Cooking!

So, one of the "traditions" at this farm is that each WWOOFer cooks a meal for the family while they are here. Elly cooked the last night shttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhe was here, so I got to have some as well- it was ravioli (I helped make each little ravioli "pouch"), and it was ridiculously good; they were filled with either mushrooms and cheese or broccoli and cheeshttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gife, http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifand they had a white cream sauce.
I cooked last night; I decided to make the lentil daal that I had made at the first farm (but this time with the experience of the first time, which made a significant difference). I used this recipe but tried to add extra garlic, ginger, and spices. I also made raita (recipe) two nights earlier to go along with it, as well as naan (recipe).
Verdict: success. Everyone seemed to like it, and everyone ate a lot (even the kids! Well, they didn't eat a lot, but they finished what they had on their plates, which they don't always do) which is the real test of how good a dish is. I have to say, I was also really pleased. The daal was nicely spiced; the raita was tasty and went well with the daal, and the naan was not only super simple to make, but honestly really good! The daal seemed to me like it lacked a bit of sweetness; next time I might try to caramalize the onions a bit more. I think adding a bit more tomato paste (based on how much I made, I don't think I added enough) as well as even more ginger and garlic (really, can you ever have enough?) and it will even more delicious. Cooking is fun! Who knew!
I leave in 4 days to meet up with my parents; so glad I'm coming back afterwards, or else I would start to be sad. I also bought my ticket to go to London (leaving from this farm on June 2nd), and switched my plane ticket to July 6 from Paris (still Business Class, yes!) Should probably start looking at farms in the UK (and figuring out the best way to get around). I'm torn between wanting to go to Ireland, and wanting to stay in England or Scotland due to relative ease of transportation. But... Guinness! We will see.