I MADE BUTTER!

OK, here are some food challenges when you live in a new place.

Most things are written in another language.
Unfamiliarity with the local foods.
Ignorance regarding the things we take for granted....what is buttermilk?

So I sit here today at my island with my computer at hand. My research is "dairy".

In front of me is
-whipping cream
-cooking cream
-thick cream (from France)
-light cream (also from France)
-Yoghurt
-Labneh
-cream cheese
-mascarpone cheese

What I cannot find in the store
-buttermilk
-sour cream

So after researching and taste testing, even the more familiar items, here's what I learned......

Yoghurt (as it is spelled here) - is the fermentation of Lactose to lactic acid causing it's "tangy" flavor.

Labneh - a VERY POPULAR local dairy product that no one can explain what it is. This is STRAINED YOGURT. It tastes a little like cream cheese with a little "twang" at the end

Cream Chesse (Philadelphia Brand!!) - sweet, soft and mild tasting.

Mascarpone - a favorite ingredient of Gilda de Laurentis. It a "triple cream cheese" according to Wikipedia. It has much LESS flavor than cream cheese.

Buttermilk - is NOT made from butter!! - There are 2 ways to make it..
1 - a little less than 1 cup milk plus 1 Tablespoon white vinegar and let stand 5 minutes
2 - Whipping cream - beat until you have butter and butter milk! So that's what I did and I made BUTTER!! AND BUTTERMILK!! WHOOO HOOO!! That's a first for me!

Cream Fraiche - (means fresh cream in French) This is the expensive French version of sour cream with some added benefits - you can whip it, cook with it and it won't separate or curdle the way sour cream does. It's "easy" to make, according to a chef from "About.com" You take 2 cups heavy cream add 3 Tablespoons buttermilk (which I now have since I made butter and buttermilk!!) and you put it in a glass jar (I don't have a glass jar!) leave it out for 24 hrs stirring occasionally, then put it in refrigerator for 24 hrs and it should get thick.

Sour cream - This was something we didn't have in Africa either and I remember mixing cream with white vinegar and it was just fine. I found another recipe that calls for 1 cup heavy cream and 1/4 cup buttermilk. Let stand for 24 hours. Sounds like the recipe for Cream Fraiche. I think I'll stick with the version from Africa.

Air freight arrived!!

I got a call from the admin person in Mark's office on Sunday telling me my air freight will be in on Tuesday about 3 pm. I figured this would go like most places and they will come much later, but low and behold they arrived before 3pm!!

The movers were very nice. I noticed that there were several boxes open. He told me customs goes through some of the boxes. The last thing he brought in was my memory foam mattress pad that goes over the mattress. It was NOT wrapped in anything! I was a little upset. He said the customs opened it and couldn't get it into the box, so they just left it out. I was not a happy camper. I don't mind that customs needs to go through things - safety first. However, the moving company should have re-wrapped it so it wasn't just open to air!

I was happy my stuff had come and yet remarkable not happy. It made me miss home and my daughters all that much more. Making the move that much more of a reality! Sounds a little strange, I suppose.....

Got the kitchen all set up.....with what I got. So glad I bought an oven themometer. I have a beautiful gas/electric oven that even though it has a tempurature gauge, it always seems to run about 400 degrees. So I've had to play with it- leaving the door slightly open.

I made chocolate chip cookies and Mark brought them into the office today.

Mark invited a few people to "lunch" on Saturday at noon. At least I have stuff to use to cook. I made salmon and stuffed zucchini last night.....all cooked in the oven! I've been going through a lot of oil lately only to realize that I've been doing all my cooking on the stove. I use less oils when I use the oven. Good to know!

So much going on with my daughters.........

Megan is having a terrible time in China. When she went back to China after her Christmas holiday at home, she learned that her turtles had died. She later found out that it was some of the drunken/stoned "boys" (fellow teachers) that were throwing the little guys around and causing their death. Megan has put up with a lot of their debauchery and aggressive behavior (not towards her) in the past. But she was so upset she went to the boss of EF and told him about the incident, their constant drunkeness and drug abuse and one of them admitting to hitting a child and breaking a window in class. Since then they have been terrorizing her. I fear for her safety. She has refused to move to a different apartment but is in the process of looking for another school to teach in.

