part of an email from the boat

I am feeling much much better and filled with lots of hope. We are getting closer and closer to our big purpose here, well actually it is all our purpose but it will be great to have patients. I love all the military people so much!! I needed some sudafed & i went up to 'sick call' for the staff, they just had me fill out a form with the drugs i wanted and walk one floor down to pharmacy and they just give it to you. They really take care of us. They provide sheets, wool blankets, 3 hot meals & if you don't clean up your stuff--they throw it away!! haha I can't believe the groundwork that has been laid for us here by the military leadership with governments and their people on the ground right now. It is a HUGE operation we are running mostly for good relations and in a real disaster that we could just plug in in these places. The medical stuff is really a drop in the bucket, unless you are one of those who gets it!! I sat behind the helo barn today and relaxed with Amy Wilde from Cananda and read scriptures until a cloudburst. It's not as hot today but still very humid.

Ok, so i have much to teach you, my little pumpkins. My experiments are fording new gastronomical streams & puddles. The first thing we need to discuss if we haven't is the amazing (nearly) free food source of soaking your own beans. Don't buy them in a can! It's a huge rip off. You only get like a cup & 1/2 for a buck & change, where the same $ for dry beans goes a long way. I have the big cans from the Welfare Square Cannery of black & white (aka great northern). I like kidney too & pinto. Just soak a bowl of 'em in water overnight or while you're at work or even just a couple hours is ok. Then just bring to a boil, & simmer for....a long time. Like 1.5 hours or so. I did finally get a crock pot so that would be really simple to.

So i recently did so w the white beans, like maybe a quart of them, boiled with garlic, garlic salt, lots of salt & some cayanne (of course). They are awesome just wrapped in tortillas w cheese. Who needs taco bell? I had one yesterday at my computer while charting on my cancer patients & happily averted eating some lucious- looking, but dangerous cookies that would have ruined my day..

The other thing i did w the white beans has been mixing them w this greek-ish rice pillaf i made up. Now the oven is not my strongest arena, but i'm working on it. I suppose that's because you need recipes & i'm clearly not really into that.

Greek-ish Rice Pillaf:

2 cups brown rice

1/4 cup amaranth (a tiny grain like quinoa)

1/4 cup 9-grain hot cereal

juice of 2 lemons

1/2 inch ginger root diced tiny

1 onion diced

like an inch of a butter square or more

what else?.. beef broth 1 can, a bit of parmesano

some of that mrs. dash or somthing like on top

after the butter melts & onions are clear-ish

put the rice & stuff in mix it well & fill the casserole dish up w water

bake at 375/400 for 45 min on the top looks bubbly done.

The key now..is to serve the beans & the rice together WITH WHOLE PLAIN YOGURT.

It rocks with the lemony rice. I put some yellow bell peppers on top too.

Next,

My neighbors made this last night; it was so awesome. They certainly know about food.

Pork loin wrapped in prosciutto

baked with sliced yams & pears!

i think there was balsamic over it?

maybe ACV

it was so lovely, especially the pears.

They say the brussel sprouts @ Eva are important. Keep meaning to go there..

I feel like i had more fabulous discoveries in the kitchen, but i will keep you posted.