Saturday, January 01, 2011

A Fraiche Start

Happy New Year!

It's a rainy, cold day here - perfect for a wonderful New Year's Brunch (thanks Nell!) and getting started on the tasks of the new year.

My new calendar is up.


I bought some seeded eucalyptus this morning. Love the fresh scent - it makes everything feel new.



I also made creme fraiche from scratch. Well, I started making it. It takes a day. I've never done this before but it seems easy. Just one cup of fresh whipping cream and one tablespoon of cultured buttermilk. It sits at room temperature for 24 hours, and supposedly at the end of that time you have a little jar of creme fraiche on your hands. I'll report back.



On my list of 2011 ambitions (alongside getting a dog and traveling more for fun and less for work) is learning to cook some Indian food. I'm aiming for 4 or 5 dishes - enough to put together an entire meal. Here's a shot of some new spices I've picked up to enable this endeavor. Dish number one will be Chana Masala - I'll let you know how that goes.

Clockwise from top: amchoor powder, curry powder, garam masala, green cardamom pods, cumin seed.

My neighbors are going to love me.


Here's to a healthy and happy 2011!

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