Books #26 & #27

Book #26 - Holy Cow by Sarah Macdonald

I read this recently after my return from India... It mostly details her own spiritual journey during her time in the country. She dabbles in Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Catholicism, mysticism and a ton of different guru-based experiences. It was interesting for awhile, but not very well written.



Book #27 - Fresh Air Fiend by Paul Theroux

I love Theroux. Ken thinks I want to have his babies. It's taken me awhile to get to this one, though. It's a collection of his different essays and writings. There is a focus on the process of writing, which as a non-writer, I found interesting. There isn't as much travel and quite a few criticisms of various adventure writers, which I skimmed a bit.

#10 - Try 15 New Foods

Food # 2 - Alligator

Thanks to St. Louis for these yummy fried tidbits. It really does take like chicken.



Food # 3 - Tamales

I had never tried tamales until one of my co-workers brought them in for us to try. Yum.

So with this eating new foods bit, when I was in India, I definitely tried at least 15 new foods in just that amount of time.

Based on just two of the menus from our many meals, here are some newbies to me ---

Methi Macchi - Fish with fenugreek flavoured gravy
Murgh korma - Chicken with yoghurt gravy
Rarra gosht - Punjabi delicacy of baby lamb shank with mince
Makkai Mutter Palak - Corn and green beans in spinach gravy
Kashmiri Pulao - Basmati rice with raisins and nuts
Tomato cucumber raita - Diced tomato and cucumber in yoghurt

Recipe # 5 - Cookies

I found this recipe on epicurious.com and based on the rave reviews, gave it a go. The cookies include oats and coconut, as well as chocolate chunks and I added cranberries. I was disappointed with the look of them, but they were DELICIOUS. The recipe is supposed to make a few very large cookies, so I think I need to adjust something for the smaller versions, but let me just say... I brought them to Ken's family's house and his dad ate four of them for breakfast. Yummy yummy.

#38 - Participate in a Walk for a good cause

Check. Double check. Triple Check.

I was thinking a 5K... How does that end up being a marathon?! Great question! But it was fabulous and can't think of a better cause.

#50 - Go to a concert

Ken and I went to see the Avett Brothers at the House of Blues last month, which was an amazing concert! I would also highly recommend checking out their music... It's great on the iPod but even better live. I've never seen such energy!

Book #25 - The Wind-Up Bird Chronicles

Quite awhile ago, I turned the pages of "The Wind-up Bird Chronicles" by Haruki Murakami ("Norwegian Wood") ... It was completely bizarre and completely Japanese. Looking back on it, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to others. :)

Recipe #4

Risotto from scratch with toasted walnuts and asparagus. Delish!