This trip to India was meant to be a typical spice-buying trip. While the trip was being planned we were returning some photos to Lisa Olney who was featured all the way

back in the � rst issue of ONE. Lisa’s daughter Emily was adopted from an Indian children’s home. Wishing to show Emily a piece of her past, Lisa wondered if she and Emily could tag along at their own expense. With our desire to stay in touch with the people fea-tured in our past issues, suddenly a Penzeys One, all-expense paid trip to India seemed like a good idea. It was all very last minute but soon we had a small group of takers and were on our way to India.

The trip was shaped by the people that came along, each bringing their own take to the experience. Besides our spice busi-ness and a trip to Emily’s orphanage we also found ourselves visit-ing a prison-based orphanage with Janice Little who was featured in our Recipes for Restorative Justice piece in Volume 1, Issue 5. All in all it was a trip every bit as overwhelming as India itself. Through plane rides and taxis, auto-rickshaws and several long days on a chartered bus we saw India, met its people, and all along the way shared in its food. Hopefully this is the � rst of many Penzeys One trips where we stay in touch as we grow along the way.

Indiaway to

page 38 one page 39

Frances Lanseros & Jennifer Weberfeatured in V1I1

Birmingham articlepage 92

Ellice Piper Featured in V1I2

Page 87

Caity PenzeyMoog Featured V2I1 Page 40

Eva PenzeyMoog Featured in V2I1 Page 24

Ken Botkins Featured in V1I4

Page 106

Doug Horn Featured in V1I4

Page 94

Janice Little

Featured in V1I5

Restorative JusticePage 87 Emily Olney

Featured in V1I1 Page 41

Lisa Olney Featured in V1I1

Page 41

Arriving in Cochin we loaded

ourselves and our gear into

the big blue bus that would become

our part-time home for the next week. We headed north about two hours to

the town of Guruvayur, famous for its large Hindu temple. Our

hotel was the Krishna Inn and they said we were the fi rst Americans to stay

there. The next day they were very excited because more Americans had

come to stay with them. When we saw the family in the café we tried to chat but learned they only spoke German. Americans

or Germans – Same thing to

someone in India.

I was impressed by the airlines over there, how effi cient and clean and nice and how great the food was.

—Doug Horn

page 40 one page 41

I was amazed at how few people get killed on the roads there with the driving. Oh you have no idea, it’s like if you got a car coming at you, you just lay on the horn. That will save you and then at the last sec-ond, they move out of the way.

—Doug Horn

Traffic

You think that there would be more driving accidents! It’s pretty crazy. There would be no way you would dare put your hand outside a window because you were that close, even a fi nger out could be chopped off so easy.

—Janice Little

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‘In for a penny, in for a pound.’ I was there. It was an expe-rience I never had, an opportunity to do, and man I wanted to live every second of it.

— Ken Botkins

We added two more

intrepid travelers to our

group as Caity and Eva joined us. We

took the “ferry” to Old Cochin where we enjoyed

the sights while we shopped. The “ferry” was little more than a glorifi ed yet sturdy motorboat, which seemed out of place as we passed cruise ships, container

vessels and even an Indian Navy warship. But it was a very sea-worthy little

boat that handled the waves well

and safely carried us

to and fro.

Pork Vindaloo—Mangalorian Style

Pork :4 ½ lbs. pork shoulder or

boneless country-style rib meat, most fat removed

and cubed1 TB turmeric

1⁄3 Cup vinegar½ tsp. salt

½ Cup vegetable oil for frying,

divided2 TB butter

Sauce:8 Sanaam chili

peppers (long red

chili peppers)2 Tien Tsin chili peppers

(short red chili peppers)5 seedless dates

1 medium banana½ tsp. whole cumin seed

2 TB whole coriander seed1 3-inch cinnamon stick

5 cloves (1⁄8 tsp. powdered)2 tsp. ginger & garlic paste (or 1 tsp. each

fresh grated ginger and fresh minced garlic)

1 tsp. couscous (optional)3-4 large onions, peeled and chopped

1 Cup warm water, divided (approximately) salt to taste3 TB ribbon-cut (or chiffonade) cilantro leaves

Marinate the pork cubes in a covered bowl with turmeric, vinegar and salt for at least ½ an hour. The turmeric will give a sunset color to the meat when fried or roasted. While the meat is marinating, mix together the sauce ingredients. Be sure to wear a rubber glove while cracking open the chili peppers and discarding the seeds and stem material.

