Sunday Evening Wind Down

Well, all good things must come to an end. Shirin had to leave her hubby with their friends to come back to the house to study cat reproduction and cat behavior for today's test. "Cats" is a subject she knows a lot about and the studying appeared to be relatively easy. This is a good thing because on the other couch was a sleepy but chatty father.....

..... who interrupted a lot as usual! Calvin took advantage of the situation and enjoyed all the lovin' he could get.

Chappu sat with me on the other chair.

Once Gabriel came home Saeed couldn't resist getting into a conversation with them about how their lives are going to change once the baby gets here, and did Gabriel really know what he was getting into!

The interrogator in action.

Fortunately the young couple doesn't look outdone by the insinuation that "life as they know it is over!"

Flag Football

What a gorgeous day Sunday! Saeed, Gabriel and Shirin met David, Jenny and Clayton at Winthrop Lake for a friendly game of flag football. It was sunny, in the upper 60's and actually almost hot in the sun. They came prepared with flags, football and plenty of water.

This was the Red Team.

This was the Yellow Team.

Although Gabriel is on the Red team, he is always the one to run these games. Fortunately he is a trustworthy director as evidenced by the Yellow team's rapt attention.

David gives Jenny, who's from China and has never played football, a few tips about American football.

And the game begins!

You can see the ball in the air on the right. Since Saeed threw it I hope either Clayton or Shirin caught it!

Another scramble for the ball.

Saeed punts.

David throws one passed Saeed.

C'mon Shirin, grab David's flag!

I'm not sure if it's a legitimate strategy, but it looks like the running back from the Red team is making advances towards the defensive end from the Yellow team!

I don't know who won yesterday's game, but it was a lot of fun. Cha Cha would have had a blast. Afterwards some went out for Mexican food and others ate leftovers from Thanksgiving. Time for more naps!

Cooking and Eating And Sleeping

This first picture doesn't really fit with the title of this post but everyone has been asking whether Shirin is showing yet.

See for yourself.

This morning as I was putzing around in the kitchen I could hear Shirin and Gabriel laughing about something...

... apparently the website tells her the baby is about the size of an avocado. I believe they were comparing this to the fruit of last week's gestation!

Yesterday was a wonderful day. We cooked, ate Thanksgiving dinner, watched UGA football, and napped...

.... and napped ...

... and napped.

Chappu moved her nap to the kitchen area so she wouldn't miss out on all the activities.

Shirin and I pulled the meal together the way Tita and I did last year (Shirin was in Florida.) At least I've always had at least one daughter home each time.

I love feeding Gabriel. He's not fussy and enjoys almost everything.

I caught Shirin in action. She loves to take pictures of her meals. I'm sure you'll see the result on her blog!

It was so nice that Lisa stopped over and ate with us.

For people who wonder what we vegetarians eat for Thanksgiving we had mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, green bean casserole, a vegetarian meat substitute cooked in a poulty seasoning-type sauce, pumpkin pie, and pumpkin cream cheese roll.

Lisa took this photograph for us.

For those of you who still have Thanksgiving on Thursday, Happy Thanksgiving!!

(Early) Thanksgiving

Since Shirin and Gabriel will be with his family in Florida for Thanksgiving, we will be celebrating our Thanksgiving this weekend. Lisa also came home this weekend for the same purpose and stopped by to give Shirin some cute baby clothes. She couldn't wait to buy baby clothes and judging by the ruffles on those yellow bloomers it had better be a girl!
Aww.. such cute little shoes.

Doesn't everybody's Thanksgiving start off with some Diwali decorations?

I know Buddha isn't your traditional Hindu Diwali decoration, but my Buddhas are actually candle holders and added the necessary South Asian flair. The outer candles are actually orange (not yellow), white, and green, for the colors of the Indian flag.

Tomorrow we make the switch to cornucopia, pilgrims, cranberry sauce and fake turkey. Isn't life great? I'm Indian at Diwali, Persian at Norooz, Austrian at Christmas, and American at Thanksgiving.

Ash (Soup) For Gabriel's Grandma

These pictures are from the first visit between families, before Shirin and Gabriel got married, perhaps 2004. We decided to cook Persian food at our house and bring it to Gabriel and David's apartment. Everyone was a good sport at trying the new dishes, and we had fun making it for them. Gabriel's Grandma particularly like the soup and mentioned wanting the recipe. Of course I never remembered to send it, but recently she reminded me and I'm glad she did!

Brendan, Anahita, and cute little Grandma Ester.

David and Gabriel. No picture of Shirin.. she must have been taking the pictures.

Gene and Rita.

Saeed and I.

SO......

Be careful what you ask for Grandma Ester, because not only will you be receiving the recipe but Shirin and Gabriel will be bringing you some of the finished product when they come down for Thanksgiving. These are the ingredients you will need.

You will receive a copy of the recipe on the left - that's the one I follow too! And you will receive a few of the non-American ingredients as well, such as the reshteh (Persian noodles), dried mint, and the kashk, a thick yogurty type substance. Notice the well stained pages. That's a sign of a well-used and, therefore, good cookbook.

The soup should be made in a big pot (pot on right) but you'll need to cook the lentils separately first in a smaller pot (left.) For the other beans I cheat and use canned.

The finished product: Ash-e Reshte

To serve, don't fill your bowl to the top because you are going to add the kashk (white stuff on left) and the topping (right) made from onions sauteed in butter and mint.

Add some kashk to the hot soup...

.... stir to mix...

... sprinkle on the topping.

Nooshi Joon!

The Towel Monster

Since her arrival as a kitten Shahbanu has had a thing for fabric, especially towels. If she sees me walk in with a basket of clean towels she follows me till she can climb in and start digging around. This day was no different. I emptied the towels on the bed, folded a few, and then lost my rights to the remainder.

As I walked around to the other side she watched me closely.

Sure of her possession she poses regally, and then ...

... turns her head to let me know I'm no longer a threat.

Since the bath is a prelude to a long nap, I know that I've lost and should just come back to finish the job later. Sweet dreams Banu!