Cran-Cashew-Almond-Raisin cookies

This is another item that our friends requested recipe for! My mom, my husband and myself tried our hands with this one! It's pretty easy to make and can be used with a variety of nuts and dry fruits. This can also be made in bulk and stored for about 2 weeks in air tight containers (provided they are not gone....;)

Ingredients:

Yields 60 cookies.

• 2 cups soft butter (microwave the butter in a ceramic bowl for 30 seconds to 1 min to soften the butter)
• 6 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup turbinado sugar
• 2.5 cups regular sugar or organic sugar
• 6 tablespoons grounded almonds
• 1/2 cup cranberry
• 1/2 cup raisin
• 1/2 cup cashews
• Few drops of vanilla or almond essence (without alcohol- available in Trader Joe's)

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Combine all ingredients and thoroughly mix them and make it into a dough.
• Roll the dough into small balls and press them flat onto a baking pan with an ungreased cookie sheet. (Alternately, can also use just the baking pan but remember to grease it with butter or oil).
• Bake for 12-15 minutes or until golden around the edges of the cookie.
• Allow them to cool outside before removing them from the cookie sheet.
• Offer the cookies and serve!

Tip: Since the cookies will flatten out further while they are baking, it's better to leave out 1/2" space between them on the cookie sheet.

Please let me know your comments once you have tried them!!

Ekadasi Tikkis

During Ekadashis we are supposed to fast and constantly think and chant about Lord Krishna.  We usually fast from grains and beans and take fruits, milk, peanuts, sago (javvarisi), upma etc.

Tikkis are one more thing that we can offer the Lord and honor during Ekadashis.

Cooking time: 10 mins.
Prep time: 15 mins.
Makes for a family of 4.
Ingredients:
Boiled, peeled, mashed potatoes - 3 or 4 medium size
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp.
Salt - as needed
Chilly powder - as needed
Dry mango powder - 1 tsp
Dhania powder - 1 tsp
Jeera Powder - 1 tsp
Olive Oil - for shallow fry

Mix all of the ingredients and make it as a thick bonda like batter.  Make round, flat 2 inch diameter patties and place it on the pan.  Add little oil to the sides.  After 3 or 4 minutes turn it over and cook the other side. About 3 or 4 can be made on a small sized pan at the same time.  The tikkis should be golden brown when you take it out.

Offer it to the Lord, cool it and serve with coriander chutney or mint or tamarind chutney of your choice.

Stree Dharmam guidelines

I found this stree dharmam (rules for women) as laid out by Dharma Shastras on an online site.  I wanted to share the link so that all women can get benefitted.  We can follow whatever is possible and pray that we get the capacity to follow in the path of dharma as much as we can.

Link below: http://anudinam.org/2013/07/01/stri-dharmam-guidelines/

Many people may find that these are not very practical for the current state of living, but if we take a deep look and observe, the society is undergoing so many transformations and modernizations but ultimately that only adds to stress inside.  If we try to follow our dharma as much as it is laid out, we can find that inner peace and harmony develops.

I will also try and do a translation of this as time permits in English.

Blissful blueberry bars

Writing the blog after a really long time....tried something new a couple of weeks ago after my family picked some berries - blackberries and raspberries from a nearby farm.  Here is a sample picture...

My kids love blueberries and since we have a lot of these picked, I tried some blueberry bars from a recipe that I found online.  My family and many of my friends liked it a lot.

Without further ado, here is the recipe for all my dear friends.

Prep time: 15 - 20 mins.

Cooking time: 28 mins.

Ingredients for the base:

All purpose flour - 3 cups.

Organic cane Sugar - 1.5 cups

Baking soda - 1/2 tsp

Grated lemon peel - 1 tsp (optional)

Butter - 2 sticks ( equal to 1 cup) - cut these into small pieces 

Yogurt - 2 table spoons

Ingredients for the filling:

Fresh blueberries - 12 oz (Frozen might also work fine)

Organic cane sugar - 1.25 cups

Water - 1/4 cup

Corn Starch - 3 tablespoons

Grated lemon peel - 1 tsp (optional)

Vanilla - 1/2 tsp or a few drops (use one without alcohol).

