in my kitchen

What do I cook with? I have a propane gas stove and a half size electric refrigerator. No dish washer except me. There is a big cooler on the counter that I keep full of the water I boil for us to drink and cook with. We do have an electric coffee maker and electric tea pot, a toaster and hand mixer. Other than that it is a few pots and pans and me.

Where do I get our food? They have grocery stores but it is an adventure as to what they will have each time I go. The milk is powdered, the chickens are whole, the fish is blue nile perch or tilapia, the ground beef is ok, they don't refrigerate their unwashed eggs, and everything is metric so I buy in kilo's. I also shop at the souks (little roadside shops) outside our compound for fresh fruit like bananas and pineapple, and vegetables like tomatoes and onions and potatoes. You need to soak them in bleach water when you get them home. Street vendors also have fresh bread and rice or lentil filled samosas.

What have I experienced? The oven does not have a thermometer or setting so you are never sure what temperature you are baking at. None of the spices are the same, either the ones I recognize don't taste the same or I have never heard of them. At over 8,000 feet it seems food cooks differently sometimes. Few things have preservatives in them so food does not keep long. Pretty much nothing tastes like it does in the states.

What have I learned? You can made most things from scratch like sour cream and brown sugar. It is best to buy for just the next few meals at a time, and plan around whatever is at the store each time. A new friend, Amaz, showed me how to make some Ethiopian dishes I can't wait to try. Even though we are without electricity several hours each day I can still make a meal to enjoy.

What do I think? You know me, I like a challenge so mostly I enjoy my kitchen!