Taste of Persia

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this on the blog before or not, but the family that I work for is Persian, also known as Iranian. Before I entered into this family, I knew very little about Persian culture, but for the last 6 months I have been guided into new knowledge about a rich and family oriented culture with a beautiful language (Farsi), fun traditions, and absolutely delicious food.

I can count to 10 in Farsi, say hello, good bye, excuse me, and where are you? Haha. I've also learned to appreciate the dishes they make. At least once a week they have Kebab with Rice and Zereshk Pulow (Chicken with Rice and Burberries). Rice is the staple of just about every Persian meal and it isn't your normal white long grain rice, but Basmanti Rice. Another yummy part of Persian Style Rice is Tadig, which is a crust that forms on the bottom of the pan that is buttery and delicious and can be made in a variety of ways.

So after 6 months of sampling many different dishes, I decided to try to make one on my own. I chose one of the simplest Persian meals...Kebab with Rice. Now you may be thinking, oh ok, shish kebabs...nope! These kebabs are actually ground meat shaped around flat skewers, not the rounded ones we're using to seeing. Persian Kebabs are actually an oblong meat patty that are absolutely delicious. You may be thinking ok...so? It's a skinny hamburger. Wrong again! What makes this different from a burger is the spices that are used. The two magic spices in Persian cooking are Turmeric and Saffron. The recipe I used actually calls for Saffron, but did you know that ground Saffron is hard to find? And Saffron threads are $13 for a small container???! So, I only used Turmeric.

My boss warned me that Persian food requires a lot standing...she wasn't lying! I started cooking the rice at about 4:45 this afternoon and wasn't finished with whole meal until around 6:30. Of course, this was my first time...so I'm sure it will go faster the more I do it. The Kebabs were the easiest part...the rice was a little more difficult. The Tadig is hard to master....But anyway...here are some pics of the process...

The making of the Tadig
While the rice is draining, you add oil, turmeric, potatoes, or eggs to the bottom of the pot. You then pile the rice in a layer over top in a pyramid shape. I used a bit too much oil. It shouldn't be so runny.

This is the steaming of the Tadig and rice.

Once the rice is over the Tadig, 2 paper towels are placed over the top of the pot

and then the lid has to be tightly placed over the towels.

The rice is then cooked for 45 minutes.

The key is that the rice is not sticky, and that each grain is separate. 

While the rice cooks, the Kebabs can be prepared. Pretty easy...like making a meatloaf or a burger but smaller. You can make these on the grill, on the stove top, or broiled in the oven...

Just don't forget the...TURMERIC....!

This is the rice with theTadig on top. As I said before it shouldn't be so runny and should form more of a hard crust over the rice. To put on a platter, hold the plate over the pot and then invert it, the way you would with a cake. 

Dinner is served!

Kebab'e Kubida

The finishing touch...Plain Yogurt! I know it sounds weird, but it really makes the dish come alive! 

Sound like something you may want to try? Let me know and I'll send you the recipe! 

Hope you enjoyed this little taste of Persia!

Khod Haafez!

Bitten

Those of you who are faithful readers of my blog may remember that a couple of months back I asked your opinion in deciding whether or not to post excerpts from the book I began writing about 3 years ago. I thank each and every one of you that responded. However, the opinion of Blog Land was decidedly split. So I ended up having to make the decision completely on my own anyway. Ha. As it happens, I have decided not to post excerpts. Though it is a very compelling story in that it actually happened, it is a story that was really for my own personal healing. I cannot bare my soul to the masses. 

HOWEVER.

I have recently been bitten again by the writing bug and the wheels have definitely started turning in the direction of a new novel. I haven't figured out much yet...but I do know that it will be a psychological thriller/mystery. I haven't started writing yet...in fact, I don't even have an outline...except what's in my head. But each time that I think about writing this book...the story line grows a little more in my mind. 

Even more exciting is that I have enlisted the help of my dear baby sister, whose imaginative abilities and creatively genius thought processes surpass my own by far. She will be my go-to idea person. 

Are you excited, Blog Land??

Haha.

I'm excited! 

Of Shoes, of Ships, of Sealing Wax...and Gardening and Things...

I'm a little late, but on Friday I finally bought and repotted some flowers for our apartment balcony!

