Corny paneer delight is a beautiful dish. I learnt this recipe from my mother and now am glad to pass it on. It serves as a great tea-time snack.

Ingredients

1 Cup Fresh Corn

¾Cup Grated Coconut

¾Cup Sugar

4 Tsp Desiccated Coconut

¼Cup Water

½ Tsp Cardamom Powder

3 Tsp Ghee

A few Almonds (Chopped)

For the Paneer

2 Cups Paneer

¾Cup Sugar (Powdered)

A Few Strands of Saffron

Method

1. Crumble paneer. Add the powdered sugar and saffron and mix well.
2. Knead to smooth dough.
3. Divide the paneer dough into balls and keep aside.
4. Heat 1 Tbsp ghee in a heavy bottomed pan and fry the grated coconut on slow gas till light brown in colour. Take off the heat.
5. Grind the corn to make a paste.
6. Heat the remaining ghee in another pan. Add the fried grated coconut and corn paste and mix. Keep stirringcontinously till the mixture leaves the sides of the vessel.
7. Add the chopped almonds and cardamom powder and remove from heat.
8. Keep aside to cool.
9. Divide the mixture into smaller balls than the paneer balls.
10. Stuff each paneer ball with the corn-coconut mixture.
11. Roll each ball in desiccated coconut.
12. Serve cold.

Ingredients

8 Chicken Thighs

2 Tsp Turmeric Powder

1 Tbsp Garam Masala

2 Tbsp Sunflower Oil

2 Onions (Finely sliced)

3 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)

500ml Chicken Stock/ 1Chicken Cube

Handful of Whole Green Olives

1 Lemon Juice

250g Couscous

Zest and Small Bunch Flat-Leaf Parsley

Salt to Taste

Method

1. Toss the chicken thighs in half the spices and a pinch of salt until completely coated. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large sauté pan with a lid. Fry chicken for 10 mins until golden brown, turn over, then cook for 2 mins and take off the heat.
2. Pour the rest of the oil into the pan. Fry the onions and garlic for 8 mins until golden. Stir in the rest of the spices, cook for 1 min. Pour in the chicken stock and the olives. Bring everything to a boil, turn down the heat and add the chicken.
3. Cover the pan with a lid, simmer gently for 35-40 mins until the chicken is tender.
4. Put the kettle on, then lift the chicken onto a plate and keep warm. Take the pan off the heat. Stir the lemon juice and couscous into the saucy onions in the pan and top up with enough boiling water just to cover the couscous if you need to. Place the lid back on the pan, then leave to stand for 5 mins until the couscous is cooked.
5. Fluff through half the parsley and the lemon zest, sit the chicken on top. Scatter with the rest of the parsley and zest before serving.

Hello Kitty party theme would be a great theme for your daughter’s birthday. It has been my favourite character since childhood. Infact even today I own a hello kitty bag.

In the real world, Hello Kitty was born in London in 1974.
The character is portrayed as a female white Japanese bobtail cat with a red bow. The character's first appearance on an item, a vinyl coin purse, was introduced in Japan in 1974 and brought to the United States in 1976. Shimizu, wanted to create a cat that was peteen-nish for sure, author Marie Y. Moss writes in a book called "Hello Kitty Hello Everything", but one that would certainly prefer a catnap to catnip." And so the designer drafted a white cat wearing a red bow and blue overalls. On November 1, 1974, Sanrio introduced the first picture of Hello Kitty. She sat between a bottle of milk and a pet goldfish, and had turned her head sideways to face her new found friends. In a word: cute. 

Ideas for making the card

Bow Card with Balloon: Make a bow shaped cut-out of a big card stock. Make a same size cut-out of construction paper and paint it pink  with white polka dots and stick this paper on the bow shaped card stock (do the same for the back side). Make a smaller red ribbon bow and stick it in front of the big bow card. Decorate the front with jewels, beads, flowers and stickers. Write the party details behind with black ink. Tie this bow around a hello kitty helium balloon and send it out to the guests.

Poems for the Birthday Card

To my purr-fect pal (guests name),

Please come to my Hello Kitty party for my (age) birthday celebration. Mama and Papa will be making plenty of homemade food and we will have lots of fun, games and crafts too at (address of party) on (date and time).

