Craft Organization - Part 2

Well, I went out and bought a couple of plastic containers from the supermarket that ranged from ₹17 to ₹225 for the largest container (that had 38 compartments). I also realized I could use one like that to store my earrings and that's exactly what I did - I purchased 3 big boxes, one for my craft, one for my earrings and one for my daughters earrings too!! I emptied out the contents of my craft boxes and drawer on the floor and started sorting - papers in one pile, sequins in one and stickers in one...and so on, with the help of my kids (who sorted the pompoms by color and my other finicky little craft items) I manage to sort them out like this :
So now I have colored papers, shiny papers, scissors, ribbons, stickers, stick on flowers and other decoratives, stamps and punches all neatly placed in their homes...I no longer cringe at the thought of craft because its all neatly organized for me to work and clean up!! Hope you have a creative day!!

Craft organization

I'm a self proclaimed crafty (in the good way) person ! I love making stuff, prettifying stuff and reading about and collecting craft stuff ! Now that means I have a lot of stuff !!! I bought two storage bins to put my stuff in but it wasn't enough so I used a drawer that I filled with small craft objects like buttons and pompoms and icecream sticks - stored in takeaway containers that we get from restaurants...so you'd imagine that it looks amazingly neat...think again...it is one mess and each time my kids need something it all comes out on the floor and is stuffed back in the box !! Here's what it looked like before its makeover !!

Valentines Day Sweethearts !

In our home, Valentine's Day is not only about romantic love but we express our love in all forms including friendship! While the market is filled with ready made gifts we always take the time to make something that says "You're special" and "You're unique" - be it handmade greeting cards or gifts. This year I made sweet hearts for My Sweethearts !

Here is the recipe:

Pie crust pastry :

114 gms butter
225 gms all purpose flour
A pinch of salt
2-3 tbsp ice cold water

Usually the secret of melt in the mouth pastry is butter - half the quantity of flour ! I had about 112 gms of unsalted cooking butter in my freezer, so I used 225 gms of all purpose flour. You can increase or decease the quantity of butter and flour or substitute half wheat flour if you're health conscious! This made about 50 biscuits !

You could do this the old fashioned way by rubbing the butter and flour between your fingers till it resembles bread crumbs or just blitz it in a food processor like me ! When it resembles breadcrumbs slowly keep adding teaspoons of cold water till the mix turns into dough - don't over mix it! As soon as the dough clumps together make it into a round ball and wrap in cling film and rest in the refrigerator at last half an hour or more.

After it has rested, divide it into two and keep one portion in the fridge, working with one portion at a time, roll out till around 8mm thin using a little flour. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter cut out hearts and place on a baking tray (lined with butter paper if its not non stick). Place a small dollop of jam in the centre of each heart (I used raspberry jam) and then wet the edges of the heart with water and place another heart on top of it (this is important because it allows the top heart to stick to the bottom heart properly) Press down with your finger lightly and crimp edges with a fork. Gently prick the center with the fork to allow steam to escape. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 deg C for 15 mins or slightly brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar while warm. Cool and pack in an airtight container.

Share these hearts with your loved ones an have a Happy Valentines Day !

Recipe Organizing - Step 1

Ok, so I was all geared up for the challenge, I got all the recipes books that I own from various places in my home and plonked them on my dining table - and they looked like this !

Then I went through all the books and took out the books I wasn't likely to use - ever ! I could pass them onto someone who could - I managed to give away 3 and kept 60 !! Not exactly generous I know, but I'm quite keen on trying all the rest !

After sorting, I decided how to categorize them - now, you could make as many or as few categories as you like - I did Breakfast, Soups and drinks, Snacks, Accompaniments (rice, noodles, rotis, sauces and chutneys etc), Main Course & appetizers and finally Desserts - because I didn't want too many categories - but do what is comfortable for you!

Then in a spreadsheet I typed out the name of each book, the author, the category and left the book number blank (will explain) and also a column for notes - in which I can write any comments about the book! Then, I sorted the rows based on category type - so I had all the breakfast books in a row and the snacks and so on...I had some old labels that I stuck on the side of each book and used an OHP marker to number the books - so the breakfast books would be B1, B2 and so on and Snacks would be S1, S2 etc. This way each time I bought a new book, I would simply have to add it to the bottom of the list under whatever category it belongs to and there...you have your books neatly categorized !

Of course I used the help of my kids who found it very interesting and they even arranged all the books neatly according to number. Now, for the next step which is organizing individual recipes ! It is not as easy as this, I'm sure it will take some time for me to get every recipe out of my 60 books - but stay posted to see how it turns out !

