Welcoming the Always-Welcome Jen & Ben to Cafe Drake HRV

Jen and Ben always seem to appreciate Indian dinners at Cafe Drake HRV so we planned a simple but varied menu for the arrival dinner. Cocktails preceding, natch.

Lamb ready to marinate overnight in the fridge, doused with ground chilies, ginger, garlic and a panoply of spices including cumin, turmeric and cardamom.

Always a good idea to toss marinade and all ingredients in a sealed plastic bag, even if you're not making lamb biryani.

Fresh coconut chutney is finished off with a tempering oil including curry leaves, mustard seeds and red chilies.

An early step in the biryani process includes slow-frying lots of onions in lots of butter!

Remove the onions, add cashews to butter.

Browning the marinated, cubed lamb.

There's more going on in this confusing picture than imagined. In all that muddle: lamb, browned onions, yogurt, heavy cream and lots more spices.

Assembling ingredients for kosambri, served as a salad with biryani: soaked moong dal, coconut, cilantro, minced carrots.

Coconut chutney, completed.

An opening course of idli sambar, served with coconut chutney.

An intermezzo course preceding the biryani - pears dressed with fresh peanut chutney.

Jen and Ben still happy after several courses!

Someone else loves spicy Indian fare as well!

Knackered after a day on the ski slopes. Well, Arabella just loves to huddle with the tired and weary.

Arabella still cuddling the following morning.

Courtesy of J&B, a lovely and filling brunch at Woodstock's Orielle 9 of bacon, house-made sausage, organic poached eggs, home fries, tomatoes, mushrooms and toast.

Ruske prepares for the show inside the world's largest kaleidoscope in Mt. Tremper.

above 3 photos: trippy trippy light show inside kaleidoscope!

Ben attacks Double Black Diamond trails at Wyndham Ski Resort.

OMG. A skiing taco!

"Hey, wait don't forget about me!!" Not to worry Lloyd, we never do. Our oldest child reveled in the weekend attentions of his Auntie Jen and Unkie Ben.