Homemade goodies all around

Remember how I spent my Saturday being a domesticated 50's housewife?  I'm thinking about creating a weekly blog title that involves that phrase...any suggestions?

I got to skype with my dad yesterday and hear some of the big thunder that was happening in Norman.  Pretty crappy weather, eh, Oklahoma?  After skyping, I got ready to go out to Winston Churchill's bar/pub--Kirovograd's newest American style eatery.  We went there on opening night (Thursday) and tried the onion rings which were pretty stellar for Ukrainian "bar food!" Last night we tried the Greek salad (not quite as good as the authentic Greek salad I had in Athens) and some mozzarella-ish fried cheese sticks.  I think the onion rings are still my fave.  And BTW, if you had told me a year ago that I would be eating onion rings (and not just the fried batter), I would have laughed in your face.  That's how far my eating habits have come.

Today, I got up and started cleaning...again.  I finally cleaned my fridge as best as I could because it needed to be plugged back in!  I ended up having to throw away a few questionable things that didn't feel cool enough.  No Ukrainian would have thrown them away, but I have enough stomach problems as it is...don't need to contribute to the situation.

After the fridge was on and barely running again, it was time to start cooking.  I was having a few friends over for dinner to celebrate Phil's birthday (which is actually tomorrow).  On the menu included:

Veggie Chili

Homemade Cornbread
Gooey Brownies

If I do say so myself, they all turned out pretty amazing.  I forgot to take a picture of the cornbread, but it's the same cornbread recipe I've made the whole time I've lived in K-grad.  It's a dependable recipe that never fluctuates which I LOVE.  And, the brownies were topped off with some REESE'S PIECES from the good ol' US of A.  {Sidenote: Reese's Pieces are always welcome in care packages...they cannot be found here and will more than likely be devoured in one sitting by yours truly.}

Phil with his pan-o-brownies

I followed all of the recipes to a T, minus the veggie chili one.  Green and red peppers are a) expensive right now and b) not very good anyway because it's not their season, so I opted not to put them in.  I also haven't been able to find cumin at stores here.  I had a pack of Williams Chili seasoning from home that made this recipe finger-licking good (in Russian: palchicki-obleejesh).  They have black beans here but I didn't leave enough time to soak them and cook them, etc. etc.  Whoops.  I also got to feed this southern meal to my sweet Ukrainian friend and neighbor, Yana, who promised me it wasn't too spicy for her!  I did add a little Cholula hot sauce to it :)  She loved the cornbread and chili topped with cheese.  And for dessert, I warmed the brownies and served with ice cream (just like my dad would want!).  Ukrainians do not understand the concept of serving something hot (brownie) with something cold (ice cream).  I tried teaching my host family about this concept...or even simply cake and ice cream together.  They didn't understand the goodness that they are missing out on!  But Yana was a trooper and tried it out :)  I sent some brownies and the ice cream home with her to have her parents try it out too.  We'll see if they think the crazy American next door is teaching their daughter silly ways of life :)

I'm going to post this and go read some.  My Kindle is still one of the best things and most used items I have here with me in Ukraine (kudos to Mitchell and fam for knowing that it would be a good investment!).  However, my one major complaint is that I can't ever remember the title of the book I'm reading.  I'm a visual person and normally visualize a book by the cover and can "picture" the title of the book that way.  But, with the Kindle, I may only read the title of the book once when I download it and open it.  Currently, I'm reading a book called Come Back to Me, by Melissa Foster.  Pretty good read thus far, and I got it on the Kindle daily sale for $0.99 I think.

It's been a good weekend.  Shopping, cleaning, cooking, reading, Christmas music listening, defrosting the fridge, etc.  And I'm even more excited for next weekend when friends come visit in K-grad!  And to top it off, mom texted me a little bit ago and informed me that the Target One Section has Silly Putty in it right now. "How many do you want?"  Thanks, mom!  Ukrainian kids are fascinated by Silly Putty.  Pretty sure adults are too come to think of it...

Happy second Sunday of Advent :)  much love.