Indivisible.

What a day. So proud to be an American. I started out the day at the voting polls. I timed it so there would hopefully be no wait. Jackpot. Apparently, 9am is the time to go! After my given right as an American to vote, I decided to treat myself to a Latte at Starbucks. You would think this is a treat, which is IS. Only, I've got a bad habit of treating myself to this establishment quite frequently. So frequently in fact that I gift myself $20 to load onto my Starbucks Gold card so I receive the points to get free Lattes. It's comical, really. So easy. I really need to stop! I'm such a loyal brand fan. Starbucks is sooo consistent. It comes down to the Barista on whether they overdose the milk in my drink. To my surprise, after receiving my coffee, they handed me a bracelet with an Indivisible on it. They encouraged me to go out and vote, which I replied, "I already did". My gal told me to celebrate being an American and supporting jobs in America. Wow, such an unexpected treat I received. Yeah, the bracelet has flare, but the message on this given day struck me hard.

We are all excited for the Social Media Political Fanfare to come to an end. It's gotten so tense. So negative. So blinding to the fact that it takes more than one person leading this country to make a difference. It takes Americans. Americans to take action. Becoming motivated to make our own change. Whomever is elected this year, each side will adjust. Life continues. The difference is whether we embrace our own destiny, regardless of the obstacles, or we fall back on blaming the political parties. At the end of the day, both the Democrats and Republicans are fighting to make America the best it can me.  I challenge all of us to quit judging and work in your own little piece of the world to make it better. Lets BE Indivisible. Not to your party. To your Country. Undivided makes things happen!  I donated shampoos and soap to the Iowa Homeless Youth today. My American Act of Kindness.

Ok, I'm done with my soapbox. I would much rather be consumed with traveling the world. We enjoyed our 1st meal in Madagascar.  The girls were off to club swimming. I need to adjust meals around this new schedule before me for the winter. They swim late, 7:15-9pm so I really need to pump up the speed of delivery to have them fed unless I start sticking meals to heat up in the fridge.

The meal was delicious. Flavorful. Asian influence.

Boeuf aux Noix de Cajou (Beef with Cashew Nuts) Recipe from Madagascar
This is a traditional Malagasy (from Madagascar) recipe for classic dish of beef strips fried with onions, garlic, ginger and cashwe nuts in an Asian-flavoured sauce thickened with cornflour (cornstarch).

Ingredients:
600g beef, sliced thinly 
4 tbsp oil cooking time 
3 onions, peeled and sliced 
2 garlic cloves, crushed
4 3cm piece of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
90g unsalted cashews
250ml water 
1 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) 
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce 
1 tsp sesame oil 
1 tbsp oyster sauce


Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan. Working in batches, add the slices of beef and fry for about 2 minutes per side, or until nicely browned all over. Remove the meat from the pan as they are done then cook the next batch.
Heat the remaining 2 tbsp oil in a flame-proof casserole. Add the onions, garlic and ginger and stir-fry for 1 minute then add the cashew nuts and cook for 1 minute more. Now add the meat slices.

Whisk the cornflour into the water to form a slurry then beat in the sesame oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce. Pour over the meat and bring to a simmer. Continue cooking for about 20 minutes, or until the meat is done through and the sauce is thick.