As such, the Larissa-style Pie was born.

Basically, I made the pie filling as usual, but rather than making a pie crust in a pie pan, I simply mixed up the dough, then rolled it out flat on a cookie sheet to cook.  To eat it, we can just scoop some filling into a bowl, toss some pieces of crust on top and dig in.  It ain't pretty, but it tastes exactly the same and I didn't stress at all!  Added bonus: No lost dough bits from trimming it to fit in the pan - we'll enjoy every last crumb.

Take it from me...if you don't need a fancy dessert, make it the lazy way and enjoy it even more!  I'm sure I'll be doing this again much sooner than I would attempt the traditional form.

One thing we have the interns do during their time here is have a turn cooking a meal for their host family.  It is a good experience to figure out how to prepare food in another country, figuring out translations, adjust measurements for altitude, making substitutions for what can't be found, etc.  However, the intern staying with us, Hope, asked if we could have a cooking class each week instead of her cooking alone.  She is a lovely girl who pitches in with cooking or cleaning up with no fuss, but she wanted an opportunity to learn some of our favorites, rather than find random stuff online to try.  

So we have our weekly "cooking class".  This week was the first, and it basically entailed the cooks (Hope and Stephanie, another intern) following a recipe from a book I have.  They braised chicken, steamed asparagus and boiled sweet potatoes.  It was delicious!  I stopped in and gave pointers and helped peel sweet potatoes, but they successfully pulled off a wonderful meal with minimal input from me.  

The one thing we hadn't counted on was the size of the chicken legs they bought.  They were huge!  Usually, an adult can eat one chicken leg in this recipe, but we were splitting and sharing these puppies.  So I had to figure out what to do with all that leftover, wonderfully juicy, tender chicken.  What indeed?

Every Thursday for lunch, Kyle has a small group meeting with one or two of the men in our church.  I host our teenage girls for lunch and a Bible study, so it is my one chance each week to try some girly food.  You know, salads, dainty sandwiches, veggie dips, etc.  So I decided to try a salad with the leftover chicken.  I pulled it out of the air, kind of combining concepts from broccoli salad, chicken salad, and Megan's cabbage salad.  

It turned out great!  I really didn't expect much of it, so I didn't take any pictures at all during the process, but here is the basic recipe.  Measurements are approximations based on my memory.  I don't think it's picky.  Thanks again to another intern, Manet, for helping me tweak the flavors and ratios while we waited for everyone to arrive and tried to keep our hands off of it in the meantime!  

Tangy Chicken Salad 

Lettuce - cleaned, chopped and set aside (for salad use, optional)
3 cups cooked chicken, chopped bite-sized or smaller
1 medium red onion, finely diced
Dressing: 3 T sugar, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or a little more for extra tang), 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/2 t salt, 1/2 t garlic salt, 1/2 t pepper.  Mix together well.  (Can heat for a few seconds to help dissolve the sugar.)
1 package ramen style noodles, crushed (uncooked, discard the seasoning packet)
1 cup Craisins
2 cups fresh green peas, cooked

Instructions:

1. Ahead of time, mix together the chicken, onion and dressing.  Place in the refrigerator to allow flavors to meld for at least 30 minutes.
2. Shortly before serving, add the Craisins, peas and noodles.  Stir together thoroughly.
3. Serve over lettuce for a salad.  Could be good on a sandwich as well.  

*Note on leftovers* The noodles softened after sitting in the dressing overnight, to the point where they seemed cooked.  If making a large enough quantity that there will be some left, I would recommend providing the noodles for each to put on their own salad, much like croutons, so that it always has that great crunch!

*Note on dressing*  The next time I make this, I probably will double the dressing, and only mix half of it into the chicken/onion combination.  That way I will have extra to pour over the lettuce when served.  

I like onions anyway.  Raw, french fried, sauteed...they add lots of flavor with pretty little effort, so that makes them handy.  However, they take food to a whole new level when they are caramelized.  My favorite is a pepperoni and caramelized onion pizza or calzone.  I just love the contrast between the sweet onions and spicy pepperoni.  Yum!