Recipe Organizing

So you've rushed out and bought that latest recipe book by Sanjeev Kapoor and you go through the glossy pages, salivating at the sight of those beautifully pictured recipes and promise yourself that you will make these new recipes for your family - and two weeks later it's gathering dust with your other 50+ recipes books that you've been collecting. Sounds familiar? Or you decide to make that delicious chocolate cake, preheat your oven and put on your apron only to find out that you don't have cocoa or baking powder! - it happens to all well meaning cooks :) - so, I admit it, I too have a penchant for collecting recipes and have many books and it has now extended into the virtual realm, where I subscribe to food magazines online !!! But, seldom do I make use of those recipes and my meal planner for the week has the same old stuff on rotation...I've decided to create a system of organizing recipes and will begin today by sorting out my books first and then organizing them - and I promise to share it with you, so you too can get rid of grimy, dusty recipe books and awaken the Master Chef in you..

Meal planning made easy!

Well, I just showed you how to make a meal planner, now I will give you a few ideas how to plan - by showing you my meal plan for the week.. I usually sit down on Saturday with the kids and plan meals because they are a major factor in deciding what delicious gastronomy will be created the whole week! We start with breakfast - I give them both a choice of their fav breakfast and dinner - since they have lunch at school, I usually don't bother them with lunch decisions. So both kids will give me one option each which is usually something like pancakes or waffles! So we have two calorific breakfasts and five healthy breakfast in the week. Everyone is happy! We usually eat traditional Indian breakfasts that are healthy and complete like Poha, Idly, Dosa etc. I try to plan one Dosa day so I can use the same batter to make Uttapam or Appe (recipe later) on another day, two meals - one recipe!!. I also include one fruit (which I pack with their breakfast) and yoghurt cups as my kids are not too fond of milk and drink it once a day at snack time and one glass in school. I try to ensure they have 3 servings of dairy in the form of milk, curd, paneer or cheese. For dinner, they get to choose one meal and it's usually pasta or noodles - so the next 3 dinners are usually roti and curry or occasionally pulao or rice and curry. I try to include pulses and dal once or twice a week and vegetables in the form of curries and salads. We try to make simple salads that go with dinner. For snack time it's milk with a sandwich or French toast, or baked potato wedges. Usually something simple and non fussy. Cereal and milk is once a week or once in two weeks as I avoid the highly sugary cereal and give them classic cornflakes. Lunch is usually roti and curry or rice and dal and sometimes leftovers - which I consume the next day itself. Weekends lunch and dinner are usually left blank because inevitably we go out or friends come over so it's a last minute thing but hey 4 meals out of 28 is not bad at all ! :) I write down the groceries I have to buy accordingly in the "To buy list" to make sure I don't run out of them and I write down any prep like batter or dough that needs to be made in advance in the "To Do list" to make sure I'm prepared ! I usually browse my recipe books to try and find a new recipe to make, to keep my family happy and satiated! I keep it in mind and include it in the next weeks menu. I'm planning to make a recipe index an easy recipe reference, some day - that's another project :) I hope you can make your own plan according to your families tastes, keep everyone involved, not only will they feel happy but you will not have to worry about what to cook, you will have suggestions from your family and you can be assured their plates will be clean :)

Sanity in the kitchen - Meal planning !

How many times have you walked into your kitchen and opened your refrigerator, staring blankly at its contents, wondering what to cook for breakfast, lunch or dinner - or when your kids come home hungry from school..you reach out for a bag of chips or cookies, only to feel guilty later? I know I've been there many times ! I tried planning meals for the whole week - only to wonder what's the name of the dish under all that scribbling or finding out I don't have the ingredients to make that special dish I planned ! No more - I've figured out a way to meal plan and be prepared to serve my family healthy hot meals ! No more wondering, lots of time to spare and peace of mind at last - and I will show you how! OK - I made this planner but forgot to take step by step pictures but its relatively easy. All you need is some chart paper, sketch pens and ruler. Start by cutting out a comfortable size rectangle / square ( I used a piece of cardboard that came with a product around 12" x 12"). I drew a grid to write down the days of the week and 4 meals - breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner. The extra space I used for two boxes - "to buy" and "to do". My kids drew some eatables in the meal boxes and colored it to make it look pretty. I laminated the sheet to make it stronger and easier to clean or make corrections. Voila! My planner is ready! I use fridge magnets to keep it on the side of my fridge where it's easy to see and write on. I use a whiteboard marker or sketch pen, it wipes clean with a damp rag or duster. The picture of the planner is here, next I will share my ideas how to meal plan ! I hope this helps you in saving a lot of time and help you plan keeping your family's dietary needs in mind. Happy planning !