rice- Recipes for Akshara

3/4 cup rice - 2 cups water
1/2 cup rice - 1 1/2 cups water

Spinach - Recipes for Akshara

frozen chopped spinach
steel pot, let spinach defrost

one green chile,
salt
puli
turn stove on
cook for 10 min
cool it
put it in mixi and blend

Fish Fry - Recipes for Akshara

boneless salmon or tilapia
tilapia-
defrost in water and bowl
cut and clean

salmon-
clean with vinegar

chili powder
manja podi
salt
black pepper
lime juice

and put in fridge
use fish fry bowl
fry with vegetable oil (less then 1/2 pan)
high heat

Daal ~Recipes for Akshara

1/2 cup thin daal washed
2 cups water
put in charlie the crockpot 

high temp- 2 hrs 
-1 1/4 hrs it turns soft put
-turmaric (less then 1/4 tsp)
-chili powder (less then 1/4 tsp)
-salt (pinch)
-garlic powder (sprinkle)

low- 4 hrs
2 1/2 hrs it turns soft
^same stuff



after cooked
add two leaves curry leaf, and ghee

Moist Chocolate chip Muffins

ngredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
• 3/4 cup superfine sugar
• 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Special equipment: Muffin tin with paper muffin cases

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, sugar, and 3/4 cup of the chocolate chips into a large bowl. Pour all the liquid ingredients into a measuring jug. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together, remembering that a lumpy batter makes the best muffins. Spoon into the prepared muffin cases. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips on top and then bake for 20 minutes or until the muffins are dark, risen and springy.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Fluffy and moist Lemon poppy seed muffins recipe , perfect for a summer picnic .


Ingredients

1 & 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter ( softened )
2 eggs ( separated )
1/2 cup sour cream or buttermilk or yogurt
2 tsp grated lemon zest
2 tblsp lemon juice
2 tblspn poppy seeds
1 tsp vanilla essence

Preparation ~ Preheat oven @ 35o degrees. Line 12 muffin pan with liners .
In a medium bowl stir the flour , baking powder , soda , salt , lemon zest and poppy seeds.
Beat the sugar and butter until creamy . Slowly add the egg yolks one at a time and beat well . Add the flour mixture alternating with sour cream in 2 additions. Add the lemon juice and vanilla.

In a separate bowl beat the egg white till peak forms . Gently fold the egg white to the batter . Pour into muffin pans and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let it cool for 5 minutes.

Verdict ~ Always use fresh squeezed lemon juice. Tried with buttermilk couple of times , but sour cream renders an excellent fluffiness.

Blanco Lavender festival

Couple of weeks back I was checking out books from our local library and happened to notice this book " The unlikely lavender queen " by Jeannie Ralston . Got really surprised to know that Jeannie and her husband were the pioneer in growing Lavender in the Texas hill country. As a true Lavender lover I got really hooked on to the book and finished it within couple of days. Later that week I came to know about the Lavender Festival in Blanco and made sure that I'm not going to miss this year's festival .

Some snaps from the festival

Hill Country Lavender farm