We are in another year

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As per tradition I should have written a post on the last day of 2013 marking the first anniversary of Write Around the Corner. But loads of work thanks to my project review mid-January, an immediate and opposite reaction to go into inertness following its completion and the desire to keep myself warm inside a quilt in this winter weather, held me from blogging my thoughts into words. And before I could help it, here I am already 25 days into the new year.

Looking back there were some promises that I had made when 2013 had just started. They were:

To communicate more with those I care for. 
To write on this blog regularly.
To take time out for doing the things that I used to like to do.
To increase my enthusiasm for cooking.
To reduce my complaint reports to a minimum.

Reviewing myself I scored in a few, failed in a couple of them and interestingly accomplished a thing or two that I hadn't even listed. The curious reader might wonder what are then my plans for the remaining 340 days? Honestly they are pretty much the same as above.

If you were to read that post of mine (see here) then you will find me relying solely on "my will" to achieve my goals. I have come to realise that it was highly audacious of me to have said so. Reading Chapter 4 of the book of James of the New Testament one November morning is what shook me up, as its following verses say:

13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";
14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
15 Instead you ought to say "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that".
16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

So, this year there is going to be one big difference. This time while making every effort towards arriving at the end results that I desire, I will also entrust those very desires to the Lord's will.

Trial and error (1): Pan-fried lamb chops

One of the promises that I have listed to keep this year is to try out new recipes [Refer post 2]. To add a seriousness to it I have decided that on a minimum I will make one such attempt per month. Clearly I am no Julie Powell who completed the challenge of cooking all the 524 recipes from Julia Child's cookbook titled "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". While I admit I haven't read Julie Powell's book nor her famous blog where she wrote about her trials and errors, based on the movie Julie & Julia it looks like when she undertook the Julie/Julia Project she loved cooking and already had some skills in the kitchen. As I am not as much of a cooking enthusiast the low cap that I have self imposed can be forgiven. At the same time for having already begun on this journey so soon my determination should be applauded.

Wanting to start with an uncomplicated yet delicious recipe requiring little expertise, I chose Grilled Pan-fried lamb chops.

How I did it?
I followed Giada De Laurentis' recipe from foodnetwork.com but substituting thyme with mint leaves and adding juice of half of a lemon when making the marinade. For pan frying I used a little canola oil letting a tablespoon of butter melt into it before placing the lamb chops. I used shoulder lamb chops which are a bit harder. Since I wanted them well done, I cooked both sides of the chops for 10 min each. I served the chops with based potatoes and boiled peas with a dash of butter.

Notes on cooking technique.
My first comment on the final outcome is that I should have made either more portions of the chops or served an appetizer before, as one piece was not filling enough. Secondly, it turned out that in my first attempt I had employed a cooking time of 15 min on each side which was more than necessary and made the meat slightly firm. When I remade this dish a couple of days ago, based on directions given on ehow.com I first fried each side for 5-6 min. But I found that the meat remained undercooked. Frying each side additionally for 5 min on high flame made it just right. The meat was cooked through as well as slightly tender.

My husband's verdict.
His rating for the dish: 7/10 which for me equals "not bad". He was happy though I made an effort.

This is how the Pan-fried lamb chops came out looking:

Pan-fried lamb chops for dinner

Promises to keep

If with Christmas comes good cheer and hope, then the arrival of a new year brings with it a sense of motivation. This is one time we inevitably end up looking back and up on evaluation want to make changes. But as the days fade away, occasionally so do the resolutions. Our inherent weakness and habit of coming up with excuses tend to get in the way. That is why on this last day of 2012 while making my list I am replacing every "I want to" with "I will". For once I intend to keep the following new year promises.

In 2013 I will be in better touch with my family and friends. I am going to start using the many easy means of communication available to us more effectively.

I will write more often. There are a number of issues that need awareness and debates and this blog is the perfect platform for voicing my concern.

Every once in a while I will set aside some time to do sketching. Home is where the (he)art is.

As per a recent suggestion made I will find new recipes, not necessarily of Indian dishes and give them a try. Then I will have more to offer on my platter. 

Finally, I will do my daily chores with the thought that they are all towards making someone happy and thereby, me.