I went to Meijer just to look to see what they had and I walked out with a cart full of flowers, potting soil, and a few new flower pots. I didn't get any geraniums this time around, but I got Impatiens, a Vinca, and Marigolds. I've never planted marigolds before, so I hope they do ok. 

Shopping for flowers and then repotting them turned out to be a surprisingly emotional experience. Gardening was a pastime that my Granny loved and shared with me from the time I was very small. Last year was the first time I tried gardening for myself and I had tons and tons of questions for her. I remember that as soon as I left the store, I headed to her house to show her my flower purchases. She was so excited and told me exactly how to repot the flowers, how much soil to use, which flowers liked shade, which ones needed more sunlight, and how often to water each kind. I remember how her face lit up as I pulled the flowers out of the back of my car. 

As I planted my flowers this time, I found that I had forgotten some things and repeatedly had the urge to pick up the phone to call and ask Granny. As you can imagine, it was emotional to remember that she wasn't there. The holidays were hard without her...Mother's Day was strange without her...but by far...planting my flowers was the most gut-wrenching thing I've done without her. 

I miss her. 

Anyhow. 

The flowers have been successfully planted and I am happy to say, are already flourishing. Several of the impatiens have new blooms that have opened up and they're literally spilling over the side of the pot. As the warm months continue, I hope to get a few more flowers to add even more color to our balcony. I hope they do well...because this year's garden is for Granny. 

The Only Constant

Well Blog Land, my life is once again about to undergo a change. It has been said that the only constant in this life is change, and wow, I have found that to be oh, so true!


I'm happy to announce that I got a new job as a full time nanny and I will be starting on Thursday! I'm excited because I will once again be working with children on a daily basis and I'll be back on 1st shift! Which means that I'll have a life again. 2nd shift has some advantages, but...well...it gets real old really fast. Working on 2nd, I've missed parties, events, get togethers, the Young Adult Bible Study my church has, as well as, Wednesday and Friday night services.


So, before I start this new part of my life I've decided to take a few days off to get  a few things in order, clean house, and of course, relax. One thing that I've been doing to relax that has struck me as odd, is drawing and sketching like a fiend. When I was younger, I loved art class and even took a few on the side in elementary school. Since then, though, I had actually quite forgotten that I had the capability to draw and sketch pretty well. Lately, I've had an almost insatiable desire to draw. So, over the weekend, I went to the store and bought a sketch pad and an entire set of drawing pencils, complete with charcoals, sharpeners, a regular and kneaded eraser. The rest is history. In the last 4 days I've already filled up half of the sketch book. When I showed my sister some of my work, she was like...wow....these are really emo...should I be worried...haha. I hadn't really thought about it, but the recurring themes of a lot of the sketches were a little dark. I assured that there was no need for concern and that obviously my new need to draw was helping me to relax and cope with some of the craziness that goes on in my head on a daily basis. I'm my own worst critic, but maybe I'll share a few with Blog Land. Some of them are just my interpretations of something someone else had already drawn and some of them are original, straight out of my own head.


Anyway. That's what's going on in Rachel's Wonderland. Things are, as always, ever changing and ever an adventure!

I don't even know what to call this LoL
An Original by RT(c)

Pon and Zi
My Interpretation of the Comic

Musical World
An Original by RT(c)

The Broken Heart Flatlines

An Original by RT(c) 

Parties and Such

I had a crazy, awesome, amazing, stressful weekend!

My cousin K was celebrating her 16th birthday and my friend C and I are pretty much event planning gurus. K decided that she wanted to have a Bollywood theme and we have been scrambling for the last few weeks trying to make that happen. For those of you who don't know, Bollywood is India's version of Hollywood. Some of the movies are really corny and cheesy, some of them are very good, and there are a lot in between. What they all share, however, is beautifully bright colors and scenery, and random musical numbers. They're fun to watch.

My aunt, C, and I spent an entire Saturday evening talking about what we would eat, what kind of cake to buy, and how to decorate the place. We wanted it to look like something straight out of Arabian Nights and we wanted the food to be authentic. We decided to order real Indian food from an Indian resteurant called Shalimar. I went on itunes and downloaded the perfect bollywood party playlist, and we ordered a cake that followed the theme. The only thing left to do was to decorate the house the day of...and that's when it started to get stressful.