Yes, I could start from scratch, take pictures and show you the whole process.  However, I learned from another website, and she does a better job explaining than I could anyway, so check it out and TRY THESE!  They are delicious on just about anything, from sandwiches and salads to topping a steak or just eating them straight.

Here are a few things that I have learned that she doesn't specify, just in case it's helpful to you.  

1. Don't bother caramelizing one dinky ol' onion.  It cooks WAAAAY down, and I can use up one onion on a single pizza.  Go ahead and do at least 3 good sized ones.  This is also affected by #2.
2. This takes a long time.  All told, expect it to take over an hour.  And don't try to rush it by turning up the heat.  You'll just end up with crispy fried onions instead of melty, sweetly caramelized ones.  It just takes time.  Put them on when you are in the kitchen anyway and just let them carry along in the background.
3. But don't forget to stir them.  If you tend to forget things like that, set a timer, starting with increments of about 5 minutes, and slowly moving back to 1-2 minute waits between stirs.  
4. She says to use a metal spatula to get all the browned bits.  DO NOT use a metal spatula if you are cooking in a non-stick pan.  May be stating the obvious, but you'll just tear up your pan.  I have had success with a silicone spatula in my non-stick pan.  It still gets the browned bits.  
5. I find that red onions work better than yellow ones.  Around here, at least.  It may be because they are juicier, and tend to soften up better.  Yellow ones usually crisp up too quickly.  Granted, this could be due to the skill level of the cook, but I'm just sayin'.  Red ones make my day!
6. Don't slice them super thin.  (See #1)  They'll shrink down to nothing and be hard to determine the consistency you want.  Leave a little girth on them and you'll get better flavor in the end, plus you'll actually be able to sink your teeth into the goodness.
7. Taste them as you go.  It's fascinating to see how they change from the sharp, crisp raw onions to milder, tenderly sauteed onions to gloriously soft, smooth, sweet caramelized onions.  Just with a little oil.  Crazy!

That's about all the pointers I have except that you really must at least try these.  You'll feel like a chef, your food will have that gourmet touch, but it's really not difficult, just a little slow.  I hope you love it!

Who doesn't love lasagna?!  Once it's actually made, it is easy to cook, serve, love.  Yes, I know that in other places, one can easily find such a wonder readily prepared and frozen for an even easier experience.  BUT, for those of us who aren't in such places, we still want a rockin' good lasagna every now and then.  This is for you, dear friends without Walmarts.  And for those of you with said access, I still recommend trying this sometime, because the sauce and meat themselves have a much better flavor than mass-produced version, however appealing they may be.

Our favorite lasagna is a development from several recipes (this is a trend for me) based on what we can get here, what flavors we like best, our homemade marinara, and a desire to get as close to Italian sausage as possible.  I'll describe how to assemble each of the four main layers (meat, sauce, cheese mixture, vegetables - optional).  I'll also provide pictures for assembly for immediate use, as well as for freezing.  It's a little work intensive, but worth it.  I always make two at a time, so I know I have another one ready in the freezer anytime.  What a treat.

With no further ado...

Ok, I'll break this up into the layers.  

* SAUCE:  See our recipe in detail here.  However, you can choose to use any marinara sauce you have on hand.  
  You'll need 2 quarts of it.  


* MEAT:  You can use any ground meat you prefer.  We use beef, but season it with Italian sausage flavors.  For     
  more authenticity, use ground pork.
       Ingredients:  1 lb ground meat
                          1 1/2 t garlic powder
                          1/4 c cold water
                          1 1/2 t salt
                          3/4 t pepper
                          1/2 t ground fennel seed
                          2 T grated parmesan cheese
                          1/2 t hot red pepper flakes

       Directions: Mix seasonings well.  Add meat and blend thoroughly by hand.  Leave to allow flavors to meld, up to            
                       overnight (preferred, but can be prepared immediately if needed). Brown meat, breaking apart as you 
                       cook.  Set aside.

* CHEESE: This calls for ricotta, but cottage cheese can be substituted.  It's not sold here, so I haven't tried it, but it     
   is an accepted change for this type of mixture.  
        Ingredients: 1 cup ricotta cheese 
                          4 cups grated mozzarella, divided
                          1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan, divided
                          2 eggs
                          1 T Italian seasoning
 
        Directions:  Mix ricotta, eggs, Italian seasoning, 2 cups mozzarella, and 1 cup Parmesan.  Stir well and set 
                          aside, with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.

