A CHRISTMAS SPREAD - MEDIA MENTION

It was just before I left for India this time that I saw an email in my inbox from Grihalakshmi, a fortnighty magazine from Kerala. They asked me if I was willing to do a Christmas menu spread for their magazine. Initially, I was not very sure if I would be able to do it because from the day I would land in India, a week long journey was planned already. Since the team was very flexible with their dates, I accepted the offer and the rest is history,as you see it. The shoot happened in our home, in Kannur and it was a fun filled, labour intensive one yet worth every drop of sweat shed!
This was published on 15 December 2014 but,since we were travelling I couldn't update you all earlier. It's better late than never, right?

Menu:

Rich Hot Chocolate

American Buttermilk Pancakes

Bell Pepper Tempura with Chili Garlic Sauce

Easy Quiche

Cheesy Cauliflower & Sweet Corn Mini Pie

Ginger & Soy Baked Chicken

Grilled Chicken & Pasta Salad

Mango Fizz

Mango Pudding Cake

Mocha Truffles

ABOUT AN INTERVIEW & CELEBRATION CAKES

This past week was one of my busy ones,as a food writer and food instructor. If you remember, I had mentioned it on our Anniversary that I write for a magazine called Malayali, every month. I write for their dessert column. Aaaand,I've been contacted by another upcoming magazine to write for them,about food, but with a twist. In the meantime, I was doing celebrity interviews too, for Malayali.In between all these writing stuff, I was planning the menu for the upcoming classes till December. Each one is different as I don't want any repetitions. So all these were to be submitted in the same week! My already full hands, were overflowing with projects.But,I am certainly thankful,for all the opportunities that have been coming my way!

So,while I was busy interviewing some, I was being interviewed too! This time,from Sulekha.com. As always,these kind of emails finds it's way into my inbox while I'm fast asleep. So when I see that email,first thing in the morning, it just brightens up my day,more than what it already is! You can read my interview here.

While I was in Kannur, I did make a few cakes, to order. I couldn't take pictures of all of it excepting for a few you just saw. It was from March - May and that's the most terrible time to make decorated cakes in Kannur. It's very hot and humid then.The buttercream roses fell off of the cake from one side as I was finishing the other.The fondant sweated and the chalice, that I painstakingly moulded with my hands, melted into a puddle by the time I left it to set. That fondant cake had to be delivered to a hilly area about an hour away from the town. Of course, once we got there, I had to touch it up quite a bit! It was fun, anyway!

MEDIA MENTION & A COOK OUT!

Ibelieve that a photograph can speak volumes more than words do. Do you agree? Even if you don't,please agree this time as I am quite lazy to type out today :) You would have read about it here before  and it was always been a dream of mine to be featured on Vanitha as that was one magazine I grew up reading, even though it was Amma who subscribed for it :)

This article appeared on the current issue of Vanitha and I was so excited about it. Amma saw it first and she soaked it all in before Appan could see or else they both would have been having a tug of war with the magazine. Later Appan decided to surprise me and he shuffled up the pages. But it was long before I woke up. They both waited thinking I would come down soon and since that didn't happen,Appan decided to come up and wake me :-)

He just whispered something to me and I ran downstairs to see it! :) It was such a happy day for Amma and myself as we both were featured in it along with our recipes.All our phones have been ringing non-stop for the last 3 days with relatives and friends ringing up to congratulate us.Our family friend and fellow food blogger,Rinku Naveen , surprised me with her Kalathappam that evening. She came home and rang up to tell me that she is waiting outside :) It is one of my  favourite tea time snack.

As you can see above, there's a Cookery Class hosted by yours truly arranged by the YWCA ,Kannur on 3 October.These posters have been stuck on walls here and it's so funny when people recognise you after that!  I have no idea how many people are going to be there but I know one thing for sure, you will get to see a snap of my class :-) The menu has been fixed and sent to the organisers. So, now all I have to do is go take the class :-)

Have a good weekend!

THE 'TITLE' I EARNED...PACHAKARANI 2011

There's so much to tell you all, so very much! Sadly that will have to wait as I'm travelling right now covering 3-4 states in a day's time, in India.I'm off to Kashmir tomorrow to spend sometime with my family, Jobin's sisters family. So when I return, I shall update you with some pictures that I took from here and there during my small trip. Also, I must tell you that I am so badly tanned by the Goa sun! It seems it was raining there all this while but the days we were there, the sun was shining gloriously and I feared I would look like a pakora in my bestest cousin's bridesmaid dress, which I did in the end :-)

Okay, now about the picture you just saw above. Some of you must have read it on newspaper or read about it on Facebook There was a competition that me and Amma had enrolled  for and we were lucky enough to be selected together. It was such a happy moment for the two of us ! There was a preliminary round where I baked a Triple Veggie Quiche & BBQ Chicken Meat balls. I came first in the 'Malabar' zone and was qualified for the finals at the State level. Amma came second. Then the finals were held in Kottayam on Sept. 6th at Windsor Castle. I made my forever favourite Chatti Pathiri & Mocha Chocolate Mascarpone Verrine. Those were my winning dishes. I never thought I'd win. I just wanted to participate along with Amma as it's very rare for a mother-daughter duo to reach finals together. All these dishes were made on the spot so we really have to prove it to them that we can do it :)

The title I earned is 'Pachakarani 2011' which means I'm the Queen of Cooking for 2011 at the Kerala state level. It was conducted by a very popular Malayalam magazine 'Vanitha' in collaboration with Whirlpool.It's such a huge honor for me as there were so many seasoned cooks competing along with me for that title. We were judged by the Executive Chefs of Taj & Dietitians. I've been to the finals of the same 4 years ago in 2008 where I came 5th. This time, I was able to prove better :-) I am so happy for Amma too since she bagged the 2nd place :) We were the most happiest souls on earth that day.

