Blueberry Cup Cake

Yummy Blueberry Mini Cup Cakes

My Daughter wanted Cup Cakes for her class snack time and I knew Blueberries are a all time favourite with kids and I thought of making Blue Berry Mini Cup cakes for the tiny tots.

I picked the receipe from http://www.marthastewart.com/910478/blueberry-cupcakes and modified the receipe a little bit to suit my calorie intake by replacing the sour crwam with Mountain High Yogurt.



Ingredients:

 

For the Cake

•All Purpose Flour: 1 2/3 cups
•Salt: 0.5 tsp
•Baking Soda/ Soda Bicarbonate : 0.25 tsp
•Baking Powder: 1.0 tsp
•Butter Softened : 0.5 cups - 4 tbs - 0.0stick
• Sugar : 2/3 cup
•Eggs : 2
•Vanilla essence - 0.5 tsp
•Yogurt - 1/3 cup
•Fresh or Frozen Blueberriedberries - 1 1/2 cup


The Blueberry Cake

For the Topping

•Granulated Sugar: 6 tbs
•Dark Brown Sugar : 1/4 Cup
•Cinnamon: 1.0 tsp

 

Procedure:

•Preheat the oven to 375F . Line and grease a cake pan or tin that is 18cm/7 in square.Dust it with All Purpose flour. Line the Cupcake Tin with baking cups.

•Sift together  plain/all-purpose flour, salt , bicarbonate of soda/baking soda, baking powder.

•In a food processor, cream  softened butter until soft and fluffy and slowly add the sugar until well mixed Add the vanilla and the egg. Add in the Flour Mixture in 3 batched alternating with the yogurt.

 

•Fold in the Blue Berries.

•Make the topping: Mix together granulated and brown sugars and cinnamon.

•Pour the batter into the cake pan  or spoon in into the cupcake liners. Level the top . Sprinkle with Cinamon Sugar topping.

•Bake in the middle rack for about 15- 20 min for cup cakes and  25-35 minutes for cakes.Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached,. Remove cupcakes from tin, and let cool completely on a wire rack, till the knife comes out clean.

•Can be served with whipped cream/ blueberry jam and cream cheese frosting or just by itself with the cinamon sugar topping it tastes yummy and moist

Baked Fish - Salmon / Tilapia Fillets

Baked Green Fish Fillet with Fresh Strawberries

Its Holiday time and there was no dearth for parties and I found everyone talking about calories, dieting and eating greens. This made me think back and find out what I am eating. My love for cooking made me browse for some interesting baking receipes for entree. Fish is my favourite ingredient and I found a beginners baked fish version in a website . I tried the receipe with Tilapia fillet and the ingredients I had. I substituted some ingredients for the ones I didn't have and my husband and me  loved it right from the first bite. Now it has become a rage in my house to bake green fish.

I picked the receipe from http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-salmon-ii/ and modified the receipe to suit the ingredients I had and also my Indian palate. The receipe eveolved and it just has a hint of the original receipe.

 

Ingredients:

Spinach
Corriander Leaves
Garlic cloves
Pepper corns
Cumin Seeds
Salt
Lime Juice
Tilappia / Salmon Fillets

Procedure:

 

1. In a Blender prepare the marinade by blending Corriander leaves, Spinach, Garlic Cloves, Pepper corns, Cumin Seeds, Salt and Lime Jiuce. Coat the Fish Fillets with the marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of  1 hour, turning occasionally.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Place fillets in aluminum foil, cover with marinade, and seal. Place sealed fillets in the glass dish, and bake 35 to 45 minutes, until easily flaked with a fork.

Loopy Ridges Scarf - Crochet Scarf

The loopy Ridges at Regular Intervals

The Crochet bug got into me and I picked up quite a few books from our library. I had taken a liking for Scaves as I can use them in my dailywear as the climate had turned cold now. "Hooked Scarves" by Margaret Hubert had some interesting easy patterns to try from. One of them is the Loopy Ridges Scarf.

Rows of Loops give this scarf a trendy ruffled look, and is soft and warm. It is easy to crochet and has just single and double crochet. I used knitting worsted medium(4) yarn and size H hook. I choose a berry colour of Soft Red Heart Yarn.

The Pattern from Hooked Scarves is as follows :

GAUGE: 15dc = 4" (10cm) on H Hook.

SCARF Foundation Row: Ch 23. Starting from the 5th chain from the hook, work 1 dc in each ch (19dc), ch 1 , turn. Row 1: (WS)  Work 1 sc in the first stitch * ch 7, 1sc tbl in each of the next 2 sc, rep from * 8 times more, ch7, 1sc in the top of the tch, ch1, turn (10 loops). Row 2: Work Sl st in the first st, ch 3 (count as dc now and throughout),  dc tbl in each of the next 18sts, 1dc in top of the tch (20dc), ch 3 turn. Row 3: Skip  first dc, working on both loops , work 1 dc in each of the next 18dc, 1 dc in the top of tch, ch 3, turn. Row 4: Skip first dc, working on both loops , work 1 dc in each of the next 18dc, 1 dc in the top of tch, ch 1, turn.. Rep  rows 1-4 till the desired length is reached , end with row 2, fasten off. Weave in ends.

