Some life lessons

Give the ME time and Focus yourself

These are some of the lessons learnt during different phases of life.

1. Take risks. Be bold and brave. Don't become stagnant in life. Make mistakes but learn from it and grow. Examine yourself at regular intervals.It helps you to do responsibilities with greater commitment and enjoyment

2. Be prepared. Anticipate your own needs.Plan properly and  create solutions in advance. I have decided to build good financial habit and have decided to save 10% of my earnings per month.

3. Our stress mainly is caused by living in the pain of the past or the fear of the future. Many often we forget that Life happens in the present moment. Make effort to make each moment useful.

4. Appreciate the people in your life. 

5.Be open  and be ready to change. I have met many people in life. They follow their own rigid rules in life and are unhappy.

6. Look back, be proud of what you have achieved and make proper plans for the future.

7. Decide to spend quality time with yourself. Just do something that you like to do like reading, writing, gardening, meditation and enjoy your own company

8. Follow your passion in life. Dont just work for money. Be passionate in your work and money will follow.

9. Yes always smart people win many battles, but it is true that hard work and dedication can get the ultimate victory.


I liked the ME time. It gave me  an opportunity to refocus and recharge. 

Concluding with these quotes

Happiness isn’t about getting what you want all the time, it’s about loving what you have

Just remember there is someone out there that is more than happy with less than what you have.

Love what you have. Need what you want. Accept what you receive. Give what you can. Always remember, what goes around, comes around…

Add more meaning to your life because life is beautiful.

Mushroom Masala

Mushroom masala

This is a easy, simple and tasty recipe that can go well with rice, ghee rice, chappathi or even bread

Method of preparation

Heat oil in a pan, add 1 cinnamon, 3 cardamom and half teaspoon cumin seed .

Fry and then add one finely chopped  onion. Fry till it turns golden brown.

Add ginger garlic paste, 1/2 spoon turmeric , half spoon cumin powder,
 1 spoon garam masala, 1 spoon coriander powder, 2 spoon chilly powder, 3 green chillies split and  curry leaves 

Add 1 finely chopped tomato and fry, add little water and cook.

Once oil separates add cleaned mushrooms split into pieces and cook. 

Add water after 5 mins and mix and cover and cook for 10 mins. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Criticisms - They can help you

Criticisms - They can help you

We all hate criticism. Most of us react with and anger when we get some negative feedback. 
But if we just see whether there is anything hidden in it to improve 
ourselves, it can be of very help to us

We need to get over the very first reaction when we hear a negative criticism.

Few are some of the examples that we see/hear in daily life

1. Parents - Criticizing on the way children spend money. 

2. Your boss/manager - Criticizing on the way you work, yes even if they are finding the negatives, sometimes  this may help the areas you need to improve - Proactiveness, smartness, punctuality let it be anything

3. Your spouse - The person whom you spend most of the time, he/she knows all your weakness, Just see if  they help us understand some of our shortcomings which we may not able to identify 

4. Your siblings - Yes they are the biggest evaluators

So if someone criticise you, may be because they care you. They help you see things in a different light.

Criticism is often the only way we learn about our weaknesses. When we’re defensive, we lose a chance to improve. 

Mushroom biriyani

Mushroom biriyani

This is an easy method to prepare mushroom biriyani.

First clean mushrooms thoroughly. Rinse it in running water and wipe off the dirts from it using a clean cloth. Cut it into small pieces.

Method of Preparation

1. Soak 1 glass of basmati rice in water for 20 mins.

2. Grind ginger, garlic(3-4), green chillies(3), Coriander leaves to a fine paste.

3. Gently Slice 2 Onions and 1 tomato

4. In a cooker,first put oil or ghee and add Cinnamon, cloves and elakkai. Add feenel seeds also.

5. Add sliced onions, when it turns little brown add the gound paste after 2 mins add tomato.

6. Next add coriander powder(1 1/2 spoon), Chilli powder (1 sppon), turmeric powder and garam masala. Fry for 5 mins.

7. Add a little curd and add mushrooms and salt.

8. Next add biriyani rice and fry.

9. Add water( 1 1/2 glass water for 1 glass rice).

10. Cook till 2 whistles.

11.Garnish with corainder leaves

Serve with some salad and pappad.

