I miss cooking. I miss adding in the layers of taste that I know my family will appreciate. I miss coming up with new and unique ways to fill their bellies and satisfy their souls. I miss our Dinner .... Delivered where friends would share the cooking responsibility for the week and I miss even my attempts at once a month cooking.
So Pauline did THIS and I thought ... how fun is that?
I hemmed and hawed about the best way to go about recreating the cooking party here in Delhi, and quite honestly forgot about it, save the "draft" post that has sat in blogger since the end of February.
Somewhere during a MAD (I don't need to keep explaining the acronym, do I?) gathering of teachers, the discussion came up about Catherine and her amazing cook. Well, the discussion centered more around (1) Catherine and her amazing ability to cook, (2) her amazing recipes AND (3) her amazing cook.
We started salivating and someone came up with the idea to join in someone's kitchen for a morning of sharing the load of chopping, cutting and mincing, and cook a meal together.
Introducing the first installment of MAD .... in the kitchen (otherwise known as Make a Dinner. Get it? Cute, huh?)
Linda and her darling apron
Our fearless leaders, Christine and Catherine
Tracy and Vanita
Seriously? We need THIS many carrots?
We spent more time laughing, talking and sharing crazy stories than chopping and grating, I'm afraid!
Asha and Christine, sharing tips and secrets
Not even 1/2 way through our first Make a Dinner installment and already, Linda is poring through the Singapore book to find recipes for our NEXT date!
Somewhere along the way, we were informed that Catherine was also a master reflexologist. Amazing. Have you ever tried it?
The finished work of art
I've posted the recipes to the food we cooked over at "A Peek" -- they were simple, delicious, melt in the mouth and quite divine.
We talked about arm flab, teenagers and college admissions preparation, ghost stories, steamy expat drama and criminal escapades, we laughed until we cried, we shared our favorite restaurants and shopping spots.
We learned more about each other in our time together and created a new group of women to turn to in the future, not only for tried and true recipes, but also for advice when needed, a shoulder to lean on or a fellow sister to laugh with.
Recipe for a Make a Dinner Cooking Party
1 sharp knive per person
1 cutting board per person
3 hours of time
Two handfuls of amazing women
Pinch of love, effort and elbow grease
One bottle of champagne shared among 8 glasses
Spending time together ... as women ... in a kitchen is something that I no longer take for granted. It is a place that I often found myself residing in when we lived in the United States. I entertained in my kitchen, listened to my girlfriends share their struggles and the things that made them lose sleep at night. I held nightly dance parties in my kitchen at 5:00 pm with my littles while they helped me cook dinner. I hosted morning coffees with a couple of close women and we found ourselves leaned up against the counters, clutching our coffee cups and warming our hands through the ceramic mugs.
The kitchen no longer represents that warmth and comfort, as it is quite honestly no longer my own. It was refreshing to get back into that familiar place where women folk rolled up their sleeves, got carrot shavings under their fingernails and waved our hands endlessly over the pots to get a whiff of the simmering loveliness.
After the meal was completed (largely due in part to the efforts of Christine and Asha!) we gathered around a table in the middle of Pam's home, to continue our discussions. Most of the time we were talking over each other and all at the same time ... but instead of being noisy and chaotic, it was just ... refreshing.
I'm so looking forward to our next Make a Dinner get together ... Singaporean style!
We talked about arm flab, teenagers and college admissions preparation, ghost stories, steamy expat drama and criminal escapades, we laughed until we cried, we shared our favorite restaurants and shopping spots.
We learned more about each other in our time together and created a new group of women to turn to in the future, not only for tried and true recipes, but also for advice when needed, a shoulder to lean on or a fellow sister to laugh with.
Recipe for a Make a Dinner Cooking Party
1 sharp knive per person
1 cutting board per person
3 hours of time
Two handfuls of amazing women
Pinch of love, effort and elbow grease
One bottle of champagne shared among 8 glasses
Spending time together ... as women ... in a kitchen is something that I no longer take for granted. It is a place that I often found myself residing in when we lived in the United States. I entertained in my kitchen, listened to my girlfriends share their struggles and the things that made them lose sleep at night. I held nightly dance parties in my kitchen at 5:00 pm with my littles while they helped me cook dinner. I hosted morning coffees with a couple of close women and we found ourselves leaned up against the counters, clutching our coffee cups and warming our hands through the ceramic mugs.
The kitchen no longer represents that warmth and comfort, as it is quite honestly no longer my own. It was refreshing to get back into that familiar place where women folk rolled up their sleeves, got carrot shavings under their fingernails and waved our hands endlessly over the pots to get a whiff of the simmering loveliness.
After the meal was completed (largely due in part to the efforts of Christine and Asha!) we gathered around a table in the middle of Pam's home, to continue our discussions. Most of the time we were talking over each other and all at the same time ... but instead of being noisy and chaotic, it was just ... refreshing.
I'm so looking forward to our next Make a Dinner get together ... Singaporean style!
