tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58757181595514907212024-02-19T10:16:59.701+05:30Trust Your InstinctsTiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-29036054595873487202013-01-31T21:24:00.001+05:302013-01-31T21:24:17.209+05:30Our Goa Beach Vacation<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This post is long overdue due to some technical issues on my end (the inability to upload pictures.) Blogger seems to have fixed itself so we are back in blogging business! I have a lot to update you on, but I first want to share the pictures from our New Years Eve Goa Beach Vacation.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJs8vZNaUcZNNi4in__TD_zGavpkAK2VUN2bMCOaRxbnNUQEx3S7U6fn98FcItlM7YrDX2-wi3ILCM2QYFEASaeU6nFpwwBtzUpCBaLiThnnu0GtCJyozWQOX8eGdviasqTS5Gmr-vTZE/s1600/Flights+to+Goa!.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJs8vZNaUcZNNi4in__TD_zGavpkAK2VUN2bMCOaRxbnNUQEx3S7U6fn98FcItlM7YrDX2-wi3ILCM2QYFEASaeU6nFpwwBtzUpCBaLiThnnu0GtCJyozWQOX8eGdviasqTS5Gmr-vTZE/s320/Flights+to+Goa!.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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We're off! Ready to relax and have some fun (as well as celebrate our sixth anniversary and New Years Eve).</div>
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We did a good mix of seeing one or two things in the morning and then relaxing at the beach the rest of the time. </div>
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The view from our hotel patio. Our hotel was decent had had hot water and good plumbing. It was a bit of a walk to the beach, but we got in some exercise or found a taxi to take us home if we needed :).</div>
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Our friends Chase and Melissa came to visit us and experience Goa with us! Here they are at the spice plaintation. It was so very hot there and the employees we so excited to serve us some of the hotest tea around. We drank it and sweat a lot, but enjoyed the experience all the same.</div>
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Goa has a lot of Christians compared to the rest of India and here is one Catholic Church with their Nativity. The nativity was a bit creepy in real-life but we had a good time looking at it!</div>
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The spice plaintation</div>
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I will write more about our experiences in Goa as well as our latest trip, Rajasthan. We just got back on Monday and had a great time with Bryan's brother, Joel.</div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-86030702939224652422013-01-03T15:14:00.003+05:302013-01-03T19:40:18.766+05:30Settling into life in Bangalore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When we arrived in Bangalore at the beginning of September neither Bryan nor I could have imagined how fast the time would go or how much this experience would change us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We love our experience and try to get as much out of it as we can. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few weeks ago we got the opportunity to spend the better part of a day with our friends and their family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to see Life of Pi in 3D and then went to their house where we got to play with their adorable little girl, chat, and get some cooking lessons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I learned how to make Dosa (a lighter version of a pancake that may be eaten plain or with a potato and onion filling that we love), a version of Biryani (a rice and spice dish traditional to this part of the world), an easy and delicious chili-chicken, and pan fried fish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left that night stuffed and I was excited to make these things on my own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I can remember to take pictures next time I make them, I’ll try to blog about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure that some of the things will take a bit of practice for me to ‘master’ but that just means more good food for us to enjoy</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The next few blog posts will be about our great vacation in Goa, a beach state where we celebrated New Years Eve!</span></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-13423971933070068042012-12-26T10:26:00.004+05:302012-12-26T10:26:34.510+05:30Merry Christmas!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWn8pnPIrDUlJlNKpQAMkxVBurM2kkvNCyqtGGRG4LpbcKPpFlAg86UBxfVsKuqFpMRDhoJNvg-5PrJXF7po5oe-OmTrrbQE2oU3qlI8pUHZbFG9RHw9-xmuaN-1jnZz8NXDdv3omv34/s1600/Christmas+2012+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoWn8pnPIrDUlJlNKpQAMkxVBurM2kkvNCyqtGGRG4LpbcKPpFlAg86UBxfVsKuqFpMRDhoJNvg-5PrJXF7po5oe-OmTrrbQE2oU3qlI8pUHZbFG9RHw9-xmuaN-1jnZz8NXDdv3omv34/s400/Christmas+2012+006.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Merry Christmas!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bryan and I had a great time celebrating Christmas here in Bangalore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We kept some of our standard Christmas traditions and changed other things up a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We worked on Christmas Eve and then went got some appetizers and drinks for supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back at the apartment we watched some TV and then got ready for midnight mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMddyGuLfEH8cEXG0hO-kMLFa-gnFxQa_DqGh5uGP7KT6DOSSeUIl_fGHqY4UkTpEpIy5aDCdbjXg8oSrAzlCH0hueNUIlKHKhTv5wBhDkHVpmbk7e4cf9jMoQ-seVjqh7hrFRBm9pm7g/s1600/Christmas+2012+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMddyGuLfEH8cEXG0hO-kMLFa-gnFxQa_DqGh5uGP7KT6DOSSeUIl_fGHqY4UkTpEpIy5aDCdbjXg8oSrAzlCH0hueNUIlKHKhTv5wBhDkHVpmbk7e4cf9jMoQ-seVjqh7hrFRBm9pm7g/s320/Christmas+2012+021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wanted to get to church for the Christmas Carols, so we left the apartment at 11 PM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got to church and were in our seats by 11:15, when the caroling started.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At 11:15 the church was already packed so we sat outside on the seating that was set up in the parking lot/church grounds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaUNQl120NBKgQzn2xPwzNfpv_eIv_G_ZmfmbGDc7cY1KZV9DmWsCgXKkEhjk2SdtAzJjDbqmnsBNIJXoJuTXEXb8PCrUH9AYQ90c88-nxSiWj0MypOUDROEkHFKJe2Of_SdpzFrNFKc/s1600/Christmas+2012+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaUNQl120NBKgQzn2xPwzNfpv_eIv_G_ZmfmbGDc7cY1KZV9DmWsCgXKkEhjk2SdtAzJjDbqmnsBNIJXoJuTXEXb8PCrUH9AYQ90c88-nxSiWj0MypOUDROEkHFKJe2Of_SdpzFrNFKc/s320/Christmas+2012+022.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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This is the outside of our church. You can see two of the many screens projecting the caroling and mass to the large number of people outside.</div>
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We were sitting outside near the entrance to the church. This was the view on the right (pic. above) and left (pic. below). There were people all over the church grounds.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As we listened to the Christmas Carols we were in awe of the number of people anticipated to attend this service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our moderately sized church is usually full on Sundays, but there were chairs set up all over the church grounds with projectors and sound systems so everyone could hear and see. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As the caroling continued, people just kept coming!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon, all of the chairs were full and there was standing room only. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bryan and I enjoyed hearing all of the songs, some familiar and some new to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Still, people were coming to church, crowding in, and sharing in the excitement of Christmas Eve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mass started at 11:45.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Catholic masses are predictable and this mass followed that predictability.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing that was different was the sheer number of people and their curiosity and excitement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guy sitting next to Bryan spent the entire mass calling his friends and family to wish them a Merry Christmas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was not alone as many others were doing the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still others were milling around the church grounds throughout the entire mass. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were glad for the predictability because even though we couldn’t always see or hear, we knew what was going on!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Right before mass ended, they announced there would be cake for everyone to celebrate Jesus’ birth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it was 1:15 AM Bryan and I decided to dash out of there as quickly as we could so as to avoid as much of the milling crowd as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I all but ran to the car where Suresh was waiting for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I was struggling as during mass multiple children approached me asking for money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were so sad!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew there would be more of them as we exited the church grounds and my heart was breaking.) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Suresh managed the crowds of people and other vehicles and got us home safely around 1:30 AM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are so reliant on Suresh and appreciate him so much!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Once home we got to Skype with Bryan’s side of the family and that was a great way to kick off our Christmas Day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Christmas Day we opened our presents, did a bit of shopping at the stores around our apartment, sat by the pool, and watched some movies before going downstairs to have the Christmas Buffet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We miss our family’s traditional holiday meals, but we filled up on great food and lots of falafel as well as caramelized bananas!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also go to Skype with both of our families which was a nice way to end our Christmas Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p>Here are some pictures of the apartment complex, all decorated for the holidays:</o:p></span></div>
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Right outside our apartment is this great terrace with restaurants on either side. The center walk way gets decorated for all of the holidays. (Pic above and below).</div>