Thirupathi temple visit

Thirupathi balaji temple is   situated in the hill town Thirumala. Lat month we decided to visit the temple. This is a temple which is always visited by devotees so there is crowd always. We booked online tickets for darshan @ 300 Rs tickets.

Booked the train tickets in Tatkal, accomodation can also be booked online.The nearby railway station is Thirupathi.

As we enter Thirumala, there is a security checking of our bags. The roads are clean and beautiful. There are clean toilets everywhere and the roads are sweeped all the time.

There are different queues Sarva Darshan, Divya darshan and Seekhra Darshan.We completed the darshan in less than two hours.  Seems in August and January there are less crowd there. There is annadanam free for all at three days a day.There are refreshments served for people standing in queue. We need to dress up traditionally and mobiles are not allowed in the temple.

After darshan, you can collect laddu prasadam. We got 2 laddus for each ticket.

There are beautiful free buses to go to nearby places.

1. Book accommodation online and darshan tickets well in advance.

The temple authorities have maintained the temple permises clean though it is a havily crowded place.

We stayed there for three days and had food from Mayura hotel near museum. It was clean, tasty and cheap. There are shopping complexes.

Next day we visited Sri Kalahasti temple which is famous for Rahu pooja. There are many temples and theerthams nearby. So if you plan a trip, one day may not be sufficient for this. places we visited were Shilotharanam, Papavinasam theertham, Venugopala Swamy temple. There are private vehicles which will help you to visit these neaby places.

Our return train was from Renigunta railway station.

We felt happy and positive after the temple visit.

kadumanga pickle

This is mango season here. Everywhere we find mangoes different types. This time I decided to  try making kadumanga pickle. Collected mangoes from or grandma's home. Washed it thoroughly. I never knew the process was this simple.

Ingredients
 Kannimanga 50
 Salt
 Chilly powder
 Mustard seeds crushed ( 2 sppon)
 Kayam
 Gingely oil


Method
 This is a two stage process. Fist we keep it in salt and water to let it shrink. In the second stage we add chilly powder.

First I collected and cleaned the tender mangoes and put it into a glass jar. Added some table salt and water to it. After three weeks found that the mangoes shrinked and absorbed the salt

Pour the salt water to a flat vessel. Added chilly powder 4 spoon and crushed mustard and hing powder and mixed it well. Added it with the mangoes  and kept the mix in the same jar. Added a few drops of gingely oil to it. After two weeks this will be ready to use. This can be preserved in an air tight glass jar and use for a long time.

Rice curd and this pickle is a good combination.

Ulli Theeyal

Ingredients
Small onion 20-25
 Green chillies

Curry leaves

Coconut1 cup

Chilly powder 2 spoon

Coriander powder 3 sppon
 Salt





Tamarind water

Method

Cut onions lengthwise. In a pan pour oil add red chillies mustard and curry leaves. To this add onions little salt and turmeric powder. Fry this in low flame

In another pan fry coconut till it becomes golden brown and switch off flame . to this add coriander powder and mix. Then add chilly powder. The mix will be brown in colour. Grind this to a paste
Add the paste to onions and fry for a few minutes. Add some water and the tamarind water. Let it boil for a few minutes and gravy thickens. Tasty ulli theeyal is ready

Uzhunnu vada

Uzhunnu vada

Uzhunnu 250/GM
Green chillies - 10
Inchi 1 piece
Pepper 5
Curry leaves
Salt

Method

 Soak uzhunnu for two hours.Grind uzhunnu in grinder with no water. Spray water at intervals. To this add green chillies inchi crushed pepper and curry leaves. Heat pan.  Using wet hands make small balls. Using the other hand press it and put a hole in middle. Fry this in oil. Serve with coconut chutney

Chicken Biriyani Recipe

Chicken Biriyani Recipe


Happy New Year to all. 

This is an easy biriyani that you can serve with salad and a pudina chutney.

