#also i wanted the naan so bad it looked covered in butter and i love that

[hellbatschilt]

Two foodie voidsent eating curry with naan together :^)

[bygone-age]

Holby City Bake Off Week 3 (Part One)

I hope everyone is enjoying these! This is in two parts because it's probably going to be a long one.

~~~~~~

WEEK THREE: BREAD WEEK

MONDAY - JAC

"Mummy, can Daddy come to the party?"

"Of course he can sweetheart. We can ask him at breakfast before you go on your trip. Now wash your hands while I put these buns in the oven. If they come out right, we can have one before bed."

NICKY

"Are you sure you don't mind covering my next few nights? You've been weird about night shifts recently."

Nicky sighed in frustration. Cameron was starting to really annoy her. She was doing him a favour, why couldn't he let it go!?!

"How many times!?! My regular... class got got moved to Friday and I'm saving up to redo my kitchen, so I don't mind doing your nights while you're off trying to impress your posh girlfriend's posh mum and dad."

"Firstly , they're not posh and secondly, you still haven't said what this class is."

"They can correct all the errors in Downton Abbey! And no, I haven't told you what it is."

RIC

"Medasse* Kofi, I'll let you know how it turns out. Yes, I'll take pictures for Dzifa, give my love to everyone, nanteyie* nua-banyin*."

Ric put the phone down and smiled. It had been far too long since he'd made any food from home and he was looking forward to doing this - he'd adored sugar bread as a boy and he knew it would be popular on Friday. Now he just had to ask if he could borrow her oven...

Tuesday

NICKY

"Advanced Spanish? Polish for Beginners? Conversational Japanese?"

"It's not a language and I'm not telling you."

"Cheese making?"

"NO! Cameron, will you give it up and shove off to your posh house party with your posh girlfriend!?!"

"For the last time, she's not posh!"

"And for the last time I'm not telling you what I do on Tuesdays!"

SACHA AND JAC

"So, Johnny's coming on Friday? Is that going to be awkward?"

"No, we should be fine. He didn't even take the piss, just said he never imagined me as a baker. Anyway, he's doing Scottish Morning Rolls for Emma's favourite sandwiches and his mum's Sourdough recipe."

"The sourdough will go nicely with my soup. What's everyone else doing?"

"I'm doing two plaited loaves, Nick's bringing tea again, but she's also doing homemade lemonade, Ric's doing a Ghanaian bread that he's finishing at mine - best served warm apparently, Serena and Bernie are bringing two curries and some Naan bread, Shalini's mums are bringing some vegetarian and vegan snacks, Gareth and Jude are-"

"I thought you hated Gareth and Jude?"

"They're growing on me. He's still a pretentious tool, but she's not as bad since she had the twins. Anyway, I told Emma she could ask six of her schoolfriends and Wilf is her best friend. So, they're doing dairy free milkshakes, Allan and Carl's Uncle is bringing two bread and butter puddings that he'll put in my oven, Jo Bradley's Dad is doing gluten free baguettes, Tania Blake's Mum is doing two types of stuffed bread, Gwen's Mum and Dad are doing mini pizzas and Hanssen is bringing over Kanellängd, which is Swedish Cinnamon Bread, but he's not staying because Roxanna will be back by then."

"No Fletch?"

"Theo and Ella have playdates, but I said he could drop off Evie and Mikey - apparently Mikey learned how to do flapjacks in school and wants to show them off."

"You're going to have a lot leftovers."

"Everyone is. I've already gotten extra tupperware, so there's going to be plenty to go round."

WEDNESDAY

BERNIE AND SERENA

"Why did we say we'd go again?"

"Because Jac is being sociable, so we're doing the same. And you want to show off."

Bernie did a pretty good job of pretending to be offended.

"Nana bread is hardly showing off and you didn't have to offer to do two different curries."

"I was being considerate! There'll be vegetarians there."

"I believe you, thousands wouldn't!"

