Suzy Homemaker

I decided it was high time to repay some of the kindnesses done by our neighbors, and opted to present them each withone of these, the Florida State Pie (your tax dollars at work.) But to make that recipe required Graham Crackers. Australia does not have Graham Crackers. Australia does not have anything of the sort, though the local shoppers patiently suggested any number of alternatives to the frustrated Yank in the biscuit aisle. Thanks to the internet I was able to come up with this which was pressed into service, literally, as my pie crust (I’m not so obsessive as to bake the cookies and then smash them up again. C'mon.) Jorge, on one of his trips into Cairns last week to meet with Immigration Lady 2, was kind enough to honor my request for a food processor, as we have no kitchen implements other than forks, knives, and spoons, making piecrust creation nearly impossible, bringing the expense of each of the pies to around $75.00.

With the invitation to a real Australian cookout this past Friday, prawns on the Barbie and steaks from a freshly slaughtered cow, came the request for an accompanying dessert and side dish. The girls brought home two large sacks of oranges after a visit to the neighbors’ yesterday and today we’ll crank up the juicer attachment. It slices! It dices! It… Nevermind. I'm getting my money's worth.

About Jorge’s trip into town: He was granted a three-month Returning Resident Visa allowing him to travel to the US and back, to help finish up a job that has run into some difficulty. This opens the door for the remainder of us to receive Returning Resident Visas at some later date. Maybe we’ll still be back around the end of November after all?


What is more agreeable than one’s home?

-- Cicero