Just like heaven

I have been making dark chocolate truffles with the dark chocolate baking chocolate Paul E. left me

I just consumed 3 tablespoons of the delicious, rich ganache

it's resting now in the freezer

to be made into little chocolate balls of heaven later tonight

oh, the simple blessings!

The block of dark baking chocolate that Paul Eisenberg
gave me (as compared to a normal-size Ghirardelli chocolate bar)

Time to make the truffles

Dibs on the pan!


The finished product

Link to the vegan dark chocolate truffles recipe (add sugar if using unsweetened baking chocolate)

Sari Glamour Shots

I told Varuni "I don't wear red." But she said, "this would look so good on you--just try it." So I did. I loved it. And I took some photos (propping up Kat's lovely Lumix camera on a chair):

Summer Sari Apr 2010

And then I went to another event a few days later that required a sari. I borrowed this number from Fabiha. It was FAB! Jill took the photos, and Vince helped out:

Summer Sari Rahimafrooz night

Mighty Kitty

Mom always asks us via e-mail: "And how is little mighty kitty?"

Well, Mom, here's what Mr. Vincent van Playful is up to:

Come to work with me!

Come to work with me! This is the route our trusty driver Nur takes us on every morning as we head to AUW:

Meet Nur, our AUW driver:

Saying Goodbye with Shingara

In my last blog I talked about AUW chef Giaz and his great shingara. We were treated to these delicacies at Dr. Hoon Eng Khoo's farewell party this past week. Hoon Eng, the Provost and acting Vice Chancellor at AUW, was "on loan" her university in Singapore. And it was time for her to return home.

We thank Hoon Eng heartily for her hard work, sense of humor, and energy--may the future be savory!

PS: And thanks to Paul, Hoon Eng's husband, for passing on what must be 10 or more pounds of quality baking chocolate to me!

Chef Giaz serving shingara at Hoon Eng's farewell.

shingara


Hoon Eng and me

Photos of the farewell parties:

Hoon Eng's Farewell at AUW

Hoon Eng's Farewell Lunch at the Chittagong Club

YouTube videos:

Our Head Chef

Mom sent a "Ft. Riley Fire Safety" oven mitt with us to Bangladesh. and somehow it never got used. So I decided to give it to Giaz, our Head Chef at AUW. Giaz (Muhammad Giasuddin) has worked in many different countries as a chef for the Bangladeshi Army. He is an amazing cook and I am super fond of his shingara (a deep-fried puff-pastry stuffed with seasoned potatoes, common in India and Bangladesh).

Giaz posing with his new oven mitt.
He pointed to the fireman on the mitt and said "that's me!"

And I thought driving in Boston was bad...

Here's more footage from a CNG (baby taxi) ride in Chittagong. Please note those big trucks run on diesel. Their exhaust pipes are located at the perfect height to spew fumes directly into the CNG. toot toot! beep beep! cough! cough! hack hack!



Check out my other videos at: Summer's YouTube Videos

How was India?

Hot.
Dusty.
Amazing.

Kat and I just got back from a visit to our friends Michelle, Jim, Zelda and Calvin in Delhi, India.

We were awestruck (and heat-stroked) by the Taj Mahal, the Red Fort, Akbar's Mausoleum, and other monuments in Agra...


We were moved by Ghandi's last footsteps...


We savored amazing naan and paneer tandoori (marinated cheese grilled with vegetables) in a back alley joint and enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt that yielded perfect material for deviled eggs...


And, of course, we enjoyed spending time with friends in "Incredible India"!


Check out my complete photo album:
India March 31-April 5