Sri-Lankan Cooking 101

It's not easy to be a Sri-Lankan housewife... Your husband says "Hey Love, It would be really nice to have a snack right now." So, you get to work... First you peel some potatoes. Next, boil them and dice them finely. Then get some ground chicken and saute it with some onions and spices. About 30 minutes later, you get started on the second part... you make a batter and one by one, you make individual mini crepes. Ok, now your husband is really getting hungry... but, we're still not done here! Part three... ok, now it's looking like a snack... you can start filling those crepes with the nice chicken and potato mixture. Hey, why aren't we eating yet? But, there's still more work to do... Part four, batter each roll and then start deep frying them - 3 at a time - we want them to be nice and crispy! Approximately four hours later, make a piping hot cup of tea and get ready to serve your husband a Sri-Lankan "snack!"

Here in America, it's a little bit easier... he's hungry - I open a bag of Chex Mix (extra bold, because after all, he's Sri-Lankan)... and 10 seconds later, we're eating! Hmmm... I don't think I'll ever truly be the perfect Sri-Lankan housewife. Good thing we had Janaki over... so we could enjoy her handmade, perfect in every way, Sri-Lankan snack - the "Chinese Roll."




Thank you Janaki for being so patient and showing me every step. I don't think I'll ever attempt to make them by myself, but I might try to make your delicious Chicken Curry.



Last, but not least, Lakmal showed off his cooking skills as well, with a little beef dish... I guess you could say, it's kind of like Chex Mix.... small pieces, flavorful, spicy... except it's made out of beef!



Thank you Lakmal and Janaki - for coming all the way from Seattle to visit us and for sharing your cooking talents with us.



While I'm on the subject of Sri-Lanka...

It's a very sad day at the Nizam house. Our dear brother-in-law, Damith Fernando, passed away yesterday. Firoze is currently on his way to Sri-Lanka to take care of his sister, who has just had her world turned upside down. Say extra prayers for us during this sad and stressful time.

Oh Pumpkin Roll... You were worth the drive!

We have to do it every year... it's what fall is all about. Sometimes we are by ourselves and sometimes we are lucky enough to share it with friends and family, or friends that feel like family. This year, we had our fall trip to Burt's Farm with Lakmal and Janaki.

Burt's Farm is perfect for a fall drive and delivers on beautiful light and picturesque backdrops for pictures of the boys. But, the real reason to drive there is for the Pumpkin Roll. Yes, every year the drive seems to get longer and longer and this year was no exception. I know we were in that car for at least an hour and forty five minutes. But, once you are there - it is the definition of fall. Big pumpkins, little pumpkins, pumpkin roll, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin butter... are you sick of pumpkins yet? Not me! Fall is my favorite time of year and what could be better than seeing the leaves changing colors, enjoying a beautiful fall day with my family and friends and eating pumpkin roll!

Dean was my angel baby as always - putting up with me dressing him up in cashmere!





I can't help but kiss these chubby cheeks every chance I get!







Devon is my child model - he puts up with 50 different requests to "say cheese!" "look this way" "smile" and he never fails to give me a few perfect pictures. These are my favorites!









This is Janaki - our sweet and beautiful friend (and best of all, a great cook!)



After forcing the boys to take too many pictures with pumpkins, we had a picnic lunch next to a stream. Devon decided that he wanted to get all "Sri-Lankan Style" in the creek, so we let him roll up his pants and pretend to be adventerous. True adventurers don't have a parent hovering over them in case they slip on a rock and float down a creek, but hey, he's only 4!





After getting our fill of pumpkins, we headed up the road to Amicalola Falls. I don't know what we were thinking, but obviously the higher elevation must have messed up our minds. For some strange reason, we thought we were hikers...



It actually turns out that to be a hiker, you have to be able to walk up a mountain. Well, despite not wearing hiking boots and having two kids to carry and or drag up these steps, we made it to the top. It wasn't pretty - we were sweating and our legs were trembling. The only one that still had any energy was Devon. Now, why couldn't he carry me back down the mountain???

This was the view from the top. Don't be fooled - these "hikers" were huffing and puffing, but they managed to hold it together and make it look easy for this photo!





After our hike, we rewarded ourselves... with pumpkin roll! It was so worth it!