would you care to join me for dinner?

Well, I've been here for almost 5 weeks now, so I guess it's time I actually cook my first meal in my apartment. As many of you know, when I haven't gone out for dinner, I've been living off peanut butter and banana, cereal, or ice cream. Which is a delicious existence, but I miss cooking. Our kitchen is meager at best; we aren't here for more than a few months so we haven't really stocked it. But even a small kitchen can cook, as they say, so tonight I decided to give it a go. This shot shows pretty much the whole kitchen. There is a sink and some more counter space to the right, but this gives you a good sense of what we're working with: a few pots and pans, a gas burner, a cutting board, some basic utensils, and 2 dull knives.

So what did I cook during my bold new adventure? Pasta. Lame, I know. But it's easy and not indian, so exactly what I was going for tonight. I couldn't find pasta sauce in the market, so I made a simple "sauce" of tomatoes, garlic, eggplant, and peppers. And these seasonings from pizza delivery were crucial:

And I forgot that we don't own a strainer. Or forks. But no matter, it all worked out. Here is the finished product:

And then, as long as I was already getting sweaty in the kitchen (seriously, no fan + open flame + hot climate...this is a good reminder of why I haven't been cooking), why stop at one meal when I could cook 2?! Everyone in my office eats lunch together and shares what they brought. I typically have my lunch delivered and share that; but tomorrow I will have my own home cooking to contribute. My kitchen has 3 spices (other than the pizza packets): garam masala, turmeric, and salt. I used them all to season cauliflower, greenbeans, tomatoes, corn, peppers, and lentils. Then I threw in some crispy millet snack that I had for some crunch. Seems to have turned out pretty darn well, but we'll see how the office reacts:

Thanks for joining me for dinner (and lunch!). One final cooking note: my kitchen also features this pressure cooker. I'm pretty sure it's very handy, but I have no idea how to use it. any words of advice?