Monday, December 22, 2014

Need Last Minute Gift Ideas for a Little Boy in Your Life? . . . Also known as "Autumn Writes a Blog Post"

If you clicked on this post to get straight to those last-minute Christmas gift recommendations, better just scroll down . . . way down . . . now. 

Need a gift idea for someone like me?

If, however, you actually enjoy become mired in my ramblings while I make my way (we hope) to a point, start right here!

What? There was a faster way to get there?

Lately, we've been spending a lot more time at our local library branch (I promise this does become relevant to Christmas gift ideas . . . eventually). As some of you know, Edmonton is a boom/bust town, and the last ten years, driven by high oil prices, have been boom years. We're now in our fifth year in this city, and I have to admit, the changes over five years have been pretty dramatic, and some have clearly been for the better.

EPL - Edmonton Public Library - is a prime example. When we first arrived in our new (rather crappy) neighbourhood and ventured out to our local library branch--one of the very few things within walking distance of our two-bedroom, poorly insulated, basement-flooding, formerly drug-dealer-harbouring (or so we were told) bungalow--I can't say I was very impressed. In fact, I'm pretty sure I used the library more than once as one of my examples of why cold, flora-murdering Edmonton was a generally undesirable place to live. Sorry Edmontonian friends . . . if you didn't already know I had trouble warming to this place, I guess the secret's out.

With the library, my angst started with the library card, which cost $18 and had to be renewed every year!!! What???? Even the children's card has a fee? Who ever heard of a city of a million people charging for library cards? Did they want inner city kids NOT to read? I was fairly appalled. Then there was the proof of address for obtaining the library card. Having just moved, I didn't have a qualifying proof of address yet. Ugh, this was becoming an unexpected pain in the ass.

Then there was the children's section. I was used to taking Owen to the library and having him play happily for an hour at a Thomas train table before pulling him onto my lap and reading some new books. This small (but admittedly newly and nicely renovated) branch had a lovely fish tank that captured Owen's attention for 2 to 3 minutes. But after that, he was looking for something to do. We turned to the shelves. Disappointing. I turned to the library catalogue. Also disappointing. I turned to the adult fiction shelves . . . perhaps this experience could be salvaged by finding something good for Mom to read. Hmmmm, no--no line of sight into the children's area, but I could hear the young one running amuck. No time to peruse shelves--just collect the poorly supervised child and leave.

We tried some of the children's programming as well, but after two attempts, didn't bother going back. I complained to Christopher that, if you have to shush children and ask them repeatedly to sit down to listen to the story, perhaps you've chosen a boring and age-inappropriate book and/or have unreasonable expectations for the behaviour and attention spans of the under-five age group. Likewise, if your craft involves scissors and results in the adults cutting and assembling everything while children crawl around poking each other in the eyes, perhaps it was a poor fit for the infant to 24-months program.

Yes -- EPL and I got off to a rough start, which (although I prefer not to admit it) I'm sure had at least as much to do with my expectations as their performance. But regardless, soon after our arrival in Edmonton, something interesting began to happen.

We wouldn't begin noticing it for some time, but the same month that we arrived in Edmonton, EPL launched a new and innovative marketing campaign called "Spread the Words." We took note when the clever marketing slogans took over the city buses. First things like, "We make geek chic," "Information Ninja," and "Chicks dig big brains." Then, as the library's 100-year anniversary approached in 2012, the campaign expanded. In honour of the centennial, EPL decided to offer free library cards for the year. The marketing slogans began to push the card: "This card makes you smart," and:

I like to think I'm fairly immune to marketing messages. Ummm, but I'm not. From the start, the clever, snappy messages had me smiling whenever the Edmonton city bus rolled by, and before long, they had me, I had to admit it, generally feeling kind of warm and fuzzy toward the library. But, as fun as the messaging was, the thing that really turned me around was the free card. "Yes!" I thought, "Sanity! Positive evolution! Much needed change!"

We began returning to the library (by this time, we had moved out of the health-hazard bungalow, so it was a different branch now) and found the changes were more than nice words. The new website was solid and very easy to use. The collection still frequently left me disappointed, and when books I wanted to read were in the collection, they were never at our branch. But the interlibrary loan system proved awesome. With just one click on the new, user-friendly website, a desired book was delivered in just days. And, perusing the catalog, it was clear a huge investment in e-books was unfolding. Personally, I still wanted to hold a board and paper book, but I couldn't deny this was a wise way to exponentially expand the collection, and make it widely available to the inhabitants of a high-sprawl city, on a limited budget.

