Snake Gourd Kootu (புடலங்காய் கூட்டு)

Snake Gourd (புடலங்காய்) is one of our favorite veggies. However finding it in the US desi grocery stores is very rare. It is very seasonal and we are lucky if we get it here for a few months and getting good quality snake gourd .. we usually give up. 

So San comes back home from Indian store with a surprise for me. Great quality புடலங்காய்! Since pepper kootu is my eminent domain, she asked I make the kootu. Told her will do it on condition that it will be videoblogged.

The little one forced herself into the picture by being videographer. After some point mommy took over the camera..

Making the kootu is the easy part. Finding the vegetable is the hard part!

Hope the video is of help to folks who are trying to make milagu kootu with Pudalangaai..

Leaf review

A short video that pretty much explains the driving experience so far..

Very quiet drive in a small car. 

So far have gotten used to knowing all local distances so the whole "what if we just end up with a dead battery somehwere?" phobia is gone.. for everyone in the family.

We are also keeping to approximately 50 miles or less a day. 

The kids love the ride and San is slowly tempted to at least go Hybrid...

So, in short, the Leaf has done its job!

Pumpkinography 2012

This year took the kids to a new pumpkin patch, let the little one play for a few minutes on the "jumpy thingys" and got two pumpkins. One for Jr. to carve and one for Team "daddy and the little one" to carve. 

We did an okay job till daddy ruined the flying witch by detaching one side of the entire thing. Fortunately Balaji had enough small nails to get the witches hat and broom nailed back into the pumpkin. However, the nail head actually shows up in the photograph like bones in an x-ray! The other pumpkin came out great. Both Jr. and the little one are getting good at carving straight lines and small curves. 

We are happy with the end result though and it goes out on display outside the house tomorrow.

Here is the entire linup of pumpkins carved by all kids.

The kids have been convinced to go low budget on the costumes and the older one is going as a cat and the little one is going to be a devil again. She is proud to reuse the costume on condition that she gets to spend the money on something else at Target. Knowing she will spend money at Target anyways, it is a win win deal for daddy!

Pumpkin picking at a local patch and carving it at Balaji's has definitely become a family tradition to the point where the kids ask for it like a routine and look forward to it for a week in advance! Guess this is how family traditions start..