Dinner Adventures in Nigeria

When we first moved to Nigeria we did not have a cook so here is a sampling of what cooking was like then:

No electricity?  No running water?  And I have to cook dinner?  No problem…

I have been struggling with cooking anything but eggs since we arrived.  The oven and stove are gas, the knives are dull and the tools are NOT the Pampered Chef variety I am accustomed to (why didn’t I bring some?)  The cooking I have done has not looked very pleasant, but it has tasted good, so I guess that is a plus.  But today I rose to the challenge.

My sister-in-law Ann took me shopping this morning (Wednesday April 8).  We had such a nice time meandering the market (ok…more like dodging motorcycles, maneuvering through puddles, and avoiding running into people) but we had a nice chat at lunch and she showed me many places.  Thank you Ann!

This afternoon while Toby was away at Volleyball practice (he and his brother, Kyle, are coaching the J.V. team at the local MK school) I returned home to begin dinner.  The electricity was off, which is nothing new, but imagine my dismay when there was no running water!  This also meant we had no working toilet.  So, I called a neighbor, who called a neighbor, and he came over to figure out what the problem was.   While he was sorting it all out I was in the kitchen deciding what to do for dinner.  I had planned on meatloaf and mashed potatoes with a nice green salad.  But for this dish I needed water.

Fortunately we had enough filtered water for me to use some for the potatoes and I had soaked and rinsed the salad vegi’s earlier this afternoon, so those items were feasible.  But with the water issue I had lost precious time and meatloaf takes a while to cook.  So, I decided to make meatballs (which I have never done before).  I had bought some fresh basil in the market so I thought Italian meatballs sounded like a good idea.

The meal was delicious…Toby especially enjoyed the meatballs.  In fact, he is looking forward to meatball sandwiches tomorrow night!  So, without water or electricity I was able to cook a lovely meal of Italian meatballs, garlic mashed potatoes, garlic bread and salad…with pineapple for dessert.  It was such an accomplishment that I had to share with you all.  Wish you had been here to enjoy the meal!

P.S.:  Much of this cooking was done with a hungry, crying boy running around wanting to be held.  Just after I stopped for a “dance break” with Caden a neighbor walked in to check on the water…she had a good laugh at our dancing.  The water problem?  Our tank was clogged.  Two of the men on the compound were able to get it going again just in time for Toby to wash the dishes.  Praise God!

The Tale of the Traveling Pug

So the other day, the Little Buddy and I ran out to the doctor to have ear infections diagnosed – cold and flu season is in full swing here – I need to bust out my button from last year! When we came back -

no Penelope the Pug -

we looked everywhere -

called her name -

called her name -

no pug.

We called the vet, we called the animal control people, we called my BFF’s and neighbors.

We jumped in the car we drove – we called out -

PENNY!!!!!

PENNER MENNER!!!!!!

PENELOPE ANNE THE PUG WHERE ARE YOU????????

One of my best BFF’s jumped in the car with her two youngest and drove around -

PENNY!!!!!

PENNER MENNER!!!!!!

PENELOPE ANNE THE PUG  WHERE ARE YOU????????

Sigh – we went and picked up the middle child, went in to get a snack before returning to the streets to continue the search…

and there, low and behold, from behind the snack bucket, marched out a very sleepy

PUG!

This was my facebook status update:

Holly thought she had a Pug on the Lam but it turned out I had a Pug in the Pantry.

Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving

Twas the night before Thanksgiving…