Category: DIY

Why Crafting is Important

Recently, while I’ve been staying in India, I’ve been doing a lot of crafting. From crafting kits to crafts made from old pieces of paper I’ve found, crafting has been something I’ve done every day. It’s been a perfect way to show my creativity and a great way to relax. Arts and Crafts are often regarded as unimportant, but this is a view I believe should change.

Students who study art are 4 times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement. They are also 3 times more likely to be awarded for school attendance. I think crafting (and arts in general) is an important part of both school and our daily lives and should be implemented more because of the way it benefits school lives and mental health.

Many people don’t realize how studying art or at least taking part in it is extremely beneficial to the studious part of their lives. In countries that mandate the arts, like Japan, Hungary, and the Netherland, schools are often regarded as some of the best in the topics of math and science. In The No Child Left Behind Act clearly mandates the arts (for example music, languages, and art) as core academic subjects. Multiple studies have also shown that extracurricular art activities/studies help keep students in school longer. Brain research also shows that crafts improve skills in math and reading, as well as promoting creativity, social development, and self-worth.

Crafting is a simple, yet effective way to improve mental health. As stated in the last paragraph, crafts promote creativity, social development, and self-worth, 3 major influencers in mental health. Art (or crafting in general) is proven to help you recognize feelings lurking under the surface, greatly boost your self esteem, and relieving your stress. Furthermore, creating things gives you a healthy coping mechanism/outlet which isn’t destructive and allows you to create something you can call your own. Creating art also takes your mind off of your everyday life and therefore provides a distraction from things that could be worrying.

As you can see, crafting is a useful and simple way to both elevate core skills and improve your mental health. Because of these reasons, I believe crafting should be implemented more and become a daily part of people’s everyday lives.

What is your view on crafting?

My Grandma’s Chocolate Recipe

When I was in India, my grandmother showed me how to make a quick and easy chocolate. The recipe was so simple, yet delicious. Now, back in the US, I decided to try it out again. It turned out really well, so I decided to share it with you!

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 cup milk powder
  • 2 1/2 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • Water
  1. Grease a plate with a bit of butter.
  2. Sieve the milk and cocoa powders together.
  3. Soak the sugar in a bit of water, then bring it to a boil to dissolve the sugar. Keep on heat until it reaches a one-string consistancy.
  4. Turn off the heat and add the butter and milk and cocoa powders.
  5. Stir.
  6. Once fully incorporated, pour into the plate and let it set.
  7. Enjoy!

What’s a recipe you love!

Applesauce Cinnamon Muffins

It’s officially fall! Normally during this time of year, I make my delicious pumpkin cinnamon bread. This year, I decided to spice things up by making Applesauce Cinnamon muffins. We had so many cups of applesauce at home that we needed a new recipe to use them. This recipe was perfect for that! The muffins taste spectacular and they’re a perfect snack for school.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • a pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the cupcake wrappers in their spots to get the muffin tray ready.
  2. In a bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil and both the sugars. Add both eggs, and whisk until smooth. Stir in the applesauce, Greek yogurt, and vanilla extract until just combined.
  3. Stir in the flours, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Make sure not to overstir the batter.
  4. Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tray and tap to get rid of air bubbles.
  5. Bake for 16 minutes.
  6. Remove from oven and let cool.
  7. Enjoy!

What’s your favorite fall recipe?

Easy Pasta Recipe

I recently made a delicious turkey spaghetti with my Ninja Foodi. It came out really well, so I thought that I’d share it with you!

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 lb ground turkey
  • 1/2 of a chopped onion
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp pepper
  • 3 fresh basil leaves
  • 1 clove of garlic, chopped
  • 4 oz spaghetti noodles (broken into halves or thirds)
  • 7 oz can of diced tomatoes
  • 12 oz jar of marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup water
  • parmesan cheese (to garnish)

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Turn the Foodi on to the Sauté setting. When it is hot, add the ground turkey, 1 tbsp olive oil, and the onions. Break apart the meat by stirring.
  2. Add the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and basil. Cook for a few minutes, while occasionally stirring until the meat is mostly done.
  3. Add the garlic and cook for around a minute.
  4. Scatter in the spaghetti noodles randomly.
  5. Pour the diced tomatoes over the noodles as evenly as possible and don’t stir.
  6. Pour on the spaghetti sauce completely covering all of the noodles (exposed noodles may not cook fully).
  7. Pour in the broth and the water down the side of the Foodi, so the sauce doesn’t wash off of the noodles. Do not stir.
  8. Close the lid and lock it in place. Set the steam release knob to the Seal position and cancel the Saute setting.
  9. Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button and set the time to 7 minutes.
  10. Wait for the pressure to release naturally. Once all the pressure has released, you can open the lid.
  11. Stir the spaghetti well, so that the sauce and the noodles can blend. Garnish with the parmesan cheese.
  12. Enjoy!