When this photograph came on the newspaper, we were travelling so Appan had to scan and send it to me yesterday once he reached home :)

Will be back with more updates,shortly! I hope all of you are doing well! Thanks to all who wrote to me after seeing this article on the newspaper :-) You guys make me feel so loved & special!! Thank you :)

FEATURED ONCE AGAIN BACK TO BACK on 4 editions! :-)

This morning as I woke up to Facebook ;-) I saw a post by my blogger friend Ambika Venkat on my profile page saying that my recipe for the NUTELLA- COCONUT MILK BREAD PUDDING   is featured on Deccan Chronicle 's (Hyderabad Edition) Sunday Chronicle.Can you imagine how excited I was? Very very much! It feels so great to be acknowledged for what I am doing even though I had no idea what I was getting into when this little blog started!

Later, a sweet reader, Preetha Suju mentioned that it is present in the Chennai Edition too! Maybe now you can imagine how excited I would have been then! :) I would like to mention that the photograph they have on the blog is not mine but theirs. I sincerely wish they had taken mine :-) It would have been so perfect! Oh, this OCD-ic woman likes everything to be perfect, if you must know ;-)

This is a delicious bread pudding made with Coconut milk & Nutella. The coconut milk flavors the pudding very lightly and it does not overpower the taste of Nutella. Try it if you are looking for a change or simply try it just to see why it was featured on Deccan Chronicle :) I am sure you are going to like it no matter what! :-)

You can read the article here . Make sure you read it as they have given some additions that may take this pudding to another level! :-)

This article is present on Hyderabad, Bangalore,Chennai & Kochi edition! What a way to start a week! :)

Have an awesome week ahead, wonderful people!

ON MEDIA ONCE AGAIN :-) and 700,000 hits!!

Yes, it's me on Deccan Chronicle today, Kochi edition! :-) You guys made it possible! Thank you all so much! :-) It's come in the perfect time as this little space just touched 700,000 hits!

If you would like to read the article, just click on the picture and it will take you to my Flickr account. There you can enlarge it and read. Enjoy!

My niece's comment on seeing this article : Riammayis photo came in the paper because she is a famous cooker. Ask her to make a chocolate cake with sprinkles and send it to me - Mira.

ON MEDIA

Cookery Show On Surya TV (2009) - A regional channel in India
Exculsive Interview on Women's Era (2011) - A national publication for Women in India
Deccan Chronicle (2011)-  Kerala edition
Deccan Chronicle (2011) - Hyderabad edition 
Deccan Chronicle (2011)-  Chennai edition
Deccan Chronicle (2011)- Bangalore edition
Deccan Chronicle (2011)-  Kochi edition
Malayala Manorama (2011) - All editions
Vanitha (Oct 1-14, 2011) - A Malayala Manorama Publication for Women.

ABOUT RIA MATHEW

I am Ria, an accidental food blogger from Kannur, Kerala.I had no clue what I was getting into when I opened up a blog to share some recipes with my cousins.And now, it's been 10 years since that happened.I love to cook and bake whenever I am in the mood. Otherwise, some fried chicken from Popeye's would be my best friend.

Jobin, Ian ,Zara and I live in Minnesota, USA.

I come from a family of home cooks.Everyone takes their recipes seriously and spend a good amount of time discussing new recipes whenever we meet up.Everyone in my family bakes cakes, cookies, pies etc. So, growing up I was never intimidated by it.When people ask me (trust me, so many ask me this!)how I got into baking, initially, I wondered what made them ask that. Later, I realised that baking was not one of the methods of cooking practiced widely in India.Luckily, I was born into a family that baked for all occasions,sweet & savoury. I am blessed!

Food blogging is a happy part of my life and I am so happy to have had so many opportunities open it's door for me just because of it.I am a food writer now. I write the dessert column for a Bi-Lingual Malayali Magazine in the United States,the first of it's kind.I am a cooking instructor too at one of the best Cookery School's in town. I teach people how to cook Indian food in a simple way, mostly one pot meals.I mean, I never even dreamt of such things 10 years ago.I am happy the way things are unfolding for me and I am even more happy that you all have been a part of it too! Thank you for reading this little space of mine and for the continuous support that you all have given me over the years!

I recently graduated from the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu specializing in Baking & Pastry Arts. I was trained at Hyatt Regency in Minneapolis before Zara was born. Now, I am at home enjoying being the stay-at-home-mom all over again!