From Scratch

You probably already know that most of the cooking we do here is from scratch. When we lived in America I thought I really liked cooking from scratch, but it was limited to mostly cookies and cakes. When we got here, I realized I hadn’t even touched the tip of the iceberg. Like everything else about this transition, it was a huge challenge in the beginning. When we were first in the position to do our own cooking, I was pregnant, tired, and still sick fairly often. While being tired was a deterent from hours in the kitchen, the cravings were incentive to get in there and figure it out. Now, nearly a year later, I feel pretty comfortable in the kitchen. With an almost 5 month old there are still days that are a challenge to juggle it all, but I feel pretty confident in my ability to get a decent dinner on the table. Grinding meat is a nuisance but very routine. I have recipes that I know and love for french bread, pitas, tortillas, rolls, buns, and italian feather bread, a recent addition to the list. I’m still working on bagels and trying to decide if they are even worth the time! Some recent from scratch accomplishments include ricotta, ravioli, cheesecake (the Harrison’s found cream cheese in Rwanda!), buttercream icing, empanadas, and meatloaf. The big challenge on my horizon is tiramisu, complete with from scratch mascarpone and lady fingers. Just last week we discovered a guy in the market who gets things from Kenya. This is extremely exciting. We placed an order, and I now have cauliflower, broccoli, celery, squash, and strawberries waiting for some inspiration in the kitchen!

Hamburger Buns

Wheat Millet Bread