Monday, December 11, 2017

Dal Bukhara, Old School Merry-Go-Rounds, & Deliciously Ella Everyday!

Yesterday I told you that I made 2 Vegan Richa Recipes from her Indian Kitchen Cookbook.  This was the other one I made.  It was the Dal Bukhara which is Black Gram Lentils in Tomato Sauce.  I opted for 2 things in this recipe.  The optional liquid smoke and the vegan cream (I used vegan sour cream).  This made a HUGE batch!  Enough for 2 dinners last night as sides and a giant stand alone meal for myself tonight.  I LOVED both the Rajma and the Dal Bukhara from Vegan Richa!


Here's a closer look at the dish!  YUM!  Of course this was taken before I added the vegan sour cream!  One other thing I should note is that I used about a cup less water than the recipe suggested because I wanted a thicker, creamier texture.  I was pleased with my choices!  Have you tried this recipe yet?  Which recipes are your favorite if you do have the book?  Mine was a little bit more orange in color because I used orange tomatoes instead of standard red ones.


And speaking of Christmas Gifts and Vegan Cookbooks here is another one that I was lucky enough to add to my collection...Deliciously ELLA Every Day!

First and foremost I wanted to grab one of Ella's books because I didn't have any of hers in my collection yet.  Secondly, I comment on her blog and wanted a book to match.  And finally, anything that says Quick and Easy Recipes for Gluten-Free Snacks, Packed Lunches, and Simple Meals that are Plant-Based, Dairy-Free, and low-to-no-hassle I'm game!

There are a LOT of recipes in this book and the photography is beautiful!  I can't wait to jump in and see what I want to make first.  So far - I'm thinking the Pesto Lima Bean dish is calling me the most!



Another topic I have been teasing at the last couple of days is something neat I experienced on Friday Night.

A group of us went to a local restaurant/bar in a nearby small town that was celebrating their annual Christmas Walk.  Friends of ours lived within walking distance so we took a brisk speed walk back to their place but their parents lived just a few houses down and we've been hearing about this Old School Merry-Go-Round that they had and just HAD to see it!



It was inside a large garage with LOTS of other historical Merry-Go-Round items, old posters from county and state fairs, old pieces of art, dolls, wooden horses, historical items from Washington DC and other places, local and regional history, old video games, music memorabilia, cars, and much more!

It was pretty amazing to see all of this right in front of you and all at once.

His parents told us about how they started collecting everything, where they found the items, and how and who restored them.

Everything they had on display WORKED.  It was REALLY neat!



We even got to ride the one Merry-Go-Round.  This was the bigger of the two.  There was another - smaller one that was decorated with Christmas Tree Ornaments that were issued to members of the government throughout history in or around Washington, DC.

Once everything was turned on and running we had the original music playing on the Merry-Go-Round, too!

It's certainly not something you get to see or do everyday - that's for sure!

It was very Old Timey Carnival Complete with freshly popped corn from an old machine - to boot.  I didn't have any popcorn because I'm pretty sure there was butter on it but the whole atmosphere was something that really took you back in time!



Here is a picture of the smaller, older one and if you look real close to cover near the lights you can see the ornaments I described above.  There was lots of art work and promotional posters throughout the garage.  I'm sure I missed some things.  It was that HUGE and I often found myself standing back and pausing in awe.  Of course, as a vegetarian/vegan, I'm not a fan of circuses (because of the use/abuse of animals) but many of these Merry-Go-Rounds were from a time where we didn't understand things we do now.  Many of the old state parks were just that - parks - with the possibility of mechanical rides such as these old school Merry-Go-Rounds.  It was interesting to see history come alive.



And because I'm a HUGE fan of music of all types and the history behind them - I appreciated the historical value of their collection.  It was a bit too cold that night or we would have had the opportunity to see this musical machine in action, too!

I've seen episodes of American Pickers and/or Pawn Stars and those guys would have went NUTS for this stuff!