In 3 batches, fi nely grind the sauce ingredients, blending in a blender with warm water to help things along (about 1⁄3 cup of water per batch). The mix should not be too liquid but semi solid. Take a large non-stick saucepan, add ¼ cup oil. When hot, brown the pork cubes in batches. Use the other ¼ cup of oil as needed if the pan dries out as you are browning. Place the browned pork cubes in a bowl while you brown the sauce. Reduce heat to medium and add the sauce, cooking until brown—it is easiest to accomplish this by breaking the sauce into batches. Put the browned pork in the browned sauce and simmer on low, covered, for at least an hour. Taste and add salt as desired. Top it with cut cilantro leaves. Cover the pan and set it aside for at least another 5 minutes. Serve warm with wine, preferably red or port wine. Great for dinner with rice pilau (pilaf).This dish will be sweet and sour with a sneaky kick.Serves: 6-8 with rice. Prep. time: 30 minutes. Cooking time: 1½-2 hours with browning

I could sum it up with the fact that on the plane ride to New Delhi, I was thinking about the fact I didn’t have any prom shoes, and didn’t know how I was going to fi nd time to get some before the dance. I was honestly worried about it. On the plane ride back I was thinking how lucky I was to be going home to a sturdy house with a refrigerator and a big cabinet stuffed with food and that I didn’t have to walk to school barefoot, and that I could go to school at all. I hadn’t thought about shoes for prom once during the trip.

—Eva

page 44 one page 45

And it’s made a big difference for her. Before she was having issues with being adopted and wondering about her birth family and wonder-ing about what her life would be like and now she has a sense of what her life would have been like and she says to me ‘I’m glad I’m here.’ Not that India’s a bad place or anything, its just very different than what she’s used to.

—Lisa Olney

She had no concept of what India would be like and I think it was wonderful for her. It was a wonderful bond-ing experience for the two of us.

—Lisa Olney

Emily and I met John and Ellice and we took a hired car to Shadnagar, the town where Emily was born. It took hours to get there and the sun had set and it was almost dark. On the way we drove on dirt roads and saw very poor villages of cardboard tent homes with tarps over the top. The dust from the road hurt my eyes. The poverty was intense and shocking. Arriving in Shadnagar we turned down a main street full of open air shops. John and I got out of the car and walked into some shops. I wanted to buy something from Shad-nagar and the shop that I purchased two oil hangers from had people sitting out front making metal, brass and other items to sell. John and I walked around for about 30 minutes while Emily and Ellice stayed in the car. Emily did not want to come. I was so excited to be there. Everyone was staring at us. Now I know what it feels like to be the minority. I saw a woman who could have been Emily’s mother or sister! Same long black hair, fi ne features, and very pretty. I looked in many of the children’s faces and any one of them could have been Emily. I feel so lucky to have her and love her so much. I feel closer to her now, having seen with my own eyes where she came from.

—Lisa Olney

I have a really great picture- when we were in Bangalore we went to a beautiful botanical garden and Emily and I found a litter of six puppies. She wanted to bring one of those puppies home so bad and I have some great pictures of her with those puppies. She still talks about those puppies. Those are the kind of things she remembers most.

—Lisa Olney

It was so emotional for me to go to Shadnagar and at least we know it is real.

—Lisa Olney

We hired

a couple of cars and tried to fi nd the orphanage

where Emily had spent some time

before she was adopted. Unfortunately we had no

hotel manager to lead us and our drivers simply could not

fi nd the place. We were in contact with the director of the orphanage yet we never quite found it. It was

hot and the air conditioning in both cars was marginal. Some of us started to

get carsick and after three hours we gave up and returned to the hotel. Here our group split up again with some of us

going to the state of Gujarat while others made their way to Agra and a visit

to the Taj Mahal.

EmilyI got a tour of a pepper factory. I got

to see how it was sorted and how the pepper quality was determined. Then we went on a HOUSE BOAT! And had dinner and that was really cool. Then when we got back to the ho-tel, right after we got back there was a huge thunderstorm and water was leaking through the ceiling and that was it.

