Junebugs

A hint of fall weather has come to Chicago. We had just returned from an evening run, and we were hungry. 

J and I scrounged around his cupboard and found a box of ready-to-eat Indian food. The yellow box of Rajma Masala stated that these, “authentic Indian Gourmet Dishes have been created by the Master Chefs of India’s most prestigious hotels, ITC, building up on rare, traditional recipes. Kitchens of India brings them to your table in convenient, ‘keep-fresh’ packs. These dishes are ready-to-eat and microwavable.”    

It was almost perfect. When I looked closer, I saw the yellow box advertised that a CD was enclosed of classical Indian music. What a great promotion! We turned on the rice cooker, and popped in the CD.

It was perfect. Indian music to accompany our late night impromptu Indian dinner. J’s roommate T came home in the middle of this magical moment. He was also swept up by the atmosphere, and sat down to join us. Rajma Masala is easy to share.

….C

J. and I babysat our friend’s kids Friday through Saturday night. Their lovely house was full those 2 days with their 5 children, 1 dog and 1 cat.  Saturday afternoon rolled around and the baby was taking a nap, so the older girls and I took a walk to the store. We had a list in hand as we made our way through the grocery aisles. 1 tall girl, 2 little ones. The excitement was around the apple crisp we were making. These selfless ones wanted to bake a gift for their parent’s anniversary. “Mommy and Daddy love apples!”

Apple Crisp
4 tart apples, sliced and peeled
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter
3/4 t ground nutmeg
3/4 t ground cinnamon

- Heat oven to 375ºF. Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with shortening. 
- Spread apples in pan. In medium bowl, cut butter with remaining ingredients until well mixed. Sprinkle over apples.
- Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with a fork.
- Serve warm with whipped cream or ice cream (yum). 

The girls picked the apple crisp from an old church recipe book. One peeled the apples, the other helped me slice apples. Their little brother joined us for the spoon licking portion. 

…C