If you have any Hello Kitty soft toys please bring them with you as they may win a prize in the cutest kitty contest!

Love

(birthday girls name)

Hello Girls!!! Our Little Kitty (name) invites you to celebrate her purr-fect (age) birthday. There will be cookies and cakes, fun and games, dancing and crafting so make sure to be there at (venue), on (date), between (time).

If you have any Hello Kitty soft toys please bring them with you as they may win a prize in the cutest kitty contest!

Gifting ideas

Buy pink or purple colour buckets and fill them up with goodies like clips, hair bands, lip gloss, lollipops, colouring books, purses, etc. Decorate the buckets with bows, ribbons and stickers.

Decoration

Have bunches of pink, purple and white balloons at the front of your house or the party venue and then more inside along with some Hello Kitty shaped helium balloons. 

You can also tie a white or pink balloon to the back of every party chair.

Hang pink and white streamers. Fill pink and white balloons with pink and white thermo balls and chocolates. Hang them on the ceiling. Make the kids burst these balloons to get the goodies.

Use plenty of flowers and pink ribbon to decorate. Tying the ribbon around the table or chairs is a good idea.

Over the table fill pink and white helium filled balloons with streamers hanging down. Pink table cloth HK plates pink cups and napkins. 

On the Arrival

Greet every guest with a bow like the one Hello Kitty wears or a flower 

piñata.

Fun Games

1. Decorate Hello Kitty‘s Bow: make bow cut-outs or satin ribbon bows and let the kids decorate it with foam stickers, jewels, egg die kits, stickers, glitter glue, etc.
2. Kitty Says: Just like Simon says you can play kitty says.
3. Friendship bracelets: Made from different colour threads let the girls make some friendship bracelets to give to each other to cement their friendships.
4. Modeling Contest: Girls love walk the ramp. Set up a stage for them to walk by rolling a red carpet or make a red stage by spreading red crepe paper and flowers in a line. Let the girls walk on it and talk about themselves. Select the best who gets a gift. Make sure to give some candy to all the participants.
5. Sing the Cats Go Marching just like the ants go marching and let the kids jump all around the place.
6. Pin the bow in the Kitty: just like pin the tail on the donkey.
7. Hello Kitty Story: Read a hello kitty story.
8. Dress like hello Kitty: Have an adult who can paint the nails for the girls and do a little make-up, tie beads in their hair and dress them like hello kitty. If the girls are big you can couple them and let them dress each other. The best dressed couple wins a tub of cotton candy.
9. Musical Chairs: Play musical chairs on the music of hello kitty.
10. Magic Painting: Get pink and white colour candles and let the kids do magic painting.
11. Pass the Hello Kitty: Like pass the parcel or hot potato but pass a Hello Kitty soft toy instead. Whoever the music stops on wins a Hello Kitty treat. Make sure you have enough for everyone!!
12. The Best Kitty Competition: Make all the girls stand with their kitty’s and select the cutest kitty.

Food Ideas

Hello Kitty Cake.

Colourful Pudding: Make sure you use a lot of strawberries and cherries here. http://bohra-gourmet.blogspot.com/2010/11/colourful-pudding.html

Candy Floss: Buy or rent a candy floss machine and make some pink colour candy floss.

Flower Shaped Sandwiches: Use a cookie cutter and make flower or kitty shaped sandwiches.

Kitty Lemonade: Make a rose colour drink like roohafza or any other strawberry or cherry flavoured drink and freeze it in ice-trays. Fill a glass with lemonade and the pink ice cubes in it.

Apple Pie: Kitty’s loves her mamas apple pie. You can make pie at home for the guest.

Kitty Cup-Cakes: Here we can be use our imagination. Make pink icing cup cakes and let the guests decorate their own cup cakes. They can use skittles, chocolate chips, chocolate sticks, etc.

Shahi Paneer with Butter Naan: Serve shahi paneer http://bohra-gourmet.blogspot.com/2010/11/shahi-paneer.html with round kitty faced butter naans (use the kitty shaped cookie cutter for making the naans) http://bohra-gourmet.blogspot.com/2011/07/butter-naan.html

Strawberry Ice-Cream: Serve strawberry ice-cream with a strawberry on the top.

Spicy Honey Potatoes is a great snack. You can make it for a tea party with friends or have it as a side dish with the main course. It tastes great and is simple to make.

