Mexican food, one of life’s main staples I miss about being away from Texas (along with my children/grandchildren). Last night we went out with a group of friends and tried one of the local “Mexican” restaurants. We walked in to Café Mexicana and right off, the ambiance was perfect and felt like the restaurants back home. There was Mexican music playing and later during the evening we were entertained by a live musician singing mostly country music while playing acoustical guitar. He did an excellent job with a hint of foreign flare that made it almost a game to identify the song the quickest. Margaritas were ordered with concerns as to authenticity (not bad but not great was the conclusion). Stephen had the carne asada, which was wonderful. I had the “Taco Fantastico”; the concept was a deconstructed taco that I got to assemble as I saw fit. It came with both beef and chicken and all the fixings (see picture). The beef and chicken was not your traditional flavors, they were stewed with tomatoes and, tho rather tasty, they both had an unexpected touch of sweetness to them. The evening was delightful and the restaurant, although not as authentic as I would have hoped, will definitely be one of the places to go when we have cravings for Mexican food. We rode with Josh (friend/coworker) since we still do not have a car (we will be renting one in the next month or so). When we exited the restaurant we found ourselves faced with one of the locals who had decided that he would wash the car parked on the street and expected us to pay him for it. He was quite insistent about this even though we never asked him to wash the car. Although it is very common for them to randomly solicit car washing services on the street, this was the first time I have seen them do it on their own and then expect you to pay, craziness!
We have Internet now at the house, which is quite wonderful. You do not realize how much you miss something or use it until it is not there. It sure makes life a lot easier and will help with Micah starting school soon. It definitely helps looking up new recipes! With all this time on my hands, I get the baking urge A LOT, which makes the boys happy. We now cook our own beans (no more out of the can – who knew how much better they tasted!), make our own Alfredo sauce, and some Chinese dishes, and definitely more baking – cupcakes, banana bread and of course the peach cobbler staple! I have made a page for recipes and will be adding those that I have tried and found that work – taste tested and approved! Make sure to check them out and let me know if you try them and how your family likes them =]
Stephen is scheduled to leave for Naples around Sep 22nd; however, we heard that it might be pushed back so I will keep you updated on that part of our journey. We also have heard that it may not happen, due to some work conflicts here in Bahrain. He is really looking forward to continuing the work that is to happen in Naples and the other work sites scheduled. If he goes, Micah and I will join him early October because Micah is pet-sitting for our friends, the Hughes, whom are scheduled to return the end of September. We are excited about this part of our journey – new places, new people, and different foods to try! So please pray for God to show us what he is to do here and accept whatever decision He makes for us – Thanks!
During our dinner the other night, we decided to try and get married in Bahrain to make the visa process easier – HAHA. I will let you know what comes of this. Well I am off to finish the cupcakes I made this morning – Chocolate Velvet (a.k.a. Red Velvet without the red…lol)!