Friday Food Feature – August 21, 2015 blogging 101

Recipe for lentil soup:

Ingredients:

1. red lentil–(masoor daal) 1 cup

2.yellow lentil(moong daal) 1 cup

3. onion – 1 medium(finely sliced)

4.cayenne pepper- 1/2 teaspoon

5.salt to taste

6.curry powder- 2 teaspoon

7. garlic powder-1/2 teaspoon

8. ginger powder– 1/2 teaspoon

9. olive oil– 3 tablespoon

10. tomatoes- three whole tomatoes diced

Method:

wash the lentils thoroughly, until the water is clear, put aside. Heat the oil in the pot, add onions, fry until the sliced onion pieces are slightly brown. Do not burn it. Add all the spices including the salt, fry for one minute. Add the washed lentils with the water and the diced tomatoes, let it boil for five minutes, turn the heat low to simmer. When the grains of the lentil mixes with the water and looks like a paste, the lentil soup is done taste for salt if it is salty enough, take it off the stove.

Lentil soup can be served as soup or eaten with plain boiled rice as we do in Bangladesh. They are also eaten with chapatis( Tortillas) in Punjab. Lentil is considered a poor man’s protein.

Lentil soup

……………………………………………….:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blogging 101, Day Eleven: Make a prompt personal

Today’s assignment: Publish a post based on your own, personalized take on a blogging prompt.

Daring greatly : It takes courage and vulnerability, to, “dare greatly.” For this week’s inspiration, explore the significance of sincerity,vulnerability, and courage in your writing.

My quest for recognition came in the latter part of 2011. At this time I dared to register in an online course, which seemed to cater to the needs of Pakistanis. It was all about the great Poet and Philosopher, Allama Iqbal. I read two verses of one of his poems and went looking for more. The saying I believe is true,”Seek and ye shall find.”

I read this on the cover of a book belonging to my eldest brother.My brother pointed out the lines to me and said,Ranu read the lines and tell me what it means, I was about nine years old then I told him from my nine year old mind, “look for it and you shall find it.”

At that time my brother smiled and said,”I can see there is hope for you.”

That was then but this is now. I registered for the course. I could sense I wasn’t received well by the participants because I was a Bengali , in their mind I am a traitor, the reason I was an East Pakistani and we are noted for separating from West Pakistan, and have conveniently carved out a country named Bangladesh for ourselves,. I knew they hated me, why was I blamed I had no part in it, the politicians in their own interest did the damage. Let’s come to what’s happening now at this moment i.e same situation with different players.

This year a new group of Pakistanis have joined the course, I quickly told on the blog I was from Bengal. Well the attitude towards me did not change.

In our course we get a lesson every week, we are required to read and answer one question from the four given. The participants are encouraged to write their comment on the reply by each participant. This is where it got interesting, the Pakistanis left their comment on everyone’s reply, except mine. Can this be some kind of oversight or was it done deliberately. Well I think the latter makes more sense than the former.

In this connection I’d admit two Pakistanis wrote their comment, One is an O level student who seems to have some humanity in him , the other one has studied in the US  I assume this may be the reason.

…………………………….:)

 

 

Blogging 101 Day Nine: Get Inspired by Neighbors

Today’s assignment: Write a post that builds on one  of the comments you left yesterday,don’t forget to link to the other blog.

This is the comment I left for Mireille’s post More Beeswax Recipes-Vapor Rub Etc. Reblogged from homemade naturally:Thank you for your Beeswax recipe, Mireille,I’d love to try it as soon as I can get the ingredients.

Natural vapor rub can alleviate congestion and allow you to relax.This beeswax recipe is excellent for your skin and your ailing body.

Donna from Homemade naturally is full of brilliant ideas, as I am finding myself wanting to get more homemade and natural with my skin care products. I absolutely love this. I also recommend checking out her blog, “Homemade Naturally!”

Beeswax Vapor Rub Recipe;

. 2 ounces beeswax

.8 ounces shea butter

.3 ounces sweewt almond oil

.1 ounce cocoa butter

. 1/2 ounce coconut oil

. 20 drops eucalyptus essential oil

.20 drops peppermint essential oil

.Double boiler

. small pots or jars

1. combine all the ingredients in the top half of a double boiler.
2. Heat the ingredients just until the beeswax melts, then remove from heat.
3. pour into small pots or jars,while the mixture is still warm.

