Beach Camping and a Waterfall

We were fortunate enough to be able to go beach camping a couple weeks ago. It was such a great trip!  It was so nice to be able to escape the crowded city and explore some of the wide open beauty that Angola has to offer.

We spend two nights camping on the beach (two different beaches) which was pretty brave considering we've only tried camping once before with our daughter.  The first trip was a few years ago and it failed miserably.  We ended up leaving the camp site in the middle of the night and driving home. (It was a 'test camp out' and we were just a few miles from home, but still).

I'm happy to report that this trip was much more successful!  We drove a couple hours south of Luanda and set up camp on a beautiful beach in Cabo Ledo.  It was stunningly gorgeous!  The second night we stayed a little closer to home but the beach was more wide open and the waves were gigantic.  Both places were wonderful and I highly recommend them, the next time you are looking for something to do near Luanda.

Beach camping was really fun.  We had some great campfire grilled food (sausages, steaks, and veggies) plus the stuff I prepped before we left (mediterranean pasta salad, chocolate chip cookies, and wine and cheese). We also got to experience bioluminescence on the waves and sand.  If you aren't familiar with this, the waves glow in the dark.  And the wet sand will sparkle like stars when you touch it.  It is so beautiful!  I'd never seen it before but after a google search, I realize it's a lot more common that I first thought.

As if camping on the beach wasn't enough fun, we also drove a little further south to see a beautiful waterfall.  The drive itself was gorgeous.  It just kept getting greener and more lush with each mile (kilometer, I should say). I didn't get enough pictures but will be taking a road trip in a few more weeks and I will take more pictures along the route.

This trip was such a great, easy getaway.  Mostly it was easy because my friend Alex did all the planning :)  It was so nice to be out in nature enjoying our family time with great friends and great food.  I hope to do it again soon.

And now the pictures...

First night of camping -

The waterfalls

Second night of camping

Chicken Fajitas

A few weeks ago, I made some homemade salsa and it was pretty delicious.  I had plenty of chicken in the freezer so I decided to make some chicken fajitas the following day.  The next morning, I made my own tortillas since they don't sell them here in Angola (and homemade is so much better).  I had some awesome black beans in the freezer that I'd made a few weeks ago, so I defrosted them and made some rice. This turned out to be a really great dinner and I did a lot of work ahead of time so dinner prep didn't take that long that evening.

Marinade
2 tablespoons oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1-1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons oil
1 green pepper
1 large onion,  chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
tortillas
toppings - Shredded cheese, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc

Combine marinade ingredients and place in a large releasable bag.  Add chicken and turn to fully coat. Marinate 4 hours- overnight. Overnight is really best, if you can swing it.

In a large cast iron skillet, saute peppers and onions in oil until crisp-tender. Remove with slotted spoon.
Remove chicken from marinade.and add to the  same skillet, cook chicken over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes or until no longer pink. Return pepper/onion mixture to pan; heat through.
Spoon into tortillas and serve along with your favorite fajita toppings.

A different kind of post - Losing my dad and cooking

My dad passed away a couple weeks ago.  So with a broken heart, I hopped on a plane and left Angola and headed for my parents home in Florida.  I stayed with my mom for two weeks and I did most of the cooking during that time.  The cooking was sad and therapeutic and necessary.  Every time I cooked, I just kept thinking that if I turned around quickly enough, my dad would be there - sitting on his bar stool, watching me work.  My dad loved to cook and eat.  We could (and frequently did) talk about cooking for hours.  I loved coming home for a visit and cooking a meal that pleased my dad.  He was an amazing cook, so the food had to be top notch to get a nod of approval from him.  He has frequently said that he wouldn't return to a certain restaurant because he could do a much better job at home. And he was right.

So, as I mourned my father and tried to get through each moment of sadness, I cooked for my mom. And my dad.  As I tasted the food and adjusted the seasonings, I imagined my dad and what he would think of my meals.  I imagined his smile and look of approval as I cooked for my mom during this terrible time.  I could almost see the smile reach his eyes as he nodded and told me what a great meal I'd made and what a good daughter I was being by taking care of my mom.  

My heart aches knowing that I will never see my dad again on this earth.  I won't have anymore conversations with him about food and cooking.  I won't be able to ask his opinion on cooking techniques or ingredients.  I won't be able to taste his delicious cooking, nor he mine. Don't get me wrong, there are lots of other things that I will miss about my dad but cooking was something special that we shared.  And the hole left in my heart by his absence will never be filled.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, 
and let perpetual light shine upon him. 
May he rest in peace.

Fresh Tomato Salsa

Finding nice tomatoes here are not always easy.  Last week, I actually found several beautiful tomatoes!!   I decided to make some fresh tomato salsa since I've been craving it lately.  Here is what I came up with.  Enjoy.

3 cups chopped tomatoes
 1 green bell pepper, diced
 1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, diced
1 tablespoon jalapeño pepper, diced (optional) *
 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
 Juice of 2  limes
 1-1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh jalapeno pepper (use seeds if you want it spicier)
 1 teaspoon ground cumin
 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients.  Refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

*If you don't like spicy salsa, you can either leave the jalapeño out or use less or leave out the seeds.

Flour Tortillas

When I first moved here, I met a lovely lady who made the best tortillas I've ever eaten.  She promised to show me how to make them (in return for teaching her how to make my German Chocolate Pecan Pie).  It was a great evening and I learned her method and recipe for the tortillas.  Kind of.  Now, her 'recipe' consists of 'a little of this and a lot of this', etc.    Anyways, I have tried recreating the tortillas a few times and think I have a good replica of her tortillas.

2 cup flour 

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1  teaspoon salt

1 oz shortening

1/2 cup warm water 

Mix together and add warm water. Dough should not be sticky. Sometimes, you will need to add a little more water, depending on your flour.  Knead it for a few minutes. Cover the dough in a  light coating of shortening and rest for about 20-30 mins. Make golf ball size pieces of dough. Flatten and round slightly on bottom. 

Give them each a light coating shortening. Let them rest 10 mins. Dip the dough discs in flour (both sides fully covered) then roll out into thin circle. Stretch gently by hand afterwards. 

Heat over med heat in a cast iron skillet until a few bubbles form. Flip and repeat. 

Place inside clean kitchen towel to cool. If not eating immediately, place (kitchen towel wrapped) tortillas inside a plastic bag.

Photos from Luanda (September/October)

lunch on the water

Kwanza River

Beach football game

Roadside haircut in progress

monkey

old tank left over from the war

gorgeous trees that are all over the place

roadside market

Checking out Luanda - the Fort and some great views of the city

These pictures are from our recent visit to the Fort of Sao Miguel.  It sits high on a hill and probably has the best views  of Luanda.  There are also some gorgeous ceramic tiles (that I took tons of pictures of but will only force you to look at a few of them) in one of the buildings there that tell the history of Angola.  It was a great trip!

Lots of cranes...there is a ton of building happening here

My daughter was drawing her pictures of our trip.  She said this one was a zoomed in pic.

posing with the statues