* VEGETABLES: (Optional) I would recommend zucchini, caramelized onions, carrots, garlic, and/or mushrooms.
         Ingredients: Vegetables as desired, totaling about 1-2 cups.  
                           Butter or olive oil

         Directions: Prepare the vegetables either in tiny dices or grated (recommended especially for carrots).  Heat 
                          about 1 T of butter or olive oil in a saute pan.  Add vegetables and saute until tender (with the  
                          exception of already caramelized onions.  (They actually won't cook much further in the lasagna.)  
                          Set aside.

* NOODLES: You'll need 9-12 no boil lasagna noodles, depending on their size and the size of your dish.

*ASSEMBLY

1. Scoop 2 cups of sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish, extra deep if available.  Spread the sauce to cover the bottom (or give the dish a shimmy...that works, too).
2. Place 3 or 4 lasagna noodles to create a solid layer.
3. Scoop half of the cheese mixture onto the noodles.  Spread to cover as evenly as possible.  (This is a bit difficult.  I find that a fork works well, but you'll pat it out more so than spread like peanut butter.)
4. Sprinkle half of the meat over the cheese, distributing evenly.
5. Sprinkle half of the prepared vegetables (if using) over the meat, again distributing evenly.
6. Scoop 2 more cups of sauce and spread evenly over meat and vegetable.
7. Lightly sprinkle about 1/2 cup of mozzarella over the sauce.
8. Repeat steps 2 through 7 once more - noodles, cheese mixture, meat, vegetables, sauce, mozzarella.
9. To finish, top with another layer of noodles, then remaining sauce.  Generously cover the top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
10. At this point, you can freeze your lasagna, cover with plastic wrap to place in the fridge for later use, or go ahead and cook it.
11. To cook, cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for an hour, then remove the foil and continue cooking for a few more minutes until the cheese on top has completely melted.  Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting, or you'll have a runny mess of lasagna on the plate instead of a cut piece.
12. Serve with some good bread to wipe up the sauce drippings.  

I had an interesting experience here in Peru once, a bit of food understanding lost in translation.  The menu said "marinara" was part of a pasta dish description.  Naturally, I pictured a savory tomato sauce.  However, in Spanish, marinara means "marine" and denote a mixture of seafood, some identifiable, some not, half of which was rubbery.  Yum.

We're not dealing with that today.  Today we are talking about the classic red sauce that can be used for almost anything.  We like it for spaghetti, lasagna (coming soon), pizza, calzones (especially for extra dipping), and even a pasta casserole my teen girls taught me that includes peas, carrots, and peanut butter (It's good, I promise!).  When I have a fresh batch (or several) whipped up, I get excited about the delicious results in my future.  I pulled the recipe together from a variety of sources, leaving out pretty much anything I can't find here.  The result is a richly flavored sauce that steps up any dish.  Just try it and see if that canned stuff holds a candle anymore.  

Note: You can blend this to whatever consistency you prefer.  My family likes it smoother, so I leave it to run in the blender or food processor for a few minutes.  You can also blend after cooking if you realize it ended up chunkier than expected.  No stress.

This batch yields about 1 quart of sauce, which is enough for several pizzas, two full rounds of calzones with dipping, an 8x8 lasagna, or about 5 servings of spaghetti.  It keeps very well in the fridge, freezes well, and could probably be easily canned in a country that sells canning materials! : )  I recommend making several batches at once to save on prep work later. I made a x5 batch today, because I always make lasagnas two at a time and that alone requires 4 quarts, so that leaves me with 1 quart for a couple of calzones or some pizzas in the near future.  Mmmmm.

