What Does Your Pantry Look Like?

         While visiting at a friend's house, we were impressed by their "pantry." They were storing their corn in the corner of the room. We thought it looked like a good amount of corn. They said the harvest wan't that good this year.

           Who wouldn't love a beautiful set of baskets for decoration? But these beauties are not just for decoration. They're used to store corn, beans, or coffee. I especially love the 3 different colors. They all would have started out like the light one on top. But with age (ahem...smoke), they turn colors.

          This basket was holding some coffee beans.

          This is my friend Teresa's kitchen. Could you imagine trying to make dinner in this kitchen? The work surface is about 10 inches off of the ground, so Teresa often sits on a low stool to be close to the fire. The pot on the stove (with the blue lid) was full of tamales!

         In the foreground is a blackened pot. It's what Teresa uses to make coffee. Can you imagine tending the fire all day to keep the coals just right? Today was a good day to be around the fire! It's the only source of heat in the home, and it's cold--inside and outside!

          This is Teresa's mom. Isn't she cute?! She can't live on her own anymore, so Teresa is taking care of her. She keeps her walking stick handy. She was very concerned for our well-being tonight. She made sure that we were offered coffee and hot tamales! She explained that since this is the Christmas season, many are hosting holiday festivities. Since she can't get out like she used to, they made their own tamales.