SACHA AND RIC

"How are you set for Friday?"

"Not bad. I've done a couple of practice goes and the sugar bread is OK, but it'll be better when it's warm. I here it's going to be a bit of a feast?"

"You're going to eating leftovers all weekend. Jac's going to have a packed house and everyone is bringing something."

Ric chuckled.

"Well, it should be fun at any rate."

"And chaotic. But you're right, it will be a lot of fun."

END OF PART ONE

NEXT:- Preparations continue, Bernie and Serena's oven is condemned and Jac hosts a party...

******

So, there we are. Like Sacha said, it's going to be chaotic!

I've tried to keep the recipes as authentic as possible - Sugar bread is a legitimate Ghanaian recipe that I found online and so are the other ones, like the Scottish Morning Rolls, Sourdough and the Swedish Cinnamon Bread.

*these words are Akan, a language indigenous to Ghana and one of the more widely spoken outside of the official language of English. I think it's also known as Twi.

Kofi is the name of Ric's son, but it's also his brother's name. He lives in Ghana and that's where Ric got the recipe from. Dzifa is the name I gave to Kofi's (totally made up) granddaughter and it is an actual Ghanaian name.

The names of Emma's school friends and their families are made up and/or checked out on the Internet as being legitimate names for the backstories in my head.

[wanderlust225]

Kuala Lumpur - the same, but different

I knew the day would come, but I must say I was pretty sad to see Amy go back to SF. Alas, she is still full-time working and she was able to swing a long 2-week holiday but not much more, which means I had to start my solo travel. I have read a few articles recently that talk about the benefits of being alone, about it being the only time when one can reflect and truly think for themselves. I am not completely sure I buy that, but I do think 2 weeks by myself will be an excellent chance to think, write and (hopefully!) make some headway in defining a structure for what I want going forward. It is still very much a work-in-progress but, besides travel and visiting family and friends, one of my very important projects during this time off. Solo travel is wonderful in the sense that you can indulge in anything and everything, or nothing at all. Over the past few days in KL, I have done all of those. After Amy and I split, I found a kaffe and toast stand, the namesake and traditions certainly a holdover from Dutch rule. The coffee was nothing more than drip coffee with loads of condensed milk (though I didn't complain) and the famous toast was white bread without crust. To make matters worse (or better in my mind), I didn't even get the traditional slab of butter with jelly, because I just couldn't resist peanutbutter. It was a lovely breakfast. The flight to KL was under an hour and the Ekspress train to Sentral was super easy too. From there I transferred to a local line (I owe all my public transport savvyness to London) and then walked through a fairly seedy neighborhood to my hotel. The problem with new cities is that you never know if the city is kind of like that, or if you're in a bad part of town. I was happy to see security at the entrace to my hotel and fairly busy hallways and, for $35 a night, not too surprised at the clean but unceremonious room. I had caught a cold in Sing, of which the effects were becoming particularly brutal so I crashed for a few hours in the hope of kicking it. When I woke up I decided to go on an afternoon wander and realized the hard way that KL really isn't a walking city. I found my way to a hawker street but with all the food sitting out in the sun and having left my travelan pills at the hotel, I decided instead to wait to eat. The next stop was a cafe called VCR, which had won a number of awards in latte art design! Thus, I had to break my one coffee a day rule and with it I had a delicious bowl of yogurt and granola. (It also had draggonfruit in it, so I'm going to count this as "local" fare.) Later that night I met my friend Gaj and her family at their home. Gaj is a great friend from London, who grew up in KL and it was so cool to meet her family, including her Aunt and grandmother visiting from India! Although I was lucky enough to meet her little baby Lara back in June in London, it was incredible to see how much she had grown in just a few weeks - and it was crazy to think how long ago my trip to London felt... I suppose that is what traveling to 9 cities in the inermin will do to you! It was also interesting how international everyone was - if family wasn't in KL they were in India, Australia or Europe, which covers a pretty big space of land! We went with her neighbor to a Sunday night market, Gaj indulged in some fried fish dish that she adores (she offered me a taste but it was a pretty strict no thanks from me) and then we headed to a nice restaurant. I had some traditional chicken and rice, similar to Singapore, but with nice sauces and chicken soup which felt incredible on my throat. It was fun, but both the baby and I were fading fast. Gaj's brother was sweet enough to drive me back to my hotel, and Gaj confirmed it was a seedy part of town. That, my cold and super thin hotel room