Dear Darlings ,
I’m off to celebrate this milestone in my life. Certain Someone is whisking me to the Bahamas (Grand Bahama) where we will soak up the sun, drink, play golf, snorkel, eat,ride horses, and all sorts of other things.But mainly rest and enjoy each others company.40 is the new 30 , and my life is so much more interesting now , than it was then. Everyone needs a Certain Someone in their life. And don’t despair to all those who are still looking, I didn’t meet him until I was 37 and had kissed a few frogs.My only regret now, is my weight isn’t what it was, but that can always be worked on (difficult when one blogs about food). People say I can pass for younger , so that’s excellent.I am still “Cougarlicious” . I will catch you all later when I return all relaxed.
xoxoxo
Glamah
Category: Misc.
Franco Indian Dinner Party
A few months ago, after our trip to London, I volunteered to cook an Indian dinner for my Auntie Mame’s friends. They had recently gotten married in the UK and this was a little thank you for their generous hospitality to us when travelling. I freely admit I am an novice when it comes to Indian food. And I chose a Franco /Indian cuisine based on a incredible dinner I had in London at La Porte des Indes,a more upscale restaurant. Their cuisine was inspired by the French Creole cuisine of Pondichery. I went up to the Devon area and gathered most of my ingredients. I settled on these dishes for the menu:
Lamb Samosas with Sauce Creole
Minced lamb cooked with garlic, ginger, onion,paprika, coriander, turmeric, garam masala bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Add peas and stuff into ready made puff pastry. Serve up with a Sauce Creole of tomatoes, radish, red chilies, red bell pepper cooked down to pulp and strained. Onion seeds, garam masala, paprika,sugar, sultanas and vinegar are added reduced to a sauce.
Roasted Garlic and Pumpkin soup ( I used Butternut Squash)
Pumpkin or squash is chopped,softened and cooked in butter. Chili powder, turmeric, Fresh cilantro, 9-10 garlic cloves are added . Mixture pureed and topped with cream and chives. I doubled the recipe and added some sugar to bring out some flavor.
Lime and Garlic Pickle ( store bought)
Poulet Rouge
I took chicken thighs and made a tandoori paste of lemon, chili powder, garlic, ginger, Red chilies( couldn’t find Kashmiri), cumin, coriander, garam masala, and Greek Yogurt. Marinated it overnight. Grilled at home and shredded( did not have clay oven for tandoori). Fried up garlic paste in butter,tandorri masala powder, onion sauce( a reduced pulp of onions and cloves, cinnamon , and bay leaf) and add yogurt and heavy cream. Add chicken et voila! Very rich and spicy.
Spinach and Paneer
Sauteed spinach and fried paneer cubes with fenugreek, tomatoes,green chilies, cumin, onion, garlic and cream.
Belgian Chocolate and Praline Kulfi
An Indian ice cream made with reduced whole milk , sugar, cream, white and dark chocolates with a homemade cashew praline.
It took about 2 days Of prep as I wanted to cook most in my place and Kitchen, then transport over to my aunts place. Indian cooking is very laboured , but I love it I love the scent and sound of all the various spices popping and infusing in the hot oil. Certain Someone and my aunt were very impressed. Certain Someone went to this restaurants branch in Brussels recently and was not impressed,so I’m glad the dinner turned out. One of our guests was the husband of Jeanne from Cooksister. It was a little weird cooking for a fellow bloggers husband. But while he’s in Chicago we all have hit it off very well .He brought some incredible Naan bread for us. Certain Someone did the honors with most of the photos you see here. He’s getting really good! I especially like the last shot of the Kulfi.Great conversation and food.The Moet and Kingfisher beer flowed. And everyone went home with leftovers! That’s a great sign and accolade for me. If you want more detailed recipe email me. I used the La Porte Des Indes cookbook and there are recipes within recipes. To much to post. But I hope the general descriptions and processes help.
Sitting on Top Of The World… Election Night From Chicago
Wow! What can I say that anyone else hasn’t about the historical evening last night? The whole world waited with baited breath. You could not have planned a more perfect evening. The weather was perfect, the crowds were orderly, but packed, and all of Chicago was on stage for the worlds to see. Never has a election impacted worlds order such as this. And talking back with some friends,family, and colleagues, who would have thought this everyday man, Barack Obama would one day become president! We all have stories of making small talk and encounters with him in his family whilst living in Hyde Park Chicago. Even as his star rose, he was humble and accessible. Unbelievable. I’m proud for my country and I’m proud for this remarkable achievement for my race. You cant ignore the racial milestone this is being black. All the more so for me having an African father and American mother. I am fortunate to work in a place that was and still is trailblazing in civil rights and media and goods catering to people of color. Our headquarters are located right across the street from Grant Park. Certain Someone and our guest from Austria, Christoph were my guest . We had rally tickets for two, and I got Christoph tickets for the raging party going on at the next door Hilton sponsored by Jesse Jackson Jr. Ironically we all chose to stayed perched in our comfortable surroundings on the 10th floor balcony with a view to kill for. We could see and hear it all. At that moment I felt I was in the center of the world. Occasionally we would go down to street level to gage the pulse of the crowds. Our companies lobby was a beacon to all the well wishers who were drawn to all the Obama magazines, and products.
This is not Certain Someone! But our houseguest Christoph.
Taking pictures from the height and in the dark with all the city lights was difficult. But Certain Someone took some passable ones.But here’s are some from our view. I wish my departed loved ones had lived to see this. And I pray for Obama on this long hard road ahead. But I am so grateful I could witness this once in a lifetime miracle.
