Tejal Family and Pani Puris

Well, tonight we made the trip up to Thornton, and stopped by our favorite Indian store, Tejal. We truly love going there! Jacob and Molly are the owners, and such wonderful, friendly people. They were happy to see us, and shared pictures of their daughter's Indian wedding with us. I might say, very beautiful indeed! David even said that his heart "leapt" at seeing the Indian people and such. We were invited, but since airfare to India is over $1000/person, we could not make the trip. Spending time with Molly & Jacob is always a treat for us. It's fun to interact with the people that God has placed in our hearts to reach with the gospel. Molly & Jacob are already believers in Jesus, so it's even more like visiting family when we go. While there, we also purchased some spices and other trinkets. I decided to buy a pani puri package, which included some chutneys to use with them. Pani puri are like chips in texture, but are hollow balls, that you fill with various items. Of course, we know that the ones fresh from Juhu Beach or Chowpatty Beach must be so much better, but we liked them none-the-less. It's always fun to try something new that is both Indian, and not American. Looking forward to the day we can actually walk those beaches, see those people, experience the real thing. Hopefully October will be the time this year! Unless God has other immediate plans for us. :)

Aloo Gobi and Missionaries

Well, after such a busy holiday time, I'm glad to be back in the saddle of "normal" again. The husband is back to work, the kids and I are back to homeschooling, and maybe, I'll get back to the normal routines of life. Over the holidays, we had a chance to go to lunch with some friends of ours that were missionaries in India. They then pastored locally for a year, and now have gone back to their mother church to await the next plan God has for them. We went to lunch at a local Indian/Nepalese buffet, and really enjoyed ourselves. During conversation, we were discussing our favorite Indian recipes, and promised to email the recipes to each other. Since I had a couple minutes today, I decided to do just that. And, I thought I would share with anybody else who may be interested. This is a pretty good recipe that I think is pretty accurate, and hopefully not as "Americanized" as many other recipes I've tried. Enjoy!

1 lb potatoes, cut into 1 in. chunks
2 Tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 fresh green chilli, finely chopped (I actually use ½ and remove seeds)
1 lb cauliflower, broken into florets
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp chilli powder
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp salt
Chopped fresh coriander (cilantro), to garnish

1. Par-cook the potatoes ion a large pan of boiling water for about 10 mins. Drain well and set aside.
2. Heat the oil in a large heavy pan. Add the cumin seeds and fry them for 2 minutes until they begin to splutter. Add the chilli and fry for a further 1 minute.
3. Add the cauliflower florets and fry, stirring, for 5 minutes.
4. Add the potatoes and the ground spices and salt and cookf or a further 7-10 minutes, or until both the vegetables are tender. Garnish with fresh coriander and serve.

Christmas Greetings and Such

Life has been really busy lately! The homeschooling semester ended last Friday, the 18th, so we were doing our best to finish up our lessons, so we could enjoy a well deserved break. And I don't mean that lightly! The kids and I have been putting in anywhere from 5+ - 8 hours/day, to catch up on time we had missed. We did it though! Then the holiday busyness came, with presents to buy, people to see, and a house to clean. So, today is Wednesday, December 23rd, and we are gearing up for our holiday trip. It'll be the first time in all my life that I have not spent a Christmas with my mother. But she understands. We are also for the first time going to be with David's mom for Christmas. With all of this "change" in typical holiday plans, future holiday thoughts come to mind. Whenever we go to India (or even another state in the US), it will be most likely just us. Of course we will invite any friends that we make in India, and share our Christian American tradition, but there will not be any family close by to visit. But that's okay...all for the cause of Christ. So, as I plan my first of many holidays away from home, I leave you all with the greatest of holiday greetings! May the love of Christ reach you through all of the hustle and bustle of life. Whether you are in America, India, or anywhere else, our family wishes you a Happy Christmas!

