pumpkin

Not only do they look nice around the house, pumpkins make me think about how kind Krishna is to living beings, how perfect He has created and arranged everything for our well being. What's neat about pumpkins and similar foods such as butternut and spaghetti squash is that they have a long shelf life. That means fresh vegetables to eat even during the cold season without the trouble of drying or preserving them in some way. They just need a cool dark place for storage.

Pumpkins are rich in vitamins, too. They are delicious prepared in various ways- pies, cakes, soups, even cookies. Perhaps the nicest way to prepare it, though, is the simplest. Just cut the pumpkin into slices and roast in a pan with a little ghee.
Another way is to put larger slices in a pan of water and steam before adding salt, pepper and butter.
It's easier than how I used to do it below:

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 small fresh pumpkin, seeded and peeled and cut into chunks (or the pumpkin may be prebaked at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes and then cooled to make cutting easier. By cutting it into large sections and not baking too long, it should turn out less mushy)
• 4-6 T butter
• salt
• 1/2 t ground black pepper
• 1/4-1/2 t nutmeg (optional)
• water
• salt

PREPARATION:
1. Melt the butter, add pepper and nutmeg and the pumpkin. Stir on medium to high heat a few minutes, coating the pumpkin with the butter and spices.
2. Add a little water and cover and cook pumpkin on high heat about five-ten minutes (longer and with more water if the pumpkin is not prebaked) until tender. Add salt and offer. Serve piping hot with parathas on a cold morning.

KRISHNA CONSCIOUS CARVINGS
For those who like carving pumpkins, here's one our artistic son-in-law carved last October:

Jaya Jagannatha!

Waste Not; Want Not

For me it's a lot of fun- a hobby even (or maybe its due to my being the progeny of a concentration camp survivor)- to find ways to reuse, recycle and repurpose every day items.

VEGGIE SCRAPS
Instead of throwing out the leaves and or stems of various greens, cauliflower, cabbage, etc., they can be chopped very fine and added to soups! Takes longer to use them up and therefore is a good way to stretch the food budget

WRAPPING PAPER
One example is the paper for these wrapped gifts. It came from the lining of large bags of flour in a temple kitchen that ordinarily get tossed at an astounding rate. The paper got new life when it was decorated with splatters of holiday colors and topped with silvery snowflakes (made from sour cream inner seals).

UNUSUAL BOOK ENDS
Google image search sparks dozens of ways to reuse and repurpose various items, even the unusual like brand new license plates that were not needed (an old man fell asleep and totaled our truck). With a little bending they make suitable book ends. They can be spray painted and then decorated with acrylic paints or left as is.

OSMOSIS

Got some wilted celery, lettuce, carrots  or coriander in the refrigerator? Well, as long as its not rotting, you don't have to throw it away. They look that way because they are dehydrated. To rehydrate put them in cold water for about an hour or two,  shake off excess water and then put back to the refrigerator whatever you are not using right away. Things can be revived this way, via a process involving osmosis.

Now... if I could just get those wrinkles out of my face...

EMBROIDERY FLOSS DISPENSER

I found a way to reuse empty dental floss dispensers. I peeled the label off and removed the innerparts. Then I rolled up some floss to put inside. Each color can get its own compartment. That way they won't get tangled and there's a little cutter on the top, too!

SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS

These used to be spice containers, but got repurposed for the dinner table. The glue under the labels was super tough, which is what would probably discourage most people from removing them, but after soaking overnight a razor quickly finished the job.

STORAGE JARS FOR THE CUPBOARD

These were soaked first to remove the labels. Some labels are tough, so a razor may be needed after peeling off as much as possible by hand.  If the glue is really stubborn, dab vegetable oil on it and then rub vigorously with a terry cloth. Wash in warm soapy water after the glue is removed.

REUSED BLANKET FILLING

The outer cover was badly torn. First the filling was well washed and dried, and then a new patchwork covering sewn on made from durable fabric odds and ends.