Cara is in Texas meeting Jesse's family. I've only spoken with her breifly and she seems happy. She said his family likes her alot. No suprise here!

Melissa is hard to contact. With her school schedule we have limited time to talk. I called her on Saturday and she said, "I don't feel like talking" and we hung up. I have had no email, no messages, nothing and I am feeling so sad not to be able to talk to her. I miss her chats, I miss hearing about the kids and about her life. I don't think we went this long without talking even when she was in Ethiopia! Where are you Melissa?

Jerash, Jordan

Last Saturday Mark, Steve and I went to Jerash, Jordan. It is a 40 minute drive northwest of Amman. It rose to prominence in 333BC (BEFORE CHRIST- now that’s OLD) during the reign of Alexander the Great! The town is filled with well preserved Greco/Roman Architecture. This is Hadrian's Arch.

There is a Hippodrome that has chariot races and exhibitions with gladiators. We went to the show and it was really fun. I had my camera going all the time. I had my telescopic lens on when I took this photo. Right after that, my camera lens cover slipped out of my hands and onto the field. Although the Roman's were warriors, one was nice enough to hand me my lens cover.

Steve took a picture of me and the old guy. Some of you may have heard that I was concerned that the dessert dry air was going to straighten my hair......I could NOT have been more wrong. The weather is NOT dry and my hair remains very curly!

There were several churches with mosaic tiles that were so beautiful. This picture of Steve, Mark and me is in front of the Temple of Artemis. The columns behind us move...yes MOVE! They were constructed to withstand the winds and if you put your fingers between the pieces of stone you can feel the gentle subtle movement of the large stones of the columns. It was really amazing.

The summer in Jerash offers a festival that I look forward to going to. Hopefully I will have my daughters here at that time to share in this marvelous history!

The Eviction of Eileen.....

Well, yesterday was quite eventful. I called Christina in the morning and found out that Eileen, one of the component leads on the project, got a nasty email from her landlord regarding the apartment above her that the project was going to use for short term consultants. He alleges that he thought Christina was going to be living there even though he was told it was going to be used for short term consultants. Although I never saw the email, it was apparently very nasty and she was told to get out! Needless to say, this was very upsetting.

I went for my first walk to Mark's office (must be about a mile as it took about 20 min with a few stops-and it was all uphill). It was a rainy, overcast, cool day and I arrived at the office all wet - not due to the rain, but sweat....doesn't that sound sexy? I went there to see if Eileen needed anything.

We ended up going to her apartment and moving her out lock stock and barrel. We used my empty suitcases, shopping bags and boxes to get her out of there. Mark has 2 wonderful drivers who were so helpful making 2 trips to drop off her belongings. Eileen is staying at Christina's place until she can find a new apartment. Apparently, apartment hunting is a daunting experience here and she has to work, making it all the more difficult.

I feel so bad for her. She was upset and scared. The people on this project are so cohesive and wonderful. When you live overseas and your family is so far away, it's important to establish a sense of community; a pseudo family. I think we have that here! We must be able to depend on each other.

Just got my water cooler - there aren't enough outlets in this house!

Going to City Mall to get a card for my satelite box so we can get English TV and movies!! Whoo hoo!!

My first dinner gathering

Today is Sunday, January 17 and the first day of the work week. It's going to get some used to this schedule!

Friday, Mark and I went to the apartment for the consultants and got it set up a little more. He went to the grocery store with me. Thank God they have chairs to sit on; he got to play with his phone while I shopped. He does not have a long attention span for grocery shopping. I was grateful to have another set of arms to help me get things to the apartment.

We went to a nice Asian restaurant Friday night and met a chief of party for a different DAI project and his wife. They were both very nice. The restaurant is located in Abdoun Circle which is just a few minute walk from here. What a busy place, especially on at weekend night! There were 2 ice cream shops and a pop corn shop! YUMMMO! As well as many other restaurants.

Yesterday evening Mark, Christina and I went to 5 o'clock mass in a very pretty church in Abdoun (I don't think I could tell you how to get there today). The priest is from Boston. Many of the parishioners are Philippino. The music and some of the prayers were a little different. But there was a lot of participation from the people. Communion is given out by the priest only and it is dipped in the blood of Christ and placed on your tongue not in your hand. I thought that was a clever way of giving out the body and blood of Christ.

