We Are The Littles

So, one of the fellers that works for me has a US visa that expires in March. He came last time I was here and asked if he could go back to the good’ol USA for more training before his visa expired. It’s very difficult for Nigerians to get US visas and they LOVE going to the States. Anyway, we put together a training schedule, I got his rooms and transportation booked, and away he went.

Now he’s back and happier than ever. So happy that he brought me a gift! It’s a
Curve gift set by Liz Claiborne.  It has body wash, cologne, & deodorant. I asked him if he was trying to tell me that I was smelly. He wasn’t.

In more exciting new, the new 24 Jack Bauer Power Double Hour movie prequel is on this Sunday night. I have my DVR set to record every blissful minute. Unfortunately I won’t get to watch it until I get home. The trailer is below for your viewing pleasure and is much better than the one I posted a while back. This one looks more like a John Rambo movie than your typical Jack Bauer affair. Oh, and it takes place in Afreeka. A place I’ve been a time or two.

Ok, so my plan was to get home with this newspaper, scan a few select articles, and upload them for all to enjoy. They’re not very enjoyable though. Interesting, yes. Entertaining, maybe if your strange like me. Anyway, the power pack for our work scanner at the apartment here has gone awol. I can’t use my travel scanner because I would have to cut the articles out & the newspaper belongs to another guy here and who is saving it since it’s rather outlandish.

The headline above is one story that is told in the first three clippings below. The fourth clipping is the second story and the last clipping is the third. Click the pics below in order to read the full articles.

Now you all really have to give us some credit for a truly original blog. You never know what you’ll find here. It could be crazy Nigerian newspaper articles, or maybe Carolina’s Culinary Creations, pictures of the young’ns acting goofy, political rants, and the occasional Gabe’s latest Gadgets post. Yes, we are mildly creative. Later.

Sorry, I still don’t have any exciting news to share. Just another day in Nigeria. This morning went by nice and smooth. I was busy, but not too busy. Then one o’clock rolls around and all hell breaks loose. I didn’t have enough hands, phones, or computers to keep up. The madness finally ended about 4:15pm. By then I was worn out.

In other news, my tiny little netbook computer got a virus. I NEVER get those on my machines! However, I broke my code and used a thumbdrive from one of the mud engineers because I’d all ready shut down my work computer. Bad idea and I know better. Every single machine, memory stick, CD, hard drive, you name in our office and in the field are infected with a million viruses. I finally got rid of the stupid thing yesterday and now it’s running fine again.

I took a video on the way to work this morning. It has no entertainment value what-so-ever but I guess a crappy video is better than no video at all. This area is always congested with thousands of people buying who knows what. I call it the Port Harcourt Wal-Mart. I also took a picture of one the tanks that is being built in our yard at work. The picture was taken the day after the election. No, I’m not getting on my soapbox again! Just showing you who the Nigerians were rooting for. Big surprise.

Last but not least… It’s holiday time in Nigeria just like it is everywhere else in the world. In order to continue doing business in this wonderful place we have to give gifts to the communities. Otherwise they’ll hijack our trucks more than they all ready do and make life even worse. The particular community in the letter below just finished threatening to storm the base and shut us down… Violently! Luckily the powers that be came to a an agreement with these people and we continued business as usual. However, it’s time for their end of year celebration and we have to provide them with:

1. 5 Live Cows
2. 20 Live Goats
3. 100 Bags of Rice
4. 5 Cartons of Assorted Hot Drinks / Spirits
5. 10 Crates of Minerals and 5 Crates of Malt Drinks

It’s the cost of doing business I guess. I cropped the letter because I don’t want these volatile folks coming after me! The big red machete in the middle probably still gives it away though. We’re not giving them everything they want. The goats and drinks aren’t happening.

Oh, and did I mention that Gabby rolled over for the first time on 11/17/08? MBM put her to sleep on her tummy and when she went to check on her she’d done flipped over to her back! She has yet to do it again.

