We've enjoyed getting back in the habit of family dinners since we've been here. As the primary Jones family chef, using my new English kitchen is one of the mountains I've been enthusiastically climbing. There are different measurements for temperatures and food weights, but in a world with internet I'm simply bypassing the need to learn the conversions for now.
One of my biggest obstacles will be learning to accurately shop and plan our meals before the food spoils! Robert has been kind to smile and gulp down all of my repurposed leftovers - tonight was a leftover mixture of rice, beans, chicken and sausage. It was far from Louisiana fabulous, but it did the job!
Add to this planning for company. We had Paulo and Paula and their 5 month old Isabelle over for dinner on Tuesday night. So, on the way home from a wonderful introductory BSF class Tuesday morning, I stopped at the store for enough food for dinner that night and lunch the next day (we were having more guests come on Wednesday). I started to get nervous as I lugged my overflowing handheld basket to the cashier wondering "How in the world am I going to carry this home??!!" And I'll tell you it was pretty much a Christmas miracle - I FELL into the house with those groceries!
That night we had our very American version of quesadillas. I am sure it was a COMPLETE sacrilege to the Italian and Argentinian dining with us, but they ate happily and we enjoyed our time together. Paula is still learning English, so I had a chance to practice my Spanish with her. Señora Morales would be horrified to hear the steep decline in my vocabulary and verb structure, but we mostly understood each other (eventually) somehow!
The next day we had another family over for lunch. The father of this family has held our hand through this entire process of moving to England; helping us know what to expect, what forms to fill out, etc. He really could not have done more for us, and, in keeping with his nature, he brought us an entire TRUNK LOAD of housewarming (flat-warming?) gifts! I meekly offered his family lasagna and salad! Maybe if I get my trusty crock pot I'll feel a little more confident in the kitchen!
My go-to dish to bring to events (like the BBQ) has been my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I'm not sure where my recipes landed, but the one I found online at Williams Sonoma is just about perfect. It's been a hit everywhere we've taken them - except at home where I hear grumbling about "none left for us!"
I've gotten much better at grocery shopping. I've stopped looking for the eggs in the refrigerated section and know how much milk to buy to avoid spoiled leftovers. And I know what I will probably never leave the grocery without: British Strawberries! They're just so delicious here! Perfectly ripe and sweet... hmmm... I think I'll go have another...
The next day we had another family over for lunch. The father of this family has held our hand through this entire process of moving to England; helping us know what to expect, what forms to fill out, etc. He really could not have done more for us, and, in keeping with his nature, he brought us an entire TRUNK LOAD of housewarming (flat-warming?) gifts! I meekly offered his family lasagna and salad! Maybe if I get my trusty crock pot I'll feel a little more confident in the kitchen!
My go-to dish to bring to events (like the BBQ) has been my oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. I'm not sure where my recipes landed, but the one I found online at Williams Sonoma is just about perfect. It's been a hit everywhere we've taken them - except at home where I hear grumbling about "none left for us!"
I've gotten much better at grocery shopping. I've stopped looking for the eggs in the refrigerated section and know how much milk to buy to avoid spoiled leftovers. And I know what I will probably never leave the grocery without: British Strawberries! They're just so delicious here! Perfectly ripe and sweet... hmmm... I think I'll go have another...
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