Ingredients

5-6 Potatoes (Cut into fingers)

1 Tsp Ginger-Garlic Paste

2 Tsp Red Chilli Paste

2 Tsp Red Chilli Sauce

½ Tsp Soya Sauce

1 Tbsp Red Chilli Flakes

5 Tbsp Cornflour/Cornstarch

1 Tbsp Oil

5-6 Garlic Cloves (Chopped)

1 Tbsp Vinegar

2 Tbsp Honey

½ Tsp Sugar

1 Tbsp Coriander Leaves (Chopped)

1 Handful of Spring Onions, Greens (Finely Chopped)

Oil for frying

Salt to Taste

Method

1. Soak potato fingers in water for half an hour, drain and add ginger-garlic paste, red chilli paste, ½ tsp red chilli sauce, cornflour and salt and mix.
2. Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the fingers till crisp and golden brown.
3. Drain and place on an absorbent paper.
4. For the Sauce: Heat 1 Tbsp oil in the same wok and add garlic. Sauté for a minute and add red chilli flakes, ½ tsp red chilli sauce, soya sauce and vinegar. Stir and add honey, salt and sugar. Stir and cook till well blended.
5. Toss in fried potato fingers and mix well.
6. Serve hot garnished with coriander leaves and spring onions.

Butter Naan is delicious and easy to make. You can make it in a variety of ways like adding garlic, cheese, coriander or then just let it be plain. This is a tried and tested recipe by me and it tasted great.

Ingredients

1 Cup Plain Flour (maida) 

1 Cup Milk (approximately)
2 Tbsp Curd (dahi)
2 to 3 Pinches Baking Soda
2 Tbsp Butter
Coriander Leaves (Finely Chopped)

Salt to Taste

Method

1. Mix maida, baking soda and salt. Add milk (as reqd.), butter and curd and make it into a dough.
2. Cover with a muslin cloth and Keep it aside for 3-4 hours.
3. Now make balls out of the dough.
4. Put tava on high flame. Roll the maida balls into rotis and heat one side on the tava then flip it and heat the other side.
5. Take it off the heat. Put butter on the front side of the roti and sprinkle a pinch of coriander on top.
6. Serve hot with a gravy or sabzi.

Spongebob is a theme that needs a bit of planning and coordination in order for the party to look neat and the things to go well. Kids love the spongebob character and this party theme would be different from the usual fairy tale superman, spiderman and princess stuff which would surely race up for some attraction.

Ideas for Making the Invitation

1. Cut yellow sponges in half and glue them to the front of white invitation cardstock. Then scan Sponge Bob's picture, print it on cardstock, and glue it with hot glue to the center of the sponge.
2. Another way would be making the face of spongebob on yellow sponge by sticking googly eyes, draw a mouth, red blushy cheeks, and a nose. Cut two arms and two legs out of construction paper and glue them on at the back of the sponge. Draw the tie, the shorts and his shirt on a construction paper matching the size of the sponge you have used as his face  (make sure to leave some space on top of each to stick it on the sponge) and glue them on. You can now stick this spongebob in the front of a white/yellow invitation cardstock and write the details on the party at the back.

Poems for the Invitation

1. "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea..." And on the inside write "You're invited to (your child's name) .... Spongebob birthday party, which will be held at Bikini Bottom (address). Cast off (date) Dive/Resurface (time)" 
2. Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? SpongeBob! And he would like you join him and all of his underwater buddies, Gary, Patrick, Squidward, Mr. Krabs and the rest of the crew for a real fun-filled celebration at Bikini Bottom for some tropical fun and to celebrate _____’s birthday.
• Destination: Bikini Bottom (your home address)
• Cast Off: Date of Party
• Dive Time: Time of Party 

Gifting Ideas

You can gift a spongebob cd, a bag of spongebob goodies like a spongebob colouring book, crayons, spongebob tattoos, stickers, bouncing balls, candys, etc

Pick up some flat sponge that quadruples in size when immersed in water. Cut rectangular strips of the dry, flat sponge and use permanent markers to decorate a picture of SpongeBob. On the bottom back with a fine-line permanent marker, write "Put me in water."  Great for more underwater fun!

