One charcoal stick..........

I saw this picture in the newspaper one day and I had my inspiration....out came the box of charcoal sticks I had been hoarding, and I set to work..I had never drawn with charcoal before, nor had I seen anyone draw with it....



So with the thrill the picture inspired and a charcoal stick, I drew my picture, which when finished did not look anything like the original...but I like it....and that's what matters!!!!

M-seal craft

I start out with one thing, and eventually end up with an entirely different product from the one I had envisioned...that goes for both my cooking and craft experiments....I have rarely had to complain about the end products...so now-a-days, I just have a general plan in my mind, and improvise as i go on.

I had gone to a craft workshop where they were showing how to decorate earthen pots with flowers made of M-seal. I have had better luck with palydough or clay...but m-seal flowers(delicate ones) were not my forte....So I just gave up, gave all my attention to the procedure, got the pot home and decided to try my luck in a more relaxed environment...

The process was thus:

Immerse the pot in water for a few hours..it is porous and so would drink a lot of paint otherwise. let it dry

Prime the whole surface and a bit inside the opening with a mix of PVA glue and water (ratio
1:2). Keep it to dry

Shape the m-seal flowers, vines etc and stick on the pot surface according to individual tastes...

I was not happy with my flowers, so I made it into a Ganesha...

Glued the figure onto the surface of the pot.(Used fevicryl glue)

Painted the whole thing black.

Decorated the edges and highlighted the Ganesha with gold paint...

And I am happy with the results...

I would like your comments on the same.

Roast Chicken - my way

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I know it is quite perverse of me to post this recipe just when we have to keep away from poultry due to the spreading bird flu hereabouts!!!!



But this is also another way to enjoy a dish I had made some time back....great memories!!!



Chicken - 1 whole dressed and skinned.



Curd - 1 Tbsp

Ginger garlic paste - 2 full tsp

Pepper - crushed - 1 tsp

Lime juice - frm one lemon

Butter - 1/2 tsp softened to room temperature (or 1/2 tsp oil)

Soy sauce - a dash

Salt to taste



Mix all the ingredients and make the marinade. Thoroughly cover the whole chicken inside and out, in the marinade. Keep for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Stuff 1 onion cut into quarters, 1 sliced tomato and some pieces of a celery stalk into the cavity.



Add 1 tbsp of water to the pressure cooker, layer the base of the cooker with onion and tomato slices (it adds to the flavour and prevents the chicken from sticking to the cooker)



I added other veggies like potato , and carrots and pressure cooked the chicken. Turn off the stove after two whistles, wait till the pressure drops and take the chickn out. In a non stick wok, add 1 tsp of oil, spread it well, remove only the chicken and brown it( about 5mints each side should do.) Keep the chicken on a platter.



Empty the veggies and the stock in the wok and reduce the liquid till it is thickened. Arrange the veggies(also tossed in a Zuchini at this point) around the chicken and pour the liquid over the whole.



Enjoy it hot.









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