I Think We'll Make it!
I think I've got this! We did this in Copenhagen on a limited budget, and we cooked meals that served around 30 or more, and while it was always an adventure on some level, this is clearly easier.
For one thing, I prepare and serve everything right here in our little flat. We don't have to cart food and equipment elsewhere. For that I am grateful.
I think my challenge right now is trying to figure out how much to make. Last week, I made baked ziti for the masses, and with the help of the missionaries, we got it all eaten.
This week I decided to make orange chicken - not Panda Express, but something vaguely similar. I found a recipe that calls for breading the chicken pieces and then deep frying them before you put the sauce on. I wasn't about to do that!
So SK drove me to a superstore on the edge of town, roughly 8 miles away. That means a minimum of 20 minutes travel time. We are both still a bit on edge, SK as he tries to negotiate these narrow roads with two-way traffic and the crazy crazy roundabouts, and me.....sitting tensely on the left side of the car watching that we don't run into anything parked or moving, and trying to help him navigate which of three lanes to be in as he enters and exits the roundabouts.
He is really doing well. I think it is amazing that he is brave enough to drive....and amazing that he has become so good at driving here already. Give us another month and we'll both be doing so much better!
Parking is another real challenge. Let me just say here, if he wants to get out of the car after he parks it in our covered parking space underneath our building, he has to back into it. Enough said.
I purchased two large packages of chicken thighs. Because of the packaging, and because of the weight, and because of the price tag, I thought 20 thighs would certainly be enough to serve 12 to 15 people. Two of the regulars are vegetarians, so, I reasoned we will probably be serving fewer than 12 with this chicken. We got everything else we needed and returned home.
I put the thighs in the crockpot and got them going. I chopped vegetables for cauliflower soup and put them in another crockpot. I put together some English Trifle (American Style) for dessert. I pulled out 2 rice cookers and washed them so they would be ready. Around 4 in the afternoon, I checked the thighs.
They looked kind of pathetic.....so little! There was no way I could leave at that point to buy more, and SK really didn't want to go. It was raining so beautifully and that is when you want to be inside. So we prayed together and asked that it would be enough. I heated the sauce and poured it over to simmer with the chicken. The sauce by the way is 2 cups of bbq sauce, 2 cups of orange marmalade and 4 tablespoons of soy sauce. Pretty good!
By seven, I had two rice cookers full of rice, a large pan of green beans simmering, the crockpot of chicken percolating nicely.
I called to check on the sister missionaries and the mice problem....new new ones. They mentioned they would be by. I thought, "That could be a problem....even 2 more is going to make it a challenge, and if the two elders show up, we will really run out!" But I didn't want to tell them not to come!
Actually none of the missionaries came. ...I love all four of them, but not coming was our answered prayer. We ended up with 9 young adults...one is not a member, and cute as could be. He is a good friend of Janice's from Singapore. He will leave tomorrow to study in Germany. I think he enjoyed being here with all of the great young people.
Bottom Line? 1000 grams of chicken is a little over 2 pounds of meat, and when cooked is even less! Not smart.
But everyone had enough. And some had seconds. And they all seemed to love it. And everyone had cauliflower soup! And they seemed to love it. So the meal was a success. The dessert was a success.
I think we'll venture out on the hour drive to Costco next week sometime and buy several large bags of frozen chicken. And I think I'll learn the metric system. For young adults, a third of a pound is the very least I should figure.
The Family Home Evening was wonderful....a sweet message about our belief in Jesus Christ and some shared favorite moments from general conference, some fantastic conversations (they debated whether or not studying something that seems kind of useless can be justified) with Derek doing a brilliant job of defending his pursuit of a doctorate in linguistics. We ended the evening with some fun competitive games, which SK loved participating in.
I really love it here, the rain, the young people, the language (!), the ward members, the city, the lush green everywhere, the cool temperatures, the opportunity to converse with people from exotic places, and the blessings of just listening to fascinating conversations. I think we're going to make it.
