It’s been a while since I did this and with everything that’s happening around the world, humour is so valued today. So read on and enjoy…
TGIF Pinterest Humour
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In My Hands Today…
Beyond Valor: A World War II Story of Extraordinary Heroism, Sacrificial Love, and a Race against Time – Jon Erwin and William Doyle
On April 12, 1945, a fleet of American B-29 bombers flew toward Japan. Their mission was simple: stop World War II by burning the cities, factories, and military bases of the Japanese empire, thereby forcing an unconditional surrender. Yet the mission did not go as planned. On board one of the B-29s, the City of Los Angeles, a phosphorus bomb detonated inside the plane. Staff Sergeant Henry E. “Red” Erwin absorbed the blast of burning phosphorus yet managed to throw overboard the still-flaming bomb, before collapsing from the third-degree burns over much of his body.
Breaking protocol, the plane diverted to a military hospital at Iwo Jima. President Truman quickly ordered that Erwin be awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest honor of the American military, before the young airman died of his wounds. There was just one problem: no Medals of Honor were available in the entire Pacific theater. General Curtis LeMay dispatched a squad of airmen on a 1,000-mile mission to smash their way into a display case and steal a medal to give to Erwin before time ran out.
Meanwhile, Red’s courageous young bride set out on her own mission, one of against-all-odds healing. Her success would determine the fate of the twenty-three-year-old warrior–and years later make possible the birth of the book’s author: their grandson, Jon Erwin.
Drawn from in-depth interviews with eyewitnesses and deep archival research, Beyond Valor is an extraordinary tale of bravery, heroism, faith, and devotion.
Recipes: Apple Chutney
I love chutneys and regular readers will know by the number of chutney recipes in the recipes tab. Also, chutneys are extremely versatile and so easy to experiment with that I do make them because I like experimenting in the kitchen. Also chutneys go well with so many dishes – slather it on bread and make it a sandwich or eat it as an accompaniment to the myriad breads available in the Indian cuisine as well as rice.
I saw a version of this recipe on a local channel and was intrigued by the usage of apples. Though I have made a Green Apple Chutney, this chutney cooked the apples, which was different. I tried and twised it a bit as I am wont to do.
Apple Chutney
Ingredients:
- 1 medium sized onion, chopped
- 1 medium sized tomato, chopped
- 1 red apple, chopped
- 1 green apple, chopped
- 1-inch piece of ginger
- 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3-4 dried red chillies
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tbsp oil
- Salt to taste
Method:
- Heat oil in a pan and when it warms, fry the cumin seeds till they pop. Then add the ginger and garlic and fry them till they start to become slightly crispy. Then add the dried red chillies and let them cook for a minute or so.
- Now add the onions and fry them till they become translucent. Next add the tomatoes and cook them till they start to become mushy.
- Add add the chopped apples, and let them cook till they start to lose their shape.
- Switch off the gas and let it cool completely.
- Blend to a smooth paste, adding water as needed. Check for seasoning and salt as needed.
Eat this as a spread for sandwiches or as an accompaniment to Indian breads. This chutney was a huge hit at home and had a slight sweet undertones because of the red apples. By adding the green apple, it gave a slight tartness, which can be done away with if you want it as a sweet chutney. Just replace the green apple with a second red apple.
In My Hands Today…
Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker – A’Lelia Perry Bundles
Oprah Winfrey is renowned for her media savvy, marketing sense, philanthropic efforts, and accumulated wealth (and the power that accompanies it). She’s earned her rep, of course, and her path to stardom and influence couldn’t have been easy. Imagine, then, how difficult it must have been a century ago for Madam C. J. Walker, America’s first female African-American millionaire. The daughter of slaves, married and divorced by the age of 20, Madam Walker spent nearly two decades as a lowly scrubwoman before concocting (or, as she claimed, being presented in a dream) the formula for a much needed hair care product for African-American women. After making her hair care business a resounding success, Walker devoted much of her time and resources to social causes and philanthropy.
In On Her Own Ground, A’Lelia Bundles, Walker’s great-great-grandaughter and a woman of no small accomplishment herself (she’s spent many years as a television news producer for NBC and ABC), offers an affectionate but unblinking portrait of Madam Walker. (Bundles’ mother urged her daughter from her deathbed not to worry about promoting a particular image of their famous forebear, to simply tell the truth.) Bundles also explores the complicated relationship between Madam Walker and her only slightly less renowned daughter (and the author’s namesake), A’Lelia Walker, a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, and the elder Walker’s interactions with such other seminal African-American figures as W. E. B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington.
Instagram Interludes
The other day, GG, BB and I were grumbling about not having taken any holiday for almost 18 months now and with even the border between Singapore and Malaysia closed to tourists, we griped about how we could not even drive down there for a quick holiday.
That brought back memories of two of our trips to mainland Malaysia – one to Langkawi when the children were about nine years old and then to Penang when we did a quick trip during their PSLE marking holiday, so when they were around twelve years old. Both times, though we flew into the cities, we rented a car there and were able to go where we wanted to which was so easy for us. So I went back to my photos and revisited these places in the hope we go back soon. Enjoy them as much as I did.
Memories and Such 