And now I had not one little boy to educate and entertain, but three!!! We looked again into the children's programming and found options like "Lego at the Library," "iPad fun for Kids," and "Tween Lounge." The only downside to these programs? The demand was so high, many times you had to arrive at least 30 minutes early to get a spot. A bit of a pain for me, but undoubtedly a very positive sign for the library. And other changes that might seem small made a big difference, too. Movies, games, and music no longer required going up to a desk and waiting for the disk to be retrieved from its safe location. These multi-media offerings were now right out on the regular shelves and available for the fast, self-serve check out like the books. And they also no longer had the short borrowing periods that, at least for our family, always resulted in late returns and hefty fines. Due to these changes, we've learned that the boys of this family really like to fall asleep to Chopin, but no one in this house cares much for Vivaldi.

EPL had us back, and now the library is a regular part of our routine. Last week, I decided it was time for Peter and David to have their own library cards instead of using Owen's, and it turns out, even though the library's centennial is now long past, the cards are still free. You can also pick from the various snappy slogans, and the card comes with a bag for carrying your books. But far more important than all of that, was the experiential difference this time around. The last time I signed up for a library card with EPL, I felt like I was being regarded as some sort of criminal as I explained I had no proof of address yet and that, yes, my son is really my son, we just have different last names.

This time, the enthusiastic young man assisting us distracted my crying three year old by showing him he could choose whatever colour he wanted for his library card and allowing him to march his new card to the self check out and play around scanning it while we corrected the card information. "Oh, their last name is different than the one on your account? Woops! No problem. That will just take me a second to change. Sorry about that. How is the last name spelled please?"

A new EPL card then.

New EPL cards now.

Cards all set, the busting-at-the-seams four and three years olds scanned their books and DVDs excitedly . . . multiple times, which did not cause any hiccups in the new and apparently very advanced checkout systems. And as we headed home with our loot, I thought about how different our Edmonton Public Library experience was now and how, it seemed to me, that what started as a small "Spread the Words" campaign had not only inspired library users to think about the library as more than just "a library", but had actually inspired the library employees and administration themselves to look at their library and their jobs with fresh eyes. Ultimately, they did not just rebrand the EPL; they reinvented it. And this year, the transformation was recognized, not just by families like ours in Edmonton, but by Library Journal magazine when they named Edmonton Public Library the 2014 Library of the Year. Congrats EPL.


Now we have a regular routine that includes discovering new books at the library and, upon reading them, taking a boy vote on whether the book was "just okay" or "super duper great"! The super duper greats are chosen for bed time again and again and, occasionally, cause a few tears when it's time for them to go back to the library. And here, dear readers who did not scroll straight to the Christmas recommendations, we finally get to those last-minute gift ideas for little boys. Books make great gifts. Here are some of the "Super Duper Great!" discoveries we've made lately at our local library that we've liked so much, we want to share them with you. Maybe you'll decided to share them as well:

Boy Pick #1: Shark and Lobster's Amazing Undersea Adventure by Viviane Schwartz 
I love kids books that the parents can also enjoy. This is now one of our all-time favourites, so much so that having it at the local library wasn't enough. We had to have a copy for always.

Boy Pick #2: Thelonius Monster's Sky-High Fly Pie by Judy Sierra
Another one that both the kids and the parents can love. We had to read this one again and again . . . and again.

Boy Pick #3: Ugly Pie by Lisa Wheeler
Now if you're slightly dirty minded like my husband and I (apparently) are, you'll probably do a little adult snickering to each other while reading this bed time story to the kids. Luckily, it's toddlers, not teenagers, enjoying this rollicking rhyme, so they won't catch on to why the parents seem to think this story is extra funny. One word of caution, however, if you're concerned for your child's language development. This story has incorrect grammar usage that drove Chris and I crazy and that we felt the need to correct while reading.

Boy Pick #4: My Monster Mama Loves Me So by Laura Leuck
Just plain fun and great.

