White Orchid Melody Blog

XXX sounds so much nicer than 30 when it comes to a birthday. But alas, here I am, a new member of the thirtysomething club. I’m okay with it, though. I certainly wouldn’t trade it for 20 again, even with the wrinkle free skin and flat tummy. The wisdom, grace, and self awareness I’ve gained are worth far more than that.

I sent my 20s out with a bang last Saturday night! We had a great party at our house, wrapped up nicely with champagne and fireworks!!!

I love throwing a good party. It is a lot of work, but I enjoy it (once or twice a year anyway). The theme for my party was “30 is Hot!” So, I made spicy mexican inspired dishes and both red and white sangria. I’ll be posting the recipes for everything here next week. In the meantime, have a look at some photos of the fun!

cute dress, awesome pink shoes!

pretty party decor

getting the house ready for the party

gotta keep everyone hydrated!

Yummy refried beans, rice, and veggies

chips, salsa, quesadillas, and empanadas

Everything is ready!

Happy Birthday to Me! (only 3 candles, not 30!)

Me and my darling husband, who did so much to make my birthday perfect!

A few of our more interesting guests

Sunday we had a “Tired of Turkey” party featuring Indian food! I love, love, love Indian food, and you can forget about getting it here in Naples. But you can make your own! I have been working on a few good recipes for the past several years and have finally gotten to where they taste the way I think they should. My favorites are Makhani Dal and Navratan Korma. For our party, I also made a Aloo Gobhi, Vegetable Samosas, Naan, and of course rice. I found some good “starter” recipes for these last items at http://www.sanjeevkapoor.com/. And by “starter” I mean that I can’t simply follow a recipe. I have to make it my own!

Naan

4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 egg (optional)
1 cup milk plus 2 tbsp lemon juice
canola or olive oil

In a large bowl, mix your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl beat the egg, and then add the milk mixture. Pour the egg-milk mixture into the flour mixture. Stir to combine. It will look really clumpy, so start adding water a little at a time until you can get most of it to stick together. Knead well for 10 minutes, adding a little water as needed to make a soft ball of dough. Form a ball and place into an oiled bowl. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise for an hour or until doubled. I had to heat my oven up a bit (on the lowest setting) and then put it in there since the house was rather cold. In the summer it would probably rise just fine sitting out. A nice warm radiator is also a good place!

Preheat an inverted baking sheet in your oven to 225C/450F. Separate the dough into halves until you have 16 equal portions. Form into balls then flatten out with your hands. Use the rolling pin to get them between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thick. You can also pick it up and stretch it with your hands. They don’t need to look perfect, just sort of oval shaped. Place the flat dough pieces 4 at a time (or however many will fit) on your hot inverted baking sheet. Bake them until they start to turn brown at the edges and maybe a little on top where it bubbles up. Don’t over bake, as they should be soft, not crunchy.

Vegetable Samosa

Dough
2 cups flour
2 tbsp butter
1-2 tsp salt
water

Combine salt and flour, mix well. Cut in butter with a pastry cutter or fingers until no large pieces remain. Add water a little at a time until you can form a stiff dough. It will not be smooth, but it should all stick together. Work the dough for about 10 minutes until well combined. Again, it won’t be smooth like bread dough, but more like pie crust dough. Allow the dough to rest for a half hour, and go make the filling!

Filling
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
green, yellow, or red sweet peppers, chopped
1/2 cup green peas (frozen)
1 cup soy crumbler (burger substitute)
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp chile powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like spicy)
1/2 tsp garam masala
salt to taste

Boil potatoes until tender. Meanwhile, in canola or olive oil, saute onion, peppers, and garlic. Add soy crumble and cook until thawed. Add all the spices, stirring to coat well. You may want to add a little water. Add peas and cook until thawed. When potatoes are done, drain well, and then make a well in the center of your meat mixture and add potatoes. Mash them with a fork. They can still be a little chunky. Stir to blend well with meat mixture.

To make the samosas, divide the dough into halves until you have about 12 pieces. The balls should be about 1.5″ each. Flatten out with a rolling pin to make an oval shape. With a knife, cut the oval in half. Along the straight edge, wet with a little water on your finger. Fold in half and pinch the edge together. Pick it up and open the other edge to make a cone. Add your filling (about a teaspoon full). Wet the open edge and pinch closed, folding perpendicular to the first edge. It should make a pyramid shape, not a flat triangle. But whatever, it doesn’t really matter as long as the edges are all sealed up! You can assemble all of your samosas and store on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator overnight, which is great if you are having a party. If you want to cook them now, just refrigerate for 15 minutes to make them easier to handle.

