Domesticated

Alright all you ladies out there, notify your sons, brothers, and grandsons because this girl knows how to cook! The (single and appropriate-aged) men in your lives should start lining up right now before a Honduran man sweeps me off my feet.

There are a few contributing factors as to why my culinary skills have blossomed:

                1) Honduras does not have a lot of variety in their cuisine which often leaves me yearning for foods I used to devour back home. Especially since I live in such a rural setting, the local grocery stores do not have a lot to offer. When I say there are staples – beans, rice, corn tortillas, cornflakes, and eggs – I literally mean that those foods are the foundation to almost any dish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The amount of beans and eggs that I eat is startling. While the sight of those foods does not turn me off just yet, I am not always doing cartwheels over seeing chicken parts, beans, and rice served for lunch. It’s hard to make those foods anything other than bland.  I have taken it upon myself to make, from scratch, the foods I dearly miss from home. As I mentioned, my resources are limited so I cannot make everything that I drool over thinking about, but you would be surprised with what I have been able to make! (Thank goodness there is an abundance of flour, sugar, salt, and oatmeal here.)

                2) I am not so secretly concerned about my health while living here. I am thankful for the woman who cooks me lunch every day at school, because otherwise I would be completely malnourished. I am losing weight despite eating at least one pack of cookies a day. At least I can count on her meals to give me some much-needed nutrition. My body can only run for so long on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cereal, and nachos. In an effort to keep my nutrition levels from reaching extreme lows, I’ve explored how can turn simple ingredients to deliciously nutritious meals.

                3) Especially since this is my second year, I suddenly have a lot more time on my hands. I could probably contribute that to no tv, internet, cell phone, malls, movie theaters, etc. as well, but since I already put in a huge amount of time planning lessons and making worksheets and tests last year, I am lucky to not have to dedicate my whole life to that again. Simply put: I get bored. There is no quick way to eat a great meal; there are no restaurants or fast-food joints, or meals in cans or frozen and ready in 10 minutes. I have the time to learn and patiently prepare a meal AND wash all the dishes afterwards. (That’s right – I cook and clean! Double whammy.)

All of these factors have driven me to work on my future house-wife skills. I used to be pathetic in the kitchen, relying solely on my abilities to grill a cheese sandwich, pour milk into a bowl of cereal, and stir sauce into pasta. But now, I am impressive. Not only can I whip up delicious food, but I am creative with my cooking too! I can’t take all the credit – I’ve had some great roommates that come up with scrumptious ideas as we feed of each others’ imaginations. We like to collaborate and turn our meager kitchen into a 5-star restaurant. They say the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? I will definitely be able to keep my husband’s belly satisfied.

I genuinely wish I had photo evidence of everything I have cooked, just to prove to all my doubters out there that yes, I did in fact cook these foods. But I do not, so please take my word for it, and maybe one day you will be lucky enough to stick your fork into one of my dishes. Here is the official list that qualifies me to be a fantastic, cooking wife one day:

-          fresh bread

-          cinnamon rolls

-          chicken puffs (despite not have crescent rolls)

-          roasted vegetables

-          French fries

-          cheesecake

-          curry

-          sweet and sour chicken

-          chocolate-chip oatmeal cookies (that bring the 12^th graders to their knees)

-          onion rings

-          apple sauce

-          berry crumble

-          corn bread

-          oatmeal banana muffins

-          deviled eggs

-          pretzels

-          pumpkin spice cake

-          pizza

-          fruit tarts

-          brown sugar papayas

-          brownies

-          chocolate pudding

-          omelettes

-          a variety of mouth-watering smoothies

-          baleadas (I have learned a few Honduran traditions)

-          plantains 

I’m sure there are few things missing from the list, but you get the gist. My delicate hands have created some amazing meals that have even shocked me. I am starting to gain some recognition and my treats are now in high demand. I have had help from recipes, specifically from a delightful book called the "Alpha-Bakery" (made for children, but with such simple recipes that Honduras can accommodate them). My roommate, Rachel, and I are considering our own cooking series: The Honduran Household - Cooking Through the Alpha-Bakery. Keep your eyes peeled and stay tuned for the exciting cooking endeavors ahead of us. So there it is. Eat your heart out men; I have become quite the catch with my new and improved cooking skills. 

(I hope while reading this, I did not convince you that I am serious about the whole 'house-wife' thing. To be a good, domesticated woman is not one of my life goals. I'm just really proud of my cooking skills. I know they will be put to greater use than filling the stomach of a man.)