Comments (6) You absolutely must try a south Indian dosa with coconut chutney and sour rasam soup. Dosas are crispy sourdough tasting XXXXXXL crapes made from rice and lentils. You tear off a little piece and scoop some soup and chutney. Yum!
Kate’s dosa at Amma Vegetarian Kitchen in Georgetown, DC.
We have just achieved the ultimate internet triumph. When you Google “Ice Cream for Breakfast” our site is number 6! To celebrate this moment in cyber history, I ate some ice cream for breakfast. MMmmmmmmm. Ice cream for breakfast is the way to go & not just in Idaho.
Let’s keep in mind, that this means that people, many people, do search the phrase “ice cream for breakfast.” What exactly are they looking for, pray tell?
For Sunday dinner we invited our church missionaries and the Hoovers (the other family living in the compound) for lasagna, garbanzo bean salad, and brownies. Except for Kate’s garbanzo bean salad, which was great, turned out o.k. We tried those no-need-to-precook lasagna noodles that always turn out to be crunchy-tasteless-wafer-crackers. Actually that was the only thing wrong with the lasagna, that and we ran out of spinach filling for the second one and had to substitute with whatever we could find in our fridge. Everyone seemed to like it, although our previous attempt with the local starch´o glue slab noodles turned out much better. Dessert was about the same, with only three of the guests putting their brownies in napkins and throwing them away (good by my standards). We had a lot of fun; even I (Neil) who can understand about 25% of all conversations.
For dinner tonight Kate and I made focaccia bread and stuffed it with grilled summer veggies. I was worried San Cristobal’s high elevation would affect the quality of the focaccia but it turned out nearly perfect. I added too much oregano to the recipe because it’s the only spice we have and so I substituted it for thyme, rosemary, and basil. Also we bought the oregano from a street vendor and lets just say it is hanky raw. I was pulling twigs or stems if oregano 1/2 and inch long out of the bread. Ether way it was awesome. So if your dying for something light and tasty on a hot summer day I recommend grilled veggies on some homemade focaccia.
Oh down this far south we basically have summer veggies year round, hence the title.
We have been trying to perfect brownies here for our neighbors. So far they are pretty good, but not quite like the boxed delight at home.
Aside from full-time brownie making…
In an all-time record for fastest calling given, with exactly 8 days in the country Kate was called to be the Gospel Doctrine teacher in the San Cristobal Ward.
It is a great ward. They just made the transition from branch to ward about three weeks ago. It will be exciting to teach about the New Testament in Spanish. I´ll have to brush up on my vocabulary & find some Spanish scriptures. I am also excited to introduce the concept of timeliness into the ward, which on average goes over at least 20 min over the lesson times, from what we´ve seen so far.
They haven´t really caught the gyst of not hitting EVERY point in the manual. Unfortunately, I have a tendency to go over time as well, so I have assigned Neil as keeper of the time. He is going to flag me down if I get to close to the end without winding up!
It´s going to be exciting!
Neil and I have spent a lovely week in Xela, Guatemala. It`s in the North West-ish corner of the country. It’s a good 6 hour bumpy, dangerous (due to driving customs) trip. Thus, not as many touristas make it up here. Therefore, we like it a lot more than the more touristy parts. No nappy-dreaded drunkards giving us whities a bad rap.
It´s a really pretty city that looks pretty European in the central part. We have been taking classes at the Kie-Baalam Spanish school. We each have had our own private tutors for a week. It`s been a lot of studying, 5 hours a day, but it`s been really good to get back into the grammar etc. Neil has already picked up present and preterit tenses.
Si no fuese blanco, seria latino!
Last night I nearly had a nasty accident in the bed, lucky I was lucid enough to make a dash for the restroom before tragedy occurred. I am not one to brag about much, but my so called iron tummy is something else. While I traveled India with a university group I think I was the only one never to experience gastro-intestinal issues.
As a kid growing up in Kenya I would eat/drink just about anything that came my way, be it from the floor, a sketchy food stall, or my friend’s mother’s cooking…and never had problems. Yet, here I am in Guatemala and just after the week mark I have been hammered with a mean old bug. I skipped my Spanish class this morning (we were going to a big market) because I was too scared to go far from a restroom. Anyway I am feeling well enough to go across the street to an internet cafe…Kate just came back from class…so I better finish up.
Anyway Xela (Quetzaltenago) is great; I would recommend anyone traveling to visit. Kate and I are moving on to San Cristobal tomorrow some time, and while sad, are excited to move out of a hotel and into a long term apartment.
P.S. We have some great video footage of traditional Guatemalan costume dance, we will post it soon.
Well it has just been one of those days. I am hoping to go home, find my wife, make a batch of caramel popcorn, cuddle while watch a brainless action movie, then go to bed.
Here is a recipe for great caramel popcorn if you are having one of those days:
Place the following ingredients into a pan:
3/4 Cup-White Sugar
3/4 Cup-Brown Sugar
1/2 Cup-Corn Syrup
1 Cube (1/2 Cup)-Butter (make sure it is real butter, NOT margarine)
1/4 Cup-Water
1/8 teaspoon-Cream of Tartar
Melt over medium heat and bring to boil, stirring frequently. Keep simmering until caramel is @ softball stage (place a small drop into a bowl of water and if it can be formed into a ball and hold its shape then it is good to go).
Take off heat & Add
1/4 teaspoon-Vanilla/Rum/Maple/orange/root-beer/ or any other extract
1/4 teaspoon-Baking Soda
This is the tricky part. Stir rapidly, it will start to foam. Once foaming pour over big bowels of popping corn and mix.
This makes a great batch of caramel corn, good for a movie.
Be warned though if eating because you are depressed, stressed, or sad you will most likely feel even worse after you realize you have uncontrollably gorged yourself.
Panorama theme by Themocracy