Last night I decided to have a few people from Mark's team for dinner and charades. I felt comfortable around them enough to not worry that I only have one bowl, no can opener, and only a few pots and pans. I knew they would understand the pitfalls of being in a new place without many of your comforts and things from home.

What a great group of people! Christina is Mark's Deputy. She is waiting for her husband Leo to arrive next month. She is young, pretty, smart and a wonderful person. Eileen, one of the "component leads" (we had dinner at her house the other night). She is closer to our age and warm, lovely, and so sharp. David is here from DAI for a few weeks and Ann is here for short term work from Nathan Assoc to work on the project. Ann is Kelly King's twin! She looks so much like Kelly and she sounds so much like her it is uncanny! I keep calling her Kelly!

Well, we've all been hanging out together almost every night. I didn't want to go to another restaurant and so that's why I had them here. I made lamb chops with a balsamic honey dressing (a Giada recipe) that I really enjoyed. My pan was small so I had to cook them in batches. I couldn't keep them warm in the oven because I had nothing that was oven proof to put them in. Eileen, who enjoys cooking also, suggested that I deglaze the pan with the marinade - what a great idea! The brown rice was a little overcooked and was more like a risotto than rice...oh, well. I cooked some vegetables that were tasty but a little soft. I knew no one would get sick from my cooking, but I was disappointed that some stuff was overcooked. Not that big of a deal.

What I really enjoyed was that we were all standing around the island in the kitchen while I was cooking - Everyone pitched in to help with something, we drank wine, laughed and it was a wonderful time.

We played a round or two of charades. It was really fun. It was a work night and everyone went home by 10:30pm.

Today is laundry day and cleaning. The floors get so dirty here!!

Another day, Another fruit!

One day is running into the others. I'm not sure of the date nor the day....although I think it's Thursday which is the end of the work week. No, I have not had a head injury, stroke or other brain event, I am jet lagged with no calendar in the house!!

Last evening we went to Eileen's apartment. She is one of the componet leads on Mark's project. She ordered some delicious middle eastern food. We sat around and got to know each other more. It was very lovely.

I have a job here. There is a small apartment above Eileen's apartment that the project plans to use for short term consultants. My job is to fix it up. There is a lot to do. I get to use the drivers to take me around because it's project business. I like that. The drivers for the project are very nice men and very helpful. It is also much easier to have them with me than getting a taxi. I am waiting for one of them to pick me up to go to the mall. (I think I'll do a little shopping for myself while I'm out!)

A NEW FRUIT:

My next new fruit is a custard apple. It doesn't look or taste anything like an apple! I bough it at a nice market in the Mecca Mall and the Philippino vegetable lady told me how to eat it.


When you open it there are good sized black seeds which you don't eat. The meaty part of the fruit is white and has a combination mangolike and pineapplelike feel. It's a mildly sweet fruit and juicy and I could see using it in place of a mango if you wanted a white color instead of orange. I have found some interesting recipies and I can't wait to try them out!

January 12th

THE CHALLENGE:

I have decided that while I am on this adventure in Jordan, I would try new foods as often as possible. On my first day in the apartment I went to a grocery store called Cozmos. They had a nice selection of fruits and vegetables. I knew what most of them were but there were others I had never seen or heard about. I saw and interesting looking fruit and selected one that I thought may be ripe. The sign called it a Dragon Fruit.

THIS IS A DRAGON FRUIT

Mark said he had this when he was in Viet Nam and he thought it was ok. Megan said she has eaten it in China and said it was delicious. I looked it up on line and found that it's native to Southeast Asia and Central and South America. I don't remember ever seeing this in the grocery store but I have never looked for foods I had not eaten.

Tonight after dinner I felt it was ripe enough to open. The skin is not edible. The fruit is on the inside and is white with black edible seeds similar to a kiwi fruit. The texture is also similar to kiwi. It was soft and sweet and delicious. I will definitly buy this fruit again!!

Arrived in Jordan!!

Today is Monday, January 11th. I have been without internet until today.

