Well, that was interesting....

Well, that was interesting....

November 2nd --  The last few weeks have been very trying and I will catch up on the blog post showing the progress on the house tomorrow, but tonight it is all about..."well, that was interesting" -- but first I need to explain....

I have been back in my house for a few nights as my friends who were out of the country have returned.  It is getting colder, and I typically find that my diet changes with the seasons.  During the summer, it is easier to get away with cold meals, but that is not the case with fall and winter, and as the temps drop, there is something wonderful about a warm meal.  With only a microwave at my disposal, and as someone who is NOT a big fan or either overly processed or fast food, this should get interesting.  This week I ordered and paid a small fortune for all of my kitchen appliances (dishwasher, double ovens (one with convection), microwave, and refrigerator), and a professional six-burner range top (a splurge).  Sit back, because there will be a lot of irony coming your way.  As a promotional item, the salesperson proudly handed me a "free" spatula with the name of the manufacturer of the professional six-burner range top ---- yeah, that has got to be the most expensive spatula...ever.

I just paid a small fortune in appliances, yet I am discovering there are amazing things one can do with a small 800-watt microwave, or "nuker" as I like to call it.    I wanted something warm for dinner tonight.  So, I figured out how to make couscous (flavored with fresh-cut scallions, olive oil and lemon juice) in the nuker, and it actually turner out pretty well.  Always a fan of ethnic cuisine and on the lookout for alternatives to freeze-dried meals for backpacking trips, I had discovered "Tasty Bites," which are pretty decent Indian entrees prepared with minimal artificial ingredients sealed in a foil pouch.  Living among the ruins is very much like urban backpacking.

"Tasty Bites" is part of the Tata group, which is an amazing conglomeration of businesses in Mumbai that go back to its founder in the mid-1800s (Google it).  So, tonight I actually had a decent warm meal of  "Tasty Bites Punjab eggplant" served over couscous.  Very tasty.  The new bottle of merlot that I had opened and was sampling while cooking probably didn't hurt, either.

Fortunately, for me, I also discovered that besides "Punjab Eggplant" there are 15 other "Tasty Bites" entrees....and, snow is predicted for Tuesday!