WOODEN SPOON MAKEOVER

Wooden spoons used in cooking inevitable get burned. When this happens, a sharp whittling knife can be used to trim off the burnt part (not shown in this picture) and produce an almost new cooking spoon to continue using rather than throwing away. And speaking of burning, kids can have fun wood burning designs on the handles.

REUSING PLASTIC LIDS

These can be used as a embroidery hoop or frame. The top lip of a large tub of sour creams was cut off along with the inner portion of the lid itself. Snap back together to form the hoop with the cloth in between.

framed artwork, fun craft for kids

HAT MAKEOVER

Unraveling the top yarn and binding off, an ear warmer was made and the unraveled yarn was used to crochet a decorative flower. Instructions are available on YouTube.

JAPA BEAD REPAIR 

Simple beeswax can be melted and poured into cracked beads which acts like a superglue when it hardens.

MAKE STUFF FROM STRIPS OF CLOTH

Rag crochet hot pad:

Rag weaving. To sit on, sleep with (make more blocks like it), cover something or use as a kitchen mat...

 

REUSING PAPER ALREADY WRITTEN OR PRINTED ON VIA COLORED MARKERS

Got junk mail? Old or useless books? Or any piece of paper already written on will do. 

Tossed and Found

When it comes to furnishing a home, what's your style? A popular one is eclectic which means mixing and matching items from many different styles. For a devotee it also means depending on Krishna to send stuff our way.  In that case, it is fortunate to live near an alley in which pieces of furniture may be found abandoned by neighbors, and with a little Googling (especially image search), new ways can be found to revive otherwise homeless pieces.  Below is a sampling:
 

This drawerless dresser got turned into shelving for art supplies. To look more like shelves, the middle portion of each shelf had the middle piece removed that drawers once slided on to. Bulk containers were added instead. Some graffiti was removed via a gentle scrubbing with baking soda.

These two shelving units appeared at different times and finally ended up paired together on a table top in my sewing corner for storing sewing and crafting supplies. The lamp on the top shelf to the right was also broken somewhat, but turned upwards, still gives good lighting.

This chair had its crumbly, musty stuffing and a torn cover removed. It was re-covered with a cozy blanket instead.. It used to have worn looking wooden armrests and leg coverings, too, but it was decided- to save time- to do without them in the final result. It was quickly claimed for a student's desk.

 This chair found its way into the kitchen, along with a new seat cover that matches the kitchen curtains. What's especially nice about the chair is that the seat is removable from latches underneath it, so the cover fabric can be easily changed at whim.

This ottoman just needed a good dusting and a little wiping and sun baths before making it to the bedroom. It not only makes good extra seating, but has a storage compartment inside when the top is lifted off- something a small child may be fascinated by.

Krishna kindly provides, so that like the spider that sits in its web, one can patiently wait for stuff to show up instead of wasting valuable time hunting it down. Also we learn to "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without" (a conservation motto during WWII)

And by Krishna's mercy, it usually takes only some cleaning and creative loving for found pieces to get functioning again.

SB 2.2.5: "Are there no torn clothes lying on the common road? Do the trees, which exist for maintaining others, no longer give alms in charity? Do the rivers, being dried up, no longer supply water to the thirsty? Are the caves of the mountains now closed, or, above all, does the Almighty Lord not protect the fully surrendered souls?"

paratha

This looks like the stuffed version, but its not and its quicker to make. Super simple for breakfast along with jam, chickpea stuffing and so on. Often made with ghee in the dough and folded to create flakiness, but i discovered its unnecessary for one in a hurry. A lot of times, I just grab from the fridge available chapati dough which can be cooked like a paratha just as well (just less flaky, so maybe I invented something new like a chappara?).

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

salt, as desired

1 T ghee (opt.)

water (start with 3/4 c)

ghee for frying

PREPARATION:

1.  Add salt and rub the ghee into flour if used.

2. Add enough water until a semi soft dough is formed. Start with 3/4 c, add more if needed. Humidity and other factors affect final result. Also, keep in mind that the dough softens more from sitting awhile before cooking. Knead well and leave aside covered for at least 30 minutes.

