Images of Cambodia, Thailand and China

Travel home is always the most brutal.  I'm a bit ashamed to admit that after weeks of constant movement and travel, the trip home leaves me in the worst of moods...always.  Luckily for all those around me, sleep comes easily and grumpiness is usually contained.  

The trip flew by(of course) and included some surprises...like getting a surprise invite into Burma and a new China reg that allows 72 hour Visa free travel.  I was also able to make a stop to the Great Wall on my layover coming home.  

We visited Cambodia, Burma and Thailand as a team.  Visiting the Minefield Village, Mae La Refugee Camp and Chiang Mai orphanages was convicting, encouraging, heartbreaking, enlightening and motivating all at the same time.  I have about eleventy thousand pictures to edit so it'll be awhile before I can post some of the highlights, but I thought I'd throw out some of my initial favorites. 

We showed up in the Minefield Village a little before sundown to meet the kids.  They are quite obviously beautiful.

There was a bit of singing the next day and the kids showed up in droves to the school even though it wasn't even a school day. 

It's not called Minefield Village as a merely a remembrance--this is one of the most heavily mined areas in the world.  The HALO Trust is there daily and is still digging up an average of 2-3 mines per day.  There was actually a mine found during a secondary sweep just last year in the school yard which had already been swept for mines.  Luckily it was an anti-tank mine so none of their little feet could set it off.  Knowing that mines could be missed during a sweep hardly made you feel like doing cartwheels through the field.  Some of the older villagers are amputees. 

This sign makes me proud of my country.

Any Khmer adult over a certain age has a clear remembrance of the terror of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge Regime and autogenocide.  Tears fell as some told their stories.  

I know you are not supposed to have favorites but this little guy in red captured my heart on the very first day.  He was wearing these shorts with a broken elastic waistband so he ran around with one hand holding up his shorts and still has joy of child who had everything he needed.  He doesn't have a sponsor yet and I wanted so much to scoop him up as well, but knew that I needed to save that sweet face for another sponsor.  I took some sponsor photos and we interviewed him so that he can brighten some sponsor's life....if you can't say no to the pure cuteness or are interested in sponsoring a Minefield girl or boy...LightBridge International is the faith-based organization I traveled with and sponsor through. 

This is Houng.  She is already sponsored but LightBridge sends out updates on her.  I knew her face and her story long before I ever met her.  When Houng was little she caught on fire. Without medical care, Houng was in incredible pain and unable to walk because of how the skin grew back.  LightBridge worked out the medical care, sent out  updates and prayer requests and the little girl I met was a happy, playing, skipping beautiful and sweet child.  

Changing gears, we spent a really quick morning at Angkor Wat.  Anyone who's been there know it's a multi-day thing but we made the best of our time. Tevas scream "sexy." Obviously. 

This young man is awesome and an inspiration.  He lives in the Mae La refugee camp along the Thai Burma border.  The plight of the Karen people and how they've had to flee from the ethnic cleansing and torture by the Burma government would be enough to warrant a little bit of dejection in anyone but his joy and giving nature is proof that the hope of the human spirit and faith can win out over circumstances.  He dreams of a day when he can return to his own country as a preacher.  

 I was going through Brooklyn withdrawals so might have been snapping pics of pups left and right. 

  

Also saw quite a few "kitties" at Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai.  When you are not a litigious country nor ultra regulated, you can let people in to get up close and personal with the tigers.  Really, really close.  I can shoot with a 35mm lens close.  

Actually so close that you can lay right on the tigers close. 

For those who've asked if they are drugged...definitely not.  They are just nocturnal and we chose to visit during the daytime.  Some of the trainers had claw mark scars on them and when we asked if they'd ever bitten anyone, they answered that it'd happened on occasion.  

After just a few tiger cuddles though, you almost forget they are wild animals.  Almost. 

And a quick stop at the Great Wall on the way back.  I did not think this one through all that well.  Who knew it was all inclines and and declines?

So many pieces and parts of this one trip.  Hopefully I can make a dent in some editing soon. 

Pumpkin Cranberry Waffles

Is pumpkin only for the fall?  I say nay.  

Fall seemed to fly by soooooooo quickly that I can guarantee I did not get my pumpkin fix...enter pumpkin waffles.  Leftover cranberries from Thanksgiving (yes that long) contributes a bit of tang to the somewhat seasonally confused cinnamony waffle deliciousness. 

