"Ahlalalala~"

Yesterday, I finished my final exam.

I will get my results in the mail, and then graduate! If I passed I mean.

I think I did amazing!

I shift my groceries onto my elbow as I dig for my keys.  It was an overall uneventful walk home from the store.

I had bought some tomatoes and meat from the grocery.  Tonight, I will have harira to celebrate!

I mean, I have never made it personally, but I have seen others cook it.

I turn the key and open the door, kicking off my shoes in the entryway shouting an idle "I'm home~" for anyone be listening.  I get a reply of "Hi Nadir!" from the room next to the entryway.  Which should be empty since its mine, but siblings will be digging lol.

The most important vegetables of harira's recipe are the tomatoes and hummus.  But I don't like hummus, so i won't add it into my special recipe!

I'll add extra tomatoes instead.  That should make the consistency thicker probably.

I would have to cook the meat first.

I walk over into the kitchen, and open the cabinets to take out a plate.  Can't put the meat on the counter... but is the plate only for when the meat needs defrosting? This doesn't need any, but why not.

I take the meat out of the grocery bag, and the tomatoes too.  I put the tomatoes in the sink, and wash my hands then grab a knife to slice open the beef packages seal then rip it open and wash my hands again before I take the meat out of its package and put it on the plate.

After that, I get out two cutting boards. One for the meat and one for the veggies... I think.

Now I move the meat from the plate to the stone cutting board and.. this is harder than it looks.  I dice the meat and set aside the bone both om the plate.  I rinse the cutting board and put it in the empty sink.

I just remembered I need to cook the onions first unless I want them to be gross and crunchy.

I dash to the pantry and dig up the bag of onions. 

.... we are almost out. There are two onions left.

Welp, I bought more tomatoes after we ran out so I'll finish up the onions and leave a note on the fridge that we are out.

I slice both onion's outer skin to make peeling it easier like I saw my mom do, then I rip off the layers until they looks like regular onions should.

I cut them in half on the wooden cutting board.  Then I dice them as I cry like a manly man.

Shit. I hadn't gotten the pressure cooker ready and out before I started crying like a naked onion exposed to the world and eaten alive.

I blink away my manly tears as I open all the cabinets to find my cooking tools.

I find jars, and flat pans and deep pots and tupperware and baking sheets and who knows what else. I can't find the pressure cooker.

I stand up, and sniffle as I wipe my eyes. My sister is leaning on the doorway to the kitchen, with her eyebrows up and a questioning look in her eyes.

I tell her, "Oi, Farah, I can't find the pressure cooker, have you seen it?  I think its missing."

My sister starts laughing, and now she needs the walls support to stand for real.

Farah hiccups out, "Oh you precious garbage. The pressure cooker is behind you.  You do realise, it lives on the counter right? I knew you were a wimp, but to think something like this made you cry I can't even."

What?  Oh. Wait. "Faaaaarah, I am not crying because I can't find that stupid pressure cooker, it was the onion ninja's fault!  I got spited to snot and tears as I murdered those onions!"

She is now sitting on the floor leaning against the doorway laughing herself to tears.

Farah snorts out, "Yanno ya can tell me anything, right?  I don't know what is actually bothering you ya wimpy garbage, but you can tell me." She is now crosslegged in some sort of yoga pose and her face is twitching from suppressing her grin. "Nadir, I won't love you less if you failed.  I'll just tease you for being a simpleton of a wimp."

I reach over to the counter, and chuck a banana bunch at Farah the flighty.  

She fuckin dodges. How did she go from crosslegged to a backwards roll anyway?

She rolls behind the corner. As she gets farther away, she starts announcing, "Eeey everyone, NADIR FAILED! Nadir is weak in both body and mind!"

Aaaaaaugh.... that stupid onion ninja.

I go to the pressure cooker and turn it on.  I wash my hands.  I grab the wooden cutting board and dump all the onions into the cooker to spite the onion ninja ruining my reputation.  They'll die.  Die!

I go over to the sink and wash the tomatoes and wooden cutting board.

Then I try to chop them.  I'm glad they aren't all squishy... there are some.  ..so hard to cut the squishy ones.

I seperate the tomatoes and put all the squishy ones I didn't start cutting yet into the fridge, then grab a sticky note and scrawl 'we ran outta onions - N'.

Take that, Farah.  You only get squishy tomatoes...

I get out some celery and lentils too.

I dig in the pantry for some spaghetti noodles.  I break the package against the counter till its all nice and small pieces for the harira.

I wash my hands again.

I attack the remaining tomatoes carefully like a fruit ninja, but with more care for my fingers.  Then I wash the celery and kill that too.

I get a big mixing bowl, since the cutting board is getting too full, and empty the celery and tomato remains into the bowl.

The onions are starting to smell good.  I go over to the pressure cooker and empty the plate of meat into the onions. Then I go to the spice rack.

What the fuck, there are no labels. I grab what looks like salt, and start opening each of the spice jars and set aside the ones that smell good and the pepper.  I think this bright yellow one is tumeric, so I put that aside too.  Oh, and I grab the container of leaves.  Bay leaves make things taste better?

I grab the mystery spices that smelled good and start applying them to the diced beef, then I throw the meat bone in there for flavor of marrow I think?

Then I go to the pantry and get a cup.  I go to the sink and fill it, then pour it in the mix a few times until the meat is floating a little and reaches below the line.

Then I grab the tomatoes and celery and dump em in, then add salt and pepper and a bay leaf and the tumeric and the pasta bits.

Then I rinse the lentils and strain em then throw those in too.

Finally, I close the lid and change the setting on the pressure cooker from saute to beans.

This should taste good in an hour, right?  And even if it doesn't, I can put it in the fridge and hariria tastes better the longer you don't eat it...

I set a timer on my phone and go out of the kitchen to chillax on the couch.