Steps to make it:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Mix all base ingredients well into a very coarse crumb mixture.
3. Butter can be in crumbs to give the final texture.
4. Set aside 2 cups of this mixture.
5. Place the remaining mixture into a 13"*9" pan and spread them over, pat them.  
6. Bake this for 8 minutes.  At the end of 8 minutes you will see that these have become like shortbread.
7. While it's baking, you can prepare the blueberry filling.
8. Mix all of the filling ingredients into a saucepan and cook for 15 minutes in medium heat.  Stir it a few times in between to ensure that these don't stick to the sides.
9. The consistency should be like a jam and easily pour-able on to the baked short bread.
10. Once the shortbread is done, pour the filling, even it out on the whole surface.
11. Sprinkle the remaining set aside mixture onto the top of this jam layer.
12. Bake at 350F for 20 minutes or until golden brown layers are formed at the side.
13. Cool it, offer it to Lord and then enjoy!

Note: After you cool these for 2 hrs or so, these can be easily cut into different sizes.  These can be made in stored for 4 or 5 days.

Please try this and let me know how it comes out!

MahaPeriyava's Aaraadhana...

Today is Maha Periyava's Aaraadhana....smarane sukham....humble pranaams to His lotus feet....for His teachings, role modeling, instilling Bhakthi and Divine guidance....

Some amazing interviews with Maha Periyava's devotees are here:
http://sageofkanchi.weebly.com/devotees-experience-with-mahaperiyava.html

Dhirga Ayushmaan Bhavah -- what is the meaning?

When Periyavaa was giving darshan, four or five Vidwans who had come for darshan, were sitting on the floor.

In the course of his conversation (with the devotees), Periyavaa asked them, "When Bhaktas do namaskaram to me, I bless them with the name ‘Narayana, Narayana’. What do you people who are samsAris say for blessing?” 

"We say, ‘[b]dIrgha AyushmAn bhavaH[b]‘; only that is the custom.” 

"What does it mean?” 

"Remain in saukyam for a long time’ is its meaning.” 

Periyavaa asked all the Vidwans present there, one by one. Everyone said the same meaning. 

Periyavaa remained in silence for sometime. Then he said, "The meaning you all said is a wrong one.” 

The Pandits were taken aback. Everyone of them was an accomplished  Vidwan, and had earned the Siromani title. 

For the Samskrta Vaakyam ‘Dirgha AyushmAn bhavah’ even those with a little knowledge of Samskrtam can tell the meaning. Such simple words! Yet Periyavaa says the meaning is wrong? 

"Shall I tell it myself…..?” The Pandits sharpened their ears. 

"Of the twenty-seven Yogas, one is named AyushmAn. Of the eleven KaraNas, one is the called the Bhava. Among the week days, the Saumya Vaasaram falls on a Wednesday. When all these three–on a Wednesday, the AyushmAn Yoga and the Bhava KaraNa–occur together, that day is said to be shlAgya. Therefore, if these three occur together, whatever good phalas would be got, I bless that you may get all those fruits…” 

All the Vidwans got up together and did namaskaram to PeriyavaaL.

Courtesy: http://sageofkanchi.weebly.com

Ten commandments for leading life...by the one and only Maha periyava

Read this in a blog and wanted to share here:

1. One of our duties as human beings is to avail ourselves of every opportunity to do good to others. The poor can serve others by their loyal work to the country and the rich by their wealth to help the poor. Those who are influential can use their influence to better the condition of the lowly. That way we can keep alive in our hearts a sense of social service.

2. Man by himself cannot create even a blade of grass. We will be guilty of gross ingratitude if we do not offer first to God what we eat or wear – only the best and choicest should be offered to Him.

3. Life without love is a waste. Everyone should cultivate "Prema” or love 
towards all human beings, bird and beast.

4. Wealth amassed by a person whose heart is closed to charity, is generally dissipated by the inheritors: but the family of philanthropists will always be blessed with happiness.

5. A person who has done a meritorious deed will lose the resulting merit if he listens to the praise of others or himself boasts of his deeds.

