Ingredients : 1 full box of white cake mix 1/4 cup canola oil 2 eggs minimum and 2 egg whites 1 full pack of strawberry gelatin 1 cup frozen sliced strawberries 1/2 cup skim milk 3 tablespoons butter Confectioners’ sugar as needed

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Coat one 9-inch square pan and one 9-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
   


2. Take oil, eggs, egg whites, strawberry gelatin, 1/2 cup strawberries, milk and cake mix in a bowl and mix till all blends well.
   


3. Divide the batter and pour it into the two prepared pans.
   


4. Bake the mixture prepared above for around 30 minutes. Insert a toothpick on the baked batter and check whether it comes out clean.
   


5. If it comes out clean, then the batter is ready to be transferred and store it in a room temperature.
   


6. Keep the square cake on large plate and cut the round cake into two half.
   


7. Place each half with cut side next to square side; remember to trim the corners and by this the heart shaped cake is ready.
   


8. Frost the prepared heart cake with Strawberry Frosting by covering the cake with the blended mixture of butter, confectioners’ sugar and remaining frozen strawberries.
   


9. Yummy heart cake is now ready to serve!!!!!!!!!!

• May the Divine Light of Diwali Spread into your Life Peace, Prosperity, Happiness and Good Health.
  




People celebrating diwali by bursting crackers

• Fill the Heart with the oil of love.
  Place in it the wick of single-pointed mind.
  Light it with the Knowledge of Truth and remove
  the darkness of ignorance around you.
  Just as one lamp can light many lamps; let each
  youth kindle this Light in many hearts.
  


• May you live your life like the festival of Diwali, happy healthy and wealthy.
  
  
• May this Diwali brings you all joy, health and wealth and also this festival brighten up you and your near and dear ones lives.
  


• May the Diwali light show us the way and lead us together on the path of peace and harmony.
  


• Fortunate is the one who has learned to Admire, but not to envy.
  Good Wishes for a joyous Diwali and a Happy New Year with a plenty of Peace and Prosperity.
  


• This Diwali, may you be blessed with good fortune as long as Ganeshji’s trunk, wealth and prosperity as big as his stomach, happiness as sweet as his ladoos and may your trouble be as small as his mouse.
  


• The happiest of wishes for a Deepawali, that will be happy in every way for someone like you.

WISH U ALL A VERY HAPPY, PROSPEROUS, FANTABULOUS DIWALI 2011.

Attha pookalam done by my mom

I wish you all a very Happy Onam.        

Vishu is a New Year festival celebrated all over in Kerala during the first month of Chingam, the harvest season in Kerala.

Vishukkani

The most important event Vishukkani is inseperable from Vishu, the first thing to be seen on the day of Vishu immediately after you wake up.

Vishukkani consists of a formal procedure of arranging items like

• raw rice
• lemon
• cucumber (should be in golden colour)
• betel leaves
• fruits you wish
• coconut
• val beans
• konnapoo(konna flowers)
• Metal mirror
• coins, rupee notes
• gold and Nilavillaku(lamp)

Some will keep all these in a uruli(vessel).It is a belief that an auspicious kani sight in the crack of dawn on the Vishu day would prove lucky for the entire year. Hence, Vishukkani is prepared with lot of care to make it the most pleasing and positive sight.

Kanikanal

Usually Vishukkani will be prepared on the night before Vishu. The elder woman in the house wakes up early and will lit the lamps by closing her eyes.

She opens her eyes to take a look at the golden scene that spreads in front by the reflection from the cucumber, gold ornaments, bronze mirror, kanikonna flower clusters and the image of Balagopala.

After her Kanikanal gets over, she wakes up other family members one by one and guides them to the Pooja Room to see Kani.

The children are brought keeping their eyes covered by her loving hand or a cloth to prevent them from opening the eyes and see the mundane before seeing the divine.

If people have cattle, thodi(Garden) at home means they will take the Kani uruli finally around the house three times.

Vishu Kaineetam

The elder one in the family will give Kaineetam to the younger ones.

The kaineetam consists of giving money along with betel leaves, Konna flowers, rice and gold where the rice, betel leaves, Konna flowers and gold are returned.

Vishu Saddhya

Saddhya(food) is a major part of all Kerala festivals. But for Vishu, Vishu Kanji and Thoran are more important. The Kanji is made of rice, coconut milk and spices.

All types of tastes should be prepared on that day. Many will prepare Veppampoo rasam(bitter), mango pachadi(sour), pradhaman(sweet), pappadam(salt).

If you desire to wish people in Malayalam spell it as “Yende hrudhayam neranja Vishu dhina aashamshagal”.

I wish you all a very Happy Vishu.

All Comtemposians wishing Happy Birthday to you sundari Sending birthday blessings filled with love and peace and joy wishing sweetest things happen right before your eyes….

All Comtemposians wishing happy birthday to “siva Gopi”…..

Youth is a circumstance you can’t do anything about. The trick is to grow up without getting old.