morning! Enjoy there!:)

Thanks Veena, I will be back asap!:)

Recipeswap said...

Wow lucky bum your going on a good break......for some all girl time,I'm sure you are going to have a blast.How I miss my friends......and good old times.
We are off to SC for the weekend so I'm not feeling too bad.
Happy Mothers day to u too.
Mosaru vade.......awesome,been so long since I ate that.
Have a great time.
Hey I was wondering if u know any really good recipes for masoor dal.

Recipeswap said...

I worry big time too abt leaving her and going out anywhere....actually haven't gone for a nice dinner alone with N for almost 2 years now....
Ur kids are big dnt worry and dnt call them every two hrs to check on them ;)

Dalicia said...

happy mother's day! :) congrats to tricia i'm sure she will do very in UNC. have a nice break

Sakshi said...

Oh my am so glad to hear that you are going to a place where there is no computer...that sounds bliss to me already....What a beautiful mother's day gift you are going to enjoy!!

20 years you said...my..it's just 7 years and am already pulling my hair and everything underneath it off..Every weekend I boldly proclaim that am gonna take a day off and when my husband and son says happily yeah you can go and they start making plans for hiking and stuff I back off...

Great spread as usual and drooling over the strawberry cake...You enjoy with your buddy while we all will be missing your Wednesday spreads and books and movie reviews terribly.......

Tina said...

Hi Asha,

Happy vacation and have a truly wonderful break. You deserve it! But please remember that we will be waiting for your first post-vacation post!

Tina

Red Chillies said...

Ok, that is what the new is. YAY! Have a great time Asha, unwind and come back totally recharged. WE will miss you though.
I feel a lump, when Trisha says that her brother may cry when you leave. Just a Mama's boy isn't it?
Hugs to you and the kiddos.

The food as usual looks perfect.

Priya said...

Asha, the second part of the IAVW-Thai round-up with your fab entry is up. Do look at it if you get a chance before heading out on vacation. Enjoy!

ARUNA said...

Asha.....have loads of fun with ur girl-friend. All the dishes look amazing, especially cookies n the cake!!!

Enjoy ur break!!!!!!

Jamie said...

Have a WONDERFUL relaxing vacation! Who knows, maybe this is the start of a new tradition for you!

Yasmeen said...

You certainly need a break dear Asha,hope you have a great time away from home and kids.I'm craving for the cooling vade the most right now:)

Manju said...

enjoy and have a blast with your friend!!! :):) have tons of fun n dont even think about home :D

Sig said...

Wow, really? Never taken time-off from family, ever? You are in for a treat Ash, go have a ton of fun, do some girly stuff, drink lots and lots of pink drinks, get pedicures and facials and massages, talk and talk and talk till you drop and then talk some more... I know you are going to have a fabulous time!

Madhu's cooking gallery said...

Have fun!

love all your entries! they all look super delicious!

Uma said...

Enjoy your break Asha! Have fun! Happy Mother's day in advance and have a great weekend ahead.

The cake, cookies, rice, vadas all of them look soooo tempting and yummy :)

SMN said...

Oh my god.. thats really sad to hear but i guess u shud just take a break from cooking and do some other hobbies or hv fun being alone ashakka..

Well the very nice spread! and Happy mothers day to you hope u njoy and relish being alone and hv a blast when they r back
do njoy ur break

FH said...

Thanks girls, hugs to you all of you, will see you next month!:)

Jamie, I am hoping so too. If kids can take care themselves this time, may be it will the start of many "alone time" for me!;D

Keshi, thanks you sweets. Your comment accidentally got deleted, my apologies but I did read it. Hugs to you, see you next month!:)

Sig, she is Brahmin, a strict one at that, so no chance of pink drinks but we will talk a lot! ;D

Sush, I will enjoy. Thanks!:)

lubnakarim06 said...

Oh wow that sounds really thrilling....You going on a break and that to celebrate being you.....Wow....That's really a perfect gift...I think every mommy on this planet should get this gift....Have rocking time....I can picture you two on a couch ending up talking about kids....HEHEHEHEHE....Happy Mother's Day....

Chutneytales said...

Thats a nice thing to take sometime off for yourselves..have fun!My hugs to you :)
Lovely dishes as usual!

FH said...

