Stories By Mina Khan: The #DjinnsDilemma Birthday Bash & SurPrizes!

Stories By Mina Khan: The #DjinnsDilemma Birthday Bash & SurPrizes!: Remember when you were a kid and you used to love birthdays? Well, I still do…especially when it’s of my first published story. The Djinn's Dilemma just turned one Nov. 1. So we are going to CEL-A-BRATE! With a month-long Birthday Bash and Surprizes!!! So make sure you click the link above & check it out!

And here's the virtual cake I picked for the birthday bash:

The Chocolate Wrap Cake by Designer-Cakes

Happy November, y'all!

Bombay Toasts (A Spicy take on the French Toast) & Thoughts on Eggs

Recently eggs have been on my mind. Yes, we are right at the beginning of Easter, which is very egg-centric. But also, my Mom --the egg donor of my existence--moved in with me recently and I have been spending a lot of time with her.

(picture courtesy of The Innovation Diaries which has a very cool article on How To Raise Chickens To Lay Eggs)

I have always thought eggs fragile. Perhaps it has something to do with the Humpty-Dumpty poem from my childhood. In 2011, before my father's death, I wrote:

Heavy, dark clouds massed, as if ordered by a general, at a point right above Sarah’s tiny blue car. From above it looked like a robin’s egg lost from a nest. Thunder boomed and lurid purple lightning cracked the sky, warning of an impending storm.

(The Djinn's Dilemma, Harlequin, 2011)

Well today, my mother is the lost egg. It's been three months, but my mother is still trying to cope with the loss of my father and the end of a happy 53-year-old marriage. There are days she simply falls apart and I have to do my best to hold her together. A lot of tissues, hugs, and listening is involved.

I want to fix her hurt, but I can't. So instead, I seek to comfort. In my family, we often express our love through food. Since she's been staying with me, I have discovered she loves eggs. So I make eggs...in different variations to tempt her and make her smile.

While many of you might be more familiar with sweeter French Toast dusted with powdered sugar, my mother prefers golden Bombay Toasts spiked with green chilies and cilantro.

Recipe

2 eggs
1 large shallot, peeled and thinly sliced (or a bit more)
1 to 2 green chilies (these are slightly larger versions of Thai chilies), thinly sliced
2 tablespoons coriander, minced
pinch of turmeric
salt & pepper
a splash of milk
6 to 8 slices of a French Baguette (though traditionally, 3 pieces of white breads cut on the diagonal into triangle is the way to go. But Mom likes this better.)
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)
2 tablespoons oil or butter

Directions:

1. In a bowl, whisk together eggs through milk. (Um, yes discard the egg shells)
2. Heat the oil or butter in a frying pan.
3. Dip a few slices of bread in the egg mixture, making sure to coat both sides.
4.Place in hot pan, sprinkle a bit of cheee on top if using and drizzle a bit more of the egg mix on top of that. Fry until brown, golden and crispy on both sides.

5. Repeat until all the bread is done. Serve warm. Enjoy!

This post has been brought to you by #Letslunch, a gathering of food bloggers from around the world. Here are a few other egg-citing posts!

HapaMama's Homestyle Chinese Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes

Cheryl's Singapore-Style Chai Poh Scramble

Denise's Beet Dye & Pink Deviled Eggs

Felicia's Fried Egg Sandwich

Lucy's Tie-Dye Easter Eggs & Oldfashioned Boiled Dressing

Happy Halloween! 3 Flavors of Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Happy Halloween everyone! I apologize for lagging behind on foodie posts...but I have my book, THE DJINN'S DILEMMA (Nothing whatsoever to do with food, but the hero is yummy!), coming out from Harlequin tomorrow and that's been keeping me busy. However, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays ever, so I couldn't resist :)

The family had a lot of fun creating this fantabulous pumpkin display :) Then the DH decided to clean the seeds out of the mushy gunk & experiment in the kitchen. So he made three different batches of roasted pumpkin seeds.

(Image from Trojan News...it was so perfect, I had to share...if that's a problem let me know, and I'll remove it)

Now the basic recipe for home-roasting pumpkin seeds is simple:

2 cups of raw whole pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons melted butter or oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Toss seeds in a bowl with butter/oil and seasoning.
3. Spread the seeds in a single layer on a foil-covered baking sheet (the foil makes cleanup easy). Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Now the DH experimented with different additions (yup, I'm a good influence):

1. He replaced the seasoning with a Cajun spice-blend. This was spicy & yum! My favorite.

2. He added chili powder (the type with cumin in it) & brown sugar to one batch. Kids & he liked it.

3. For the third batch, he added Italian Spice-blend, garlic powder & parmesan cheese. This was the pretties to look at & pretty darn yummy :)

Let me tell you, the entire house smelled divine thanks to this experiment :D

I hope you're having a fun & festive Halloween! Do you have a favorite flavor of roasted pumpkin seed?