The Search for Miss Direction: Orange you glad it's India?

Back in February, for the first time we celebrated National Indian Pudding Day. I didn't comment on it then, but the cornmeal based pudding that made my kitchen smell absolutely divine was a huge flop. No one actually liked it and I ended up throwing 3/4 of it in the trash.

So imagine my consternation when I discovered that today again was National Indian Pudding Day. Further woe occurred when I found out it is to be celebrated yet again in November. What the heck? I was kind of hard pressed to make again (even a slight variation or different recipe) a dish that not one person at my house actually enjoyed.

Then, I thought, would if "Indian Pudding" could also be a pudding from India? I set out to see what I could find and came up with a recipe for kheer, which is a rice pudding traditional to India. It is much soupier, for lack of a better word, than a traditional English or American rice pudding and is flavored differently and topped with nuts, but same common idea. Score one for Kristi's creative streak. Score yet another one as everyone here really enjoyed this dish.

It is also National Orange Blossom Day, and I learned that an Orange Blossom is a drink of gin, orange juice and sugar. While Grant was able to partake, I had to come up with something different for the rest of us and found a recipe for Orange Blossom muffins that everyone (especially Noah) thought were great. I also went one step further and made an orange spiced chicken for dinner. Just in case I didn't have all my bases covered ;-)

Regardless of today's National celebrations, it has been one FABULOUS day at the Gatchel's. We did make it to outdoor story time this morning and I had invited some of the ladies (and their kiddos) from my MOPS group to join us. Let's just put it this way - sunshine, stories, hula hoops, adult conversation, picnic lunch and Frosty's for a treat all make for one very happy Gatchel crew. We made it home just in time for a bit of a snooze to try to beat the heat. Just as Grant was getting home a massive thunderstorm tore through. We'd been hoping to go to downtown Wixom for a concert and perhaps some fireworks but it was pretty evident that was no longer on the table. So we took the kiddos to the mall to see the puppies and play for a bit while I popped into Bath and Body Works to take advantage of their semi-annual sale. I was getting might low on my summer 'smells' a major no no around here. I believe that the soap smells in your house should match the seasons at all times and washing my hands with creamy pumpkin in July just seems wrong somehow.

Not sure about tomorrow, except that it will contain tapioca in a couple of different forms. Otherwise, I'm sure we'll come up with something! Until then...

Mini Orange Blossom Muffin

Super easy, super yummy - they had both orange juice and orange marmalade in them (And I say had because they are all gone already)

My Michigan princess ready for storytime

Aunt Sarah - the next series of pictures are for you. Be warned that your Champion Hula Hooper title is in jeopardy

We were having such a great morning we stopped at Wendy's for some frosty's on the way home (Am I a cool Mom, or what?)

Indian Rice Pudding (Kheer)

(Kristi's Note: I mentioned above that this is traditionally 'soupier' than what we think of rice pudding. This is true normally but I also made mine ahead and refrigerated it, which caused a lot of the extra milk to be soaked up. I decided not to add any extra milk (which the recipe stated you could) and we had it this way. Kheer can be served warm or cold, though most of what I read said it was better cold)