3. Roll out like chapatis and cook on one side in a cast iron skillet until bubbles form. Drizzle a little ghee on top and flip over (cooked a lot like a grilled cheese sandwich).

4. Cook on other side a few seconds until brown spots form, drizzle on a little more ghee and flip over once more. While cooking the paratha will puff up and you can press down with a spatula to aid the process. Remove from heat and cover with a kitchen towel until ready to offer.

There are videos on YouTube for more help (the folded, flaky kind here). Some use a tava or wok shaped pan, but I just use a cast iron griddle and get good results. These are really worth learning to make and become super simple and quick with practice. Although some call a paratha also a chapati, to my knowledge a paratha is made by using ghee or oil, while with a chapati, a little butter or ghee may be added at the end of cooking it over a separate flame. Also chapati, roti and phulka are basically the same thing, just the words are different according to region, I suppose.

muffins or sweet bread

Many variations may be had by adding things like mashed banana, blueberries, pumpkin puree, chopped various nuts, peanut butter, carob chips...



whatever you are in the mood for, but here is the basic recipe with walnuts and raisins added:

Preheat oven 350 degrees.
INGREDIENTS:
3 c whole wheat flour
1 1/2 c organic sugar
6-8 T ghee or melted butter
1/4 t salt
1 t cinnamon powder (opt.)
3 heaping T yogurt or sour cream (or use a generous dose of whey or yogurt whey)
1 T baking powder
handful of coarsely chopped walnuts
handful of raisins
water

PREPARATION:
Whisk all the dry ingredients together with the ghee or melted butter.
Add yogurt and enough water to make a semi thick batter. Stir lightly.
Bake in muffin tins or baking pans for 22 minutes or until firm to the touch or a toothpick comes out of the centers clean.
Offer one to Krishna piping hot in a bowl and pour cold milk over it.

BANANA BREAD
As noted above, add bananas and scoop into a baking pan rather than muffin tin to make a banana bread. I use less sugar if they are very ripe sweet bananas and maybe a little nutmeg...and usually skip the raisins...Otherwise it is basically the same recipe.

WANT TO OFFER SOMETHING EXTRA SPECIAL?
Bake some banana bread. Slice into serving portions.Top with generous portions of whipping cream and sliced bananas!

MORE In the rare case of leftovers, here's a link to homemade breakfast cereal.

vaadas

Protein packed urd dahl is used here. I like serving these with rice for a hearty breakfast.

INGREDIENTS:
1 c urad dahl, cleaned, washed and soaked overnight
2 c yogurt
water
cayenne
1/4 t hing
1 t salt
ghee for deep frying

PREPARATION:
1. Drain and pulse grind with water in a blender the soaked urd, a little at a time, adding water and scraping down the sides with a spatula until smoothe.
2. Add more water if needed to get a batter that falls very slowly from your hand.
3. Add hing and salt. Mix well to make fluffy.
4. Form into balls and drop into hot ghee. Deep fry until golden brown and crisp. Drain on a towel.
5. Add to yogurt a couple dashes of cayenne and salt and a little water if thick since the vaadas will soak it up. Stir well then fold in the fried vaadas

whole wheat sauce

Many variations of spice and vegetable combinations can be used with this basic veggie sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3-4 T butter or ghee
• 1/2 c atta flour
• 2 1/2-3 c water, depending on desired thickness
• ground black pepper
• salt, as desired
• cooked vegetables, your choice ( pictured above is broccoli, spinach and paneer also works well)

PREPARATION:

1. Saute the flour in butter about ten minutes to get the raw taste out.
2. Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a separate pot.
3. Gradually stir the boiling water into the lightly toasted flour; stir well with a whisk to get the lumps out. Add more water (it can be cooler) until you get a gravy like consistency. Your vegetables can be a bit watery, too.
4. Add your cooked vegetables and salt and pepper and stir well.

