Making cassava leaf

Before we left, I had Lahai teach me how to make the most classic Sierra Leonean meal: cassava leaf and rice.

The ingredients- palm oil, onion, peppers, ground leaves from the cassava plant, Maggi shrimp seasoning cube, dried fish, and a few secret flavors that I can't remember.
Grind the peppers, salt and onion.

Throw into a pot of water and add cassava leaf.
Add scary dried fish to the boiling water.

Cook until the cassava leaf turns brownish and serve with massive amounts of rice.

(Emmanuel asked me to take a picture so I wouldn't forget how much he loves cassava leaf.)

Local food

Typical meal: cassava leaves or potato leaves or crain crain sauce, all with meat inside, served with rice and a soda. $2. Delicious.

Christmas break #4: Roommates

We spent the weekend drinking coffee and wine, eating homemade treats, hiking at a monastery, shopping, dancing, snuggling, and laughing. We even got to eat here with Nessie's dad. We were chatting so long after the meal that the manager suggested we move to the fireplace and gave us free wine. Quite the treat. We could, and do, chat nonstop for days when we're together. I love these girls.

(Is this Babysitters Club-worthy or what? Especially Erin's smile at the bottom of the pile.)

My favorite pictures of the weekend, all of us captured in very sassy moments:

And Gabe in his Snuggie:

The Helmand

(I'm guessing he just ate something hot. The food may not look delicious, but it was.)

After days of waiting and hoping, we finally caught the mouse that has been living in our apartment. To celebrate, we went out on the town.

My favorite thing about living in a city is the wealth of ethnic food options. In our little neighborhood we have Turkey, Nepal, India, Thailand, Ireland, France and Ethiopia represented. Last night we ate at the Helmand, an Afghan restaurant owned by the president of Afghanistan's brother. Legit. Sign of a classy restaurant: real flowers on the table. We had lamb, Afghan raviolis, spinach and rice, flat bread straight out of the oven, samosa-like pastries, and best of all, an appetizer of roasted and sugared pumpkin with yogurt sauce. I love pumpkin, and even I never knew pumpkin could be this delicious. 

Things I'll miss about SLO #6

Pepe Delgado's nachos and margaritas. Ryan and Jenny introduced us to this place, and since then we've brought friend after friend. You can get a huge plate of amazing nachos for 2 people for $10. Can't beat that.