A couple of weeks ago was a holiday here in Central America. As a teacher, I get the holidays off . . .very different from ranger days :)
We decided to get out of the city for a few days and went to San Juan del Sur. It is a traveler hot spot for surfers and . . what we didnt know on this particular weekend a hot spot for partying high schoolers (including my students) which we were able to avoid.
We stayed in a nice little bed and breakfast run by a funny lady from South Carolina. During the day we rented bikes and rode 20 km on bumpy dirt roads that our car wouldn't have survived to get to some quieter beaches away from town. At night we were exhausted and had beer, fresh fish and ceviche for dinner. We got back home after three nights and still had a day to hang around the house. It was really nice to get away for a bit.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
I like cold beverages!
So Im not a big beer drinker. But . . . .for some reason since I have moved to Nicaragua I find myself enjoying a cold beer. Its not that the beer is really good, its simply because its cold :)!!
A great way to have it, believe it or not is on ice (even colder!)
its called a Michilada a nice, cold, spicy, fizzy great after work or on the beach drink and here is how you make it.
Coarse salt
3 cubes ice
1 lime, juiced
1 12 oz. can or bottle Mexican beer - we are going with Nicaraguan beer Tona
1/2 tsp. steak sauce or sangrita
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 dash black pepper
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch dried basil
put all the ingredients in a glass, some ice and poor in the tona
Cheers, Salud!
A great way to have it, believe it or not is on ice (even colder!)
its called a Michilada a nice, cold, spicy, fizzy great after work or on the beach drink and here is how you make it.
Coarse salt
3 cubes ice
1 lime, juiced
1 12 oz. can or bottle Mexican beer - we are going with Nicaraguan beer Tona
1/2 tsp. steak sauce or sangrita
1 dash cayenne pepper
1 dash black pepper
1 pinch dried oregano
1 pinch dried basil
put all the ingredients in a glass, some ice and poor in the tona
Cheers, Salud!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Back into a Whirlwind!
So a lot has happened since I last wrote on the blog. The big thing is – I got a job!
I am teaching high school science at an international school here in Managua. I teach three sections of seventh grade life science and two sections of eleventh grade chemistry (to be honest I don’t know chemistry, but Im learning as I go). I have experience teaching seventh grade life science in the classroom when I taught in Guatemala, but Chemistry is new to me and Im finding it hard to make it fun for the students.
The school is really pretty and Im starting to meet other teacher. Its just nice to get out of the house and have something to focus energy on. I am definitely very busy. It is hard to teach when you didn’t start with the students in the beginning of the year. The beginning of the year gives you an opportunity to lay down some ground rules etc. Another challenge is that the teach whom I took over for left because she thought it was too much work and didn’t do the things that need to be done before the students even start . . like annual plans for instance . . so Im also trying to play catch up. I hope that in a month or so I will get into a groove.
I think for now this is a good position. It is still in my field and gives me the opportunity to get my Spanish to fluency, as well as find out what different environmental organizations are up to in the event that after the school year I want to get back into more the environmental field. Vacations off are always nice so come on down and visit ☺
I am teaching high school science at an international school here in Managua. I teach three sections of seventh grade life science and two sections of eleventh grade chemistry (to be honest I don’t know chemistry, but Im learning as I go). I have experience teaching seventh grade life science in the classroom when I taught in Guatemala, but Chemistry is new to me and Im finding it hard to make it fun for the students.
The school is really pretty and Im starting to meet other teacher. Its just nice to get out of the house and have something to focus energy on. I am definitely very busy. It is hard to teach when you didn’t start with the students in the beginning of the year. The beginning of the year gives you an opportunity to lay down some ground rules etc. Another challenge is that the teach whom I took over for left because she thought it was too much work and didn’t do the things that need to be done before the students even start . . like annual plans for instance . . so Im also trying to play catch up. I hope that in a month or so I will get into a groove.
