the opening salvo

homemade yogurt

the asplunds have begun to arrive.  almost everyone is here now--we're just waiting for emily, adam, and new baby charlie to get here next week.  bammy assigned each family to do a dinner, and tonight's my night.  since i'm feeding 20 +, and many of them are vegetarian, i opted for the locust salon dal, rice, raita, and naan.

fresh ground spices are best, but if you're not up to the extra steps, just go with already ground.

today i went to bollywood market to pick up supplies, and a few new cooking tips.  here's the recipe i use for raita, that i've cobbled together from various trips to bollywood market.  i'm sure indian cooks would die at how i've bastardized it, but it still tastes good.

grapejuice from our garden

today was a super productive day:

1) finished grading final portfolios.  now i just have to tabulate and post grades.
2) finished christmas shopping.  i resolve to not step foot in a single store again between now and christmas.
3) made yogurt.
4) got neighborhood christmas treats--our homemade grape juice--ready to go.
5) made dal & raita for dinner.  just about to start the rice, with black cardamom, cinnamon stick, and cloves, as per bollywood market directive.

diced cucumbers.  love the colors.

here's how i make my raita.  tomorrow i'm going to try a tomato version.

lara's raita

32 oz. plain yogurt
1 english cucumber, peeled and diced
1-2 handfuls of cilantro, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 t. cumin seeds, toasted on the stovetop and crushed in mortar & pestle (or just use some pre-ground cumin)
1 lemon, juiced
1 t. salt
cracked black pepper
1/4 t. sriracha (you can omit.  sometimes i like it a bit spicier, so i add the rooster sauce)

add cilantro on a sliding scale, according to taste.

mix ingredients a few hours ahead of serving and let sit, covered & refrigerated, so flavors can come together.  or obtain something eva and anna have dubbed "second day swag."

the final product.  resting in my fridge right now, waiting for guests to arrive.

tomorrow i hope to get my dal recipe posted, as i've had a few requests for it, but it's not written down yet.  so.  wait for it.

legwear:  black pointelle tights

inspiration:  bollywood market

looking forward to:  feasting with the family

Shopkeeping

Spent a good part of today assessing our (almost) year's worth of blogging.

As I sat there, I felt very negative about it.

I feel like I devoted a lot of hours for little pay-off.

What kind of pay-off I was expecting, I have no idea.

I wanted to move away from tightness.  In some ways, I have I suppose.  In others, no change.

I will really get my assessment together soon.

This photo was taken outside of my long-time favorite toy store.  The owner, Paula, decorated this bush with biodegradable balloons.  Dinosaur Hill's been open since 1983.  It's weathered recessions and online shopping.  It has the friendliest staff you will ever meet.  Often, you could pet one of Paula's dogs.

I just read Rumer Godden's The Story of Holly and Ivy.   This post is a tribute to shopkeepers and their shops.  (Demi Moore's daughter's named after her--I bet you were wondering.)

Is that what I've been doing on my blog all year?  Keeping shop?  Staying open in case anyone drops by?