Our Kick out of Kayaking!

What better way to enjoy all that beautiful nature around us than on a boat?

Well, I was right and I was wrong!

It was a gorgeous day perfect for a spot of kayaking. We'd heard so much about it from our friends that we couldn't wait to give it a try. I was a wee bit skeptical when I saw the super slender kayaks, felt the cold lake water and realized that it was going to be a girls only and boys only team!

With the September sun's gentle rays caressing our backs and the wind playing peekaboo, we were initially off to a good start. Shriya kept pace and paddled as best as she could. First major hitch was turning the kayak's direction. A sudden gust of wind pushed our kayak to the opposite direction and I was finding myself far away from the banks. Shriya was absolutely unperturbed while I was already panicking. She continued singing like she was on some joy ride! Good Lord, how was I going to turn this thing and why O why do I get myself into these tricky situations! After a lot of hard paddling, wetting my sleeves and feeling icy water trickling down my arms, I finally managed to push the kayak around. Phew!

Next thing, I knew I had steered the kayak right into some rocks. We were stuck! The kayak wouldn't move. Luckily my gallant son came running to us, waded in and released us with a push.

More paddling and thankfully it was the Boys Team's turn. And that's when I began to really enjoy. 30 minutes of blissful solitude- simply watching the sun and sky and reflecting on all things nice.And of course resting my poor arms!

Not considering my lack of kayaking skills, it was a great afternoon! The Boys Team did very well and kayaked a long way into the lake. Vaibhav was incredibly good at paddling and imparting paddling advice to Mommy!

An absolutely new experience for all of us. Definitely will give it a thumbs up and another shot, despite my weak start!

Weekend Wanderings - Part 2

Poorvoo

Just about an hours drive from Helsinki,Poorvoo is Finland's second oldest city. Makes for a great day-trip as this picturesque place is all about history and timeless charm.

We made the trip on a cold summers day (we've had several uncharacteristic cold spells this summer...wonder what the winter holds for us!)and were actually thrilled that Poorvoo did not have a huge tick-off list. This is a place that's best explored on foot and at a very leisurely pace. There's a century old cathedral (where all the famous weddings apparently take place), quaint little shops selling antiques and candy and ceramics, a weekend market, narrow, winding cobble stoned lanes and of course the outstanding brick coloured wooden houses by the river (which served as warehouses centuries ago).

All we did was take in the spectacular scenery, enjoy a fabulous lunch, eat ice cream, window shop and spent an hour or so by the cathedral watching the flurry of weddings (and collecting the balloons that the wedding party was floating away). Unwinding at its best!

Watching the sun glint over the white cathedral left us feeling reflective. Soaking it all in with no particular agenda was very relaxing!In short, everything about Poorvoo's small town feel was oh so refreshing!

A different kind of learning!

It all started with Vaibhav's class spending the last few weeks learning about the food groups, hygiene and health. It was part of their unit of inquiry, where they usually take on a new subject every few weeks and basically juice it up till they've got the essence of all they need to know in that area. The class has been very busy getting first hand information from direct sources regarding food. They first visited the Hakkaniemi market hall and then it was off to the Fruit and Vegetable Packaging Centre and finally it all culminated in a Lunch sharing session this morning.

The kids put up a fantastic show and each of them spoke about their 'food experiences' these past few weeks and gave us tips and ideas on how to stay healthy. The parents had a bit of homework too! We had to send in a healthy recipe that our little ones enjoyed making with us along with some tasty samples to show and share.

The minute Vaibhav heard this, he said he wanted to make Chocolate Walnut Banana cupcakes. A recipe that he and his sister almost know by heart. We made a batch and I took the customary picture that had to be sent to his teacher and then Vaibhav told me that we could not use the recipe! " I just remembered that my friend is allergic to nuts and I want everybody to be able to eat the dish we take to share" !

Sigh, I loved his empathy for his friend but just wished it had come on a little sooner. Anyway, the Dad and sister were happy to have warm cupcakes for dessert and Vaibhs and I finally decided to take along Oats Potato Burgers. No dairy, no nuts and super healthy!


Vaibhav tells me that his friends loved the burgers. I was too busy to notice what was happening to our burgers as I was happily concentrating on the Korean Chap Jae (glass noodles) and Argentinian Cheese balls!

What a double treat it was- listening to all those sweet little second graders talk and laugh

while feasting on an array of delicious International delicacies. Eagerly looking forward to the second Food sharing session ...in March 2013!

Chocolate Banana Walnut Cupcakes
Ingredients
• ½ cup flour
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup of sugar
• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup melted butter
• ½ tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 ripe banana
• A handful of chopped walnuts
• ½ cup of Chocolate pieces


Method
• Heat the oven to 250
• Melt the butter, stir in the sugar and keep aside
• Whisk the eggs and add in the remaining ingredients
• Mash the banana and add it in to the above
• Add in the cooled butter+sugar mixture
• Grease a muffin tray and pour in the mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.

