Thanksgiving Menu

I haven't done an all out Thanksgiving meal in a couple of years. Before grad school, I would usually throw an early Thanksgiving party for friends in DC with all of the traditional fixings and then head back NC for a helping of my mom's awesome Vietnamese food. Since grad school started, I haven't had nearly as much time to cook grand meals. These days, it's doctored ramen noodles, take out, and if I'm feeling ambitious, something really simple and by default Vietnamese.

This Thanksgiving, my husband and I will be celebrating in DC with my in-laws coming in on Thursday and some friends who are in town. This is the menu that I have planned for the day:

Lentil and ham soup with kale
Green bean salad with feta
Roasted brussel sprouts with Asian vinaigrette
Butterflied roast turkey
Mushroom, leek and parmesan stuffing
Cranberry and pineapple relish
Buttermilk mashed potatoes
Roasted root vegetables
Pumpkin bread
Pumpkin pie

Here are the items my roommates will cook:

Bread
Avocado eggrolls

And our guests have volunteered to bring:

Vegetarian dressing
Candied sweet potatoes
Greens
Chocolate pecan pie
Assorted Bengali appetizers

Will hopefully post pictures and recipes soon.

Ibrahim

P7090321, originally uploaded by anna.purna.

This is Ibrahim. At the end of the trip, he offered my husband two camels and a house for his sister.

Through the desert on a camel named Sam

P7070268, originally uploaded by anna.purna.

I said that I followed the tourist routes when I went to Morocco. That included a trip through the desert. There were five people in my group. We spent a couple of days in Fez comparing prices and trying to rent an SUV that we could take into the desert. In Morocco, you can get anything you want; you just have to bargain for it, which takes days. And lots of patience. And a lot of tea.

It finally ended up being cheaper to rent a driver and SUV through a service than to try and rent an SUV by ourselves. This was fine, the deal included the driver, car, lodging and meals.

Our driver was this very friendly, really funny guy named Ibrahim who spoke neither English, nor French, nor Spanish, nor Arabic. He knew a small amount of words in each of these languages, just enough to get by. The trip coincided with the end of Ramadan and I think we ended up getting Ibrahim because he was the only one willing to work during that time.

The desert was a great experience. It was beautiful and serene. The sky was so clear you could see all of the stars and the Milky Way to boot. But boy was it cold. We slept in a big with all of our clothes on. In the morning, the Berber guides woke us up, pointed to the nearest sand dune and told us to, "Quick run up there to see the sunrise!" In our dazed state, we did. About 3/4 of the way up that sand dune, I thought my lungs were going to collapse.

But it was a beautiful sunrise. And we were packed on top of our camels to return to civilization after breakfast.

The romantic in me

I thought this site was such a great idea. I can't believe that he actually found her.

Sights and sounds of Morocco

P6290021, originally uploaded by anna.purna.

A few years ago, my husband and I visited Morocco. We went along the usual tourist route, Marrakech, Essaouira, Casablanca, Fez and the desert. But whenever we could, we stayed within the wall of the medinas, the old city centers. You can still find some great bargains tooling around the souks and letting yourself get lost in the labyrinthine passageways.

There's something about the combination of woodsmoke, spices and the slight chill in the air that comes with autumn that brings back tangible memories of that trip.

We partied. There was a robot dj.

Halloween 2007 079, originally uploaded by anna.purna.

Our 6th and probably last Halloween party was a smashing success. My husband built a robot to dj the party and it was the talk of the weekend. There was an unveiling with music and light cues. Everyone was awestruck. Once DJ Evil Robot started to play his set everyone danced until the wee hours of the morning.

The rest of the weekend consisted mainly of recovery. We had some friends in town for the party whom I did not get to hang out with very much. Me, I got stuck at home working. I can't wait till school's over. Other pictures of the revelry can be found here.

That time of year again

IMG_1170, originally uploaded by anna.purna.

It's almost Halloween, one of my favorite holidays. I can't wait for our annual, and likely last, Halloween party. The guy in the photo has one of my all-time favorite costumes - a homemade He-Man costume right down to the furry speedo. You've got to give him credit for fully committing to the Halloween spirit.

Coney Island cont'd

IMG_1840, originally uploaded by anna.purna.

With the requisite sighting of men in speedos. My question is where do they put their wallets?

End of Summer

IMG_1831, originally uploaded by anna.purna.

In August, I went to visit a friend in NYC. We went to Coney Island because we heard that the amusement park was going to be torn down for condos and we wanted to see it before the park was demolished. I have to say, though, it's really like any other amusement park - shabbier than it looks in photos, more expensive than you think it should be (they charged 25 cents for the bathroom!), but still an icon of summer.

Dreams of Morocco

P6300062, originally uploaded by anna.purna.

This photo is from a trip that I took three years ago. It was taken in the town of Essaouira on the rooftop of this great hotel called the Villa Maroc. Looking at the pictures makes me want to ditch school and go traveling. Must wait 'til May, though.

I liked the colors

Honey Moon 108, originally uploaded by anna.purna.

On my honeymoon, I served this fruit salad, which was just a mixture of plums and grapes for breakfast. I wanted something healthy and just fell in love with the color combination.

Remembering Summer

IMG_1086, originally uploaded by anna.purna.

I took this photo last summer at the farmer's market in Madison, WI. I love visiting farmer's markets when I travel to see the local varieties that are being grown and to sample local flavors. Madison's market was one of my favorites. Lots of variety and not too expensive. That's a hard combination to find in the DC area.

Tinkering

Still dreaming of a time when I'll be more free to cook and post...In the meantime, I'm saving this place. For right now, it will function primarily as a photo blog.