Boy Pick #5: The Fort that Jack Built by Boni Ashburn
Now as far as parent ratings go, I rated this one as just okay. But, very surprisingly, parents apparently don't always know what kids like. Peter wanted to read this one over and over, and in the mornings, a lot of fort construction occurred in the living room before this book went back to the library shelves.

Boy Pick #6: Epossumondas Plays Possum by Coleen Salley
This one was another surprise to me. The illustrations were super cute, but the book looked so text heavy, I didn't think the boys would stay engaged. Wrong again! Silly Epossumondas turns out to be quite captivating. However, we did make some grammatical adjustments while reading this one to the boys as well.

 Boy Pick #7: Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
Hahahahaha. Owen thought this one should be rated higher up the list.

Boy Pick #8: The Somethingosaur by Tony Mitton 
Just a sweet story that everyone enjoyed.

Boy Pick #9: The Beasties by Jenny Nimmo
What? There's really something under the bed? The boys listened with rapt attention to the very end.

And if one of the books above doesn't strike you as quite enough for a Christmas gift, we'd recommend throwing in a library card.




Sunday, December 7, 2014

Unemployment 30 Days In

This Wednesday evening, I was on a plane returning from California. It was December 3rd . . . the one month anniversary of T-Day (see It's T-Day for reference). We were flying fairly low, and with little cloud cover, the view was amazing. This perspective on the world, glimpsing it from in-between--the moon above, the mountains below, the clouds between highlighted by the fading light--was undeniably a small gift. I fished the iPad out from below the seat in front of me and tried to capture the moment:

My chief complaint with the iPad: Compared to the iPhone (returned to former employer on T-Day), the camera really sucks!!! And no flash! What the f@*!? But anyway . . . 

Bah! Stupid iPad. It was immediately apparent the picture could not do the scene justice. I returned to my worry: an admittedly illogical fear that, any moment now, death would begin at 30,000-feet-with-no-where-to-go and end with tuna-can-sized scraps of metal strewn over a mile of earth, possibly with a scorched black smear in the centre of the debris field. 

Yes, I have one of those irrational fears that boarding a flight will result in my children being left motherless. Despite my somewhat atheistic leanings, I spend a large portion of any flight praying to be returned safely to my family. Those who wish to help people like me seem to think the best strategy is to site statistics proving your everyday trip in an automobile is a million times more likely than a plane ride to end with your children becoming motherless. Stuff like this:

Oh phew! Now I can relax!

Since I live in Edmonton, so far from everything it requires a plane trip any time we wish to see family, friends, or weather without the threat of snow, and so sprawling it requires a car trip for even the most minor of daily tasks, this is wonderful news: my completely irrational fear of flying can be legitimately augmented by a statistically supported and rational fear of death in an automobile accident! I looked out the window again and consoled myself: It's very unlikely this plane ride will end in a fiery demise. Far more likely I'll be smashed on the road in the taxi ride home.

Surprisingly, the remainder of the flight was quiet. As the ground loomed up to meet us, the plane landed smoothly and with no issues. Another plane did not ram into us on the runway or fall on us while we taxied to the gate. But when I got in the cab, the driver informed me the highway was shut down--seven-car pile up, ambulances on the scene, we'd need to find another route home. Apparently, this should have come as no surprise (see fatalities by mode of transportation above). Now I worried the whole way home that my husband and children, who travel that route every day at this time, might be in one of those cars. 

The normally 20-minute trip took over an hour on the snow-covered city streets, jammed by traffic that would typically be on the highway. Pulling up in front of the house, a good sign: lights on means people are likely inside. Through the front door, only Charles, tail thumping and fur quivering with exciting, rushed up to greet me. But a glance down the hallway put my mind at ease. In front of me: winter coats and snow pants strewn across the floor. To my right: pizza boxes flopped open and abandoned on the dining room table. At the end of the hall: the glow of a computer screen and the dim flicker of a movie beckoning from the darkened living room. Ahhhhh, a sigh of relief, all's well here.

A sight to warm a mother's heart.

Turns out no one else was particularly worried that we might not be reunited, but I was hugely relieved to be home. I snuggled in between the little boys on the couch. "Who wants to have a mommy day tomorrow?" "Me! Me!" There we go; some excitement regarding my return.

