Scenic Route

The last monthly meeting of the International Women's Association here in UB was a real treat for me. Pictured at the top are 3 very special ladies--all founding members of the association. Tumen, with gray hair, was the first woman to leave Mongolia for university. She was educated in Beijing then Moscow. She speaks 5 languages and served in the diplomatic corp all over the Soviet world as well as in Geneva & New York. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren are all over the world. Baljiniiam, in the brown traditional dress also served in the diplomatic corps. Daria, next to me, lived and worked in Germany for many years. AND, Corporal Hagan was there to present the Sister (aghh! forget her name :( ) with the local orphanage with the toys and things collected through the Toys for Tots here in UB. Be sure and check out the little Nomad cuties in the video clips ;)

We just finished another Tsagaan Sar holiday here in Mongolia. Once again we were privileged to be invited into some one's home--on family day no less! This year Randy's coworker and friend, Shagai (in red on bottom left in the group photo), extended this special invitation. Each family makes 1,000 or more buutz (meat-filled dumplings) for the 2-3 day celebration. Shagai's mom (in light blue) made Randy special beef buutz knowing he doesn't care for the usual mutton ;) This little princess never woke up during the hour or so we were there. Too much Tsagaan Sar I guess.

I enjoy cooking--really enjoy it. I love cooking for friends and fam and I even love cooking for myself when alone. I just like good food! One of my personal aims for this new year was to continue roping in all those recipes--you know, the bits of paper, the clippings, the email, the on-line printouts, etc., etc. After poking around online for expert advice last year, I came to one conclusion: no one, not even Emeril himself, has this under control. It's a very individual thing, not a one-size-fits-all solution. Then, without constant diligence it can easily get out of control again. Add to the mix the challenge of having two home bases on either side of the world...well, something had to be done. So, here in UB I did the following: I bought notebooks and plastic sleeves. I can pull the sleeves out and put on a clipboard while I cook. Fantastic. I still have my card index, but have purged it a few times in the last few years--cooking styles and tastes change a lot ove...