Blueberry Limeade

Summer is almost over! It feels like those three months with no school have flown so quickly and now, school’s starting soon again. I’ve made a lot of food over summer, but one of my favorites was a blueberry limeade concentrate. It’s tart and sweet, and is such a great drink for summer. I really enjoyed this drink, especially when chilled or frozen.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 2 cups of fresh blueberries
  • 1 1/4 cup of sugar
  • 2 cups of water
  • 3/4 cup of lime juice

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Put the blueberries, sugar and water in a saucepan. Cook them on medium heat.
  2. When it starts to boil, start breaking down the berries with the back of a spoon until the sugar is fully dissolved and the berries are crushed.
  3. Strain the syrup using a sieve, extracting as much juice as possible by pressing down on the berries.
  4. Allow syrup to cool down slightly, then stir in the lime juice. Keep in the fridge
  5. To make a drink, fill 1/3 of the cup with juice and 2/3 of the cup with water.

Serving Suggestion: Make popsicles. You’ll still have to dilute the mixture with water, and it comes out really well!

Recipe: Ninja Foodi Mac and Cheese

This is a recipe I recently made. It came out really well and I enjoyed it a lot. I did it on a Ninja Foodi Instapot.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/4 cup small shell pasta
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 cup shredded cheese (any type)
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/8 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 butter
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • Panko breadcrumbs

Directions:

  1. Add the chicken broth, heavy whipping cream and pasta into the pot and stir.
  2. Close the pressure cooker lid and make sure that it’s set at seal. Set to high for 3 minutes. Let it release pressure, then release the rest of steam.
  3. Lift the lid carefully and stir in 3 Tbsp of butter, then stir so it can melt. Then add in the cheese and stir until melted. Add whipping cream if needed (for a less sticky consistency). Season with pepper, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder and stir.
  4. Sprinkle some cheese and breadcrumbs on top of cooked mac and cheese.
  5. Close the air crisp lid and air crisp at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.
  6. Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy!

Best of 2020

2020 has been a strange year, but here are some of the things that happened.

1. Starting the year with family:

I love spending time with my grandparents. I’m glad I got to do it in the beginning of this year, even if I couldn’t make my annual summer trip to India 😭. I also got to spend some time with my uncle and aunt, before they moved countries.

2. Ending my elementary years and staring my middle school ones:


I finished 5th grade (virtually) and started middle school and the school of my choice (also virtually)! Virtual school is less than ideal, but I’ve learned to adjust. You can read about my experiences here.

3. ARCADIS Science Fair:


I participated in the ARCADIS science fair and did a project on supercooling and snapfreezing water. I learnt a lot and was really surprised when I won!

4. Mini Getaways:


Since we couldn’t travel a lot, I relied on a few small breaks to get away . My favorite one was definitely my birthday weekend getaway with a few of my friends and family. I also liked the Corpus Christi, Driftwood, and Pensacola Beach breaks.

5. Dance:


I spent a lot of time focusing on dance during these COVID times. I’ve taken place in a Bharatanatyam dance exam (for both theory and practical) and started learning a new Indian classical dance form, Mohiniattam. I performed a few solo items and recorded them. I’ve also began to learn Carnatic music to support my skills.

In Western dance, I was able to get one last performance on February in my elementary school dance company and I’m in my new school’s Drill Team. It’s less than ideal, but I’m hoping to be able to go back to performing soon.

6. Life Skills:


2020 has been a year where I learnt and tried so many new things.

  • I learned to crochet, and did a few art projects including tie-dye projects and wreaths for our door.
  • I cooked and baked (I even made my first layered cake!) and got comfortable in the kitchen. Some of the treats I made include mint chutney bread, cranberry cookies, brownies, and more. I also learned to make rice and keera kootu.
  • I’ve learned a lot of handy household chores like doing the laundry and handwashing clothes as well as ironing and sweeping.
7. Improved Technology Skills:

I started to use Instagram and I wrote on my blog more. I got better at using Google Drive, Docs, and Slides. I’ve learnt about different features on computers and got better at navigating through the digital world.

8. Writing:

I wrote 2 stories (which I’m going to edit this year) and a few short stories for my blog.

9. Reading:

I’ve read a ton this year and made friends with a few bookstagrammers. On my instagram, I took part in two challenges, the #mgbookmarch challenge in March and the #mgbooktober challenge in October. I’ve also started new series, and began to read a higher level of mglit!

(If you’re not following me yet, you totally should)

You can check out my insta here.

Mav Urundai

I roll the ball between my palms, wincing a bit from the heat. As I take in my family mingling around the kitchen, I smile. I am right where I want to be, in my kitchen making mav urundai.

Mav urundai is so easy to make! I can make at least 6 delicious roasted bengal gram balls in less than 10 minutes. They taste really good and I always have to stop myself from eating more. Each urundai is small, but it fills you up perfectly. It’s a great time to be with family. Sitting around our table, we crack jokes and play games, all while having a small mav urundai snack.

I bite into the little ball and a flood of memories come rushing through my mind. Mav urundai reminds me of so many things. I take a small bite and vividly remember days with my grandparents, having fun in the sun, and so many more wonderful things. Happiness washes over me as I finish the urundai and reach for another one.

I love mav urundai. It reminds me of home and is a great and easy snack. I totally recommend making this for a light and easy treat!

Mint Girl’s Mav Urundai Recipe

Ingredients:

  • half cup roasted bengal grams (porikadalai)
  • .37 cup of powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons ghee

Steps:

  1. Finely grind the bengal grams
  2. Add the powdered sugar and mix well
  3. Melt the ghee in a saucepan.
  4. Turn off the heat and add the powdered mix
  5. Mix well and start shaping balls
  6. Enjoy!