Cheesy

I know you won't believe me but it's true! I have had a moong dal recipe lined up all month but the post never happened. Life has been hectic and weekends more so, with skiing and/or snowshoeing every weekend of January right through Valentine's Day.

Happy skier

Lots of fun is had out in the mountains but ski clothes a huge mound of laundry do make. Another huge pile, I should say, because I am never caught up with the week's laundry. Every day, I promise myself that today I shall run the washer and dryer until there is no piece of clothing or towel or rag left unwashed, but those darned Fabindia kurtis drive me nuts. They bleed and cannot be washed with other clothes. I hate wet bathroom floors so handwashing and line-drying is out of question, especially in winter. It's out of question in summer, too, because the powerful Colorado sun bleaches those vegetable dyes. That's my excuse anyway. If you have better excuses I could use, submit them as a comment and I'll try to design a suitable virtual badge as a prize for the best one.

In between never-ending laundry, I did manage to have some foodie and crafty fun with friends. Kitt did the honors with the food shots and I had fun with our tripods.

Are you my Mommy?




Now, why couldn't the Click theme have been wine? Or bottle? Or glass? Or something Australian? Or what Bee does best? Bitch would have been so perfect for any or all of these.

But, no! It had to be cheese. Le sigh.

So I made French Onion Soup instead. I had some aged Gruyere cheese that was begging to be used and the recipe from The Joy of Cooking didn't scare me too much with 2 tbsp of butter and 2 tbsp of olive oil. The soup was just fine but the pictures? Poo!


The only thing they lent themselves well to was a diptych. But poo there, too! (The smart ones will know what I am talking about.)

With the Gruyere gone, the aged handcrafted habanero cheddar cheese beginning to look slightly moldy and the deadline fast approaching, I decided I would 'phone it in' by sloshing some delectable HFCS-free store-bought Raspberry Chipotle sauce over a triangle of cream cheese and shoot it to death, while my child lay in bed shivering with high fever. Such is my addiction to this thing called Click.

To whomsoever it may concern, the picture directly above this paragraph and immediately below the preceding paragraph is my entry for this month's Click: Cheese.

Back to the sick child then. Yes, the poor child is sick but she had a really great week. Her school had its first play ever and it was the delightful You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Medha does not believe in being seen when she acts or dances or sings. She prefers to make a difference behind the scenes and so she, along with 3 other talented kids, did the music during scene changes. The cast was made up of about sixty 4th and 5th graders who practiced on Wednesday and Thursday mornings before school from September onwards. They had two main casts with three performances and boy, what a show they put on! It was hard to believe that these kids were between the ages of 9 and 11. Here's a short clip of Medha playing the Charlie Brown melody.



The moong dal recipe? It's coming. As soon as I finish making dinner for my famished and sick family, doing the dishes and the laundry, and my article for The Daily Tiffin that was due yesterday.

Jai Ho!

Late! Late! Late!

I know! The last date for Click Red was January 30 but I've been a little under the weather and so busy that I don't know which side is up or rather if it's still today or if today is now yesterday.

Life is still whizzing past me and I am in a perpetual state of trying to catch up. I feel old. I feel slow. Mostly, I am tired and overwhelmed. My lifeline has been these unassuming Goji berries or Chinese wolfberries that Manju of Three Tastes sent me a while ago.


I boil 1 tsp of these goji berries in 2 cups of water until the water boils down to 1 cup. I drink the water like one would herb tea. It has an earthy flavor which I find very comforting. The berries plump up and soften and get a texture almost like raisins. In fact, they taste like a less sugary version of raisins. I relish these as I sip my goji berry tea and I can feel my energy level being revived.


Goji berries should not be consumed raw. They can be cooked and then used as a substitute for other types of berries in cupcakes. I haven't yet done that as I am stuck on tea. I have added goji berry water to miso soup for an additional boost on cold wintry days.

I'm sorry I haven't replied to your comments on my last couple of posts. I promise you I have read them all and chuckled over them. You make my day when you leave me a comment, so thank you very much!

I'm sending the first pic to Click as my judge's entry. I have taken better pictures but lately time seems to be in short supply so this has to be it.