about christmas

I've started to kind of vaguely think about christmas. A friend sent me a christmas stamp set so that I could switch up some of my christmas cards. I have a bit of fun making the cards but then it comes to addressing them and posting them and somehow the magic dims a little. I started playing with the stamp set yesterday after having them sit on my desk for 2 weeks. Wasn't feeling clever enough to have such pretties so it took me a while to work up the courage. I made some little lovelies- at least in my estimation.

Last week we were up in our first town and i stopped at the ribbon shop that i like to go to. Its small but things are out on the shelf so that you can touch them. That's kind of unusual here. Small things are often kept in a cabinet and you have to ask the keymaster to open the cabinet and tell her which one you want to touch. If you're window shopping, as I often do, this gets a little on the tedious side. Having someone stand there waiting for you to either buy or ask for something else. Anyway, I came away with a few meters of ribbon, some slicky paint to finish off stockings and some fake poinsettas. I'll add them to wreathes and homemade christmas ornaments this year.

Jonathan and I have entered into idle discussion of christmas for @. He's 5 and we are going back to the states 7 months after christmas. He's WELL STOCKED for toys and oys seem silly because we aren't bringing them with us. He has a bike. A list of the things we've talked about as family presents:

We've talked about a keyboard for the family- I like to play, or attempt it, and we've both thought @ should learn and instrument. Jonathan's family all play something or had a lesson when they were kids. So for Jonathan its how kids grow up. I've just always fancied the piano. A keyboard would start somewhere around $120.

We've talked about a camera for @. I know that sounds wasteful but we will be in the states for a good 8-10 months. Meaning the 5yr. old will be without the bedroom he's used to, in the house that he is used to with his bike and friends and toys for 8-10 months. That's kind of a lot it seems like to me. We walked by a display of Fisher Price 1st cameras when we were in Singapore some months ago and as was the display's intention, it got us thinking that might be a way for him to take some memories with him. What he wants, not just what I take pictures of for him. But then i read the reviews and it doesn't sound like its much of a decent camera. We've talked about buying his a cheapy here ($50) but then that seems silly too. Or I could just take pics of what he tells me to- which is what we already do and it seems to work just fine.

We've talked vaguely about a handheld video game system for the family. They are everywhere here. Our thought is that we have 30 hours in the air back to america, another 30 to get back here and countless car trips in the states. Maybe a game of tetris would be pleasing to everyone. We haven't looked at them or really even talked about it more than in passing but i think they would probably start at $175.

Now understand, we don't do lots of presents for christmas or birthdays. Normally its one present and then some books or a new set of markers, paints, etc. The grandparents send the child plenty of stuff! Indeed, presently we need to work through some of his stuff again to get rid of some of the things. We try not to buy him things that he will grow out of quickly. And these are all items for the most part that will be family gifts- even the camera to some extent because I'd love to see what his eye sees.

So tell me, what do you think? What do you do for christmas gifts? Tell me about your kid and taking pictures? Am I just crazy on that idea?

What your friend wants for her birthday

And that isn't me. We're all good here. But I had a realization yesterday that I thought I should share with you.

It's rough economic times. We read the US news and we've read largely about stimulating everything under the sun. How people are cutting back. Reevaluating wants and needs. In general the American public is coming to her senses and that's a very good thing. And that made me think about some of the blessings we have received here. People like to send us things. They really should stop because it's too expensive but grandparents can be surprisingly hard headed. But we get all of these treasures that people in the US don't necessarily think are treasures. Case in point:

Monday the day got away from me. I hadn't slept well. My houseworker called in sick. Jonathan was at the university all day. @ was surprisingly involved in homeschooling. I talked too long outside to the neighbor. I needed to water the grass. I didn't give myself enough time to make dinner. Come 4:30 I had a vague idea but not the time to do it in. What's for dinner? I reach into one of my storage boxes. Some months ago as a birthday or Christmas package, someone (I think Gretchen) had sent me 2 boxes of Suddenly Salad. You know, the $2.00 box of pasta salad you pick up for the church potluck in the summer. That's something Jonathan can make while I take care of jobs outside and get moving on another project. We had Creamy Bacon Pasta Salad for Monday night dinner and it was just what the family needed and it was all thanks to the kind soul that sent us that birthday/ Christmas present. They saved dinner! Our Heroes!