6. It will do not good to grieve over what has happened. If we learn to discriminate between good and evil, that will guard us from falling into the evil again.

7. We should utilise to good purpose, the days of our life-time. We should engage ourselves in acts which will contribute to the welfare of others rather than to our selfish desires.

8. We should perform duties that have been prescribed for our daily life and also be filled with devotion to God.

9. One attains one’s goal by performance of one’s duties.

10. Jnana is the only solvent of our troubles and sufferings.

Hara Hara Shankara! Jaya Jaya Shankara! 
MahaPeriyava Ki Jai!


Courtesy: http://sageofkanchi.weebly.com

Cereal mixture (chevda)

This quick and easy snack can be made in 5 min! Very healthy and tasty! Let me know how it comes out!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cereal (Special K strawberry is what I used)
• 1/4 cup pottu kadalai (roasted bengal gram or split besan)
• 1/4 cup roasted groundnut
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/4 cup slided almonds
• 2 tbsp Amchur powder (mango powder) - according to your taste
• 1 tbsp turmeric powder
• 1 to 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp Asafoetida
• A few curry leaves
• 1 tbsp ghee

In a big pan, add the ghee and roast pottu kadalai, ground nuts, sliced almonds, curry leaves for 2 -3 minutes. Then add the cereal, raisins and roast for 2 -3 mins. In the meanwhile, add the spices according to your taste. Ensure that the spices have mixed well with the rest of the ingredients. Switch off the stove and let it cool. Offer it to the Lord and then enjoy!

Our calendar of weeks and months

There are a lot of things that we follow or used to follow but these have just vanished in these modern times...but I like to get answers to why those were followed because I honestly believe that there IS a reason behind our everyday practices.

Read this on an article by Sri Sri Ravishankar (AOL Founder) and found this to be very interesting!

Question: Why are there 7 days in a week and 12 months in a year throughout the globe?

Sri Sri Ravishankar: It started in the Vedic time in India. The zero, seven days, and twelve months were first given here in India. Then Egypt copied it from India and from there it went all over the world.

In India, there are seven major planets. Though we name nine planets, two of them are shadow planets of the moon that don't exist. So for each planet one day was given. For the shadow planets they allotted one and half hours of time every day instead of allotting them one whole day, so it fit very well with the cosmic calendar. (That is how we have Rahu Kaala and Gulik Kaala.)
They formed the connection between the microcosm and the macrocosm. And they said the Earth completes one circle around the Sun in twelve months and then they divided it. This was done some thirty to forty thousand years ago, or may be even more. Nobody knows.

Bhagavan -- the Life saver

This morning I wanted to do some preparations for cooking so I added little oil and mustard seeds in a heavy bottom pot. My 4 1/2 month old started crying so I went upstairs to add 1 more layer of clothing to him. In the meanwhile I forgot that I had something on the gas stove :( But I smelled something and thought I can switch it off...

But when I came back to the kitchen with the baby, I saw fire coming out of the pot and I didn't know what to do. I switched off the stove and turned on the fan. But the fire flame was becoming bigger and bigger. Then the fire alarm went off, the smell spread to the whole house and I panicked. I called my husband who was working upstairs and he brought the fire extinguisher to gush the flames. Our neighbor came and checked whether everything was ok since the smell spread outside as well. Thankfully the lid was half closed and flames didn't spread too much except for inside the pot and the lid.

We were saved only by the Lord's grace and infinite mercy and it's not an exaggeration. If the fire had spread rapidly, the situation could have been worser especially with a very young baby. Also my husband was working from home this morning and is scheduled to travel soon. Thankfully he was also here at home to help out as I wouldn't have known how to fix this situation with a baby in hand.

Lessons learned:

• While cooking, focus only on cooking. Don't multitask.
• Switch off the stove if needed and then turn it on when you can focus.
• keep a fire extinguisher handy and open all the doors, windows to let the flames go out.

The lord has been very merciful to us on many, many occasions and prevented us from experiencing so many accidents not only on the road but even at our home while doing all the household chores. The only gratitude we can show is to constantly remember Him and chant His Holy name and serve Him....

Guruvayurappa Krishna neeye thunai!