Edible marshmallow playdoh

  
  

Playdoh is a favorite playtime for most kids who like to be messy. But most of the time playdoh are not edible which poses a threat to toddlers or a supervised time for adults. Here is a way to enjoy with your kids making fun shapes while actually enjoying a snack.

How to make the playdoh:

Its otherwise called as marshmallow fondant by all the bakers. MMF is a edible playdoh to kids where you can make anything out of it.

Colored marshmallows, few spoons of water, icing sugar(prefd) or white sugar, vegetable shortening.

Separate marshmallows by colors place them in microwave safe bowl add a spoon of water heat in microwave for 30 sec. Take out the bowl & stir the mix and continue heating and stirring until the marshmallows are well dissolved. Then place them in a work area nicely coated with shortening start kneading in to a dough with sugar or in a kitchen aid. you will reach to consistency where the dough is dry & rolls to a ball. Its time for fun apply shortening to the dough and knead for a min & you are good to go. You can also save this playdoh in fridge for several weeks or use at once.

Tip: if using colored marshmallow pack you will get 5-6 colors at once or tint the food colors to it when its hot liquid out of the oven.

You can also add some food flavoring to that if preferred or if given to big kids then use some essential oils to spread the scent in the house.

this is much cheaper & easy to make stuff than buying a regular playdoh from the store.

"happy playing"

Marshmallow activity

Marshmallow activity is a fun way of helping kids to keep them busy while learning numbers & colors.

You can also frame a much diferent varities of activities using your imagination or kids'. 

What you need?

A multicolored pack of marshmallows

A large bowl or few small bowls.

Activity: Place the marshmallows in the large bowl and ask your kids to separate them in to smaller bowls by colors or counting numbers. If more kids participate to do this activity then share the marshmallows as their snack or save it for later use. Don't forget to spell out the colors or call the numbers and their spelling. It can be a half hour activity or much longer if you prefer.

Marshmallow fondant

This simple fondant recipe uses ingredients which are probably already in your pantry. It's softer than our standard fondant recipe with a very sweet taste that kids love. MMF is better than most store bought stuff so you would definitely get a satisfaction of doing a quality icing which is edible and looks attractive. It is also much cheaper in cost when doing a larger quantity or small. It need not be a messy tiring work when used a blender also time saving. 

Ingredients:

• 1 package (16 ounces) white mini marshmallows (use a good quality brand)
• 2-5 tablespoons water
• 2 pounds (about 8 cups) sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening

Makes: About 2 pounds marshmallow fondant.

Method:  To make marshmallow fondant, place marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave 30 seconds on high; stir until mixed well. Continue microwaving 30 seconds more; stir again. Continue until melted (about 2 1/2 minutes).

Place 3/4 of the confectioners' sugar on top of the melted marshmallow mixture. Fold sugar into marshmallow mixture. Flavoring can be added at this point if desired. Place solid vegetable shortening in easily accessed bowl so you can reach into it with fingers as you are working. Grease hands and counter GENEROUSLY; turn marshmallow mixture onto counter. Start kneading like you would dough. Continue kneading, adding additional confectioners' sugar and re-greasing hands and counter so the fondant doesn't stick. If the marshmallow fondant is tearing easily, it is too dry; add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time) kneading until fondant forms a firm, smooth elastic ball that will stretch without tearing, about 8 minutes.

It's best to allow Marshmallow Fondant to sit, double-wrapped, overnight. Prepare the fondant for storing by coating with a thin layer of solid vegetable shortening, wrap in plastic wrap and then place in resealable bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible. Marshmallow Fondant will keep well in refrigerator for several weeks.

When not working with fondant, make sure to keep it covered with plastic wrap or in a bag to prevent it from drying out. When ready to use, knead fondant until smooth. Roll out fondant 1/8 in. thick.

To color fondant: If you need to tint the entire batch of fondant, add a little icing color to the melted marshmallow mixture before adding confectioners' sugar. For smaller amounts of tinted fondant, add icing color to portions of fondant as needed.Alternatively you can also use colored marshmallows itself which gives a well blended color and a fine quality texture. 