Funny thing is - not many people realize something like this exists - tucked away - in a garage in our area.  It's a hidden, historical gem.

Have you ever ridden on a Merry-Go-Round?  What are your memories of them?  I'd love to hear about it in comments! 


20 comments:

  1. I love carousels! Even now, as an adult, I will always ride a carousel if I get a chance. I have ridden the one in San Francisco, and the one in Seattle on my US travels. The more old-timey they are, the better. I still have a beautiful model carousel from when I was a kid, though it is packed up in a box in a cupboard. But it plays music and the horses go up and down and it is so pretty.

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    1. I'm looking forward to when I can take my niece to see this display! I'm betting she will get a kick out of it! But I agree! No matter how old or young at heart - they are adored by the MANY!

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  2. That dal dish sure looks good. Would go so well with one of those Indian breads, naan or capati or thosai. Slurpsss!!!

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    1. I love naan but they are hard to find vegan ones here. I really need to get passed my fear of baking and DO IT.

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  3. Cool about the old merry-go-rounds; that's so neat about the whole carnival collection they have! I remember riding a merry-go-round where they included mythical creatures like your favorite -- unicorns! :)

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    1. Ooooo! I would have LOVED the one with the unicorns!!!!!

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  4. I had a recipe from Vegan Richa's cookbook last night too - I'll put it up on my site as soon as I'm finished shovelling my driveway. We got buried last night and it's still coming down! I sounds like the merry-go-round garage was a fun place to visit. Think of the movie scenes that could be filmed in a place like that!

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    1. I will have to check that out for sure! Yeah...we are getting hit with snow again now. BLAH! And...you know what you are totally right about the movie scenes! I'm thinking scary movie and creepy clowns! hahahahaha

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  5. I love vintage/antique Merry-Go-Rounds. They are so much fun. I know that you can tell if you have a REAL merry-go-round horse by looking at the paint job. There is a detailed "show" side of the horse that faces out, and then the side that faces towards the center of the merry-go-round is painted with less details since it isn't as easily seen.

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    1. I noticed that a bit! The faces were pointed out, too! Neat!!!!

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  6. It is so cool that your friend's parents collect and restore merry go rounds. They must love merry go rounds a lot! I don't know whether or not I have been on a merry go round as I can not remember having done so when I was a child.

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    1. I was told that his mom was the one that started it and then his Dad really got into it, too! VERY cool it's something they still enjoy to this day!

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  7. LOVE this dal! there's nothing like a hearty dal this weather... and like you, I use less water because I like it thick. I have ridden on a carousel quite a lot of times as a child, in the local funfair, growing up in teh seaside town of Weymouth. I used to be half scared because it was so high up but I used to ride clinging onto my dad, and when I was bigger, with my dad on the horse next to me. The carousel was big and gold, with mostly horses though there were other animals too. The horses were beautiful;white and gold with ornate saddles and flying manes and tails. As we began to whirl faster and faster I would feel like a fairytale princess. (It didn't take much to make me feel like a fairytale princess in those days!) So... carousels = happy memories of my dear late dad.Then when my daughter was very small an almost identical carousel appeared in town over Christmas, and we had many rides together. I hope she remembers it as I remembered my own childhood experience.

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    1. Good to know we both like the dal thicker! I will have to Google Weymouth and check it out! Sounds like a neat place! I loved hearing about your Merry-Go-Round Memories! Truly beautiful!!!

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  8. I love those types of dishes that you can make a big batch of and keep (or freeze) for later use.

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  9. Oooh, that dal looks awesome. I love Vegan Richa's books. It's been awhile since I cooked from the Indian one, but it's so great! I made her pudla for breakfast from that - and her kofta balls are amazing!

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    1. I have to try those two recipes you mentioned! Thanks for the suggestions!

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  10. The dal dish looks perfect and warming for the winter. Very interesting on the merry go rounds and the history, how fun!

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    1. With the cold and snow I sure could go for some more right now!!!

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