Mrs.R

about me

I am a fun 26-year-old gal. Married to a really fun 32-year-old guy. Mrs. M is my mom, and Mrs.J is one of my sisters. We all got premium memberships together! I'm just waiting for my mom to post some of her fabulous recipes...I love her cooking! Do it! Do it! Do it!

My family is very important to me. I'm the oldest of 11 kids, 2 boys and 9 girls. We range in age from 5 to 26! And we're the best-looking bunch of kids you could find! I'm a nanny and househelp for my mom, as 8 of the kids are under the age of 12 and she homeschools. We have busy days!


I love to travel, and have been to lots of different countries, mostly in the Middle East and Asia. I'm a Christian, and have spent many years doing overseas mission work. I like to meet new people, and I love to make people feel at ease, comfortable, welcomed. I am outgoing and love to laugh! I enjoy learning new things and never finishing them, gardening, learning frugal tips, games, trying to live environmentally healthy, and researching anything. I'm very passionate about God, relevant Christianity, worship and music, and helping people understand missions and the dynamics of overseas adaptation. I like anything that is different and unique, sometimes playing the devil's advocate, but yet at times I find myself very conventional.

I'm trying to learn how to cook....and thanks to the 'Zaar, I'm slowly learning! But I'm not very good yet, and not quite confident to cook for others(besides DH), but that may be related to my perfectionistic tendencies.

Most of the stuff I know how to make I've learned to make as I've traveled and lived overseas. I didn't grow up learning how to cook(I had ZERO interest), and when you stay overseas, you have to learn to cook really fast. A couple of years ago, I found myself in a bind in Afghanistan with only basic ingredients, onions, flour, eggs, rice, lamb, chicken, spices, etc. I didn't know what to do with any of these ingredients and I was in charge of daily supper! The only thing I had ever made from scratch was cookies, and chocolate chips were definitely NOT available!

So between once-a-week access to a sketchy satellite internet connection, a couple of cook books that were brought from the States, and lots of help from Afghan women, I began to build a repertoire of basic things, all made from scratch.

When I returned from the States and started enjoying convenient food again, I couldn't forget the frustration I felt in Afghanistan of not being able to cook, and I really began to miss the hours in the kitchen I spent with my Afghan friends. I also knew I would be traveling a lot more in the future and so in order to avoid hunger in other countries, I took up an interest in cooking!

Since Afghanistan, I've traveled to more places, and everywhere I go, I always hang out in the kitchen with the women....talking, laughing, learning, picking up any neat little tips, and adding more recipes to my ever-growing list!

I'm still very much in a learner/observer mode. And I have A LOT to learn!

Favorite Foods:

I LOVE Thai, Persian, Indian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern food. I like Mexican and Italian food. Basically anything foreign. Yes, I could eat rice(white, I know, it's bad for you) everyday! I cook with lots of herbs and spices for seasonings. I dislike traditional American food, steak, hamburgers, mashed potatoes, gravy, etc., but I make them occasionally for my husband. It's a good thing he loves all that "other" food and only occasionally asks for pork chops or mashed potatoes.

I find that the average American living in the Midwest, does not enjoy my taste for unconventional foods and their tastebuds can't handle the heat my hubby and I enjoy....so I'm cautious!

Even though I try not to use white sugars in my cooking, I love sugary holiday candy. Peeps, candy corn, conversation hearts, and candy corn. Most people get sick to their stomachs eating that sort of stuff, but I love it!

My favorite restaurant is Tuk Tuk's.....it has some of the most authentic Thai cuisine!

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