The First Week of Summer 2013

What follows is inspired by this post on Love, Laughter and a Touch of Insanity. I came across it this morning and realized that I had a bunch of rather random tid-bits to share today that are just right for this format. 

It is the first official week of Summer 2013 and this is what I'm...

Eating lots of peaches and watermelon.

And cooking a whole lot, although most of it is tried and tested favorites, like this menu that I put together for friends last night. Our British friend tasted slippery basil seeds for the first time (in the falooda). I laughed as he gingerly spooned some into his mouth and to my delight, he loved them.








I did try two new recipes recently...

One was this lentil and chickpea salad that came highly recommended by Archana. I promptly tried it and was glad I did. Lentils and chickpeas are combined and dressed with lemon, tahini, freshly ground cumin and coriander, and fresh herbs. I skipped the feta (can't stand it) and added a light dusting of parmesan. Sweet Vidalia onions were wonderful in my version of this salad.



I had ricotta left over from making spinach lasagna (again!) last week, and wanted to make a hostess gift to take to a friend, so I rooted around for a cake recipe that used ricotta. This lemon ricotta cake, adapted from a Giada de Laurentiis recipe, was super quick to make and gave me wonderful results.

My adaptations:
1. Add 2 tsp. vanilla extract.
2. I used part-skim ricotta and it worked fine.
3. I highly suggest dividing the batter into 2 loaf pans. People who used one loaf pan complained that the inside does not cook through. Also, then you'll have one loaf to keep and the second to share.

The fresh cake out of the oven was completely light and irresistible. After a day in the fridge, it was much denser but still very tasty, especially after being nuked for ~10 seconds to warm it up.

Watching Season 2 of Downton Abbey, a year or two after everyone else did! A friend let me borrow her DVDs so I can finally get caught up on the saga.

This weekend, we unhooked our cable box and returned it to the cable TV company with a "So long, farewell". I got sick and tired of paying for cable and then having absolutely nothing watchable on TV. Reality TV is getting too trashy even for me. We'll continue to use Internet streaming; it is such a relief to actually choose what to watch and not have to endure commercials.

There are so many excellent documentaries out there that I'd like to watch. This weekend I watched one called Pressure Cooker on Netflix. It follows a culinary arts program in a high school in a disadvantaged area of Philadelphia. A tough-as-nails teacher leads her kids through a year of tough training in culinary arts and a competition to win scholarships for further training. Even with some flaws (many of which are mentioned in this NYT review), the documentary was inspiring and uplifting. There is so much potential in all of us if only we get the right environment to flourish in, and someone who sets high standards and expectations for us. More inspiration and less Kardashians, that's what I say. Who's with me?

Reading Salman Rushdie's memoir, Joseph Anton. So far it is an engaging read. Have you read it, or read any of Rushdie's books? Here are some books I finished in the last few weeks.

Image: Goodreads

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald. This was a Happiness book club recommendation. The stories are predictable but fun to read. It will remind you of the Blyton books. The book was published in 1947, so you have to look past some of the content, like the stereotypical parental roles- Dad grunting his answers from behind the newspaper, wife bursting into tears to get her way. The formula is straight forward: child has a behavior issue- won't go to bed, won't clean his room and so on. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle finds a clever way to cure him/her and all is well. Today we would call these "consequences". Take this book at its face value and enjoy the simple stories.

Image: Goodreads

The Mind's Eye by Oliver Sacks was a very worthwhile read, as I've found all of Dr. Sacks' books to be- he is a neurologist with a deep and genuine interest in his patients, and he brings their stories to life with his beautiful writing. As we go about our daily lives, we forget that behind every little act that we take for granted- the aroma of coffee brewing, the sight of the bright red cardinal darting in the bushes, reading a book to our child- is the miracle and mystery of our brains and sense organs. His case studies chronicle individuals who lose some facet of these neurological functions and most often, cope with this loss in inspiring, creative and unique ways. I always read Dr. Sacks' books and marvel at the inner strength that we humans can tap into, should the need arise.



Making (or rather, finished making) a scarf and a mug rug for my swap partner. I won't show you pictures, because I want it to be a surprise for her.


And I made this Father's Day T shirt for V by tracing his and Lila's handprints on paper, cutting out the shapes, tracing outlines on a plain T-shirt and embroidering with colorful chain stitch. A simple, graphic way to say that Lila loves Daddy.






Loving this social entrepreneurship idea: Last week, Abhi, who is a long-time reader of One Hot Stove, told me about her project called Go Solar, Go Sewing and I'm excited to tell you about it. Abhi is a social entrepreneur and she manages a sewing unit called Vandanamu Ethical Cottons in South India.

A newspaper clipping about
Abhi's project. Click to enlarge
and read.

In Abhi's words, "At Vandanamu, my team and I source orders for cotton bags in the UK (where we are based) and produce them at our sustainably run sewing unit. All sounds good, except that lately we have been experiencing crippling 12-14 hour power cuts which makes production very difficult and slow. After some research we have decided to invest in solar panels to ensure uninterrupted power supply. And to this end, we have started a crowdfunding campaign."

Why do I love this idea? Because this is an effort to create safe and fair employment for a marginalized community, to make women economically independent and give them the means to send their kids to school. And their solution to the problem of power cuts is to take matters into their own hands and try to harness sunshine (of which there is plenty in South India, wouldn't you say?)

If we want a cleaner, happier, fairer world for ourselves and our kids, we have to be part of making that happen. Please consider sharing a bit and contributing to this worthy cause. Last week, I was working slightly late one day, and for a moment, considered picking up burritos for dinner. Then I caught myself, went home and made a khichdi in about 5 minutes (from ingredients in my well-stocked fridge) and gave the burrito money to Go Solar, Go Sewing. The point is that those of us who have the means to spend as we like can literally take a minute and spend it mindfully. I wish you and your group lots of luck, Abhi!

Looking Forward to our first summer in Georgia. We've been warned that it gets brutally hot and that people tend to huddle indoors in the daytime. I'm a girl from the tropics and I can take the heat (or so I've been bragging, anyhow, I hope I don't have to eat my words). Normally, I'm a big planner but this season, we'll take life as it comes, going on picnics, swims and walks as time and weather permits. Tasting all the seasonal produce we can along the way.

Please, if you have a few minutes, tell us in the comments what YOU are eating, watching, reading, making, loving and looking forward to. I hope this week brings you good things.

Come back next week for a legume-rich buffet as we round up MLLA-60. You have until the end of June to rush me your entries and be part of it.