Food from scratch | Andrew and Abby in Africa

That’s the name of my new favorite cookbook. Seriously, it’s great!

When getting ready to move to Kenya, I knew I would have to leave my cookbooks behind. First of all, they were HUGE and would never fit with the weight limit I had. But mostly, I didn’t know what kind of food I would be able to buy here, so I figured they would be a waste of space if I couldn’t even purchase the ingredients they called for.

We had lunch with some missionaries up in New York in November, and the wife recommended this cookbook for me. They lived in Kenya for some time, and she said that it was perfect for living here.

And it is!

Have you ever seen the movie ‘Julie & Julia’? It is one of my favorites. I feel like Julie right now, cooking through my cookbook. But for different reasons. Smile I am not aspiring to be like someone, or to make something of myself. I have simply found a cookbook that is amazing, and I want to cook my way through it.

Let me tell you a little about this cookbook. Its recipes and suggestions come from several Mennonite families that call for low-cost, low-fat, low-sugar, and less expensive protein ingredients. As it says on the cover, ‘how to eat better and consume less of the world’s limited food resources.’ And since it is created by a Christian group, the pages are filled with encouraging quotes and Bible verses. I even like to just sit and read what people have to say inside.

Andrew and I decided to put stars by each recipe that we try. 1 star is the worst, 5 is the best. This way, when we go back to make it again, we will remember how much we liked it. We also like to make notes.

I have documented most of my favorite recipes that I have made. That’s how good they are! Now, don’t get me wrong, there have definitely been some recipes that have not turned out so good. Since it is a cookbook focused on using simpler ingredients, there have been some bland meals, and some flat-out gross meals. But about 93.28% have been successful.

Here have been some of my favorites…

Delicious pizza. Completely from scratch.