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Our apartment is connected to a swanky mall. They always decorate it for the holidays and here are some pictures of it. (Picture above and below.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonbA2TqKUFkXopNKm6ccPK_kDbZtMBq5hGwGkcf09cbUdx-zbcizzlIAfVqgMLKvywPi495xlNLrmSaJ0AVWBVYd-SYyhmGcalTgn9xgojOP1M2z8P5jOSSC8S_kkWl1DtcBUzKDEC3I/s1600/Christmas+2012+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eea="true" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgonbA2TqKUFkXopNKm6ccPK_kDbZtMBq5hGwGkcf09cbUdx-zbcizzlIAfVqgMLKvywPi495xlNLrmSaJ0AVWBVYd-SYyhmGcalTgn9xgojOP1M2z8P5jOSSC8S_kkWl1DtcBUzKDEC3I/s320/Christmas+2012+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have a lot of excitement for the coming days as our friends are coming to visit and we are going to Goa!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m excited to tell you all about that when we return. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! </span></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-86472959799473340482012-12-11T17:15:00.001+05:302012-12-11T17:15:41.882+05:30Lasagna - well, kind of!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m happy to report that the food situation continues to improve!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the food or availability of food has not changed, my ability to see different foods and think of ideas of things I can make with them has changed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, I’ve embraced more vegetables!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most recently, I have been buying eggplant and cabbage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I make my Mom’s stuffed cabbage rolls, but I don’t stuff them so it’s a cabbage casserole that is not picture-friendly for this blog. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What I can share is my recent eggplant adventures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My one unfortunate encounter with eggplant involved frying it where something just wasn’t quite ‘right.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I quickly wrote eggplant off the list of edible vegetables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here in Bangalore the eggplant looks really good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, you might recall that I was actually craving vegetables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So the stars aligned on a brave vegetable day and I bought one! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(My Mom still cannot believe I tried one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, my vegetable aversion was that bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m working on it though!) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I fried it and Bryan and I enjoyed it as eggplant parmesan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldn’t go all crazy on you and tell you that I loved it, but it hit the spot and filled a void.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided we could eat eggplant again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I bought more and fried them and Bryan and I ate them as our main dish. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then, Bryan and I found ourselves in the best situation possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had an excess of buffalo mozzarella so the only logical thing to do was to buy more eggplant to make eggplant lasagna with <u>real</u> cheese!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t had cheese in my lasagna/manicotti for more than three years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I haven’t found gluten-free lasagna noodles here so I sliced the eggplant, battered it, lightly fried it in a pan, and used the eggplants like I would lasagna noodles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lasagna was good, and the cheese was the best treat!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I won’t lie to you. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could tell the noodles were missing and some vegetables had been added, but it tasted great and has continued to make good leftovers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is another meal I’ll add to the rotation!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><strong>Here is the recipe:</strong></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Slice the eggplant and lightly salt each side to let the bitterness and moisure seep out for at least 30 minutes if not longer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brown Ground Beef with chopped onions. Add your favorite pasta sauce and let simmer.</span></div>
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As the beef is cooking, dry off the eggplant with a paper towel and prepare your dredging station. <br />
I cracked 1 egg and used about 1/2 c. gluten-free flour seasoned with pepper and italian seasoning. <br />
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Dredge eggplant slices in egg and then in flour. Add to a lightly oiled fry pan and fry on either side until nice and brown like below: </div>
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Spread a bit of the tomato sauce and beef mixture in the bottom of the pan. Place a layer of eggplant followed by a layer of sauce and then a layer of cheese. Repeat 2-3 times or until your eggplant is used or your pan is full. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes or until the cheese is melted and warmed through.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What is next on the list of things to make?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A Mexican Casserole, Christmas cookies Bryan has been requesting, and roasted red pepper and goat cheese appetizers.</span></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-31323681279588134042012-11-28T17:42:00.002+05:302012-11-28T17:42:45.572+05:30Roasted Figs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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As promised, I have some cooking to blog about! I made some Eggplant Parmesan that actually turned out, but I failed to take some pictures. Now that I know what I am doing I'll get some pictures, or snaps as they are called here and blog about that soon (as there is more of that in our near future)!</div>
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Today I had lunch with two friends. It was wonderful to chat and learn about their go-to places in Bangalore. After lunch I went with one friend to a store that gets their produce in today. There was a good selection so I stocked up on some more veggies. We also went to another grocery store to look for the coveted lettuce (which can be hard to find here). They didn't have any; but I did find some figs!</div>
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My Mom talks about figs and how she would eat them when she went to visit her Grandma and Grandpa in Louisiana. There have been quite a few figs available at breakfast so I knew they must be in season. Also, one of the blogs I follow posted something about all of the things one could do with figs and I remember them roasting the figs with honey and serving them with goat cheese and crackers. </div>
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My mouth has been salivating since I got that idea so I didn't think twice and bought some!</div>
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This dish was rather simple to prepare. After washing them, I cut the tops off, quartered them, and placed them in a baking dish with the skin side down. </div>
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Then, I squeezed some honey over the top and finished it off with some fresh cracked black pepper. I remember the recipe said to use 1/4 to 1/3 cup. I didn't use that much, and after tasting them warm out of the oven I wish I would have used what the recipe recommended.</div>
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<br />So, when I eat these I plan to put them on a cracker with some cheese and squeeze a bit of honey on top. </div>
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Tonight for supper I made a casserole that is complete with large amounts of tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and carrots. </div>
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Veggies: Check!</div>
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Fruit: Check!</div>
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Here's to hoping there are more balanced meals in our future!</div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-59934157219976541722012-11-26T23:48:00.002+05:302012-11-26T23:48:41.411+05:30Christmas season for the Muilenburgs in Bangalore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It is officially Christmas season at the Muilenburg house. This year after Thanksgiving we decorated a small Christmas tree. It is a bit of a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, but it brings a bit of Christmas cheer to our apartment all the same. We purchased a package of ornaments that came with the balls, gifts (that we placed under the tree) and drums that we placed on our TV. It's quite the little Christmas shrine!<br />
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We bought the silver angel tree toper for our tree at home. Since it's officially taller than our tree this year, we just sat the topper beside the tree. <br />
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To give you some perspective of how small the tree is, here are both of us next to it. I think Bryan's head may be as big as the tree!!<br />
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Bryan is now treating me to Christmas music and Christmas uTube videos so we're starting to get into the holiday season!</div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-89379238187928098642012-11-22T15:58:00.001+05:302012-11-22T15:58:36.793+05:30Happy Thanksgiving and some other randomness<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As it’s my Thursday (Thanksgiving day in the United States) I’ve been thinking about the things that I’m thankful for and this year my list is very simple: clean water that I can drink, regularly scheduled and reliable trash pickup, that I have a job and can feed and provide shelter for myself, and the sense of community that we are slowly building here in Bangalore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course there are others, but living here has made me realize how lucky we are to have even the most basic of our needs met and it has also surprised me how much we miss our sense of community back home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve been talking to one of the trainers at the gym while I work out and we were talking about all things food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some big food news in India is that Starbucks is coming to India.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The current India equivalent to Starbucks is called Café Coffee Day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are multiple of them in the city and they can be found along the major highways too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I will be interested to see how Starbucks does here because at Café Coffee Day you can get coffee and a pastry for about 150 INR or $2.50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same is true for lunch if you want a light lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, I’m interested to see if Starbucks is able to charge the same prices they charge in the United States here in India.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I found even more interesting is that he said he can go out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner here in India for about 150 INR and if he makes his meals himself it is much cheaper than that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are hopeful to get to Skype with both of our families as they celebrate Thanksgiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to try to make fried chicken, potatoes, and green beans for our supper so it will be somewhat similar to the feasts our families are preparing at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We even have chocolate cake to eat with our supper!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I haven’t blogged as much about the food I make here because all things food have been much more difficult than I imagined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our kitchen is lightly stocked with cooking gadgets and my attempt at Indian food fails miserably every time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I recognize that we could go buy more gadgets but there is a certain degree of adventure and challenge in cooking with the things we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve adapted well and baked a chocolate cake in the big soup stockpot just the other day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve also been making pizzas in sauce pans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, and one of the cleaning guys showed me how to open a can of beans with a knife!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I’ll be buying canned goods with the pop-top from now on as the can opener we have is an ancient artifact that belongs in a museum!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t recommend opening canned goods with a knife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He managed not to cut himself but I am not so sure the result would be as positive every time!)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ll try to do a better job blogging about the things we make here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I hope you’ll find it interesting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hope you have a great Thanksgiving!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving here with the warm weather, sun, and other festivals we’ve gotten to participate in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do miss winter squash, sweet potatoes, and green beans so fill up on those for me. </span><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-3039829426059681132012-11-19T16:06:00.001+05:302012-11-19T16:06:23.616+05:30Hampi Pictures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I've let too much time go by without posting more pictures from our trip to Hampi. <br />
