In the Kitchen

A Little Improvisation

Joy

Since we’ve been living in Africa, we have definitely learned a few things about improvising.  For me, I’d say that cooking here has definitely required me to be inventive.  A couple of years ago the stove we brought on our container slowly died, except for a couple of burners.  Anything I wanted to bake I learned to bake in our barbeque grill.  I baked cookies, cakes, pizza, biscuits, muffins…oh yeah, we cooked meat in the grill, too.  Thankfully, some very kind brothers and sisters in Christ helped us buy a new stove, for which I am still very thankful.  It has seen a lot of use!

I guess our grill was used so much that it finally rusted away.  George tried to repair it to get a little more life out of it, but about a year ago it finally just crumbled away.  I really missed not having that option any more for cooking.  Now, after moving to Iringa, we decided to see how we could improvise, so that we could bring back the taste of smoked, barbequed meat.

Luke dug a small pit and then circled it with some old bricks.  Then he packed dirt around the bricks and dampened the dirt.  We used charcoal to build a fire in the pit, and then I used my sturdiest cake cooling rack for a metal grill. Our first experiment was burgers.

It was a bit windy and we needed to trap the heat in, so..we used a big metal bowl and put it upside down over the burgers as a make-shift lid.  It worked. (Didn’t get a picture of that).

Tonight was our second time to use it.  We decided to cook the ribs from our recently butchered pig.  You can read about that adventure here.  I made some barbeque sauce which was oh, so tasty!  The ribs were absolutely delicious!  We are so happy to be back in business when it comes to barbequing.  If you want to come visit us, we’ll do our best to cook up something good. 🙂

Chidren's Bible Class

It’s Time for Some Good News

Joy
Recent news of the killer tornadoes that have swept through the South has been very sobering. Images and videos made available online simply underscore the reality that there are a lot of people suffering in ways that they never could have previously imagined.  
It seems like every week we hear some sort of bad news – death, cancer, injuries, natural disasters, etc.  Hearing such things is disturbing, and rightfully so, especially when we see people suffering.  As fellow human beings, it ought to stir within us the desire to pray for them and to help them.  Showing love and compassion to people who are hurting is what Jesus wants us to do.

However, as Christians, we need to keep our perspective.
I think sometimes we get so distraught about the trials of this life
that we unwittingly give the impression to those watching us
that this physical life is what we are all about.
Is it?
Is that the impression we really want to leave with people?

Whether we are dealing with crises in our own lives or in the lives others, we need to stay focused on the bigger picture – life after death.  The biggest tragedy is not the loss of all earthly possessions, or the loss of physical health, or even the loss of our physical life, but the loss of a soul.

Despite all of the bad news that comes our way, there is GOOD NEWS!
The GOSPEL, when accepted on God’s terms,,
gives hope with a heavenly view –
a confident expectation of life eternal,
free from the sufferings and heartache experienced in this earthly life.
The death of Christ is what makes this possible.
That is GOOD NEWS!
When we are in the midst of ministering to the physical needs of those who are hurting, let’s not forget  the bigger picture.  Let’s help people realize that this physical life is not what it’s all about.  There is hope for something far better, if we are willing to prepare for it.  
Everyone needs some GOOD NEWS!

     

In the Kitchen

I Tried Something New

Joy

It has been one rough week at our house.  All three kids have been down with the flu and it’s looking like George might be on his way down, as well.  So far, I’m feeling just fine. Supermom to the rescue!  It’s been a week of taking temps (Jacob and Luke managed to get theirs up to a little over a 104 on a couple of days, and they didn’t even hold it over a flame.  Linz tagged along right behind them), dispensing medicine, straightening covers, getting drinks, running baths to cool them down, getting cool washcloths for their heads, washing a gazillion dishes,etc. etc. For most of the week they haven’t been interested in eating much, and so I was trying to think of something I could make that they could nibble on without weighing heavy in their stomachs. One thing that we miss, especially at times like this, is crackers. Here in Iringa, there just isn’t much available in the way of crackers. What little we find are very expensive and stale.  So, I decided to make some.

Here is the recipe, in case you want to try it:
2 c  Flour (I substituted 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1 t  Salt
1/2 t  Baking Soda
1/4 c  Butter
1/2 c  Sour Milk (buttermilk)
1  Large egg
(You can change this a bit by eliminating the baking soda and using 1/2 teaspoon baking power instead, and using regular milk in place of the sour milk.)
Sift the flour, salt, and baking soda into a bowl. Cut in the
butter until very fine. Add the milk and egg and mix to make a
stiff dough.
Knead thoroughly and then roll the dough very thin. Cut into
squares or rounds and place on lightly buttered cookie sheets.

 

Prick the crackers with a fork and then bake in a 400 degree
oven for 10 minutes, or until very lightly browned. If desired,
crackers may be sprinkled with coarse salt.

Next time I will try to roll them out even thinner and maybe experiment a little more, like adding some grated cheese.  These would make a great  snack for kids, without the added preservatives.

Enjoy!
In the Kitchen

Laughter: the Best Medicine

Joy

Living in Africa must be done with a sense of humor. Without one, I would have a much harder time coping with some things that aren’t so pleasant. For example, yesterday morning I began preparing some pancakes for our breakfast. I then realized that we were out of pancake syrup, so I got out my recipe book and quickly began to gather the ingredients. I had to step out of the kitchen for a moment, and upon my return I glanced back at my recipe, only to find a slug crawling in my book. Yes, a slug. Where was it a few minutes ago? I guess in the middle, near the rings. It had rained heavily the night before and that tends to drive things that creep and crawl to a higher, drier place. About that time I looked up and saw another one on the wall. Ughh!!

Some time ago, we were in worship services and as usual, a couple of children were sitting with Lindsey.   At one point, Lindsey happened to notice that her shawl was being used by the little girl to pick her nose.  Yeah.   On ANOTHER occasion, after services as we were getting into the vehicle, Lindsey noticed that there was a *cough* booger *cough* on her arm, and just to let you know, it wasn’t hers.  Lindsey could have freaked out and from then on she could have avoided the little girl with the nose addiction, but she didn’t.  Was she grossed out?  Yep!  But she had a good laugh about it and continued to love those kids who sat next to her during every service.

In situations such as these, and believe me, there are many, we have a choice. Yesterday morning I could have fussed and fumed and refuse to touch my cookbook, or I could go outside and flick it off and continue my work with a laugh. I chose the latter. Now, I admit there has been more than one occasion when I haven’t dealt with a situation in the best way,.  Yes, there have even been times when I’ve come to tears because of being so frustrated with little things, but I’d like to think those are becoming fewer. There are numerous occasions in which the only real sensible reaction is to laugh! It keeps me sane, at least that’s what I like to tell myself. I prefer not to discuss the other option.

How do you react to life? Sure, there are serious occasions in which laughing would be highly inappropriate. I’m not talking about those. But what about those things that happen to us that might be unpleasant, embarrassing, etc. How do you react? Do you allow yourself to be easily agitated or do you laugh it off, even if it means laughing at yourself? I think the world would be a better place if we all learned to laugh a little bit more.

A joyful heart is good medicine,
but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22