Eat your way around the world
THE SCENE Ava presses the back of the spoon on the rice, smashing it down into the banana leaf. She looks up at me and smiles. "Mmmm" "Looks good!" I say, watching her sneak a bite of the par-cooked rice before adding another spoonful to the cone. Later, when we eat dinner, Ava wolfs down three sticky rice towers - taking care to balance each one on end first. There are so many fun foods for kids in this great, big world. There's no reason to get stuck in a processed junk … [Read more...]
THE SCENE I look at the cooled, heart-shaped biscuits from Malawi. The electric, sunny color stuns me. But there is no time to dilly dally. I am late. Quickly, I tuck two of the hearts into a ziplock baggie and pour Ava into her oversized winter coat. The fur lining makes her look like a little lion. I roar at her as we jog to the car. She giggles. When I walk into the Global Garden classroom at Rosa Parks Elementary school twenty minutes later, a dozen 3rd and 4th graders look over. They … [Read more...]
THE SCENE I click through my email, waiting for the smoke. The burning. Before long, I'm elbows deep in an email from a woman who just started reading our blog. She asks "Do you ever not like the food of a particular country? Do you ever get tired of cooking food from other places?" I sit back, thinking... not because I don't know the answer, but to mull over - to savor - the hundreds of dishes we've eaten over the last two years (I started this blog in February 2010). So many wonderful … [Read more...]
THE SCENE It took four batches of dough. Eight pizzas... I think. Honestly, I can't be sure. I lost count. There were many casualties. First, my fingers, from impatiently grabbing hot crust. Then the tip of my tongue, from greedily tasting the pizza too soon. And, of course, my clothes, the counters, and even the cat all groaned under a thick coating of flour. Even Ava was out of sorts on our first tasting, throwing an all out temper tantrum on the floor before begrudgingly sampling … [Read more...]
THE SCENE I slowly make my way to the table, balancing the heavy, ceramic tureen as I go. For twenty dollars at the local flea market my soup plays dress up, looking quite fancy as she swims in the tureen's old-fashioned angles. I feel like Martha Stewart for a moment, as I lift off the creamy white lid with a flourish. Still... Luxembourg's famous Green Bean Soup, now steaming and beckoning, barely makes an impression on me. Sure - it's good. I know that because I snuck a taste five … [Read more...]
THE SCENE: We start off with twelve Lithuanian deviled eggs, more than enough for two adults and a toddler. We each eat one. Mine is gone in 2.8 seconds. Ava takes a minute to nibble on hers. Keith, a.k.a. Mr Picky, barely makes it. He shudders a little and holds his nose while he eats his egg, all in one bite because he simply can't bare to make it last any longer. This is serious work for him; hard-boiled eggs and mushrooms are two of his least favorite ingredients. Watching him … [Read more...]
THE SCENE: The timer's high pitched chirp let's me know; time to serve the King's Cake. While I'd rather curl up in bed and wait for the fever to subside, the bright scent of orange zest and warm, sweet raisins lure me onward. I pull the hot rolls from the oven and brush them with three coats of apricot glaze. They take on a glossy shine and begin to smell like a fruit orchard in autumn. Then comes the sugar - a snowfall of crunchy, sparkly turbinado goodness. It sticks easily to the … [Read more...]
THE SCENE: I take off Ava's fuzzy hat and coat, give her a kiss and off she goes - into her classroom. As I turn to leave, her teacher calls after me. "What are you cooking today?" "Libya!" I exclaim, perhaps a bit to excitedly, "I'm trying their version of shortbread. They put a whole clove in them!" "Sounds great!" she smiles, and gets right back to work, helping the kids with the day's craft project. I pause for a moment to watch them work, admiring how carefully their little … [Read more...]