हैप्पी क्रिसमस haippī krisamasa

Forever His, Heather :)

Snowy Day

Here I sit, munching on some mixed nuts, wishing I was planning my trip to Bangalore, India. Our Indian churches are having their annual conference, and my husband and I had high hopes of going. But, with a tight budget, and our current focus of paying off our debts, I am reluctantly thinking of the prospect of being stuck here. Not that I don't like where we live. It's a beautiful city that I've come to like. It snowed today, and so there is some pristine powder sitting in the yard. It's pretty, but I definitely feel like a fish-out-of-water, because I HATE the cold! But, as with anyone who has lived in Colorado knows, the weather will change. One day it's sunny and 60 degrees, the next day (or even evening) we are hit with a cold and snowy storm. Thus is life in Colorado. But on days like this, I especially wish I could go somewhere warm. So, I feel like I've been hit by a double-whammy! I am wishing I was going to India next week, and the weather is teasing me with freezing temps. I guess my one consolation and hope is that I will be there one day. Either for an initial visit or I will be living among the people that God has placed in my and my husband's heart. And the irony? I will probably miss the snowy, cold days of where I am now. I wonder how hot India really gets? :)

A Perfect Meal!

Awe, sweet victory! I am living in the wonderful feeling of accomplishment. All the months of trial and error, sweat on my brow, anguish over defeated moments, I have finally done it. I made the perfect Indian meal last night, and not only for my family, who have gotten used to it, but my Pastor and his family. Better yet, I have received rave reviews! Through the whole meal, I heard constant compliments, by both words and "mmm" sounds. Even at church this morning, he was sharing his delight with other church members. The menu: chicken tandoori (which the hubby cooked on the grill), naan smothered with ghee (clarified butter), aloo gobi (potato & cauliflower curry), and spiced pullou. With both prep and cooking time, I was in the kitchen 2 hours. And the were the best invested hours! Even my family and I were amazed by the taste sensation. The funny part to this whole story? While deciding what to make for them, and deciding on Indian food (which many people are not partial to), my husband had that look like...That's a brave thing to try, hope they like it. Good luck with that.

So, I feel much more confident in my cooking abiblities now, and cannot wait to try some other recipes on some more family and friends!

12 Anniversary - Indian Style

Last night we celebrated 12 years of being married! Our actual anniversary is on 11/8, but last night just worked out the best for us. Since I have 3 salwars in the closet, and cannot normally wear them anywhere, we decided to go the Indian restaurant, and dress up. Of course, I chose a salwar, while the hubby chose a nice dress shirt and pants. He looks so nice dressed up! Anyway, we had dinner, then ventured over to Tejal (Indian store), and really enjoyed ourselves there. Molly and Jacob are the owners, and two of the nicest people you could ever meet. It was fun just chatting with them, but of course, we did make some minor purchases as well. Then we had to stop by my mother's for something, and she took some photos of us dressed up. So, at last, I can include another pic of me in a salwar, as promised!

Homeschooling Overseas

So, here I am, feeling better since my bout with the flu, homeschooling my kids. This is our first year, and it's going fairly well. Not to say I haven't had my times of doubt and such, but I think we are doing okay. I actually am using an online charter school, so it's structured by local standards, and the curriculum in use is K12. I love the fact that it's free, since it's a "public school", but lacks the traditional "brick and mortar". And, I'm the teacher, which means I choose what comments are added or edited, especially in regards to personal and religious convictions that our family holds. So, you may think, what does this post have to do with India? Well, let's just say, that once we realized that God had placed the call in our hearts to be missionaries one day, we would have to seriously decide what would be the best course of action regarding our children's education. I'm sure I could find a private school of some type, but truly felt His leading to begin the homeschool adventure. Not sure if I'll continue the K12, since it's EXTREMELY expensive to do internationally, but we'll see. I may just venture out and decide on something else, something more "fitted" to our family and the kids' learning styles. But, it's just another step closer in preparation for all that God has in store for us. Yes, I (and the kids) have my time of frustrations, where I think I'll just give up, and send them back to public school, but that's just not for us anymore. We are "new creations" in more ways than one.

Math-time anyone? :)