the taste of home

Just as April did, May is flying by at lightning speed and I find myself struggling to keep up with what day it is! So far it is still comfortably in the 70’s/low 80’s because we have had a fair amount of rain this spring. However, the heat is coming, like it or not! We have been working hard to get things ready for the slew of interns we have coming to work with us this summer. We hope to provide a great experience for them and to bless the community around us. Note—shameless plug to follow—we are always in need of people to come out and serve with us, so if you are interested and want to know more please contact me.

I had a recent request to write about some of the ways we get a “taste” of home. Meals and cooking are a big part of our everyday experience, especially with two growing boys in our house. I’m pretty sure Zeke tells me no less than 6 times a day that he is hungry…and believe me, we ARE feeding him plenty! I imagine this is how it goes with little boys and probably gets worse as they get older. Anyhow, I have found that being able to figure out ways to cook foods we know and love has been something that has made us feel more at home here. I have learned and cooked many local foods as well, and that influences all of my cooking. I have also learned to get beef straight from a butcher and have it cleaned up the way I like. However, some staples in our house are pizza, grilled cheese and tomato soup, burritos and spaghetti.

Fortunately for us there are many ingredients available to us. It’s just a matter of taking the time to put things together from scratch. I have gotten very quick at making pizza crust and loaves of bread. I also have learned the fine art of canning so that I can make some things convenient for cooking after I have made a big batch of marinara sauce, for example. Produce here is incredible and inexpensive, so I buy tomatoes in bulk when I make my marinara. The craziest thing I think I have made that I never thought I would was gyros. I love gyros and I found a good recipe that came out great. It was a bit expensive to make since it has beef and lamb, but for a unique treat it was worth it. It took all day being in and out of the kitchen to prepare it, but it gives me such a sense of accomplishment to be able to make something like that myself. I spend a fair amount of time in the kitchen, which sometimes I like and at other times I don’t.

I would say my culinary skills have definitely grown and gained an international flare since moving here. I also find myself trying to slip in as many fruits or veggies as I can to get lots of healthy things into my family without them even knowingJ We are so blessed to be in a place where so much is available to us. I definitely get tired of cooking many days, though, and either Scott will take over or we’ll just go out. The great news here is that pretty much all restaurants are kid friendly and even have free child care in the form of a waiter taking my boys over to play with the rest of the staff for a bit! I’m starting to realize that I may be a bit spoiled here. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!