Category: DIY

— Papercrafts, Travel —

Documenting the holidays: Keeping it small, keeping it simple

November 26, 2014

I am an avid scrapbooker.  I began when my first daughter was born, and realized how ephemeral our wealth of digital photos really was. Since then, we’ve had hard drive failures, toddlers spilling coffee on laptops, and a number of international moves.  These days, I think of the scrapbooks as a physical backup of the memories we’ve… Read More Documenting the holidays: Keeping it small, keeping it simple

— DIY, Food, FS Blog Prompts, Recipes —

Seasonal vegetables in DC – Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

May 27, 2014

What’s the best thing about coming back to the States from West Africa? Vegetable variety. Yes, access to asparagus and swiss chard and fresh broccoli narrowly beats out living close to friends and family.  The quality of fruits and vegetables throughout West Africa is incredible. Everything bursts with flavor—after all, West African varieties haven’t been… Read More Seasonal vegetables in DC – Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

— DIY, Food, Recipes —

Egg Scramble

April 10, 2011

Oh, egg scrambles, how I love you so. Delicious vegetables. Lots of protein. Not lots of calories. It’s a perfect way to start my day (and a perfect way to use up old vegetables before I hit the market on the weekends). The recipe is simple: chop whatever vegetables you like, sautee them, pour eggs… Read More Egg Scramble

— DIY, Food, Recipes —

Vegetable skewers

April 9, 2011

Now that we’re hitting the beach several times a month, I need some good, portable, grillable recipes. Just grill delicious meat and fish you say? Guess what Bertrand and I gave up for Lent. Enter the vegetable skewer. Benin’s got delicious cheese. It’s kind of like ricotta, except that it’s solid, has a tofu-like texture,… Read More Vegetable skewers

— DIY, Food, Recipes —

Pumpkin Butter

November 11, 2010

Everybody and their mother has a recipe for pumpkin butter. I like mine because it’s easy. I can only get fresh pumpkin here in Cotonou, so that’s what I use. For the love of God, don’t roast a whole goddamn pumpkin just for this recipe. Use the canned stuff. Apple cider can be substituted for… Read More Pumpkin Butter

— DIY, Food, Recipes —

Roasted Onion Dip

June 21, 2010

The invitation for this past weekend’s BBQ has been sitting in my inbox for a week, striking fear into my calorie-phobic heart. How to enjoy delicious pork BBQ, coleslaw, and baked beans while not going disastrously off plan? The answer is simpler than you’d think: bring a vegetable platter. This roasted onion dip was a… Read More Roasted Onion Dip