On Sun, 17 Dec 2006 00:15:42 -0500, Al Klein wrote:

On Sat, 16 Dec 2006 10:45:21 -0800, Frank Mayhar <frank@exit.com>
wrote:

(For various reasons, including but not limited to the fact that it's dark
too much of the time, I have a really hard time with -- er -- "suxmas.")

Sounds like a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder. Try to get out
into the sun at least once a day. Or huddle in the back of the cave
under a few thickly furred skins and only come out to scrounge around
the cave for something to chew on.

More than a touch, as it happens. This is why I use bright full-spectrum
lighting and get out into the sun as much as possible during the winter.
Hell, that's why I moved to Southern California in the first place! But
this time of year still gets me, particularly when it's cloudy as it has
been the last few days.

Plus there's other stuff, history from my generally fucked-up childhood
that has left scars. Scars that are particularly sensitive around this
time of year, as it happens.

In article <4uqn6iF18pv2vU1@mid.individual.net>,
witchypoo@broomstick.com says...

"Siobhan Burke" <hellflower.alMayne@earthlink.net> wrote in message

You're welcome. :) I love to cook. And I used to cook for
a ovo-lacto vegetarian household, way back when. Would you like
a few cookbook recommends?

Absolutely :)

The Moosewood Cookbook ISBN 0913668680
The Enchanted Broccoli Forest ISBN 0898156017
The Vegetarian Epicure ISBN 0394717848
The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two ISBN 0394734157
Flatbreads and Flavors ISBN 0688114113

The last one has meat recipes as well, but a number of good
vegetarian dishes, and some wonderful breads. Er, not that it
will be a problem since you're not eating meat, but the recipe
for turkey Satsivi was awful. Waste of a good pomegranate.
Other recipes are very good, however. The roasted eggplant dip
(Eggplant Puree with Yogurt)is great, a bit of a bother to
prepare, though.

<snip>

Forgot, on the curry, add chopped fresh tomatoes or canned
crushed tomatoes (a half cup crushed, or a cup fresh chopped)
right after the flour and spices, and before the water. Stir a
bit, then add the water. It's still good without the tomatoes,
but better with.

Yes, I'm loving the tomatoes in the "sauce". I've been using fresh, but
for
economic reasons, may be moving to the canned. At least until we're
growing
our own in the summer.

Yeah, the fresh are better, but the others will get you by. I
was amazed the first time I added the chopped tomatoes and they
just sort of turned the sauce creamy. I was thinking of you
last night when I made vindaloo. :)

I usually make chutney when I find that I've got fruit that
needs to be used *right now*. :) Cook turmeric in butter, add
chopped onions, chopped fruit (I've used apples, pears, peaches,
nectarines, blueberries, and green tomatoes, at various times.
Er, not at the same time. <g>), raisins, a bit of mustard seed,
finely chopped fresh ginger, if it will go with whatever fruit,
garam marsala, red pepper flakes, more or less depending on how
hot you want it, a splash of cider vinegar and sweeten to taste.
I don't can it, just put in in a quart container in the fridge,
so far, it's never lasted long enough to go bad.

Wow, sounds great. I do have some recipes and know it won't last long in
my
house either.

How about raitas? ;)

There was one recipe I used to make, but that was a while ago.

The ones I make most often are banana, cucumber, cilantro with
garlic, and apricot-coconut. It's good to have something
cooling alongside the curries. :)

In article <4uqn6iF18pv2vU1@mid.individual.net>,
witchypoo@broomstick.com says...

"Siobhan Burke" <hellflower.alMayne@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1ff199f0531b4e6c9898ee@news.easynews.com...

In article <4ui4mjF17sabdU1@mid.individual.net>,
witchypoo@broomstick.com says...

"Siobhan Burke" <hellflower.alMayne@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1fed98affec8874a9898ea@news.easynews.com...

In article <4udpdpF17jpa0U1@mid.individual.net>,
witchypoo@broomstick.com says...

"Siobhan Burke" <hellflower.alMayne@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:MPG.1feb405feb691fd9898e3@news.easynews.com...

In article <4u8iv8F178uf2U1@mid.individual.net>,
witchypoo@broomstick.com says...

<snip>

I've actually been getting into some serious Indian vegetarian
cooking.
Love it! Located an Asian-Indian market not far from where I work
and
bought all kinds of great stuff, chutneys, breads, spices, etc.
(though
the
Indian guy that worked there kept giving me funny looks; "What's
that
red-headed white woman doing in here?!?). I'm making Gobi Aloo
(cauliflower
& potato curry) tonight ;)

Ooh! That's the only way that I'll eat cauliflower. I learned
to make that from watching a special feature on the "Bend it
Like Beckham" DVD. The director Gurinder Chadha cooks it while
her mother and auntie kibbitz. It's really funny, and you can
really learn to cook Aloo Gobi. Though I did find I had a
tendency to start chanting "Aloo gobi, aloo gobi, gobi gobi,
aloo aloo!" while cooking it. Probably had something to do with
listening to the soundtrack of "Hair" while cooking...

