Semiya Kesari

We usually invite people over for lunch or dinner, this gives a lot of time for cooking and get the house ready but the side effect is the whole day is spent for just that. Recently we invitied a few of our friends who were visiting from India for breakfast as that was the only time they had free amongst the shopping and site seeing trips. This gave me a pause and made me think a bit to come up with a menu, but it turned out to be a splending idea. Once the breakfast was over we had the whole day ahead to do several different chores making us wonder if we should stick to breakfast and brunch parties!!

Last week we had to cancel our Credit card because it was compromised :( This forced me to start using cash and I was rudely shocked about the rate at which cash seems to disappear. I had to visit the bank 3 times in the space of 5 days. Every grocery visit literally forced a visit to the bank and I could really really see how the rising prices of grocery items is hurting the wallet. Using a CC shields you a lot from this glaring reality. Though I know using cash would force me to shop smarter, I can't wait for my CC to come to me. I want to be an Ostrich again and bury my heads in the sand :)

I was not too worried about the main menu but the sweet dish was what I was pondering over for quiet some time. I did not want to make Rava Kesari or Halwa because I make it often, settled on Semiya Kesari which is just as easy to make but a bit out of the ordinary as well.

Green Earth I have an easy and very effective way to deal with removing cooking odors from the house that is especially useful during winter time when the windows are all closed and the heater is on and also true when the airconditioning is on. I saw this tip on a TV program on HGTV a long time ago and have used it effectively ever since. The lady suggested using a towel dipped with distilled white vinegar and to twirl it around above the head. I have arrived at a much easier way to do this. Heat a pot of water to boiling and add the vinegar, a tbsp for a gallon of water, let it remain on the stove for a few more minutes. Then carry it to each room. Its amazing the speed with which it removes odors. No need to use any sprays or chemicals.

Ingredients
1. 1 cup vermicelli
2. 1/2 cup sugar
3. 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
4. 1/4 cup of raisins and broken cashews
5. 1 1/4 cup water
6. 2 pinches of kesari powder (for color, optional)
7. 1-2 tbsp of ghee (clarified butter)

Method
1. In a saute pan, dry roast the vermicelli and remove when it just starts to brown. Set aside.
2. Roast the raisins and nuts in ghee and set it aside.
3. In a wide mouthed pan heat water, add the kesari powder if using and sugar. Let the sugar melt and let the water come to a boil.
4. Add in the roasted vermicelli and cook in medium low heat till all the water is evaporated.
5. Add the ghee, nuts and the cardamom powder, mix turn off the heat and close it with a lid and let sit for 15-20 minutes.
6.Fluff with a fork when ready to serve.