a steady diet of faith & fancy with some mischief thrown in here and there

Come find me at DW if y'all are leaving LJ please

Anyone have any favorite sites? Feeling creative and want to make or send me some?

Yesterday's cooking class was Indian food, here is the menu
Pani Puri with Khajur Imli ki Chutney
Samosas (beef & peas)
Aloo Mattar (potatoes & green peas w/ tomatoes)
Vegetable Biryani
Chicken Makhani (Butter Chicken)
Naam (or Naan)
Gulab Jabun (Indian Doughnuts)

The pani puri was good, but a bit fiddly in the frying of them - you have to be careful not to over fry them or they become tough. I don't normally like Chutney - but this one (khajur imli) was good. The samosas were tasty, but a bit spicy for me. lapsedagnostic really liked them as is (I brought home leftovers). The Aloo Mattar was fairly easy and straightforward, and pretty tasty. I really liked the Biryani, no adjustment needed. The Butter Chicken also fairly easy - but a bit on the bland side for me. Of course my comparison is the one that I like from our local indian restaurant. That recipe would require some adjustments next time I make it. The naan is a simple dough, but this one is dough-y, not thin like the way it is served in most restaurants. The Gulab Jabun (doughnuts) also fairly easy to make and syrup is really, really good. Have to be careful while frying them as not to burn them (will probably use a thermometer if I make this at home to check the heat of the oil).

Next week I may take another class (it was not included in my class package) - which is the Paella/Tapas class.

The Smithsonian's Freer Gallery and Arthur M. Sackler gallery have digitized 40,000 pieces of art and are making them available for free on the web - http://www.asia.si.edu/collections/edan/default.cfm

Found at Red Teams:

THE ORIGINAL 12 RULES

Rule 1: Always have an escape plan
Rule 2: Be aware of your surroundings.
Rule 3: Assumption is the mother of all fuckups.
Rule 4: Always have a backup plan.
Rule 5: Never get caught.
Rule 6: Keep your mouth shut.
Rule 7: KISS: Keep it simple, stupid.
Rule 8: Simple and light equals freedom, agility and mobility.
Rule 9: Plan, execute and vanish.
Rule 10: You don’t have to like it-you just have to do it.
Rule 11: Always invest in good quality stuff.
Rule 12: Trust your gut.

The NEW 12 RULES:

THE NEW 12 RULES

A simplification of the current rules.

Rule 1: Always have an escape plan
Rule 2: Never get caught.
Rule 3: Be aware of your surroundings.
Rule 4: Always have a backup plan.
Rule 5: Assumption is the mother of all fuckups.
Rule 6: Trust your gut.
Rule 7: Simple and light equals freedom, agility and mobility.
Rule 8: KISS: Keep it simple, stupid.
Rule 9: The solution is in the problem.
Rule 10: Don't become predictable.
Rule 11: Never take the elevator.
Rule 12: Always invest in good quality stuff.

Further rules can be found here: http://redteams.net/rules/

Headed off to Pennsic. Come find me and say hi :)

And considering in 40 years I'll be 87 - I should pay more attention to some of these….

Patience is not about waiting; it’s the ability to keep a good attitude while working hard for what you believe in.

Leaving for Pennsic in a couple of days. If you're going and need to know where to find me, or want me to find you, leave me a comment.

OMG _ must finish packing!

I need to post something under filters from the post pages on LJ - but I can't see to find where I can direct it to a filter.

Help.

The only thing I need to do is be here now ....

Saw this morning through the ever wise dicea a quote I need to see and read and take to heart.

“If there is no joy, ease, or lightness in what you are doing, it does not necessarily mean that you need to change what you are doing. It may be sufficient to change the how. “How” is always more important than “what.” See if you can give much more attention to the doing than to the result that you want to achieve through it.

Give your fullest attention to whatever the moment presents. This implies that you also completely accept what is, because you cannot give your full attention to something and at the same time resist it.

As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out of present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love—even the most simple action.”
-Eckhart Tolle