Our 2010 Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day Weekend this year was extremely busy with a family Bar Mitzvah and lots of out of out of town relatives. When on a normal Memorial Day Weekend we shy away from venturing into the city, this Memorial Day we ventured in twice. The crowds at midnight were just as large as at daytime, for the first year in many we saw first hand the hundreds and and hundreds of Rolling Thunder's Harley Davidsons as they poured into the city for Memorial Day. With striking images of DC's monuments and memorials at night, my favorite and most haunting to me is the Korea Memorial, just steps away from the Lincoln Memorial. It's not the largest or the tallest, you don't see it from the road but to me it speaks louder than any.

Fine Cooking Deeply Rich Chocolate Brownie Cookies

For the last week or so I didn't feel so inspired, maybe I was preoccupied, but was not too happy with particularly the photographs I took of my food and therefore was reluctant to post. Somehow today, I dedicated the day to baking,  I was determined to show a token of thanks, gratitude, with baked goods for all the support many have shown my son and us throughout a treacherous last month and a half. Coming to the States years back I had images of public high schools as portrayed in Hollywood movies.  Four years ago, I walked out of Parent's Freshmen orientation at the high school overwhelmed and depressed.  It felt like a prison to me, pre-renovation, might I add.  The images from the movies came sweeping, flooding over me.  To understand me better...my son never went to seven eleven with me for same reasons I stated above, there always were police cars parked in their parking lot. 

Indian Potatoes and Chickpeas (Chana) over Basmati

This one again is one of my mom's recipes.  It literally took about half an hour (tops 40 minutes) to prepare.  My mom adds a touch of ginger powder and a touch of that powder, but believe me this version is spectacularly delicious and satisfying!! I like lots of potatoes in this recipe, the Russet completely melts in your mouth when cooked.  Stir mixture once when you add water, but do not restir while cooking, you can give it a nudge by the handle once in awhile throughout cooking process.

Chuck - A choice cut for many occasions! Beef Stew!

This cut of meat is so versatile that one day I wish to get the ok from a mid-western graduate school friend of Jonathan's and share his, and may I add best, chili recipe I have had in all my years in the United States! A winning recipe with beer and honey! Better yet if he agrees to guest post that would be double the pleasure as his humor and writing are sarcastic, entertaining and unique. I buy a block of chuck and cut to desired size cubes. For Moroccan couscous soup I cut large cubes and add some bones to enhance the flavor, for Indian curry and chili smaller as well as for this stew.

Happy Mother's Day!!


Inspired by my garden.  Happy Mother's Day everyone!!  This particular climbing rose was destroyed last year when a tall oak tree fell on it, this is the lone rose coming back to life:).