New toy

On Sunday, I went to a charity second-hand sale and scored this beauty for $5.

It's a vintage Kenwood Chef, probably about 35 years old, in perfect working order. In the UK and Australia, these guys have the same sort of reputation as old Kitchenaid mixers. (Of course, they're not as pretty, but oh well.)

In the picture, the mixer is kneading bagel dough. It did a great job on the dough -- after 6 minutes, it passed the windowpane test easily.

I'm looking forward to making lots of bread with this thing. And marshmallows!

Roughing it in Westhampton

There's no camera, and no internet, and not much in the way of kitchen tools here at the beach. But I made sure to pack my spices and my copy of 660 Curries, and so we're eating well. Here's a crappy snapshot (taken with my computer's camera) of last night's dinner: Eggplant and Okra with Fenugreek and Mustard (left) and Chana Saag (right). I also made Malabar Parantha, which ended up kind of like a cross between naan and paratha.
All three recipes are from 660 Curries (though I made a few changes to the Chana Saag (no ginger or onion paste on hand, and I used diced turnips and turnip greens rather than spinach)). I had to roll the bread out using a jar!

Here's a bonus non-food shot of the view from the balcony:

Please pass the almond butter of wisdom

I know, I know, making fun of the little ads in the back of the New Yorker is like shooting fish in a barrel, but really: the almond butter of wisdom!

Just ask your mum today

I figure since they're food-related, these belong here. These ads were seared into my brain during childhood.





If you haven't had enough, the series also included ads about why you shouldn't eat dirt and why you shouldn't be a "ding-a-ling".