Wandering Mist – Inspiration is everything – Page 7 – Art, Design and Inspiration Unlimited

Holiday Baking – Recipe for Almond Orange Muffins

December 7, 2011 Filed Under: Good Food Kitchen By Ishrath Humairah 2 Comments

Winter morning. Warm Sunlight. Warmer Muffins.

Wake up to the aroma of freshly baked orange almond muffins… just out of the oven! What a thought! Just made real.

My inspiration to bake comes from my kid who loves anything pulled out of the oven. His love for these treats make me all the more adamant to bake clean-good stuff than feed him lard-loaded bakes from the local bakers! Not to mention the ever-increasing junk that comes with it (read synthetics, preservatives, colors, and many things gooey and weird).

Here is a simple recipe that wont take too much time or effort. Within half hour you will find a batch of warm, soft, orangy, fuzzy, crunchy, yummy, cupcakes ready.

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Dreamy Drops on Flowers – December Flowers Bloom here

December 4, 2011 Filed Under: Inspiration By Ishrath Humairah 4 Comments

The floral mania continues. This is the season to celebrate and the world seems to have come alive in all colors and hues. Adding joy and mirth to every nook and corner are the lovely flowers in thousands of colors. And then add the magic of rain… forming dewy drops on the petals.

There is so much to take in but alas the rushed man. Where is the time to stop? Where is the time to see?

Here are some of the rain-laden beauties that were captured as life went by. These are no exotic flowers of the garden but run along the alleys and roads. Some call them weeds; some stray seeds. I call them soul food.

Bling Busy

All set to become a juicy vegetable. Awaiting the pollinators.

Pink? Magenta? Fuchsia? Purple? Phew!

I wish I had a better camera…. no?

Purple burst. Never thought delicious would be the word for this 🙂

Ah! Paradise.

Peruvian by nature

The journey from yellow to scarlet.

My purple flower fixation continues. Someone help me.

All flowers and no twigs? Some pearls of wisdom here.

This floral journey will continue… Apologies, it is too hard to stop.

Please let me know if you have captured any flowering beauties this season. Drop your link here. I would love to see.

Holiday Season Goodies – Make your own dried orange peels

November 30, 2011 Filed Under: Good Food Kitchen By Ishrath Humairah 2 Comments

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Color me Orange! (Pix Credit: Lukas, Berlin)

Holidays are back again! Time for all things exciting and beautiful. Holiday decorations, gifts, loved ones and not to mention the cakes and bakes.

To help you kick start the baking season, here is a quick tutorial on how to make dried orange peel that goes as a secret ingredient in many yummy cakes, bakes and savories. A little secret about the orange peels is that it curbs your hunger pangs too 🙂

Oranges are in season and orange peels go into garbage. A better way is to harvest all the orange peels, sit in the comfort of your chair and make candied orange peels that you can eat right out of your tin or add to your cakes.

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Serenity. A moment in time. A sand painting.

November 18, 2011 Filed Under: My Paintings By Ishrath Humairah 7 Comments

There is something sacred about sand.

It is abundant near water. It is abundant where there is no water.
It sifts through if you try to hold but leaves a few grains behind if you let go.
It looks like a dull color of gold but see closer you find colors breathtakingly bold.
It is magic. It is real.

And it continues to remain mysterious and elusive, giving us a lifetime of discovery and delight in every grain of sand.

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Serenity – A Moment in Time – 18″ x 18″

Working with sand is at a different realm altogether. Brushes and knives dont seem enough. The sand with its dunes, soft peaks, and patterns is a mesmerising medium… we only have to follow the way of the sand. It is like working with someone who has a mind of its own. The artist becomes an apprentice.

This abstract nature landscape painting was made from a salvaged canvas that had a green abstract.
But it never felt complete.

The sand did to it what I could not. It raised the work to another dimension. Touch it and you will know how.

Recipe for Colocasia Arvi Fry

November 10, 2011 Filed Under: Good Food Kitchen By Ishrath Humairah 2 Comments

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Hot, Crisp and Spicy Fried Arvi

This is neither a vegetable that figures first on your shopping list nor is a choicest pick when you go grocery shopping. This poor fella is usually left out in favor of the good looking luscious veggies. Cant blame it on looks alone, this one gives a nasty itch to your hands if you dont know how to treat (peel) it right.

Fuss apart, Arvi is a lovely little vegetable that packs in a lot of taste, texture and surprise. Also known as arbi or taro, this rhizome is a great filler and substitute for potatoes in curries and most dishes. Its leaves are edible too and make great wraps for steaming other delicacies.

My childhood memories are linked with arvi ka khatta, or even better arvi gosht ka khatta. This root goes well with any meat. It is equally tasty in simple and solo dishes. I guess it important how this vegetable is introduced to you as a child. Once you like it, there is nothing like it.

Here is my version of simple arvi fry. When you cook this, you should not worry about the slime, spice or quantity of oil. They all end up as a marvel in unison.

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