Heat up an inch or so of canola oil in a small pan. Fry in small batches until light golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Aloo Gobhi

2 medium to large potatoes, peeled and cut into about 1″ pieces
2 cups of cauliflower florets
Olive oil or canola oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp garam masala
Sprinkle of crushed red pepper
Sprinkle of brown sugar
Salt to taste

In a large non-stick skillet, saute potatoes and cauliflower in oil. Add spices and stir to coat. Cover with lid and cook until very tender. You may need to add more oil as it cooks to prevent sticking.

Makhani Dal

1 cup dried kidney beans
Olive or Canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb bag dried lentils
2-3 Tbsp curry powder
Crushed red pepper to taste
1/2 cup tomato puree
Salt to taste
2-3 Tbsp butter

Cook kidney beans in small pot until tender. They take longer than the lentils, so plan ahead. Meanwhile, heat oil and saute onion and garlic. Add lentils and cover with water. Cook until tender. Stir in spices and additional water if needed. Mash the lentils with a potato masher or ricer until it looks like a thick mush. Not all the lentils will be mashed, but just enough to thicken. Add tomato puree and stir well. When kidney beans are cooked, drain and add to the lentil mixture. Stir well. You can allow to simmer as long as needed, stirring to prevent sticking. Just before serving, stir in butter and salt. The butter really adds a nice finish to the sauce.

Navratan Korma

Spice mix:
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp chile powder
2 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp sugar

Olive or Canola oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 medium-large potato
1 cup each: broccoli, squash, cauliflower, peas, mixed veggies, carrots, green beans, or corn (any or all!)
water to cover
1/4 cup tomato puree
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp garam masala
salt to taste
2 tbsp butter

The beauty of this one is that you can add whatever vegetables you have on hand. It is great with simple frozen mixed veggies or beautiful fresh seasonal ones!

First, make your spice mixture by combining spices. Stir well to blend.

Then, saute your onion and garlic until tender. Add the potatoes and the spice mixture and stir to coat. Add enough water to cover the potatoes and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add all the other veggies and more water to cover. Cover with lid and allow to cook until all are tender. Add tomato puree and stir well. (at our party I completely forgot the tomato sauce and it was still good, so there you go, room for error!) Allow to simmer as long as you’d like. When ready to serve, scoop out veggies with a slotted spoon and place in large casserole dish. When all the veggies are out and only the sauce remains, add the heavy cream and a bit of salt as needed. Turn up the heat to med-high and cook down the sauce to reduce by about 50% or until thickened nicely. Stir in the garam masala, then pour the sauce over the veggies. Add butter and stir until melted. Serve with rice.

If I hadn’t been so incredibly busy cooking all this food it would have been nice to take some photos! I wasn’t even thinking about it though! Oh well, maybe next time!

* Disclaimer: Except for the Navratan korma mixture, I rarely measure my spices, so these are an approximation at best. Please taste test as you go!

I thought I’d posted this one before, but don’t see it…who knows? Anyway, I thought it would be good since it is party season and these make a great party food. Get little mini pitas (2″ rounds) for appetizers. If you are making this as a meal the 4″ rounds work well. These are simple to make, and the filling can even be made a day ahead and reheated prior to stuffing. Even the most discriminating guests will enjoy these. No one will even realize they are eating vegetarian!

Thai Pitas

1 pkg Soy Crumble (you could use ground beef or turkey)
1 sweet red pepper, finely chopped
2 Tbsp ginger, minced (you can substitute dried)
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cilantro
3 Tbsp smooth peanut butter
2 Tbsp lemon juice (or lime juice, if you have it)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp canola oil

Cook soy crumble with red pepper, ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes. In a small bowl, whisk together cilantro, peanut butter, lemon juice, soy sauce, and canola oil. Stir into crumble. Line pitas with romaine lettuce and stuff with mixture. That’s it. So easy!