I had not realized on the not-doomed-after-all flight that it was my one-month anniversary of unemployment. In fact, I didn't realize it at any point that day or the next. Turns out "real life" can keep you far too busy to keep track of such things!

But now, home from California and settling back in to daily routines, it seems like a good time to reflect. I had plans for my unemployment; I didn't realize it before, but they were BIG plans. And in truth, the last few weeks have made me feel very, very bad about myself. How on earth can I be getting so little done??? How can I stop spending a minimum of 55-hours-per-week on a job, and suddenly be unable to accomplish anything more than getting my kids where they need to go and getting supper on the table . . . at 7:30 pm!!!

Here were some of the things I was supposed to do with my suddenly copious amounts of free time:

1. Become a prolific blogger: I would blog everyday, and in each post, manage to find something interesting or humorous or insightful or delightful in the mundane happenings of daily life . . . and if not, I'd just share a recipe. Here's how that plan has panned out so far:
Tada! 30 days of "prolific" blogging progress!

And if that archive wasn't impressive enough, I have a post about procrastination that's been sitting in draft mode for 22 days:

See? It's true.

2. Become an awesomely productive do-it-yourselfer: This house, purchased two years ago with dog-urine-soaked carpets and walls that had not seen a drop of paint (or even just a wipe from a moist sponge) in 30 years was going to have new paint, new tile, new trim, new lights, all with my newly acquired home-renovation skills.

It's not that I've made zero progress on this one. But holy crap. Apparently when you decide to embark on your own home renovations, you are deciding to learn to walk all over again!!! I very quickly realized, I don't know how to do ANYTHING! Every seemingly tiny task is a giant production with an incomplete cast of characters--either the skills are noticeably absent, or the required tools have gone missing, or the necessary tool simply isn't owned at all. In the last 30 days, I've become very familiar with aisles of Home Depot I've never set foot in before, but my house doesn't look all that much different for it.

To do: Remove odd, non-functional box from wall. Replace with wall lamp or patch hole. Accomplished so far: Staring at odd box and confusing number of associated wires. Looking at every wall lamp at Home Depot, but purchasing none of them.

3. Reduce costs starting with food: This was going great! For a while there, I was the creative leftover queen! Here's an example. Chris says this looks disgusting. But not only did I like it (I am not ashamed), this lunch used leftovers that normally end up in the compost and cost only about $1. It could have been significantly less, but I'm still insisting on buying cage-free eggs.

Poached eggs and kim chi on leftover scalloped potatoes. Yum!

Unfortunately, about two weeks ago we had friends over for dinner, and not only did I fall off the savings wagon completely with the food purchases, now I can't seem to climb back on. I'm sure our recent, and ultimately heart-stopping-and-never-to-be-repeated, trip to Planet Organic is worth a future post.

4. Uhhhhh . . . you're going to get a new job, right???

Well . . . that was the original plan, but now I'm really on the fence about it. In fact, I've pretty much climbed over the fence and planted feet firmly on the other side . . . the stay-at-home-mom side. Here's a screenshot of just a handful of the jobs I've applied for--the provincial government jobs where you can actually log in and access evidence to base your job-searching depression on:

Date of application: Feb 4. Status: Offer in Progress. Hmmm . . . this is just a sign that you don't update your website regularly, right?

In recent months, I've applied for at least thirty jobs, received one telephone interview, and zero job offers. This is frustrating, of course. But I graduated from university in 2002 (the world was still reeling from 9/11, and it was not a great time for new university grads and job hunters), and my husband finished his graduate degree and returned to the labour force in 2009 (the worst time ever for finding a job!!!!). I'm well aware the world is different now, and no matter how good your qualifications are, 30 applications really aren't that many, and the job hunting road can be long and defeating. But really, the reason I'm going over the fence towards stay-at-home-momdum has much more to do with what has been accomplished in these last 30 days than what hasn't. Those things are much more fun to review:

1. Mommy Days! Even though I'm supposed to be using this time to blog, apply, and renovate, I've been frequently keeping the two little boys out of daycare and having mommy days instead. We do stuff like this:


And like this:

And like this:


2. I've read . . . books! Not picture books or parenting advice or business white papers. Real books with developed characters, plots, more than 100 pages, and everything!!! And in the evenings, I usually drink a cup of hot chocolate, homemade and sweetened with honey, while I'm doing it!

