From scratch....

Ngire (pronounced: ny'ree), one of my new Kiwi friends said to me, "I don't mean to be offensive, but you know how to cook from scratch, right? Because that's what all Kiwi's do, cook from scratch."

I had to laugh. I had read online that there are very few processed foods in New Zealand, and most food is cooked from scratch. Yes, Ngire, I can cook from scratch. When I think of cooking from scratch, I think primary of Mexican food and casseroles, and I cannot get the ingredients for either here. Very few Mexican spices, tortillas, etc. and casseroles are generally made with a lot of dairy. We eat very little dairy (milk allergies). As a result, we've been eating a lot of stir-fry, sloppy joes and peanut butter/jelly sandwiches.  Thanks to the wonderful women who answered my call for recipes, we've been cooking their suggestions and can finally look up recipes online too.

My most exciting cooking moment happened a few days ago. I was attempting white gravy from scratch, of course, for the first time in 12 years. While I was successfully working on the gravy, the baking biscuits (white flour biscuits, not cookies ;) ) started burning. I opened the oven, and it caught on fire!  Only, Eric and I were home. There was a spill from a previous meal that had leaked, burned and was now on fire! Lamely, I tried to put a small amount of water on the flame when I remembered never to put water on a grease fire. It exploded then extinguished. Whew! Eric and I were both relieved! 

Today, Ryan made an apple pie as pictured below. He did a great job!

What has been most fascinating about our food experience is it has made me extremely grateful for my mom and my grandma Culler. Neither woman comes from a lot of money and both women make pretty good food out of very little. I constantly find myself thinking of foods they would make me as a child, and then I repeat the recipes they made for me. Thankfully, my kids like the food--even Eric. 

Again, I am baffled at how the seemingly insignificant things in life can prove to be the most valuable and heartwarming moments later. I'm sure my mom agonized over her restricted food budget. Right now, I'm grateful she had a restricted food budget, because I learned what I can do for dinner or the simple, yet filling, breakfasts I can make for my kids. 

"It is by the small and simple means that great things are brought to pass."