I guess I’ve been awol for December! ‘Tis the season to be busy I guess. We had a great stocking stuffer party on Saturday. Seven people came over and a few others dropped off donations. We had the veggie lasagna, which turned out great, and then proceeded to sorting and stuffing everything in the stockings. We had more than enough. Silly me, I’d been worried that there wouldn’t be enough to fill 25 stockings, but bless our friends, they were so kind and generous. We sent 25 stockings as well as six boxes of movies, books, and food. It was great. I know the unit will be delighted to receive their goodies. The post office provides free flat rate boxes for shipping things to troops, so I was able to go pick up a bunch of those for the packaging. We shipped them out on Tuesday. Hopefully everything will get there by Christmas!

Meanwhile I’ve been working on our holiday letter. We started the letter format last year in liu of cards. Actually Brian sent a letter out while he was in Iraq for Christmas of ‘04, and everyone really liked that. We found that people appreciate hearing how our year has gone, particularly those that live far away and don’t hear from us much. And we’ve always enjoyed getting christmas letters from our friends. Cards are pretty and all, but then I just feel bad about throwing them in the recycle bin after the holiday! Some people save cards. I don’t like having all that clutter around. That’s how you end up 85 years old with a garage full of junk for your kids and grandkids to sort through!

We put up the christmas tree last weekend too. The cats have not yet knocked it over, surprise, surprise. They’ve managed to swipe a few ornaments off though. They seem to like the tree skirt underneath, getting tangled up and dashing around it. We’ve had a real tree I think once since we have had the cats, and of course they were climbing in it, so we just go with the artificial now. It’s kind of silly to cut down a tree just to put in your house for a month anyway. They’re really pretty and smell so nice, but really. Unless I had enough land to get one with the roots and then plant it after, it would just be a waste.

• Kissing under the Mistletoe — This plant was revered by early Celtic and Nordic tribes who assigned to it magical powers that included protection from such things as disease, witchcraft and lightening strikes. The kissing legend probably derives from a complex and somewhat illogical Norse myth that relates how Frigga, the goddess of love and beauty, implored all living things that sprang from the earth not to harm her beloved son, Balder. Since mistletoe was a parasitic plant that grew on trees and not from the earth, it was excluded and its wood subsequently used by the evil god Loki to make an arrow which killed Balder. Frigga’s tears of grief turned the Mistletoe’s red berries white, and when Balder was later restored to life, she forgave the plant and made it a symbol of love, decreeing that anyone who met beneath it must kiss. When a man kisses a woman under the mistletoe, he must remove one berry and when the berries are all gone, there is no more kissing. A Christian addition to this plant’s lore relates how the wood was used to make the cross upon which Christ was crucified and as a result it was cursed and barred from growing in the earth and forced to grow on other plants instead.
• Christmas trees and wreaths — The Romans brought evergreen plants indoors to celebrate Saturnalia, a days-long feast and celebration to honor Saturn, the god of agriculture. This pagan tradition was kept alive in parts of northern Europe as the Roman Empire faded away. Beginning in Germany centuries later, it insinuated itself into the Christmas holiday and German emigrants later brought it to America. The tradition was solidified in the mid 19th century when Queen Victoria (of German ancestry) installed a Christmas tree in the royal palace. In America a decade later, President Franklin Pierce put one in the White House. By 1880, Christmas tree ornaments were being manufactured — the beginning of the end for homemade decorations such as popcorn and cranberry strings — and in 1923 President Calvin Coolidge switched on the lights of the first national outdoor Christmas tree.

In addition, myths and legends unique to Christianity were promoted throughout Europe to help consolidate the young religion. Others simply took on a life of their own and were embellished by imaginative entrepreneurs. Among these were:

• Sancta Lucia, or St. Lucy’s Day — This holiday occurs on December 13th in several European countries and denotes the beginning of the Christmas season, or advent. Though originating in Sicily to celebrate the martyrdom of a young girl, it is today most ardently embraced by Sweden and in America by Scandinavian and German Lutheran congregations. It was originally a family event in which the oldest daughter would don a candle-lit evergreen or Lingonberry wreath as a crown and serve her parents coffee and saffron-flavored buns while singing a song appropriate to the occasion. It is now a public event featuring a procession of young women — still filled with song and wearing candle-lit wreaths and white dresses — led by the winner of a beauty competition whose duties are often remarkably similar to those of a Miss America or Miss Universe. The candle-lit evergreen wreaths are hallmarks of pagan cultures that celebrated the triumph of light over darkness.
• Gift-giving and Santa Claus — This tradition originated with the story of the gifts of the three magi to the Christ child, which was joined centuries later with elements from the life of Bishop Nicholas of Myra (later Saint Nicholas). These events and legends metamorphosed into the Santa Claus of today — complete with sleigh and reindeer — when Clement Moore’s poem A Visit from St. Nicholas (also known as The Night Before Christmas) was published in 1823. A series of engravings in Harper’s Weekly appeared decades later depicting scenes from the poem and in the mid 20th century, Coca-Cola ran a print advertising campaign that further embellished — and firmly established — the Santa Claus phenomenon.
• Christmas stockings — this tradition is attributed to the original Saint Nicholas who is said to have left gifts of gold in the stockings of three poor girls who needed dowries. They had hung their laundered stockings by the fireplace to dry overnight. Centuries later, this fetching image was adopted by Clement Moore in his Christmas poem mentioned above.

Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a relatively new holiday, established in 1966 to celebrate African-American and Pan-African family, community and culture. The word kwanzaa is derived from the Swahili phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits.” It’s a secular event, running from December 26th to January 1st, with each day representing a different principle:

Umoja (Unity)
Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
Nia (Purpose)
Kuumba (Creativity)
Imani (Faith)

A Karamu, or feast, is held on December 31st, featuring a wide variety of foods from Africa, the Caribbean and the Americas, representing the diversity of African peoples and their collective heritage.

King’s Day and Candlemas Day
Rosco de Reyes, or King’s Cake, is central to the celebration of King’s Day and Candlemas Day. Originating in France but now popular in Mexico, King’s Day, January 6th, is the feast of the Epiphany, during which Rosco de Reyes — a round cake representing a crown — is served. Two plastic figures representing the infant Christ and a king are baked into the cake. Whoever finds the king figure in their serving must show genuine kindness to the person who finds the infant Christ figure, and both must work together to host a party on February 2nd, Candlemas Day, which usually features tamales and Mexican hot chocolate.

The Mexican tradition of serving tamales on Christmas is, like other traditions noted above, connected to prehistory. In this case probably to the Aztec celebration honoring Huitzilipochtli, their god of war.Two other notable traditions that have no discernible connections to historical events or religion are fruitcake and eggnog. Fruitcake probably originated during the late Middle Ages as a wedding cake and became commonplace for celebrations of all kinds. Made with a quantity of dried or candied fruit and often infused with liquors, these dense butter cakes have a less than stellar reputation. According to the editors of the Joy of Cooking, “Many people feel that these cakes improve greatly with age, though not everyone agrees. …they have been reported to be enjoyed as long as twenty-five years after baking.”Eggnog comes to us from a variety of English drinks made from milk, eggs and alcohol, usually wine. Now available commercially from October into January, eggnog has been associated with Christmas and New Year’s celebrations since the 19th century. Liquors used include wine, brandy, rum, bourbon and sherry. The origin of the term eggnog is obscure, but it probably came from the word “egg” combined with “grog” — a common Colonial term for rum — or “noggin,” a small wooden mug used in Colonial taverns.Holiday traditions continue to evolve, within countries, communities and families. Each of us has fond memories of family and personal traditions, both large and small. Though they may be based on ancient superstitions and appear a bit silly if analyzed in a rational light, they nevertheless help bind us to our loved ones and inform our shared past, present and future.

I’m preparing this recipe for a stocking stuffing party we are hosting this weekend. We are making stockings for an Army National Guard Unit that is serving in Iraq. This is a modification of a recipe that I got from a local restaurant. I ordered it everytime I went there, and then they took it off the menu, so I begged for the recipe! Lasagna is time consuming, but oh-so-good! You could make double and freeze one uncooked for later use.

Vegetable Lasagna

4 c. Broccoli Florets, steamed and chopped
3 c. White Bread Crumbs
1 c. 2% Milk
½ c. Olive Oil
2 c. Ricotta Cheese
1.5 lb Frozen Spinach, Thawed
¾ c. Parmesan Cheese
1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
½ tsp Thyme
½ tsp Basil
½ Tbsp Sea Salt
¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg (optional)

Combine above ingredients for filling mix.

1 lb Lasagna Noodles
Marinara Sauce
Mozzarella Cheese
Baby Spinach

Blanche noodles and chill in ice bath. In greased pan, layer sauce, noodles, filling mix, fresh spinach, and cheese. Repeat for four layers omitting fresh spinach on top layer. Sprinkle with herbs and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Remove foil and finish about 12 minutes.