Inspiration.......yet again. Short-lived they have been so far, let's see how far this goes. Inspired by riascollection.blogspot.com, which by the way is a great piece of work and kudos to Ria, this is going to be loosely based on my wife's and my culinary adventures. We shall start with my absolute favorite concoction, flan, or our version of it. By the way, allrecipes is a great resource, but please make sure you read the reviews of each recipe.

The first time Pinku tried her hand at it was for my first birthday after we got married. She threw the most wonderful surprise party, which completely bowled me over, and finally had this decadent, melt-in-your-mouth, goodness that everyone who was there that night remembers. She's always maintained that the credit isn't hers, but to the simplicity of the recipe, you can't possibly go wrong, just follow the instructions. I've heard of people who grab a tub of icecream and a spoon and decimate the tub in front of the tv, over the course of a evening, and I used to grimace. All that changed when I discovered flan. The only reason I would stop eating it is because I want to have some the next day as well. Every morsel is carefully sized so you can strike that balance between your tongue having enough flavor and being overwhelmed. I can go on, but I would rather not. Just as a picture is worth a thousand words, so is a taste, go try some some for yourself. You will not be disappointed.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Flan/Detail.aspx

Its been almost exactly a year and a half since I last posted something. This time is because Pinku won't rest until I pick this up again, which is not saying much as I never did have it going. I've promised her I'll make a more sincere effort at putting down my ramblings. We've been in Naperville close to three weeks now and have finally begun to feel settled in. I don't have to think anymore about which exit to take to go out, and I don't feel for non-existent switches on walking into dark rooms. This is not to say we have nothing left to do, I haven't got my fishing license yet, which is going to soon become an ice-fishing license, then there's an oil change before I put the motorcycle into hibernation, etc. etc..

Its been a lovely day and having vowed to enjoy at least part of it we sauntered down the Riverwalk earlier this evening. People were out en masse, having had the same idea. There were cute dogs, cuter kids, and their owners/parents all over the place. There were even three anglers near the second bridge to the west, and I had no idea you could fish there. In fact one of them caught a small bass, I think, around 6" long, while we stood there. The other two were using pieces of hot dogs as bait, although the chunks did seem too big for whatever fish may have been in that little stream. The sight has rejuvenated my angling spirit, I have to get my Illinois license this week.

On Saturday we visited Devon Ave, the oft talked about Desitown of Chicago, and there was no denying what gave it its reputation. From the betel stains on the sidewalk to the wrappers in the gutter, the people walking around inside and outside the stores, the stores that sold everything from lipstick to suitcases in a 400 sq. ft space, it could have been any street in India. Even the displays were arranged the way you would see them back home. What the difference was, I couldn't say, but it looked familiar.

That's enough rambling for today. I have a list of things to look into.