Decoration

1. Write “Welcome to Bikini Bottom” on a large construction paper and stick it at the entrance.
2. You need to convert the venue into an underwater scene. Use green, blue, orange streamers and hang them from the ceiling. Fill blue helium balloons and let them float on the ceiling, tie white curling ribbon on the bottom and let it hang down - it looks like you are under the sea. Make cut-outs of fish, starfish, jelly fish and hang them using ribbons and curling them up with a scissor.
3. Stick spongebob characters all over the walls.
4. Make spongebob face on yellow balloons.
5. Select a centre wall where you plan to cut the cake and cover it with blue cellophane paper or use a big blue bed sheet. Make cut-outs out of construction paper of corals and paint it orange, blue, green and stick them down or use these colour helium balloons and stick them up. Stick green streamers, make fish cut-outs or use plastic fish and stick them all over the cloth. Make bubbles out of the fish mouth by using light blue colour crepe paper. Take a printout of spongebob and his friends online and stick all of them on that wall. Stick sea-shells at the bottom.
6. Make a bunch of white, yellow and orange colour balloons and hang them behind the chairs and at the corners.
7. Use a blue table cloth. Make colourful starfish cut-outs and stick all around it.

On the Arrival

Have an adult wear a spongebob mask and welcome the kids. Buy small bottles of bubbles and give each child when they arrive. Let the kids enjoy their bubble play till everyone has come. Play the Spongebob music cd.

Alternatively you can make sponge cut-outs of fish, starfish, jelly fish, octopus and make the kids do sponge painting on a paper. Let the kids take their painting home as a souvenir.

Fun Games

1. Guess the jelly beans: Fill a jar with jelly beans and count the number of beans inside it. Ask the kids to guess the number of jelly beans. The one who is the closest gets the jar.
2. Find the Formula: Set up a treasure hunt to find the krabby patty formula that has been stolen.  Leave clues around the house and then lead the party guests to a safe or locked box where the formula has been hidden.  Have them do several activities to retrieve the keys or find the combination of the safe.
3. Jellyfish tag: Sponge Bob likes to catch jellyfish - but they can zap you if you aren't careful.  Play a fun game of jellyfish tag just as you would freeze tag.  Choose who will be "it".  That person tries to tag the other players.  When "it" tags someone they are zapped and can't move unless someone comes and unzaps them.  When everyone is zapped and can't move the person who was "it" chooses a guest to take their place.
4. Sponge Bob Jellyfish Toss Game: On heavy cardboard (or a good size box) draw several jellyfish. Cut holes about 4” round under the jellyfish and assign a point score to each hole. Cut up yellow sponges in ¼’s or ½’s and let guests take turns trying to throw the sponges into the jellyfish holes for points. Guest with the biggest point score after 3 throws wins a prize.
5. Jellyfish Hunt: Buy or make several pink and purple beanbags, or use small cloth balls. Hide them in the house or in the yard and let kids go on a jellyfish hunt. The one who finds the maximum bean bags wins.
6. Pin the Pants on Sponge Bob: Buy a large Sponge Bob poster and then trace his pants. Cut out several pair of pants - one for each child - and place tape on the back. Blindfold the children one at a time and let them try and stick Spongebobs pants on the poster. Nearest to the original pants wins a prize.
7. Gary’s Pineapple Race: Play this like relay. Divide the kids into two groups. At the finishing line is gary’s house. Keep a table there and a bowl of pineapple pieces at the finish line. The child has to go to gary’s house eat one piece of pineapple and then come back to release the next player of his team. The team that finishes first wins.
8. Spongebob Race: Buy plastic bowls and sponge of the same size for all the kids. Give each child his bowl and sponge. Ask the kids to fill their bowls with water using only the sponge. The one who fills the bowl first wins.  

Food Ideas

1. Spongebob Cake: Purchase a spongebob cake from a cake shop.
2. Make Your Own Pizza's: Cut out monzerella slices in the shape of rectangles (Sponge Bob) or stars (Patrick) and place them on the pizzas before cooking.   
3. Spongebob Cup Cakes.
4. Ras Malai: Check the recipe of ras malai in the Mithaas (Desserts) section. Make square ras malais instead of round also put more saffron so the colour turns out to be more yellow.
5. Khaman Dhokla: Khaman dhokla would also be a perfect dish to go with this theme. Check the recipe of this in the kharaas section.
6. Pineapple flavoured jelly: Pineapple flavoured or any other yellow colour jelly.
7. Jelly Sandwiches: Mango/Pineapple jelly (jam) sandwiches.
8. Jellied Chicken: Check the recipe in the kharaas (Starters) section.
9. Virgin Pina colada: You can check the recipe in the Drinks section. 

