Halibut in Coconut Curry

Josh's first day of school is today, so last night I was on dinner duty while he prepped. I've long been meaning to cook more fish - or really, just to cook ANY fish. Flipping through trusty Jamie Oliver, I came up with nothing great (all those roasting recipes might look better in the fall), but then I took out the Vij's cookbook my folks gave Josh for Christmas. There was an easy-looking halibut curry recipe. Sold.

I got the halibut at Whole Foods and Josh brought 19 million spices from Philadelphia, so we were all set, except for the curry leaves. Hm. Curry leaves. Supposedly one has to have a series of connections in Indian grocery stores in order to locate these curry leaves, when they are fresh, and go pick them up under cover of night, or first thing at 10am when the delivery truck shows up. Not an option at 7pm. So I fried some dry bay leaves instead and proceeded with the garlic, pureed onion, tomatoes and spices, simmering all the water out, and then added the coconut milk and water.

The halibut got panko'd and gently fried in a pan, which meant that then you get to do that thing they do in fancy restaurants, where they serve you the nice fish, and then pour the sauce over it in front of you.

Whole Foods also supplied some decent garlic naan and we used the rice cooker (definitely the appliance I was most skeptical about putting on the registry...and now use most often! Thanks Cristina!) and MAN O MAN was this dish delicious. The cayenne gave it a subtle heat and yes it was too salty, but perhaps only restaurant salty, and the coconut was not overpowering in any way but just there, unctuous, with the bright tomatoes and the tender flaky halibut, with some panko crunch to keep things interesting.

It was actually really delightful to cook for Josh. Whether this is tapping into some inner wifely self or just easier (sans kitchen tension when we are cooking together) remains to be seen.

Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943 – Plog Photo Blog

Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943 – Plog Photo Blog: "Captured: America in Color from 1939-1943
Posted Jul 26, 2010

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These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. The photographs are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color."

Update on Belt Mystery

Turns out, boring, it's from my colleague-in-Tanzania's mother-in-law. His son left the belt at grandma's house. Just in case anyone was still following this story.

Freelancing for Big Pharma

I just submitted an article that Bayer asked me to write for their Public Health Journal. Mama needs a new couch!

It was fun, though, and good for the writing exercise. I do feel significantly more confident about tackling actual articles for peer-review now, so the benefits are more than monetary.

I don't think it will count towards Josh's and my race to publish first, though...so that's still on!

Is someone trying to tell me something?

I got a package at work from Kathy Kling of Canton Ohio.

I don't know Kathy, but I opened it.

Inside was a boy's black web belt, with a gray dragon pattern on it. The belt appears to have originated in China, via Target.

It is too small.

What the what?!

Wordless Weekend

Because I'm lazy writing an article and not supposed to be having fun in the evenings: a slideshow.



It was delicious!

If you were one of the photographers, or just interested in seeing all 200+ photos in their gory (and cute, depending on the subject) detail - you may visit the full photo album.

New Digs

This weekend we're in Ambre d'Hotes, a B&B right on the main road not too far from Pointe des Almadies. The hotel website falsely advertises a pool, but the place is charming. We've met some lovely ladies from Unicef Zimbabwe and Zambia who were here for an HR meeting, and there are pretty delicious evening 3-course dinners with wine, for a very reasonable price. The internet is fairly good depending on your room, and you can watch the World Cup games on one of the African channels (the Ivorian one seemed to have the best sound), but not CNN. Which is perhaps a relief.

During the week there have been power cuts, and on Wednesday evening the transformer caught on fire. The generator ran Thursday night and by Friday the electricity was back to normal. Mighty quick service in my experience!



Terrace where breakfast and dinner are served, behind the main building.


View of the main building, from the back garden. The things that look like giant wooden Q-tips are mortars. Or pestles. The thing you pound with, not the receptacle.


The back building. My room is the second floor.


Burned out transformer. I totally slept through the whole thing.