I Have Not Blown Up My House Yet!


I have a two burner gas stove to cook on, and that is it. I have been cooking for myself on it for almost a year now and have neither blown up my house nor starved to death, two things I am sure anyone who knew me before Peace Corps assumed would have happened by now. Instead, it appears that I have learned to cook! And not just rice with ketchup or boiled noodles, although I will admit to making meals out of both of those. I have a pressure cooker, 2 pots, 1 skillet, a big spoon, a metal spatula, strainer, cutting board, and a large kitchen knife. I have no access to refridgeration or the products that need it. (Except eggs. Panama doesn't refridgerate their eggs.) In the last year I have managed to teach myself or be taught by Panamanians and PCVs how to make:

Fried Rice
Fried Plantains
Fried Fish
Patacones (twice fried plantains)
Thai-esque Peanut Sauce Stir Fry
Honey-Balsalmic Sauce Stir Fry
Homemade Sweet and Sour Sauce
French Toast
Regular Toast
Adobo Popcorn
Breakfast Burritos
Tuna Patties
Black Bean Burgers
Mango Papaya Jam
Guacamole (Like a Pro.)
Salsa
Variety of Scrambled Egg Veggie Dishes
Crepes
Brownies out of home grown Cacao
Pumpkin Bread
Banana Bread
Pineapple Bread
Fry Bread
Fruit Empanadas
Tuna Empanadas
Onion Rings
Peppermint Mochas
Tuna Casserole
Deviled Eggs
Bruschetta
Ratatouille Pizza
Avocado Tuna Melts
Tortilla Chips
Plantain Chips
Chili
Garlic Bread
Lentil Curry
Pineapple Coconut Curry
Veggie Curry
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mashed Potato Spinach Wraps
Spinach Omelettes
Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal (not real strawberries though)
Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal
Christmas Flavored Oatmeal
Apple Peanut Butter Oatmeal (real apple!)
Mango Oatmeal (real mango!)
White Russians (powdered milk, maple syrup, water, vanilla, & whatever you have)
Mac and Cheese
Probably 50+ combinations of Pasta, Veggies, Tomato Paste, and Spices
Fried Chicken
Chicken Soup
Grilled Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
Grilled Peanut Butter and Plantain Sandwiches
Grilled Nutella Sandwiches
S'mores
Coconut Popsicles
Rice and Cream Popsicles
Pineapple Popsicles
Green Mango Salad
Limeade

I love hanging out with other Volunteers because we always eat well. It is a lot of work to make many of these things just for yourself, particularly chopping all the veggies, doing all the dishes by hand, etc. Don't have butter? Add a little oil, and powdered milk or condensed milk work pretty much like the real thing. Forget or just can't get anither important ingredient? Get creative. Necessity is the mother of invention!

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