What's for Dinner?

On the menu tonight: Kellogg's rice flake cereal and milk with a side helping of noodles and cheese, and for veggies I'm munching on a huge carrot! I may have also had a little bit of chocolate. I think that about covers the food pyramid for a meal. I know, I know . . . I have to start cooking healthier, but I'm trying to save a little grocery money and eat what I have for the rest of the week instead of going out:) Tomorrow night, it will be brown rice with chicken and broccoli, and last night it was leftover pasta from Sunday made into a tuna salad.

Okay, so this isn't the most interesting blog entry ever . . . but I'm going somewhere with this . . . keep reading . . . I promise it will get better . . . trust me . . .

Before coming to Taiwan, I was really wondering what types of things I would find to eat. I anticipated streets lined with stalls of fresh fruits and vegetables at rock-bottom prices . . . I was a bit mistaken. Sure, there are stalls and stands of amazing and exotic fruit scattered about, but it's not a whole lot cheaper than in the states. Believe it or not, the fruit that seems to be the most expensive is an apple!! As far as veggies go, they are not as plentiful as I had hoped (although it is entirely possible that I could be looking in the wrong places!). Earlier, I heard that veggies were a little more scarce because of the typhoons this year--they are certainly more expensive.

As far as other types of food, Taipei has got most everything one needs for cooking Western-style meals--you just have to be willing to pay for it! There are a couple of stores in town that specifically target expats: Costco, Wellman's in TienMu (a highly populated expatriate area in north Taipei) and Jason's in the basement of Taipei 101. The mark-up on most items seems to be about 300-400% of the normal cost in the states. Some items are a bit less than that, but the average is in that ballpark.

So, how can one afford to make certain "taste of home" recipes without readily available ingredients? Drumroll, please . . . now entering to center stage-- "Tips-N-Treats on Taiwan" (hints on cooking a living in Taiwan compiled and edited by the Women of the Formosa Christian Mission, Inc. 5th Edition--1981). Before Bonnie left, I bought a copy of this fantastic resource from her. It is so cool! There is an extensive English-Chinese glossary of food and cooking terms, as well as a very detailed guide to buying and using the fruit and meat of Taiwan. Many of the recipes have been adapted to use ingredients found in the country, but there are also many substitution recipes for hard to locate items (like sour cream). Other interesting sections include Chinese cooking and a shopping guide (which appears a bit outdated). Many things have changed in Taiwan since the early 80's, but the use of the rice cooker has not been diminished. I've found a recipe for a chocolate cake that is made in a rice cooker--people say it's "to die for!"

As I have paged through this cookbook, I've seen names of missionary women who have left a legacy in Taiwan that I am familiar with---names that I hear around Morrison Academy or even in Minnesota. I would probably not be in Taiwan if it weren't for one of these saints. A few years ago, I had the great privilege of meeting this lovely woman, and I wanted to include her recipe below (I hope it's okay that I do so!).

POTATO ICE BOX DONUTS
Recipe by Martha Dwight

2 C. milk
1/2 C. shortening
1/2 C. sugar
1 C. freshly cooked warm potatoes (mashed)
1/2 tsp. soda
4 tsp. yeast
1/2 C. lukewarm water
6 C. bread flour
2 tsp. salt

Heat milk, shortening, sugar, mashed potatoes just to boiling and cool to barely lukewarm. (Sometimes I put it in a pan of ice water to cool it off more quickly.) Sprinkle yeast on water, let stand 5 minutes. Stir into milk mixture. Sift flour, salt, soda; add to milk mixture. Knead. Grease large bowl. Cover dough with damp cloth and put into refrigerator to rise. Makes about 30+ donuts.

When ready to fry, take amount of dough needed, roll out. Don't rise too long and don't cover with cloth. Sometimes I glaze donuts with 1 C. powdered sugar dissolved into 1/4 C. boiling water with 1/2 tsp. vanilla. Also, I sugar them or frost them.

The dough will stay fresh in refrigerator for five days, so you can fry up what you need. Don't let them rise too much. When the whole batch is made up, you can begin frying as soon as you finish cutting.

Recipe can also be used for cinnamon rolls. Make up night before and put in refrigerator overnight. Next morning take out and let rise for 15 minutes and bake as ordinary. Don't worry about punching the dough down too much as it seems to continue to rise.


"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." Matthew 4:4