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I'll spare you the history lesson and let you look at the pictures. To give you a very high-level overview, the area is thought to be created from volcanoes that eruped under the ocean millions (or maybe even billions) of years ago. The volcanoes created granite, so pretty much everything you see is granite.<br />
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It's amazing that thousands of years ago without the equipment we use today, people built these civilizations that are still standing today. They think it took 30 or more years to build some of these things. Can you imagine if we wanted to buid something today and they told us it would take 30 years? We would say no thank you!<br />
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Ganesh is inside this structure. Notice the detail on the top. Also, on the right there is a lady bent over cleaning the grounds. It gives you a perspective of just how big all of these things were!<br />
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Check out this two-story structure. <br />
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A piece of the mountain broke off and fell on this structure, but it was still standing. Just this one corner was not 'square' but the rest of the structure looked to be in good shape.<br />
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That temple is probably 13 stories tall, but from this vantage point it doesn't look like it! It was mostly overcast while we were in Hampi. That was a good thing because it could have been very hot!<br />
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Check out the crazy eyes on this guy!<br />
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This detail of carving was all over the place! Here is an example of their hunting techniques. I found it interesting that in that day many women hunted too.<br />
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This was a water reservoir of sorts. It's pretty deep - and there were 7 of these on this one site alone!<br />
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The leaders used to go underground into this space to talk about private concerns. (It had a top and was ultra-secure.) Our guide told us about it and then asked if we wanted to go down the steep stairs to be inside it. I emphatically said yes! Bryan immediately said really? <br />
We climbed down the stairs and then had to turn into this extremely dark hallway that was really wet to get into the part you can see here. About half way in I realized that that location is probably a perfect location for the highly poisonous<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> </span>snakes of the area and froze! At that point it was clear why Bryan was so surprised I wanted to go down there! Suzanne coaxed me into the open space below. I'm glad that we went down there, and glad that we got out of there without any unwanted critters!<br />
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We did a lot of climbing these small mountains on Day #2. We stoped here for a break. You can see by the red on our foreheads that we visited the temple earlier that day.<br />
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This carriage was not build to move, but rather designed to be a piece of art. It was really impressive! We heard it is one of the most popular spots in Hampi.<br />
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This was the entrance. You can barely see the intricate carvings at the top.<br />
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Many Hindu people travel here if they are unable to have a baby or if they are in need of a home. They tie little bundles to the tree and hope they can have a baby or build little homes at the base of the tree if the yare in need of a home. If they do have a baby or get a home, then the couple brings their family and friends here for a huge feast. This picture doesn't really do it justice - there was SO MUCH stuff tied to the tree and on the ground.<br />
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These were Elephant stables for the Elephants. It seemed to be a very nice place for them.<br />
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-65054997695202867572012-11-10T18:40:00.000+05:302012-11-10T18:40:01.932+05:30Veggies, ah veggies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
If you know me very well you know that I don't love vegetables. I will eat them because I know they are good for me but I never think to myself, "Gee, I'd really like some (insert vegetable here)." My thinking is more along the lines of "Pizza, yeah, that has tomatoes on it. I don't think we need a vegetable to go with pizza!"<o:p></o:p><br />
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Fruit? Now fruit is a different story. I have no problem consuming inappropriately large amounts of fruit!<o:p></o:p><br />
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After finding out that I couldn't have gluten or dairy, I decided I should really try to eat more vegetables. Ok, maybe I didn't decide that I needed more vegetables, but it was something I <em>could </em>eat so instead of limiting myself even further I thought I should try to consume more vegetables. Oh, and by consuming them it also meant consuming large amounts of hummus and salad dressing to wash them down. Whatever it takes, right?<o:p></o:p><br />
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Now that we are in Bangalore I've fallen into my old habits and have not eaten many vegetables. And, for the past week I've been actually <em>craving</em> them. (My Mom is <em>never</em> going to believe that I was actually hungry for vegetables!)<o:p></o:p><br />
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On Friday I went out for lunch and ordered a salad. It was a bit smaller than I would have liked but it was delicious! It even came with red peppers, tomatoes, and onions on it. Oh, and it was real lettuce, not just iceberg lettuce. <o:p></o:p><br />
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About an hour after lunch I became sick. Really sick. Laying on the bathroom floor sick. Hardly getting out of bed sick. <o:p></o:p><br />
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I've been taking Cipro for more than 24 hours and am hoping that it's going to kick in soon. In more than 24 hours my main sustenance has been Sprite. <o:p></o:p><br />
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What I know is that I likely won't be craving vegetables, especially salad, anytime soon! <o:p></o:p><br />
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See, I knew vegetables were bad for me!<o:p></o:p><br />
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-28126456257905670912012-11-06T00:27:00.001+05:302012-11-06T00:27:32.933+05:30Visiting Hampi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This weekend we traveled about 6 hours north of Bangalore to Hampi. Hampi is in the same state that Bangalore is in, Kanartaka, but felt like an entirely different place. It was a much smaller city that bustling Bangalore, but the terrain was different as well. While Bangalore is flat, Hampi is filled with small mountains of granite. </div>
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Hampi is actually an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the former captial of the Vijayanagara Empire and is located within the ruins of Vijayanagara. Hampi is an important religious center as it is home to the Virupaksha temple as well as several other monuments. </div>
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We took more than 500 pictures during the two days were were sight seeing so I (quickly) reviewed a few and posted them here. As I have more time to sort through the pictures and identify them I will update some more.</div>
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We went to Hampi with our friend Suzanne who is also living here in Bangalore so you'll see her in some of these pictures. It was fun to have a travel buddy and share some laughs and memories!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0DxMKjSXSA9zCnJvJLRj7t7FzLWJQwl0_NuGd3U_NVc5Ht4NYmYllOHQsrXOXE7SbCCPg2fNC2yhw5g5HdgQhIKZqTN5ClOrtylqVGVPrjqqEAAoJ35FyT6vHYWByaQto-04ws4yTcc/s1600/Hampi+Nov+2012+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0DxMKjSXSA9zCnJvJLRj7t7FzLWJQwl0_NuGd3U_NVc5Ht4NYmYllOHQsrXOXE7SbCCPg2fNC2yhw5g5HdgQhIKZqTN5ClOrtylqVGVPrjqqEAAoJ35FyT6vHYWByaQto-04ws4yTcc/s400/Hampi+Nov+2012+018.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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This was a structure built out of granite. Granite is not easy to carve or shape, but thousands of years ago without the equipment we have now, they cut and lifted the granite to make the amazing structures we saw this weekend. They created tongue-and-groove joints to ensure that their buildings would be sturdy. You can see in the picture above just how sturdy those joints are! A huge bolder broke off and hit the monument but it is still standing. You can see it is crooked though!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpdqp47j88_vFdHpb6GMGUo20FZPl7xRxFWa4uRx7ZeU_bDxqrQ6OYfPDRDZ8b4Xf6EMpmJUEUA7f1XDABu0Mvi_eghL2vYh4k91RjtQCaY6xSwhTdDkzvh8XnxB57cxSwjgpD7bDlm4/s1600/Hampi+Nov+2012+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpdqp47j88_vFdHpb6GMGUo20FZPl7xRxFWa4uRx7ZeU_bDxqrQ6OYfPDRDZ8b4Xf6EMpmJUEUA7f1XDABu0Mvi_eghL2vYh4k91RjtQCaY6xSwhTdDkzvh8XnxB57cxSwjgpD7bDlm4/s400/Hampi+Nov+2012+024.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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We visited many temples including the one behind me. I think that one is more than 10 stories high. I've grown since you saw me last! Actually, in the background you can see the other large hills/small mountains and I'm standing on top of one for this picture.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9vaYQSY9_j3Ge3wWTx9UIQRiIser0Wx5biY0NxWDipsaCG0WI8DJ-UZfQtcbGcT8NiuhjzSE4oSoZiJ4RN5w3ygi1FTm0tDPUn9muqBx1gcQBZG22Hh8XqBeo_swkVaYWRzgF-0Jk_w/s1600/Hampi+Nov+2012+034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9vaYQSY9_j3Ge3wWTx9UIQRiIser0Wx5biY0NxWDipsaCG0WI8DJ-UZfQtcbGcT8NiuhjzSE4oSoZiJ4RN5w3ygi1FTm0tDPUn9muqBx1gcQBZG22Hh8XqBeo_swkVaYWRzgF-0Jk_w/s400/Hampi+Nov+2012+034.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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You can see the same temple behind Bryan, Suzanne and I. This time it's a bit closer to scale but not quite right. You can see the tongue-and-groove joints in this structure though.</div>
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Here are some more pictures to tempt you until I can get captions and label them. <br />
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(See - look at all that granite!)</div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-65786355704698770272012-10-15T21:20:00.000+05:302012-10-15T21:20:07.023+05:30The beauty of India<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Bangalore is a <u>huge</u> city, but it doesn't really feel that big (maybe because I don't have to drive myself anywhere and can't really get around without Suresh or walking a short distance from our apartment). To me, Bangalore feels a lot like Washington D.C. Bangalore is also called India's Garden City and has the most beautiful flowers and plants. When I stayed in Washington D.C. I thought they did such a good job keeping a lot of plants as the city grew, and the same can be said for Bangalore. </div>
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Here are some pictures of flowers and plants we've taken since being here. Many of these were from our time in Coorg too. <br />
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These trees flower with the most beautiful flowers. They are right next to the pool at the apartment and I love them. They do drop their flowers somewhat often though, so I'm sure that the pool boys don't love them as much as I do!</div>
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Yikes! Look at the thorns on that plant! These were at the elephant training camp where there were all sorts of animals wandering around as well as humans. I can't imagine what it feels like to step on one of those!</div>
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These bell flowers were in Coorg and we loved them!</div>
