A new hobby

Necessity is the mother of invention, and in Mongolia, that means Susannah is cooking. And yes, I mean that I am actually making meals in my kitchen from raw ingredients. It's not that I've never cooked at home, but it's rare. Why should I? Living in Houston, it's way too easy to eat out or take home some of the best food in the world. But Susannah is not in Kansas anymore.

As I type this, I am enjoying my latest masterpiece, homemade BBQ chicken pizza. For the doubters out there (i.e. my family), here's proof:

The primary reasons I have been driven to cook are: 1) there are only a handful of good restaurants in Darkhan, 2) it's too dadgum cold to walk outside every night for dinner, and 3) let's face it, I have the time. Cooking here has its limitations, like any foreign country I'm sure, and I'm learning how to substitute ingredients or get creative. Example: did you know that sour cream substitutes well for milk or buttermilk in muffins and pancakes?! Don't worry, I can buy milk here, but I can't buy everything that's available at home.

I have to give some credit to my friend Kari, who spent the summer here. She kickstarted the cooking within our little American group, and I've taken it to another level. I find recipes on the internet (allrecipes.com), and search for anything that has "easy" in the title. Not because I'm not up to a cooking challenge, but rather because I'm more likely to be able to find the ingredients locally.

Here are some of the fabulous things I've made. All totally from scratch - there is no such thing as mixes or ready made meals here. And for the record, they all have turned out well! No disasters yet.

• Buttermilk pancakes (I used sour cream. Or, it turns out you can actually make your own buttermilk by putting lemon juice or vinegar in regular milk. I'm so embarrassed that I know that).
• Blueberry muffins (using jam I bought from the Lake Khovsgol area which was homemade from local berries)
• Chicken salad with pinenuts
• Aztec casserole (a southwestern type dish)
• Eggplant parmesan
• Spaghetti and meatballs
• BBQ chicken pizza

I still feel a little out of my element on those cooking websites, and I sure won't be signing up for their mailing lists, or going to any Pampered Chef parties when I get home. Who knows if I'll sustain my new hobby when I return to Houston? Probably not. It's best to let the professionals handle it.