walls was enough to keep me awake for most of the night. The next morning I remembered that I have worked extremely hard the past decade and saved enough to make this trip enjoyable, which in this case included treating myself to a nice hotel. Gaj had mentioned the historic and beautifully redone Hotel Majestic the night prior and at $110 a night seemed like a very affordable luxury to indulge in. After a strong conversation with the hotel manager I got my money back and left the Hotel Maison Boutique - forever. Important travel lesson: the place you stay, which includes the neighborhood, can really influence how you feel about a city. The lobby of the Hotel Majestic smelled like flowers and there were beautifully dressed door and reception attendants. They put me in a corner room and I had a beautiful view of the city. It was tough to leave such a nice room, but I set off to explore. The really cool thing about KL is that although it's majority muslim (I think ~60-70%), they have considerable Chinese and Indian populations and everyone (seemingly) lives in peace together. (Side note: I was reading earlier this morning that many are at odds with the government on suspected stolen funds, but still the people of many religions were fighting together.) I visited the Sri Mahamariamman Hindu Temple first, then the Sin Sze Si Ya Chinese Temple 2 blocks over and then the Masjid Jamek Mosque a few minutes walk away. All were open and very welcoming to tourists (except the mosque which was closed to non-muslims for prayer) and all were relatively simple. Perhaps because they were neighborhood places of worship, but especially for the Hindu Temple I was surprised that their gods were just small painted (clay?) statues. I had to take off my shoes to walk inside which just feels terribly unsanitary in a city, but once inside I had a treat as they had a little ceremony at noon with drums and a little guitar playing very chaotic music and the Hindu version of a priest taking light to all the gods. I had to laugh as there were equal numbers Hindu people and white and Chinese tourists, following with cameras and dressed in loaned skirts to cover their legs. (I will have you know that yours truly had dressed for the occasion in a proper past knee length skirt!) I then wandered through Petaling Street in Chinatown. I can't be sure but if I was a betting woman I would say they were getting at peddling street - but honestly it doesn't matter because they had some great knock-offs which was fun to look through. Then the skies turned dark and I praised my Florida routes for helping me pinpoint the exact time the skies would open up. I found a cool local Indian spot and, with the confidence of my travelan pills, ordered some curry and naan with a bottle of water (come on, I'm adventurous, not crazy enough to drink the local water!) As I was waiting I realized everyone was eating with their hands, which is very common in Malaysia. I was happy I had ordered naan but they must have taken pity on me and brought me a spoon and fork. (Fun fact: In most of SEA you never get a knife and the closer to China you get, the more common it is to put the entire piece of your mouth and "figure it out" in there and finally spit out the bones. If I had grown up in China, I would certainly be vegetarian. Thankfully, I have figured out "cutting" with fork and spoon pretty decently by now!) Eating customs aside, I got to watch them make the naan, which was super cool and my curry was delicious, so win win! On my walk back to the hotel I passed by a lot of other public buildings, most built with Islamic influences. I worked out and then decided to head into KLCC (KL City Center) to see the Petronas Towers. This is in the downtown business district of KL and was about a 20 minute taxi from where I was staying (thank goodness!). The towers are in many ways the emblem of KL, though they were only built in 1998, and were acutally designed by an Argentine architect. True to KL though, there are many islamic influences, including the tower's five tiers that represent the five pillars of islam. I went to dinner at a cool place called Troika, 3 restaurants on the 23rd floor of a skyscrapper, and although I chose the latin-themed Fuego for the best view of the Petronas towers at night, they had recently been trumped by a huge, dark, ugly building (pun intended). The view wasn't great, but the food was, especially the grilled watermelon with halumi and pickled tomatoes. YUM. There was also a super nice waiter that started talking to me - but I escaped quickly after he gave me his number, afraid I miscontrued a sign of friendship! After dinner I walked to KLCC and stood at the base of the towers to get an excellent look and the twin towers were pretty spectacular all lit up. So after a full day in KL, it became more familiar and I saw a ton of similarities with Singapore including: the many official languages, the kaffe and jam toast, the many religions living together and the very recent Western imperialist history. The differences were also stark: most women in head scarves, nothing close to the maincured streets of Sing (though to be fair, neither is SF) and a sprawling city. So close and yet very different.