How did it turn out? If you don't overcook it the first time
you can reheat it once, and if there's any left after that, mash
it. :)

I actually didn't make it yet - Will probably do so tomorrow.

Did you? :)

I did and it's delicious!!! I never knew cauliflower could taste so
yummy!
The hubby had some last night and it's going to be my lunch today :)

Yeah, it's a cauliflower revelation! :)

I would say so. I'm going to attempt something with spinach tonight :)

I did make
the lentil & mushroom curry, which I didn't really care for. I kept
adding
salt and it was still blah :P

I always start my curries by cooking cumin seeds in the oil,
add chopped onions, and cook them slowly until they start to
become golden. Add finely chopped fresh ginger, and the stems
from cilantro, then a little butter and the turmeric. It's very
important to cook the turmeric in the butter for a little (I let
it pool at one side of the pan) until it turns sweet. If you
don't, it tastes like dirt.

Ah ha! I see my problem! The recipe didn't say to do that (nothing was
sauteed in butter, everything mixed in the water the lentils were cooked
in).

YIKES! Um, where did you get this recipe--just curious.

Out of a Indian food cook book. I've made other recipes out of there that
were great, so don't know what was going on with that one :/

It DID taste like dirt!! That's too funny. I'm going to follow your
recipe next time. Thank you! :)

You're welcome. :) I love to cook. And I used to cook for
a ovo-lacto vegetarian household, way back when. Would you like
a few cookbook recommends?

Absolutely :)

The Moosewood Cookbook ISBN 0913668680
The Enchanted Broccoli Forest ISBN 0898156017

The Vegetarian Epicure ISBN 0394717848
The Vegetarian Epicure Book Two ISBN 0394734157
Flatbreads and Flavors ISBN 0688114113

The last one has meat recipes as well, but a number of good
vegetarian dishes, and some wonderful breads. Er, not that it
will be a problem since you're not eating meat, but the recipe
for turkey Satsivi was awful. Waste of a good pomegranate.
Other recipes are very good, however. The roasted eggplant dip
(Eggplant Puree with Yogurt)is great, a bit of a bother to
prepare, though.

<snip>

Forgot, on the curry, add chopped fresh tomatoes or canned
crushed tomatoes (a half cup crushed, or a cup fresh chopped)
right after the flour and spices, and before the water. Stir a
bit, then add the water. It's still good without the tomatoes,
but better with.

Yes, I'm loving the tomatoes in the "sauce". I've been using fresh, but for
economic reasons, may be moving to the canned. At least until we're growing
our own in the summer.

Yeah, the fresh are better, but the others will get you by. I
was amazed the first time I added the chopped tomatoes and they
just sort of turned the sauce creamy. I was thinking of you
last night when I made vindaloo. :)

I usually make chutney when I find that I've got fruit that
needs to be used *right now*. :) Cook turmeric in butter, add
chopped onions, chopped fruit (I've used apples, pears, peaches,
nectarines, blueberries, and green tomatoes, at various times.
Er, not at the same time. <g>), raisins, a bit of mustard seed,
finely chopped fresh ginger, if it will go with whatever fruit,
garam marsala, red pepper flakes, more or less depending on how
hot you want it, a splash of cider vinegar and sweeten to taste.
I don't can it, just put in in a quart container in the fridge,
so far, it's never lasted long enough to go bad.

Wow, sounds great. I do have some recipes and know it won't last long in my
house either.

How about raitas? ;)

There was one recipe I used to make, but that was a while ago.

The ones I make most often are banana, cucumber, cilantro with
garlic, and apricot-coconut. It's good to have something
cooling alongside the curries. :)

"Brian E. Clark" <reply@newsgroup.only.please> wrote in message
news:MPG.1fed26ecc47ab85598a257@newsgroups.comcast.net...

In article <ep96o2teuhjcpm91rg0ekkbvongclifc4i@4ax.com>, Al
Klein said...

No, it was hot (spicy) enough, just blah.

Chilies aren't just hot. Different ones have different flavors.
Experiment and learn.

Recently a friend was preparing a chicken dish, and he
realized he didn't have the chiles the dished required. He
asked me and my wife to make a quick trip to the store to
pick up some "hot peppers." I asked which kind. He said,
"It doesn't matter, just something hot." I called him a
Philistine. :)

LOL - I see I have a lot of study and experimentation ahead of me ;)