Marshmallow fondant can be used to make figurines like animals, birds, toy shapes etc. It comes out super soft and pliable like a playdoh so easy to work with.

Tips: 1) Apply a nice even coating of vegetable shortening or butter or ghee to the microwaveable bowl.

2) To knead the paste in to a fine fondant you can use your kitchen aid or any blender that avoids messy process, tiring hands and also time saving.

3) But you might have to coat the blender bowl with the shortening fully well then cleaning is easier & quick.

4) There is a fun activity involved while using a colored marshmallows that keeps the kids helping you and busy as well.

simple sponge cake

Ingredients

• 2 eggs
• 
  
• 1/2 - 2/3 cup white sugar
• 
  
• 2/3 cup self-rising flour
•  or alternate with

2/3 cup all purpose flour & 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 oz milk

1/2 tsp vanilla flavor

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease an 8 or 9 inch round cake pan.
2. Beat the eggs for 4 mins till fluffy.
3. Add sugar to eggs little by little, beat over for 3 mins.
4. Now add vanilla mix in low speed.
5. In a separate bowl sieve flour & baking powder together and fold them in to the beaten mix.
6. Let them combine well for 2 mins, add milk to mix well for 2 mins.
7. Bake for 17 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed. Cool in the pan for 10 mins & turn over a wire rack to cool completely.
8. Frost the cake with your favorite frosting or decorate with icing or just enjoy like a tea cake nice and warm.

Servings

Can serve to 4 or 5.

• 
  

Mixing the cake batter

Butter Cakes and Pound Cakes

These classic cakes have a fine crumb, a tender, moist texture and a rich, buttery taste. Best of all, they're easy to make!

Know Your Ingredients

"Shortened" cakes have just four main ingredients: fat, sugar, eggs, and flour. Some recipes also call for baking powder or baking soda, milk, buttermilk or sour cream, flavoring extracts, and a pinch of salt to heighten the flavors.

These cakes are characterized by their high proportion of fat and sugar to flour, which makes them tender, moist, and dense.

Since there are so few ingredients, to achieve the best results use high-quality butter and pure flavoring extracts, measure carefully, and follow the recipe directions.

Butter or a combination of butter and shortening are usually the fats of choice. Shortening is easier to work with, because it is already partially aerated and remains at the same texture over a wide temperature range, but butter gives incomparable flavor and mouth-feel.

Before You Begin

Make sure that all of your ingredients are at room temperature, particularly the fat, eggs and any liquid you may be using. It's essential that all these items be at room temperature:

• If the butter is too cold, it won't beat evenly; it won't incorporate air and increase in volume.
• When eggs and liquid are cold, the batter will curdle. Instead of a smooth, homogenous batter, it will separate into liquid and fat, and the cake's texture may be denser than you like.
• If any of the ingredients are warm, the fat will melt and you won't be able to whip air into the mixture.

The second thing to do before mixing the batter is to thoroughly sift together all the dry ingredients. Cake flour and cocoa powder are especially fine, and form small lumps that won't get broken up during the mixing process. Unevenly mixed ingredients can create big holes and tunnels through the middle of the cake, alongside lumps of raw flour. Use a sifter or a wire whisk to make sure all lumps are broken up and those ingredients are well-mixed.

Mixing the Ingredients

You don't have to have a stand mixer to make a butter cake or pound cake, but it sure helps. Begin by beating the softened butter at medium speed until fluffy and light in color, about three minutes. Add the sugar and continue to beat for about four minutes longer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time and beat for several seconds between each addition. If the batter does curdle, just continue whipping it; it should smooth out once it warms up.

After you've beaten in the eggs, you must mix in the remaining ingredients as gently and quickly as possible to avoid deflating the air you've so carefully beaten into the mixture.

• Slow the mixer down to low speed and sprinkle in about 1/3 of the dry ingredients.
• Mix the batter while pouring in about 1/3 of the liquid (this includes milk, buttermilk, sour cream, juice, or coffee).
• Continue in this fashion until all of the ingredients are incorporated into a smooth batter.
• Any garnishes--nuts, fruit, chocolate chips or other additions--should be very gently folded in by hand after the batter is mixed.

