Passport
After much nudging from Twinkle, I finally applied for a passport last week. The post office said to expect it in 6 weeks, but it arrived today. The photo’s pretty horrid, but not as bad as one of my friend’s–his passport makes him look like Mr. Potato head. So hurray! I’m trying to plan a trip to Melbourne to visit Twinkle sometime in January. Airfare isn’t nearly as bad after the holidays are over, though I’d dearly like to see her for New Years. In the meantime, I’m putting the finishing touches on a care package of essentials she can’t seem to find there, including good coffee and Q-tips. Go figure.
Last night I tried my hand at cooking Masoor Dal. I couldn’t find any fresh Coriander so I used the dried spice instead, and my knowledge regarding mangoes seems woefully inadequate–maybe I just got the wrong variety, but the flavor didn’t work in the dish at all. It was still edible, but nothing special. I’ll have to try it again after hitting the Indian grocer on 9th. This was my first try cooking with ghee, however, and that was amazing… Twinkle’s a big fan of buttery richness in her food, and I think she’ll really like replacing the butter with ghee for added richness in some dishes. Speaking of, I snagged a lovely Indian cookbook at the bookstore for $3, Rice, Spice, and All Things Nice. I think it’s time to go look through it for dinner ideas!
