My daughter took this photo with her phone, no editing in sight… but the holiday spirit is there nonetheless. From our little home to yours, we wish you all a Happy Christmas filled with all things warm and wonderful!
I made dal fry, maple cookies with maple buttercream frosting, and our tiny tabletop Christmas tree is glowing in the frosty night :)
If you thought I had disappeared — no such luck 
Very busy lately as you can see below… but missing you all and wishing you a most joyous Thanksgiving holiday!
I woke this morning to fog in the eerie pre-dawn light. “Wake Up With Al” was on the Weather Channel, talking about aurora borealis. Al is slightly annoying, but in a charming, rather endearing sort of way. And who doesn’t dream of seeing the aurora? Besides, I like the weather first thing in the morning. I dozed.
I drove to work in the mild foggy wet, car windows down and radio turned up loud, with a hint of January thaw in the air. This, and we’ve hardly had anything frozen… yet.
In the office, we had the windows open, chasing out the stale air. It felt like a breath of spring in the middle of the winter-that-wasn’t. I was unsettled all day.
I wished I could come home and throw open every window — plant a garden — even clean the house!
Because I work in the travel business, this is how the unusual aurora news greeted me in my email. The photo alone is enough reason to follow the link:
This solar storm is/was the strongest in 5, 6, or 7 years, depending on which news outlet you check with. The aurora forecast even predicted a chance for sighting as far south as Boston. Alas, it was cloudy all night; no northern lights to be seen here. While waiting and hoping for the skies to clear, I cooked. What else 
Dear ISG’s recent post of Rustic Chicken Curry had caught my eye and I had some chicken, so supper was a breeze.
I learned a thing or two while making this. I washed the chicken in turmeric and water as instructed. Then I dried it thoroughly with paper towels before cooking.
I sprinkled it with more turmeric too, while browning. These steps seemed to bring the chicken to another level.
I had a few small potatoes, so I used ISG’s cinnamon and cloves whole with the seasonings, and added my favorite potato masala before the spice paste.
I think I should have used ALL of the dried red chiles, as I found the end result a little mild(??) for me
Nevertheless, this is a keeper — thanks for the yummy recipe, ISG!
ISG’s delicious rustic chicken curry with goda masala, potato, and every last drop of coconut… yum!
remedy for a chilly night ~ eggs in spicy gravy
We’ve been in the deep freeze here, with nary a snowflake to be seen. Tonight there is a light snowfall at last, and it is still falling as I type. I’m happy to see it softly blanketing the frozen grass. This means great birdwatching tomorrow morning ~ the feeders are full and I’m hoping for a siskin or redpoll to join the usual suspects.
I was in the mood for something really spicy to ward off the chill, but I wasn’t in the mood for a ten-step evening in the kitchen. Plenty of eggs on the counter and plenty of onions too, hmm…
Here’s what I whipped up.
Eggs with Spicy Gravy
6 hard boiled eggs, yolks removed
For gravy, spray a pan with non-stick spray* and fry:
1 big onion, roughly chopped
1 inch ginger, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 sprig curry leaves
1 big green chile, slit
2 dried red chiles
Fry until onion is golden brown and starting to stick to the pan. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
browning the onions etc
To the pan, add:
1/4 c coconut (mine is frozen finely shredded)
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 TB chana dalia
Dry roast this mixture until browned and fragrant. Remove and set aside. Don’t wash the pan.
roasted coconut and spices, fried onions and chiles, tomato
Grind the onion mixture and the coconut mixture up together (yep, skipping steps, lazy lazy…) Add 1 c water to the grinding bowl and rinse the residue — reserve this water.
Now heat 1 scant tsp oil in the pan. Add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and 2 red chiles. Fry 2 minutes, then add 1 small chopped tomato. When the tomato starts to soften, add the ground mixture. Cook five minutes, stirring, then add:
1/2 tsp red chile powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp methi powder
Cook a further 2 minutes, then add the reserved rinsing water and a very small bit of jaggery and mix well. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes, stirring. Add the egg whites.
Voila! Quick and spicy eggs
note: the addition of methi may seem strange — I did not add this initially but when I tasted the gravy, it was lacking something — I tossed in the methi on a hunch and that was the missing link!
*Non-stick spray can be substituted with a couple of sprays from an oil spritzer — I’m trying to avoid excess oil and this treatment makes the onions brown up nicely.
they’re getting along swimmingly!
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My sister and I went to a Top Secret Location on the weekend. Feast your eyes, and see if you can guess where!
disclaimer: I did my best to keep people out of photos, but on the busy weekend it was not so easy. Any appearance of you, your family member, your best friend or next-door neighbor is strictly unintentional! My goal was the food not the folks
entrance with worker serving up fried king trumpet mushrooms, gift boxes of mandarin oranges, persimmons, giant fuji apples and asian pears
just a few of the dozens of kinds of tofu, with a few bean sprouts thrown in for good measure
wide view of produce section
the giant korean radish section
hot and spicy kimchi alley, also many prepared specialty dishes in here
a smattering of the pickles and miso on display
fresh noodles, yum!!
rice (ok, this shouldn’t shock anyone)
overview of seafood section, frozen in foreground, fresh counter off in distance to the left, where they will fix your selection Any Way You Please. I have seen fresh kingfish here… hmmm
frozen dumplings ~ some of about a hundred varieties! various Asian specialty seafood and meatballs, sausage, etc fill the upright cases.
myriad dried noodles, from japan, china, korea, vietnam, and more
even more dried noodles!
dried shiitake mushrooms, some in fancy gift packs
condiment central ~ one of the endless aisles
the fabulous food court ~ lunch anyone!?
