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Showing posts from 2012

Danielle Hetzel's Blog

So, apparently I don't say my name on here very much.  You know...Danielle Hetzel?  This has apparently led to some odd issues.  I have been doing some guest posts on my Church's blog.  The number one search result that brings people there?  Danielle Hetzel's blog.  Huh.  Apparently, right now, that search term doesn't bring them here.  Time to change that. This is Danielle Hetzel's blog.  You hear that, Google?

Equatorial Guinea

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Background : Gained independence from Spain in 1968 Location : Central Africa, between Cameroon and Gabon Area : Over 28,000 sq km; 146th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than Maryland Climate : "Always hot" Population : Over 685,000; 166th most in the world Capital : Malabo Geography : One of the smallest Africa countries; has a mainland portion plus five inhabited islands Health : Tap water is not potable Source: CIA Factbook In my search I kept coming across one recipe that I wanted to try.  I tried to avoid it, given the unconventional ingredients, but I couldn't.  I was hooked on Guinea Fowl Paella .  That's right.  Guinea Fowl.  A new meat for me!  I searched high and low.  The international grocery store didn't have it.  Neither did Whole Foods.  My quest was done before it began. According to the interwebs, quail is a decent substitute for guinea fowl, so I decided that that was my next best option.  I also then decided to make

El Salvador

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Photo courtesy of user Rick's Pic (Montreal) on Flickr Background : Independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839 Location : Central America, Pacific Ocean side, between Guatemala and Honduras Area : Over 21,000 sq km; 153rd largest in the world          Slightly smaller than Massachusetts Natural Hazards : Known as the "Land of Volcanoes" Geography : Smallest Central American country, the only one that doesn't border the Caribbean Sea Noun : Salvadoran Population : Over 6 millions; 107th largest in the world Capital : San Salvador Economy : Third largest economy in the region Source:  CIA Factbook As I have mentioned before, when I start my search, I always look for a national dish first.  This usually brings up some interesting results, as people don't have concensus for most countries.  The exception was El Salvador.  Every place I looked brought up one dish: Pupusas .  And since these are homemade tortillas s

Egypt

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Photo courtesy of user runintherain on Flickr Sigh.  I took pictures.  And I didn't even drop the camera.  But then the memory card decided that it didn't want to work.  So I lost them all.  Such is life... History : The first unified Egyptian kingdom arose circa 3200 BC.  The last native dynasty fell in 341 BC to the Persians. More Recent History : Egypt recently had their first presidential election since the fall of the former president Hosni Mubarak. Location : Northern Africa, bordering Asia Area : About 1 million sq km; 30th largest in the world; Slightly more than 3 times the size of New Mexico Geography : Egypt controls the Sinai Peninsula (only land bridge between Africa and the rest of the Eastern Hemisphere) and the Suez Canal (Sea link between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea). Ethnic Groups : 99.6% Egyptian Population : Almost 84 million; 15th largest in the world Capital : Cairo Public Debt : 85.7% of GDP; 17th highest in the world Sour

Ecuador

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Photo courtesy of Flickr user PatrickMMoore Background : Part of the northern Inca Empire until 1533. Location : Western South America Area : Over 280,000 sq km; 74th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than Nevada Elevation : The earth actually bulges around the equator.  This means that Ecuador's Mount Chimborazo (6267 m) is actually the highest point on the earth when measured from the earth's center. Population : Over 15 million; 67th highest in the world Capital : Quito Source: CIA Factbook Now that we've gotten the hang of this parent thing (maybe. a little.) it was time to tackle the next country.  Ecuador, here we come!  After some research and some delicious-looking options, I decided that  seco de carne con tamarindo  was the way to go.  Something familiar (beef and spices!) with something new (tamarind and achiote!).  Plus, the instructions were fairly simple and easy to follow. I wanted to use something better than the meat already cut

East Timor (Timor-Leste)

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Fishing in Timor-Leste.  Picture courtesy of United Nations Photo on Flickr. Conventional Name : Timor-Leste Location : Southeastern Asia; eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago History : The Island of Timor was colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century.  After being occupied by Japan for a while, they declared independence from Portugal in 1975.  Nine days later, they were invaded and occupied by Indonesia.  After various bouts of pacification attempts and violence, Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state in 2002. Area : Almost 15000 sq km; 160th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than Connecticut Adjective : Timorese Official Languages : Tetum and Portuguese Religion : 98% Roman Catholic Population : About 1.2 million; 159th largest in the world Capital : Dili Children Under the Age of 5 Underweight : 40.6%; 4th highest in the world GDP Spent on Education : 16.8%; Highest in the world Source:  CIA World Factbook Ti