B painting a home

My youngest daughter is currently on the west coast of South Africa with a program called Outtatown.   Of the many worries that a Mom has when her 18 year old baby girl decides to do mission work for a year-what is she going to eat way over there?  Daughter #2 is a lot like I was when I was her age.  She thinks that she is food wise because she eats sushi but she doesn’t care for anything spicy and her comfort zone is in the boneless chicken breast area.

Turquoise in my honour

And so it is that I was surprized when she told me that the Afrikan family that she was staying with was going to prepare lamb for her.  She said that it was a cute little chop and she loved it!

I can’t fault her for not trying lamb sooner when in fact I too was a late food bloomer.  But there is a very good reason for this and here it is:  My Dad was a cattle man.  He worked as a marketer for livestock and every morning he had to listen to the market report before work.  The transistor radio would be on in the bathroom and he would be listening and shaving.  He would not be alone.  I so cherished the time with my Dad (I was one of six kids)  that I would sit in the bathroom and watch him shave everything morning and that also meant that every morning I listened to the Stock Market Report as well.  Our routine was this:  we would listen for the number of cattle and hogs with little reaction and then when they announced how many sheep and lamb-we would cheer if the number was low!  With this sweet memory in tact, I do not crave the taste of a cute lamb chop.

African Peanut Soup

So in tribute to my sweet baby I include this recipe for African Peanut Soup that I intend to make tonight.  Saute 1 large chopped onion, a medium diced sweet potato and 2 cloves of chopped garlic  in 1 T of olive oil until soft about 5 mins.  Add 8 c chicken broth , 1 t thyme, 1/2 t cumin and 1 c uncooked rice.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered until rice is cooked and vegetables are tender about 20 mins.  Add 3 c thick chunky salsa (as spicy as you like it) and 1 c of diced zucchini.  Cook another 10 mins until zucchini is tender.  Add 2/3 c smooth peanut butter and stir until completely blended.  I choose not to add the 2 c of garbanzo beans that the recipe calls for but if you do, drain them first.  This recipe comes from a gorgeous cookbook entitled:  Focus on Africa which was a fund-raiser for women and children affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa.

B & her "kids" on a previous trip to el Salvador

I’ll love you forever, I’ll like you for always, as long as I’m living my baby you’ll be.

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