Need another example:

A friend asked us to "talk" with a group of kids she worked with this summer. I chatted with her online for awhile one day. For some reason, in return for our chatting (because it was incredibly hard work), she sent me cake mixes. Why did she send me cake mixes? Because we can't get them here and she was being clever. I hope its because her local grocery was having a sale on cake mixes and she got them for next to nothing, I don't know that that was the case though. But she sent me this very heavy box of 10 different cake mixes. What a lovely gift! We have friends that are moving into a different house while their house is lifted. It's a stressful process to say the least and I thought I might bake them some funfetti cupcakes to help them get through the hard days ahead. My kind friend has also supplied me with favorite birthday cakes for the next year! How great is that!

Are you picking up the point? Maybe not. What I'm suggesting to you is that you look at some of these "everyday things" as presents. Why couldn't Gretchen give a couple of nice boxes of Suddenly Salad to her neighbor for their birthday? You're thinking "Because that's weird." Why is it weird? It's not weird. You're giving your nice neighbor friend a night off cooking or thinking about dinner for the cost of $2.00 (if they are a small family like mine). And that sounds like a birthday present to me. Why can't my nice friend give her nice friend in the US several cake mixes? Her nice friend probably could use a surprise cake that she wouldn't otherwise buy herself.

I know we're all trying to move out of buying so many ready-made box mixes. Oh, they're expensive; they're not really as healthy as they could be etc etc. But sometimes a mom needs a box mix. Can I get an AMEN!? Sometimes mom needs to have a night where the dinner isn't in the freezer and the dad needs to cover and we could order pizza or have a box mix. I'm thinking the box mix might be closer to healthy than the pizza.

We receive all kinds of things that people wouldn't think about giving us if we were in the states. Dried fruit, chocolate pop tarts (oh, how I love chocolate pop tarts), Lipton soup mixes, ranch dressing packets. Maybe you're a super coupon lady. Maybe you're friend isn't. Why not give off some of your ranch dressing packets to your good best girlfriend that you know loves ranch dressing packets but she might not want to buy them for herself? Why can't that not be weird?

By the way: this was in NO WAY a request to get you to send me stuff. We're really pretty good here. Your neighbor friend, maybe not.

My Favorites

In the past Oprah did a show every year around christmas time of her favorite things. Typically the show involved Oprah giving her favorite things to everyone in the audience. This is the show I want to go on because Op' has good taste and its normally clever stuff. I've only actually seen part of one "Favorite Things" show and she was showing us her glasses that fold up and fit into a lipstick tube type thing- it was when those were new and hip. I have a pair that are similar now, mine don't fold quite as small but they are genius. If you have to wear cheater glasses sometimes, this is the way to do it- and they're cheap so you aren't out a lot of money when you finally drop them too many times.

So, because Op' dropped the ball this year (some talk about the dire economy and not wanting to encourage bad habit (should have thought of that 10 years ago)), I'm here with my favorite things. Please understand, NO ONE will be sending you any of this stuff and really none of it is new or fitting the definition of "hip". You save your nickles and dimes and maybe one day you can go buy yourself some old stuff I like.

Favorite Thing #1: The Ipod speaker (call it an Mp3 speaker if you so choose). We bought this a year or so ago when we moved here. It was pricey (ballpark $150) but its genius. The Ipod itself is genius but put it with this speaker and I'm speechless. It sits in the living room most of the time but when I cook in the late afternoon/ evening it migrates to the kitchen with me. We don't have the Ipod anywhere near full but the selection and variety... amazing. My mom bought a new stereo with a record player when I was a kid. It was small then with its 2 big speakers, and something the size of an 20 inch tv box. My Ipod speaker is the size of shoe box and weighs slightly more.

