the magic of yogurt and mixed pickle

Uschi gave me a jar of mixed Indian pickle.
Kelly left an enormous amount of homemade yogurt at my house.

So lately I make up some rice with various vegetables and spices. A big scoop of yogurt, a small scoop of pickle and I am in delight.

Here is how I make my rice:

1. In my favorite Cutco Pan, some ghee and heat
2. Add some mustard seeds, maybe some cumin seed, maybe some coriander seed or maybe some favorite curry powder...you have a lot of freedom here. Lately I always add some turmeric cuz i like the color of the yellow rice.
3. Add your vegetables like fennel, carrot, onion, whatever, OR wait till you add the rice.
4. Add the rice and stir. Saute for a little bit.
5. Pour on less water than you think.
6. Bring to a boil. Place sliced chard or kale or spinach or other such greens on top of the water, cover and turn heat to super low. 10 minutes.

Thinking About Making My Own Yogurt

I surrounded by people with amazing skills.

Yesterday over at Sara and Alana's house, Sara offered me some goat milk yogurt made by her pal Nikki Anne. The perfect wholeness, tartness and consistency had me scarping the jar clean.

Harold McGee has an article on how to make your own yogurt in the NYT today.

I have always shied from these sorts of projects, but now that my cooking has gotten way simpler, maybe I have the room.

Brown Cow Creme Yougurt with Olivia's Apricot Jam

in a bowl, stir the creme top yogurt until smooth.
add olivia's apricot jam and stir to blend
add some ground cardamon