DIY Kid Puzzles

DIY puzzles in 4 easy  steps!

1) Cut any picture or photograph that will interest your child. (My little one loves cars, so I just cut out this advertisement that was dropped in my mailbox)

2) Paste this picture onto a thick sheet of cardboard- the ones that come with packaging are great!

3) Draw some lines/curves that divide the picture with a thick felt pen. Make sure the number of pieces that you cut up the picture into is suitable for your child's age.

4) Cut along the drawn out lines to make your puzzle pieces!

Great way to keep your Coriander fresh.. and beautiful!

Simply cut away the roots till you are left with clean stems at the bottom. Fill a large cup with water  and dip the stems in. Leave it on the kitchen window sill. Thats it!.. Not only do they look beautiful and fresh, its easy to just pluck some leaves off, while you cook and they really last long this way!.

Don't waste those Turnip leaves!

I hate to waste food!. So, the other day when I was cutting up a turnip, I wondered if there was anything I could do with those leaves, without throwing them in the trash. So, I did some research online and sure enough, there were many suggestions for cooking turnip leaves. I selected one easy recipe, and threw in a few of my own ingredients and voila!, I got a really neat salad. 

So what did I do? First I just sauted finely shreded turnip leaves in melted butter. Once they get cooked, they get a lovely rich green colour and a weird taste. Next I seasoned that with salt and pepper, genorously sprinkled. Next I added this to a bowl of shreded carrots, cucumbers and paprika. Lastly, I drizzled an organic herb dressing and some sundried tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, on this. Yummy!

Paneer Pudina Curry

So, here's the first of my "experiments" at cooking in Germany!. I remember a few years ago, friends used to call my house the "lab", because I would make them sample all my home cooked recipes for ideas and opinions.  Anyways, I have come a long way since the days of the "lab" (hope).

So I had some pudina (mint) and some paneer that I had got at the Indian store in Stuttgart over the week end. That was the inspiration to combine the two!. I searched online for a paneer pudina curry recipe. I came across some starter recipes for tikkas but no gravy recipes.

My experiment begins with first preparing a base gravy, with some standard seasoning- jeera, red chilies  For the base i used onions, tomatos, pudina, almonds, cashews and peanuts.  After some shallow-fry cooking of these, I ground them all into a paste. In some cooking butter, I sautéed the paneer cubes. When they were done, I added the gravy base. Ten minutes later, I was done!. Tastes lovely with chapattis!

Kitchen Cabinet Cures

Remember the time when we were kids.. we always had grandmoms and moms fussing over us when we got a cold or loose motions or whatever..they always seem to have a cure for everything.. in their kitchens!. If you happened just to sneeze.. thats it.. they would rush off to the kitchen and cook up some concotion.. that what barely palatable.. but voila!.. it worked!

As adults, we never get those privileges. Now we wait 2-3 days (just like that.. doing nothing) for the cold to disappear.. then if it doesn't go away as scheduled.. pop in some OTC(over-the-counter) cold tablet.. wait.. wait.. fill the wastebasket to the rim with dirty tissues .. and then..finally.. heave a sigh of relief when it does go away.

Ever wondered what that good ole' home remedy contained..? that secret recipe passed down from mothers who got them from their mother's mothers' etc..?

Well in an effort to preserve these "kitchen cabinet cures" before they get lost forever.. i collected some and listed it down here for all to see.. here goes..

• Got a nasty cold?.. fret not..drink hot ginger tea every 2 hours.Or sample some hot veg/chicken soup (with extra pepper and ginger flakes). Hot milk with honey/ginger/pepper/turmeric also works well.
• Sore throat?... try salt water gargles and hot milk with turmeric.. works like magic.
• Boils bothering you?..make a paste of atta (wheat four) and milk and apply it regularly. Also, use a hot iron  on a hanky and press the hanky on the boil (the heat dissolves the boil).
• Loose motions?.. make a paste of poppy seeds and sugar and swallow it (don't try tasting it!).
• Burnt yourself while cooking a meal?...place a raw potato peel on the burn.
• Wound /cuuts?..apply haldi (turmeric powder).
• Burping troubles/ Excess Gas?..try a mixture of saunf (fenel), rock salt and jeera in water. also massage the abdomen and apply a hot water bottle to the area.
• Acidity?.. time tested recipe- buttermilk; also..banana.
• Had a meal that you suspect will make you throw up soon?.. no problem .. chew on some cardamon pods.. my mom swears by this.. she carries a box a cardamons on every trip.
• Cramps?.. Place the affected part on a iron/steel object!.. I really don't know how this works .. but it does// try it yourself..
• Hives?.. rub a brass ashtray on the part (as bizzare as it sounds it works!).. also kokum water.. applied on the part.
• Joint Pains?.. mash freshly cooked hot rice into a poultice and massage on the part.(superficial moist heat therapy).
• Toothache?.. dip a cotton ball into clove oil and apply on the part (only on the affected part). Also alum works just as well.
• Prickly heat?.. sandalwood paste in milk works llike magic.
• And this really tops my list of bizzare home remedies..a juice made of maize leaves can cure kidney stones!.. and my aunt swears by it!. and so do some doctors too!