Favorite Thing #2: My Pressure Cooker

I've been working on talking myself into buying one of these for years. I couldn't decide if I really would use it enough to justify the expense. I found one in an appliance store a few months ago and the exchange rate was especially favorable so I thought I could justify it. At the exchange rate in April this would have been $70, at the exchange rate in October (when I bought it) it was $49. And what is a pressure cooker you ask: the "the green pocket book friendly" kitchen appliance you really can justify buying. It cooks in 1/3 time as conventional stove top cooking. For example: You want to save money in the grocery dept. Your family wouldn't mind eating beans X's a week as the protein source for a meal. You buy canned beans but as you examine your food bill that is still a costly area. Nix the beans and go back to meat? Or switch to dried beans which take a while to cook? Dried beans are a good option but now you've gone from paying for meat to paying a higher electric/ gas bill to cook the beans, even if you fill the oven to cook them. Answer: Pressure Cooker. I cooked a pound of beans this morning in 30 minutes. Beans sometimes take as much as 3 hours to cook on the stovetop. For me a cand of kidney beans costs about $1.75/ 14oz can. Dried kidney beans cast me $.60/ 1lb package (=3 cans). I also get bean broth to cook rice or add to soup. Canned beans have that wierd liquid in them that you rinse off. With a pressure cooker you can also cook a piece of tough meat and its not a problem. 20 minutes in the pressure cooker and you have soft meat. I've taken to buying bone in chicken, pressure cooking it, freezing it and it makes dinner quick. Applesauce is quick and healthy. Yesterday I made mashed potatoes from peeling to serving in 30 minutes. Buy yourself a pressure cooker and save some money (and warm up your kitchen, that's a draw back for me).

Favorite thing #3: My bicycle

I went through and tried to think of a physical activity that I have consistently enjoyed. A friend and I were going swimming once a week for awhile and I just didn't enjoy it, water started making me nervous at age 20 (my stupidity there) so waking up early to drag myself out of bed to feel a bit uneasy, added to the fact that I wasn't in control of the time expense- I didn't really enjoy it. I enjoyed running in college but I had access to track, don't now. I loved biking when I was kid, enjoyed it in college, lived off it in Africa and I enjoyed it when we had a gym membership in the states. So I mulled over a bike for a while, making sure I'd commit before spending the money. I've biked everyday this week and have come home when I wanted to and felt like I had more energy than in a long time.

Sweet Potato Quesadillas

Because you asked and we're here to serve

Sweet Potato Quesadillas
Mince
1 1/2 C Onions
2 Clvs Garlic
Saute in frypan in 1TBSP oil until onions are translucent

Add:
2 tsp oregano
1 1/2 tsp basil, marjoram, chili powder,
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin (optional)
pinch of ground red pepper/ to taste
Cook with onions a minute or two

Add
4 C sweet potatos (cooked and mashed)
Add and heat through, frequently stirring to keep from getting too sticky.
** I added about a 1/3 C water because the potatoes were just too sticky.

Now make your quesadillas. I just made them with cheese the first time. Served with salsa and french dressing. Jonathan liked them without anything and I like them with salsa.

The recipe mentions that you can use shredded raw sweet potatoes sauteed with the onions and garlic until soft. I had the oven going a few days before and put the sweet potatoes in to bake while the oven was hot. But if you don't get a chance to plan ahead like that try the raw potato route. This is a quick recipe otherwise and VERY FILLING. Jonathan and I each ate 1 and were stuffed.

This is from Simply in Season a World Community Cookbook from the Mennonite Central Committee. If you are trying to eat more locally and seasonally, this is the cookbook for you. The website is improving all of the time and its a great resource for fruit & vegetable nutritional values. They also have a recipe of the week newsletter. Buy this Cookbook, do it for yourself.

Meal Planning

Since we moved here and I'm doing most of the cooking now, I've planning meals on a weekly basis, sometimes 2 weeks at a time. When we were in language school our houseworker cooked lunch for us and our evening meal was leftovers or sandwiches. I'd cook some on the weekends but our houseworker tended towards cooking for a brigade of hungry giants so sometimes weekends would just be catching up from the week of lunch leftovers. No bad thing but I enjoy cooking so living that way for 10 months got a little tedious. Working on meal planning has also helped me to work in more veg. meals and work out of meat and a side dish meals. Its added more variety and nutrition to the dishes we eat. All upsides in our book.

On Sundays I sit down with my cookbooks and my planning notebook. I ask Jonathan and @ what they'd like to eat this week and I try to honor a version of at least one suggestion. When asked what he wants to eat, Jonathan typically replies with "Meatloaf, potatoes, sloppy joe, Silken Chicken". That last one throws you off I know but for Jonathan its Indian gold. This is chicken marinated in heavy whipping cream, folks. There is nothing healthy about it but its delicious. @'s reply is always mac-n-cheese and PBJ. So from there I go through cookbooks, looking back at what we've eaten last week, thinking about what's still in the fridge/ cabinets, thinking about where we are and what we are doing in the week ahead and then finding recipes that look like fun, would be quick on the right days, can take longer on others. I've also been working into my thinking what can we do without meat. Generally my meal plans look something like this. A list of what I'd like to make for us this week. I take into account that what I can do with extras of some ingredients. I tend to keep this page of the planner open on the counter so that I look at it and think about planning my day accordingly. I also write down the leftovers that are in the fridge. Normally I plan 5 prep meals for the course of the week. I know that at least one day we'll forget the whole thing and order pizza or decide its too hot or there's no electricity so we can't open the fridge. We eat our larger meal at lunch most days and that is the meal I plan. One night a week is wacky leftovers- the night where no one eats the same dish as anyone else. A lot of evenings are sandwiches or large portion leftovers. Sunday nights are always family movie night so that means popcorn, apple slices and mozzarella slices. I also try to plan a few desserts/ cookies/ treats to make in the week. We have a never ending supply of lemons and so that is always available.