Ingredients:
1 kilo tomatoes (2.2 pounds), peeled and quartered
1 large onion (color doesn't matter), peeled and roughly chopped
10 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup tomato sauce (Italian flavor, if possible)
2 T sugar
2 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 t ground fennel seed (whole works, too)
1 T Italian seasoning
1/4 cup red wine (not cooking wine!...too salty)
2 T olive oil
3 T flour

Directions:

1. Working in batches using a food processor or blender, puree tomatoes, onion and garlic (and fennel seeds, if whole) together until desired consistency is reached.  Pour into a large, heavy pot.  Repeat until complete.  I usually prepare the onion and garlic first, then plug along, peeling and quartering the tomatoes as the blender works.  It times out to have enough ready to refill the blender once it's done.  (The juice of the tomatoes helps the onion and garlic blend better.  Get a little of everything in every round.)  At this point, it will be very pink.
   
2. Add remaining ingredients, except flour, and stir well.  
3. Whisk in flour and blend thoroughly.  (Flour must be smooth before the mixture is hot, or it will cook into little flour lumps like dumplings.  If you forget and the sauce is already hot or bubbly, whisk the flour into a 1/4 of water before adding to the sauce.  It is important because it thickens the juices of the tomato and leaves the end product much smoother.)
4. Cover the pot and bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it turns a lovely red color.  If in doubt, leave it simmering.  It won't hurt anything.  How long this takes will depend on your oven and how much you are making.  This full pot probably took about 30-40 minutes.  
5. Remove the lid and continue simmering (it should be steaming) for another 10 minutes or so.  Doing this too early will cause you to lose some of your quantity to evaporation, but you need to allow for the alcohol to cook off and evaporate.  If you have not added the wine, you can skip this step.
6. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. (Salt, pepper, italian seasoning, sugar - choose your preference.)  A little seasoning-to-taste tip is this: If you're unsure about adding a dash more of this or that, scoop out a bit into a bowl, add the considered seasoning, and taste again.  If you don't like it, the original is unaffected.  If you do, repeat with the entire thing.  
7. Use immediately or allow to cool slightly before storage, especially if freezing.

This new recipe was the result of looking for new ways to use beef.  I'm usually unimpressed with stews, with their tough meat chunks and bland vegetable pieces, but the rave review on this recipe warranted at least a test run.  As it turns out, the broth on this baby is unbelievably flavorful.  Don't be deterred by the combination of ingredients.  Use every single one.  It's so worth it!

The recipe below is my adjusted version to simplify the process and use cheaper ingredients.  I think it came out even better than before, but you can decide for yourself.  If you're interested, I highly recommend returning to the original recipe for a try.  One tip to remember is to taste for seasoning at each step.  If it doesn't taste good by itself, it won't help the overall flavor.  

Irish Stew
Serves 8 - 12
Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• Salt and Pepper
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced (or more...no such thing as too much garlic)
• 8 cups beef broth (can make from bouillon)
• 2 cups mushroom broth (from bouillon; if unavailable, add 2 more cups of beef broth)
• 1 cup of beer (Yes, really.)
• 1 cup of red wine (Yes, really...again.)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and chopped (bite-sized)
• 2 cups carrots, peeled and chopped (bite-sized, a little smaller than the potatoes to balance cooking time)
  

Directions:

1. In a large, heavy pot, brown ground beef with plenty of salt and pepper.  If it isn't well seasoned here, it won't catch up later.  
   
2. Once browned, add garlic and saute for 1 minute.  Then add broths, beer, wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil, then lower heat, cover and leave to simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
3. Meanwhile, finely dice the onion.  Melt butter in a saute pan and add onions.  Saute gently until translucent, but not browned.  Set aside until stew has simmered for 30 minutes.
   
4. Add the onion, potatoes and carrots to the stew.  Simmer uncovered (to allow the alcohol to evaporate) until vegetables are tender (will depend on how large the pieces are, but should be 30 minutes or more).  Skim excess grease from the surface and remove the bay leaves.  Taste for salt and add if necessary.  You can also add more broth if the stew is too chunky for your liking.

Note: This worked very well made a day or two ahead (my favorite time-saver...all the clean-up is done!).  Just allow enough time for some cooling on the stovetop, then uncovered in the refrigerator.  Do not cover until cool, or it could take too long and risk spoilage.  To reheat, remove from the fridge in advance so that it doesn't have to start completely cold.  Allow about half an hour to return to a simmer.  I have not tried freezing it yet.