[irenenorth]

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A walk down (mostly food) memory lane

Ed explains to Paul that if you sit quietly, you’ll eventually hear the woodland creatures and they may even come up to you. Location: near the top of a trail at Winding Hills State Park in Montgomery, New York.

The only two things I miss about living in New York are the trees and the food.

There’s nothing better in the summer than to walk under a lush, green canopy in one of the many state parks, the sun poking through spots here and there. If you sit and listen long enough, the forest comes alive with the sounds of all the critters that live there.

In the fall, the reds and oranges and yellows blend together in a beautiful array that is difficult to look away from. Raking them up isn’t fun, but six-foot high piles to jump in with your dog, Conan, certainly is.

Then, there is the food. There are so many different kinds of food to try, you would stay away from chain restaurants for most of your life.

You should, however, always start with dessert. Why? Well, why the hell not? New York State has many delicious options, from the sultry homemade cheesecake at the I-84 Diner to Drake’s Cakes’ Funny Bones.

The I-84 Diner in Fishkill, New York still has the best cheesecake on the planet.

When you could still carry your food, cooked, uncooked, in a baggie, or in your hand, onto a plane, I once brought cheesecake from the I-84 Diner. It comes in a nondescript box. It is a large box. I was bringing it back to my coworkers in Nebraska so they could get a taste of what cheesecake should taste like. Even after the trip across the country, it was still silky, smooth and scrumptious.

As I walked down the aisle to find my seat on the plane at Newark International Airport, several people, including a flight attendant, asked me, “Is that I-84 cheesecake?” It was. Most smiled, but one passenger said, “Whoever you got that for is one lucky person.” My five coworkers were lucky. They loved every bit.

I could eat an entire box in one sitting.

I have loved Funny Bones my entire life. The whipped peanut butter center, surrounded by chocolate cake and dipped in milk chocolate is not a healthy snack by any means, but the three are perfectly blended together that my mouth waters at the thought of eating one. There is no better snack in the world and I have eaten plenty of snacks around the world.

Decent ice cream in Bloomingburg, New York.

My cousin Kaylie took me for some ice cream. Friendly’s was the place I went for that whenever I was home, but they’re closed now, so she too me to the Quickway Twin Cone in Bloomingburg, New York. I got my favorite, vanilla dipped in chocolate, and proceeded to eat like a five-year old. The ice cream dripped all over my hand and I didn’t care.

My small vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate at the Quickway Twin Cone in Bloomingburg, New York. Yes, I asked for a small. I couldn’t finish it before a good portion dripped all over my hand.

Once you have eaten your dessert, then you can move to main course. There are so many options, but I have a few favorite things to eat whenever I return to New York. I need to visit Coney Island in Middletown. I want some Indian food. I want a Bavarian Kreme Donut from Dunkin’ Donuts. Then, I want to taste the world.

A trip to Middletown isn’t complete unless you visit Coney Island.

Since 1924, Coney Island has served up food to locals and travelers. As a child, I didn’t care what else they had, still don’t, I went for the hot dogs. Their homemade chili sauce is a recipe that has been passed down through five generations.

A proper Coney Island chili dog has their famous chili sauce, mustard and onions on it. Since I’m not a proper American, I eat mine with just the chili sauce or ketchup only. I know. I’ve been told many times how wrong I am. I don’t care. Eat your hot dog however you want. I won’t make fun of you for whatever toppings you chuck on it.

