July 4th!

Typically, living outside of the US, July 4th is just another day wherever I am.  But this year it fell on a Saturday, and the Allisons hosted us for some hamburgers and hotdogs in honor of Independence Day.  The Allisons (from Arkansas) and I were the only actual Americans, but we also included Ralph and Twyla Williams, who are Canadians, but lived in the US for thirty years, and Tizo, Beth's husband, who is married to an American and so we have accepted as one of us.  Besides, with Beth being in the US right now, Twyla wanted to invite him because she thought he might be lonely and would enjoy a meal he didn't have to prepare.  Happy Fourth of July to all of you in the US, and I hope you enjoyed your own hamburgers and hotdogs! 

 

Having Fun with Guests

Look who's back in Tanzania!  

The Short family moved away from Tanzania in December, and have been spending a few months visiting the church in Milan (which is where I first knew them; we worked together there from 2007-2009).  However, Tammy had a few things that needed to be finished up here in Tanzania, and they needed to make a trip out of the Schengen area (Europe) so as not to overstay the 90 days that Americans are allowed to stay without getting a visa.  Lewis had already come at the end of January and brought Rebecca with him, and Michela visited some family friends in Scotland for her trip out. So, that left Tammy and Deborah, the youngest daughter.  They arrived in Monduli on February 19th, and will be staying with me for the few weeks they are here. 

Tonight, Deborah and I cooked a big meal of fried chicken, gravy, fried potatoes, and corn, and then we played Phase 10.  It's fun having someone around who likes to play card games! 

Gravy and Biscuits

Every now and then, it's good to get a taste of home.  I don't make gravy and biscuits too often because I really don't need to carbs, and bacon is pretty expensive here.  I had a quiet, chilly September Saturday night, though, so I made some.  It didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped; my bacon wasn't fatty enough to really give enough grease so the gravy was a bit bland.  Still, it was nice to have a truly southern meal!

In the biscuits above, you can see the one I pinched to try the raw dough.  Whenever my mother and I were every baking biscuits, we'd always pinch a bite of the salty dough.  Do any of you do that?

You can see a bit of my kitchen here.  I have a built-in range on the counter, but it's not hooked up to gas.  I also have the freestanding stove, and I really didn't need both just for one person.  The freestanding one has an electric oven, one electric burner, and three gas burners, and is hooked up to a small gas cannister that I can lift myself.  The built-in one would be hooked to a large outdoor gas can about three times the size of the one you can see.  So, I chose the freestanding one to have the oven and because I can call a boda boda (motorcycle taxi) to go pick up a new gas canister for me, while the big one would require a car and two people to move it.