THE SCENE: Recently Tulsa was blown over by some pretty mighty winds. Trees scattered their branches – the old, the cracked, and the decrepit littered the neighborhood streets. The next day I walked with Ava while she rode her tricycle. Every few minutes I stooped over to the pavement, gathering small twigs and branches until my hands were full. I would use the firewood in our chimnea. While I hate to see something good go to waste, I still felt a twinge of shame when the occasional car passed us by. I was that lady. Picking up sticks for no apparent reason at all. The weird lady. Ava pedaled happily along, occasionally pointing out another stick for me. Her simple, unquestioning willingness to help me, her mother, moved me. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of the jaded years to come. I silently looked to the sky and said a few words of thanks for the child. Thank you for not judging me with jaded eyes. Thank you for helping me with eager hands. Thank …
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Whether the sun is blistering or the snow is falling, Mozambique has the answer for you. Ginger – crazy ginger tea. The beauty of this drink is in the simplicity. There’s no long list of spices, as with Indian Chai (although, goodness do I love and adore a good cup of Chai). It’s purer than that. Every mug gently cradles steeped black tea and fresh grated ginger, topped off with creamy milk and sweet spoonfuls of sugar. It’s a little bit spicy and a whole lot of comfort. Served cold, this tea makes for an incredible poolside sipper. Served hot, this tea will warm your spirit as well as your fingers during a snowy sunset. This recipe is inspired by the Swahili people of Africa, some of who live in the northern tip of Mozambique. You’ll find similar drinks all in many parts of Africa, where ginger grows easily. Typically, the drink is served hot. Here is the video that inspired the recipe: Makes 1 1/2 quarts Ingredients: 1/4 cup grated ginger (about 3 inches …
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Welcome to golden, fire-breathing sunshine. This is piri piri, a famous hot sauce in Africa which has hundreds (thousands!) of variations. Today’s rendition comes from Mozambique, where bright lemon juice meets smooth olive oil, tiny hot peppers, and a healthy scoop of red pepper flakes. Piri Piri has her roots in Portuguese culture, whose influence is still felt today in Mozambique. Keep in mind that you can make piri piri by mincing a mountain of hot peppers, if you’re brave. In that case you might not even need the red pepper flakes. It’s all about what you feel like. The more peppers, the thicker the sauce, which can be nice (and is, in many ways, more traditional). For today, however, I simply wanted to make a hot sauce that would be edible for my rather mild-eating family, including my toddler … who, I might add, wasn’t nearly as scared of it as I expected. Which is amazing, considering the face I made when I gave it to her. Makes 1/4 cup Ingredients: 1 lemon, juiced (2Tbsp) 2 …
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Have you ever had one of those days where no amount of air conditioning cools you down? Where summer heat clings to your skin like extra, unwanted insulation? Where you don’t even want to hold hands, for fear that one extra degree of heat from another human might make you cry? Yesterday was one of those days. It. was. hot. Sometimes washing my face solves the problem. Sometimes I have to soak my feet in cold water. Other times only the cold brine of the ocean will do (unfortunately Oklahoma is in short supply of ocean). On days like this there is no way I’m turning on the oven. No way I’m turning on the stove. Considering I don’t have a microwave, this leaves me with cold dishes (like that yummy buckwheat & feta salad from Montenegro) and, of course, the good-glorious grill. And that’s where we are today. Happy Grill Town. Now, aside from not heating up the house, the best thing about grilling season is cooking up ye ol’ favorites. You know, the ones that …
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This is childhood: an overzealous hug and a kitty who has lost the will to struggle. This is also childhood: faces small enough to fit behind the glass. Both of these photos come from this week’s lovely Global Table. I themed the menu around all-things-barbecue because steamy Mozambique has all sorts of BBQ goodness going on. The Piri Piri sauce can go on just about anything – rice, meat, soup, stew, so be brave and whip it up on your next whim. Even better, carry a little to your next potluck in a cute bottle and make the hostess happy. Bring the chicken, too, if you have time. Then there’s the drink. Seriously. It’s like… creamy buttercups in your mouth. But ginger-hot. Oh goodness. None of this makes sense. Let’s just say it’s grand. What sounds good to you? Chicken Mozambique [Recipe] Whole chicken legs marinated overnight in coconut milk and lemon piri piri. This grilled chicken has tropical flair good enough for, say, Memorial Day weekend. Lemon Piri Piri [Recipe] A quick mix of garlic, …
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I love a little eye candy in the morning. This week I searched Pinterest for Mozambique and found the most beautiful photos; sparkling clear waters, titanic mountain rainges, lovely ladies and adorable children. Page after page filled with the beautiful and the rugged, the charming and, yes, the unexpeted bits of the Southeast African country. Welcome to my new favorite hobby – looking up countries I know next-to-nothing about on Pinterest. In fact, the less I know about a country, the more fun it is. Have you tried this? The obsession means I now have pinboards for every continent, global themed parties, changing the world, and more. Hello, fun! Once I settled into the photos of Mozambique, I realized that, while there is an over proportion of beautiful resort scenery, there are also plenty of photos of daily life. Women carrying water on their heads, children lounging in the hot, hot shade, food at the market. And speaking of food… the food of Mozambique is as beautiful as her landscape. You might find anything from chicken [Recipe] in a coconut milk & piri …
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