Chicken Do Piyaza

ingredients:  1 whole chicken skin off and cut into 12 pieces, 1 cup of yogurt, 1/2 cup of cooking oil, 4 medium onions peeled and thinly sliced, 1 garlic pod peeled and sliced, a 2 inch piece of ginger peeled and julienned, salt to taste.

Eggplant Subzi

ingredients:  3 medium eggplants, 1/2 cup of oil, 2 pureed tomatoes, 1 tblsp each of ginger and garlic paste, 1/2 tsp each of kalonji or whole cumin seeds, 1 tsp of fennel seeds, 1/4 tsp of turmeric powder, 1/2 tsp chili powder or cayenne pepper, salt to taste.

Wishing you and yours every happiness this season.

We didn’t have long to wait before it began it’s rapid journey to bloomdom.  We had a tall stalk with a bud in no time at all and then the bud unfolded and exploded into an enormous four piece firework of reds, yellows, greens, and pearly white.  Gorgeous!

Of course life hurriedly swirled around our new beautiful flower and while I had intended to photograph it properly, all I managed was a few snaps one morning with the Canon point and shoot camera.  Luckily for me though, this fancy flower has shot up a second budded stalk that is in the process now of unfolding.  If it explodes into a gorgeous bloom before we leave next week, I’ll make myself find the time to shoot it properly.  But for now, the snaps…

Yesterday the children and I went up to France to shop for ski gear at a sports shop liquidation.  We stopped at a McDonalds first for lunch.  This little fast food shop is next to a farmer’s field across which is this gorgeous view of Mont Blanc!  We are so fortunate to be in another beautiful place.

Here is what driving looks like here.  Narrow roads, round-abouts, lots of rules – some posted on signs (in French, doh!), aggressive drivers, speed cameras… This is a small French village near the Swiss border.  My p&s camera is getting a good workout lately!

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Adding the verb aller – to go to some actual places to make sentences.
If you speak French well and find errors here, Please let me know.  I am just learning.

Je vais à la poste.
I am going to the post office.

Allez vers le droite, puis vers la gauche et puis droit devant.
Go to the right, then to the left and then straight ahead.

Ils vont au supermarché.
They are going to the supermarket.

Je vais à la banque et puis chez l’épicier.
I am going to the bank and then to the grocer.

Les enfants vont à l’école au centre ville.
The children go to the school downtown.

Préférez-vous aller à  pied, à bicyclette ou en voiture ?
Do you prefer to go by foot, by bicycle or by car?

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Last week’s tidbit was the verb aller - to go.
This week we’ll add some directions and destinations.
Next week I’ll try to put them together, which is not as simple as you might expect…