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Suresh does a great job of pointing different things out to us, so we are getting quite the stash of agricultural pictures too! Sometime I'll share the rice paddies, sugarcane, ginger, and more that we've seen!</div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-90356374805074279902012-10-04T17:05:00.001+05:302012-10-04T17:37:42.715+05:30Coorg – Day 2. Is this what Kim Kardashian feels like?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 2 was full of sightseeing including the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nisargadhama (an ecological park)</b> – We started our day at this popular ecological park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We heard that it had a deer park, boating, and elephant rides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We visited specifically for the elephant rides.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once inside this ecological park I felt like I was in 3<sup>rd</sup> grade visiting Harry’s Woods in Clarksville IA, just on a smaller scale.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had the typical river, a lot of trees and benches to sit on, some flora and fauna, and deer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The deer were huge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could have gotten into the river, but I don’t feel any desire to get into a muddy river anywhere so we skipped out on that part!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The biggest drawing card, the elephant rides, was shut down as they did not have any elephants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bryan was disappointed but we knew there was another chance to ride an elephant at the Dubare Elephant Camp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">What we did not expect at this ecological park was to be the object of so many people’s desire!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve heard and Bryan has experienced locals wanting to take pictures of or with Americans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, we stick out and while there are a good number of expats in Bangalore, we are less common in rural areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At first some people approached and asked if they could take our picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We happily agreed and went on our merry way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, a group of 6 people wanted our picture and we agreed again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bryan was sure that “this” was what Kim Kardashian feels like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I assured him it was not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were a few people who chose to hid behind a tree or not-so-discretely take our picture which was just awkward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We decided we would much rather have them ask to take our picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the deer park we stumbled onto a larger group of 12 or so people who each needed their picture with us individually and then in random groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really people?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can’t take our picture and share it with your friends?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At some point we told them we were done taking our picture and walked away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then, a tour bus full of high-school age boys noticed us and came charging at us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We took a picture with the first boy (it pays to be past and observant) and then I told them they would have to ask their friend for the picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then I changed my mind and decided I would rather that they stood back and took our picture while peering from afar!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Dubare Elephant Camp – </b>Since there were no elephants at the ecological park Suresh took us to an elephant training camp that also had whitewater rafting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did love whitewater rafting, but again, I’m not doing dirty muddy water and this was more like rafting than white water rafting so we just hit up the elephants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To get to the elephants we had to take a boat across the river to the training camp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bryan really enjoyed riding the elephant with 6 or so of his (now) closest Indian friends as they were really sandwiched on top of the elephant!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Abby Falls – </b>Our last stop of the day was a waterfall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We drove up a different mountain and Suresh parked and then we walked down the mountain to be at the base of the waterfall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was misting but the views were amazing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Day 2 in Coorg ended as we celebrated our first month in India.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our time has gone by fast and we are excited to plan some more trips to take in as much as we can before we have to head home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-43272176094408210542012-10-03T16:36:00.001+05:302012-10-03T16:36:35.574+05:30Coorg – our first weekend trip<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last weekend we went to an area called Coorg, an area 5 hours outside of Bangalore but in the same state, Kanartaka.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main city is Madikeri, and is a tourist hot spot for relaxation and connecting with nature. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We stayed at a hill station resort that Bryan and I both imagine was similar to staying in a cabin in the mountains in the States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had the necessary things like a bed and bathroomand was simple enough to encourage people to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>be outside when not sleeping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We saw a lot and have some great stories, so I’ll post 3-4 separate posts about our trip; Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and a post about the flowers. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We left Bangalore at 7 AM on Saturday morning to begin our treck to Coorg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suresh, our driver here in Bangalore, took us and we were thankful to have him as he navigated the congested roads and the roads that were hard to get through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know how we managed the whole trip without a flat tire, but Suresh did it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A bit outside of Coorg is a Golden Tietbetan Temple, Bailkuppe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This gold-coated Buddhist temple was really unique, and may have been my favorite part of the whole trip. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The photo above is the temple from a distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After removing our shoes and getting closer, we were able to see just how ornate this temple was!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We went inside and it was HUGE.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the intricate paintings surrounded us, the statues and decoration at the front was amazing.<o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6qib1pV9rcdj2F416n6GD1IH0JhADKX73t32qxDCgKOuvznBbR4rAuCaDxp8rNJBIKfmRH0R2jP3bepbE9o2QTYYEALd4HRC9diA9KoHfQl3CFlpQn53I_qWv2DsNLw9vsP2V6uwjUI/s1600/Bailkuppe+temple+-+ornate+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" mea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb6qib1pV9rcdj2F416n6GD1IH0JhADKX73t32qxDCgKOuvznBbR4rAuCaDxp8rNJBIKfmRH0R2jP3bepbE9o2QTYYEALd4HRC9diA9KoHfQl3CFlpQn53I_qWv2DsNLw9vsP2V6uwjUI/s320/Bailkuppe+temple+-+ornate+4.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The grounds were large so we looked around a bit before leaving to meet Suresh to take us the rest of the way to our resort. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The resort price included 4 meals (breakfast, lunch, high tea, and dinner).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The south Indian food was familiar and tasted good. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After checking in and having lunch, Suresh drove us to Talakeveri, where the Cauvery river starts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also home to a popular temple.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it is monsoon season, and we were outside Bangalore which is protected from the monsoon rains that the rest of the country gets, the rain picked up and the fog set in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The humidity was high and the visibility was short.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suresh navigated the partly paved one-lane road with ease, especially when we met other vans, tour busses, and uncareful drivers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve seen 2 or 3 lanes become 5 or 6 in Bangalore, but imagine driving up a mountain on a windy one-way road that becomes two!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He did it with ease and we made it to each of our destinations safely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We tried to take pictures, but they look like blobs of white!</span><o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So we headed back towards our cabin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We did stop to see the sunset at Raja’s Seat, a famous viewing spot for sunset and sunrise but due to the fog and our inability to find the sun, let alone see it set, we headed home for the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Check back soon for posts about Day 2 in Coorg!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-21100395822417346422012-09-25T16:46:00.000+05:302012-09-25T16:46:11.175+05:30Ramblings on our time in Bangalore<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I need to start carrying my camera with me so that I can post pictures too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve been saying that for a few weeks, so let’s hope it lands a permanent position in my purse sometime soon!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Until then, here are some (very textual) updates from Bangalore. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Size & congestion<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First, Bryan and I learned from Wikipedia (so take this lightly) that Bangalore is the 16<sup>th</sup> largest city in the WORLD.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New York was the largest United States City and it ranked somewhere in the 20’s if I remember correctly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No wonder it feels so big and seems to have a little of everything.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t mind the size and congestion like I thought I would and I appreciate everything it has to offer because that means there are things like home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Butcher<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For example, our friends recommended a butcher and I was timid about going because I was preparing myself for an open-air type environment with some carcasses just hanging around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was pleasantly surprised as the part of the shop that was exposed to the general public was a counter with a bunch of refrigerators and freezers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Obviously, in any butcher shop there are carcasses hanging around, but I am used to them being more hidden and at least refrigerated.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This meant that it smelled like any butcher would in the States (a smell that I can tolerate) and had a large array of options like chicken cut an way you like as well as chicken sausage, chicken sticks, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I heard it would have some pork, but I was pleasantly surprised to see there was beef!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got 6 chicken breasts and 1 lb. of beef mince.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, I said beef mince.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know, the cut of beef also known as ground beef in the states?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was <u>fresh</u> (read: ground directly from the animal in the back and still warm when they gave it to us.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m happy to report that the beef mince tasted just like it does at home and we haven’t tried the chicken, but I’m not so concerned about that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be making many a return visit to this butcher for sure!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Gluten-Free bakery!