My first almost-done-debacle

As the tradition goes, the newly-wed, freshly-brought-home bahu is supposed to cook some sweet for the family before she starts to work full time in kitchen.
In our family (read ‘my sasural’) the first cooking is not just about sweet but a full-fledged dinner, with all the close relatives or family people present. So, in my case the count would have been 15 people for my first cooking.
I don’t know if hearing this brings a big ‘O’ on everyone’s face or not, but it did bring one on many faces I told about. Biggest one was from my Mom. Somehow, when my MIL (Mother-in-law) told me about the ceremony, I wasn’t that terrified. I think it’s because I never cooked a complete dinner for even a count of 4, so cooking for 4 or 40 didn’t make much difference. I practically didn’t know the enormity of the task at hand. I was calm and just heard it as if that’s something big and important that I’ll have to do. I didn’t have a clue how much work it involved. I casually started discussing the menu of the dinner with my MIL. The kind of menu my Mom prepares when a family comes over for dinner, similar kind of a menu, I also iterated in front of her. I think I must specify the menu I was planning.

Starter: Tomato Soup (for 15 people???? Are you nuts!!!?)
Main course: Chhole (will need almost 1 Kg of chhole. That itself would
need boiling them in special cookers)
Shahi Paneer (didn’t even know the recipe of it when I was
blabbering!!)
Aloo Gobhi (the only thing I had ever cooked by myself. Cutting
the vegetables was anyways done by everyone ;) )
Poori/Chapati (hehehe! Everyone helps you in cooking that.)
Salads: Sprout Salad (sprouts take almost a week to come up in winters)
Normal salad of cucumber, raddish and carrot
Raita: Fruit/ Vegetable Raita (okay, not a big deal)
Sweet: Sooji Halwa/ Kheer (hahaha! Would have ended stirring it the whole
night, still would have failed.)

I don’t know if I was a fool or I was in my dreams or I was highly, totally over-confident girl who thought she would make food like she has been doing since so many lives. I mean, now when I’m back to my senses (read ‘got-some-senses) and I have been a part of the kitchen for some time, I understand better that my menu and my dreams were impractical and totally IMPOSSIBLE. My MIL, on hearing my elaborate menu, was looking at me. At that time, I hadn’t understood her look, but now I understand it completely. At that time, she didn’t know I was such a big fool, and she wasn’t able to comprehend how I was planning to manage so much. Now, she understands me better and I understand the look better :D :P
Anyhow, she tried to help. She added that we’ll not prepare sweets at home. We’ll get them from market.
God Almighty works big time for me.
Thinking of it now, I can only smile and smile and smile.

As destiny had, and as God helps, the date of this ceremony kept postponing due to some reason or the other. Now, it’s been 3 weeks to my wedding and the ceremony hasn’t happened. And, the chances of its happening soon are meager. Finally, yesterday, I prepared some sweet casually for my hubby, and my MIL took that as my first sweet and did away with my ceremony. It was high time and I think she understood we better did the ceremony in a homely fashion than the elaborate family way.
Hence, I was saved from a big drama and a big showdown. Everything happened smoothly and in a concealed manner. I hope I’m able to keep my expectations from myself a little low from now on, and perform better, than speak louder. :P

Smiles!