The Creaming Method

Bakers use the "creaming method"--beating the fat and sugar together to hold air bubbles--and chemical leaveners like baking powder, rather than beaten eggs (like sponge cakes and angel food cakes) to create their fine texture.

The "creaming method" is the same mixing technique you use for a batch of chocolate chip cookies. For cakes, however, you keep beating air into the mix.

Beat room-temperature butter with granulated sugar (superfine, castor, or "bakers' sugar" is best) until the butter is very fluffy and noticeably lighter in color. Don't worry about over-mixing at this point; it's hard to do when creaming butter and sugar for a cake.

Add room temperature eggs one by one, beating after each addition. Adding all of the eggs or too much cold liquid at once will cause the batter to look curdled. Add any extracts or flavorings after incorporating the eggs.

Once you start adding dry ingredients, be careful not to over-beat the batter. The gentle handling is critical to creating a fine, not tough, texture in a cake. Many recipes alternate adding dry ingredients and any additional liquid; mix well after each addition, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Stop mixing when each addition is well incorporated.

Baking Cakes

Pour the batter immediately into a prepared baking pan--either greased and floured, or greased and lined with parchment paper--and bake in the preheated oven. As the cake bakes, it will rise high in the middle and turn a dark golden brown on the outside. Depending upon your oven, you may need to rotate the cake pans on their racks to ensure even baking.

Don't wait until the cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan to test for doneness: test it by pressing gently with a fingertip near the center. The cake should slowly spring back. (You can also insert a toothpick or cake tester near the center of the cake; it should come out clean, with no batter sticking to it.) Once you remove the cake from the oven, let it cool on a wire rack. Run a knife around the edges of the cake pan to loosen the cake, and invert the pan onto another rack or plate. Cool completely before slicing or frosting.

cortesy: allrecipes.com

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These are some of my favorite models wanna try in a year or so,  fondant  figure piping....

fengshui - the brief notes

First of all the fengshui content briefed here is a consolidated extract from most of the known websites for my personal reference. Fengshui is one of my interested field while others are Reflexology, Aromatherapy, alternative medicines, color therapy & management, stress mgmt, gem stones, cake decoration etc.

Fengshui history:
Fengshui was found & applied in life many a thousands of years ago. It was protected & passed from generations to generations by masters & grandmasters who where considered the guru of fengsshui art & saviors.

What is Fengshui?
Fengshui is a process or an art learnt well & acquired to benefit with the help of "CHI" the universal energy of life.

Basics of fengshui:
The chi is 2 types " YIN & YANG" energies namely female & male with corresponding colors black & white.

YIN-YANG theory: According to yin-yang theory everything in the universe consist of 2 opposing but deeply interconnected forces yin feminine & yang masculine.The interaction of these 2 forces create the essence of life around us.

yin energy is passive energy full of silence, deep darkness, slow & relaxed movements & predominant at night  while sleeping by replenishing the body energies.

yang energy is active characterised by strong vibrant sounds, colors, bright-light, upward moving energy almost through out the day with busy work.

Rule of life: Life's favorable theory "two & opposite" are words that have deep down meaning with life.

Day & Night
Birth (life) & death
black & white
Big & small
Dark & light
Male & female
Sound & silence
Hot & cold
Happy & sad
Rich & poor

They are 2 opposite energies but usually cannot exist without each others presence. When there is an imbalance between these 2 energies in body,mind,soul,house or environment around a person will result in
* health problems
* financial crisis
* lack of peacefulness
* relationship barrier
* diminishing knowledge or wisdom

house:
First & foremost the house should be filled with a balanced yin-yang energy.
bedroom,bathroom,spiritual place are egs of yin silent energy spaces of the house
living room, dining room, kitchen are yang energy spaces of the house.

