Frozen Fruit Salad

Dear Hannah,

A few weeks ago, my cousin, Mary Catherine, emailed me about a recipe for frozen fruit salad. Since then, I have been pondering the salad, craving the salad, trying to make the salad and researching recipes for the salad. Nashville is a great city for many things, but especially for fruit tea and frozen fruit salad. The one I made at your house (a week ago) I totally made up. It contained a package of strawberry Jello mix, a tub of cool whip, a can of crushed pineapple, and fresh cherries and banana. It was pretty yummy, but paled in comparison to the one I had today at Merridee's Breadbasket in downtown Franklin. (Remember, it's the Swedish bakery where they have the amazing cinnamon-raisin bread?) They have just released the second volume of their cookbook. I hope their frozen fruit recipe is in there! Here is a recipe I found in Recipes from Miss Daisy:

Pink Arctic Freeze (What a great name!)
1 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
2 Tbs mayonnaise
2 Tbs sugar
16 oz can whole berry cranberry sauce
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Beat cream cheese, mayo and sugar with an electric mixer. Add cranberry sauce and pineapple. Mix well. Fold in whipped cream. Freeze in a 9x9 dish. Cut into squares to serve.

MC, I hope this helps satisfy your craving. Hannah, will you post a picture from the one I made in WA?

love,
Ellen

Curry Supper

Dear Hannah,

This past spring, I took an Indian cooking class through USN's evening classes. It was really fun because I learned how to make ghee and how to use a masala dabba. I got one masala dabba from the class instructor, which I keep with the one from my friend Bijal who has also taught me a lot about Indian cooking. (Thank you Bijal!)



Hopefully I will make some puri soon and document it here. Like this guy:



So, in the class I also learned how to make gravy - not the Southern kind, but the oniony-tomatoey kind that makes Indian food so yummy delicious. I made this tonight - Chicken Do-Piaza Recipe. I added eggplant that I picked up from the produce place (regretting not taking a picture). They were called fairytale eggplant and were so cute! I will have to go by this week and snap a photo. Anway, supper came out looking like this:



I'm sure it would not have tasted like Indian food to a person actually from India (I'm a wimp when it comes to chilies), but the hubby liked it.

FYI: When I make Indian food, I use ALL of my dishes. I'm up for suggestions on how not to do that.

I wish I could say "bon appetit" in Hindi...

xoxo,
Ellen

Catch up

Dear Hannah,

How I miss you! It feels so long since I saw you yet it was only days ago! So much has transpired since I got off the plane in Nashville. Most dramatically, we're thinking of putting an offer on this house.

How cute is it?!? It is a LONG shot, but we feel hopeful.

Anyway, in an effort to keep our blog organized (a skill I struggle with), I'm going to post the Indian dinner separately.

I love you, dear friend.

Ellen