Garlic Chicken with Cardamom Rice is a light curry which would be a great mid-week meal. It can be made quickly and easily and tastes great. You can add ingredients of your choice like a bit of lemon, sweet corn, mint, etc..or may be more chilies to give you a kick….

Ingredients

1 Cup Rice

4 Chicken Thighs (Cut into Chucks)

1 Onion

3 Tomatoes (Chopped)

5 Green Chilies

1 Chicken Cube

4-5 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)

2” Ginger (Finely Cut)

1 Tbsp Vinegar

½ Cup Tomato Puree

1 Tsp Cumin Powder

½ Tsp Black Pepper

¼ Tsp Garam Masala

¼ Tsp Chili Powder

¼ Tsp Turmeric Powder

80 Gms Spinach (Chopped)

4 Cardamom Pods

4 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Groundnut or Sunflower Oil

Salt to Taste

Method

1. Marinade the chicken in salt, pepper and vinegar for about an hour.
2. Heat 2 Tbsp oil in a pan. Fry the onion, chilies and ginger-garlic for about 2 mins.
3. Add the dry masalas, chicken cube and cook for another 2 mins and add the chicken chunks, season, and cook for 5-7 mins. Until they start to colour a little.
4. Add the tomatoes and stir continuously till the water leaves the sides and add the tomato puree, after it simmers a little, cover for 20 mins. (add water if needed)
5. Add the spinach and cook for another 10 mins.
6. Heat about 3-4 Tbsp butter in another pan. Add the cardamom pods and cook for 2 mins.
7. Add the rice, salt and cook for another minute. Add 2 cups of water and cook the rice.
8. Serve hot rice with the garlic gravy.

Hint: You can squeeze a bit of lemon juice, use some mint leaves, sweet corn as per your taste.

We are now entering the Ice Age and this theme would be most preferred to be gone ahead with. All the characters of the theme are likeable, cute, chirpy and funny hence your party needs to be planned having these ingredients. It also includes animals from small as squirrels to as big as dinosaurs and ofcourse how can we forget the elephants.

Ideas for making the card

Ice Cream Cups: You can use a paper ice-cream cup and write the party details on it or cover a plastic cup with white construction paper and write the party details on it. For the ice-cream scoop you can use cotton balls paint it pink and stick it on the cup with a cello tape make sure its in a way that the cello tape is not seen.

Ice–Cream Sticks: You can cut a rectangle out of white construction paper and paint it on both sides, pink for girls and blue/yellow/orange for boys. Write the party details on the back side of it. Get it laminated and stick it on ice-cream sticks.

Poems for the Birthday Card

1.      Have you heard...the Ice Age is coming! Herds of elephants are running…. But wait the elephants are going to STOP by to wish (Name) for his birthday on (Date) at (Venue) so make sure you are present for some great games, fun, feast and ideas to control the Ice Age….

2.      Scrat looking for, and finally finding, his nut. Manny and Ellie  are awaiting the birth of their mini mammoth, Diego the Saber Tooth Tiger wonders whether or not he is too old. Sid the Sloth, is wanting to form his own family, takes some Dinosaur eggs, Come and join all these guys at (Venue) On (Date) as (Name) celebrates his (Age) birthday in the midst of the Ice Age…!!!

Gifting ideas

Ice Age Basket: Fill the basket with plastic dinosaurs, stickers of ice age characters, fruit ice cubes or ice pop moulds, elephant shaped white chocolates, etc.. you can also hunt down for some acorns and fill them in the basket.

Ice-Age Movie Cd: You can gift the kids a set or just any one part of the ice-age movie cd.

