No substitute for naan

Judging by the number of cookbooks I got for Christmas last year (three), I think it's safe to say that people think I like cooking. Whenever someone says this, I generally try to deflect attention by saying something along the lines of, "Well, I really love eating, and I don't live at home anymore, so I kind of have to fix my own food." Which is true, but I think I also enjoy the process more than I tend to let on. Weeknights are tough, because we rarely have fresh ingredients on hand and it's hard to make a delicious meal and eat at a decent hour when you don't get home until 6:30 (or later).

But given the luxury of an otherwise lazy weekend afternoon, I get a lot of pleasure out of taking the effort to fix something more involved than, say, pasta. Tackling a challenging meal helps make improve my overall cooking skills and also creates the opportunity for cooking with friends. It's really, really enjoyable to crack open a beer, chop some onions, and chat with a good friend. As I get older, and further removed from the college lifestyle, I'm convinced that it's important to make a more concerted effort to stay in touch with the people you care about. Happy hours and nights out remain a big part of this, but group cooking can play a part too.

Alex, Joe, and I got together last night and hung out in the kitchen for awhile. The payoff of about four hours of cooking: a delicious, multi-course Indian feast. Some lessons learned: start earlier in the afternoon so we're not eating at 10 pm again and whole wheat pitas are certainly not comparable to naan. On deck: Middle Eastern or Mexican? Either will be excellent. Feel free to join.