On January 9th, I arrived about an hour later than planned into Amman. The weather in London was not good and we were delayed there. Suprisingly enough, even without a lot of sleep, I was awake! Mark was there in a jacket and tie and looked handsome. We got to the hotel and went for some Middle Eastern food in the hotel. By the time we got back to the room, I was exhausted. I don't remember going to sleep!!

January 10th-- we got up, had breakfast and moved into our new apartment! I met the landlord who is a lovely man and very helpful. He explained how things worked (which I only half listened to) and told us if we need anything he would be happy to help. The apartment is very nice! Mark did a great job getting us a place. There was a set of 12 dishes and all that goes with that - bowls, desert bowls, cups, espresso cups, etc. There was also a silverware serving 12 and a few new pots and pans. I was very impressed!

The place is screaming for green plants. I can't seem to find anyone who knows where a nursery is!! I see homes with flowers in pots, so I know they must exist!

FAUX PAS!! ---
Yesterday afternoon, Mark and I were in the car and he was talking about the others on his staff. I said that I would love to meet them. I said how about tonight. He said, "Won't you be tired?" I said, "I'll take a nap". He said, "OK!" Now, if you haven't guessed, there is a lot of information left out of this conversation. I was cleaning, washing all the dishes and pots and pans during the day. There are so many that I only got a portion of them done. I still had all of our suitcases in our room that needed to be unpacked. I had gone to the grocery store to get some basics in the house. I was tired. Mark comes home a little after 6pm and announces that there will be one more for dinner! I said, "What are you talking about? I don't know who is going out now." He said, "Going out! They are all on their way over here for dinner!!"I thought he was kidding!! I said, "That't not funny. Where are we going out?" He informed me we had all these people coming over and it wasn't a joke! He called them all immediately to tell them the plans had changed. We ended up going out to a nice Italian Restaurant. Thank heavans everyone was understanding. This was THE definition of "miscommunication". We had a good laugh when all was said and done.

Day of Departure

Well, it's finally here. The day I move to Jordan. This day has been in the making for more than a year.

It's snowing outside and there is a 2 hour school delay. No airport delays. Tempurature is about 30 degrees. Just got off skype with Mark who says the tempurature in Jordan is about 70 now.

There is still much to do. I have a lot of stuff packed and still more to go. I don't know if I will be able to get everything in my suitcases. I think I may end up leaving clothing behind.

Yesterday was spent with my daughters Melissa and Cara. We had a nice brunch, did a little shopping in a bookstore, had Mexican for dinner and watched "Harry". Melissa was crying in my arms last night. It's hard to stay happy when I feel sad.

......it's 9:15pm. I am sitting in the Red Carpet Lounge at Dulles Airport. WOW has this place changed! I think the new security area is much better that it was before.

Melissa and Cara drove me to the airport. Melissa is really taking this hard. All she did was cry. She said this felt different than when I went to Bosnia. I think it's because I am the steady stable force in the family and I am the one that's moved and not just for a few months. Cara did not sleep. She said she was doing a lot of thinking. This is a big change for everyone.

Just got off the phone with mom. She sounds sad, but I think she's doing better than I expected. She said she'd call the girls and see how they are doing.

Diana came over to say good bye. Brenda fell down the stairs last night and is all banged up. What am I to do with her. I hear the sadness in her voice - I just want her to be happy! Please be Happy, Bren!

I tried to call my mother in law, but the call couldn't go through...I wonder if she emptied her answering machine!

I heard the Lynch's came to the airport at 4:30 to suprise me to see me off. I never saw them. When I spoke with Melissa she told me they had waited for me. I tried to call them, but there was no answer and I left them a message.

Well, we should be boarding soon.

I discovered that when you are excited about something and sad at the same time, you just feel numb.....no feeling at all. Sometimes I think it better to feel the emotion but I just don't know what to feel!

I'll catch you on the flip side.............

Fairwell to the BUNCO Babes

Another fairwell last night at Brion's Grill in Fairfax. The BUNCO ladies and Ellie took me out for a wonderful time. I don't know how I got so blessed to have such wonderful friends.

Pam (the "queen" of BUNCO) got a group of 10 women together at the last minute for a fairwell dinner for me! Many of these ladies are military wives who have lived overseas. They were excited that I was embarking on a new adventure. I recommended they all make a trip to visit me there. Since I got a new BUNCO game I could get a lot of wine and some food and we could have a lot of fun!!

