Mere Attithi Series #6

There was a time when I had almost given up blogging for I was frustrated!!

I knew more about the hazards of online friends than the benefits so I was reluctant to try something new.  

But I had registered at Indiblogger and I saw quite a few sites put up for reviews and the sites were reviewed critically but in a constructive way. Naturally I followed the beaten track. One of the first reviews I got was from Mythreyi. I am grateful to her as because of her review I continued blogging and tried to implement her suggestions. Tried copying what was on her place.

 So who is Mythreyi?   Well for one she my Attithi today but then she has other identities too, other than the ever smiling author of the blog YUM! YUM! YUM! that is where she churns out her delicious yummy treats.

Her full name is Mythreyi Vattikuti lives in Frisco, Texas in United States. She is a busy working mom with two young kids and happily married to Vijay. She confesses that,” cooking and gardening are my passions. Music and Moves (dance) are my pleasures. Travel around the world is my dream. I am from India and respect every aspect of our culture and love to follow traditions.”

Mythreyi’s has loved the kitchen from the she was a kid. She has fond memories of making” potato chips when mom is not at home along with my sister.” This love grew and has now become a passion. “And then came the opportunity to stay in the room with my wonderful friends in those good old college days that means opportunity to cook more on my own :-).”

Most of Mythreyi’s recipes are spicy, savoury and with the focus of healthy ingredients, some of them are some are her moms recipes. Then she has built on the foundation and put the Cookbooks and the net to a very delicious use.

Like most of us Mythreyi owns her basic to her mom who is a great cook and her “true inspiration”. Food is Mytheryi’s first love (of course after her husband and children) and she “ always love reading cook books, watching Food channels ( my fav is 30 minutes meals on Food Network) and surfing food sites ( my fav is Vah Reh Vah with Vah Chef) to explore new recipes and try them and present to you. “

Mythreyi’s love for food extends not only to her kitchen she is game for “new restaurants and new cuisines, to know the possibilities of different styles of cooking and ingredients.”

If you are interested in Italian, Mexican and Thai you can just step right in Mythreyi’s kitchen!! Interesting right!

So how did Mythreyi get into blogging?  Her passion for cooking and presenting plus the variety of healthy food she was cooking necessitated maintaining a log of recipes, and some of her friends also suggested to start the blog. (Lucky for us)!  According to Mythreyi ,”But it all started one afternoon when  I made exquisite Baby Zucchini Bajji.”

So the blog baby was born on October 25 2010 and promptly christened Yum! Yum! Yum!

Lucky Mythreyi has her best supporter in her husband. “As he is already into photography he gave me several tips on food photography and gave several suggestions on the look and feel of my website being a first critic, I am glad he did that that improved the quality of my blog.”  Not far behind it is her son who is a great help in the kitchen Mythreyi proudly says and her daughter “has started pretending just like her mommy in the play kitchen. J”

“My son”, says Mythreyi,” enjoys all the baked goodies in my cooking, as he involves in kneading and stirring for the cakes & cookies, he takes special pride in those activities.  He started calling me ‘Yum Yum Mommy’ these days.”

Now the domain name for Mythreyi’s site is “YummyOdds” why so? “My sister always gets amused with the dishes I make with all the odd ingredients.  That is the reason I picked ‘YummyOdds’ as the domain name for my site. She is my true follower and testimonial as she tries most of my recipes with no failure.”

Are these her only talents? Well no Mythreyi is also a poetess she writes Telegu poems “it’s not active” she says but then you can always check it out “

http://nerajana.blogspot.com/

The most popular post on Yum! Yum! Yum! Is AndhraChicken Curry  but Mythreyi’s personal favourite is a “this gorgeous Dessert. This is definitely my favorite on my blog.” Well Mythreyi I Love this one. 

Blogging has helped  Mythrei get over her dislike of mushrooms here is the hero  Mushroom Masala Rice . Mine to Mythreyi!

When Mythreyi’s sister visited her she was pregnant and the menu was was perfect.” I called it a Weekend Rescue Menu but this post holds the special memories in my heart.”

You forgot the Tofu Lettucewraps, Avocado Mango Salsa and Chocolate Barfi Mythreyi my favourites !

I asked Mythreyi how long she plans to blog and her reply was “For life time. Currently I am a busy working mom and will get hardly any time to work on my blog. But still I always try to find time to spend on my blog. I am planning to continue the same schedule for lifetime.”

It is going to be difficult as Yum! Yum! Yum! Has 170 followers and Mythreyi tries juggling her busy schedule and stay connected with them all. Of course she has no time for conversations but she makes it a point to”  I always visit everybody’s blog and get connected through the comments on their visual treats in their spaces.  “

Which is more than what I do Mythreyi. Kudos to you dear!!

Well I think you guys have had enough of my bak bak now let us all move over to Mythreyi's post!

This is a very simple recipe for a wonderful Bundt Cake. The Pumpkin and spices in this cake will make it warm and comfort for this winter season. When you add a dollop of vanilla ice cream on top of this warm cake, that makes it even better. I always love the spiced cakes, but the pumpkin and walnuts in this cake gave a special twist to this cake making it even more flavorful and addictive. The measurements used in this cake are little heavy compared to normal cake measurements, hence making it dense and spongy. With these measurements I have got the full blown cake in my Bundt pan. You can reduce the measurements to half for smaller Bundt cake. Here is the recipe, Njoy!

 Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour (APF) - 2 cups

Sugar - 2 cups

Oil - 1 1/4 cup

Pumpkin Puree - 2 cups (or canned pumpkin)

Eggs - 4

vanilla extract - 1 tsp

baking soda - 2 tsp

baking powder - 3 tsp

salt - 1/4 tsp

cinnamon powder - 1 tsp

nutmeg powder - 1 tsp

chopped walnuts - 1 cups ( optional)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a Bundt Pan.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg powder. Set aside.

Combine sugar and oil in a large bowl. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Spread batter into prepared Bundt Pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.

Tips:

• I have used fresh cinnamon and nutmeg and grind them, that added a lot of great taste and flavor. 
• Though I say walnuts are optional, i insist you to try this with walnuts ( unless you are allergic to nuts).
• it took me 60 mins to bake this, but I suggest keep an eye on it after 50 mins.

  Yum! Yum! Yum! Indeed Mythreyi. I am sure all will agree !

Thanks  a lot Mythreyi for this lovely post.

Hi! First time here? Well then you are Most Welcome! I hope you keep coming back for more here. If you are my regular visitor then Thanks, for you encourage me to experiment more!! I would like you to please click on my link below and like my Face Book page. I will be happy if you can follow me on Twitter too!