Old nightly routine: a beer and a computer. New nightly routine: a hot chocolate and a book . . . But I admit, occasionally the book is about beer.

3. Ending indecision, starting home renovations: Sure, the amount of progress I've made hasn't been nearly what I was expecting. But recently, a breakthrough! After days of looking at trim and baseboard options, debating the merits of stain vs. the merits of paint, worrying that Chris or a future home buyer won't like anything I choose, I realized something. Every day I don't make a decision is a day I just decide to live with plywood floors, unpainted walls, and rooms without trim. No matter what I choose and no matter how good (bad) I am at installing it, it's going to look 100 times better than what we have now. So stop thinking and start doing! I consulted my father regarding miter boxes, marched back to Home Depot, actually put wood and trim (and a miter box) into my cart, and got to work getting creative with the corners of my windows. This is going to take some dedication to complete all the windows on the first floor. And the first day proved there will be plenty of incorrect cuts and poorly constructed angles. But the world also has a lot of wood filler, and I'm pretty sure the end result is going to be awesome!



4. Family and friends: That flight back from California? I had been in LA helping my sister with a new baby and with my little toddler nephew. This is the type of thing I could never do while working. There were plenty of people--my husband, my mother-in-law, my sister--flying here and helping hold my world together so I could work and travel for Yahoo. But I was never the one able to go off and help others.

Slow down wild little nephew man, and let me take a picture of you!

While working for Yahoo, daily life was a merry-go-round of work->child pick up->dinner->bedtime->work->sleep->work->breakfast->child drop off->work. Now I sleep until 6:20am (so lazy!), I hang around chatting with other parents at school pick up, I grab the little boys early from daycare (instead of arriving in a panic minutes before closing), I took the kids to visit great grandma, not because she was sick, but rather because everyone was in good health and it seemed like a great time for family to get together, I occasionally sit with a neighbour who is feeling unwell, and I took a few days out of my own routines and responsibilities to help my sister with a new arrival. After years of working in sales operations for a corporation in desperate need of a turnaround, these everyday, normal, human things are a gift and a much-needed return to a different kind of reality.

5. Putting the kids first: I did one other big thing while I was in California. I gave the daycare the required 30-days-notice that I would be removing the little boys. So that's it -- no point in continuing the job hunt. By the time 60 days of unemployment rolls around, the wild little guys will be with me full time.

And this is something I have to thank Marissa Mayer, Jackie Reses, and their HR policies for. The fact is, my job was too good, and I was far too committed to it, to make the decision to leave without being pushed. That's not to say I think all that happened was right. A global internet and technology company deciding it's employees can't work remotely? Unconscionably wealthy executives deciding exceptions won't be made for things like family, partners' careers, and economic realities? It's all highly questionable. But these decisions forced me to look at my children and their fleeting childhoods, at my husband and our partnership, and realize that nobody needs me more and nothing could be a better use of my time than my family and relationships.

Now, every time I apply for a job, I think to myself, is this really worth the little guys being in daycare from 7:45am to 5:30pm every single day? Is this worth the big guy languishing in after-school-care every afternoon? Would I rather do this than be with my kids? The answer is always no. We are incredibly, incredibly lucky and should be able to get by (at least for a while) on one income alone. Sure, I won't be able to afford more flights to California; everything left in the savings account will have to be vigilantly protected. But people get by on much less, and we can, too.

At the end of the day, business process management, new product launches, corporate strategy, CEOs, HR policies, strategic initiatives, these all sound very important. They all can wait. Owen, age 9 and counting, Peter, age four and counting, David, age three and counting: they won't wait. So decision made: I'm going to make these days count before they're gone.



Monday, December 1, 2014

Leftover Hack #1: Turkey in Indian-inspired Cream Sauce

Here's a completely different way to go about turkey leftovers:


Here in Canada, we celebrate Thanksgiving in October, so I've had leftover turkey in my freezer for almost two months now. I'm way ahead of you on coming up with creative ways to use it!

Happen to have one of these lying around your house?

But for you Americans, it's the Monday post-Thanksgiving. At this point, I'm guessing you've worked your way through turkey with trimmings, turkey and gravy on toast, turkey sandwiches, and now you're saying, "I've really got to turn that thing into soup." But you're also getting pretty sick of turkey, and wondering if it would really be so horrible of you to just toss the dwindling carcass in the trash.

