Blog Post #58: Enchiladas

Dear Friends and Family,


Last Saturday was Elder Goo's birthday! A family in our Ward (we have 4 Elders serving the same congregation) wanted to feed us, but they wanted me to cook. I don't know who let out the secret that I want to be a chef when I grow up, but because of it, I was asked to make Enchiladas for 8 people.

Now, 8 is not a huge number, but when your Enchilada Experience is as limited as mine (eating the ones my mother makes), it's a little bit daunting! I was simultaneously making a South-West Black Bean and Corn Salad and Horchata, and the only reasons I survived were Elder Goo and his Trainee, Elder Tong, acting as my Sous-Chefs.

As a result, we had a LOT of delicious Mexican food! We split two heads of lettuce, 3 chicken enchiladas, 3 Taiwanese sausage enchiladas, two quarts of Horchata pudding (Elder Goo was quick on his feet and averted that disaster), and 6 quarts of icecream (Rocky Road, Mint Chocolate Chip, and Cookies-n-Cream, with a dish of chopped Macadamia nuts on the side). We were all full, and there was even a little leftover dessert (which got left at their house; we had to ride a 16-passenger minibus back home, and the icecream would NOT have lasted that half hour trip).

Beyond that, not much has happened. We are working through the heat (26-29 degrees with 80-95% humidity for the rest of the month... and the next, and the next) fairly well, with at least one McDonald's Sundae Cone a day. My Sourdough Starter that began life as a handful of oatmeal, a little red sugar, and a splash of water is now a bubbling mess in a peanut butter jar on top of our fridge; expect news about that in the future!

Love,

Elder J.E. O'Gara