Well, here I am, 2 months later... I wanted to update my blog, but Cusco is not a city known for its fast internet. Or television. Or clean water. Or hot showers. But I digress. Here in the U.S. of A, we forget that our standard of living is NOT the norm around the world; instead, we're incredibly privileged.
In the program that I did in Cusco, I spent my first four weeks in a host family, and took Spanish classes at Amauta Language School. For my second four weeks, I lived in the student residences of Amauta and volunteered at la Clinica de San Juan de Dios with disabled children. This was my first time truly away from home and my parents, and also my first time using a language other than English. I actually did succeed in learning Spanish - while not quite fluent, I'm conversational and can definitely get by in a Spanish-speaking country. I also made some really close friends, and I'm grateful for having this opportunity to meet them. I did some amazing trips (Machu Picchu WHADDUPPP?!) and even went rock climbing and river rafting for the very first time!
All in all, this trip was a complete success! The recipe I'm gonna share with you is something that I made in Peru. Considering I didn't have access to some ingredients, AND I used a super scary gas burning stove (seriously, that thing nearly killed me. I'm the idiot who doesn't even know how to use matches. Also, I don't smoke, don't even get me started on lighters.), I think it turned out super duper well! I actually made this French Toast for a Spanish class assignment! Our teacher wanted us to make a recipe from our own country in class, while describing the recipe in Spanish. He claimed that this is so we could practice using the Imperative Form, but I think he just wanted an excuse to eat food in class.
America is such a mixed bag of cultures, so it was really hard for me to think of an iconic recipe that I could do with minimal equipment. I finally decided on French Toast, though I felt a little leery about it; I mean, FRENCH Toast hints at something decidedly un-American. However, I was reassured when the one French student in my class told me she had never heard of "Tostada Frances con huevos, azucar, y canela." Also, one of my Belgian friends told me that they call this dish "Lost Bread" in Belgium!
Easy French Toast
(Serves 6 - Recipe adapted from All Recipes)
4 eggs
3/4 C milk
3 tbsp sugar
12 slices white bread
Manjar/Dulce de Leche for drizzling over the toast*
1. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl, then add the milk and sugar. Continue to beat until fully combined.
2. Soak bread slices in the egg mixture, moving quickly so the bread is covered, but not soggy.
3. Heat a lightly buttered griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Brown the slices on both sides - this should take only a couple of minutes. Serve hot, with maple syrup or dulce de leche!
* In the States, we usually use maple syrup. In Peru, maple syrup seemed pretty expensive so I bought manjar, which is what Peruvians apparently call dulce de leche. Dulce de leche is a type of thick caramel made from condensed milk, which is popular in a lot of Latin American sweets. You can find it in cans in lots of supermarkets! If you prefer, you can definitely use maple syrup. However, I actually think the French Toast was better with manjar... mmm, caramel.
Hahaha I get a kick out of everything being in Spanish. I'm sure that when my Spanish improves, I'll get tired of being quasi-bilingual. And yesss, evaporated milk, it's cheaper than real milk! And the French toast still tasted AWESOME.
So give this recipe a go when you want a super simple, fast, and tasty breakfast! I promise, you won't be disappointed. Here's a last photo of me looking triumphant at Macchu Pichu. I'm sure that I would have looked even happier if I had eaten a breakfast of French Toast... instead of stale granola bars and Pringles (bleh) hahaha
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