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Thanks to the wonders of Google and my searching husband, we discovered that there is a Gluten-Free bakery in Bangalore that not only has gluten free but also has dairy free items. They have bread! Want to know what else? They have cakes, amazing looking cakes! We just discovered it today, but you can bet we'll be making a trip sometime soon. Then, hopefully I can dine on some PB&J sandwiches for lunch instead of some nuts out of my purse. Things are looking up! (Oh - BTW - I recognize that I could bring my lunch, and plan to, but this whole food thing has been hard, so we're starting with baby steps and will grow into it as we are here. We expanded our repertoire to include pizza and spaghetti last week and are going to work on tacos this week. You see, it IS SLOW but we are making progress!)</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shopping malls<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a lot of shopping here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the forms of malls but also in the forms of stores along the street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shopping is everywhere!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I guess it needs to be with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">this</i> many people!)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most people shop at local food stands, but I’ve learned that if you want a big-box grocery store you have to go to a shopping mall, where they are always found.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I would love to shop at those little stands, but I have special dietary needs (and am spoiled) so it’s the big-box stores for the most part. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The malls are quite large and seem to be just as much about entertainment as they are about shopping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are plenty of stores and even some familiar ones, but there are also movie theatres, mazes, wacky mirror rooms (you know, the kind where the mirror makes you look short and squaty), mock race tracks, and the like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Things in general are not air conditioned as much, which means that I’m comfortable and Bryan is sweaty, but the mall we went to on Friday night had me sweating, so you <u>know</u> it was warm in there people!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We seemed to be the only people affected by the temperature though, so we just went with it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We also saw a cigarette vending machine of sorts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s been a long time since we’ve seen one of those!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Government Bureaucracy<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As all expats in India must do, we had to register at the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were blessed because our company got someone to help us navigate through this bureaucratic task, and our friends prepared us for the “worst part of living in India” as they described it to us. Even before we left the States we’ve been sending the requested documentation/information off to be prepared for our FRRO paperwork. When we got here, the emails seemed non-stop and after some very hectic last minute moments, our paperwork was ready and we were informed to appear at the FRRO office by 8:15 AM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were prepared for the trip to take the better part of a day so we brought our iPad and Kindle and were set to camp out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sun must have been positioned <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">just right</i> as we were in and out with our necessary paperwork by 11:30 AM! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then, we had to begin the PAN registration, which is some sort of tax registration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s been a hairy mess, and the required elements seem to change by the day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For example, on Friday I verified where we were supposed to send our information with my contact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She confirmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I sent it via courier as directed only to be told on Monday that I should use a different address as that would be “better.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really people?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My courier is well on his way, and he’ll just drop it off at the location you gave me, ok? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I got a response back (a day later) that yes, since the courier was on his way the address <u>they supplied me</u> would have to work. We’ll hope that we get the PAN stuff done soon!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-38863518431713478422012-09-20T19:46:00.001+05:302012-09-20T19:46:45.779+05:30Ganesh Chaturthi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Yesterday was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesh_Chaturthi">Ganesh Chaturthi</a>, a Hindu holiday to the God, Ganesh. You can learn more from the Wiki link. Some friends took us around town so we could see some of the fesitivities. </div>
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One thing that both Bryan and I notice (and love) about Bangalore is all of the flowers! Flowers become even more prominent during the holidays so we've enjoyed the sights and smells of some amazing flowers. we drove by this archway that was designed out of flowers. This is just one very large example of the intrcate work we see every day. The picture doesn't do it justice, but it was <u>crowded</u> once you got under the archway so we did not go inside. </div>
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Here is Ganesh. It is characteristic that each family buys a Ganesh statue each year for their home. They range in size from about a foot tall to 5 feet tall and possibly larger. They are always brightly decorated. This one was not inside a temple so we could take a picture of it.<br />
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A group created a Ganesh sand sculpture that was made out of 6,000 kilos of sand. It was HUGE and really neat to see. There were many people out and about around noon, but by evening there was sure to be a big celebration with thousands of people. We saw it when there were just hundreds, which made the crowd much more manageable.</div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-48299608418045540192012-09-16T16:09:00.001+05:302012-09-16T16:09:03.393+05:30We found heaven in India!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After my last post the food situation has stayed the same or gone down hill, if that was at all possible. But, today WE FOUND HEAVEN IN INDIA in the form of Food Hall, a grocery store. It was clean, has a large selection, and it has as many gluten and dairy free products as we have in the States! Yes it was expensive (but so is Gluten and Dairy free food in the States) but it was worth it!<br />
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We got Gluten-free pasta, cereal, pizza crust, and flour so I can make my own breads!<br />
We also got Buffalo Mozzarella, the "real deal" people! As I am typing this there is a Gluten free buffalo mozzarella pizza in the oven. My mouth is salivating and I feel a feeling of eupohoria that I haven't felt in some time.<br />
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In addition to specialty things I was also able to find the spices and traditional Indian foods I wanted and needed to cook to make a complete meal, so now I can (hopefully more successfully) make meals that are edible <u>and</u> taste good!<br />
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I still need to update you about some of our adventures including attending a badmitton tournament and registering with the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO). That will come; as well as some recipes. Now, we <u>need</u> to devour some pizza!<br />
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-67548120831098535972012-09-13T17:34:00.000+05:302012-09-13T17:34:20.028+05:30How many attempts does it take to make supper?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Last night af</span></o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ter work my plans were to make supper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had most of the ingredients to make fried rice and decided to make plain rice with milk and honey on it for dessert.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For me, rice with milk and honey is a comfort food as it is one of the few “comfort” foods I can eat here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For Bryan, the thought, let alone the smell, of rice with milk and honey makes him gag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bryan was <u>starving</u> so while I made supper, he was going to make guacamole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you believe it? We found avocados in the market and both of us were excited for such a comfort food!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While it felt like an avocado and looked like an avocado, it was a mystery fruit or vegetable that was hard like a potato and had a distinctive peppery taste when swallowed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Bryan</span> persisted and got it peeled and cut into small pieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The taste persisted too, and we couldn’t eat this crunchy, bland but somehow very peppery mystery food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meal item #1: not edible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meanwhile, I was excited to try to make fried rice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found our rice to be infested with bugs!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had no idea plain, dry rice could attract bugs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly, we had to throw out our mostly full bag of rice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re going to have to invest in some air tight canisters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meal item #2: not edible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">During our first shopping experience we purchased some premade, frozen appetizers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can’t remember their name but they are like rice and lentil dough balls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pan fried those and we at them with the all American ingredient: Ketchup!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were edible, but not really a meal. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meal item #3: incomplete and left us wanting more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We considered our options which were to eat some stale chips, go get something from one of the restaurants close to the hotel, or just go to bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, we got room service. </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meal item #4: edible!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After moving every possible item that may get bugs to the safety of the microwave, refrigerator, or freezer we had a much needed heart-to-heart discussion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The food we’ve tried to make has been bad at best and usually horrible if we could eat it at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We could figure out what to buy and where to buy it and what to make and how to make it with time but decided to admit defeat and see if we could find a cook!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We’ve known a cook to be an option all along, but I really love to cook and wanted to do it myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead, hopefully we can find a cook who will go and get the ingredients and come to cook for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m hopeful to learn from her and return to the states 1) well-nourished and 2) a better Indian cook!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-67398214917239364192012-09-12T21:58:00.000+05:302012-09-12T21:58:59.628+05:30The view outside our apartment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxY37qXSwADQeS3PSHqniF_075SunEHJCPvUkVhUTipUvSf3ehnJkITDO01Mh2QahPJyTJTnAMgHFzQ_VPPtv0a-Anv_edUGSIHIFwax_xYeRdBxfchy7e_9srqjJs0ArWQamQWTZVR8/s1600/IMG_0038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hea="true" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsxY37qXSwADQeS3PSHqniF_075SunEHJCPvUkVhUTipUvSf3ehnJkITDO01Mh2QahPJyTJTnAMgHFzQ_VPPtv0a-Anv_edUGSIHIFwax_xYeRdBxfchy7e_9srqjJs0ArWQamQWTZVR8/s640/IMG_0038.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is the view outside our apartment window. We estimate there are at least 100 people working on this 24 hours a day. You can see all the construction crew if you look closely for the red vests and yellow or blue construction hats. They are building a multi-story hotel or apartment complex.</div>
