and we're back!

Back in the routine of the daily grind. We had the best time in India. The food, the shopping, the family, the chaos, the traffic are just to name a few, all phenomenal. It's what makes India India and I loved every bit of it.

It's been a few weeks since our return but we've been busy and back logged with work, errands, cleaning the house and everything that happens after a long vacation. The weather in this neck of the woods has been cold, snowy and gloomy since our return. We had 6+ inches of snow with freezing rain last week which called for days off from work. 'twas wonderful!

Shopping in India was ggggreeatt. I bought a lot of things for my kitchen, hand sewn curtains for all the windows in our house, some clothes and even shoes! I used to not care for shoes from India but this time around I went crazy.

After returning we've entertained and been entertained. It's great to catch up with friends after being away for weeks. This is also a way to escape the lonelyness at the house; while in India at any given time we had at least 10 people in the hosue and these days it's just the husband and I.

off we go......

Off we go to India. It's 3 days away and I can't wait. It'll be family, friends, food and fun time. We've packed 4 bags and couple carry ons. Hopefully the crazy Indian airport people won't haggle us for money or to open our bags. That's my biggest fear... but I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Oh the food.... My belly and my heart are waiting to eat all the delicious foods. My heart's telling me this will be a great trip but the food will make me contempt because it's homemade food. We plan to eat the street vendor food, pakoras (fritters), khichadi (rice porridge), dahi vaadas (fritters made from lentils and yogurt), manchurian, Subway sandwich with Paneer and the list goes on and on.... (maybe I'll smuggle some back)

We're taking lots of gifts for everyone and bringing back just as much. The key difference is I'm taking a lot of junk, okay maybe not exactly junk per se, things that people want that is not useful here and bringing back hand sewn draperies, knicks knacks for the house, pillow cases and fun accessories to make my house even more pretty.

The husbad is excited. Finally. It's about damn time. He's so mellow; when I asked last week if he was ready to go, he said he wasn't sure yet. Crazy, I know. But this morning before leaving for work- we both agreed it's thrilling that it's almost here. We're leaving Monday but today and Monday don't count so that leaves 3 days. Bad math but it makes it more fun this way.

Have a great holiday and happy new year. If possible I'll blog about my trip while in India.

the joy of packing

this weekend was short and sweet. Friday we went out to eat at a fabulous mexican restaurant that serves wonderful food with a side of spanish tutors. Our server was a tiny Mexicana that wanted to teach the husband Spanish. By the end of dinner he learned enough to say "un burrito de pollo grande" which is what he ordered for dinner. Outside of our broken Spanish session, the food was scrumptious.

Saturday was absorbed in packing for India. It also marked an end to our shopping spree for gifts. We have 2 carry ons that we'll pack this week but other than those we are done! (India's one week away and I'm really excited. so excited that I can barely contain myself. It'll be a great time to spend with family.)

After all the packing, we went to a holiday party hosted by his company. The party was great, food wasn't. We chatted with everyone and caught up with people we hadn't seen in a while. After dinner, along with other wives, I was a little naughty and took couple shots and started feeling tipsy in no time. That lasted a good couple hours before the shots started again. The second go round, I was drunk. Fortunately I wasn't the only one that drank as much as I did. The original plan was for him to drink and for me to be DD... funny how things turned out.... I learned my lesson and I don't think it'll happen again, especially in front of coworkers. I don't think anyone minded because they were all in the same state of mind but I was and still am a little embarrassed with myself.

Sunday was recovery day. As you know, when you drink that much the next day is shot for recouping. We went to Chipotle with S & N and then came home to a long nap. It was much needed since my body hated me for the previous night. After waking up, I made the dough for my cookies that I'm giving away for the holidays.

After dinner we went to see Festival of Lights at the Zoo with S & N. That was marvellous and worth our Sunday evening. The husband complained about forgetting his new toy at home, the handy cam.

For tonight's dinner, we're going to K's house and I told her I'd bring dessert. A great way to pack holiday presents and share, I rolled and baked the cookies this morning. A little bit of a hassle to have to get up at 5:30am to bake but hopefully it's well worth the effort.

'tis the season of giving... and going...

Everyone, especially the people that really celebrate christmas, are excited for this time of the year. It's time to give and receive presents and eat large amounts of foods. For me, it's a commercialized holiday that I am part of, sort of. Everyone around me has the holiday excitement so rather than be a party pooper, I go along for the ride. The shopping spree has begun, malls are busy, and people's blood pressures are running high. It's ho ho ho season.... I find such pleasure in knowing I will be one of the few that won't shop for christmas gifts. I will purposely use a day after Christmas to buy presents for my loved ones. Why, you may ask, because that's me. I can't handle large spaces, let alone large crowded spaces. That with the kids running wild and the grandparents taking up all the couch seating from the rest of us is a bad combination for me.

Fortunately I'll have a chance to avoid the rush and shop in India for my loved ones. Not that Christmas or ANY kind of shopping in India is any better. If anything it's worse- all year around; there are people, lots of them, crammed in the small spaces, busy shopping for this and that holiday and the traffic ringing their horns always on the go.

Regardless of the crowds and the traffic, I am excited for the trip; to spend time with family, eat homemade meals, see the changes India has made to enhance cultural, social and economic development, experience life in a changed society and most importantly appreciate its true beauty. I am proud of my country for rising from the upheavel (though it's not over) and enduring the turbulences. It has achieved a lot and is on it's way to more improvements. And we're not the only ones going... Majority of the Indian foreginers travel to India around this time to elude the cold weather and to enjoy the holiday season which starts around October.

last night's simple dinner

last night's dinner was omelette and biscuits. The hubby and I weren't sure what we would make for dinner though we knew we wanted something quick and easy. I repeatedly told him I wanted breakfast for dinner, something along the lines of eggs, bacon and biscuit. After much thought, we decided on baked omelette with biscuits.

You need, approximately:
Turkey Bacon
onion, thinly sliced
garlic, finely chopped
roasted Turkey, sliced or cubed (great way to use leftovers)
kale (any kind of greens work)
salt & pepper
ground cumin
ground coriander
red chili flakes
1/2 bunch Green onions
8 eggs - beaten
1/4 cup milk, optional
cheddar cheese (any cheese would do, but I was going with a latin themed dinner)

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. In a seperate bowl, beat eggs with salt, pepper and milk. On medium-low heat, sauté bacon in a medium or large sauce pan for 5 minutes. Then add garlic and onions and let the mixture cook until onions are translucent. Then add turkey to the mixture and allow to cook for 6-8 minutes, or until Turkey absorbs the mixture flavor. Add kale to the pan and stir well. Allow kale to wilt down, season with salt, pepper, ground cumin and coriander and chili flakes. Add the egg mixture to the pan and sprinkle green onion and cheese on top and cook for 5-8 minutes, until it's set on the bottom. Cover and cook for few more minutes. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until it reaches preferred consistency.
*side note, milk provided for a creamier tasting omelette.

Cook the pre made biscuits based on instructions on the back.
Enjoy