I will miss our monthly night raudy merriment and gambling!! I wish I could be there with them.

When I was a kid I had very few friends. I stayed to myself. I don't have friends from high school. I have one friend from college. I never thought of myself as someone who could have friends; I just didn't think I had the ability to make friends. Now I see that I have been so blessed with amazingly wonderful people in my life and I can call them "friends".

Fairwell to the "Van Women"

The Potomac Hospital Family Health Connection has been a dream job! I got to work with Sallie- and incredible boss, Evelyn-a fabulous, caring and very smart nurse practitioner, Maria-my van spouse, Mayra- Evelyn's van spouse, Megan-a caring wonderful RN, Lisa-another fabulous, intelligent NP/CNM, Sandi-a great assistant and Barbara a terrific support person.

Last night was a combination Holiday Party and Farewell Party. It has been in the making for a month. Schedules just didn't permit this party until now.

Maria arrived with several packages - they were gifts from patients. Hand made scarfs, little notes, the rosary, a tea set, a candle, notes of gratitude and earrings. Apparently, Maria contacted my patients and asked told them I was leaving and asked them for little notes. I may have complained about some of my patients from time to time, but I love them dearly. One of the patients was actually an ex-patient since we got him medicaid. Their loving thoughtful gifts and words really touched my heart.

Then Sandi gave me a scrapbook she put together. It has some wonderful pictures of the van being towed away, Sallie smoking a cigar and group photos. My co-workers each wrote something and there were more notes from patients. Some of the notes are in Spanish. One 60+ year old patient who has a 3rd grade education was the most verbose but so very tender. It was the most beautiful gift I've ever received. OOOOOO-then I got a beautiful bracelet with lots of bling!!

When Mark had proposed going overseas again, I knew that leaving my job was going to be one of the most difficult things to do. Doing a job that you love is one thing, but doing it with a fabulous team is something else. I have had some very bad jobs with some not nice people and so I really know the value of good co-workers. This has been the best job and I will and do miss them terribly.

January 1, 2010

Today is the first day of the first month of the new year and emotions are running high....

Yesterday, at 4am we took Megan to the airport for her 30 hour flight back to Hefei, China. It was the previous day that Megan decided that it was better for her parrot, Pinot, to have a new permanent home and she posted him on Craig's List. She found a home for Pinot within a few hours. She has had Pinot since he was a baby. He was so little we had to hand feed him. She has been a wonderful "mother" to him and she had to give him up. This was a very difficult task for her. It was set up that the lady who was to get Pinot would pick him up on the 31st - after Megan left for China. Megan didn't sleep well but she got up early, took a shower, said good-bye to Cara and Pinot and didn't stop crying all the way to the airport. Mark and I were with her up to the security area where she gave us a big hug and kiss. She walked away and came back to me and put her arms around me and said, "Please tell the lady that I really love my bird." It was heart wrenching. I promised her I would....and I did.

That afternoon, the lady came to pickup Pinot and she was wonderful with him. I told her what Megan said and I started crying. I admire Megan for giving up the bird she loves so much so that he could have a good life. The lady was truly a God send and she said she would keep Megan informed about Pinot. I spoke with Megan today and she said she had received an email from the lady who said she was so grateful that Megan took such good care of the bird and that he seems to be very happy around all the other birds.
















As yesterday was New Year's Eve, our other daughter's, Melissa and Cara were getting ready for their holiday parties. Cara was going to Delaware to be with Jesse and Melissa was going out with Nicole and then leaving for NY today to go to a wedding. So, they had to say good-bye to Mark yesterday. Each of them gave their "da" a big hug and tears were shed. It's never easy saying good-bye. For me, it's just a "so-long".



Today, Mark spent the day packing and getting ready. He found a "scrapbook" Melissa made when she was little about her and her father. He was very melancholy. He packed that in his suitcase. We had the Radigan's (our neighbors) over for a drink this afternoon and he said bye to them too. It was just the 2 of us after that. I told him I would drop him off as I always do and I 'll see him in a week. That's just what I did.

I'm home alone.....no husband, no kids, no dog, no bird.....it's quiet.