SOPA PARAGUAYA

A friend of mine gifted me some homemade cheese so my family could try sopa Paraguaya (a very typical dish here).  Sopa Paraguaya reminds me a bit of corn bread, but it is denser and with sautéed onions.

Like most typical dishes in Paraguay, it calls for cornmeal.  Cornmeal is in abundance because almost everyone grows and grinds their own corn.  Since I don’t have a field, I always have to ask different friends if I could help them pick, shuck or grind corn in exchange for a kilo or two.      

This time, we were given corn kernels.  After it was boiled and dried, Liz and I went to a friend’s house to grind and sift it.  It took so much arm and shoulder strength that I was very thankful my friend and her kids were all willing to take turns.

Sopa Paraguay

4 eggs

2K cornmeal

3Tbs starch

4 onions

Salt to taste

1 ½ C lard

milk

Cook onion with lard and salt

Mix cornmeal, starch, onion mixture and enough milk until soft

Pour in a 9x13 dish, bake at 350 for 45 minutes

MANDIO PASTEL

October 4, 2011 is the patron saint of our town’s day. My neighbor came over and taught me to make pastel mandio – a typical food for holidays. We made dough out of 1/2 kilo ground mandioca, 4 eggs, 1/4C oil, and ½ kilo flour. Next, we took small portions of the dough and shaped it into a 3 inch disk. In the center we put a mixture of ground meat, sautéed green onions and parsley. We closed the dough around the meat mixture (like an egg roll) and fried it. Yum.

On October 1st, Paraguayans eat a special meal for lunch called "Jopara" to ward off "Mr. October," a legendary personification of poverty. October is the hardest month for the families of subsistence farmers, as it's the only month all year that their fields don't produce something for them to eat. Pray for God to provide for the many Paraguayans who live hand-to-mouth, especially during this difficult month.

SOCCER WOES

Saturday, September 10, 1011

Yesterday Ryan’s coach said to be at the field at 8:00 to practice because 9:00 will start the game.  At 9:00 Ryan came back.  Coach said they were playing at 1:00.  At 11:00 2 of his team mates came by the house and said they were playing right then.  Ryan got on his bike and we followed shortly after in the car.  Ryan got there for the 2^nd half.  There was speculation that perhaps there’s be a second game, but in the end Ryan’s coach said no.  We left.  Ryan left a bit later and when he got home, he said that the coach said that there was a 2^nd game in 30 minutes.  Ryan quickly ate and headed back to the field only to return 20 minutes later saying, “No game.”  Man, this cross-communication stuff is tough!   

FRIEND or FOE?

LAUNDRY DAY

AND THEY CALL IT PUPPY LOVE

This is our new puppy Comet (Micah calls her sonic). She is a 6 week old Golden Retriever. The kids have done a great job caring for her and cleaning up after her. She’s been a pretty good little puppy and hasn’t chewed anything of consequence yet.

MICAH'S 5th BIRTHDAY!

September 29, 2011 Micah celebrated turning 5 with a dinosaur birthday. Thanks to both sets of grandparents (who provided themed cups, plates, a table cloth and napkins, gift bags, and gifts) the party was great. Over an empanada dinner, we told dinosaur jokes and took a dinosaur quiz. Next we ate a dinosaur cake (Which, if I am allowed to brag, turned out pretty cute) and dinosaur cookies. After Micah opened his gifts, the kids participated in a relay race by wearing dinosaur feet and balancing a dinosaur egg on a spoon. Next the kids made dinosaur fossils (man, how many times has “dinosaur” been written in this post?). It was especially fun because it was the first birthday of Micah’s that the grandparents were able to be here for.

Blowing out the candles

Dinosaur cookies

Walk like a dinosaur while carrying a dinosaur egg

Walking like a dinosaur