Failed plans and a good dahl...

With all my thank you cards, note cards, and letters done (19 pieces of correspondence in all), I thought to be mightily productive today.  I was not.

I did try a new recipe, about which I am excited.  Yes, it takes little to rock my world, but this is especially special because the recipe was for Red Lentil Dahl.

Oh, I love me a good dahl!

I have not had one in a very long time, between going out not being in my budget and having moved away from easy access to stellar Indian food restaurants.

While I have never had a red lentil dahl before, I recently bought some red lentils and was looking for a recipe in which to use them.  When I saw a dahl, I immediately decided that was the one for me, even though the very thought of trying to cook an Indian food dish would scare me spitless ... and paralyze me with fear ... normally.  Other than the fact that I was missing one ingredient (well, two if you count the one I did not notice until I was half-way through assembling the dish), the dahl turned out very well.  It was slightly more salty than I would wish, but I have already adjusted the recipe.  I ate two bowls.  And I am very much looking forward to having the leftovers.

In the recipe, I noted that I had the dahl with Redfire Tandor Baked Naan.  This is the sixth grocery store naan I have tried and it is by far the best.  With all the naan, I put them straight into the freezer.  Redfire claims its naan is actually made to be frozen.  For once, I believe a manufacturer's marking claim.  Sadly, I cannot remember where I bought this particular brand, but I hope to find it again.  After all, I have lots and lots and lots of red lentils still to cook.

I also noted in the recipe that the lentils I used were Roland Red Lentils.  I actually got them on the subscribe and save subscription service.  I have four other things I get regularly and I received a notice that if I added a fifth item, I would get 15% off the entire order.  Essentially, I got these for free.  They are smaller than any other lentil I have ever seen and are really delicate.  I did not need to wash them, and they cooked very quickly.  I highly recommend them.

I am curious about whether or not I could make a brown lentil dahl.  Eons ago, in Pennsylvania, I had the best ever dahl at an Indian food restaurant that had a $4.95 all-you-can-eat buffet.  Usually, I managed to stuff down three plates.  Once, it was four, though I spent the rest of the day like a beached whale.  A happy beached whale.  Anyway, never have I had one as flavorful as that which they had out in this huge kettle by the buffet.

To make the dahl, I used my new 3.5 quart sauteuse pan.  This is the pan Marie used to make the béchamel sauce.  It is, I believe, going to be my favorite pan of the entire set.  Last night, I used it to make fried rice.  In case you were wondering, the way you add egg to fried rice is actually not to cook it up separately in a pan (which I did at first), but to actually mix the egg into the cooked rice and let the heat of the rice cook the egg (which I also did).  Amos ate the first cooked eggs.  Happily.  However, the pan was an absolute, utter mess.  However, I barely had to look at it for the ruined bits of egg on the side to fall off into the sink.  Seriously, these are truly non-stick pots and pans!

Anyway, I had plans for this day. I had plans.  I was going to get lots of things accomplished. I was going to be so very productive.  None of my plans came to fruition. Of course, that might very well be because none of my plans were even started.

I did give a consult about a logo change for a company.  Someone asked me to respond to the four comps the company received.  I meshed two together (after making some rather strident remarks about the lack of diversity amongst the comps) and changed an aspect of one to arrive at their new logo. I am not a designer, but I do know what works and doesn't work.  It was a good moment for me to be helpful.  Though, my friend Caryl would have a great big guffaw if she saw what I did in inDesign to put together a draft of my idea so the company could go back to their designer for the changes.  I am not a designer and I am not a PhotoShop person.  I simply do not have design/PhotoShop brain cells.  Maybe I should send her the file for a rainy day, when she needs a good snicker or two or three.

Mostly, I napped.
And rested.
And decided to take the chill out of the air in my house with a fire.


I am Yours, Lord.  Save me!