When I saw the picture of Pomegranate Muffin I was mesmerized and wanted to make my own. What a lovely picture. Compare it with life. When you are young and doe-eyed you feel like life will be just like it jewel studded and colorful.
Then what happens is I start my prep work. Took pictures of the process expecting results to be as spectacular thinking its a recipe with exactly the same ingredients or may be a little tweaked to make it vegetarian and I decide to make one giant muffin instead of 12. Yet I was still using the same pomegranate arils that the pictures shows. Those look like rubies and mine too.
Then I preheat the oven and set it to bake. That's when the power cut starts and vanishes for exactly 6hrs. Now I can't do much. I don't have power and the batter lining the tin has risen as expected. I check after 3 hrs. The risen batter has sunk a bit. I am helpless. All I can do is watch.
Then after 6hrs the power returns. I check the settings of the oven again to start baking. I bake for 40 mins. Finally when the inserted knife comes out clean. I feel happy that it is finally cooked.
Then since it did not bake in time for our late breakfast and was sitting sadly in the oven for 6hrs we decide to have it for breakfast the next day.
Its a bright sunny morning and my kitchen is glowing in the golden warmth. I take a few pictures of the whole large muffin. Then I have a surge of excitement and want to check if I was going to have those rubies hidden in my giant muffin. I slice it diametrically then another slice perpendicular to it. I realize my rubies are no more that instead it looked like purple stains on a dense cake. Then due to the long baking there is a burnished spot on the mufffin. I know it will taste bitter so I cut it off and discard. Quite upset I am.
Since I had not made anything else for breakfast I fill two bowls with freshly made Chivda and 1/8th piece of the giant muffin for each of us. I sadly bite into it. Humm not bad I say after just the first morsel. Even after everything went wrong! I used almost same ingredients as in that recipe I mutter to myself.
I realize how much of this is so true compared to the lives we live. Nothing is picture perfect. Actual experience is different. What's important is we took the journey and tasted the up and downs and survived to say we enjoyed the journey!
Apreciating life as it comes to us is important. Every one cannot do it. Yet one must.
Do you ever wonder why people love you so much?
What is it so great that you have done for them to love you so much?
Are you the type that takes things for granted?
Are you the type who values people and their actions?
Are you the type who carries baggage or throws away the bitterness?
Do you wish to make a fresh new start after being down in the dumps for long?
All these thoughts came to my mind when D and me were discussing about whether people appreciate the food they eat. How important it is to appreciate what we have! It is true about not just food but life in general. The attitude remains unchanged whether it is hogging food without appreciating or being negative about everything life has given you.
Thats why it is said "Udarbharan nohe janige yadnya karma." (It is not gluttony but a ritual offering (for life)."
God is so kind to us he gives us more than we deserve . Apni aukaat se jyada.
Recording here the changes in the recipe I made.
Ingredients:
Next time I can try to make a muffins like in the picture but do we get a second shot at life?
NO.
Then let us make the best of the life we have! Promise me. You who are reading this.
Then what happens is I start my prep work. Took pictures of the process expecting results to be as spectacular thinking its a recipe with exactly the same ingredients or may be a little tweaked to make it vegetarian and I decide to make one giant muffin instead of 12. Yet I was still using the same pomegranate arils that the pictures shows. Those look like rubies and mine too.
Then I preheat the oven and set it to bake. That's when the power cut starts and vanishes for exactly 6hrs. Now I can't do much. I don't have power and the batter lining the tin has risen as expected. I check after 3 hrs. The risen batter has sunk a bit. I am helpless. All I can do is watch.
Then after 6hrs the power returns. I check the settings of the oven again to start baking. I bake for 40 mins. Finally when the inserted knife comes out clean. I feel happy that it is finally cooked.
Then since it did not bake in time for our late breakfast and was sitting sadly in the oven for 6hrs we decide to have it for breakfast the next day.
Its a bright sunny morning and my kitchen is glowing in the golden warmth. I take a few pictures of the whole large muffin. Then I have a surge of excitement and want to check if I was going to have those rubies hidden in my giant muffin. I slice it diametrically then another slice perpendicular to it. I realize my rubies are no more that instead it looked like purple stains on a dense cake. Then due to the long baking there is a burnished spot on the mufffin. I know it will taste bitter so I cut it off and discard. Quite upset I am.
Since I had not made anything else for breakfast I fill two bowls with freshly made Chivda and 1/8th piece of the giant muffin for each of us. I sadly bite into it. Humm not bad I say after just the first morsel. Even after everything went wrong! I used almost same ingredients as in that recipe I mutter to myself.
I realize how much of this is so true compared to the lives we live. Nothing is picture perfect. Actual experience is different. What's important is we took the journey and tasted the up and downs and survived to say we enjoyed the journey!
Apreciating life as it comes to us is important. Every one cannot do it. Yet one must.
Do you ever wonder why people love you so much?
What is it so great that you have done for them to love you so much?
Are you the type that takes things for granted?
Are you the type who values people and their actions?
Are you the type who carries baggage or throws away the bitterness?
Do you wish to make a fresh new start after being down in the dumps for long?
All these thoughts came to my mind when D and me were discussing about whether people appreciate the food they eat. How important it is to appreciate what we have! It is true about not just food but life in general. The attitude remains unchanged whether it is hogging food without appreciating or being negative about everything life has given you.
Thats why it is said "Udarbharan nohe janige yadnya karma." (It is not gluttony but a ritual offering (for life)."
God is so kind to us he gives us more than we deserve . Apni aukaat se jyada.
Recording here the changes in the recipe I made.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup arils from 1 large Pomegranate
muffin tops
Next time I can try to make a muffins like in the picture but do we get a second shot at life?
NO.
Then let us make the best of the life we have! Promise me. You who are reading this.
Thats a great idea of giant muffin. I am planning to do muffins too but dont have the muffin plate...may b i shud do it with cake pan....what do u say?will it work?
ReplyDeleteSangeeth yeah go ahead and use a cake pan. bake a little longer till inserted knife comes out clean. Baking time depends on the size of the tin one uses.
ReplyDeletethis is too good Anjali. Liked this and cake looks mouth watering and tempting me to try :). you r so fast in blogging :). one of my blog di keeps telling me blog karo bahut din ho gaye than only I do. Sometimes feels very lazy. u r second inspiration now :). first is this blog di :D. Good keep doing it.
ReplyDeletewonderful recipe anjali..looks lovely
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely thoughtful post...my azoba used to explain the prayer to us every time we had food served to us.....my mom served us small portions of whatever she cooked and we were required to finish it before we could get up.
ReplyDeleteAnjali I liked the comparison you have given to life.. :) Its a great one. Very true indeed :)
ReplyDeletethe pics are too good :-) too tempting I must say. Look like Chocolate chip muffin.
ReplyDeleteAnjali might be the long baking time would have turned the jewels in to stains. In small muffin tray it would hardly take 15 mins and thus the arils would have stayed juicy and retained its color.
ReplyDelete