Amazing lightning shot!

Amazing picture taken a few weeks ago by Thomas 'EDGEPIECE' Edge. 

Please note that we did run inside like screaming girls 5 seconds later!

Hello again!

Its been a while since we have been actively working to find that recipe for living in Kuwait.  After a long summer in the States and the UK it was tough to get back into life in the Middle East.  A busy start to the school year and job hunting for next year has put the blog in the back seat.  

I found myself inspired today to get back to it.  A stroke of luck found us with a day off thanks to the Amir calling today a national holiday, not quite used to decisions like that being made hours before work is canceled.  But no matter the method we will take and enjoy a day off!!

This gave me a bit of extra time to think through my dinner plans.  I had some mince leftover from last nights Italian meatballs, tomato sauce and whole wheat pasta.  A quick google of meatballs and I decided to give BBC's Good Food Swedish meatballs a try.  I have enjoyed a meatball or two from Ikea but have never tried it on my own, and wasn't quite sure what to expect the result to be.

We have recently trying extra hard to eat well.  Mostly working to eliminate sugar.  As hard as it sounds we have really enjoyed it and been surprised how easily we can get by without it.  The best part of going sugar free is that you can count on our fridge being filled with loads of fruits and veggies.  Because of this I just happened to have fresh dill on hand, which I had no idea was an flavour in Swedish meatballs!  I had also picked up a big box of fresh green beans this weekend and decided to try them out with this yummy looking recipe.

As the cooking neared the finish I started getting quite excited.  It was actually looking and tasting delicious.  Some homemade sweet potato mash would round out this hearty and tasty meal.

The finished product was colourful, filling and tasty.  (Not the most photogenic of meals but I'm too excited to not share it!)

Maybe it is just my age but I feel like I have learned so much about cooking in the last few years, especially here in Kuwait.  One of the biggest lessons I have learned is to be creative.  Most things are available here in Kuwait but not everything, and sometimes a trip to the right store can be more daunting than rewarding for that one ingredient.  Today that occurred with the need for cranberry/lingonberry sauce.  Its not something we keep on hand nor were we up for venturing out for it.  We did however have some dried cranberries on had.  I soaked them for a few hours in water, heated them in a small saucepan and then added them to the gravy for a sweet accompaniment to the savoury meatballs.  A few years ago I would never have trusted myself to experiment so much with dishes, but today I love it!

Tonight we will go to bed relaxed with full bellies, just what we need to get through the 3-day week that lies ahead.

-Viv