Such a sweet doggie :)

Hi!
I just wanted to do a quick post on a beloved family member.  Her name was Emma, a Beagle, that Cousin A had gotten (adopted?) about 15 years ago.  She stood by my cousin through many friendships, new & broken relationships, and everything in between.  Emma was always by her side, even when her human family could not.  She was Cousin A's best friend.  Although, I was very scared of her, I always loved her.  Whenever I visited Cousin A at her home, I would have mini heart attacks when she would roam free, eat off of the floor or even lick a plate or two, but I just backed away.  I knew this was her house, and I was a merely a guest.

When she visited our house at christmas time, she had a designated spot.  She always stayed in the sunroom.  She enjoyed being able to look out of the windows and seeing the world outside.  She could also see all of us as we cooked in the kitchen.  Whenever she would see my dad, mom (who always snuck her a few carrots), Cousin's A' mom and dad (masa/moti-mummy), and Cousin N, she would really jump for joy.  She was so happy playing with then, going on her "walkies", and doing tricks for everyone.

She is/was a wonderful dog, and will forever be in our hearts.  We miss you tremendously sweet Emma Modi!

Guess who I got to see over the long weekend?

Hi!
Guess who is 8 weeks old this week!  Yup, you guessed it-- Niece L!!

 My family and I were lucky enough to spend Labor day weekend with her and her family (Nana and Nani included).  Cousin A and her Husband N came rolling into Charlotte, NC on thursday night with Niece L in tow.  This trip had been planned for some time because 1) in Indian culture, the mom-to-be has her baby at her mom's house (typically more common in India) because there are certain rituals that are done, and mom & daughter get some alone time.  This is obviously not as feasible in the US, considering the father and mother want to deliver the baby with their own doctor, and the dad def does not want to miss out on their new baby! (Makes complete sense to me) So in the US, the mom usually goes to the daughters' house to help her out the first few weeks post pregnancy.   The other reason that they came to Charlotte ( & more importantly) because our grandmother (Ba) (Niece L's great-grandmother) wanted to see the baby.  Ba is now 87 years old, and obviously cannot travel long distances, so we usually go to her!

To say the least it was an amazing weekend.  We loved every minute of it, and miss everyone so much.  It has always been hard when we leave family, but this time was especially hard because weekends like this our very rare for us! Some of our favorite memories were from early in the morning (about 7 am) when Niece L would wake up and play with the whole family for about an hour or so.  She is incredibly happier in the morning (which says a lot cause she is ALWAYS happy), and gives out smiles and noises like it's her job! We loved those moments with her!  Here is a picture my Masa (her Nana) took of her Friday morning :)

Adorable right?  How do you not melt at that beautiful baby?  Needless to say we are all wrapped, and love her to the moon and back!  

Ba was also very smitten with her but very nervous about holding her or playing with her since she is so little.  We did convince her to hold her for a little while, so we could snap a few pictures.  Ba was awesome and super protective, and still had her amazing instincts! (Quick tidbit: Ba helped raise me when I was young, so she has a very very special place in my heart) 

Another memorable moment was when her dad (Husband N) decided she needed to get a jump start on topless sunbathing!  Of course, Cousin A and Nani/Motimummy were freaking out, and stated she was going to catch a chest cold (in 90 degree weather)!  But Husband N was determined, and she seemed to enjoy it.  She enjoys being on a swing and outdoors, so she was a happy camper.  A quick photo to document the moment: 

I have so many more photos but don't want to overload you with awesome Niece L photos so I will save a few for next time.  I am not sure if I have mentioned before that my moms' brother (Mama) and his wife (Mami), and her sister (Nani/motimummy) and her husband (Masa/Nana), and my mom's mom (Ba) live in Charlotte.  Needless to say it is always a wonderful reunion when we go.  The last picture of the night is from when our whole family went out to eat at a yummy Mexican place:  (Sorry for the odd quality, not sure what happened) 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Can you believe its already September?

Its September!  September, really?  How did you sneak up on me so fast!  It seems like the whole year has just FLOWN by.  But honestly, how is it September already!

Sigh.  Time always flies when you are having fun!  Speaking of fun, I went to my neighbors for dinner last week before they totally demolish the back portion of their house and remodel the whole thing.  She and I meet many years ago, when I was about 15 years old.  Neighbor N & H (her husband), who have a little boy that I consider my nephew S, as well as Neighbor H's parents.  She and I bonded over time, but originally met at church and local functions in town.  Later her husband become my family doctor which gave us another reason to get closer (she also worked in his office).  Her husband and her had been married for  about 13 years before having any children.  They wanted kids badly but just had no luck.  Ultimately they were blessed with a little boy when I went to college.  This was the main reason we become close.  I love little kids, especially babies. When I would visit my parents from college, I would ALWAYS visit their family.  Bring little goodies for the baby, and just hang out and chill with them if he was sleeping.  As he got older, and I went my way for school, I always kept in touch and would bring gifts at birthdays, holidays, and at the 1st day of school.  As he got older, his parents and I got really close as well.  We would always plan amazing dinners together around our schedules (they are both amazing cooks, and always come up with really cool recipes) and just chat.

So as I stated above and the real reason for this post, I recently went to dinner at their house.  This has been one of my FAVORITE meals by far, and I thought I would share with you guys.
On the menu: Portobello Mushroom burgers with Salad & Fries.
She first marinated the mushrooms- with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, black pepper, italian season, thyme, and garlic.  She also sliced some garlic and put them INTO the mushroom. The longer the marinade the better!  Then we grilled up some onions until they were soft and had some grill marks from the pan.  When they were almost done, we added the same marinade from above.
Next we mixed up the spread--which consisted of goat cheese, cream cheese, chives, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
We had some crusty hamburger buns that we warmed up in the oven, and then assembled the sandwich.  On the bottom bun, we placed the spread, mushroom burger, onions, crush pepper, and a slice of provolone cheese, then put this whole thing in the oven until the cheese melted. Put the top bun on and assembled the sandwich. Viola, dinner was served! As stated- we had it with a simple side salad and seasoned french fries.  Seriously one of the best sandwiches I have ever had.  It was so awesome.  I was so excited I forgot to take pictures of the ingredients but have a picture of the mushroom burger after it had been grilled.  I will try and do better next time!

I am not sure if you can truly appreciate the amazing-ness of this burger from the picture above (it does it no justice) but trust me when I say it was AMAZING.  I will attempt to recreate this burger in the coming weeks so look out for some more pictures at that time! 

Have a great day guys!