I think yeast adds that wonderful yeasty smell and bread taste that is so comforting.  It takes an extra hour over non-yeasted recipes but makes a light fluffy waffle with that oh so perfect scent. 

Enough said right?

Pumpkin Cranberry Waffles

INGREDIENTS:

1 envelope active dry yeast
3/4 cup lukewarm milk
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
2/3 cup chopped cranberries
melted butter for the waffle iron
maple syrup for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large bowl, mix warm milk with yeast. Stir and set aside to proof, 10 minutes. 
2. In a large bowl whisk together pumpkin, oil, vanilla and eggs. Add yeast. 
3. Add remaining ingredients except cranberries and beat together, scraping sides as needed.
4. Cover with plastic wrap and rise 1 hour. 
5. Stir cranberries into batter.  Preheat waffle iron. 
6. Brush hot iron with melted butter and ladle batter into iron spreading gently to the edges.  
7. Close and cook to desired doneness. Serve warm with syrup and whipped cream. 

Mushroom Ravioli with White Wine Sauce

I've been on a pasta kick recently.  Since I'm not the world's biggest pasta fan to begin with, I'll admit I'm on a pasta making kick.  The eating part is just what you do with it all after you make all of the ridiculous amounts of pasta. 

If you don't like mushrooms, avert your eyes here, and probably for the remainder of the post.  There are lots and lots of mushrooms here.  Love those little suckers. 

I have this handy dandy ravioli maker that makes quick work of ravioli.  If you don't have one, you can of course lay the pasta sheet out, fill with filling and cut around the dough in that traditional ravioli making way.  If Laura Ingalls Wilder had been Italian and ridden in a covered wagon across Umbria, she'd have made it that way. 

I like that the filling fits so nicely in the little hollows of pasta and that a rolling pin crimps and seals these little guys in no time.  It does stick a bit though so flour the ravioli maker liberally before placing the first sheet of pasta down. 

This recipe makes enough for three dozen ravioli and freeze perfectly if you don't happen to need three dozen ravioli.  Just separate the ravioli on a baking sheet, place sheet in freeze and freeze for 2-3 hours. After the ravioli are frozen, you can throw them together in a freezer bag.  

The white wine sauce perfectly compliments the mushroom filling.  If you don't like to mix your whites and reds you can use white wine in the filling.  I used red because it was hearty enough to be match the earthy boldness of the shrooms, but white wine would work as well. 

The white wine sauce may separate a bit at first, but whisk, whisk, whisk and it'll all come together into a delicious cheesy deliciousness. 

Mushroom Ravioli with White Wine Sauce

Pasta Ingredients
2 cups bread flour
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 tbsp olive oil

Ravioli Filling 

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lb baby bella mushrooms finely diced

1/2 tsp salt

1 garlic clove finely minced

1/2 cup dry wine

1/2 cup ricotta

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper

White Wine Sauce 

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp flour

1.5 cups dry white wine

1/2 cup parmesan

1. Add all pasta ingredients to Kitchenaid mixer with dough hook attachment. Turn power to 2 and mix for 6-7 minutes or until dough is smooth and indent pressed into dough bounces back. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.
2. While dough is resting prepare the mushroom filling. 
3.  Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
4. Add mushrooms and salt and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add wine and cook until most of the wine has evaporated, about 5-7 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and stir in ricotta, parmesan and black pepper. 
6. Cut the rested dough into two equal halves. Cut each half into equal thirds to give you 6 equal sized pieces. Keep all dough covered that you are not working with.
7. Flatten each dough section into a long oval. Pass through the pasta roller at the widest setting. Close the pasta roller one notch and pass through again. Close the pasta roller again pass the pasta through again. Add flour to the pasta with each each pass through the pasta roller. Continue to do this until the pasta is thin. I used the manual roller setting 8.
8. Lay one layer of dough down on working surface or ravioli maker if using one.  Add 1 rounded tsp filling to each.  Lay another sheet over top and press firmly around all ravioli pieces.  Cut apart.  If using ravioli maker, lay second sheet on top and use a rolling pin to roll seal and crimp edges. 
9. Place a large pot of salted water on to boil before you prepare the sauce.
10. To prepare sauce, melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat.
11. Add flour and salt and cook for 2 minutes stirring throughout
12. Whisk in white wine and continue whisking until sauce begins to thicken, about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add parmesan and whisk well until all cheese is melted
13. Cook ravioli in salted water for about 4 minutes or until they begin to float.  
14. Remove ravioli from water and serve topped with white wine sauce.