Fengshui elements:

Elements       colors                                     shape                     directions

Wood      green, brown                       rectangle (long)        east, southeast
Fire      red, strong yellow,orange              triangle                  south
                       dark pink,purple

Earth    light yellow. skin tones,            square                     south west
             light brown, terracotta                                             north east

Metal   white, grey                              round                west, north west

Water  blue, black                              wavy                          north


cycles of five elements;

The presence of all five elements in a living space will help to thrive & feel healthy. With the help of Bagua we can define the spaces fengshui element & feel which element present is dominating, diminishing or balance.
there are 2 cycles of elements;
* productive cycle
* destructive cycle

Productive cycle is a cycle of creation where water nurtures wood creates fire makes earth nourishes metal that helps water.

Destructive cycle; is a cycle of weakness need not always be considered as bad or negative. it will help us when in a living space there is an imbalance it can be counteracted with destructive cycle to weaken the energy.
here water puts off  fire weakens the metal will destroy wood or wont allow the wood to grow or flourish will weaken earth will absorb all the water.

 

How to determine the 5 elements? 

Inorder to determine the elements of chi present in the house, fengshui uses the compass reading & the bagua map as an effective tool.

The compass: the fengshui compass is called "LO-PAN" helps to define the map of a house. On a simpler terms we donot need a professional fengshui comoass, all that trick can be done by an accurate compass or an iphonemight come handy to do the job perfectly.

The Bagua: bagua is a map consisting of 8 areas namely directions. this is the traditional or classical fengshui school form which is the first one to introduce  and almost widely accepted for precision than confusion caused by western school of bagua.

              

Fengshui triangle: fengshui triangle is a new term coined by Rodika tchi to tell the importance of the 3 major spaces of the house namely

* bedroom

* bathroom

* kitchen

major change would occur to the house on the whole when the energy of these 3 spaces are determined and changed necessarily.

Getting started with fengshui:

*all the space in the house should be free of clutter.

*have good quallity of air & light come inside house

*define the baqua of your space

*study the 5 elements of the fengshui theory

*find your fengshui birth element

*find your kua-number

*be mindful of the energy present at home

how to define the bagua:

for a classical or traditional style bagua you need - 

an accurately working compass -  iphone

full round protractor - 360^o

house plan - floor plan

pen & ruler to mark.

method:

first take the compass reading of your house from the main doorway or entrance of the house.

in the plan mark that reading in the door point and also mark the center of the plan.

define the 8 areas with protractor.

distinctly draw the line and write down the 8 areas and center as 9 area.

Missing area and Extensions of bagua space:

A missing area in the bagua is a place of your house or apartment that are mostly missing in the shape of your home bagua. When the house is in an improper shape that is by looking at the plan you can find out  whether it is square, rectangle or anything. in that if the house has any space that is not lined on all sides with the square or rectangle then there is a missing space. it is also the areas of home bagua with incomplete or weak energy. this missing area is called as bagua void or bagua negative or bagua weak areas.

the extention areas of bagua are more abnormal shape of the house that lies in front of the bagua map. might also say the extention as protruding from your home bagua.

basic lactation facts

lactation is an art. This art can be a satisfying experience only when adequate knowledge is obtained and facts are learnt thoroughly with denying the myths.

1. milk is supplied only when the baby starts to drink properly.
2. lactation is always a demand and supply pattern.
3. breasts signals brains to produce more milk.
4. this happens only when the breasts are empty or when the baby drinks fully.
5. each breast have fore milk or front milk & hind milk or back milk.
6. front milk is less in fat & nutrients while the back milk is rich in fat & nutrients.
7. it is best to allow baby to drink both milk from both breasts.
8. initial days of breastfeeding while the first few days its best to make baby latch on properly to both breast
inorder to stimulate milk supply.
9. how much longer & number of times the baby feeds on actually increases milk supply rather decreasing.
10. never shake or panic the breast. to induce milking only use the lactation or nursing action to nipple on need.

Flower Design Cake project

This is the second course in Wilton classes for cake decoration. While there is a wide variety of icing to select from royal icing is one that stands out among bakers to make flower designs & wedding cakes. It actually cuts down the time taken for decoration as the flowers are pre-made to air dry which can be used for years if stored properly. Royal icing also allows for bakers imagination.

