Michael Jackson's Inspiring Quotes

I'm watching the Funeral Service of the "King of Pop" Michael Jackson (1958 - 2009). These inspiring quotes are from the man himself and were displayed on the background of the stage (along with pictures) during the service.

"They say the sky is the limit, and to me me that is really true"

Curried Cous-Cous

1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion


Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous, and mix well with a fork. Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste. Serve at room temperature.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/curried-couscous-recipe/index.html

The history of Chocolate

I was looking through the "Ghirardelli Chocolate" website to find out details about their "Sweet Ground Chocolate".

I always use "Sweet Ground Chocolate" with 2% milk for my hot chocolate. Since Ghiradelli uses high quality chocolate, sugar and a touch of vanilla, it tastes way better than any other "hot cocoa" mix.

While looking at this, I noticed that their website had a "chocopedia" - that lists the history and other details about chocolate. It is filled with interesting information for us chocolate lovers - check it out..

http://www.ghirardelli.com/chocopedia/history.aspx

Cinnamon Hot Chocolate - Holiday Special - recipe will be posted soon.

Madras Heritage and Music

Sriram V is a Carnatic Music historian.. I found his blog when I was reading a post on Sanjay Subramanyam's blog.. these people know so much about Carnatic music, and I'm happy that they are sharing their stories and knowledge with us.

http://sriramv.wordpress.com/

Sriram has authored a couple of books.. I'm definitely going to buy them when I am in madras - next week :)

The Sanjay Subrahmanyan Show

http://sanjaysub.blogspot.com/

I really enjoy listening to Sanjay's show. Apart from being an amazing singer, he is a great host and an effective communicator. The show is available on Itunes and the episodes can be accessed from his blog.

Thanks Sanjay for taking the time to 'educate' us all about Carnatic music!

Rudram

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudram_Chamakam

- Tamil -

When you hear the words "Tamil" and "Poetry", I immediately think of Maha Kavi Subramanya Bharathi.. (one of the greatest poets)

Lately, I have been listening to a lot of his poems that have been rendered by great Carnatic music stalwarts.. The album "Atma" by Bombay Jayashri is awesome! (The name of the complete album is: Atma: Soul - A Glimpse Into The Poetry Of Subramanya Bharathi)..

A specific song that moves me because of its lyrics is "Manathil Uridhi Vendum".. the beauty of this song is that it's timeless..

Here is a translation of this poem..
http://www.cs.utk.edu/~siddhart/tamilnadu/POEMS/poem_man.html

O Mind, be firm in your principles
and Speech be pleasant and refined;
Cherish noble thoughts;
and may your cherished desires be attained;
May your dreams come true
and may you achieve your goals quickly;
Seek Wealth, Happiness,
and Fame in this World.

Awaken the eye of wisdom
and pursue your goals with determination;
Let Women attain liberation
and let God protect us all;
Let the land be bountiful and
let us gaze upon heaven;
Let Truth alone be Victorious
and lasting forever;


--Translated by M.S.Ravisankar