Not sure if you know, but I have a darling niece Annabelle (Annu) who's just a month younger than Issac. She is an absolute doll, and I'm not exaggerating. She is the cutest baby girl I've ever seen. She doesn't smile easily at strangers like Issac but when she does, Oh my God, it could melt a rock!
Even though we are in the same country, it still takes couple of hours on a flight to get to them, so I'm not able to see as much of her as I'd have liked to. I have this dream of her and Issac growing up to be best buddies since they're the same age and all. My brother and I being brought up abroad missed out on the closeness and friendships between cousins and not a day goes by when I don't regret not trying a bit harder to get to know them.
I don't want that for Kochu & Annu. Like someone once said "Cousins are those childhood playmates who grow up to be forever friends", that's what I want for them and all our children. Sometimes, I wonder if we should just pack up and go back home. Wouldn't growing up in a joint family be just wonderful? Children in joint families learn to be flexible in life, learn lessons of patience, tolerance, cooperation and adjustment because they have to live happily with people of different mentalities. They start to appreciate the fact that no two people in this world are exactly same; no two people can be equally good or bad as the other, at a very early age. At the same time they can enjoy their childhood too with lots of kids of their age group, who also happen to be their blood relations.
I'm not saying that children growing up in nuclear families have no sense of family values but just that it can create a disconnect between your child and your extended family. I wish that our children get to spend at least some part of their childhood amongst their grandparents and all paternal cousins. It would help them learn a few lessons for a lifetime. Then again these are just my views and so don't expect you to be in total agreement with me. But, just a thought for the day, eh?
Now back to business. Lately I've been feeding Kochu quite a lot of soups. It is the easiest possible way of getting the most nutrients into him without compromising the look or taste. Today's' recipe is a family favorite and can be spiced up a bit more for adults. This is so easy to make and its a dish that can be shared by the whole family rather than having to make something else for the baby.
Coming up next Pumpkin & Apple Soup... Watch this space :)
Corn Chowder
Source :Jamie's Dinners
1 celery stalk
1 medium onion
1 ½ tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 cups 1% milk (refer notes)
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into little cubes
3 spring onions
2 cups frozen corn
¼ cup chopped fresh chives and/or parsley (optional)
1. Pull the leaves from the celery stalks and set them aside. Chop your celery and onion.
2. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Add the celery (not the leaves), onion, and thyme. Stir until the vegetables start to brown.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir for a few more minutes. Pour in the milk, add the potato and bring to a boil, stirring the whole time so the soup doesn't stick to the pot. Cook until the potatoes are tender, but not mushy – this will take around 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, chop the celery leaves, trim the ends off the spring onions and slice them thinly. When the potatoes are tender, stir in the corn, spring onion and celery leaves. Bring the soup back to the boil, then serve.
Bon appetit!
Bon appetit!
Notes
I didn't have 1% milk on hand so I used 1 cup vegetable stock and 2 cups milk instead. Still tasted pretty good.