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I love to watch them build as some things seem very modern and others seem to be very difficult. You can see they have large cranes, concrete, and rebar as well as scaffolding. I've seen scaffolding made out of small trees so if I ever see that kind I'll do my best to snap a picture.</div>
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They work 24 hours a day and so far have been relatively quiet and for that we are thankful! </div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-22149262341259712412012-09-11T21:20:00.003+05:302012-09-11T21:20:49.264+05:30What famous entrepreneur does Bryan resemble and other ramblings<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We arrived in Bangalore nine days ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then we’ve been sleep deprived, overwhelmed, and are trying to quickly acclimate to our new life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> All things considered, the adjustment has been about what we expected and we're doing well here in Bangalore. </span>I haven’t blogged as often as I thought about it, so enjoy these random paragraphs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They reflect our time thus far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Sunday or Monday we stopped by the front desk of our serviced apartment and someone told Bryan that he resembled <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Zuckerberg">Mark Zuckerburg</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I could not contain my laughter and Bryan’s response was simply, “Well, we are both white guys.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll let you be the judge!</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our grocery experience: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We went to a large grocery store our third day here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was our first true “day in the life” experience besides going to work and was much different than any grocery store in the US!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The supermarket was large enough that it sold a hair straightener in addition to groceries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that was the most exciting purchase for me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike my shopping experiences at home, I did not make a list for two reasons: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">1). I wasn’t sure what I would find and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2). Our apartment came stocked with only pepper, so we had a lot of things to buy! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thankfully the store sold some familiar things like canned tuna, pasta sauce, peanut butter, and cereal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is where the familiarity ended. We spent a good amount of time reading ingredient labels (which really only works if you are familiar with said ingredients), picking out the things we knew we could eat like rice and lentils, and made a quick trip through the produce aisle which had a few familiar things and many unfamiliar things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meat is not consumed as much in India as it is in the States either because of religion or poverty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The beef was purple. The pork was in an entirely different section of the store separate from everything else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bryan checked out that section while I was paying and reported that we likely won’t buy any pork while here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did not expect the eggs to be refrigerated (and they were not) but they had all expired well beyond their expiration dates so we passed those up too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We purchased four boneless skinless chicken breasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two we had were good </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The trip was an expensive one and left me feeling underwhelmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once in the safety of our car I told Bryan that I never wanted to go there again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since then, we’ve researched and learned that we will have better luck if we go to specific stores for their specific offering such as the bakery, meat market, etc.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tonight we went to a different grocery store with a plan and better expectations. The grocery store is called Gourmet Food World and it offered a lot of foods we see in the states that may not be found in other local grocery stores. This time my list was full of mostly traditional spices, lentils, rice, and a few fruits and vegetables but the traditional items were not available. I stocked up on what I could and Bryan and I managed to fill the cart with nuts, chips, beer, and wine. We asked our driver to take us to a butcher and he drove through some terrible traffic only to find the butcher closed for the evening. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think I'll have to get used to going to MANY different stores and until we get everything I'll try to make a meal out of what we have. To date that means me making some very bland, bad meals. OTnight after we ate leftovers I asked Bryan what else he wanted and he replied, "I don't know, maybe ground up glass" and we both had a good laugh. Unfortunately that is about as good as anything I've made thus far. Hopefully tomorrow night my fried rice will turn out ok! I think I have *most* of the ingredients for that :).</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Exploring<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Saturday we did some exploring around our hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a few points worth mentioning:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1.</span><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is hard to find things because few streets have signs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2.</span><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">It is hard to take in the surroundings because you have to look down at where you are stepping at all times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The sidewalks are not a guarantee and often are missing sections, uneven, or move when you step on them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">3.</span><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">We are cautious which streets we will cross (which really means only one-ways or small side streets) so our exploring was limited by our inability to cross a major street. (See <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">This</b> video to get a better understanding of why we are cautious to cross any street.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Without a map and street signs we did not find what we sent out to find, but we did find a shopping mall, our church, and some horribly offensive smells.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mix of smells is to be expected and thankfully none of the really bad ones stuck around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a lot of flower shops that smell great, so that was a nice “treat.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Recipes coming soon (I hope!)<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I spent a considerable amount of time in the last seven days trying to find traditional Indian recipes I could make in our apartment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With any luck, I’ll be able to post pictures and recipes soon! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not, there will have to be some major change so we can eat decent, nutritious food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wish me luck!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-41352050307299769832012-09-05T18:55:00.000+05:302012-09-05T18:55:44.982+05:30An update to answer some questions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We got some great questions so I thought I would dedicate this bog post to answering some of those questions. Thank you for the great feedback!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">What is the weather like in India?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"></span></b></span><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">India is a large country so the weather varies with the location like it does in the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bangalore is where we live and it is located in the south central part of India and the weather is quite moderate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Right now the average temperature is 80 degrees during the day and 70 degrees at night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During our 6 month stay the temperature will remain mostly the same and warm towards the end of our stay as the average high temperature in February is 86 degrees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>India gets monsoon rains which really soak the country and we are in monsoon season right now until the end of October.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we have been here we haven’t gotten any monsoon rains; just a sprinkle one day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They say that the monsoon rains re-define getting wet as the rain can be so intense. It is very humid right now but that should change once the monsoon season ends. The locals are not used to the temperature variations we get in Kansas City so we have seen many people with stocking hats and jackets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve been comfortable in short sleeves and jeans though. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">What do you eat?</span></b><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is a very timely question!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the first 3 days we ate at restaurants around the hotel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have almost every food here except Mexican food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We ate Pizza and Risotto at an Italian place, risotto and pasta at a Mediterranean place, at an Indian buffet, and at Subway (where a 6 inch sub, chips, and a soda cost $3.00).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are staying in an apartment located within a hotel and the hotel has a great continental breakfast that includes typical Indian dishes, omelets, bagels, muffins, fruit, lettuce salad, baked beans, and a variety of freshly squeezed juice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This morning’s juice selections were canned orange juice, (which tasted like it does at home), coconut water (they break open a coconut and the milky substance inside goes into the juice, watermelon juice, and beetroot juice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bryan says the beetroot juice tastes very “natural” (read: tastes like dirt) and I haven’t been brave enough to try it myself! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">We had to wait for our driver to start so he could take us to a grocery store so we experienced grocery shopping last night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was an adventure, and I’ll post more about that some other time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Locals eat a lot of rice-based dishes that include lentils (they are like beans) and other vegetables as the majority of the population are vegetarian.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The meat selection is much different in India than it is in the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We got some chicken breast at the store but the eggs here (and a lot of places in the world) are not refrigerated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Beef is hard to find and the beef in the store was the deepest purple color.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think it was maybe buffalo?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t try any yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I love to cook and will have to re-learn how as there are different products available here than at home.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night I “made” a meal that is similar to a TV dinner at home and it was not our favorite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We bought an Indian cookbook and I’m going to learn to cook out of there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wish me luck!