—Emily Olney

page 46 one page 47

It’s wonderful. It’s rich and it’s poor, it’s just hard to describe.

—Lisa Olney

India was nothing I thought about doing

and it just fell into my lap so I thought ‘Ooh an ad-

venture!’

—Jennifer Weber

You can feel the history. You know the atmosphere is dank with the years that have gone through there.

—Doug Horn

Oh my goodness, it’s so beautiful. I mean it’s just

breathtakingly beautiful and to see it with your

own eyes, not just a picture.

—Lisa Olney

When I got over my initial shock, I thought it was a very beautiful, romantic country.

—Jennifer Weber

We fell

in love with

the auto-rickshaw. It is sort of a three-wheeled glorifi ed

scooter that will carry three passengers, though we have seen some carry

many more. We commandeered a fl eet of three auto-rickshaws and

made our way to the Mysore Palace. We were treated to a guided tour from

a gentleman that grew up near the palace. There was not a question

he could not answer. After lunch we took about a 1/2-hour ride to the Temple

on the Hill, which overlooks Mysore. The views were

incredible.

Sights

Some of us left by bus for Mysore while others stayed behind in Cochin. The gang would regroup in Bangalore a few days later. The bus ride was 13 hours and took us through fi elds of hemp, tea and spices and through towns, villages and mountains. Mysore is on a high plain and it was slightly cooler (only in the 90S). We were shocked to fi nd that our new hotel, The Green Hotel, had no air conditioning. But it had a large courtyard with a wonderful outdoor restaurant where we ate, drank and conversed in the evening. We were even invited into the kitchen to try our hand at making naan in the tandoor. The heat coming from it was amazing as were the cooks. By the time we left we had come to appreciate “going native” and agreed The Green Hotel was a charming place to stay.

page 48 one page 49

Palak Gosht (Spicy lamb with Spinach)Mr. Khatai uses 5 jalapeño peppers in this recipe—that’s pretty hot!

1 lb. lamb stew or shoulder meat, cubed 1 lb. fresh spinach 2-5 green jalapeño peppers, chopped 4 TB oil 1 tsp. whole cumin seeds 1 Cup sliced onions (1 medium onion) 6-8 cloves garlic, ground into paste 1 tsp. powdered ginger 2 tsp. garam masala 1 tsp. cayenne pepper 3 Cups water 2 bay leaves salt to taste

Rinse the lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces and set aside. Bring a large pot of salted water to

a boil. Add the spinach to the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain the spinach very well. Grind the spinach and jalapeño peppers to a rough paste using a blender or food processor, set aside. Heat the oil in a large, heavy frying pan. Add the cumin seeds. When the cumin seeds begin to change color, add the onions and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala and cayenne pepper and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the lamb and cook, stirring constantly, until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Add the water and bay leaves, stir, cover the pan and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Mix in the spinach and salt, stir, and cook for 5 minutes.

Prep. time: 15 minutesCooking time: 45 minutesServes: 6-8

Suma’s Raitha 2 large tomatoes, chopped (about 2 Cups) 1 red onion, chopped (about 1 Cup) 1-2 green chilies, seeds removed, chopped 1⁄4 tsp. salt 1 Cup plain yogurt fresh cilantro leaves

This simple and delicious dish depends on really nice ripe tomatoes to taste its best. Mix together the tomatoes, onion, chilies, salt and yogurt. Garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with white rice, roti or naan.

Prep. time: 10 minutesCooking time: noneYield: 5 Cups

Aloo ParanthaNaan: 1 tsp. dried yeast 1⁄4 tsp. sugar 1⁄2 Cup warm water (110-120°) 11⁄2-2 Cups unbleached flour, divided pinch salt 1⁄4 Cup vegetable oilFilling: 2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks 1⁄2 stick butter, softened 1-11⁄2 tsp. curry powder 1⁄2 tsp. garam masala 1 tsp. salt 1 TB chopped fresh cilantro