I found this post very useful and agree with Mireille.  It is worth trying.

…………………….. 🙂

Blogging 101 Day Six: Make an Irresistible “About” Page

Today’s assignment: create and publish your About page,then either adapt it into a widget on your home page or add it to your menu.

I used to wonder why I love ‘Nature’ so much until I thought of my given name “Chaman”, it means a garden. I dislike plucking the beautiful flowers around me, I know when I pulled them out from their habitation . I am killing them. They look awesome in their own habitat. Who am I to displace them, I certainly wouldn’t want someone to remove me away from my lovely abode.

I’m fond of all the colors nature presents us. I have a certain affinity with blue,in  my childhood any dress I wore had to be blue or else I would rebel if my mom tried some other color.

I was an okay student,my teachers were never worried about me but felt I’d be amazing if I could spare a few minutes of my playtime and concentrated on books. It never happened I went along on my own pace, I could not get the enthusiasm as my classmates did to be the top student in my class.

Things took a slight turn, when I became conscious I was in post graduate class, that my performance had to be better than okay. Destiny was alerting me it’s now or never as it does if one wants to change it. The lover of garden ,nature or what have you transformed into a lover of serious studies. I did not abandon nature but I spent less time strolling around to be Wordsworth. My time was limited, I could not ‘wander lonely as a cloud.’

My transformation awarded me scholarships which I was delighted to receive. I saw a part of the world which would not have been possible. I didn’t have the financial backing, my brothers helped me with my education, it would be selfish of me to ask for more support to go to England to study.

Here I am a plain human being who joined the blogging community to learn more about myself and the rest of the world!

…………………………. 🙂

 

 

Blogging 101: Day 3: Say Hello to your Neighbors

Today’s assignment: Follow five new topics in the Reader and five new blogs.

I found three new neighbors. I am delighted. I will look for more. My computer ceases to function at odd times, just when I was about to post my reply to one of my neighbors it went kaput and I lost the fourteen -year-old who was really interesting.

I think I will post this to show I’m really trying.

……………………….. 🙂

Blogging 101, Day Four: Identify Your Audience,

Today’s assignment: Publish a post you’d like your ideal audience member to read and include a new-to-you element in it.

Posted and translated by Ranu.

 

It is evening oh my dear mother

It’s evening hold me

In this deep darkness

Let your tenderness

Drown and cool me

It’s evening oh my dear mother

Take it back, take it back

Everything is lost somewhere

Let this scattered life

Gather in your darkness

It’s evening oh dear mother

Let not my life be visible

Anywhere outside you

Let your night unite

My life’s beam of light

Surround me and kiss me

Only you, only you

Take whatever is on my mind

Oh mother and make it yours

And carry it away!

This song and its translation is for all my friends, bloggers and others to listen and enjoy the work of a genius from Bengal, i.e. Rabindranath Tagore.

……………………………… 🙂

 

Blogging 101,Day One : Introduce yourself to the world

Today’s assignment: write and publish a, ” who I am and why I’m here” post on your blog.

I rose from the hills, landed on the busiest city, called New Delhi, survived the turmoils and eventually found a safe haven in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Since this was not enough adventure I was introduced to my parents’ homeland Bangladesh. It was a whole different environment for a twelve year old like me. I knew the language my Dad made sure of that. Something about the little town  Comilla, Bangladesh didn’t seem right. Starting from the onions, they were too tiny, the potatoes followed suit. The vendors knocked our doors at the crack of dawn. I was already disliking this place because it was so different from the place we used to live.

I completed my high school at fifteen, and registered in a local college. It was a  co-ed college. My classmates eyed me with curiosity they felt I didn’t seem to fit in their midst. The first question they asked was: “Tumi bangla jano?”(can you speak Bengali?)

When I started speaking they thought it was strange , I didn’t speak like them i.e their dialect.

Two years later I move to a college in the big city, Dhaka, Bangladesh. I received my under graduate degree and registered in Dhaka university. I studied History, ancient, Islamic, Greek and so on. In my second year I studied Contemporary History. Graduated from the university.

I realized to be able to teach I needed an education degree, I succeeded in getting a scholarship to study in Lahore,Pakistan. After completing the degree I came back to my hometown, took a teaching job in a local school.

I taught there for a few months, went to the big city and managed to get a job in the one and only residential school in the city. I liked teaching but soon was told I had to do other things that did not impress me at all.

