Sights and Sounds from my apartment on a typical Sunday Morning

Let me set the scene for you:

It's Sunday morning and I am sitting in my apartment kitchen. I am trying to listen to NPR, but instead am primarily listening to the man who owns the 99 cent-type store across the street. His name is Kenneth. He has somehow acquired a microphone and very effective pair of speakers that he uses to announce the items that are currently available for purchase at his store. (There is a great sale on TV remotes this week, I hear.) Sometimes, Kenneth even announces things that he used to carry in the store, but which are no longer available -("There are NO MORE AA batteries today!" No more AA batteries! I have run out AA batteries!")-- Kenneth is a pretty straight shooter when it comes to his advertising practices. In theory his target audience is anyone in the general vicinity, but in practice, this usually means the residents of my apartment complex. He does this everyday of the week, from dawn until long after dusk. When he gets tired, he pops on a CD. I am 99% sure he only owns one CD. It is a mix CD with approx 8 spanish christian rock songs on it. I know them very well.

Periodically, the next door neighbors' 2 macaws and 10 roosters start making a fuss. Before I moved to Honduras, I'd been under the impression that roosters only crow first thing in the morning, but that is definitely not the case with these guys. These roosters do not sleep. They do not. I also don't know how familiar you are with the vocalizations of the central american macaw, but here is a pretty representative example:

In short, I think I am going slowly deaf.

Ok FINE.

The masses have spoken. The cries have been heard.

TANGY PARTY MEATBALLS

1 c. FANS 

2 lb. hamburger

2 tbsp. onion flakes

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

2 eggs

1/2 c. ketchup

SAUCE:

16 oz. cranberry sauce

12 oz. chili sauce

2 tbsp. sugar

Mix all ingredients together and mold into 1 1/2 inch balls. Set aside.

Make sauce. Place meatballs in baking dish. Pour sauce over them and bake at 400 degrees for 35 or 40 minutes

I know what you are thinking:
"But Renee, at what sorts of social functions would a nice ambrosia of  Tangy Party Meatballs be an appropriate dish?"

 The answer to that question is all of them. Tangy Party Meatballs make a great addition to any event-- not just at the occasional "tangy party," as the name may suggest.

Breakfast Musing in Honduras

Forward:

I'm going to be honest. I started this blog exclusively so I could talk about the breakfast cereal I eat in Honduras. It is extremely likely that I will never write another word here ever again. Apologies in advance.

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I don't know if anyone will appreciate this, but its a source of ongoing fascination for me, and I really need to share.

This:

is your typical box of "FANS" brand cornflakes. It is the cheapest kind of cereal you can buy in Honduras, and taste-wise, it’s only a small step down from Kellogg’s. But this is completely beside the point.

The first thing I’d like to call to your attention re: FANS (pronounced “fawns”) is the 1983-era box design, which I have come to love-- to really really love. But, what I appreciate most about FANS, even more than its pale yellow exterior and industrious sportspersons, is the thoughtful inclusion of two recipes on the side of every box.

Recipe 1: “Tangy Party Meatballs”

Recipe 2: “Sour Cream Salmon Loaf"

While the fixins for either dish are definitely worth additional scrutiny, I’d argue the work involved in concocting a Sour Cream Salmon Loaf really lives up to its name, its unspeakably unappetizing name :

SOUR CREAM SALMON LOAF

1 Can (15.5 oz.) Salmon

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Sour Cream

½ Cup melted Margarine

1 Egg, beaten

2 ½ Cups Fans Corn Flakes 

Measure the Fans Corn Flakes and then crush them into crumbs. Drain off half of the liquid of the salmon. Combine all ingredients. Place in a loaf pan. Bake 40 minutes at 350* F.

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And all you budding chefs out there, not to worry; you have some options:

"If firmer texture loaf is desired, use less margarine and add 1 more egg. "

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Other Interesting Facts About FANS:

1. Even though you can’t actually buy them anywhere in the United States, all of the writing on a FANS box is in English. This has confused me for a while now, and so today, I did a little detective work.

2. As it turns out, FANS is “manufactured” in Miami Florida by a company called Luban Int'l, which, since 1979, “has been offering fine quality, North American products to the Caribbean Islands as well as in Central and South America.” So, evidently, there is in existence a North American company that takes raw materials that were very likely grown in Latin America, and turns them into low-quality, generic food products to be shipped back to Latin America. Nothing about that is particularly surprising. But more importantly, this means that somebody in Miami, between 1979 and now, thought it was a really good idea to let people in Honduras et al. know that you can use your FANS brand cornflakes to make Tangy Party Meatballs, whenever the need arises.

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I realize that, for some of you, this may be the only news you’ve heard from me since I left for Honduras over a month and a half ago. Sorry. I only hope that you can now rest assured that  no matter how challenging my life and work here has been, I am eating VERY well.

Besos.