Have I mentioned that my dear friend C is a genius at decorating? I mean, I'm not bad at it myself, but her talent for it is at a totally different level. So...Saturday dawns, early and I make my way to my aunts house to get started. I wait for a little while when I get a phone call from C's husband....he briefly explains to me that she's having some stomach issues and is still at home, but he will be dropping the decorating supplis off, and that hopefully she will come a little later. I think my heart stopped for about a full 10 seconds...I had to tell myself to breathe. OMG. Curse that stupid Murphy's Law!  

I've never thrown a party without C's help. I've never decorated for one without her. She's my partner in crime....OMG. I think I just sat in the same spot for about 10 minutes without moving with a horrified expression on my face. While all the ideas we had discussed ran through my head, and I tried to figure out where to start first. Her husband showed up with the supplies a little while later, and I pulled myself out of my panic induced stupor and forced myself to get to work. 

As I began decorating and the day wore on, I talked to C and it became obvious that she had caught one of those 24 hour stomach bugs that sweeps in unexpectedly and knocks you flat on your tail. She would not be coming. Jesus help me. 

Gradually, the room began to look more and more like a scene from a Bollywood film. My aunt went to pick up the food, I drafted my sister to pick up the cake and by 4:45, 15 minutes before party time, I was in the bathroom taking a quick shower, and trying to calm down and get my bearings. 

20 minutes later I was pressed, dressed, with hair done, and definitely feeling a little more tranquil and serene than I had in hours. By the time I went downstairs there were already about 10 girls there. We ended up with 15 by the end of the night. 

We had laid long pieces of material all over the living room, along with scarves, and my sister showed them how to drape a Sari around them. They had a blast dressing up like real Indian women. We played several games, explained the different Indian dishes, ate till we were bursting, listened to Indian music, and had cake. All in all, it was a huge success and they had a blast! 

And C, I ain't mad at ya! :)

Ramblings of an Aspiring Literatus on....Literature

I am unquestionably an avid reader of, well...just about anything. I have my mother to thank for this, I think. As a small child I can remember her  always having a book lying around. They weren't  just "coffee table" books, they were books she actually read and added to our book shelf when she finished. Books have always been a part of my life.

In elementary school my favorite day of the week was Library Day, when we could go to the school library and check out a maximum of 4 books. I loved The Boxcar Children, Nancy Drew, and The Babysitters Club. Granted, they weren't great works of literature...but I was 8, and a kid has to start somewhere. 

As I matured, so did my taste, and eventually I became a great fan of Gilbert Morris, a paragon in the Christian Romance genre. He kept me occupied for a great part of my pre-teen and teenage years. What girl doesn't love a good clean romance?

I now, however,  very rarely read Christian Romance ( with the exception of Lori Wick) and if you were to look at the bookshelf in my bedroom, you might be surprised at the eclectic nature of what you would see. Books by Frank Peretti, Ted Dekker, James Patterson,Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, Lisa See, Amy Tan, Gail Tsukiyama, Cathy Lamb, Margaret George. and many, many more.

For the past 6 months, almost all of the books I've bought revolve around a common theme: "Finding Yourself".  Strange? I think not. I believe that when we read, we look for and see our own experiences in the story of the hero or heroine. I feel that for the past 3 years I have been on a journey of finding out who I really am, so it is no wonder I look for stories of women doing the same.  

I love my books. They allow me to leave boring old Indiana, see the world, and live new experiences. An unknown author once said, 

"Anyone who says they have only one life to live must not know how to read a book."

I've been to India, Japan, and China. I've journeyed to England, Scotland, and Ireland. I've gone back to the Bible days and met Mary Magdalene, and battled Spiritual wickedness with Frank Peretti. I've literally laughed out loud with protagonists,  read with tears rolling down my face, and waited with held breath as a murderer was revealed. I'v sighed sympathetically as heroines lost lovers, and smiled giddily as these misunderstandings were set to rights.

I'll freely, perhaps even proudly admit, I am a bookworm.

Many people when asked," what would you do if you had one free day a week, where you could do anything you wanted?" would run through their to do list, 10 pages long, some would say clean, some would say take off to some foreign place for a day trip...but me? My  answer every time would be, brew some coffee, get my blanket, and snuggle up on the couch with a good book. 

"A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face.  It is one of the few havens remaining where a man's mind can get both provocation and privacy."

  ~Edward P. Morgan