Sean Loves His Job and I Love Mine
I realized over the weekend that I'm busy.
I'm not trying to be snarky or even funny. I honestly just realized this. Oh, I know we throw the word "busy" around quite often (and we usually mean it) but I realized that I am BUSY. And I kind of foolishly thought that I wasn't all that busy, for like a split second there. Because honestly, with all this busy-ness, I don't have much to show for it. Well, other than a family that is fed and kids that aresomewhat educated. And the thing about my busy-ness is that I'm never really, completely done. It's a never-ending cycle. Cook, clean, teach, cook, clean, enforce the rules, cook, clean, give baths, go to bed, start again.
I spend hours and I do mean hours in the kitchen. I cook everything from scratch. I've always enjoyed cooking and baking and I've done my fair share of cooking from scratch. But we have even less available to us here than we did in Latin America. I am making just about everything we eat and I'm discovering that with a family of five that means I have to spend a good 4+ hours in the kitchen just about every day if I hope to keep ahead! In the past month or so I have made from SCRATCH the following:
I'm not trying to be snarky or even funny. I honestly just realized this. Oh, I know we throw the word "busy" around quite often (and we usually mean it) but I realized that I am BUSY. And I kind of foolishly thought that I wasn't all that busy, for like a split second there. Because honestly, with all this busy-ness, I don't have much to show for it. Well, other than a family that is fed and kids that are
I spend hours and I do mean hours in the kitchen. I cook everything from scratch. I've always enjoyed cooking and baking and I've done my fair share of cooking from scratch. But we have even less available to us here than we did in Latin America. I am making just about everything we eat and I'm discovering that with a family of five that means I have to spend a good 4+ hours in the kitchen just about every day if I hope to keep ahead! In the past month or so I have made from SCRATCH the following:
- flour tortillas at least once a week (just found a lady who will make those for me...hope they are good because this is a chore I'm ready to outsource.)
- "Artisan" bread - we buy whole wheat(ish) sandwich bread at a local bakery for Sean's lunches but I also make yummy bread to go with meals regularly (a very easy recipe that I'll share one of these days)
- hamburger/hot dog buns that have so far been, um, failures.
- muffins - several times for breakfast or snacks
- cookies - several dozen
- Play-dough!
- bagels for the first time...will be making those again!
- pizza dough, at least when we have cheese for pizza
- brownies...which seem to disappear too quickly
- egg noodles
- oatmeal almost every weekday morning
- yogurt once or twice a week
- marinara and other pasta sauces
- green chili (that turned out horrible and wasted precious green chilis. argh.)
- red chili (delicious, thank goodness)
- refried beans from dried pinto or black beans we had shipped here and also from canned kidney beans we can get locally
- corn tortillas (yay for Masa flour in our shipment! Can't get corn flour here.)
- tostadas (fried the corn tortillas. yum.)
- Maple syrup - using Maple extract, not the trees ;-)
- pudding and pudding mix
- pancakes...from a mix I make and keep on hand
- Cream of mushroom soup to freeze and use in recipes
- Banana bread
- my own "frozen vegetables" by blanching green beans or carrots or broccoli and then freezing
- More meals than I can count - some really good, some just okay, and some dismal failures that made we want to cry or scream or both
All in a HOT kitchen. And don't forget...the milk has to be made up from powder, if we want chocolate chips I have to chop up a chocolate bar, the produce has to be disinfected in bleach water, the chicken has to be de-boned (even when I buy "boneless" there are always leftover bones), and finding simple ingredients like flour, sugar, butter, mayonnaise, and cheese can make a person me crazy.
Oh, and don't forget homeschooling two different grades and trying to keep this kid out of trouble.
This is my ministry. And, even though there isn't a lot of glory in mixing up that hundred thousandth batch of oatmeal, or singing the alphabet yet again, I'm content. I'm where I'm supposed to be and I'm happy, if a little tired and sweaty ;-)
Sean loves his job and I love mine.
Oh, and don't forget homeschooling two different grades and trying to keep this kid out of trouble.
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| In case you wondered, yes we do still do Ice Cream Sunday! |
But, honestly, I've never really felt as much "in my element" as I do now. It is exhausting and some days I want to curl up into a ball in my air-conditioned bedroom and never come out. But then the kids get hungry and so do I. God gives me strength for the work at my hands and I soon find myself feeling energized and, once again, enjoying the process of cooking for my family in a third-world country...again!
This is my ministry. And, even though there isn't a lot of glory in mixing up that hundred thousandth batch of oatmeal, or singing the alphabet yet again, I'm content. I'm where I'm supposed to be and I'm happy, if a little tired and sweaty ;-)
Sean loves his job and I love mine.
I hear you, my friend! Although we are in a bit of a different situation here without all the heat... Sorry!
ReplyDeleteWow, when you list it all out like that, it sounds like a lot. Well, it IS a lot! There are a lot of things you have done that I don't do! Like making frozen veggies, egg noodles, etc. You are amazing, girl!
Hey, I just wanted to share my favorite hot dog/hamburger bun recipe with you... It is this one here on Allrecipes: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/burger-or-hot-dog-buns/detail.aspx I just made it today and split the dough in two, turning half into 6 hamburger buns and the other half into 8 hot dog buns. I think it has turned out well just about every time I have made it (I think once it didn't rise, but I must've killed the yeast...) You could probably even substitute oil for the butter because, well, you know... butter is precious!
Oh, and now you know why I was jealous of all you could get in Ecuador! :-)
Hang in there, you are doing a great job!
Thanks, Sarah! I was a little surprised at all I had made when I listed it out! We missionary ladies are stinkin' awesome ;-)
ReplyDeleteThis is actually the exact recipe I tried the first time I made buns here but it didn't rise - I guess I killed the yeast. Next time, I'll let the milk cool a little longer and it should work. The flavor was good, even if they came out super flat!
The other day I was searching through your old blog looking for your Dutch Baby recipe and found others that I've been meaning to try once I got a "real" kitchen again, too. I love when you share recipes because I know I can get the stuff here and it always turns out so yummy!
Oh, I should have mentioned... I don't make the recipe the way it says to! I use 1 1/2 cups water, heat it in the microwave so it is warm, add the sugar and yeast, let the yeast "bloom", and then add the rest of the ingredients (including 1/2 cup milk powder or so). Maybe it will work better if you do it that way. Then if I am using butter, I melt it and add it in with the rest of the ingredients. Or using oil would be even faster!
ReplyDeleteDid I even post a recipe for Dutch Baby? I can't remember... if you want the one I use, let me know... otherwise I am sure there are lots of good ones on the internet!
I should post another recipe soon... hmm... what to make? what to make? :-)
Ah, yes, good idea - next time I'm gonna try the recipe your way!
ReplyDeleteYes, you did post a Dutch Baby recipe! You're like me and forget what you've posted ;-) I already had a similar recipe that uses apples and it's delicious...but sometimes I don't have apples and I was wondering if I could still make the "pancake" and I remembered seeing something like that on your blog...it took a long time to find but I succeeded!
Yes! Please post another recipe - I need ideas! One of these days, I'm going to start posting more recipes too. I'll bet between the two of us we could make a great cookbook!