Weave a Thousand Flavors

What will you do with 50 Bucks from The Fairy Hobmother? And A Stinkin' Room mate = Fabulous Yorkshire Puddings

Don't you deserve a visit from The Fairy Hobmother?

One who not only visits but  rewards you a USD 50.00 Amazon gift ard just for saying hello right here in the comments section?

Sigh! I wish all of life's quandaries were this simple. Never the less with all this talk of economic doom, gloom and people running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to make sense of this financial cesspit, its nice to know there are simpler things in life that can put a smile on ones face.

So when the fairy Hobmother from   appliancesonline in the UK paid me a visit and not only gifted me this very thoughtful 50 dollar gift card but actually offered to share the love with my followers, who was I to say no?

So go on, leave a thought or two and you might be the next person the fairy hobmother might visit.

That being said, we must now return to the topic at hand - that being stinkin' room mates. I am of the opinion that hellish room mates are an important rite of passage I think - a reminder that have left the sanctuary of our parents and now very much on our own (for most part) in the big bad world. The older we get, these colorful characters fade into distant memories only to leap forward by some odd event or in my case a particular sort of food.

I was in my twenties, alone in Singapore and I was at the brink of my many firsts.  My other room mate and I decided that we really ought to sublet the vacant third bedroom to generate some extra income to pay rent and of course we wanted a girl, non-smoker, professional and an expat like ourselves.

Our advertisement was answered by Kathy - a pofessional woman of English-Korean heritage who on the surface fit the bill perfectly. And so it was with great relish that we welcomed the first occupant to the the third bedroom. Now, you  all know what they say about first impressions....

Anyway, into the first month while we were still in the 'honeymoon phase' Kathy announced that she would invite over some of her friends to have dinner with us and make a classic English dinner. She made lovely salmon cakes, minted peas, roasted potatoes and Yorkshire puddings.

It's a good thing that all this loveliness unfolded in the first month - because you see Kathy didn't last with us long enough to see her third! After putting up with a shattered toilet seat, stripped wall paper from her bedroom (need I remind you it all belonged to the apartment owner) flooding the kitchen with 6 inches of water because she forgot to turn off the tap, we were done! 

We packed her off and all that she's left me with is this story and her Mum's recipe for Yorkshire puddings. So here we go but before I do, don't forget to leave me a thought or two!

Home made Naan - A quintessential unleavened flatbread from South Asia

 
There is nothing quite like hot, buttered Naan with a North Indian meal. To this day, Naan is usually prepared in a clay oven or tandoor.

So I'm tickled to death that I was able to recreate this quintessential Indian bread in my American kitchen with no special equipment but for a broiler oven and a baking stone.

It took a few trials and errors but I think this is IT! 

This recipe is so close to the real thing,  that as I had my nose glued to a hot Naan as I buttered it - I was hit by a wave of nostalgia and I was instantly transported to a dhaaba (road side eatery) in India. Here's why - wait for it...... NO yeast!

If you've ever eaten a Naan prepared with yeast, I think you'll agree that it's a bit like eating a naked pizza crust and then it has that unpleasant smell to it. Not here, folks!

 If I haven't yet sold you to the idea of homemade Naan , how about the savings - it cracks me up when I see people check out a $3.99 piece of pre-made Naan at the grocery story when for that, we could make enough for 6 people! And, we can use the  dough cycle or knead cycle on the bread machine or food processor - so no back breaking kneading involved.

  I don't know if you can tell, but I am so excited about this recipe coming together, that I can break  into song and dance. So lets get cooking instead!