Oh, I Didn't Mean Naan, He Says

Well, I actually made a Pakistani spicy chickpea dish for the hubby. He loved it and asked me to make it again. Immediately, when all the leftovers were finished. *Runs victory lap*

Then, I decided to push my luck and make some Naan. Which I know my husband had asked for because I remember having him spell it for me.

I bought yeast. I kneaded dough. Then let it rise. Then did it again. Hours of fun. I worked over a hot grill pan for over 2 hours, making them 2 at a time. They cook up so fast, but that is little consolation when the recipe ends up making four thousand of them.

I was so proud of myself! The hubby said they tasted authentic. They were impossible to shape into a circle. I essentially made polygon bread. I was assured that it is always like this. Professoinal Naan-ers make them funny shaped, too.

The husband was very happy with them. I think they sort of tasted like a tortilla and a pancake had a baby, but okay.

*Takes a moment to dream of fluffy artisan bread*

After all this (YEAST! KNEADING!), the husband says, "Oh, wait. I didn't mean Naan. I meant Roti."

Roti is a bread that does not involve kneading or yeast... Or hours of work, supposedly.

*Husband very quickly leaves room after saying this, laughing at the look on my face all the way across the house*

Happy Ramadan!

Ramadan is here and I have the fridge full of hearty meals like steak and mashed potatoes (Boursin cheese should be illegal, it's so good!) and spicy ground beef over rice. I already worry whether the husband is eating enough and how he's feeling and what else I can get him so he makes it through the day okay.

I feel pretty guilty since I 'm not even trying this year. We agreed that if I did, I'd end up in the hospital. Technically, if one has the problems I've had since my surgery, I'm not supposed to be doing it anyway. *Gives thumbs up to the sky, has some lunch*

I have to figure out what lentils are and where I can find them in the store. The normal store. I can't go to the special store. Although I'm sure everyone would be lovely, there will always be a part of me that thinks they're looking at me the way my in-laws do. I'd open the door and there would be audible gasps and whispering. I would prefer not to be presented with a better wife option for my husband while shopping for food to make experimental meals full of things that A) I've never heard of and B) that are too spicy for me to eat. That would sound like a crazy exaggeration if that had not actually happened when my husband brought me to meet his family, after we were engaged. Surprise, Happy Wife and Husband, here's the lady he's supposed to marry!

Of course, maybe I deserve it since we've been together 7 years now and garam marsala is a new word to me today. Doesn't marsala mean wine? Kill me now, please. I'm no expert, but I have the "no alcohol" part down. I may, however, start drinking at some point in the near future.

*Update* I have since discovered that I am even more of a moron than previously thought. Masala, without any r, is the word I wanted there. After searching the shelves of spices, and there are a lot of spices on those shelves, I came home to discover one can make their own by combining a bunch of spices at home. There are lots of different versions of garam masala that one can make at home. I'm using the one where I either have the spices already or where I have at least heard of most of the spices in the recipe.

Don't even ask me about ghee. Ghee is the sound my laugh makes when I have a cold, right? There are a zillion Muslims in the world but only 3 dahl recipes on allrecipes.com. And all 3 are Indian, which may explain the marsala. I just typed Indiana instead of Indian there - ha ha ha. Someone's roots are too deep, I guess. Like the 79,123 people who have saved the ginger cookie recipe on the site, I just want to make cookies. Watch some Hoosiers. And put up my Christmas tree.

That last part is a lie. The idea of getting my Christmas stuff out right now is exhausting. There will have to be extensive cleaning and then the hauling of all the decorations from the basement, and well, I'm tired just thinking about all that is going to go into that.

And don't get me started on Naan. My non-cooking husband has been saying he's going to make Naan. He's said this for about 6 months. Since this is a man who doesn't make toast, the fact that he thinks he knows how to make Naan is sort of hilarious. He says it is made with flour and water. He says he has no idea how much flour or how much water. Oh, but he's gonna make it. The end.

Someone may have sarcastically said "Oooo, yummy" to that. I plead the 5th.

Again, I see why my in-laws would want to take away my wife card.

I just looked up Naan recipes and the one with the highest rating has 11 ingredients, including flour and water. There ya go, Husband. And... Another one of those ingredients is yeast. Which I have always been too afraid to use and have never, ever, ever bought. Awesome. Ramadan is gonna be entertaining this year in the Happy Wife household. Hope I get to keep my eyebrows.