Beach day !

This summer is not like any other Jersey summer. It always rained on weekends as if it is planned :) There was almost only two or three weekends with the best weather. So Last month we went to Point Pleasant beach on a Sunday.
We celebrated (celebrated or participated is the correct term....it's not attending...heard from a priest !) mass in St.Martha's church in Point Pleasant, which was in my 'to visit' list for a long time. Then we visited an antiques showroom, which was also long due in our list. Usually we go to beaches by evening only and so we could never do all the above said things. Then had pizza for lunch in a beach restaurant. While the Sun was hot,  we went to Jenkinson's aquarium and had some good time there too. When the afternoon weather got cooler,  we enjoyed sitting in the beach sand, rinsed our feet in waves :) then lot of snacks like sweet potato fries, ice cream for him and then had some boardwalk and in my view that's the perfect beach day I have ever had :)  Here are some pictures from Point Pleasant beach and the town.

An antique shop at Point Pleasant

I liked this tiny jar very much and bought it for $6. I am using this to keep salt in dining table.

A lighthouse for our Christmas village ...$ 7, Xavier liked this very much and got it...I too love it :)

watermelon ....our snack for the road trip !

I like this restaurant ( the food was good there ,despite the fact that most of the crowd is from floating population only )

Pizza with chicken fry

I think these three guys like modeling :)

Penguins :) 

  horseshoe crab

The concert place / dining area in beach

Jenkinson's boardwalk ....love it !

From the gift shop !...NewJersey's state flower 'common violet / Viola sororia), capitol - Trenton, bird - The Eastern Goldfinch, tree - Red oak, 

   🌸🌸🌸🌻🌻🌻 🌺🌺🌺🌼🌼🌼🌹🌹🌹🌻🌻🌻🌷🌷🌷

KEANSBURG BEACH is another beach in our neighborhood. We chose to go there on a Saturday, as we couldn't figure out what to do on that day , as it started getting colder soon :) But to my surprise that beach is also nice , with a long pier to walk, a less crowded clean beach and a fair like setting in the shore. I couldn't see any boardwalk or fancy shops in that beach, but the amusement park would be great for kids. Another nice thing about this beach is , it seems more economical for a family evening (as there is no entrance ticket to beach or fair grounds and the parking is very cheap when compared to most places).  Swimming is not advisable because of lack of guards.  I like crowded beaches better as it gives me a safer homely feel, so this would be a great beach for day time for people like me :)

Keansburg beach

beautiful beach with a pier 

there is a vast selection of food in this Keansburg beach. I could see people enjoying packed meals they had brought too !

onion rings with cheese pizza :)

My favorite souvenir ....fridge magnet and some stones from every memorable place !

Jersey shore has many beaches and that's the best place to visit during summer for us all here. Now its almost October and we all are looking forward to a cool crisp weather, colorful foliage and festivals in almost every week :)

Meet you all with another post soon ! Till then , take care !
Love,
Viki Xavier

Cabbage rice

This is one rice variety I prepared this week for Xavier's lunch pack and for me. This is not a traditional variety rice of Tamilnadu (like lemon rice or tamarind rice). But it is one of the best ways to make your loved ones eat that vegetable without fussing  😋
This is my version of cabbage rice and it tastes great in my view. Also we can make it more quick if we have any leftover cabbage poriyal.
I prepared horse gram chutney (kollu thogayal) along with this rice and it tastes yummy !

Cabbage rice with horsegram chutney and sweet potato chips.

Ingredients:
Cabbage (finely chopped) - 100 gms.
Onion - 1/4 cup (chopped)
Ginger - 1 tsp (finely chopped)
red chili - 1
curry leaf - 1 sprig
Shredded coconut - 2 tbsp
sesame oil - 2 tsp
mustard seed - 1/2 tsp
cumin seed - 1/4 tsp
green gram lentil (paasi paruppu) - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method:
Finely chop the cabbage and keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok.
Add mustard seeds and let them pop. Then add green gram lentil and fry till it gets mild red.
Immediately add finely chopped onion, curry leaf, red chilly pieces , ginger and stir well till the onion gets semi cooked.
Now add the chopped cabbage , salt , 1/2 cup water and cook it tightly covered till the cabbage gets cooked well and all water is evaporated.
Then add the cumin and shredded coconut, mix well.
Turn off heat.

Cabbage fry is ready!

Cabbage rice:
Uncooked rice - 1 cup (or) little lesser.
salt - to taste.
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Water - 2 cups

Preparation:
Rinse and cook the rice in stove top / pressure cooker / rice cooker,  along with everything mentioned.
Prepare the cabbage poriyal as per above recipe.
Let the rice cool a little. Add the poriyal and mix well.
If needed add some idly podi for more spice level.

Cabbage rice is ready !

Serving suggestion:
Serve as main course for lunch along with any chutney.
Good for lunch pack to go.
Stays good at rom temperature up to 5-6 hours only (as vegetables and coconut is added), so I won't suggest this as usual travel food (like lemon rice , puli rice).