KF, I try NOT to talk about kids surely! ;D

Thanks Madhu, see you in June!:)

Aparna Balasubramanian said...

Have been MIA for a little while and I go off on another break this weekend (with the family), though I keep threatening to take off on my own!
Maybe I shall do so one of these days.:)
Have fun and enjoy yourself. You deserve it. This is one mom talking to another! :D
Btw, love your cake and the cookies.

FH said...

Thanks Aparna, I will. Almost done with packing, doing the last minute things today so I don't have to think about stuff here once I fly out. Yes, hopefully this trip is just the beginning of many!:D

Kay said...

Sounds Awesome, Asha!! Enjoy your trip!

I tell, er...okay, threaten my DH once in a while that I want to take off somewhere alone, just for a weekend - exploring a new place onmy own, but haven't done it yet. You inspire me to just do it, one of these days. :)

I love the mosaru vade - low carb et al :) and incidentally I just soaked some extra urad dal (while soaking for idli batter) to make some vadai for tomorrow.

My DD will love that pink cake!!! She wants pink EVERYTHING!!! When she was one and half yrs old, she declared that she didn't want to get in the car. She wanted a pink colored car.

A journey called Life said...

ashaji.. sending u an award..see it when u get back.. btw i hope u r having fun

Unknown said...

Hi Asha akka...yummy delights..hugs

veggie belly said...

your christmas cookies are so festive looking!

Premyscakes said...

Hi Asha,
Have great fun!!
Asusual love all your entries.

Malar Gandhi said...

Hi Asha,

Though sounds like a weird Mother's day gift...at first glance...I can understand how it is. Yeah sure everyone deserves their own fun. Please, don't worry about anything. I am positive that Trisha could take care of everything! You recharge your battery and come back. Enjoy to the core, late night talks, giggles gossips...have fun, dear.

Cynthia said...

Happy Mother's Day!

Shionge said...

Hey Happy Mother's Day to you Asha and yes, I feel guilty when i have to be away for a few days too but don't feel like this.

We need to 'let go' and pamper ourselves sometimes, we need to be re-charged and to be able to take care of our family. So, enjoy and don't worry too much.

Take care.

Recipeswap said...

Thanks a ton for the masoor dal recipes,will let u know how it turned out.I hope u r having a good time.

Rekha said...

Enjoy your break, Asha, You deserve it...and of course, kids and hubby will be fine....chill out!

lissie said...

I used to be like you, but now I am a free bird! Enjoy yourself Asha, you really deserve this holiday...!

Sujatha said...

Have a wonderful time with your friend, Asha! You deserve to take a break for yourself.. I'm sure the kids will be fine, necessity will make people change :)

Waiting to hear a lot of fun stories from you after your come-back!

Belated Mother's day wishes!

mommyof2 said...

Have fun Asha! you deserve this time out:-)

Vanamala Hebbar said...

wowow mosaru vade thumba changi bandide :) always nice dishes..

Bhagyashri said...

Thats great Asha, you really should have sometime to yourself. Enjoy your stay with your friend. And I am sure you family is going to miss you a lot!

Cilantro said...

Nice gift for Mother`sday. have fun. I would like to know your experiences leaving your family...my daughter wants to go for sleepovers but for me it is difficult ,thinking she is too small. For me she is still a small girl. I think I cannot accept leaving her. We all need time for ourselves. I keep the first two hours in the morning just to do things I want and then carry on with my daily chores.

mommyscuisine said...

As I always say, asha "You are the best"

Sorry I'm rather late in commenting but hope you enjoyed mothers day.

Homecooked said...

Hey....have a relaxing break...but we'll miss you :( Come back with lots of tales to make up for the lost time ;)

Chitra said...

I've bookmarked carrot-bellpepper rice and dahi vada..Will try out soon and tell u:)all the recipes looks great as usual:)

Meera said...

Have fun, Asha! Enjoy your break.

snigdha said...

hi Asha, your kids r very sweet and honest. Yeah.. they will miss you for sure , BUT ... at the same time they will sort of enjoy ( oh.. yeah !! ) your absence. So, dear, have no worries ( another way of telling u r feeling guilty to leave them on their own )and enjoy your space and time with your buddy. Reminds me of how I used to stuff the fridge with all sorts of dishes before going on tours so that my kids n hubby did not have to bother about food .. but coming back, I always used to find a few stuff still remaining - reason ? Oh.. they also had their time .. eating out or ordering from outside.. though they (said) they missed me a lot and usually I got a warm welcome back - with hand-drawn cards and self-composed poems from my kids !! Ha, ha.
Have fun.

roma said...

your spring cake looks really delicious. Cakes are my weakness and this one is tempting.