VARIATIONS: Make the sauce as a vegetarian gravy with a tad of molasses and serve with large slabs of tender paneer for a devotional Thanksgiving meal.

avocado milk shake

Ewww. That's what people have said when I tell them this smoothie was made with avocados, but after they taste it, its a different story:

INGREDIENTS:
4 c fresh whole milk
1 1/2 very fresh and ripe avocados, no browning
1/2 c organic sugar

PREPARATION:
Put all in a blender and blend until smooth.

Since this beverage has a green tint, it'd be nice to offer on Lord Rama's appearance day!

Simple Wreathe

Since one's home is a little Krishna temple, it is nice to decorate it for His pleasure and for the pleasure of all who enter there. Here's a simple wreathe idea to grace an entrance way this season, made from whatever is easily available.

MATERIALS
pine needles
small pine cones
wire
hot glue or craft glue
white tempera paint
ribbon
grand kids (optional- to splatter on the paint)

PREPARATION

The wreathe pictured here was made from pine needles and cones gathered nearby. The wire is from the long twistie ties (like around bunches of spinach or broccoli) available from the supermarket. The paper is first burned off of each one.

1. Shape the pine needles into a wreathe while binding them securely with the wire. (It may be helpful to wear gloves unless you don't mind being pricked by the needles a bit.)
2. Glue on pine cones as desired (Hot glue or craft glue is desirable. I didn't have anything but some leftover papier mache paste and....amazingly it worked. They've been stuck on there for weeks now). Then lay the wreathe on a large newspaper and splatter generously with white tempera to imitate snow.
3. Finish with a ribbon and a piece of wire in the back to hang with.

Most recent wreathe here.

What's Cool About Hot Milk

Found this article on whole milk. It's about time milk stops getting a bad rap, and it should be added that refrigerated milk is also in an unnatural state. The best way to take milk is to boil it first, with a little natural sugar (or a little honey after boiling). Boiled milk becomes light and is easiest to digest, and the sweetener slows down digestion to aid absorption. Also Indians are famous for adding varieties of condiments to their hot milk for further health benefits (or according to any ailments to aid in healing power). A favorite in our house is ground cardamom powder.

To derive the many benefits of taking milk, therefore, there's a whole science to discover from the Ayurveda which also calls milk an elixir, an all around healthy food that aids in the development of one's spiritual consciousness.

INGREDIENTS:
4 c whole fresh milk, preferably unpasteurized
2 T sugar
1/4 t cardamom powder
1 heaping T of sweetened whipped cream(opt.)

PREPARATION:
1. Combine all the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil three times.
2. Garnish with a dab of whipped cream.

VARIATIONS: There are many. A favorite is to add 2-3 t carob powder per cup of milk (and a little more sweetener if desired). Whip the carob with a little milk smooth in a blender first, then add it to the remaining milk in the pot along with sugar. Makes a fantastic breakfast drink on a cold morning. Other additions to experiment with include dates, ground roasted cashews and coconut flakes.

potatoes

Here is helpful advice from a package of potatoes about "handling potatoes":

• Store potatoes in a cool, dry dark place with good ventilation.  A burlap bag (such as a rice bag from the Indian grocer) works well to keep potatoes dry and ventilated.

• Don't refrigerate potatoes- doing so converts some of the potato's starch to sugar.
• Don't wash potatoes before storing; it speeds up development of decay.
• Don't expose them to direct sunlight, this turns them green and makes them bitter.
• Scrape away sprouts or green spots prior to preparing.

And here are a few of the many ways to serve them:

STIR FRIED POTATOES

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 potatoes, chopped
• 3 T ghee
• 1/8 t hing

PREPARATION:
1. Heat the ghee in a skillet until very hot.
2. Add the hing and few seconds later the potatoes.
3. Stir fry the potatoes on high until lighty brown and crispy.
4. Lower the heat and cover until tender.

