New Year 2016

On New Years Eve day, Santos called from outside saying I was invited to a barbeque. He had a ton of corn he wanted to roast.

While Fany made tamalitos (little tamales made with ground up corn, milk, and a splash of sugar - most people add lard, but not Fany) inside the house, Santos put plastic bags and a huge log onto the grill. I asked about paper and he said he would get some gasoline. I asked about the toxicity of the fumes from the plastic bags and he said he needed them to get the log burning. He suggested he get some left over oil he'd taken out of his truck. I suggested leaves from the ground.

Everything was lying flat in the little grill, so it took some work, but eventually, with help from a fan, and some re-arranging the wood, we got the fire going. Santos showed up with one more log as we were ready to cook. As I was putting it on the fire he said, "Watch out!" and held up the bucket of oil he had soaked the end of the log in.

This gives a new meaning to "fanning the flames"

I went inside at that point and helped Fany with the tamales.

Corn husks to fill with the ground corn mixture

Corn kernels

After a late breakfast of roasted corn, which was more scorched than roasted, we had a lunch of tamales. Then Fany sent Santos to the store to buy a chicken. She whipped up the most amazing dinner.

Fany's friend Cynthia came over. All of the ladies (and Laura) got dressed up for dinner. We tried on a bunch of different outfits, traded clothes, put on makeup and did each other's hair. Then we sat down to a delicious dinner.

Roasted chicken with stuffing

The ladies

At 9 p.m. we drove to Santos' family's village, which is about 45 minutes outside of the city. It has a church and a one room school. Everyone knows everyone.

Yes, it gets cold in Honduras

There we rang in the New Year, walking through the village, warming up inside the church, and finally all falling asleep around 2 a.m. in the room where Fany and her family live when they are at her in-laws'. Fany stayed up all night poking Santos if he snored. She woke me up at 6 a.m. to ask if I had slept (I had). Once she realized we were all comfortable and sleeping well she fell asleep and we all woke up at 9 a.m. to start the new year.

Neighbors were using Santos' family's clay oven to make bread. I watched for a while and chatted with the ladies. Then Santos' Mom asked if I would like some cuajada. Cuajada is my favorite kind of cheese. Santos' Mom frequently sends Fany home with cuajada for me because she knows I love it. So I asked if I could go see where it was made.

Turned out the lady who makes the cuajada was gone for the day, so Santos' Mom and I made the cheese ourselves!

We made 8 little one pound loaf shaped cheeses. Then we toasted tortillas until they were almost crunchy and had a nice lunch with left over chicken from the night before.

Straining the cheese
(it was windy)

Patting it into a loaf

I rang in the new year with good friends and lots of good food. It was a memorable one and a good start to 2016.