Week Two and still no crazies!

Week two is great because most of the set up stuff is done, and we all settle into the field school schedule (even the students). It's been harder to wake up in the morning, it's been a little colder this week, but thankfully not under freezing.

I took some pics of our kitchen, so before I tell you about my week, here's a tour of my home for the next three weeks:

This is our oven. On Friday, we replaced her. This tilted little BBQ has baked muffins, cookies, brownies, birthday cakes, and casseroles (and that was just last week, honestly). RIP.



In the past, we have had nicer food pantries. This year, we have (basically) a topless dumpster. Sounds awful, but it is filled with the best foods, water, and even a bar (you think i'd go anywhere without a bar (just kidding, Mom (not really))).





We serve all of our dishes, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, on real serving platters. And the students eat on real plates with silverware, which means they wash real dishes.





If you gotta do dishes, at least you have a nice view!



We also have pretty oilcloth tablecloths on our tables where we prepare the meals. Our tools, pots, and pans all have a place on shelves, tables, or hanging from hooks. Sorry about the trash can in the shot... :/



Week two was smooth. Scary smooth. Like I hinted in the post title, everyone is really... Nice and normal! Woo-hoo!!! Nobody had a nervous breakdown about seeds in their bread (it's happened), bug bites (it's happened, and it was me), or sleep deprivation (it's still too early for that, maybe). The students really seem to like each other. After their evening lectures, they all sit around the fire and hang out (even though I know they're tired). They help each other with chores, and nobody even freaks out about cleaning the "bathrooms" (and it really is awful). Here's a paparazzi picture my mean boyfriend took of me in one of my finer moments (the horror):



Our menu (terrible transition, my apologies) was definitely Mexican this week. I got to cook a couple more of my recipes in week two, chile verde and chile relleno casserole (easier than making 100 individual chile rellenos) with fresh tomato sauce. I didn't take pictures because I was busy cooking! I thought both turned out well, I could eat food with fresh chiles every day. My hands burned so bad from peeling and seeding all the poblano, anaheim, and jalapeno chiles. Cadie also made her chicken enchilada soup, a serious favorite of the students. She blends enchilada sauce into masa harina, and then blends it into homemade chicken soup with lots of garlic and onions.

Monday we were feeling a little more Mediterranean, I think, because I made fresh pesto with lots of basil, some mint, garlic, walnuts, romano cheese, salt, and olive oil. We served it over pasta with poached shrimp. I think next week, I'll try to take more food pics...

Our friend from the Los Padres field school, Dan Reeves came by. He'll be staying for a week! I'm so happy, he is great! An archaeologist who has lived a few different lives, he has great stories. If you ever meet him, please ask him about a special tie-dyed shirt he made for someone who crossed him. Oh man, Dan's stories...



Any questions I can address in next week's blog???