Ingredients

Biriyani Rice  - 1/2 Kg
Chicken - 1/2 Kg
Green chillies - 4
Ginger - 1  piece
Garlic -5
Onion -4
Pepper powder - 1/2 spoon
Coriander leaves
Pudina leaves
Turmeric powder
Ghee
Cashew
Dry grapes
Cardamom
Cinnamon
Grampoo
Coriander powder
Curd
Lemon-1
Salt


Method
1. Cut Onions to thin slices
2. Grind Ginger, Garlic , Grampoo and Cardamom in a mixie
3. Cut chillies lengthwise
4. Cook rice with little salt and little oil & little lemon juice
5. Marinate chicken with curd,salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder and ginger garlic paste and keep in fridge(For 4 hours)
6.In a pan, fry onions, crushed paste and fry. Add  green chillies and then chicken. Add lemon juice too.
7. Add water and the powders and cook.
8. Fry cashew and grapes and few onion in ghee and keep.
9. In a big pan, add a layer of chicken, then rice,and put ghee on sides and middle and mix coriander and pudina leaves and fried cashew and raisins

Vegetable Biriyani

Vegetable Biriyani Recipe

Ingredients
1. Onion - 2
2. Green chillies -6
3. Carrot - 3
4. Green peas
5. Potato -2
6. Tomatoes -2
7. Beans

8.Kasuri methi
9. Ginger


To Grind
1. Coconut
2. Garlic- 4
3. Coriander leaves
4. Green chillies

Method

1. Cut all the vegetables to small pieces.
2. Grind together the ingredients to a smooth paste

3. Fry onions and green chillies in little oil and ghee. Add the chopped veggies carrot, beans, potato, green peas. After few mins add tomatoes.

4. Add the coconut paste, little soil to it and fry for 5 mins.

5. Add water, salt and when it boils add kasuri methi.
For i cup rice, add 1.5 cup of water

6. Add biriyani rice and crushed ginger,patta, cinnamn and cloves.

7. Wait till 3 whistles(This depends on the rice)

8. Add coriander leaves.

This is a recipe which takes just half an hour. Serve this with a cucumber salad and pickle.

Let us clean the mirror and light the inner light

On diwali, we see people decorating their houses, cleaning the homes, lighting the lamps,dressed up in new dresses everywhere.

The beginning of a new year is welcomed in a very beautiful manner. Let us also pause, rethink and clean our inner self and lit the lamp in our inner mind too.

Let us evaluate and analyse our prejudices, thinking patterns and do a beautiful tranformation.

Let us smile inwards and approach world with much enthusiasm. Let this be our journey from darkness to lightness.

Let us stop complaining and be stronger with all challenges in the world. Let us be aware that are less fortunate people in this world and be aware of all the blessings that life offers us.

Let us clean the dirty mirror and see how beautiful the outer world is than we imagined.

Let us be aware of all the negative emotions that conquers us and makes our life complicated.

Let us stop judgments and start loving the people around. Let us stop assuming we are Mr or Ms Perfect and correct our mistakes as and when we realise it.

This year I have lost three persons whom I loved a lot. Let us love and care everyone so that we later have no regrets.

Nothing is permanent in this world. So let us throw all the emotional bagagges, get rid of all the grudges.

Let us stop comparing with others. Let us be the best version of ourselves.

Let us live and let others live happily.

Wish everyone a  very happy Diwali.

How to make ghee at home

How to make ghee at home

The aroma of home made ghee is really tempting. My grand ma used to prepare butter, and ghee at home.

The process is really simple. These days we get fresh milk from cow and so thought of preparing ghee at home.


1. Daily collect the cream from the milk after boiling and store in  a  small glass bottle. Keep it in fridge.

What I usually do is, boil the milk and keep in fridge. After 6 hours, I take the cream from it. This way I get a lot of cream, Add a little curd to it.

2. Water will be found at the bottom of the bottle.

3. After collecting for 10 days or so, In a mixer,add cream, add some water and whip it just 5 mins.
Repeat process till butter separates from butter milk.

 Butter will be separated after this process. Collect butter using  a spoon and wash it.The left over butter milk can be used for drinking.

4. In a thick bottomed pan, keep the butter in gas stove on medium heat.

5.After few mins, butter will start melting. Bubbles will be seen. Lessen the heat. Heat till clear ghee is formed.

4. Using a clean cloth or strainer,filter the clear ghee and store in a glass container.

Gooseberry pickle(nellikka achar)

This is gooseberry season. They are a rich source of vitamins

Recipe to prepare tasty gooseberry(nellikka) pickle which is very easy.

Wash, clean and dry nellikka( 1 kg).

Heat sesame oil and fry gooseberry. Remove from fire and cut into pieces when it cools down.