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This is truly only a taste of the wonder and delight your local Top Secret Location has in store (no pun!). If you’re lucky enough to live near one, run, don’t walk, especially on a weekend, and be sure to get there early and have a small bite of breakfast before you leave. If you’re a foodie like me, it will take you at least 3 hrs to get through the place, and that’s on the first visit.
The preferred plan of attack, developed over several months of experimentation, is to arrive around 10 am on a Sunday (not as crowded as Saturday). This is sufficiently early to secure a parking space, but not so early that you’re tired and cranky by the time they start whipping out the endless free samples. If you don’t get enough for lunch that way, you can haul your purchases out to the car and come back for lunch at the food court. I highly recommend the soondubu Stop by the bakery on the way out for a mini-loaf of pan bread or a green pea pastry, and perhaps just one last bite of the sweet persimmon samples as you head out the door…
I tried to get a snapshot of that tropical fruit sample table as we were leaving, but a manager-type caught sight of me (what, after 2 hrs in there taking photos??) and sternly ordered me to put my camera away. He did not, however, confiscate my camera — so while my evil plan of stealing trade secrets lies in pathetic ruins, my ultimate goal of the epic tour is realised.
ingredients for raw jackfruit koora with potato
One of my (ahem) “New Year’s deals” with myself is to expand my culinary repertoire. Let’s call this deal #1, which is proving something of a challenge when combined with deal #2 in which, ideally, I exhaust the stores in the pantry!
One thing I am fully stocked up on is green jackfruit.
I love love love green jackfruit, although I have only tasted it frozen or canned.
I have seen the imposing fresh fruit — huge, whole, piled high in a giant carton at H-mart; those however, were ripe. I dream of finding a fresh unripe specimen;
I can only imagine that elusive taste treat. I know I will love it.
Perhaps someday, the H-mart buyers (are you listening, dear H-mart buyers!?) will smile upon me. It’s good to have dreams!
Meantime I thought I should break out of the jackfruit mold I’ve created — sambhar and Solai’s delicious pirattal are the only jackfruit dishes I can whip up without looking at a recipe. While I love them both — deal #1 says New Year, New Dish, yes? Yes!
In my quest, I happened upon this charming website. I went in through the back door via You Tube, promptly took off my shoes and stayed awhile.
While I did follow the recipe, right down to making the ginger-green chili and mustard-red chili pastes, I must confess that I did add potato to the original, accustomed as I am to the two together. Also, I reduced the amount of oil to a scant 2 tsp — this in keeping with (my omnipresent) New Year’s deal #3 which states: while shrinking my pantry, it wouldn’t hurt to shrink *me* a little too!
ginger-green chile paste and mustard-red chile paste ~ mixie, mortar, and pestle are packed away and the kitchen-aid does not make a luxurious paste, especially with these tiny mustard seeds, but the taste did not suffer!
frying the dals with aromatic curry leaves and ginger-green chile paste
add the tamarind…
stir mustard-red chile paste into the jackfruit and potatoes ~ almost ready for lunch tomorrow!
yummy mini oat bran pitas make a convenient substitute for chapatis
Chewy jackfruit, creamy potato, crunchy nutty dals, tangy tamarind, pungent mustard, spicy melange of chilies and just a hint of sweet from ginger = heaven in my vantillu!
I loved this recipe video narrated in Telugu with English titles and I know I will be watching more — what a great way to learn a little bit of a new language.
So, Happy New Year Gayatri, and thank you for the delicious recipe!
yep, this is how I often cook — with makeshift recipe card in hand
fresh and tasty kohlrabi bulbs and greens
Before the New Year I promised to post kohlrabi sambhar, inspired by Anita’s delicious haak. Looking back in my archives I saw that the joke was on me —
I’ve already posted the very same, way back in 2009!
Well, it didn’t spoil by keeping — this is still far and away my favorite sambhar, aside from Suganya’s spicy sambhar, or Padma’s udipi sambhar, or roasted eggplant sambhar or oh, yum, jackfruit chips sambhar… ok, I admit it, there is no such thing as favorite sambhar. Happily there are endless varieties to try!
This is quite a lame excuse for a post, using all these old links, but it’s fun to delve into the past, and next time I promise something more original. At least I’ve kept my promise to myself — get back here and post *something* before another week flies by. This weekend, perhaps a field trip to the new Wegman’s is in order! Now that would be something to get excited about
To redeem myself, here are a few belated photos from late summer in Michigan’s glorious Upper Peninsula…
birch trees on the shores of a small lake ~ late afternoon in the upper peninsula
a lone loon glides along…
in the distance, a great blue heron stalks the shores of that little lake
contemplating supper…
landscape of northern lake huron shore near les cheneaux islands
flora of northern lake huron
a small island in northern lake huron
a closer look
monarch on goldenrod ~ north shore of lake huron
monarch on goldenrod ~ north shore of lake huron again
one of my favorite boats ~ the classic laker Herbert C. Jackson! just managed to catch her upbound to the Soo; here she is in Lake Munuscong, the area where the St. Mary’s River empties into Lake Huron
No trip to the Upper Peninsula would be complete without an agate foray!
an unusual agate from lake superior ~ it looks blackish but it’s actually green and white
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Is it global warming, or just cyclical oddity? My daffodils are coming up in the backyard; it’s been an unseasonably warm fall and early winter.
Yesterday the weather finally turned cold — not just here but up and down the east coast — strawberry farmers in Florida were setting ice film on their fields to save the fruit, and it was 11 F on my way to work this morning.
Now it feels good to recall those lazy, hazy days of summer, melding into golden autumn.