Mondays are grocery shopping days while @ is in school. My weekly grocery list is planned from our meal plan. I know what I need to buy and what I still have in the cabinet. I try to never go to the store without having done a meal plan. I have a notebook in my purse that I keep grocery lists in and then I stick to task. I'm a list crosser off-er so that helps me too. Generally I stay within the same $ amount but a few times a month I'll buy a special new ingredient that might be a little pricier. Feta cheese has been my new once a month splurge but oh have we enjoyed it.

The top most pic is lunch today Ful with Homemade Pita bread, Feta Cheese and hard boiled egg. Cooking Pita in the oven is the last photo.

Flextarian-ism revisited

Some years ago when we were living in Africa I decided we should go for a more veg than meat diet. I read about it a bit and the new word for folks living more veg than meat was "flextarian". Although I thought it was a great idea, other members of my home were not quite game for the switch and as such it didn't happen. Then we went back to the states for a little over a year and of course it didn't happen there. Have you seen what is available for food in the US?! Let's pull into Arby's while we talk this over, or maybe Taco Bell.

Well I've started thinking it over again and looking at what I'm putting in the cart in comparison to other folks and its kind of got under my skin. Everyone here lives off a diet consisting of Tempeh, tofu, rice, noodles, and vegetables. Throw in fried chicken and you probably have a good look at one a family's diet is in a week's time. This doesn't mean its necessarily healthy eating because most of that stuff is fried with a bit of MSG for fun. I have taken some of these recipes and tried to use less oil and no MSG- much to the dismay of my houseworker who doesn't think it tastes quite right.

I've been cooking a bit more with beans and red rice. Combining them together means lots of fiber, plenty of proteins, and a complex diet that we don't feel hungry in between meals. Some menus from the last few weeks:

• Tempeh and Green Bean Carrot Hash - this is one my housework is wonderful at
• Ful & Homemade Pita- I use to go out for breakfast in Africa sometimes and this was a favorite. Made it 2 weeks ago, ate it twice, put the rest in the freezer and its making a comeback this week.
• Tuna Burgers & Steamed veggies
• Chickpea Curry, Naan, Steamed Veggies- Indian cooking is one of my favorite things in the world and when I make it at home, if I use chilis or red pepper, its normally only half. Still happy people.
• Refried Bean and Tortillas- this is a favorite at our house. @ loves to help make tortillas but normally that is just him eating dough.
• Tortilla Chips and Homemade Salsa- I've been playing with making salsa since the import store stopped carrying it.
• Blackbean & Veg Enchilada- one we are trying this week
• Malai Kofta - I make meat kofta all the time. I just found this for a veg version
• Smothered Pork, Veg and Naan- Jonathan loves this one.
• Brocolli and Onion Frittata- came from the Moosewood Cookbook I found at the used bookstore.
• Sloppy Joes on Buns with whatever veg- This is jon's favorite next to meatloaf

For most of these recipes, when I make them at lunch no one is that hungry for dinner so that is where Chips & Salsa, Popcorn, and Noodles come into play. For us, the bean dishes are normally served twice in a week and sometimes we have leftovers still. Last week for dinner we had sweet potatoes. At first Jonathan wasn't getting it but then he found out that he likes sweet potatoes and that maybe they don't need brown sugar and marshmallows to be edible- is that crazy talk or what?

Lemon Recipes to come. I have this lemon tree that I've been picking about 30-40 lemons from every week for about 4 weeks now. I've given them to friends and neighbors. We always have lemonade in the fridge (Jon's mom always had cider, I have lemonade). Lemon Bars are always around for desert. But still what else can you do with this kind of lemon crop? Soon mangoes will be ready and I finally have bananas coming on. I don't know the variety of banana but my houseworker seemed to think they'd be good for frying - go figure.