gobble gobble!

so there was a LOT of eating last thursday - most of it done by me.

josh, divya, mom and i got up bright and early and were on our way to gibbet hill thursday morning. due to some not listening to MEepa, we were about 40 minutes early and got the chance to walk around the farm. gibbet hill is quite nice, and my mom promptly started planning divya's wedding to the man she has yet to meet (she says instead of a wedding, she is going to have a single forever party when she is over the hill - 25).

lunch was amazing. we had thanksgiving dinner in london at a restaurant, and most of us came away happy, but dissapointed because there were no seconds, no lounging on the couch and going back for pie later, no mid meal naps. but here, the company was so good and the food so abundant that i really didn't feel anything was lacking. we had the choice of like 5 apps, 4 meals, and 4 desserts. what's not to love?

then back to chestnut hill to veg for al of 45 minutes before divya and i left for the sharon potluck. josh opted out due to the fact that he was beat and sometimes feels like the outsider at these things, and my mom just wasn't ready to be social. it was all for the best, since it was just me, divya, sarika and nisha, no boys, no football, just us. we fell into our ways from 15 years ago, except now sarika is a doctor and realligned all our spines...

so yes, i ate again. i replaced turkey with lasagna, had stuffing, potatoes (two kinds!), and my beloved green bean casserole. oh AND the pie divya made the day before... but that's it, i swear. ok, so i MAY have sampled some green beans when i put together a plate of leftovers for josh. but that is it.  

divya made this year's pie solo. she did a fantastic job.

josh picked out this outfit all by himself! the effects of too much tim gunn, i guess.

the main course at gibbet hill.

my mother - ever regal. 

one of the many desserts we had that day. yes the cup is edible.

from left to right: Kevin's (Melody's boyfriend's) daughter Emily and her son Josh, Kevin's son's fiance Jess, Kevin's son Aaron, Jared's girlfriend Roxanne, Josh, me, Jared, Melody, Kevin, Mom, Mrs. King, Mr. King (Melody's parents) and Divya.


Dessert number 2 - not as glam, but oh so tasty.

vision

one whole weekend in the next month will be dedicated to this.

wish me luck! (and pray for poor josh...)

FEED ME!

so, not exactly the orgy of food photos i promised. since i was so into the cooking i forgot to take pictures. here was the menu for today.

simplicity was the key tonight. very provencial and quaint. i think i used a total of 10 ingredients for the whole meal. not bad for 6 courses:)
roasted garlic soup - a success! it was very good and a good base for an indian version or a mexican version or a french version. the roasted garlic smell is a wonderful, wonderful aroma.
balsamic glazed carrots - also a success! i didn't like them as much. i left them in the butter a wee bit too long, and maybe went a little heavy on the Splenda. although i didn't like them, everyone else seemed to and they were eaten with glee. i even pleased a hater of cooked carrots! yay me!
mashed potatoes - i love my mashed potatoes. i really do. mashed with skins and butter and cream and parmesan cheese and scallions. josh will never leave me because of this dish;)
stuffin muffins - also very simple and a hit. white bread, celery, onions, sage and parsley. i put them into the muffin tins a la Rachel Ray and they were great! like little crab cakes of stuffing. doing this allowed me to make them in the morning and them pop them in the oven right before dinner.

roast chicken - josh took care of this one. it took a lot longer then we had planned so we ate late and the rest of the food was cold (no microwave...) but it was good. we forewent the hassle of soup this time. maybe next time.

apple galette - this was a WONDERfully simple recipe from smittenkitchen.com. just flour, butter, sugar and apples. flaky free form crust and wonderfully moist apples. it even looked pretty. pictures next time - promise:)

so total ingredients for the dinner: garlic, onions, butter, bread, chicken, potatoes, cream, cheese, carrots, celery, flour, and apples with parsley, sage and thyme. not too shabby...







and HERE is why the rest of the world hates us. IHOP the morning after the wedding. this was for five people...

escape

so, if you are like me, you get up early on the weekends against your will. the 6:30 alarm rings during the week have programmed me to be unable to sleep past 7 or 8. so now i am up and one one else is, so of course i turn on the TV and watch music videos. more specifically, the VH1 top 20 countdown.

and until recently, i enjoyed it. now, every other video is making some statement and i feel myself tearing up. images of dying children in africa and iraq and young hurricane victims. homeless vets and mothers burying their sons and child soldiers. this all affects me so much - always have. i could never watch holocaust movies or rape scenes; i internalize so much.

so when i turn to pop music for some mindless noise/images while i tidy up in the morning, i want something i can enjoy and forget. where are my boy bands and choreographed dances and britney and her tastless, judgebale choices?

i understand and appreciate what they are doing - getting those images out to a younger crowd is important. it just bums me out. then again, maybe that's the point.

back in the saddle

so i know i have been bad about posting. life has been quiet and i havent been doing much (fun) cooking.

BUT, this weekend will be a cooking extravaganza with a little pre Thanksgiving feast. smittenkitchen as my guide and a few tips from friends and martha (with whom i am becoming more and more interested - help) and this will be quite the spread!

it all goes down sunday, so expect pics then.

also jackie is in town from down under! i will be seeing a bunch of here this weekend too and am looking forward to it:)

every day spent with you is like having a cesaerian section

David Sedaris: (Eyeing me carefully) Hello. Have we met before?
Me: Nope.
David Searis: OK. And what's your name? (Starts signing book)
Me: Deepa.
David Sedaris: And how do you spell that?
Me: D as in David (ha), E, E, P as in Peter, A. I have a whole schpiel because people have issues with my name.
David Sedaris: How do you spell your last name?
me: C as in cat, H, U, N as in Nancy, G as in God, I.
David Sedaris: Well. You could really have fun with that. You know, G as in... I don't know.
Me: Yeah, people get a kick out of G as in God. They find it..umm.. amusing.
David Sedaris: So are you here on a date?
Me: Actually, we're married. Got married about two years ago. He almost left when he saw the line like the guy in front of us*, but I guilted him into it.
David Sedaris: Yeah, a lot of boyfriends are not thrilled when they realize they have to wait in this line. They come up looking like this (Makes angry/annoyed face.)
Me and Josh: (Laugh)
David Sedaris: So then I tell them that for standing in line, they will get a blow job.
Me and Josh: (Laugh some more.)
David Sedaris: And some of them get even angrier.
Me: Yeah, because they know its not going to happen.
David Sedaris: (LAUGHS OUT LOUD!! OUT LOUD!!! AT MY COMMENT! And then gives Josh a look of amusement and pity.)

* The guy in front of us left his girlfriend because he didn't want to stand in the line. When asked who she came with, the girl told David Sedaris that her boyfriend, but he left when he saw the wait. So David Sedaris says that they should tell him that she was raped in line. All because he left her alone. And then he drew her with a talk bubble. Wonder what it said.

we did it! again!

even though baseball didnt have the same zing for me this year, i went to the parade. the route was a block away from my office and i couldn't resist.









and here is my new office cactus! my friend sasha picked it up for me. those flowers feel like paper but they are real:)