From Arborio Rice Pudding

In order to get into the mood to write this blog, I put cinnamon sticks to simmer on the stove. I just love that smell. Later, when I am done with the homemade potpourri, I will add some milk to it and a touch of sugar, then I will have a drink known as Canela, which means cinnamon in Spanish. See, whimsical, yet practical, just as our dish was for this TWD challenge presented by Isabelle. Thanks, Isabelle, for hosting this simple, but tasty treat test.
Okay, so this was my first experience using Arborio rice. I found it at our local World Market. It was a reasonable price, especially when you consider a little goes a long way. That is my kind of deal. I did not have any issues with this recipe. It thickened up nicely for me. It was very similar to the Mexican Rice Pudding we make with traditional long grain rice, except it uses whole milk, instead of condensed and it is served cold, not hot like ours with cinnamon. One of my favorite memories from home, my grandma making us this dish in the mornings. I prefer Vanilla Rice Pudding over the chocolate, which will shock most people who know me to be a Chocofiend. I chilled and served the pudding in individual ramekins. Then, I topped it with whipped cream and a sprinkle of raspberry flavored cocoa, served with limone glazed biscotti, and garnished with a cinammon stick.
I am so excited! I was finally introduced as a new baker on the TWD homepage. I thought they had forgotten about me. I guess not.
Be sure to visit the site and look at the many blogs. I warn you, many will make you hungry and inspired!

Next up: Thanksgiving Twofer Pie

I don’t have much to tell other than I’m finally getting a treadmill here in Port Harcourt! It’s been a long time coming, and it won’t be here immediately but it will be here.

The boss left for his USA vacation trip on Saturday so I hit him up Friday night when he was all happy about leaving. When I get home, I’m going to buy one (the same model I got for us at La Casa de Little) and I’ll have to deliver it somewhere in Houston to an international shipper that will put it in a cargo container and ship it over the water.

Hopefully it will be here by the time I return for my next hitch in January. That means I’ll have my weights and I’ll have my treadmill. Now if I could just ship MBM and the kids over in a cargo container all would be perfect.

Okay, so I used to think that my husband only married me in hopes of having Mexican food cooked for him every day. Now, I know it is true. Unfortunately, my Mexican rice (not to be confused with saucier Spanish Rice) has not been up to par since I moved away from home. Yes, Wichita Falls is known for its superior Mexican Rice. Actually growing up with my grandma, I was able to observe how to cook a lot of Mexican dishes, or Tex-Mex meals. She really did not like us in her kitchen, much like me now, and I would have to watch, ask questions, leave, and experiment when she was away. Cooking Mexican Rice was one of the first dishes I learned to make. Of course like most of us, my first few attempts were bad. Then, I became the “backup rice maker” in our family, especially on Sundays, when everyone went to church,except for your’s truly, and I was expected to have something ready. I felt redeemed by doing it.
After moving to Houston, the mecca of cheap and scrumptions Mexican meals, I slacked off on cooking Mexican dishes, and relied solely on the good Hispanic tradition of older women cooking for us “young’ns”. In my case, it was my good friend and babysitter, Marina, who always made sure I was well fed. I miss the days of her having homemade breakfast tacos and Mexican hot chocolate or cafe’ waiting for me. Those were the days.
Okay, so now I am all married up and feel the instictive urge to cook for my man his favorite food. So, I went back to my inspiration, Marina, for her awesome rice recipe that she is so famous for. I hope you enjoy making this recipe as much as I did. The flavors are wonderful and a great aroma fills the entire house. It is an easy recipe. It is an easy clean up. It is also the perfect side dish or main dish for dinner or a light lunch. Now, if only I could learn to make her awesome beans!

Recipe

4 tbs of canola oil (or any light oil)
2 cups of Long Grain Rice
1/2 cup of diced onions (or to taste)
2 tsp of minced garlic (or to taste)
4 cups of boiling water
4 oz. of tomato sauce
2 chicken bouillions
2 tsp of grounded cumin (or to taste)
Optional add In’s (listed below)
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Optional to add at end (all or one of each):
2 cups of cubed cooked chicken, 1 cup of cooked mixed veggies, 1/4 cup of diced tomatoes

Boil 4 cups of water. In a skillet, heat oil on medium heat and lightly brown rice. Add onion, then garlic. Mix and for 2 minutes let rice brown some more. Next, mix in 4 0z. of tomato sauce. Then, pour boiling water on top of rice. Stir. Add chicken bouillons,cumin,and salt and pepper, and stir again. Note:at this step, my grandma used to add in small stalks of celery with leaves, for flavor and presentation.
After this step or adding in optional ingredients, cover your rice and allow to cook for apx 20 minutes, or when rice becomes fluffy. Here you could add in one cup of frozen veggies here and allow to warm in pan for a few minutes.