And Now For Some Sweet Election Day Relief and a Contest
Pillsbury Voting – General Election Cake vs. Brownies – State Breakdown
State Winner
AK(Alaska) Brownies
AL(Alabama) Brownies
AR(Arkansas) Cake
AZ(Arizona) Cake
CA(California) Brownies
CO(Colorado) Cake
CT (Connecticut) Brownies
DE(Delaware) Brownies
FL(Florida) Brownies
GA(Georgia) Brownies
HI(Hawaii) Brownies
IA(Iowa) Brownies
ID(Idaho) Brownies
IL(Illinois) Brownies
IN(Indiana) Brownies
KS(Kansas) Brownies
KY(Kentucky) Brownies
LA(Louisiana) Brownies
MA(Mass.) Brownies
MD(Maryland) Brownies
ME(Maine) Brownies
MI(Michigan) Brownies
MN(Minnesota) Brownies
MO(Missouri) Brownies
MS(Mississippi) Brownies
MT(Montana) Brownies
NC(North Carolina)Brownies
ND(North Dakota) Brownies
NE(Nebraska) Brownies
NH(New Hampshire) Brownies
NJ(New Jersey) Brownies
NM(New Mexico) Brownies
NV(Nevada) Brownies
NY(New York) Brownies
OH(Ohio) Brownies
OK(Oklahoma) Brownies
OR(Oregon) Brownies
PA(Pennsylvania) Brownies
RI(Rhode Island) Brownies
SC(South Carolina) Brownies
SD(South Dakota) Brownies
TN(Tennessee) Brownies
TX(Texas) Brownies
UT(Utah) Brownies
VA(Virginia) Cake
VT(Vermont) TIE!
WA(Washington) Brownies
WI(Wisconsin) Brownies
WV(West Virginia) Cake
WY(Wyoming) Brownies
AMERICANS ELECT BROWNIES AS THE COUNTRY’S FAVORITE DESSERT !
This season there has been a sweet debate taking place online and in kitchens across the country. Pillsbury® asked Americans to cast votes for their favorite dessert – cake or brownies and brownies were declared America’s Favorite Dessert in the Pillsbury® Campaign for a Sweeter America. After a national campaign tour with the Pillsbury Doughboy® and an online election, it was Brownies’ undeniable richness that won the hearts (and stomachs) of the nation’s voters.
SWEET CONTEST!!
To celebrate Brownies’ victory, the makers of Pillsbury baking products want to hear how people make things sweeter with their favorite desserts at www.pillsburybaking.com/campaign. The sweetest entry will receive a kitchen makeover worth $5,000, and Pillsbury will also make a donation to Feeding AmericaTM to help end hunger in this country.
Pumpkin and Coconut ‘Samosas’…WTSIM #20
I’m going to use the term Samosa here figuratively. But Samosas are what inspired me to make this for my first ever entry into Waiter There Is Something In My… The theme is Gourds.
Let me give you a little background into my entering…
Jeanne over at Cook Sister, is this months host and event founder, and I have had the immense pleasure of meeting both here and her husband while they are in Chicago. Certain Someone and I invited them over for the famous Harold’s fried Chicken. I was quite impressed as they finished of their entire orders!Lets just say she’s eating her way through Chicago.Later in the week I met up with her for a quick lunch at Macy’s( formerly the historic Marshall Fields) for a quick lunch at Rick Bayless’ Frontera Express. While ordering we noticed Marcus Samuelsson has a upscale burger stand next to Frontera. It seems every foreigner I mention Marcus to is not really that familiar. He seems to be more famous here! Go figure. Anyway while chomping and talking away , guess who walks by! Marcus. I could have swooned. Jeanne saw him go behind the counter so it was him for sure.What a treat. I really enjoyed meeting Jeanne and was amazed at what we had in common. She is a treasure. Excuse the photo but I look like porker. It was the Harold’s.
So with Certain Someone gone this week, and a little unexpected lull from a hectic work week, I concocted this savory , somewhat spicy pumpkin “samosa”. I know samosas are traditionally triangular and fried , but I decided to use convenient puff pastry. Rather than potatoes, I used pumpkin as my gourd cooked down with curry, coconut milk, red lentils, and spinach.After I came up with the idea, I did a quick google search and saw some recipes along the same idea. Also I remember seeing this combo and found it intriguing.The filling I made was abundant and I have a lot leftover as only a few teaspoons are needed. I imagine I can eat it up with rice as leftovers.Or serve alongside some chicken later on. It will not go to waste. So without much ado…
Pumpkin and Coconut Samosas
1 sheet frozen puff pastry makes 6 or 2 sheets makes 12
4 cups peeled /cubed pumpkin or 1/2 a small one
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1 teaspoon curry( add more if that is your taste)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 whole chopped onion
Sea salt * I have a special French sea salt blend with curry , mint, cumin, and chilies added so I adjusted based on this.
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup red lentils
1 cup fresh spinach
1 can coconut milk
Take frozen puff pastry out to thaw. While thawing cook your filling .In a large skillet heat vegetable oil.On medium heat, add mustard seeds and cook until they pop. Add onion and brown stirring occasionally. Add pumpkin, and all dry spices except sugar. Cook until pumpkin and onion start to get tender and slightly caramelize. Stir occasionally. Add coconut milk and sugar. Turn down heat and let mixture simmer. Toss in spinach after 10 minutes. The pumpkin should be tender. Cook until spinach wilts.Take a immersion blender and slightly break up the pumpkin to a mashed consistency leaving some chunks and spinach leaves intact. Throw in the lentils and let simmer another 10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Unroll the puff pastry and cut 1 sheet into 6 even squares. Fill each square with a bit of filling and seal edges. Bake for 10 -15 minutes or until golden.