Before you turn to the soup pot (or the trash can -- egads, think of your karma!!!) try this easy and delicious twist on a traditional Indian chicken dish! The ginger and cilantro flavours are so fresh and bright, you might even forget you're still eating Thanksgiving turkey! (And if you're Canadian and don't have your leftover Thanksgiving turkey anymore, go ahead and make this with chicken.) If you have most of these ingredients on hand, this is fast enough to whip up after work. Serve with naan (a great, quick recipe is included below) or over rice. A curried lentil soup and greens-with-citrus salad would make good accompaniments for a more elaborate meal.

Turkey in Indian-inspired Cream Sauce

1 1/2 to 2 cups turkey pieces

1/2 cup walnuts, cashews, or pecans
1/2 cup hot water
2 tsps sesame seeds or tahini (nut allergies? omit the nuts and increase tahini/sesame seeds to 3 T)

1 T olive oil
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds
1 T ground coriander 
1/2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cardamom or seeds from 10 green cardamom pods
2 large garlic cloves
3 scallions, including the green leaves, coarsely chopped
6 quarter-size slices of peeled fresh ginger
1 or 2 fresh jalapeƱos or green Serrano peppers, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (If you don't have plain yogurt, use sour cream thinned with a bit of milk. Dairy allergy? Substitute coconut milk and add the juice and zest of 1 lime to this portion of the recipe for some tartness and acidity.)

- Shave off your turkey pieces and set aside


- Combine the 1/2 cup nuts with 1/2 cup hot water. If you are using sesame seeds instead of tahini, add them to the water/walnut mixture. Set aside to soak.

If you plan on serving this dish with naan now is a good time to mix the dough and set aside so it has a little time to rise and develop elasticity. Scroll down for an easy and delicious naan recipe. If serving with rice, get the rice cooking now.

- Heat oil in a frying pan our sauce pan. While oil is heating, measure out the spices (cumin seeds thru salt) in a small bowl. When the oil is hot (but not smoking!!!) toss in the spices and toast, stirring constantly for 30 seconds to 1 minute, being very careful not to let the spices burn. Add the turkey pieces, toss until coated, and then remove from pan and set aside.


- Combine all remaining ingredients (cardamom through yogurt) in a blender. Pulse a few times. Remember those nuts sitting in water? Toss those into the blender, too. Blend until smooth.

- Pour the liquified mixture into the sauce pan that was used for spices. Heat on medium/medium-low heat until gently simmering. Allow to simmer for a few minutes, then add the turkey mixture. Cover and turn heat to lowest setting.

If serving with naan, turn your attention to rolling and broiling the bread. Serve as soon as the naan or rice are ready. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little milk, cream, or more yogurt.



Easy Naan Recipe

1 packet or 2 tsps active dry yeast
1 T honey or sugar
1/4 cup warm water (if it's very warm, but not uncomfortable, to the touch, it's a good temperature)
2 to 3 T canola, sunflower, or olive oil
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
2 to 2 1/2 cups all purpose or whole wheat flour (if using whole wheat, you will likely need more flour)

- Combine yeast, water, and honey, and let sit for a few minutes for yeast to dissolve. Add in the other ingredients. Stir and then knead until flour is incorporated. If dough is very wet and sticky, add a bit more flour. Pour a little oil in a clean bowl. Place dough in oiled bowl, and turn so all sides are coated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or damp towel and set aside in a warm location ideally for 30 minutes or more.

- When ready to cook the naan, turn broiler on high. Grease a large cookie sheet with butter. Lightly flour a clean, flat surface. Pinch off a small ball of dough, and roll out very thin with a rolling pin. If the dough is sticking, add a little more flour.

- Place rolled out dough on cookie sheet. You should be able to cook about three at a time. Place under broiler for 1 to 2 minutes on first side. Dough should be puffing up and starting to turn golden. Flip and cook another 30 seconds to 1 minute until other side is starting to brown. Be attentive as your naan is cooking or it will definitely burn.


- Don't cook your naan to crispy. Although golden, it should still be soft and floppy. Wrap cooked naan in aluminium foil until all are cooked. Serve warm.