A 8" round double layer chocolate cake with yummy vanilla filling. Basket weave design on the sides of the cake to hold flowers on top to obtain a 3-D effect of flower basket. This chocolate basket holds flowers like 1. large fuchsia colored petunia
2. large white Easter Lillie's
3. medium yellow daffodils
4. medium orange daisies
5. small icy blue primroses
6. small vivid African violets
7. cute little baby pink apple blossoms
8. buttery yellow rosebuds on the vines over the basket.

The flowers tastes like sugar candy which the kids love while the color appeals to the adults with the elegance of nature which is the specialty of baking flower cakes using royal icing.

First Successful Party order

All the firsts in life stands out in memory. So is the first successful accomplishment. On a late summer afternoon when my son & I where lazily surfing in our apartment cafe was a turning point in my cake career. A new career which i had never thought about in my entire life just picked up. I left my son in the kids room to play while i took some print outs & checked few cake designs, a little girl came to me asking "did u leave ur son in the playroom? he's not there" This statement almost panicked me, i started running around the entire clubhouse while my boy coolly came out from the gym saying i just went there to see. That little girl then wanted to babysit my son while i surfed. There started a new friendship & a blooming career. Her mom casually spoke a few words to me & asked if i could make her daughter's birthday cake? It was an excitement at first followed with a hesitation whether i can finish that pretty big job? we exchanged contact numbers planning in mind to take a few days to decide over. Eventually i took the order and baked the birthday cake with a jump start from my instructor who was gladly willing to help me & encouragement from my spouse who did a one day babysitting for my son & taking over household chores. Its a wonderful experience and happiness when the birthday girl shouted its my cake while i placed it on the party table.

Its a simple polka dot design on a vanilla cake with butter cream frosting. I made the decorations with royal icing that i learnt in Janet's classes that previous week. I just decided to make cake decorating as my career in future which is a creative job and work at home option so i can spend the time close to my kids always.This is  just a first step but when i get a big win it only means the real teacher who's selfless training is the backbone. I am happy to dedicate this to you Janet Phelps - my cake decorating instructor.

tea

A sip from a cup of hot tea is my dad's everyday favorite. I wondered how my dad was so active from early morning till night in childhood while he shared his secret that is drinking tea from his young age. He goes one step ahead & advices all coffee drinkers to stop & consume tea. At times he also shows us some paper, magazine evidences how much healthy is a cup of tea. Most of all he likes plain lemon tea to refresh himself after a hard labor. So this makes my chai corner very special and I will give lots of details about various variety of chai available that are good for health.

Now there a lots of varieties available in tea and people are well aware about them. It's not only the taste but preparation matters a lot with tea.
* tea tastes sour when over boiled.
* making a tea concentrate and adding hot milk is always healthy instead of boiling together.
* adding spices like ginger, cardamom, lemon to tea not only enhances the flavor but good on everyday consumption.
* honey or even maple syrup can be added to tea as sweetener instead of sugar which is more healthy.
* chineese and most asians usually have hot tea with food against water or soda to improve digestion & avoid heart burn immediately after a spicy intake.

Varieties of tea:

Leaf tea and Dust tea are two commonly know varieties in India based on the process of grinding.
Leaf tea is usually coarse can be boiled few minutes longer than dust tea and filters clear in the cup.
Dust tea leaves some residue in the cup after filtering minimal boiling required since its a very fine powder.

   

Its just not a tea party play but a desire to grow.


This is just not a cup of tea but a morning ritual for many....

Cheps fry

Wondering whats this? taro root popularly called chepang killangu in short is cheps. This recipe is dedicated to the bachelor friends who made a gum paste out of it without knowing the proper recipe. Am giving a simple method to fry but there are lot many ways to do.

Ingredients:

Cheps = 5-6 nos
salt = to taste
chilli powder = 2 tbsp
rice flour = 1 tbsp
oil = to fry

method: boil cheps in cooker for up to 2- 3 whistle. cool down completely before attempting to fry.
peel the skin cut in to slices or wedges as you like. In a pan pour oil for shallow frying (1/2 cup).
Add the cheps when oil is heated fry for 5 Min's or golden color. Remove all the excess oil to a container now add salt, chilli powder and fry. After a 2 Min's add rice flour if desired and fry till crispy. Altogether frying takes 10 Min's & boiling takes 20 Min's with cooling in between should be 30 Min's.