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">What kind of work are you doing?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"></span></b></span><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bryan and I work for a health care IT company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are here for Bryan’s job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a project manager and has a team of at least 10 people that live in India and are also project managers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They make sure the project is in scope, people are getting their work done, and that the project is completed on time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also help to identify risks and communicate those risks or concerns with the “right” people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I’m fortunate to work for the same company and to be able to do my job from India.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I work in the sales support department and help potential clients understand what our company can offer them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Basically,</span> I do a lot of writing and research.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">What languages do you speak in India, and can you speak languages other than English?</span></b><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">There are many languages spoken in India as Hindi is the main language but there are more than 20 dialects spoken across the country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>English is the language used in most businesses and because there are so many Hindi dialects many Indians use English to communicate with one another if they do not speak the</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> same dialect. There are a fair number of people here who also speak Arabic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are many international companies here in Bangalore including Dell, HP, Yahoo, and more so in our hotel we hear almost every language including French and British English.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Bryan and I both studied Spanish in High School and in College.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Unfortunately, w</span>e do not use it every day so we’ve forgotten some of it. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">What religions do they follow in India?</span></b><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Most locals are Hindu but there are a good number of Muslim people as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some Christians here but they are the minority.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last night when we were driving home from the grocery store there seemed to be some religious celebration going on that we think might have been a Christian one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were fireworks, people in the street singing and being reverent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was really cool to see. </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What do people wear there? Do they wear dots on their foreheads?</span></span></b><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">This is something I asked on the first day too as I wanted to make sure that my clothing was appropriate and our relocation expert told me “anything goes in India.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From what I’ve seen that seems to be true.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Some women cover their head and some don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am not sure what determines if they do or do not but if I figure that out I’ll let you know! Men mostly wear dress pants or jeans and a polo or pressed shirt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> I've seen both men and women with the dot on their forehead. The dots that people wear seem to be a fashion statement similar to piercing ones ears. I think it used to mean that you were married but that is not always the case. </span></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Women wear <a href="http://www.sareeworld.com/">saris</a>, </span></span><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://indiaemporium.com/women/salwar-kameez.html">salwar kameez</a>, and sometimes <a href="http://www.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.topnews.in/files/Burqa.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.topnews.in/burqa-ban-approved-panel-belgium-2257879&h=776&w=600&sz=118&tbnid=FXaDeytwoPwcgM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=70&zoom=1&usg=__C43i51hzuvA-kwN-wis9vpQKVyE=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=01FHUN_LFojNrQeB7IGwBA&sqi=2&ved=0CD4Q9QEwBQ&dur=245">b</a></span></span></span><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><a href="http://www.google.co.in/imgres?imgurl=http://www.topnews.in/files/Burqa.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.topnews.in/burqa-ban-approved-panel-belgium-2257879&h=776&w=600&sz=118&tbnid=FXaDeytwoPwcgM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=70&zoom=1&usg=__C43i51hzuvA-kwN-wis9vpQKVyE=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=01FHUN_LFojNrQeB7IGwBA&sqi=2&ved=0CD4Q9QEwBQ&dur=245">urqa’s</a>.</span></span></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">What is it like to drive there?<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Driving here is crazy!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are so many people and while they have driving lanes, traffic lights, and sidewalks they seem to be more a suggestion than a rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People use their horn to signal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At home the horn is usually used if people are annoyed, but here it seems to be more to tell those drivers around them that they are changing lanes, in a blind spot, etc. Most if not all expatriates (foreign nationals living abroad) have a local driver.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ours is NAMED. He has been married for 14 years and has a 13 year old son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He works long hours and at least 6 days a week. We couldn’t navigate Bangalore without him!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Here is a good </span><a href="http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2063667852598904740"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">video</span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> of what traffic is like. </span></span><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It gets worse than that, but our driver is very good and makes us feel safe. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;">What kind of animals are there?</span></b><span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: #191919; font-family: 'Merriweather','serif'; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Animals are everywhere in India!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a lot of cows in all of India, including roaming around Bangalore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many families have a cow and you often see them outside but I’ve heard they also go into some people’s homes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cows are sacred in Hindu and from what I can tell, are the only “safe” creatures on the roads!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are also a lot of dogs that roam around and I’ve seen a lot of horses and donkeys that are used as a means of transportation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often times they are carrying produce like fruits and vegetables. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"><br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" />I'm sure we'll be posting more adventures to come!</span></span>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-985147283424282732012-09-02T16:41:00.003+05:302012-09-02T16:41:56.818+05:30Living in Bangalore India for 6 months<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Preparing to leave KC</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJoRSLNgK2_doMAkBxmv60mnzCNkkSVYbvBCnvKQKC81X2PBNHOrgce-cTFA6-VoNGXJN3zYkhokNyWsNvl0FP1nycZPcl53rS9M5kwx-7RzIOUEzwphtt5KfzXEVHL0BD2CXIts_Ico/s1600/India+007.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtJoRSLNgK2_doMAkBxmv60mnzCNkkSVYbvBCnvKQKC81X2PBNHOrgce-cTFA6-VoNGXJN3zYkhokNyWsNvl0FP1nycZPcl53rS9M5kwx-7RzIOUEzwphtt5KfzXEVHL0BD2CXIts_Ico/s200/India+007.JPG" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhausted, but in Bangalore and excited!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's official - - we now live in Banaglore, India! More than 24 hours after leaving our house and 3 flights we landed in Bangalore feeling exhausted and excited at the same time. Today we are getting situated in our apartment so I wanted to share some pictures of our new digs.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGWcjqJLBzAgCnlxE_k3uPGejJRTkioBiArPAEKzb2anL15oFCbTtgoq8Fgocaq0rDfZ8YVKme8gR8tiIpRu-D1MenBEjP3nLvUjNsQ8Yf7Ww7oxO8IDh1s4wIRr-epymt04m1kh3VlA/s1600/India+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" fea="true" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGWcjqJLBzAgCnlxE_k3uPGejJRTkioBiArPAEKzb2anL15oFCbTtgoq8Fgocaq0rDfZ8YVKme8gR8tiIpRu-D1MenBEjP3nLvUjNsQ8Yf7Ww7oxO8IDh1s4wIRr-epymt04m1kh3VlA/s320/India+012.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Tomorrow we have our city orientation and need to do some grocery shopping. There are more adventures to come!</span></div>
Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-7292333572892058982011-12-16T06:35:00.000+05:302011-12-16T06:35:41.192+05:30Chicken Pasta<h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><u><span style="font-size: small;">Easy Chicken Pasta</span></u></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I forgot to take pictures of our supper last night, but it’s a great, fast dish and I don’t want to forget to tell you about it. Bryan made this for me the night we got engaged and every year around this time, the time we got engaged, I get hungry for it. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Food is very nostalgic for me. Once a year I splurge and buy a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I try to eat oatmeal or Fiber One cereals so Cinnamon Toast Crunch is quite a treat! I love it because when I was a kid my Grandma and I would eat this cereal together when I went to her house. I cannot see Cinnamon Toast Crunch without thinking about my Grandma. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This chicken pasta is the same. Every time I make it I remember the night we got engaged, how excited we were, and how we spend the most of the remaining weekend on the phone sharing our excitement. Just last night we re-lived some of those fun memories.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><u><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Chicken Pasta</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">4 boneless skinless chicken breasts </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 can tomato soup</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 soup can milk</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 tsp basil </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 c. Penne pasta</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Brown the chicken breasts in a pan. Remove the chicken and place the soup, milk, and basil in the pan. Combine with a whisk and simmer on low. Add the cooked chicken to the mixture once the soup and milk mixture is combined. Meanwhile, cook pasta per package directions. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Serve the pasta and tomato sauce on a bed of pasta. Serve with corn or a side salad. </span></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-59117480734988367742011-12-13T07:52:00.000+05:302011-12-13T07:52:39.638+05:30Extreme Baking<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #20124d;">I have not blogged for almost 6 months. I cannot say that I have a good excuse and I assure you that we have eaten in the last few months. I wrote (but never posted) this post in September. Bryan was gone on a work trip so I was at home to entertain myself. Read on to find out what happens when I’m stressed and alone. And, look forward to more frequent blogging. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I got home last night and I wanted to relax but I felt the need to accomplish something so I decided to bake. For me, baking is a great stress reducer and results in a good smelling and awesome tasting product. I did what any not-so-normal human being would do; I whipped up a double batch of my Grandma’s cinnamon rolls and a batch of monster cookies. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This made perfect sense to me, you see, because while the sweet roll dough was rising I would make the monster cookies and in between tending to the dough, I would bake the cookies. In addition, I would use the oven and not have to turn it on later. This is multi-tasking and makes me smile because I’m lame like that. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">You should be asking why a family of two needs a double batch of cinnamon rolls <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and </i>monster cookies. The honest answer is that we don’t. However, we were moving in October so I knew we would have much help. These items freeze well and will come in handy later. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I wish I could say that I had pictures but my hands were so covered in flour, dough, and cookie particles that it just did not happen. I also wish I could say that I remembered how much a single recipe of my Grandma’s cinnamon rolls makes! My arms got sore during the kneading process – so sore they were shaking. (This is a sign that I need to work on my arms strength but I am going to ignore this fact. I hope you do too.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Then, I made the monster cookies. There was nothing new there. I put them in the fridge to chill and went back to the rolls just as my mom called. “What are you doing?” she asked. I nonchalantly told her about my baking expedition and she said, “You know that Grandma’s cinnamon roll recipe makes TWO 9x13 pans on its own. You are going to have FOUR 9 x 13 pans of cinnamon rolls.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh. Shoot. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The rest of my night involved a cinnamon roll assembly line of rolling, buttering, cinnamon-and-sugar-ing, rolling, slicing, and baking. I did not get to the monster cookies (imagine that) but my house smells great and I have a freezer full of goodies to feed an army. At 10:30 the last pan of rolls came out of the oven and I naturally wanted to eat one. Should someone really indulge in a cinnamon role at 10:30 at night? Alone? I didn’t think so, so I considered taking a pan to my neighbors. They would certainly enjoy them, but I do not think baked goods and a random visit from a neighbor is really welcome after say, 9:00 PM. So, I did the only logical thing. I ate the smallest one – you know – for quality control. They are good and will be better with frosting. Next time I will take pictures and blog about these rolls and post some tips and tricks I remembered through the process.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am going to bake the monster cookies tonight but I am a slow learner as I also have plans to make a carrot cake, a salad for work, and a salad for supper tomorrow night. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you do not hear from me please come find me under the piles and piles of dishes!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: #20124d; font-family: Calibri;">I made it out of the baking extravaganza and our moving crew really enjoyed the cinnamon rolls. I have had at least two additional baking extravaganzas since this September night but I will have to tell you about that later. </span></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-53692274450717645822011-07-27T05:13:00.000+05:302011-07-27T05:13:09.376+05:30Hummus<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I love hummus and I finally made it (successfully) starting with dried chickpeas or garbanzo beans instead of canned chickpeas. I tried in this post, but I failed because I failed to cook the chickpeas before blending them with the other ingredients. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21YtsLrN2cL6BQRT81_3vFBPtTdhtNNCzGUJtlueRwJCMaCoA_R5-S3CyKOQMH9brXHhGjrsK5u2AMYxYEk0hlw1KAkTGEUiDBuEkEKa_2SaCr8DoyKI4KMR7tDQk_tyLS9pFbd1mDT8/s1600/blog+pics+021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg21YtsLrN2cL6BQRT81_3vFBPtTdhtNNCzGUJtlueRwJCMaCoA_R5-S3CyKOQMH9brXHhGjrsK5u2AMYxYEk0hlw1KAkTGEUiDBuEkEKa_2SaCr8DoyKI4KMR7tDQk_tyLS9pFbd1mDT8/s320/blog+pics+021.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The hummus turned out great and I must say that starting with dried chickpeas really does make a difference. The flavor truly is that much better when you start with dried chickpeas. Using dried chickpeas does require advance planning and at least 24 hours and because of this I will keep a can of chickpeas on hand at all times for those instances when I did not plan in advance or get a huge hummus craving that cannot wait. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As with any dried bean, I sifted through them to remove any stones or bad beans. Then, I placed them in a large saucepan with cold water and ½ tsp. salt. The chickpeas soak overnight and are ready the next day. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Be sure you drain the water off the chickpeas and then add new water to rinse off any starchy fiber that would cause gas. Simmer the chickpeas for an hour or an hour and a half. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Drain the liquid saving 1 Tbsp liquid. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynAheZysc2gaV7Y3rTmiImMWsuIPvc_Vhe9lUyKKmKsGWVI4cD5l8sBBArXxE2SVqSb0pgQokj9HantDYCmkqqwJZ1WgJZk5eRgfED22B1o8KIFso7zKITK7c7VQrmI8X0OaCfXDinvs/s1600/blog+pics+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhynAheZysc2gaV7Y3rTmiImMWsuIPvc_Vhe9lUyKKmKsGWVI4cD5l8sBBArXxE2SVqSb0pgQokj9HantDYCmkqqwJZ1WgJZk5eRgfED22B1o8KIFso7zKITK7c7VQrmI8X0OaCfXDinvs/s320/blog+pics+022.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">(You can tell that I threw some black beans in. I had some left over from Mexican food and decided to use them in this. It was a great variation!)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The recipe calls for Tahini. It is sesamee paste. You can find it near the peanut butter or in the international aisle. It stores for some time in a room-temperature location and does separate.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_B5by4Bpk9YJLIlKRG1jjLFh0yqRmK1s7cGNsO2aJCFAjwGHxJtv5NN-9qn9TRYN-16QpfrSURflvPPU3_-gnrR8VdKFDsqL1T0o1rRHb9OQUXfeExtpc2MFkhg-sYc2uxMT4S9IgMyo/s1600/001+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_B5by4Bpk9YJLIlKRG1jjLFh0yqRmK1s7cGNsO2aJCFAjwGHxJtv5NN-9qn9TRYN-16QpfrSURflvPPU3_-gnrR8VdKFDsqL1T0o1rRHb9OQUXfeExtpc2MFkhg-sYc2uxMT4S9IgMyo/s320/001+%25282%2529.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaL8oGsjB2ITiNo8lB0vbm1XqebylAvIZ1BwoxsPGklWe6_5Fd8kVe8I7Zt2_aUxMzaSmsAzRIyysDGGf7xyDDjtOf9MRzo_bL73TTiHIpKOdWBOBvX8gs432Ng3d2j3M9Usf_V2rJ6vk/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaL8oGsjB2ITiNo8lB0vbm1XqebylAvIZ1BwoxsPGklWe6_5Fd8kVe8I7Zt2_aUxMzaSmsAzRIyysDGGf7xyDDjtOf9MRzo_bL73TTiHIpKOdWBOBvX8gs432Ng3d2j3M9Usf_V2rJ6vk/s320/001.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Place chickpeas, 1 Tbsp liquid, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, 1 Tbsp tahini, 1 large garlic clove, ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp pepper in a food processor. Stream in olive oil into the food processor as the mixture blends. (it will be approximately ¼ c. olive oil.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Taste and add any additional seasoning as needed. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Place in a serving bowl and cover with paprika. Serve with crackers, pita, raw vegetables, as a sandwich spread, or in a cold pasta or quinoa salad. </span></div>I made two; one with black beans and one plain as I used it in a dip.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpOYpnacDhujniM49YlxAt1IGU9aD0N6sWhQbnCs8Jz8dzeb9EdDmNY1mEyFK4JYCW9Dt-h24b1FU4T4rbGLlfr_RIOeagz934aEdMUW4PH4i3VKy57ziRLS8MjruB9pa1-8VjdY7YGI/s1600/blog+pics+026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvpOYpnacDhujniM49YlxAt1IGU9aD0N6sWhQbnCs8Jz8dzeb9EdDmNY1mEyFK4JYCW9Dt-h24b1FU4T4rbGLlfr_RIOeagz934aEdMUW4PH4i3VKy57ziRLS8MjruB9pa1-8VjdY7YGI/s320/blog+pics+026.JPG" t$="true" width="320" /></a></div>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5875718159551490721.post-24953637739632389732011-07-16T21:20:00.000+05:302011-07-16T21:20:42.443+05:30Carrot Onion Slaw<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uQSsEL_Rw-P6Bk1Mxo4VAyuuEBMWhGkOMQHlRI0p-VBGUmOK6akOt4_tqrQ32db5op2EfIXd_w6Y9hkrVRWwC_o5WmOcNwgJhvzCwAaSuhNqbRdJLaZMJCED6eOm1_tA2ZW1BEFn43I/s1600/pesto+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2uQSsEL_Rw-P6Bk1Mxo4VAyuuEBMWhGkOMQHlRI0p-VBGUmOK6akOt4_tqrQ32db5op2EfIXd_w6Y9hkrVRWwC_o5WmOcNwgJhvzCwAaSuhNqbRdJLaZMJCED6eOm1_tA2ZW1BEFn43I/s320/pesto+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span> </h1><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-size: small;">Bryan is a great chef and has an amazing ability to make up recipes. He made carrot onion slaw and we ate it on burgers. The slaw was great and it was an amazing addition to our pork burgers. </span></span></h1><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span> </h1><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-weight: normal; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><span style="font-size: small;">He grated the carrots and chopped the onion</span></span></h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpg1T46sEsiT-MSlGWVEde7O0FjbwaLU_IeHEDYEXJasqSimyV_j-U29YpXSUh5w0Ha7_xqbtuU3mKgYsWJi4-aP-uARgUx-PSj9SghjE5lOrhi717F4Gw9oVx7dcfDPzLVn4kz1irPw/s1600/pesto+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFpg1T46sEsiT-MSlGWVEde7O0FjbwaLU_IeHEDYEXJasqSimyV_j-U29YpXSUh5w0Ha7_xqbtuU3mKgYsWJi4-aP-uARgUx-PSj9SghjE5lOrhi717F4Gw9oVx7dcfDPzLVn4kz1irPw/s320/pesto+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs62moKELCAJNg-Kytx2zF_nSA1jI9ELj4aPl0Cx7-W92qlfvVZtzCr67FINXraxXqbO2W3f8UzhJOlJ0SOTSrmJzCLko6Rrhbw5bBFOZC4GofWyBysHOVw2rTDPvHApQsFbpFUxrD3oU/s1600/pesto+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs62moKELCAJNg-Kytx2zF_nSA1jI9ELj4aPl0Cx7-W92qlfvVZtzCr67FINXraxXqbO2W3f8UzhJOlJ0SOTSrmJzCLko6Rrhbw5bBFOZC4GofWyBysHOVw2rTDPvHApQsFbpFUxrD3oU/s320/pesto+003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Then, he added the garlic. We love fresh garlic and always have it on had. You can easily get that outer skin off the garlic by laying your knive down on the garlic and hitting your knife.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkBw8mVcBz8er4WyQkacSOm9CNpBtLhDmHkPBtyyxc64KD5ng4jBU_npuN5iKqAQeZu3G6loLDcBq9PzqmyVnTYCNcTarRbgONsbBTagywGW85TD4NgIchKrqUxM2C00dh-551-tU2-E/s1600/pesto+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkkBw8mVcBz8er4WyQkacSOm9CNpBtLhDmHkPBtyyxc64KD5ng4jBU_npuN5iKqAQeZu3G6loLDcBq9PzqmyVnTYCNcTarRbgONsbBTagywGW85TD4NgIchKrqUxM2C00dh-551-tU2-E/s320/pesto+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
If you look closely you can see that the skin has separated from the garlic<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzk7pHsEas3rO_VYcoYXzVaM53jnLr-yVDHTDfxJh0EnYJSj2C3CB1DTufTM8eVzmOwo__SuP_IAXq3psSOntRgXVp5Lsq6QhLoBVztzVL3Wmyw1Fk_eYKuYLBXCQZYxlqtKl6qfAt9U/s1600/pesto+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvzk7pHsEas3rO_VYcoYXzVaM53jnLr-yVDHTDfxJh0EnYJSj2C3CB1DTufTM8eVzmOwo__SuP_IAXq3psSOntRgXVp5Lsq6QhLoBVztzVL3Wmyw1Fk_eYKuYLBXCQZYxlqtKl6qfAt9U/s320/pesto+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Pull the skin off and you have the garlic clove<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QVTiUp20ophTf5QOfTivKTmtce1eOen-ct-CjjblTZ10OMXxJ9h9D-MjIlqnrnHqF9630IUg2_CxAt48hZg-gdI26wcvemmBZ6VDn79GFf7MHlTYOBPpYj58KgjoVi5TJJDD9lAi1qc/s1600/pesto+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6QVTiUp20ophTf5QOfTivKTmtce1eOen-ct-CjjblTZ10OMXxJ9h9D-MjIlqnrnHqF9630IUg2_CxAt48hZg-gdI26wcvemmBZ6VDn79GFf7MHlTYOBPpYj58KgjoVi5TJJDD9lAi1qc/s320/pesto+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Chop and add to the carrots and onion. Season with Sweet Thai Chili Sauce, Lemon Juice, Vinegar, salt, and pepper</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> </h1><h1 style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Carrot onion Slaw</span></h1><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">10 baby carrots, grated</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ red onion</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1 clove garlic</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">2 Tbsp. Sweet Thai Chili Sauce</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">½ tsp. lemon juice</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">¼ tsp. vinegar</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1/8 tsp salt</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">1/8 tsp pepper</span></div><span style="font-family: "Calibri", "sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Grate carrots and finely chop onions and garlic. Combine the ingredients in a small serving dish and refrigerate until ready to eat.</span>Tiffanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04822679482497150821noreply@blogger.com3