Buen provecho!

If you did not know it by now, one I am a carb junky and two I am a food blog addict! I found this great website hosted by Chef John through other food sources, and I wanted to share this recipe with you (check out embedded video). First, you will love it cause it is a video blog (yay!). Second, you will love it cause it is super easy and just in time for BAKING weather!
So, do not think of the overall time, but focus instead on the goal, which is great smelling, easy baking, no Knead bread, and it is Pumpkin!!! I hear the applause. Yes, you wonderful, beautiful people, bake until you drop! I will try this soon and as usual post it. I will also share the “leftover”tip Chef John gives on the recent blog;use the leftover bread to make French Toast. Heaven.

On another different, but same, note, Mrs. Angie and fam are coming in for the weekend. She does not know yet, but we will be catching up on our girl talk while we bake and cook for tomorrow’s dinner party! It is Mexican-themed, of course.
The menu:
Mini Empanadas for Apps accompanied by chips, salsa, and homemade guacamole
Enchilada Casserole as the main course with Mexican rice and Slow-cooked pinto beans for the sides
Chocolate Tres Leches for dessert
and Homemade Sangria to wash it all down with
I will let you know how it goes.

Happy eating!

From 3MChoCCakeCup

Yes, hard to believe, but it is true. My hubby,in his never-dying support for my hobbies, found this recipe to pass along to me. This recipe was featured on Lifehacker and called for a “throw together stuff from your pantry for when you need a choco-fix”- chocolate cake made in a microwave. I had heard of something similar a while back, but it called for a regular cake mix instead. Either way, today I decided to give the quirky recipe a try. I really wanted to video the whole 3-minute (and 30 second) adventure, but since I used a ginormous coffee cup, you never could see the cake rise in the video. Oh, well.
Okay, so the cake did turn out like the Lifehacker demo. It did taste gummy and like a cheap brownie cake. I souped it up,though. I am talking a little butterscotch pudding, chocolate syrup, and powdered sugar (I ran out of whipped cream!). It managed not to taste so bad after all that, but so would cardboard. So would I eat this if I were fiending for chocolate in a desperate situation? Probably not. That is what cars and stores are for. Will I play with it some more? Uh, yes. It is me after all we are talking about. I will probably even try to Weight Watcher it. I also think I will add a flavored hot chocolate mix, like raspberry, for extra sweetness. The possibilities are endless, at least in my world.
This was fun to do. Better than laundry! There are some tips the Food Hacks give, like adding chocolate chips in the mix. I also like the idea of making it into a gift, a cup with the recipe and dry ingredients in it. Clever. If you read on further in the online article, you will find similar quirky recipes, like kneadless bread, and other jazzy comments about this microwaved cake. I especially like the one that says, “Only a stoner could have come up with this”. Ganja Blue, I agree!
Bon Apetit, everyone! And thanks to my man for helping me live THE dream-(p.s. don’t forget to scroll down and read my man’s post)

Nah. I’ve just been internet-less or exhausted the last few days.

Like I said earlier, I didn’t have internet access on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. Then Monday rolls around and it comes back. Problem was, I couldn’t sleep. I didn’t sleep one single minute Monday night. Don’t ask me why, because I have no idea. It just wasn’t happening. But, If I had to guess, I’d say it’s because I haven’t been exercising for the last few days due to the rain. So, maybe I just wasn’t tired enough. Who knows?

Tuesday was a whole different story. After being up for 40hrs or so I was more than ready to sleep. No problems that night. That brings us to Wednesday night. I just finished running (3mi), took my shower, and I’m settled in for the night.

I can’t say I have much news. I guess no news is good news. MBM is keeping busy with all of her cooking creations. The kids are still busy with school, karate, theatre, and playing outside. I’m still busy at work (no internet there for the last 2 days!) and the boss is heading out of town for a month on Friday. Bad news for me.

So, that’s about all I know. I did update Gabby’s site yet again tonight. Go see it and check out more funny pics of her Royal Hairness Heiness.

So, I’ve been internet-less for about 3 days now. It’s not nice since it’s my main source of communication & entertainment. However, I just got a text message from the internet provider and they say things are back to normal. Guess I’ll find out when I get home.

Since I don’t get paid to blog at work I’m outta here. Hopefully a better update will follow later this evening.