For the Naan: Combine the yeast and sugar with the warm water in a glass bowl. Stir until combined and let rest for about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 cup of the flour, the salt and the oil. Add the yeast

mixture. Mix by hand, adding more flour as needed for fairly non-sticky dough. Place on a floured board and knead for about 5 minutes, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let sit in a warm place for 1 hour; the dough will double in size.For the Filling: Boil the potatoes in enough water to cover them for about 8 minutes, or until they are fork tender. Drain and mash by hand very well, but not totally smooth. Mix in the butter, curry powder, garam masala, salt and cilantro. Set aside. Brush a pizza stone with vegetable oil and place in a cold oven. Set the oven to 425°. Divide the risen dough into 8 pieces. Round each and place on a floured board. Roll, one at a time, into a 6-inch circle. Take about 1 TB of filling and place in the center of the circle. Bring up the sides and roll with your hands into a ball. Roll on the floured board into a flat circle. Repeat the procedure for the remaining balls of dough. When the oven is hot, place

one or two of the circles on the hot stone. Bake for about 5 minutes. The Aloo Parantha should be slightly browned and nicely crisp. You can eat them hot from the oven or brush with softened butter if you like.If you do not have a pizza stone, preheat the oven to 450°. Place the dough circles on a cookie sheet on the middle rack and bake at 450° for 5 minutes. Transfer to the top rack and broil on high for an additional 2 minutes until the naan crisps up and blackens a bit. If you would prefer to cook on the stove, heat a nonstick skillet over high heat. Once it’s nice and hot, add the naan and cook 2 minutes per side. If you would like to add a bit of butter for flavor, use 1⁄2-1 tsp.

Prep. time: 90 minutesBaking time: 5 minutes per batchYield: 8 Aloo Parantha

Ju

dy WarshunThanks for

sending us yourstuff!

page 50 one page 51

Spinach and Rice with Herbs

1 Cup rice 2 Cups chicken broth

1⁄2 tsp. salt 1 pinch saffron 2 lbs. fresh spinach, washed and cut into strips or small pieces 2 Cups water 1 TB butter 2 tsp. minced fresh dill 2 tsp. minced fresh cilantro 1 pinch powdered fenugreek

In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth, salt and saffron to a boil. Add the rice and stir. Cover, reduce heat and cook until all the liquid is absorbed, about 15-18 minutes. While the rice is cooking, in a separate covered pan, simmer the spinach and water for about 5 minutes. In a small pan, melt

the butter. Add the dill, cilantro and fenugreek and cook for a few minutes. When the spinach is slightly wilted, add the herb butter, stir and cook until there is about 1 Cup of water left in the pan. Add the cooked rice to the spinach and herb mixture and mix well. Let stand a while so the fl avors mingle and the water is mostly to totally absorbed.

Prep. time: 5 minutesCooking time: 20-25 minutesServes: 8

Peanut Butter Chip BarsEllice Piper sent these bars to Caity and Eva during their fi rst semester of college, and they were much appreciated by both girls and everyone else in the dorms who managed to snag one.

1 Cup chunky peanut butter 1 stick butter or margarine (1/2 Cup), room temperature 2 Cups packed brown sugar 4 large eggs, beaten 1 TB mild honey 4 tsp. vanilla extract 11⁄3 Cups all-purpose fl our 1 tsp. baking powder

3⁄4 tsp. powdered ginger 2 Cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 9x13 pan and set aside. Mix together the peanut butter and butter. Add the brown sugar and mix well. Add the eggs, honey and vanilla and mix until smooth. In a separate bowl, sift together the fl our, baking powder and ginger. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the batter. Don’t mix too much. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour into the pan and bake at 350° for 30-35 minutes, until the bars are somewhat set in the middle. Do not over bake. Chill before cutting.

Prep. time: 10 minutesBaking time: 30-35 minutesYield: 24 bars

I was sorry to see the last of India, but was ready for some good old hamburger! At the Mughal Sheraton I ordered a “hamburger” which when I questioned the waitress was in-formed that it was “water buffa-lo” not bad and certainly good for a laugh!

—Ellice Piper

Our group

re-formed in Bangalore

where we told stories of our

adventures. Later, after dinner, we were

treated to a rain shower, which cooled things off. We also discovered that in the

pouring rain, the middle seat on the auto-rickshaw is the

place to be.