Supervise the boys in the dining room, in the library and when they were taking a shower. My day began at 6 AM and ended at 12.00 midnight. After two years and three months I bid goodbye to this amazing school.

The next few years were a bit more interesting than the ones before. I received a scholarship to study in London, England. Came back home after completing it, taught for a year.

I married a physician who was an ophthalmologist in Montreal, Canada. After a year in the province of Quebec, we moved to Gander, Newfoundland. We lived there for a while and moved again, this time it was  St. John’s , capital city of the same province.

I got interested in blogging when my fellow participant in the online course started blogging. I had no idea how to start it. My daughter who is a computer programmer helped me out. She signed me up with WordPress. Initially I didn’t know what to write but some of my friends from the online course helped me out.

The question is ,”who am I and why I’m here.”

The who am I question, I’ve written in detail. Why I’m here is what I want to write about. I forgot to mention the name of my blog is “Sabethville” I named it in memory of my Father, he passed away when I was twelve. I took a few courses in writing offered by WordPress. I enjoy writing them. I feel it’s a good practice to continue writing, and I get to meet other bloggers and read  their writing. I am back again and am very happy to start writing again.

…………………………… 🙂

 

Blogging 101, Day thirteen Try (Another) blogging event

Today’s task: Pick a blogging event from the Community Event Listings, and participate in the next round.

The one I picked is, Tasty Thursdays’, but couldn’t register. I hope someone can help me.

………………………:)

Blogging 101, Day Twelve: Increase your commenting confidence

Today’s task : Read six posts written in response to Monday’s prompt, ‘Brilliant Disguise’. and leave comments on at least two of them.

I was able to read two posts on Monday’s prompt.I liked all of them. I wrote my comment for both . Each one had a message which I enjoyed reading.

In Marie Griffith’s post , she quoted Judy Garland’s Quote: Always be a first rate version of yourself,instead of a second rate version of someone else.

Another post I truly agree with is the post by Crazy Canadian Saver: Why it’s pointless to keep up with Joneses.

Yesterday was a busy day for me. I had an appointment at 10:45 AM . It was a very cold day the temperature was 9 degrees Celsius and it was raining.

When I got out of my house I did not realize that on the 21st July it felt like Autumn.  I thought what happened did I sleep through the summer, it’s the only thing I could think of.

One lady looked at me and said, “Yes my darling it is July and the temperature is what you see on the billboard. You did not sleep through the summer, but you forgot it is St. John’s Newfoundland, it is famous for rain, drizzle, and fog.”

I thanked the lady for her humor. I came home three hours later, exhausted, could not concentrate on the work before me. I had to take a nap in the afternoon. My whole day was ruined, this morning I made up mind to complete day twelve assignment.

…………………………………..:)

Blogging 101, Day : Eleven, Personal prompt: Tunnel vision

Day Eleven: Make a Prompt Personal

Today’s assignment : Publish a post based on your own, personalized take on a blogging prompt. My favorite prompt right now is:

Tunnel Vision: these two words immediately reminds me of narrow mindedness, just like retinitis pigmentosa, it’s an incurable disease, while the latter is an eye disease that eventually causes blindness to the patient with this symptom. The former  plays with the mind and  makes it blind.

We make up our mind about things based on generalization.

In my case when they find out  I am a  ‘Bengali’  they  immediately associate it with the word ‘traitor’. How did this thought come to  their minds?

History tells us there was a certain man named ‘Mir Jafar’ was   a Bengali who jeopardized the fate of the people of his country by trading secrets. He did it because of his selfish interest. Mir Jafar was a traitor , hence all Bengalis are traitors.

It seems my being a  Bengali, is a terrible thing. They will discriminate me just because of of this.  It is becoming difficult for me to endure it.

I find  solace thinking , I can do something which makes me happy,  Blogging is one of them. Here everyone is sincere eager to help when I need it , will never ignore me because I am a Bengali.

I had the most pleasant experience a few days ago, I wrote to Michele I was unable to do Day Ten  assignment, I did not understand how it can be done. I found a detailed explanation in my reply box, how to do it. It certainly made my day.

Although in my reply I thanked blogger, Azhar Youssef, yet I felt it is not enough.

I came to the conclusion, not everyone is narrow minded, there are a lot of them who are broad minded, which makes our world pretty special.

………………………………….. 🙂