In a pan, splutter mustard and curry leaves. Add chilli powder(5 spoons), fenu greek powder(1 spoon), hing powder snd heat for a few seconds.

Mix fried gooseberry and salt. Store it in  clean air tight container.

Why do we vote?

Elections are now a days no more filled with vibe to bring in a change,  Earlier we were optimistic about our leaders.

We now  have  come to an extend where we are left with an option like none of these ( similar to mcq's we learn at school level), even  being one  of the biggest democratic in the world,

Only question is that " do we still have faith or belief in the people we elect" or is just to have a change we elect  different candidates..in either ways it can be only be concluded that ..the right and ambitions of a common man is never going to be fulfilled..

Election though being a right of every citizen has become  another day to celebrate as its a public holiday.

We hope and pray that atleast in the future our nation will be in the hand of "Young, igniting, innovative minds who aim to make the nation a developed one rather the leaders making their party and well wishers develop...

Hence elections are now just a day to relax and spend time with family than to elect a good leader..
Hope in future we will have leaders as we had long ago who gave every thing to built upon a strong future..

Are we still independent? We still  have guttered roads, people breaking the rules for their own interests, corruption everywhere.

Pineapple pachadi

Pineapple pachadi

This is a very tasty side dish for rice and easy to prepare.

Chop pine apple(half of a pine apple) to small slices.

In a pressure cooker, cook pine apple with turmeric powder and salt till 3 whistles.

Grind 1 cup coconut,4 green chillies, jeerakam to a smooth paste.

Add the paste to cooked pine apple and boil till it mixes well. Now add whisked curd and mix it and remove from gas.

Heat oil, add mustard, curry leaves, red chillies and fenu greek and add it to the pachadi.

A little care can make them feel special

She is childless and a widow. Whenever I see her she is cheerful and tells a lot of stories in a single breath. No regrets, no complaints nothing. What she needs is just someone to be by her side and tell all what she has to tell. She has stocked a box full of chocolates to all the kids who visit her.

These days in our day to day chores and busy life we fail to spend time with elderly. We had a period where kids grow up with the grand mas, hear a lot of stories with them. Now everywhere kids go to play schools.

We used to seek blessings of our elders before an exam, interview, marriage etc.

After retirement, many elders feel they are being treated as burden.

We can learn a lot from the elders.They have years of experience and wisdom.

These days many elders are being abandoned by the children. They tend to forget that we all will be becoming old one day .If we don’t treat our parents well,  what can we  expect from our children.

I have seen many parents tend to lack care and affection in their old age.  What they need is the presence of the children and not their money. The loneliness they feel in a big empty house is a terrible feeling for them.

Many would like to enjoy the warmth and joy of family life. But their circumstances prevent that. Elderly people should be treated as blessings

Ada Dosa

Ada Dosa

1. Raw Rice - 1 cup
2. Ponni Rice - 1 cup
3. Uzhunnu - 1/2 cup
4. Toor dal - 1/4 cup
5. Kadala Parippu - 1/4 cup
6. Cheru Payar - 1/4 cup
7. Pepper -1 spoon
8. Hing - a pinch


Soak the ingredients overnight. Grind it with 4 small onions and curry leaves and 2-3 red chillies in the morning. Make tasty and nutritious dosa with the batter. 

Dried prawns fry recipe - Unakka Chemmeen Varuthathu

Dried prawns fry recipe - Unakka Chemmeen Varuthathu

1. Fry prawns for 5-10 mins till it becomes brown in a nonstick pan
2. Wash it and then remove the head and tail
3. Cut small onions and crush in a mixie
4. Crush 2-3 red chillies, ginger and garlic
5. In pan, add little oil and add crushed onion and fry till it becomes brown
 color
6. Add crushed ginger garlic, curry leaves and little salt
7. Add chilly powder
8. Add roasted prawns and fry in low heat till it becomes brown

Best lyrics I enjoyed in the recent times

Best lyrics I enjoyed in the recent times

A song that I heard which I liked very much. This song Ananda Yazhai from the Tamil film Thanga Meenkal made me listen it repeatedly.I watched the video and again it was awesome. A song which pictures the love between a father and daughter.

Beautifully sung by Sriram Parthasarathy, beautiful lyrics by Muthukumar and beautiful music by Yuvan Shankar Raja.

I couldn't understand the meaning fully, but it didn't create any problem in enjoying the song.