Anonymous said...

OMG! Those masure Vada looked delicious!
I definitely need to make that trip down south!

Have w wonderful break!
Arun

Parita said...

Hello Ashaji...I know that you are on vacation but i have something special for you on my blog..pls check baked spinach koftas post whenever you get time, thank you :)

Sowjanya said...

Have a good blast asha. Hope you have fun.

saffronapron.blogspot.com said...

WHen u get back to check out my blog.. Have something for u in this link
http://saffronapron.blogspot.com/2009/05/roasted-bell-pepper-soup-and-something.html

hv jn4 rnfvju hn fjmv nvtrngjv cftmgkivj mt said...

Dear Asha, have fun and come back rejuvenated. We have sort of settled in the new place. I read you comment in my page about visiting Ontario and I would love to have you here.

Suganya said...

Hi Asha....
Lovely set of recipes once again. U really rock... YUM!

Srivalli said...

OMG Asha...thats a big collection of recipes and a bigger collection of event list you have..:)

nice dishes you have this week..hope you are enjoying your break and a very happy mother's day to you!...sorry I am late in coming to wish you here..

see you soon!

Srivalli said...

OMG Asha...thats a big collection of recipes and a bigger collection of event list you have..:)

nice dishes you have this week..hope you are enjoying your break and a very happy mother's day to you!...sorry I am late in coming to wish you here..

see you soon!

Rajesh &Shankari said...

Enjoy your break Asha!

Le @HC said...

Enjoy your trip!!

Chitra said...

Miss ur posts and comments in my blog :( enjoy ur break and have a fantastic day!!

Lisa Johnson said...

I hope you're enjoying your vacation! See you back here next week! ; )

Gattina Cheung said...

oh my buddy Asha, your kids are so mature, and really want you have fun even they definitely miss you a ton! Have a super great trip Asha!
And your bell pepper rice looks excellent... you know what I am going to do :) thanks for always 'feeding' me :D

Finla said...

Hey Asha, hope you are back from your holidays, and i am looking forward to hearing the expirience.

Navita (Gupta) Hakim said...

Hey Asha its "ur" time now...have fun dear!! n yes do update on wht all u did?

take care buddy

Subhie Arun said...

hi..there are something waiting for u in my blog..pls do accept it..thx

Usha said...

Have lots and lots of fun, will look forward to your posts when you get back :-)

So So Simple said...

Hi Asha
I hope you are having a wonderful break and lots of girl fun...Hope the family is coping, I'm sure they will. You have been a good tutor.Once again some inspirational cuilinary ideas from you. Always a pleasure to read your blog
Cheers

A journey called Life said...

Hello Ahshaji.. hope u had a lovely get away.. im waiting for ur recipie tomm.. anyways the reason for me writing to u was 2 give u 2 awards
one here- http://aparnarajesh.blogspot.com/2009/05/awards-just-dont-stop.html

and one here- http://aparnarajesh.blogspot.com/2009/05/im-very-very-very-happy-me.html

Mona said...

Hope you are having fun :)

Finla said...

Knock , knock are you back :-)

Unknown said...

Asha, you did the best thing! I hope you had a good time. Lovely dishes...I have to try that mosaru vade soon.

And what luck! today is the 3rd of june, and I welcome you back with a tag. Come over to The Keybunch, and see what you have to do.

Sharon

SS said...

Hope u had a nice trip. BTW i tried ur strawberry spring cake and it was delicious.And we finished the whole cake the same day.

FH said...

Thanks for trying the cake SS. I LOVE the flavor of Strawberries in anything, cake specially tastes great! :))

nina said...

Hi,

I have been following your blog(you are doing a good job:))but unfortunately i dont have an oven to try out your wonderful recipes(cakes,breads..)..Can you recommend me any good brand?could you please tell me which brand oven do you use?

Thanks in Advance

FH said...

Nina, thanks girl. I have GE Profile oven which is new when I got my kitchen remodeled. So far, I am happy with that. My older oven was GE too! :)