Homecoming and MLLA - 51

The last time I hosted Susan’s very popular monthly event MLLA, World Cup cricket was on and I was blogging while watching the finals. India won that the world cup that day and my seat on the sofa henceforth has been reserved for all cricket finals as a good luck charm (!?). This time around, no such momentous event is on except the kid has started first grade. It is another reminder of how fast time is flying and the exponential speed with which he is growing.

This year has been an especially important year for him. Not only did he graduate KG but he got to experience India at its best for two whole months. He played and bonded with his cousins, marvelled at finding out the numerous uncles and aunts and distant relatives he has and enjoyed getting pampered by two sets of grandparents. He loved the overnight train journeys to different cities and riding by rickshaws and local buses. When on the road, he loved the freedom of not having to strap himself in a car seat and vicariously drank in the colorful street scenes from the inside of the car window. He couldn’t stop pointing out the dogs, cows, camels and bulls he could spot wherever we would go.

Not all was fun and games for him though. He did not get used to the wet bathrooms he had to use a bunch of times in the day or the humid heat of Ahmedabad or the crowds when we went exploring the market or the movies. He did pick up a smattering of Hindi though and we are trying our best to make sure he retains at least some of the language.

It has been almost a month since we came back from the two month vacation. I won’t use that excuse to justify my absence from this space. Though I must admit it is good to be back in my own kitchen, sleeping in my own bed and getting back to my normal routine. One of my goals for the rest of the year is to blog at least a couple of times a month if not more and Susan’s event could not have come at a better time, giving me the perfect reason to start penning “mundane observations” and collecting some legume recipes on the way.

So here I am announcing MLLA - 51.  If you have been blogging for a while you know what the rules are to send in your entrees. In case you don’t, here they are written down for you followed by the prizes you can win in the random drawing.

* Recipes of all courses and cultures are welcome and since this blog is not restricted to vegetarian or vegan cooking, non-vegetarian entrees are welcome as well. 

* Multiple recipes are permitted but limited to 10 per participant (although only one submission will be counted towards the random drawing/s).  I mean come on, the event is held every month. I am sure you can wait another month to post that “must-blog-legume” recipe.

* Recipes submitted to other events are also permitted, but other events might have different rules so please make sure you don’t get disqualified in your enthusiasm to send out entrees.

* Recipes from archives can be accepted ONLY if updated and reposted as current.

* Recipes from those who do not blog are accepted and make the participants eligible to win a prize.

* I do need to know the location of participants in order to know who qualifies to win both or one of the prizes (See # 3 below). (Hurst cannot ship outside the U.S.)  If you don’t want me to publish your location, I won’t. But please do let me know where you are located in order for me to slot you in the random drawing.

* Use of logo is optional but recommended.

* If you do send in photos, which I know most of you will, please try to resize it to the smallest dimension you can. It is less work for me which translates to a quicker roundup.

* Send in your entries by October 5^th to jayawagle@gmail.com with MLLA - 51 in the subject line.

* I will try to post the round-up during the first week October give or take a few days.

* Please make sure to link your entry to this post and to Susan’s host line-up page. I will personally make sure each entry has been linked properly so make sure you do not forget this important rule.  

* Now, for those of you who are still in doubt about what constitutes a legume here is a quick rundown.

Legume:  Legumes include fresh or dried beans, lentils and pulses. I will also accept entries which use the edible pods that contain these seeds as well as derivative products like tofu, soyflour or besan. For the blogger who is not aware tamarind, fenugreek, carob, peanuts, etc. are among some of the other edible plants in the legume family which ARE included in the event. 

* I would like to emphasize that a spoonful or soupcon of a legume does not usually qualify. Depending on the kind of legume you use, I can make an exception but generally try to keep legumes as the main ingredient of the dish and not an auxiliary component. 

 

Now for the prizes for writing, photographing and linking those delicious legume recipes:

1.       TheEverything Juicing Book. This prize is offered by Susan without influence at her expense, and she will also absorb worldwide shipping charges.  F.T.C. Notice: Susan does not receive any compensation from Amazon.

2.       Hurst Bean Box - A case of six bags of the winner's choice of Hurst Bean products, suitable for every diet, sponsored by Hurst Bean. (Due to shipping restrictions, this prize can only be awarded if the winner is a U.S. resident.) F.T.C. Notice: In May 2010, Susan, at her request, received two Hurst Bean complimentary products which are not available for purchase in her local markets. Susan does not generally accept free products from Hurst Bean nor is she financially compensated by them.

3.       Drawing Structure - If the winner is a U.S. resident, she/he will be the recipient of both Prizes 1 and 2 above.  In the event that an international winner is drawn, a second drawing will be conducted from the U.S. pool of entrants to ensure that the Hurst Prize is awarded every month.  In these instances, the international winner will receive the book, and the U.S. winner will receive the Hurst Prize.

So get blogging and send in those entrees and stay tuned for some stories from India.