I was interested in the pepper plant that we went into. That place was so clean, it was where they brought in the pepper from the woods. They bring them in and of course when you pick it, you’ve got little pieces of everything in it. How they went about the process of cleaning it, drying it just to perfection and to keep the good fl avor and the oils in it. Not too dry, not too damp. How clean they were. We couldn’t even go in without the coverings on our shoes.

—Frances

page 52 one page 53

There are three types: No. 1 prisoners’ children; 2. ex-prisoners’ children then 3. Tsunami victims. We call ourselves Home For Children in times of crime and crisis. Crisis could be like the tsunami, or a man left his wife and family behind. Some of them may have a father or a mother.

—Dr. Chacko

There are so many children, if I give you a 3 or 4 year old, how much is it going to cost you to raise that child to get a college education? With that mon-ey, I can raise 100.

—Dr. Chacko

The kids were so refreshing to talk to. I asked one girl, Geetha, who was about 14, what she planned to do once she was out of the school run at the home. I was really curious as to how children view their place within society when the coun-try had such a caste system. But she was optimistic, telling me she wanted to be-come a teacher and help other children like herself. Another girl told me she was going to be a doctor’s assistant, and an-other wanted to eventually own her own business. I was so amazed at these chil-dren. As the man who ran the home said, they were “the poorest of the poor,” and yet they were all happy, they loved their home and were grateful to be there, and they were ambitious and fun-loving.

—Eva

You know, children are children throughout the world no matter what. Here these kids are; they don’t know what their lot in life is going to be and the tu-multuous pasts many of them have, but you give them a soccer ball or something else and every kid out there had a smile on their face.

—Ken Botkins

The big thing that struck me over all of India, was the fact that they are so education conscious. It didn’t matter where you were and who you were talking to, education is of utmost importance to the people there. If they live in villages or towns, education is huge. In the orphanage it was neat to see how they were really emphasizing their education.

—Janice Little

Dr. Chacko kept telling us he had a need. I was so impressed with how clean the grounds were. Apparently he gave his own family’s property for this mission. We’re going through it and I see this ar-chaic kitchen with nothing. Very sparsely decorated. I said ‘What’s your need?’ and he said ‘We’ll get to it.’ Finally we take the bus and go down half a mile and we go up this road. Here’s this building he’s trying to raise funds for but it’s his own land, he bought it, a building to house 300 children refugees from the Tsunami. I mean that almost brought tears to your eyes. He says ‘I can’t give enough.’ That’s his whole life.

—Jennifer Weber

ChildrenWe took a short drive to Puluvai and spent the day at the Little Flower Orphanage. The heat was stifl ing but the children danced and sang and we enjoyed a delicious meal of chicken, beef (it was a Christian orphanage), Biryani, carrot salad, Raitha, and coconut milk right out of coconuts (Gilligan’s Island style). Many of us joined the children on the fl oor as they ate with their fi ngers from metal plates. No easy task when eating rice.

Later the children began to ask about a picnic. We thought, “Why would you want to eat outside in this heat?” But a picnic is actually a fi eld trip so we quickly arranged for a second bus and we all took the hour drive to Trichur to see the zoo and museum. No video games or DVD players for these kids. The radio was all they needed as they sang along and danced all the way there and back.

page 54 one page 55

Those children were so happy. We think our kids have to have all these material things to make them happy. They have nothing.

—Janice Little

There was such an emphasis on caring for one another and that really surprised me. And how happy they were, my goodness!

—Janice Little

– Oh yeah. We take them. Some parents do not want their children to see what is going on. But the parents when they get paroled, they come and stay here. We have two or three rooms where, the father and the child can stay together.

—Dr. Chacko

The little girls’ hair was done up well and it was cut, nothing was straggly. They were all dressed well and well mannered and happy. I was pleased that everything was alright. Even though they didn’t have much to work with, they were doing the best they could.

—Frances

We visited the

Precious Children Home in

Bangalore. We hired two cars and

drivers but they did not know how to get there.

