Saturday, October 31, 2015

"A good spicy challenge strikes a balance between flavour and fear." ~ Adam Richman


Finally - BITE, after a couple month hiatus due to the travels of a few of us. India was the topic chosen by Tierney.  I admit, my experience with Indian food has been somewhat limited, and has included things mostly made with very hot curry. I had determined that I was not a fan. I like spicy food mind you, but I have never acquired a taste for curry. I am so glad that I have now had the opportunity to experience other Indian flavors! I think I could do this again!

Our evening started out with appetizers provided by Chris. She made two different variations of similar recipes and they tasted just wonderful.  I like anything that has a bit of crispiness to it, and her somewhat sweet patties (Spicy Corn Patties) went well with her savory "cutlets" (Vegetable Rice Cutlets) - delicious, and these got the highest marks from Bruce after he sampled leftovers.


I had side-dishes and made Naan, the traditional bread that I often get at the grocery store when we are making individual pizzas, and a potato dish called Dum Aloo. While neither dish was difficult, they were both quite time-consuming and required multiple steps - hence no "in progress" photos. I just didn't have the time. I'm particularly pleased with how the naan came out and would definitely not hesitate to make my own again. By the time I did the 8th and final one - I had it down perfectly.

The Dum Aloo, while definitely spicy, was delicious. This dish took the most time however, and I'd be hard-pressed to try it again if I intended to make an entire dinner by myself. But - it was really good!


For our main dish, Tierney chose Murgh Makhanwala (Indian Butter Chicken) to which she added a chutney and a cooling yogurt sauce. The main sauce had many of the same ingredients as my potato dish, and tasted very similar. I liked the sauce better with the chicken however, rather than the potatoes. A perfect combination!

For dessert, Ellen made a wonderfully different sweet called Carrot Burfi. I loved the chewy texture, and would definitely try this one on my own some time.


I am so pleased to say that I really did enjoy the food from this meal. The company is a given, but I had some misgivings about how well I would like what we had prepared. This is one of the many wonders of our group - adventurous eating, and wonderful friendship!




Wednesday, October 21, 2015

"October is the fallen leaf, but it is also a wider horizon more clearly seen." ~ Hal Borland

We are safely home from the Cape, though we did have to drive through flurries the last 20 miles or so! We had just a wonderful week!  The weather gods seem to watch over us every fall - our days were sunny and warm and really just perfect.  Happily, my laptop is connected to the wifi at home, so I am finally able to share some of my photos! The ones today are from the Fort Hill hiking trail. What a spectacular way to spend an afternoon!