505. DESI GIRL – LOVE YOURSELF AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW

I have lost my mind.

Yes. That is what it must be. 

For a change Town and Country is not a thought on my brain. I have invited Rohit, Meera, the baby and another couple we are friends with (Lucy, from  Post 218 , and John) to dinner. I have invited all these people to my house. Or more like, in my little shoebox. I own no furniture other than a desk and my bed.  So I am getting creative with hosting a carpet picnic.

Tawa

So when you are invited to dine at Desi Girl’s house, it is a north Indian foodie affair. I generally make 3-4 dishes and then some rice spiced with spices and onions. My signature dishes are tandoori chicken, chicken curry and paneer (yes homemade, I can make paneer from scratch). I can make several types of dals, chole and of course a variety of subzis (vegetable dishes). I think I have mentioned that the one thing I am inept at cooking is roti. Seemingly simple – wheat flour and water, rolled into a dough ball, rolled into flatness and cooked on a “tawa”. Yea, this is one area of Indian cuisine I suck at – the flatbreads.

When you live in a house, with a normal kitchen and have space to chop vegetables, marinate chicken, knead dough and soak rice, making a four-course Indian is no biggie. You can make four dishes over two days and you are in good shape. And the most amazing thing about Indian food, at least the way Mom and I cook, is that if you cook the food the night before and then heat it up the next day, allows the flavors to really come together.

So. The fact that I have 18 inches of counter space is going to make cooking VERY painful, and maybe not even probable. And oh, have I mentioned my friends are coming tomorrow?

I pace around the apartment, until it makes me feel dizzy. I did not place my Fresh Direct order in time so there is NO way I can get groceries dropped off in time. I could go to a grocery store in the neighborhood and then cook all night.

Or.

I could do something revolutionary. I could take care of myself and not stress myself out into giving myself a bleeding ulcer by wowing my friends with a gourmet dinner. They already love me. How about instead I love myself. Take care of myself. And order pizza from Luigi’s.