Fortunately our hotel manager knew of the home and was

actually a supporter of Precious Children. He offered to lead us there and he and another manager jumped onto a motorcycle and led the way. After a

stop at the department store for supplies and toys we arrived and were greeted by Teena

and Reny George. Reny is an ex-offender that had spent many years in prison but since his release he has devoted his life to helping prisoners transition back into society and helping their children. Many

of the kids were on holiday but there were about a dozen there to greet us. We played

games including soccer and cricket and some of the girls got into a rousing game of twister with the children

calling out “left hand red” in their native language Kannada.

It was an incredible day and Teena and Reny

were gracious hosts. They do

good work there.

We traveled about 2 hours South to Kottayam. Dr. Kunjumon Chacko, the Chairman of the Precious Children Home of Kottayam, welcomed us. Precious Children has 8 homes in India and they care for about 650 children. Many of the children have one or both parents incarcerated in the prison system. Precious Children provides these children with food, clothing, shelter, primary health care and education up

to senior high school level. Some of the children continue their education in universities while others are provided an opportunity to learn a trade. The goal is to assist them to learn a skill, fi nd employment and break the cycle of crime from which they came. The children’s smiling faces once again greeted us as Dr. Chacko showed us around.

page 56 one page 57

When we were up in Hyderabad we were at the hotel. Doug and I got introduced to an Indian gentlemen there by the name of Sonny and came to fi nd out this guy was a travel agent. In the course of conversation, he invited me to his home that night. He wanted me to meet his parents. I said ‘Yeah, that’s great. Do you mind if I go up and get my camera?’ So I go back up to my room and get my camera and in the process I saw Frances and Jennifer and I was telling them about it. When I went back to the bar, I told Sonny that I had met up with some friends and he said ‘Well invite them over also.’ The four of us went over to his parents’ home and had a lovely evening. We had food and chatted. As we were leaving, his father, who was a retired police offi cer, says to me, ‘I was honored to have you in my household. You were the fi rst non-Indians to set foot across my threshold.’

—Ken Botkins

Jewely’s Carrot Salad

2 carrots, grated 1 cucumber, 1⁄2 not peeled and grated, 1⁄2 peeled and sliced 1⁄2 red onion, minced 2 TB lime juice or the juice of 1 lime 1 TB vinegar 1⁄4 tsp. salt 1⁄8 tsp. ground black pepper 1 tomato, sliced fresh cilantro leaves for garnish

This simple salad relies on a really ripe fl avorful tomato and fresh lime juice.Toss together the carrots, grated cucumber, onion, lime juice, vinegar, salt and pepper. Mix well. Garnish with the sliced cucumber, tomato and fresh cilantro leaves.

Prep. time: 10 minutesCooking time: noneYield: 4 Cups

I felt like India was on the inside of a snow globe, and I was trying to peer in but there was all this stuff in the way. Getting to know some truly good people let me step inside the glass and make my way through all that weird crazy stuff that makes up India and see the beautiful center that is the good-heart-ed people. Like any country, getting to know some people and make some friends is what makes it all a wonderful world to be a part of.

—Caity

People We traveled by air to Hyderabad. It was hot and bustling when we arrived. Every place we visited had its own rhythm and Hyderabad was the busiest and hottest place thus far. After checking in, a couple of us joined Lisa and Emily on a drive to Shadnagar, the town where Emily was born. Meanwhile Kenny made a new friend and managed to get the rest of the group invited for a visit to a gentleman’s home. It was the fi rst time an American had crossed their threshold and all had a good time. It was a bumpy ride to Shadnagar and we arrived just as night was falling. It was a small and dusty town and like most of India, very busy.

page 58 one

I appreciated the people’s modesty, the clothes, their politeness. And color, when you think of hot, you think of white, you think of sand. But the people’s colors, there was a lot of neutral colors with the buildings, they just made up for it with their clothes. I appreciated that.

—Jennifer Weber

The women all wore these saris, no mat-ter what occupation they were doing. The ladies all looked so feminine and that’s one of the things I brought home. Put an American in that and they would have to walk all over again, they would have to learn to be graceful. It was really pleasant seeing women that were feminine.

—Frances

Departing Hyderabad

some of us went to Gujerat

in search of cumin and fennel while

others left for Agra and the beauty of the Taj

Mahal. We reconvened in Delhi a few days later for a midnight

flight back home. As time passes the difficult times don’t seem so difficult, while the good times only get sweeter.