Thanksgiving Weekend

This year I went to Chepelare to celebrate Thanksgiving with about 20 other volunteers. We had way too much food. Potatoes au gratin, mashed potatoes, stuffing, a casseorole dish, a rice dish, salad, and some other stuff. Instead of eating turkey we slaughtered a lamb and paid some local guy to roast it over a fire on a spicket. It was really good.

We did a little dancing and then called it a night.

On my way back I passed through Plovdiv. They've been cleaning up the center a lot and had some new shops. I found a nice liquer shop that sold cigars resting in a humidor. I bought a Cuban to share on New Years. I also picked a little facke christmas tree to decorate and put in my apartment. They next day some presents came from my family. It feels like Christmas now. I've opened a present just about everyday. Whenever a friend comes over they always want me to open one. I'm just trying to save some till Christmas.

The First Snow

Snow has been falling all day. By the time it hits the ground it melts. At the end of the day the top of the mountains were white.

I stayed inside and cooked all day. It smells like Fall in my kitchen. I cooked pot soup with onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, every spice in my kitchen, and some Macedonian sausage. I put in a cube of chicken, mushroom, vegetable, and beef broth. Oh, and then I added some rice that's been in my cupboard for a while. The pot is so full I could eat this for week as long as I just keep adding water. =)

I also cooked a Pumpkin pie for the first time; and from scratch. I haven't tasted it yet, but it looks perfect. Ah, cleaning can wait until tomorrow.

New Guveche Recipe

This one is better than the last one I posted. Remember to play with the recipe and make it your own.

- First take some meat. About a pound, but a little more is ok. Pork, lamb, and even turkey works. Cut it up into bit size chunks. Add a tablespoon of cumin, black pepper, and dill if you like. Mix it all up and marinate it for a couple hours.

- It's been two hours and now your ready to cook. Cut some mushrooms up real fine and throw them in a pan with some oil. Put as many or as little mushrooms as you like. In this recipe they act more like a spice.

- Now add a nice head of onion to the pan; chopped up real small. You can also add your meat at this point. When it's cooked, set it aside.

- Now this recipe works best if you have about six little earthenware pots, but you can also try a casserole dish. Place a layer of peeled and cubed potatoes in this dish. Now add your meat mixture. Again, add another layer of potatoes.

- Not add a little tomato puree to the top. Clean the pan you used to cook the meat with some water and add that water to the dish. The water should fill the dish half-way.

- Add some small chunks of butter to the top. Now add a lid and place in the oven on high. When the potatoes are done, so is the Guveche. You can crack some eggs on top just before it's done cooking if you like. That's all!

Nahsdrave!