My work here... is done!

I came to Paraguay to help out my grandmother... and we spent lots of hours in the kitchen with her trying to do all she could to stay in the kitchen like she used to, and me trying to convince her to use less energy, less salt, and to allow others to help her as she transitions her mind to adjust to where her body is now. (Easy for me to say as a "young" person, right?!)

Anyway... this morning I woke up with a headache, took some medicine and went back to bed...

So imagine my surprise when I actually got up this morning and saw my aunt taking 'my' place of the last month (which is a new thing for her!), my Oma actually using the kitchen stool (like I've suggested a million times before), and both of them sharing the kitchen to accomplish the habitual Saturday baking chores (gives my Oma both some rest, but also the feeling of completing what used to be her job!).

My work here is done. A bit bittersweet... but since my flight leaves on Monday, it's right on time!

Baking away!

So I might be getting carried away... but I'm loving my new oven. I have made several tasty things без рецепта (without recipe) the last couple of days. And I thought I'd share with you...

Chocolate-Banana Muffins (I love this one. Mostly because in the picture you can see that I also rearranged all the spices

so that I have them within easy reach now instead of up in the cupboard!)








5 Bean Chicken Soup... Somehow I was able to get my hands on a just-the-beans mix with black beans in it. (I have ransacked this city for black beans before, and not found them, and then found them, and then not found them again) So when I 'kinda found them' I definitely had to put them to good use...








Hobo Cooked Chicken- Fruit Style?... (he he. This delicious experiment needs a better name. And no Alexis, it cannot be Chicken Nectarine Peas Lemon Pepper. That's the recipe!)

And... the coup de etat?!?!
Poğaça

That's right. My favorite Turkish bakery treat. The translation you'll get on google translate is 'pastry.' And a friend once described them as a cross between a croissant and a biscuit. Well these aren't quite the same as the goodness from a 'firin'. But it's a good second best. I even imported some onion seed garnishes during my last visa run to make them even more authentic.