Adventures in India

So it's been a while since I posted something on the blog.

I could tell you it's because we've been out doing incredibly exciting things, but that's not the truth.
I could tell you it's because Jason needed a turn posting things, but we all know that will never happen. (nudge, nudge)
I could tell you it's because I suddenly forgot how to type, and that the injury to my fingers from the balloon part was fairly serious. This is a little truthful (my left index finger now feels stiff all the time), but not the real reason.

The real reason is...

I've just been incredibly lazy. RWA's Golden Heart contest entries were due this week, so I was hustling to finish up my entry, so when it was time to think up a good blog entry topic, I was tapped out.

But I'm back, and though I still don't have any good blog entry ideas, I will attempt to include some pictures from our last few weeks. Today's picture is from Thanksgiving day, in which I attempted to re-create some traditional American dishes with Indian ingredients. It was...interesting to say the least.

No turkey this year since it was just the four of us, so Sivithri (my cook) graciously agreed to get us a small chicken to cook in my tiny oven (if you remember, there aren't many houses with ovens here, and mine is a countertop, giant toaster version). And just FYI, this chicken was FRESH. No grocery store for us; Sivithri went to a stall and picked out a live one. The chicken walla killed and plucked it for us, so we didn't have to deal with all that thawing.

For those of you who don't know me, I am not a particularly good cook. But it wasn't fair to ask Sivithri to cook traditional American dishes, so I took the plunge. And learned something very important - Americans are spoiled. It really never occurred to me how many ingredients in a "home-cooked" Thanksgiving dinner came out of a can, bag, or refrigerator.

For chicken broth, I made my own (good thing we were cooking chicken). For the stuffing (dressing) I dried and toasted my own bread. For the green bean casserole I cut and boiled them myself. For the mashed potatoes - ok, these are exactly the same, nevermind. For the peach pies (no pumpkin to be found, I'm not brave enough to try with the small versions here) I made my own crust. And Jaria, I attempted your egg noodles and while they were edible, they weren't nearly as good as yours.

Anyway, by the time I was done, the kitchen was a mess. So we carried it out to the dining table for a picture instead. I'd prefer you to imagine my kitchen as clean and cozy instead of the war zone it actually looked like. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! (And Happy Birthday Dad)