For one thing, I prepare and serve everything right here in our little flat. We don't have to cart food and equipment elsewhere. For that I am grateful.
I think my challenge right now is trying to figure out how much to make. Last week, I made baked ziti for the masses, and with the help of the missionaries, we got it all eaten.
This week I decided to make orange chicken - not Panda Express, but something vaguely similar. I found a recipe that calls for breading the chicken pieces and then deep frying them before you put the sauce on. I wasn't about to do that!
So SK drove me to a superstore on the edge of town, roughly 8 miles away. That means a minimum of 20 minutes travel time. We are both still a bit on edge, SK as he tries to negotiate these narrow roads with two-way traffic and the crazy crazy roundabouts, and me.....sitting tensely on the left side of the car watching that we don't run into anything parked or moving, and trying to help him navigate which of three lanes to be in as he enters and exits the roundabouts.
 |
| It actually looks like there is more room than there really is! Imagine backing into this space!!! |
He is really doing well. I think it is amazing that he is brave enough to drive....and amazing that he has become so good at driving here already. Give us another month and we'll both be doing so much better!
Parking is another real challenge. Let me just say here, if he wants to get out of the car after he parks it in our covered parking space underneath our building, he has to back into it. Enough said.
I purchased two large packages of chicken thighs. Because of the packaging, and because of the weight, and because of the price tag, I thought 20 thighs would certainly be enough to serve 12 to 15 people. Two of the regulars are vegetarians, so, I reasoned we will probably be serving fewer than 12 with this chicken. We got everything else we needed and returned home.
I put the thighs in the crockpot and got them going. I chopped vegetables for cauliflower soup and put them in another crockpot. I put together some English Trifle (American Style) for dessert. I pulled out 2 rice cookers and washed them so they would be ready. Around 4 in the afternoon, I checked the thighs.
They looked kind of pathetic.....so little! There was no way I could leave at that point to buy more, and SK really didn't want to go. It was raining so beautifully and that is when you want to be inside. So we prayed together and asked that it would be enough. I heated the sauce and poured it over to simmer with the chicken. The sauce by the way is 2 cups of bbq sauce, 2 cups of orange marmalade and 4 tablespoons of soy sauce. Pretty good!
By seven, I had two rice cookers full of rice, a large pan of green beans simmering, the crockpot of chicken percolating nicely.
I called to check on the sister missionaries and the mice problem....new new ones. They mentioned they would be by. I thought, "That could be a problem....even 2 more is going to make it a challenge, and if the two elders show up, we will really run out!" But I didn't want to tell them not to come!
Actually none of the missionaries came. ...I love all four of them, but not coming was our answered prayer. We ended up with 9 young adults...one is not a member, and cute as could be. He is a good friend of Janice's from Singapore. He will leave tomorrow to study in Germany. I think he enjoyed being here with all of the great young people.
Bottom Line? 1000 grams of chicken is a little over 2 pounds of meat, and when cooked is even less! Not smart.
But everyone had enough. And some had seconds. And they all seemed to love it. And everyone had cauliflower soup! And they seemed to love it. So the meal was a success. The dessert was a success.
I think we'll venture out on the hour drive to Costco next week sometime and buy several large bags of frozen chicken. And I think I'll learn the metric system. For young adults, a third of a pound is the very least I should figure.
 |
| SK is studying....the car manual. If you look closely out the window, you can see the lovely rain! |
The Family Home Evening was wonderful....a sweet message about our belief in Jesus Christ and some shared favorite moments from general conference, some fantastic conversations (they debated whether or not studying something that seems kind of useless can be justified) with Derek doing a brilliant job of defending his pursuit of a doctorate in linguistics. We ended the evening with some fun competitive games, which SK loved participating in.
I really love it here, the rain, the young people, the language (!), the ward members, the city, the lush green everywhere, the cool temperatures, the opportunity to converse with people from exotic places, and the blessings of just listening to fascinating conversations. I think we're going to make it.
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Love you.