back in time

i'm back in action, folks.

there is much to catch up on. for one, i never properly documented the return journey from texas. then there's overseas adventures that you didn't know about. yes, plenty to post.

however! since i'm ridiculously behind on all my travels i figured what's the harm in going even further back in time and starting with a post from texas.

piet and i got excited one night and decided to cook over the open fire. since he'd been traveling all around the US with only a car and modest supplies, he often had to rely on his ability to start a fire (usually in a camp ground) to eat. as he said "if i couldn't build a fire, i couldn't eat". so i figured why not get some practice in while its not a life or death situation.

started out by sautéing onions, garlic, and sausage for the sauce base. basically the same deal as cooking over a stove except its much harder to control the temperature of the pan - there's a bunch of hot spots so rotating the pan and removing it from the fire were good tricks.

added canned tomato sauce and spices to the onions, garlic, etc (on the left). while that "simmered" i started boiling water for the pasta (on the right)

mission accomplished!

no pinocchio

so, to be honest, i've left texas.
to be exact, i left texas on february 19th. then spent a week in new orleans which is a whole other story. this is just a farewell to texas. specifically the wonderful, colorful people i met there.

two nights before we left, i cooked dinner for everyone. it was a real challenge cooking for six people on an electric stove-top in a 4' x 2' kitchen. but i pulled it off. we ate spagetti and meatballs. i had to improvise because of my limited ingredients so they were made with hamburger meat and potato chips  (in stead of bread crumps - i thought it was clever). i seasoned them well and, after pan frying, of course they're going to be good. debby supplied the salad, so, all in all, we had a decent dinner.

did i forget to mention the ambiance!? piet started a fire and i decorated the table with roses and brought out speakers bumpin' simon and garfunkel. oh, and contributed the last of my whiskey supply which everyone but cody and i shied away from.

from left to right - piet, debby, johnny, amy, and cody - what a cast of characters

i even got a great picture of saddie's rump :-P