Tastes great warm along with a scoop of vanilla icecream

Potato Oats Burgers (big thanks to my mom for sharing this recipe and a lot more on oats)
Ingredients:
1. 4 mashed potatoes
2. 2 cups of oats
3.1 tbsp grated garlic
4. 1 egg
5. Oregano or any other spice
6. Oil for frying
7. Salt & pepper
8. Onions (optional)
Method:
Mix ingredients 1, 2 and 3 in a large bowl along with some oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Fry some onions and add to the above when cooled. Shape the mixture like patties, dip them in the egg and shallow fry in the heated oil or grill them.
You can arrange the patties on hamburger buns and add in condiments like mayo, mustard and an assortment of salad veggies.

Weekend Wanderings 1- Fiskars

We're trying to make the most of whatever little summer that is left. Saturdays are being taken up by classes and catching up with friends. So the last few Sundays we've been up early, maximizing on our weekend and playing tourist in our home country.

Fiskars

A cute little village is what it is. One clock tower, two restaurants and endless charm. It all started in the 1600s when the Fiskars Corporation started manufacturing iron and slowly built the business and went on to make the Internationally known Fiskars scissors (orange handles). The village used to house the Fiskars family (their handsome manor is still in great condition), all 60 employees along with their families, the factories and a Public House!It's now home to a bunch of extremely creative writers and artists. Its that small a place! But what is so appealing is the peace and beauty around. Its like a scene thats jumped right out of a postcard, all tranquil and lovely.But that's not all, its not just a pretty sight.Fiskars captures all the senses! There's a meandering river that slices right through the village which gurgles and gushes and tells the story of long gone years as it flows by.

We did this trip with friends which made it all the more fun. Kids had an entire hour of unadulterated happiness at the village playground followed by a leisurely lunch at

a restaurant by the river. A visit to the Fiskars museum, some exploring of the ancient steam engine that was apparently used to transport all the iron that was made in the village and then it was off to the local Farmers Market to sample home made goodies and stock up on the berries.


Fiskars Village makes for a wonderful weekend day-trip, if not for anything else then atleast to recharge the senses!

Indulge in Indian- Helsinki Times

Thrilled to have another article published in the Helsinki Times!

http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/news/index.php/eat-and-drink/3425-indulge-in-indian

Passion for Pedhas

Its nearly the end of the week! The sun is still shining bright, despite the fact that summer has been declared officially over! Work has been going well and I'm all set to start teaching Bharatanatyam (Indian Classical Dance), this weekend to a bunch of very passionate learners. Reason enough for a bit of sweet celebration?

I love food and I do love to cook. But I always get cold feet when it comes to Indian desserts. Sweets were especially made during festival times when the family 'chefs' were always around- mom or my aunt or my granny! And with these expert cooks taking over my kitchen to handle the desserts, I never really got the hang of making them. My range is very limited. I can precisely make 3 Indian sweets and am definitely more comfortable making a pannacotta than rolling out traditional polis (jaggery/dal stuffed thin pancakes).

The chosen dish was 'pedha', simply because both my kids love it with equal passion and have not had a chance to savour it these last 6 months. A milk-based dish it has several variations, consistencies and specifications. I trawled through websites for recipes and was alarmed at how many I found. Except for the main ingredient, ricotta cheese, the others are my brave additions:

250 gms of ricotta cheese
4 table spoons of condensed milk (depending on how sweet you like it)
2 table spoons of ghee
2 pinches of cardamom powder
2 tablespoons of finely ground almond powder

I heated up the ghee and simply added in the rest of the ingredients. I left it on slow flame and gave it a good stir now and then. After about 15-20 minutes, all the moisture evaporated, leaving behind a soft ball of creamy goodness.I patted them into little flat balls and pressed a pistachio on the top. Refrigerated it for half an hour or so to allow the pedhas to retain their shape.

The kids gobbled a couple of pieces yesterday and have packed a few for their snack at school today.

A very tasty, super easy, no complication Indian dessert that can be whipped up within half an hour! Yipee, my repertoire just increased and now stands at a grand 4!

Glorious, glorious food!!

The summer was packed with travel, good times, new sights and spectacular tastes!
For me, food is as much a treat to the eyes as is it is on the tongue! I can do without ambience but not without appeal. I have eaten in ramshackle joints but only because the food there was oh so inviting!

Every meal was a gastronomic delight- atleast to me and my son!We are the confirmed foodies at home. Whether it was the hand-made gnocchi that we had in a little alley in Trastevere, the flavourful pizzas that we lunched on in some remote suburb of Rome or just a snack of potato spinach croquettes outside the Vatican- they were all relished with equal and utmost fervour. I'll let the splendid food do the talking!

I am big on markets!Nothing does it for me than visiting a local market filled with fresh produce. I could possibly trace this 'not so common' love for markets way back to when I was a curious kid following my mother every Sunday morning through the farmer's market or 'Sandhai'(as we call it in Tamizh)in Madurai. The heat and haggling never bothered me. In fact, I think it added a certain charm to that rustic setting. So, I was thrilled, to say the least, to visit the century old market square in Budapest. I can easily say that it was the highlight of my Hungarian trip! The colours, the people, the atmosphere-they all told a tale!!I've always believed that a vibrant local market can teach us more about a country than its ancient ruins!The market house in Budapest was not even remotely similar to the humble 'Sandhai' that I used to frequent in Madurai. But the essence, tone and mood were all intact!