Tips: this is a simple method with out much spices. you can boil the cheps previously and save it in fridge for 2 days before frying.
For more spices alternate chilli powder with sambar powder.
Add coriander, soya, cumin, curry leaf, or any masala powders in moderation.
Even you can mix the spices with oil apply on the shallow fried cheps keep it fridge for few hours to marinate & fry again. But this is a elaborate method most experienced would love to try.
Alternatively persons concerned about health & nutritionists can avoid the shallow frying and directly add spices and fry 1 time only. Either way cheps tastes really good. Desired eye appeal is obtained when shallow fried.

If skipping the shallow frying step add oil give a minute to heat then add salt & spices & then cheps so that spices won't smell raw while evenly coat on the cheps.

butter cake

Ingredients:

all purpose flour - 3 cups
baking powder - 4 tsp
salt - 1 tsp
sugar - 2 1/2 cups (white granulated)
butter - (room temp) 1 cup
eggs - 4
vanilla extract - 2 tsp
almond extract - (optional) 1/2 tsp
milk - 1 1/2 cups (whole milk)

method:
1) cream the butter.
2) add sugar & beat till fluffy
3) add egg 1 by 1 till well combined in low speed.
4) now mix the flavours vanilla & almond.
5) combine the sifted flour , salt, baking powder mix alternatively with milk to the batter in low speed.
6) scrap the bottom & sides of the bowl to mix thoroughly.

batter volume: approx 10 cups.

heat oven @ 350 deg F.
bake for 50 mins
cool down 10 mins in pan
shift to wire rack for complete cooling.

pan : two  8" round or square pan with 2" deep. or
max 9 x 13 or 8 x 12 {baker's quarter sheet}.
caution: doesn't fit pans of any larger size than mentioned above.

frosting with butter cream or favorite icing & decorate

decoration: This cake was decorated with the help of Janet Phelps wilton certified cake decorator.

A wilton rose, drop and swirl flowers on top with cute leaves. outlined with shell design on top of cake & bottom on board. The two layer cake gives a good space for side decor as well is detailed with a star flower.

tips:

* fill the pan only half to little more to half. 

* its a dense volumous cake good as a base cake

* keeps moist, soft & fluffy when added more half cup milk.

* but always check cake for doneness. 

* can bake upto 10 mins more.

* measurements can be altered to half or doubled to bake any pan size like 9x13 or 1 layer 8" cake 

* all ingredients measures with direct respect to the flour.

* grease and flour the pan thoroughly. less greased pan ends with a sticking cake not coming out easily.

* Butter cream icing recipe used for this cake is available in other pages. 

* no filling added but only icing to attach the layers. 

* A simple jam or chocolate or any flavor filling can be used to your liking.

pepper powder

Black pepper powder is the side dish for idlies after delivery (when newborn arrives). This is a special diet usually called as "pathiya sapadu" for new moms no matter how many pregnancies they face. This will be the breakfast as well as dinner because steamed food is very good during this time & black pepper heals and cures the stomach, uterus, bladder etc.the recipe follows;

Ingredients:

Black pepper = 150 gm
black urad dhall = 100 gm
black or white sesame seeds = 100-150 gm
garlic = 5-6 pods
jeera = 25-50 gm
curry leaf = 1/2 - 1 cup (optional)
salt to taste

method:
Fry all ingredients seperately and grind them together into a fine powder. Enjoy with ghee for idly, dosa or chapathi etc.

Why the specific ingredients because all of them aid in more lactation for the new mom & also heal the body & tighten the flabby muscles. Same way for few months from delivery ghee is immensely used in food to gain energy and reduce body heat that to with black pepper.

note: check whether black urad dhall is clean or wash & air or sun dry them first before adding with the other ingredients. black urad dhall is a high protein pulse'.

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