Tuesday, March 4, 2008

élelmiszer

food (part 3 I believe!)

It finally stopped raining AGAIN! There was no water in the hallway when I woke up. I was glad to see the attic door and ceiling in tact, even with all the rain last night. Some men came over this afternoon in the house and went into the attic to look at our holes. Besides doing a lot of talking in Hungarian (none of which I understood), nothing else was done.

I went to a "tea party" with a bunch of ladies. I really am not a tea drinker, but I ate some awesome food. Every time I eat something here that I really like I ask if they got all the ingredients here. If so, I ask for the recipe. A couple things made this afternoon had ingredients from the US and thus not made here. Major bummer.

I always feel like a good wife when I make a decent meal. I mean I make dinner and whatnot, but tonight I felt like I made a really good meal. Kevin's mom is a good cook, and I cannot do such good things as she does. Kevin never complains and eats just about anything I make, but I want to make good meals. I am ALWAYS searching for new recipes on the internet. If you find really good ones, let me know. I often have to change ingredients or substitute, but I am getting much better at that.

I have made a huge list of food items I want/need from the US. I used to just think of things randomly throughout the day that I wish I had, but now I am writing them all down so that I don't forget. My list is getting quite extensive. Things on that list include: dry mustard, Crisco, Pam, chocolate chips, brown sugar, Italian and Ranch seasoning packets, and LOTS more.

Let me just say that one store was carrying the real brown sugar here but is no longer doing it. Why?! I have no idea. Other stores have brown sugar that say in Hungarian "barna cukor," but that just means sugar that's been colored brown. That is not the same as the kind you need to bake with. I wish I would have known they weren't going to carry it any more or I would have purchased several bags.

And I can't even count the number of times I wish I had some non-stick cooking spray! I was talking with someone about missing certain foods here, and we both came to the same conclusion:

You can make most of the same foods, but they just don't come quick and easy!

I can make brownies from scratch. I can make cakes from scratch. I can make biscuits from scratch. I can make muffins from scratch. I can butter my own dishes so that the foods won't stick. I can make most things. But nothing comes in a box mix, which is what I always did for these things. No just dumping in an egg or some oil and water and stirring. I can make many things but it takes time and energy.

But I have to admit that Betty Crocker's Hershey's Chocolate Chunk Supreme Brownie Mix is way better than any homemade brownie I've ever tried.

3 comments:

Safira said...

Wow- do I know exactly how you feel!!! For me, when I lived in Argentina, it was chocolate chips, kraft macaroni and cheese, chinese food seasoning packets, PEPPERONI!!!!!!, and donuts. Hang in there!

Kristen said...

So many things you never thought twice about having until you no longer have them!

Move to Hungary instead of Argentina... There is enough pepperoni here to eat until it comes out of your ears. It's one of their main meats with the hugest sections in the grocery store dedicated to the 50 million varieties and brands!

Kristin said...

Kristen:
I know that you are discouraged, but I would love to have the skills to make all those different things from scratch! I think making things from scratch is a lost art over here...
I know I could take the time learn, but.... :)