Our Latest Favorite Cookies - Thanks Tia Su!

The original recipe for the mint chocolate chips comes from Mollie Katzen's Still Life with Menu, but I've adapted it a little. These cookies also freeze very well, and make great ice-cream sandwiches.

Double Chocolate-Mint Cookies

1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup/6 oz) butter
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream butter and sugars. Beat in egg and extracts. In a separate bowl, mix dry ingredients together. Stir flour mixture into butter, then add chips. Drop spoonfuls onto lightly greased cookie sheet, and bake 10-12 minutes.

Organizacion Pubelo Indigena - Chiaucingo

This week some people in Chiaucingo formalized their work group and chose a name for themselves, wrote up a constitution, documented their internal rules, and applied for funds from the Canadian Embassy to build 24 cisterns. The committee invited me to share about the application process, as a consultant. We also talked about what makes a strong group and I help them verbalize/document their group's mission, objectives and potential problems. We did some "group dynamics" games, worked in small groups, worked as a whole group, brainstormed, listened to each other, and laughed together. I was so impressed with their participation and willingness to spend a significant amount of time working together. Will be interesting to see what happens.

Another Birthday

Thursday we celebrated Chelly's (Malena's younger sister) birthday. All the traditional birthday songs, cheers and shoving your face into your cake as you take the first bite rituals. And a pinata of course. Micah had fun moving it around, making the whole game more fun for everyone.

What to do after the pinata is broken? Use the rope and jump! This was a first - and everyone was really into it. We all jumped rope the rest of the evening :) Just one of the many things I love about this family...

House Blessing

Our friends Chuchi and Malena had a house blessing the other day. The padre (priest) came over and led the ceremony, sprinkling holy water all over the house. Afterwards we ate and laughed.


Malena, the Padre, Malena's brother Pepe



Hanging out afterwards

Making Seed Murals at Home

So we were inspired to make our own seed murals after our trip to Tepotzlan.

Tlaquilcingo

I took this picture on my way home from Tlaquilcingo the other day. They mountains are still amazing to me. Something about growing up in Kansas.

Creating at Home

Liam, we thought of you the other day when the boys came home with treasures they found on a walk and got busy.

Time with Friends

Here are some more pictures from our time with Ian, Caitlin, Anita and Michael. Our friends Aquilina, Placido, and their son, Placido, were able to travel with us for a few days. We first stopped in Cuernavaca for a bit, then on to Tepotzlan. The next day we saw some Diego Rivera murals and the pyramids at Teotihuacan.

We said goodbye to our friends after a wonderful time together.

Then Aquilina and I went to the Canadian Embassy to meet with Jillaine, the person in charge of Canada Fund. Aquilina was excited to meet Jillaine. And Jillaine glad to meet Aquilina too. I see this as a bridge-building / sharing of knowledge / working myself out of a job kind of thing.
And on the way home we stopped for a quick swim at Paplutla of course! It was Aquilina's first time to be in that much water.


Papalutla



Meeting Jillaine at the Canadian Embassy





Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan





Each year they make a new seed mural in Tepotzlan. We watched them for awhile.






We saw some Diego Rivera Murals



The main cathedral in Cuernavaca

HAPPY 16th BIRTHDAY CAITLIN!

Our friend Caitlin was here for her 16th birthday and we celebrated all day long starting with "Las Mananitas" in the monring and a paper curtain decorating her bedroom door, followed by lots of confetti on her head. She opened some presents in the morning and then we headed back to Chiaucingo where we finished making the mole, ATE LOTS, broke the pinata, lit off fireworks, ate cake, and danced. Feliz Cumpleanos Caitin!

Making Mole

Filling the pinata



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Making fruit drinks - pineapple, melon and watermelon.


This was fun to do with lots of hands.

Drying the chiles



Roasting the chiles



Grinding the chiles



Mixing...


and mixing the mole sauce.

Tlaquilcingo contract signed

Last week the president of the work group in Tlaquilcingo - Mateo - signed the contract from the Canadian embassy so the group can receive money to buy the materials for 18 cisterns. We had to end the meeting quickly as a storm moved in!

More Visitors!

We were honored to have our friends Anita, Michael, Caitlin and Ian from Chicago Community Mennonite Church come visit us in August. Again we spent time relaxing, drinking tea, and talking. We also spend two days in nearby Chiaucingo with friends and learned how to make tortillas and the traditional mole sauce. It was a two day process - drying, roasting, grinding. While cooking we also played cards and soccer.