I think for now this is a good position. It is still in my field and gives me the opportunity to get my Spanish to fluency, as well as find out what different environmental organizations are up to in the event that after the school year I want to get back into more the environmental field. Vacations off are always nice so come on down and visit ☺
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
From the Fischer-Daly Cocina: Crispy Yucca jazzed with Spicy Aioli Dip…
Egg Yolk, desiring-to-be-red in color, to garlic-punching dipping sauce (okay, dip, I first shopped at Krogers, so “dip” clearly connotes concoctions such as ranch or my introduction to artichoke, lost in a gurgle of parmesan) is a fast, easy and yummy transition: Drop the yolk in a bowl (blender) with a couple teaspoons of mustard (use Dijon unless you share my absentmindedness, in which case yellow gets the job done). Whisk slowly, then furiously, but always steadily (or start blender on a medium speed) and begin to pour a cup of olive oil, not all at once but a clean regular pour. As concoction emulsifies, finish the steady pour of olive oil. Then add garlic (5 small/medium cloves) and pepper (1 small jalapeño or a serrano) and continuing whisking (or blending). Shift the dip to a bowl and set in the fridge to cool while you heat some oil on the stovetop…
Pre-fry, have your yucca pealed, cut into chunks that fit your pan/pot, and boiled for approximately 5 minutes…then the fun part. Drop your yucca into hot oil (and minced garlic clove or two if you’re into the excessive side of flavor) on the frying pan (use enough oil to cover the pan and maintain it smoothly covered in oil throughout the fry) and have a little faith in the wonders of hot oil. Turn your yucca chunks side to side until their color takes on a yellowish (thank you, oil) – brown (oh, right, it’s a tuber) shade. Once your yucca looks bronzed, it’s outside slightly crunchy, and maybe your skin aglow with a little spray from the frying fun, serve the yucca chunks on a plate with the spicy aioli.
Dig in, and enjoy! By the way, just what are you enjoying: yucca? cassava? The answer seems to be yes. As noted by Mark Bittman, author of the how to cook everything guides, “taro (yucca) is a tuber with brownish gray fiber-covered striped skin and gray-white flesh with purple stippling, more flavorful than potatoes”. Bittman then describes cassava as a tuber with an “elgongated, tapered oval shape with a dark brown, woody, and often waxed and shiny skin; flesh is white, crisp, and loaded with starch”. In our neck of the woods, the later description fits to a t the item labeled “yucca” in all markets, restaurants and grocers. If anyone has interesting insights into the world of yucca vs. cassava, the floor is yours…
Pre-fry, have your yucca pealed, cut into chunks that fit your pan/pot, and boiled for approximately 5 minutes…then the fun part. Drop your yucca into hot oil (and minced garlic clove or two if you’re into the excessive side of flavor) on the frying pan (use enough oil to cover the pan and maintain it smoothly covered in oil throughout the fry) and have a little faith in the wonders of hot oil. Turn your yucca chunks side to side until their color takes on a yellowish (thank you, oil) – brown (oh, right, it’s a tuber) shade. Once your yucca looks bronzed, it’s outside slightly crunchy, and maybe your skin aglow with a little spray from the frying fun, serve the yucca chunks on a plate with the spicy aioli.
Dig in, and enjoy! By the way, just what are you enjoying: yucca? cassava? The answer seems to be yes. As noted by Mark Bittman, author of the how to cook everything guides, “taro (yucca) is a tuber with brownish gray fiber-covered striped skin and gray-white flesh with purple stippling, more flavorful than potatoes”. Bittman then describes cassava as a tuber with an “elgongated, tapered oval shape with a dark brown, woody, and often waxed and shiny skin; flesh is white, crisp, and loaded with starch”. In our neck of the woods, the later description fits to a t the item labeled “yucca” in all markets, restaurants and grocers. If anyone has interesting insights into the world of yucca vs. cassava, the floor is yours…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
