Some more felt mats, and my first "tiger mom" tip!

So yes, I am still on my felt candle mat kick.....Have been cranking them out like crazy, just was not getting time to take pictures and to post :) Here is my latest lot......

The cupcake one is really fun, I added bugle beads as sprinkles. Not yet listed on my Ebay or my Etsy, but will be up there pretty soon.

 As I promised in my previous post that I will start writing, not just for the sake of offering some help/ insight for like-minded and concerned parents, but also just documenting for myself, some steps I took in raising my daughters. Following up on that is my first tip :  

1.      being a good role model- Heard often, but used......ummm, let's just say, not that often. There is a saying “An apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”, and yes, it is very much true. Here are some steps. Today, I'm sharing the first one-  I took to stay a good role model-  I made conscious decisions to stay a teetotaler so that I could expect the same from my girls, with full conviction. I remember one of my students telling me during my first year of teaching, “there is no way your daughter will graduate high school in America without drinking”. As a “fobby” immigrant, I actually remember being seriously scared by that. Well, 12 years later, I am happy to report that it never turned out to be an issue. 

I hope to continue documenting a comprehensive list of actions/ tips here on my blog, so please check back or comment if you have a question. No meanness please. I was taught that it is better to stay quiet if you do not have any thing positive to contribute, so I'm hoping others will also respect that :)

One more felt mat, and my first recipe.

My Easter candle mat sold within 2 days, so that was nice. It also means that I can go ahead and make more of that pattern. I also made a couple of these maple leaf ones, listed currently in my Ebay store....

I'm currently working on a heart/ Valentine themed one as well.....On another note, since my older daughter will be moving to California to start her residency, I'm trying to teach her some basic recipes to make on her own. I know, I know, it's finally sinking in......No Mommy to provide packed containers of food anymore :( So, in that quest, the first recipe we tried out are these
Vegan Yellow Mung Daal cheela with carrots and onion (also Gluten-free) Recipe
Cheela is basically a savory pancake....very healthy, you get your protein.
2 cups yellow washed skinless mung daal (buy at Indian store or Whole foods?)
1/4 cup besan (chickpea flour)- you can use whole wheat flour also but it will not be gluten-free anymore.
3 carrots, grated
1 onion, chopped finely
1 green chilli, chopped finely
salt and red chilli powder to taste
vegetable oil
1. Soak daal for a couple hours, and then grind to a paste with enough water in your mixer.
2. Add the remaining ingredients except the oil.
3. The batter should be pourable consistency, but not watery or runny. Add more besan if this is the case.
4. Heat your electric griddle to the max (you can just make them in a flat pan instead). Add a couple drops of oil, drop a large tablespoon of batter and spread it out to make a thick pancake. You should be able to get 4-5 on your griddle. If they are too large, you will have trouble flipping them.
5. Sprinkle a few drops of oil to the top of the cheela, flip over, and cook till browned patches appear, pressing down with your spatula to make sure it cooks evenly.
6. Take them off, and enjoy with tomato chutney, chilli pickle, plain yogurt or even Sriracha sauce :)

This is my first recipe, so it would be heartening to hear a comment, if you do try it out :) Also, please keep in mind that I'm an amateur trying my hand at writing out a recipe, not a seasoned professional who has published several cookbooks, so the quantities are just eyeballed ones...you can use your own judgement with them.