I guess I have procrastinated enough and a year has passed. Today's resolution is that I will log on and write something - atleast 2 times a month. I have come to realize that a full time job plus running a business plus everyday cooking, cleaning, pick up kids, drop off kids, make sure homework is done, etc etc - does not leave me enough time for me. But I am trying..........................
Let's see where I am - Posh mahino started from Jan 9.
Today is the 26th - India's Republic Day.
28th Jan is Lala Lajpatrai Jayanti
30th Jan is Gandhi Nirvan Divas and Kalashtami
Feb 3 is ekadashi
Feb 6 - my in-laws celebrate their 48th wedding anniversary
Feb 7 is suryagrahan
Maha maas begins from Feb 8, 2008
Feb 10 - Vinayak Tilkund Ganesh Chauth
Feb 14 - Durgashtami
Feb 17 - Jaya Ekadashi
Feb 21 - Poonam
Feb 24 - Sankat Chauth
March 3 - Vijaya Ekadashi
March 6 - Mahashivratri
Phagun Maas begins from March 8, 2008
Today, my son's schoolmates are coming over for the whole day - that means mom has to be ready to serve lunch and dinner, with multiple snacks. For lunch, I am going to serve daal makhani, paratha, raita, papad, pulao. For dinner, my son wants me to serve Mexican - burritos, rice, beans, salad, guacamole and corn cake. Looks like I am going to be very busy today - good thing I woke up at 4 am.
Let me go and cook - will write later.
For daal makhani -
I took whole, black udad daal about 2 cups. I had to go through them, as there are always black stones in them. I mixed 1/2 cup of rajma to the udad daal. I soaked them in hot, boiling water for 2 hours.
In the meantime:
- I chopped up 1 onion and kept it aside.
- For the paratha - I took 4 cups of whole wheat flour, added some salt to it, 4 tablespoons of yogurt, and 4 tablespoons of oil. I did not have any mint or any kalonji seeds. So I chopped up some kothmir (cilantro) and added that to the flour. I poured some hot, boiling water to the flour and kneaded a firm dough and covered it with a thali.
- I cleaned up 1 and 1/2 cups of rice and soaked them in hot water.
- I also put laundry, cleaned some breakfast dishes, vacuumed - but let's not go there.
After about 2 hours, I took my precious pressure cooker, put ghee in it. Added a whole black elaichi, jeera, and whole red chilies with some hing. Then put the chopped onion and sauteed it. Add 1and 1/2 tablespoons of aadu-leela marcha nu paste and limbdo. When it all looked cooked, I added the soaked daal+rajma (w/o the water that it was soaked in), added salt and mixed it all up. I added fresh boiling water and shut the pressure cooker. I let the whistle go for 3 times. Opened it, tasted it - then took a big spoonful of yogurt and added it to the cooked daal - and let it simmer until we were ready for lunch.
For the raita, I chose the easy method - mixed yogurt, boondi, salt, red chili pepper and added kothmir.
For the pulao, I cooked some onions and added the mixed vegetables and after they were semi cooked, added salt and put some water in the container to boil and cook these things. After it started to boil and stayed constant, I added the bheena rice and covered the vessel. The stove setting was now on 3 and I let it cook on its own.
Now, I was ready to make the parathas. I asked the kids to get ready for lunch - they set the table, etc etc - took everything from the kitchen to the dining room table. I rolled and served the parathas. I was told they really enjoy the food when it is pipping hot from the stove. I am glad all 6 of them ate to their heart's content and the girls told me they were too stuffed for dinner; but as it was going to be Mexican food - how can they say no?
So, right now, the girls are sleeping in one of the rooms and the boys are all playing some war game on the XBox. I know I know, I need to get with the program - I think it's called Halo 2 or 3 - I cant keep up with these kids anymore.
I think I am going to follow the girls and take a nap. I am happy I was able to write one blog in 2008. Haave aagal ketlu lakhish ae to uparvalo jaane!!