BAKED POTATOES
INGREDIENTS:

• potatoes, preferable medium to large size
• ghee or butter
• salt
• black pepper
• sour cream (optional)

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Select potatoes of equal size, if possible.
3. Rinse potatoes
4. Prick skins several times with a knife to allow steam to escape and prevent bursting.
5. Arrange on an oven rack.
6. Bake for 1 hour or until soft when poked with a knife.
7. Split each potato open. Add ghee or butter, salt and pepper. Sour cream is also nice.
8. Offer hot

PAN ROASTED POTATOES

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Wash, dry and slice potatoes into 3/4 inch rounds. 
3. Rub a generous amount of ghee onto the bottom of a skillet that has a tight fitting lid.
4. Rub the slices of potato into the ghee both sides and arrange on bottom of the pan
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other favorite like roasted ground cumin or Italian seasoning
6. Put a lid on and bake 25-30 minutes or until tender (Best not to use glass lids, if you want them to last longer.
7. No pan with a lid? Try a cast iron skillet or other bakeable pan (lids are optional)

Offer hot

BOILED POTATOES

vegie soup for the soul

INGREDIENTS:
3 c assorted vegetables: celery, cauliflower, potato, carrots...chopped into bite size pieces
water
3-6 T melted butter or ghee
1/8 t hing
1/4 t black pepper
1 t basil flakes
1 t oregano flakes
salt
1 t lemon juice (opt)

PREPARATION:
1. Add enough water to cover the vegetable in a medium sized pot. Add basil and oregano and bring to a boil, then simmer until tender. Mash a little bit to thicken, but keep it soupy.
2. Chaunce in the butter the hing. After the smell comes out, also chaunce a few seconds the black pepper, then pour into the soup
3. Add salt and lemon juice as desired

For some real "soul food", be sure to offer to Krishna before taking. Serve piping hot with wedges of freshly baked bread.

VARIATION: potato soup with fresh basil

Homemakers In Training

“Many girls enter marriage and motherhood without a clue as to what’s required, and they quickly fall into despair. We must tell our daughters of the sacrifices that homemaking demands—but also of the unsurpassed rewards it offers… 'Think of your daughter as your homemaking intern.'"
 
Many women who grew up during the 1960's hippie era, were caught between a generation  that did not pass on to them the things they really needed to know, thus making it very difficult for them to pass on those things to their own children. In fact, many women must spend a good deal of time just trying to figure things out while their children were growing up at a rapid pace. It's difficult to lead when still in training.

But it doesn't have to be that way with your daughters, nor your grandchildren and daughters-in-law. Here is a list of links from this blog that may help to prepare them for married life:

SUGGESTED GOALS:
By the time they are grown, daughters should be able to:

• show appreciation for a life of devotion within her domestic prescribed duties for the pleasure of Srila Prabhupada and Krishna.
• demonstrate practical skills needed for this aim
• demonstrate a servant attitude

SUGGESTED DISCUSSIONS AND ACTIVITIES MAY INCLUDE:
(the links give general ideas or ideas to start with)

1. LOVING THE LORD;
This involves development of the heart via:
Nine Ways
Sravanam
Kirtanam
Vishnoh Smaranam
Pada Sevanam
Arcanam
Vandanam
Dasyam
Sakhyam
Atma Nivedanam

2. MAKING YOURSELF INVALUABLE
This involves making a house a home, the foundations of a sane society:

Cooking Lessons
Godly Housekeeping
 
Arts and Crafts (Also 64 arts)
Simple Living Skills

3. RELATIONSHIP IS LIFE
This is what makes us persons, and its possible to make our relationships smoothe and happy. As girls mature the following topics of domestic devotion may be covered, as appropriate:
Know Your Duty
Happy Marriage Secrets
Dharma Patni Challenges
Mother Nurture (best learned assisting mother and or extended family and with younger siblings)
The Lives of Extraordinary Women

4. HEALTH IS WEALTH
Without it, all the above becomes difficult:
Health and Beauty Tips

Home Nursing
Spiritual Health

"Women should be very expert in cooking. That is their natural tendency. They should be educated how to cook nicely, how to please the husband, how to take care of children. This is Vedic civilization.' (Srila Prabhupada, Room conv. Baltimore July 7, 1976)