a Bavarian Kreme donut from Dunkin’ Donuts.

I got my Bavarian Kreme donut this time at the Dunkin’ Donuts in the Hoboken Train terminal in Hoboken, New Jersey. It’s a good donut. So is the Boston Kreme. Still, nothing will ever beat the sweet taste of their honey-dipped donuts. It’s a shame they switched to the crappy glazed donuts because the honey-dipped donuts were glorious perfection, especially if you got one while it was still hot at about 5:30 a.m., after delivering 250 newspapers to the good citizens of Middletown. It also sucks that Dunkin’ Donuts no longer make their donuts fresh every day, but that is a story for another time.

https://youtu.be/petqFm94osQ

Although Colandria’s Pizza is good, I enjoy pizza handmade, homemade and with the flavors of the local pizza shop. I let my mom choose a place. We ordered by the slice, like you can do in civilized places and I grabbed a Yoo-hoo in a glass container to go with it. If your Yoo-hoo isn’t in a glass container, you’re missing what makes it taste so good.

A perfect lunch. Pizza by the slice, Funny Bones, and yoo-hoo.

After hitting the required foods, I look for whatever else I can eat or try. While spending time in New York City, there were two restaurants within a couple of blocks of our hotel this time, so Paul and I decided to try them out. After walking a dozen or so miles each day, we had worked up an appetite.

Shepard’s Pie at D.J. Reynolds in New York City.

D.J. Reynolds Irish Pub and Restaurant had some great food. I’m always up for trying Shepard’s Pie and this place did not disappoint. It was like every pub I’d been into across the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Europe. We were close to the table next to us and eavesdropped on their conversation. It was pleasant to hear a Dutchman, an Italian, and an American discuss world affairs in engaging conversation. I often only get to hear right-wing shouting where whoever shouts the loudest thinks they’ve won. This was thoughtful, well-thought out arguments with discussion that covered all sides. It was refreshing to listen to while I ate my Shepard’s Pie.

Our next dinner was a ABA Turkish Restaurant. I had never eaten in a posh Turkish restaurant before, though I have had Turkish food in European fast food joints.

Homemade bread and olive oil.

The homemade bread to dip into olive oil was a great way to start after spending most of the day walking.

Lebni, thick homemade yogurt with walnut, garlic and fresh dill and herbs. The dill was a bit too much to take, but otherwise, not too bad for the first time I tried lebni.

For the first course, I chose lebni, a thick, homemade yogurt with walnut, garlic, and fresh dill and herbs. I’m not fond of dill, which is probably why I kept squinting my eyes every time I took a bite. While it was tasty, I’m not sure I would eat it again. Dill just isn’t my thing. Paul had a homemade lentil soup.

Döner Kebab.

For the main course, I went with Döner kebab, a ground lamb and beef cooked on a rotating spin then thinly sliced. It was served with rice, lettuce, and red cabbage. It was what I expected, though it tasted like there was much more lamb than beef. Paul got the Adana kebab.

The third course was drinks. Paul had Turkish coffee while I had Turkish tea. Everything was in just the right portions and we were definitely full when we left.

Great Indian food in Middletown, New York.

Back in Middletown, we finally got my favorite kind of food. Saffron is a damned fine Indian restaurant. If you’re ever in Middletown, go eat at Saffron. Every dish is good. I’m partial to Chicken Korma. The garlic naan is fantastic as well.

A quick and unfocused shot of some of my dinner, Chicken Korma with garlic naan. The naan was perfect, with large chunks of garlic in it.

We don’t eat out much in Scottsbluff. There aren’t many options to choose from. There is Chinese, Mexican, fast food, and your typical American fare. We’re always grateful for the Greek Festival in August and try to make it every year. If I want a lot of food options, I have to drive several hours to get it.

So, when I visit my mom, I bring a handful of cash to throw at good food. It’s worth it.