Its only Single and Double Crochet!!

 Now I am trying to find patterns  to crochet some beautiful flower doillies and knit my husband a scarf to go with his coat.

Crocheting- POTATO CHIP RUFFLED SCRAF

My Granny is a great craft person and this art runs in our blood and now even my daughter loves to do crafts and loves to see me doing crafts. My Granny used to crochet some beautiful placemats and has even crocheted a cell phone pouch for me. She had tried teaching me to crochet but during my college years I never found the patience to try it. Now I was so happy when I saw in our local Library "Fredrickson Library" having a beginers crochet class. I quickly enrolled myself in the class and with the guidance of Rita Gardener I learnt to crochet the basic stitches which can be a platform for me to explore further.

The Ruffles look pronouced as I had increased the number of rows

The Instructor showed a ruffled scarf and told that was one of the beginers project I jumped at the opportunity to try that project. I went shopping for yarn and settled for a blue/brown varigated yarn form red heart. The pattern is from LION BRAND yarn- www.lionbrand.com - Potato Chip Scarf. It is easy to crochet and has just single and double crochet. I used knitting worsted medium(4) yarn and size J hook. The pattern just had 4 rows. I added 3 more rows to made it more wider.

The Pattern from Lion Brand is as follows with my modifications

GAUGE: 13 dc + 6 rows = 4 in. (10 cm). BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GAUGE. When you match the gauge in a pattern, your project will be the size specified in the pattern and the materials specified in the pattern will be sufficient. If it takes you fewer stitches and rows to make a 4 in. [10 cm] square, try using a smaller size hook or needles; if more stitches and rows, try a larger size hook or needles.

 The brown with the blues make it more pretty SCARF Ch 143. Row 1: Sc in 2nd ch from hook and in each ch across – 142 sc at the end of this row. Row 2: Ch 2 (counts as dc here and throughout), turn, 2 dc in first sc, *dc in next sc, 2 dc in next sc; rep from * across to last sc, dc in last sc – 214 dc at the end of this row. Row 3: Ch 2, turn, 2 dc in first dc, *dc in next dc, 2 dc in next dc; rep from * across to last dc, dc in last dc – 322 dc at the end of this row. Row 4: Ch 2, 2 dc in first dc, *dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc; rep from * across – 431 dc at end of this row. .Row 5: Ch 2, 2 dc in first dc, *dc in next 2 dc, 2 dc in next dc; rep from * across – . Row 6-7: Ch 2, Double crochet in all the dc. Fasten off.FINISHING Weave in ends.

I was immensely happy with the end result and this scarf would suit 2 of my kameez. Now I am trying to find patterns to make headband for my daughter and also I would love to crochet some beautiful flower doillies.

  

 

Finger Puppets - 5 Little Duckings and Mama Duck

5 Little Ducks went out one Day.....

My Daughter's Fourth birthday was much awaited by my daughter and we wanted to have it with her friends. We wanted it to be a kids oreinted party and I choose a theme of finger puppets and worked around it. I searched for pictures and videos and finalized to do 5 little duckings and the mama duck for the finger play 5 little duckings went out one day, then 5 little speckled frogs, farm animals, ocean friends, 3 little pigs and the big bad wolf story. The finger puppets where liked by the kids and my daughter didn't get any. Now again I am making some for my daughter

Duckling

So here is my Five Little Duckings and Mama Duck. These are made out of yellow felt and hand stitched (not glued). Stitching makes it more strong and the kids can play as much as they want. The source for my ducklings and mama Duck is from a youtube video by expertvillage whose link I have posted below for reference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTLgDYBKS6E - Baby Duck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CeaPJb3z-w      - Mama Duck

Mama Duck called Quack Quack Quack

Viola - Quilled Beauty

The Pink and Yellow Beauty

Wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2013.  I had not blogged for quite a while ,as I was busy learning a lot of new art:  like crocheting, knitting , sewing. I had also quilled some more flowers and also sewn some more finger puppets. I hope to blog all my art work this year and  try my hand in new things.

Pansies and Viola are beautiful flowers to quill. This design is also from the book "A Guide to Quilling Flowers by Helen Walter". After sometime I had a chance to take this book to quill flowers again. Viola can be all in one colour, either pink or yellow or a combination, as in this quilled beauty.

The details - the tight yellow coil and the white crescent add more beauty

      


            Part                    Quantity                    Length                     Shape                   Colour

• Flowers                        2                       15cm                       Teardrop              Pink

                                               2                       15cm                       Teardrop              Yellow
                                              
                                               1                       20cm                       Teardrop              Yellow   
                               
                                               1                       5cm                        Crescent          White

                                               1                       5cm                         Tight Coil            Yellow 

• Leaves                         6                       20 - 40cm                Eye                       Green

• Stem                          1                        10cm                     Strip                        Green

                                             4                      assorted                   Strip                         Green         

                           

1. Glue the Pink Teardrop for each flower in the top and the yellow ones below the pink with their points all touching in the centre. Glue the white crescent and the yellow tight coil to the centre of the flower. Make 5 flowers.
2. Arrange flowers and glue them in desired position.
3. Add Stem
4. Glue in the Leaves.

With a frame painted by my daughter the piece is complete