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“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go baste the turkey and hide the kitchen knives.” - The House of Yes - Mrs. Pascal (Geneviève Bujold)
It was my very first Thanksgiving to be away from the United States and my first to be with no family present. However, when life gives you opportunities, make blueberry cobbler!
Several friends and I went to a blueberry farm and went blueberry picking. The blueberries were as big as grapes and the sweetest I've ever eaten. I was over enthusiastic and picked 8 kilos - great until I got all those berries home and had to decide what to do with them.
Turns out champagne is very good with frozen blueberries floating in it! Just one of the creative uses I'm still finding for the 5 or 6 kilos still in the freezer.
It was my very first Thanksgiving to be away from the United States and my first to be with no family present. However, when life gives you opportunities, make blueberry cobbler!
Several friends and I went to a blueberry farm and went blueberry picking. The blueberries were as big as grapes and the sweetest I've ever eaten. I was over enthusiastic and picked 8 kilos - great until I got all those berries home and had to decide what to do with them.
Turns out champagne is very good with frozen blueberries floating in it! Just one of the creative uses I'm still finding for the 5 or 6 kilos still in the freezer.
Find my recipes with blueberries at my cooking website: www.MissCookbook.com
Blueberry Kuchen (Cake)
Blueberry Muffins
Poached Pears with Blueberries
Blueberry Kuchen (Cake)
Blueberry Muffins
Poached Pears with Blueberries
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Never in my life could I imagine having a barn. I'm a town and CITY girl, not a country girl. However, needs must!
Our container of belongings is being shipped from the U.S. The estimated time was about 6 to 8 weeks. Whoops!! The shipping company called and the containers will be in the port in THREE weeks. It's not great news, as we haven't even started building the barn to store it all in.
So here we go - the builder has pulled all the workers off the house and by golly, we'll get that barn built in no time flat! In the movies, back in olden times neighbors and friends would come from all over the countryside to build a new barn. They'd do most of the work in a DAY. It's going to take us a bit longer.
The barn was still being built 20 minutes before the containers arrived in mid-December onto our property, but we did it!
Our container of belongings is being shipped from the U.S. The estimated time was about 6 to 8 weeks. Whoops!! The shipping company called and the containers will be in the port in THREE weeks. It's not great news, as we haven't even started building the barn to store it all in.
So here we go - the builder has pulled all the workers off the house and by golly, we'll get that barn built in no time flat! In the movies, back in olden times neighbors and friends would come from all over the countryside to build a new barn. They'd do most of the work in a DAY. It's going to take us a bit longer.
The barn was still being built 20 minutes before the containers arrived in mid-December onto our property, but we did it!
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“Don’t think and don’t worry.” - The Incredibles - Helen Parr (Holly Hunter)
"Don't worry…" seems to be the phrase most used in Uruguay.
"Don't worry…" seems to be the phrase most used in Uruguay.
- Building - Don't worry; it's not going to fall down.
- Window Purchasing - Don't worry; it's not going to leak. You have a porch.
- Roofs - Don't worry; it won't blow off.
- Septic Tanks - Don't worry; you won't smell a thing.
- Bees - Don't worry; they only try to build a hive in your house in May and possibly in September or October....
- GPS - Don't worry; you can't possibly get lost going to...
- Appliances - Don't worry; they will fix it when it breaks, if they can get the part.
- Horses - Don't worry; horse poo is good fertilizer, just step over it.
- Banks - Don't worry; the bank will open soon (3:00 p.m. in summer).
- Mud - Don't worry; it will wash out.
- Propane Gas - Don't worry; they will come to fill the tank in a few months.
- Electricity - Don't worry; you have a generator.
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An asado in Uruguay is an outdoor barbecue. It's a great idea to have an Asado to celebrate every now and then with your friends, neighbors, or workers. For our first one, my husband bought traditional Texas barbecue meat: steak, ribs, and sausage. Everyone loved it, but my hubs was informed that true Asado meat has bone, lots of fat, and gristle in it.
When it was my turn to host an Asado on my own, our friend bought the meat for me (bone and fat included) and I provided the side dishes (non-traditional.)
