My Musings: March 2014

Thursday, March 13, 2014

Saturday, 9 April 2011

Achcharu (Sri Lankan Pickle)

Pickle (Achcharu ) is a very popular dish in Sri Lanka. Specially during the April New year season and during special functions.Pleasecheck my recent recipe for Sri Lankan pickle for another way of making Achcharu using Baby jack fruit (Polos).

Hope you’d love to make that easy pickle too.

Ingredients

Sri Lankan Pickle

20-25 red Onions
15-20 green Chilies (each split into two halves)
2 large Carrots (cut into thin strips)
Raw Papaya or baby jackfruit cut into stripes (optional)
2 cups Vinegar
1 inch piece Ginger root (crushed)
6 cloves Garlic (crushed)
2 tbs black ground Mustard seed
1 tbs black ground Pepper
¼ tbs of Turmeric
Salt to taste

Method

Heat 1 cup vinegar in a clay pot. Add onions and simmer for few minutes.

Drain the onions and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

Add green chilies to hot vinegar and simmer for few minutes.

Drain the chilies and add to the onions.

Repeat same process with carrots & other ingredients and add to the onions and chillie.

Mix all the vegetables well.

To the heated vinegar in the pan, add the remaining 1 cup of vinegar and all other ingredients and boil for few minutes.

Pour the hot vinegar mix over the onions and vegetables and mix well.

Pack into a glass bottle and leave for a day or two to mature.

You might als

- See more at: http://www.foodcnr.com/2011/04/achcharu-sri-lankan-pickle.html?spref=bl#sthash.9nHMYZox.dpuf

RETIRED LIFE

RETIRED LIFE
I would say One is Lucky to have a full life & come to the stage of retirement & have enough 'beans ' to enjoy ones retired life I am one of the lucky ones
I have had a professional life as a OBGYN -a real active life I am very grateful to the power above for this
I had a very satisfying profession & would never exchange it for anything else even if I had 'SEVEN LIVES' to make another choice. I can say i have given my best to this profession.A very satisfying 50 yrs of active life .along with being a wife mother & housewife & now grand mother with all the responsibilities involved . sometimes I feel like giving a 'pat' on my own back.but then stop short as I feel some where I could have done a better job in my domestic front! though my kids -now all grown up & parents to their own kids think that if they could be half as good as I have been then they will feel very satisfied -this specially from my younger daughter who have been very vociferous in my short comings as life went by. anyway this i feel is a good reward with all the shortcoming I have felt

Now that I am retired I have all the time to do what I want -just laze around if i feel like it for as long as i wish .But mostly I like to keep myself busy with house hold chores gardening .My pet dogs -my most trusted & & loving companions to my single self -nowIi am a widow they are to me & i am to them the world!!
I like stitching embroidery-loved it as a teenager I like to tinker with this when i feel like I loved stitching dresses for my daughters & would love to do some for my grand daughters but now i feel times have changed so much that my effort will not meet their & their mothers approval as now so many beautiful things can be bought out of a ready made shops which are in plenty anywhere one goes
Reading is another passion I had -I still do but find my capacity to finish a book has gone down a lot -may be the book does not hold much interest to hang on to it .But still I still do read .The one thing i do e very morning is read the news paper completely fully from page one to the last !
I waych the TV as & when i want to do with following about 2-3 Hindi serials daily do not miss then if there is a current shut down -which is fairly comman on this side of the world!!
the next passion is My Computer this keeps me glued to the PC for hours -or till I get tired of it
face book & search engine to look for anything under the sky!I am glued to the PC as long as I want to the world has come to my door step with SKYPE talking to friends relatives is a joy which earlier in life was never ever done or dream of! now this is part of the every day life
I am very glad that i have seen this slow changing world & am still here to enjoy it
though i am retired I am comfortably well of financially for my day to day expenditure .I have just enough to be comfortably of doing what i want to do But yes I do have to ''edit '' my finances to keep me floating
Being a private practitioner I do not get any Pension but mange from the interest of the modest saving of my husband & myself
I am Happy to have lived a full life & enjoy my retirement.
I must thank the power above for all this & will be willingly be here till HE gives me a CALL to come up!

Monday, March 10, 2014

LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES

10/03/2014
LIFE IS FULL OF SURPRISES

Yes surprises good ,bad, ok-sort of easily forgettable, deeply piercing ones very being & shattering beyond words
We all have sometime or other gone through this emotions of surprises.
A sudden death of a near one-usually is a bad surprise -never thought of.We are at a loss as to what to say & do .If we are at a geographical distance & cannot rush to the home of this person What should we do
Call -may be one will not get a reply as the bereaved persons phone must be continuously engaged or busy The age of sending a telegram is no more Nor it is the email period But does the person concerned has this facility? of a laptop/computer? Many times the answer is NO
what to do next -well keep of calling till you get in . It is always nice to visit personally to convey your condolence from the bottom of the heart & very sincerely there will be many people around in Happy times But times like these many may come on the first day then the numbers keep dribbling I believe one should visit more often after the first few days-just ones presence is enough for comfort
Just keeping mum & make the bereaved person talk takes a lot off the persons chest -to feel better.
this is i feel more important for the persons left behind to adjust life without the dear person just lost for ever.
the loneliness takes it own time to fill up but it does .

A birth -a new life coming in to this world is also such a sweet happy feeling whether it is your own family or friends -this gives a wonderful feeling Be it we have become aunt Uncle, elder sisters or brothers or grand parents this warm feeling remains & increases as we can watch the new arrival grow up, & specially -growing up seems so fast in No time the helpless baby is turning over ,crawling, sitting up/standing ,walking & finally running around & in no time starts schooling too How time really flies!!!

Birth- when your dog whelps & pups coming in to this world-Oh i thing there is no sweeter & warm & happy experience Specially when dog treats you nas her special savior & trust you enough to allow you to take care of her pups & handle them & allows nobody else come near them Oh you feel so privileged as your dog trusts only !! what a nice feeling & bring a satisfied 'smug' on the face to say 'look here -I AM the chosen & trusted one!! '

when we read about ghastly accidents cars, trains, busses & aeroplanes & so many lives being snuffed out our heart goes out to all those unknown people & their families & wonder how can they bear such a tragic loss Also a prayer goes up for them & also us to keeping us safe

We read about young children losing their lives due to cancer even if the best treatment is given My heart goes out nto those who cant even afford one Tryinf to make them confortable is the only thing nleft & tryinf to grant the wishes if we can

There are so many small & big things one comes across Happy ones & Sad ones
It is all in the stride of a journey called LIFE

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