Decoration

1. Make a Dino walk: Get a big sponge, cut it to make it look like a dino foot. Put some food coloring into a small bucket of water and make some Dinosaur footprints in your yard, along your sidewalk anywhere they look good. You can have your kids march along and follow the footprints.
2. Thermocal Balls:  Make your party look like snowfall fill balloons with white thermocal balls and put them on the ceiling. When all have arrived you can burst a few balloons and ask the kids to enjoy the snow fall. Let the thermo balls be there all through out the party.
3. Ice-Age Characters: Stick ice age characters all around the place. Also hang some plastic dinosaurs and elephant on the ceiling.
4. Red, Green, White Streamers and balloons: Decorate the place with streamers and balloons. Like roll the streamer on the legs of the table, make a table cloth cover with white and green streamers by sticking the streamers on a plain white or green table cloth, make a group of three white balloons and hang them at the back of the chairs.

On the Arrival

If you have elder kids you can ask them to write a few lines on ice age whatever they have understood of it. After all the kids have come you can have an adult talk about it in short knowledge is always good and you will be shocked with the kind of questions the kids come up with as kids today are all in for knowing every detail.

For the younger kids you can get them to colour dinosaur pictures that you can take a printout of online.

Fun Games 

1. Coloring Competition: Print off coloring sheets online of dinosaurs or Ice Age characters and have a coloring contest.
2. Dinosaur Relay Race: You can also make different trails in different colors and have a Color Dinosaur Relay Race. Have a couple teams, each with a different color, and have them follow their trail to the end, and back to the start line again. When the first team to complete the task is finished, you've got a winner.
3. Treasure Hunt: You can hide plastic dinosaurs or the character of ice-age all around and ask the kids to hunt for the maximum. The one who is able to search for the most wins.
4. Guess the Gummy Dinosaurs: Count and fill a jar with gummy dinosaurs. Ask the kids to guess the number of dinosaurs in it and the child who guesses the closest gets the jar.
5. Hatch the Dinosaur: Have some small plastic dinosaur toys and freeze them in ice cubes before the party. Then put them into zip-lock bags so each guest will have one. Then your guests have to melt the ice cube anyway they can in the bag – first one to melt the ice and get the dinosaur out first wins.
6. Carnivores vs. Herbivores: You will need dinosaur stickers for this one – you can use Ice Age Stickers of course. To play separate the guests into two teams – the Carnivores and the Herbivores. Give each a  sheet of stickers.  On go the Carnivores chase the Herbivores – A Herbivore is caught when a sticker is placed on his or her back by a Carnivore. Then they must freeze until another Herbivore removes the sticker. This continues until the Carnivores are all out of stickers. Then reverse role play. The kids love this!!!
7. Musical Chairs: Play the “Food” song and get print outs of dinosaur footprints. Have them stuck on the floor. Make sure to have one less from the total number of kids. Play musical chairs.
8. Freeze Dance: Play music and when the music stops ask the kids to freeze. Let the kids freeze till one of them is out. Start music again and play till there is one child left who would be the winner.

Food Ideas 

Ice Age Cake: Bake a cake with this theme. Hunt for a cake shop to order a cake on it.

Ice Cream Pops: Fill the molds with the lemonade, add some gummy dinosaurs and then freeze. The kids will now have a pre-historic treat and will have fun discovering the dinosaurs when the get to the middle.

Dinosaur Toast: Get a dinosaur toast stamp! Make grilled sandwiches with a dino on each one. You can also cut your bread in a dino shape.

Dinosaur Eggs: How about Dinosaur eggs? Make hard boiled eggs, crack the shells a little and set them into a bowl with water and some food coloring. Leave them in the bowl for 10 minutes. Crack one open to check how the color has taken.

Brocolli and Cheese Pattice: Check my blog for this recipe. It tastes great and includes the most important ingredient broccoli that sid tries to feed the young dinos.

Sloppy Noodles: Make veg noodles.

Bone Fries: Make French fries and tag it as bone fries.

Cup cakes: Serve cup cakes with ice age characters on top.

Dino Drumsticks: In the third movie, dinosaurs play a crucial part in the story - cook chicken drumsticks in the marinade of your choice (nothing too spicy though) and serve as dinosaur drumsticks!

Yellow Jelly: Make yellow colour jelly. You can put some dinosaur gummy bears in the jelly or even jelly beans would do incase you don’t wish to repeat the gummy dinosaurs of the ice cream pops.

"Mammoth" Burgers: Small hamburgers that can be served with relishes and sauces.