An Asado is a great deal of fun, as the meat cooks slowly all day. We had ours to celebrate laying the foundation for the barn. You don't need a fancy parilla (grill), just some charcoal and wood on the ground will do. No utensils are needed; everyone brings his own fork and knife in a holster. We're always ready to eat meat in Uruguay!
Plates at our Asado consisted of leftover pieces of wood cut to measure! Since it's spring and strawberry season, I made a strawberry shortcake with whipped cream (very American of me). Everyone was delighted and ate every bite, with one person taking home the leftover cake on his motorcycle. It was a lovely time, with the guests serenading me with songs at the end of the meal. Ah….Uruguay!
When it was my turn to host an Asado on my own, our friend bought the meat for me (bone and fat included) and I provided the side dishes (non-traditional.)
An Asado is a great deal of fun, as the meat cooks slowly all day. We had ours to celebrate laying the foundation for the barn. You don't need a fancy parilla (grill), just some charcoal and wood on the ground will do. No utensils are needed; everyone brings his own fork and knife in a holster. We're always ready to eat meat in Uruguay!
Plates at our Asado consisted of leftover pieces of wood cut to measure! Since it's spring and strawberry season, I made a strawberry shortcake with whipped cream (very American of me). Everyone was delighted and ate every bite, with one person taking home the leftover cake on his motorcycle. It was a lovely time, with the guests serenading me with songs at the end of the meal. Ah….Uruguay!
Here's a link to my STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE RECIPE at my cooking website: MissCookbook.com
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"From ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggety beasties And things that go bump in the night, Good Lord deliver us!" ~ Traditional Scottish Prayer
I had alone in Uruguay for two months, while my husband was back in Texas taking care of business. I was fairly proud of myself, guiding the builder and his team every day and staying all alone at night - except for my two best buddies, our Border Collies!
I hadn't gotten spooked at night; it was supernaturally quiet and easy to sleep. Sam, the Border Collie, decided that our bed was his bed of choice the very night after Hubby left for Texas. Gracie slept on the floor at the foot of the bed, but Sam even claimed Hubby's pillow!
One night, we were all nearly asleep; the bedroom windows were open to let the cool spring breezes inside. All was peaceful, but THEN!!! I heard voices; it sounded like dozens of people were chatting. Sound traveled in the country, so I could not determine where the voices were. The dogs seemed undeterred...
I looked out the window and was greeted by thousands of tiny lights. I seriously thought the aliens had landed and they were all talking! After all, I was not much of a country girl. What do you think the mysterious voices and lights were all about?
FIREFLIES and PARAKEETS!!!
In my defense, I'd never seen fireflies but once, and then only about a dozen of them. Had I ever heard parrots chattering at night in the trees? No Siree! They honestly sounded very human.
The dogs slept through the entire near-abduction...
I hadn't gotten spooked at night; it was supernaturally quiet and easy to sleep. Sam, the Border Collie, decided that our bed was his bed of choice the very night after Hubby left for Texas. Gracie slept on the floor at the foot of the bed, but Sam even claimed Hubby's pillow!
One night, we were all nearly asleep; the bedroom windows were open to let the cool spring breezes inside. All was peaceful, but THEN!!! I heard voices; it sounded like dozens of people were chatting. Sound traveled in the country, so I could not determine where the voices were. The dogs seemed undeterred...
I looked out the window and was greeted by thousands of tiny lights. I seriously thought the aliens had landed and they were all talking! After all, I was not much of a country girl. What do you think the mysterious voices and lights were all about?
FIREFLIES and PARAKEETS!!!
In my defense, I'd never seen fireflies but once, and then only about a dozen of them. Had I ever heard parrots chattering at night in the trees? No Siree! They honestly sounded very human.
The dogs slept through the entire near-abduction...
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About 25 minutes away is a section of beach on the Atlantic Coast called Punta Ballena - tip of the whale. I've been told it's THE spot for seeing whales this time of year. I piled the dogs in the backseat and down the road we went. There are no tourists yet, so we saw very few cars or people on either the roads or the beach. No whales today, but beautiful beaches!
