Africa – Peaceful Reader

I hope March ushers in a bit of spring weather-it’s at least light later in the day. No longer do I leave work in twilight. We are still pretty snow heavy making it difficult to drive and while it was bitter cold today THE SUN WAS SHINING!! Wore my sunglasses to Cedar Rapids and back to have lunch with our son. We had pizza together and talked for a long time. Just wonderful to be with him. Wish we could have lunch with the oldest daughter-meeting in Brooklyn takes a few days prep and many miles.

I finished Stay with me by Ayobami Adebayo and loved her writing. This story tells the tale of Akin and Yejide’s marriage through both characters. How they meet at university, fall in love, and begin to break away after trying to have a baby and the problems that arise as their communication fall away. Anyone in a relationship that’s gone sour can relate to how they begin to pull apart. The story is sad yet beautifully told and I liked the backdrop of the political turmoil happening in Nigeria at the time.

And I’ve started Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones; about a family in Mississippi getting ready for a hurricane. This is an author that’s been on my to-read list and I’m glad I’m finally finding time to read her work.

In between chapters I managed to make a little food for my lovely little family. I lovingly created two recipes given to me by friends; a chicken tortilla soup and a corn casserole. Both recipes helped to warm us up last night.

Here is the soup recipe from my friend Kay:

Kathy’s Chicken Tortilla Soup (my notes)

4 chicken breasts halves (buy organic, local, free range when possible)

2 15-oz cans of black beans, drained (I thought ahead and used dried bb, soaking them the night b4)

2 cans Rotel tomatoes with chilies – do not drain (I had one can of diced tomatoes and one can of green enchilada sauce-yes, I improvised so I did NOT have to go out in the cold)

1 can shoepeg corn, drained (I used a bag of frozen)

14.5 oz can tomato sauce

1 cup salsa (I used our homemade)

Optional toppings:

Tortilla chips

Grated Cheese

Sour Cream

Directions:

1. In the bottom of a slow cooker, place the chicken breasts.

2. Open the remaining cans and pour over the breasts.

3. Add the salsa

4. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Just before serving remove and shred the chicken and return to soup.

5. Stir and serve.

Even with my improvisation the recipe was perfect for a cold Saturday night. It was pretty easy compared to other recipes I love. My brother and I were both cooking at the same time in different cities; his recipes looked so amazing I could almost smell them via his texted pictures. His were more labor-intensive but you’ve got to go with what works for you on any given day.

The corn recipe from Amber was just as easy to put together, rich and textured, and that made my day. I’m pretty sure both these recipes are from church/school cookbooks from the 90’s.

Corn Casserole

1 can creamed corn

1 can whole kernel corn, with juice

1 stick butter (soft to mix)

1 cup sour cream

1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

1 egg, beaten

onion and seasonings (opt.)

(In a bowl) mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350* for 45 minutes in a 9 x 13-in baking dish.

Variation: Can put 1 small package of shredded Mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10 minutes or until melted. (next time I might add goat cheese; I did not add any cheese this time and I added a bit of cayenne and cumin as my seasonings, plus a whole lot of freshly ground pepper)

See what I mean-super healthy!! We have to stay entertained and warm over these long winter months. What are you reading/creating/concocting?

I found this at the library one day browsing around like I do; it was on my list to read for possible Iowa Children’s Choice book awards. It was the last one I read in my tall stack of choices and it was one of the best.

I loved that both boys and girls would enjoy the story even though it is told from a 13-year-old girl’s point of view and that we learn so much about the country of Malawi. Clare is a spunky character who is filled with grief over her recently deceased mother. Ever wonder why so many realistic fiction books for kids involve death? Her father is a doctor working for a world aid organization and probably to help his own grief he takes on this journey back to Malawi where he served before Clare was born. I think both parent and child are in need of a change of scenery even though Clare isn’t aware yet of how much this trip will mean to her.

Even though she is completely bitter on the first leg of their travels and her anger grows when she sees the small cabin where they will live she makes friends in the village and at school. She helps to change lives while their as she teaches English to the youngest children at school and gets everybody involved in a play.

A quote:

Outside, Memory shows me a dress that’s hanging from a clothesline behind the hut. In the dusk, I can’t tell if it’s blue or green or gray, but I can see the shape of it just fine. I don’t mean to be rude, but it looks like a pilgrim frock. Still, I’m a firm believer in stretching the truth in the name of friendship. At this rate, Memory might be the only person I’m speaking to on the entire African continent, so I tell her “It’s so cool!” even though I’d never be caught dead wearing something like that myself. (37)

She does indeed end up wearing a dress quite similar to her new friend Memory’s “pilgrim” dress and that is not her only compromise she must make.

I loved this book for the experience it offered me; while lots of books are written about dead mothers, not many share such an interesting path through grief. I love that her mother appears to her when she needs her most and that through their journey we get to see a part of life in Africa especially since this continent is in the news right now. Burg has first hand experience in Malawi and that helps us get a realistic feel for the country.

At the end of the book is a recipe for Sweet Potato Biscuits that I just had to try. I made them, we loved them, and then the dog stole the rest of the biscuits right off the counter and ate every last crumb..

Mbatata (Sweet Potato) Biscuits

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1/4 cup milk
4 T melted butter
1 1/4 cups sifted flour
2 tsp baking powder
6 T sugar, plus 2 T to sprinkle on top
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon, plus additional 1/2 tsp to sprinkle on top

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375*. Mix the sweet potatoes, milk, and melted butter and beat well. Sift together the flour, baking powder, 6 T of the sugar, the salt, and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon and add gradually to the sweet potato mixture. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a greased baking sheet. Mix the additional cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle on top. Bake for 15 minutes.

They were delicious. Even the dog thought so. I didn’t even sprinkle on the extra sugar topping. I plan to make them again for Thanksgiving.

Read this book, share it with any elementary and early middle school students, share it with your class as a read-aloud. Right now it could provide an empathy for the people of Africa as they struggle with the affects of the Ebola disease.

Shana Burg is also the author of A Thousand Never Evers an excellent historical fiction that takes place in Mississippi in 1963.

Tag: Africa

Welcome March!

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