I searched for the lyrics and the meaning and here it is.

magalgalai petra appakkalukku mattumdhaan theriyum (Only the fathers who have daughters will know)
mutham, kaamathil serntha-dhillai endru (that Kissing is not Sex or is not related to Sex)

anandha yaazhai meetugiraai, adi
nenjil vannam theetugirai
anbenum kudai-yai neettugirai
adhil aayiram mazhaithuli koottugirai

you are playing the happy veena
you paint lovely colors in heart
you share a umbrella of love
you collect thousands of rain drops under it

iru nenjam inaindhu pesida ulagil
baashaigal edhuvum thaevai illai
siru pullil urangum paniyil theriyum
malaiyin azhago thaanga villai

Language is not a necessity when
two hearts share the thoughts
beauty of a dew drop on a grass
might reflect a mountain

unthan kaigal pidithu pogum vazhi
adhu podhavillai innum vendum-adi
indha mannil idhu pol yaarumingey
engum vaazhavillai endru thondruthadi

Path led by your tiny finger holding
on to my hand never gets over
I feel that there is no one on this earth
living like us

anandha yazhai meetugiraai adi
nenjil vannam theetugirai
anbennum kudaiyai neetugirai
adhil aayiram mazhaithuli kootugirai


thoorathu marangal paarkkuthadi
devathai ivalaa kaetkkuthadi
thannilai maranthey pookkuthadi
kaatrinil vaasam thookkuthadi
adi koyil etharkku deivangal etharkku
unathu punnagai pothumadi

Trees are looking at you
and presume that you are an angel
flowers blossom at the sight of you
and the fragrance fiils the air
why do we need temple, or Gods
when your smile hangs around

indha mannil idhu pol yaarumingey
engum vaazhavillai endru thondruthadi

I feel that there is no one on this earth
living like us

anandha yazhai meetugiraai adi
nenjil vannam theetugirai

you are playing the happy veena
you paint lovely colors in heart

unmugam paarthaal thonuthadi
vaanathu nilavu sinnathadi
megathil maraindhey paakkuthadi
unnidam velichcham ketkuthadi
athai kaiyil pidithu aaruthal uraithu
veetukku anuppu nallapadi

Moon in the sky looks small
when compared to your smiling face
moon hides its face under the cloud
and asks for brightness from you
hold her on your hand, offer consolation
and send it back to her home

indha mannil idhu pol yaarumingey
engum vaazhavillai endru thondruthadi

I feel that there is no one on this earth
living like us

anandha yazhai meetugiraai adi
nenjil vannam theetugirai

anandha yazhai meetugiraai adi
nenjil vannam theetugirai

you are playing the happy veena
you paint lovely colors in heart
you are playing the happy veena
you paint lovely colors in heart

This song won the National Award for best lyrics.

Step out of your comfort zone

It is only when we Step out of your comfort zone, that we enjoy life fully.

I  have observed that if we are chained up in our beliefs, we are limited in achievements. An artificial mental boundary is created within which we feel we are secured and out of which you experience great discomfort.

I have met quite a few who themselves think they are weak and not able to handle the responsibilities. Excuses excuses everywhere and are tied up in their beliefs. They blame their circumstances, their choices etc.

They are  accustomed to the comforts of "I cannot","it is too difficult" and helplessness.
We tend to forget that we are becoming weak by allowing others to do things for us.

But the other set i.e strong people don’t sit around feeling sorry about their circumstances or how others have treated them.  They take full responsibility in life, do all the hard work and knows life is a mix of good and bad moments.

If we are used to our comfort zone, we are not learning, growing, developing, or progressing in life.
As long as we remain in our comfort zone, life continues as usual.

There are many ways to get out of this comfort zone

Make more friends
The more we associate with people, the more our world and mind expands. Make connections with people who can influence you positively.

Challenge yourself and take responsibility

Mistakes may happen, but it  allows you to discover a lot of exciting things in the journey.
Celebrate your victories, and efforts.

I have met many people who fear change so much and they  stagnate the growth of the organization/associated people. They are against innovations and new ways. 

When we push our boundaries, our comfort zone grows, and we grow.

We all are used to the safe known path.

Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable

Examine your core beliefs. Don't be rigid in your thoughts.

Do all that is necessary in life and give the best to your life. Take risks in life whenever needed.