Cheesecake, Banana Bread and Beans on Toast

Why have I not done this before?! Yesterday I set my yogurt in a tea towel in a sieve in a bowl in the fridge (...in a hole in the bottom of the sea). And today I had wonderful fresh cream cheese! Cravings for cheese can be quite strong here, so understand the level of excitement. So now I have made my first cheesecake in two years (but not on the jiko... yet). It looks good, I just hope it lives up to expectations tonight. And this is only the beginning of the cheese adventures...!

300g of fresh cream cheese

Also cookin' in Tanzania this week has been banana bread, banana bread ... and some banana bread! Yuda (the stoves group chairman) has asked me to teach the women to make this on the jiko, so experimenting began. I need a very basic recipe, without baking soda (or anything too exciting!), which will rise enough but not so much that it takes too long to cook. A common problem is that it is not fully cooked in the middle before all the charcoal from the firewood cools down. Thus bringing me to my knees in soot with frantic blowing and fanning, resulting in excessive smoke inhalation! Sorry, no photos, as all the banana cakes of various types, heights and doneness have been devoured before I thought of the camera. So although, not perfect, they have all be more than edible and actually quite tasty! But you can have too much of a good thing!

Cooking method for Banana Bread

Staying with the food theme, we enjoyed beans on toast on Shrove Tuesday, before our pancakes. This seemed worthy of a photo, so here it is. The cheese isn't homemade here - it came all the way from Asda in England for us! And another food treat arrived in a parcel... breakfast cereal! We enjoyed cheerios and cocoa pops and crunchy nut cornflakes for the first time in at least a year. So much excitement!

Beans on Toast

Now, before you think all I do is cook or drool over food, we have been busy with other things too. I have been doing some translating and visual aids for the kitchen gardens project. New units are starting at school, so I have been brushing up on my limited knowledge of rocks and soils. Tim has been preparing things for the arrival of our Canadian visitors and also preparing a 10-week course on Introduction to Mission for pastors at the Mafinga Bible College. While in Magozi this week, Tim visited Pastor Joseph in a village about 20km away who is very keen to start a stoves project there one day. And we have enjoyed welcoming the Wingfields back to Iringa, and preparing to send off Andy and Angela. We are gathering here in a few hours for a farewell dinner... roast beef! And don't forget the cheesecake!

Lemon Cheesecake with strawberries fresh from the garden!