.Gena Revisted {Ethiopian Recipes}.

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Habi hand grinding fresh roasted Ethiopian coffee beans. A coffee ceremony with sweet popcorn served is an absolute must!

 I have been meaning to share these recipes for weeks now, but time just slips through my fingers. I am finally getting around to sitting down and typing these out. These Ethiopian recipes will most likely only be of interest to families who have adopted children from Ethiopia (or perhaps other African countries), but maybe if you are a foodie, or like to experiment in the kitchen, you will find a recipe that interests you.

Ethiopia celebrates Christmas on a different day then we do here in America. This year Gena (Christmas) was on January 7th. We kept Habi home from school, and we went all out in celebrating. The day ended up being really fun and special, and we made some great memories together as a family. It is very important for us to be able to tie in Ethiopian culture with our American life. I never want my boys to forget their beautiful heritage or to be ashamed about where they came from, so we celebrate it whenever we can. Our family is really blessed to have Habi in our family, he came to us older and with so many memories from his life and Ethiopian culture that he can share with us. There is so much that he has taught us, and it makes my heart  happy that these traditions will be passed down to Jamesy.

I love Ethiopian cuisine. I could seriously eat it every. single. day. I know that probably sounds strange to people who have more milder taste preferences, but as for me - I crave it. Many of the recipes are spicy. The key spice used in Ethiopia is berbere - it is a red pepper spice. The spiciness of a dish is typically determined by how much of this spice is used. You can purchase berbere here. I also found a recipe for it here. We purchase ours in Ethiopia and bring it back with us, as it is much cheaper that way.

Most Ethiopian dishes are served on top of injera (a large sour flat bread), the food is eaten sans silverware and is scooped up using broken pieces of injera. Ethiopians only use their right hand when eating, and the left hand is placed on their lap. Typically a meal is served on a big communal plate that everyone shares - meals are very relationship oriented. I have tried to make injera before, but we really prefer to buy it. We buy it in bulk and freeze it, and it has worked beautifully for us. You can purchase injera here. We typically purchase the yellow label injera. It is very authentic tasting - Habi agrees.

I also have a confession. Doro Wat - the signature Ethiopian chicken stew (which is Jim and Habi's favorite dish) calls for Niter Kebbeh which is a spiced butter. You will notice in my recipe, that I only have regular butter listed in the ingredients. That is all that I use. I do not spend hours making the Niter Kebbeh, because when I have done so, the wat tastes no. different. Habi LOVES my Doro Wat and says that it is very authentic, and Habi is very truthful when it comes to food! Ha! So, save yourself some time, and try it my way. {grin}

Here are the recipes that I made for Gena. I have a few others that we make regulary as well, but I will share them another time. None of these recipes are original to me, although I have tweaked some of them with the help of Habi. A few of them are directly from Habi (he is an amazing chef), and most of them are from scouring the Internet the past few years. Unfortunately when I printed these out for my recipe box, I did not print out the source. I apologize for that.

Lentil Sambusas (not very spicy)
A fried pastry with a savory filling - could be used as an appetizer.

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1/2 C chopped onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1 T paprika
1 T ginger, minced
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 C dry red wine
2 C chicken or vegetable stock
1 C lentils
16 won ton wrappers

Method:

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic, and saute until tender. Add paprika, ginger, allspice, cayenne, coriander, cardamom, and cumin, and saute for 30 seconds. Add red wine, stock, and lentils, turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer, and cover, and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Cut the won ton wrappers in half to form rectangles. Place a wrapper vertically on a flat surface. Put a rounded T of filling on the lower ends of one of the rectangles. Fold the left bottom corner up and over the filling until it meets the right edge of the wrapper and forms a triangle. Next, flip the filled triangle up and over, folding along its upper edge. Then fold it over to the left on a diagonal. Continue folding until you reach the end of the wrapper and have formed a neat triangular package. Repeat with the other wrappers. Deep-fry each pastry until golden in 2-3 inches of oi; heated to 360 F. You can keep the fried sambusas in a warm oven until they are all ready to be served. These are best eaten hot.

Timatim Firfir
An Ethiopian style bread salad - uses injera. This can be made ahead of time.

Ingredients:

1 tsp berbere
1/3 cup wine (white, rose or red) or tej
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 C olive oil
1 medium tomato, chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 Jalapeno, chopped
1/2 Anaheim pepper, chopped
1 clove diced garlic.
1 fresh injera ripped into small pieces

Method:

Mix berbere with wine. Add lemon juice and olive oil. Add tomatoes, onions, peppers and garlic, Mix well.
Break injera into small pieces and add to mixture. Let sit until liquid is absorbed (about 1 hour). Serve cold. Refrigerate mixture in bottle or jar.


Key Sir (not spicy)
Red beets with potatoes. This can be made ahead of time.

Ingredients:

1 lb. yellow potatoes -peeled and bite size
1 lb. red beet roots
1/4 C fresh lemon juice
2 T peanut oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
1/4-1/2 tsp. salt - to taste
1/4 tsp yellow mustard seeds
Pinch of ground fenugreek seeds

Method:

Wash and trim the beets, and simmer in a medium saucepan for about 35-45 minutes (depending on size), or until tender. Remove the beets from the liquid, and slice in half. Remove the skins from the beets - they should rub right off with a paper towel. Dice into bite-sized pieces.

Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, gently simmer the peeled and bite-sized diced potatoes for 20-25 minutes, or until tender. Drain the potatoes, and let them dry out a little bit in the warm pot.

While the beets and potatoes are cooking, dice the onion, and place it in a large serving bowl with the lemon juice and peanut oil. When the potatoes have dried off a little, add them (still warm) to the onion mixture, and gently combine. Add the beets, and stir through until everything is a lovely shade of pink. Toast the yellow mustard seeds just until they start popping, then pour them over the salad, along with the salt and fenugreek powder. Stir well to combine. you can make this up to three days in advance. keep tightly covered in the refrigerator.


Kik Alicha (not spicy)
A vegetarian, yellow split pea stew. This can be made ahead of time.

Ingredients:

1 T olive oil
2 large red onions, chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
3 C water
1/2 tsp turmeric
3/4 tsp salt
freshly ground pepper -to taste
1 C yellow split peas - soaked overnight and rinsed

Method:

In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, dry cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. Add the oil and when it begins to sputter, add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute, Add the water, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Add the split peas, return to a boil and partially cover, reduce heat and maintain a simmer until peas have softened, around 45-60 minutes, Watch to see if you need to add more water, Mash the peas. Serve warm.


Gomen (mildly spicy)
Fragrant collard greens

Ingredients:

2 bunches of collard greens
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 C olive oil
2-3tsp each of minced garlic and ginger
2 Jalapenos, deseeded and chopped
salt - to taste

Method:
Pull off the leaves of the collard greens and discard stems. Tear the leaves into medium-sized pieces (just small enough to get them into the pot for cooking - you'll chop them into smaller pieces later) and wash them well under cold water. Bring a large stockpot of salted water to a boil and add the greens. Cook for about 10-15 minutes - the greens should change color and soften. Drain in a large colander and rinse with cold water. Squeeze out all of the excess moisture and chop into small pieces. Set aside. Cook the onions dry on medium heat until they start to soften and turn translucent, about seven minutes, Add the oil and cook for several minutes. Then add the garlic, ginger, and jalapenos and saute for several more minutes. Add the chopped greens and stir well, ensuring that the greens are thoroughly mixed in with other ingredients. Add salt and cook on medium-low until the greens have soak in the flavor.


Ayib
Fresh Ethiopian cheese. Must make this a day in advance.

Ingredients:

1/2 gallon buttermilk plus 1 C whole milk
2/3 C lemon juice
salt and pepper

Method:

Bring the buttermilk and milk to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and pour in the lemon juice. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring constantly, until curds begin to form. Remove from the heat.
Line a sieve or colander with cheesecloth. Spoon the curdled milk into the sieve or collander and rinse with cold, running water to remove any lingering lemon flavor from the curds. Place over a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and let drain for 8 hours or overnight. Discard the liquid. Place the cheese in a bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Doro Wat (spicy)
Spicy chicken stew

Ingredients:

8-12 chicken thighs
4 T fresh lemon juice
4 tsp salt
4 onions, finely chopped
1/2 C butter
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp ground fenugreek
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 - 1 C Berbere (1 C will be very spicy)
4 T paprika
1/2 C dry red wine
3 C. water water
1 hard-boiled egg per person
Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Rinse and dry the chicken pieces. Rub them with lemon juice and salt. In a heavy enamel stew pot, cook the onions, dry, over moderate heat for about 5 minutes. Do not let brown or burn. Stir in the butter. Then add the garlic and spices. Stir well. Add the berbere and paprika, and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Pour in the wine and water and bring to a boil. Cook briskly, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Pat the chicken dry and drop it into the simmering sauce, turning the pieces about until coated on all sides. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour. Meanwhile, pierce the hard-boiled eggs with the tines of a fork, piercing approximately 1/4" into the egg all over the surface. After the chicken has cooked, add the eggs and turn them gently in the sauce. Cover and cook the doro wat for 15 more minutes. Add pepper to taste.

Please share this post with other adoptive families. My hope is that I have done some of the leg work, so that other families can celebrate their childrens' amazing culture and heritage. All of these recipes have been made by me and tasted by my family. They are all amazing, and they all have Habi's stamp of approval as authentic-tasting. Enjoy!

.The Most wonderful Time of the Year.

It is, isn't it? This season is so full of expectation and wonder. I love Christmas. I love passing on Christmas traditions to my children. Above all else I love teaching my littles that the reason for the beauty, the excitement, the expectation surrounding Christmas is all and only because of Jesus. In order to do this, Jim and I have to be so purposeful in every single thing we do in celebrating Christmas; we want it all to communicate Jesus. It is intentional living to the max, and it is worth it if my children know and understand that Christmas equals Jesus. (Perhaps more on this in a later post, like how I almost had a breakdown this year decorating for Christmas.)



Our tree is decorated, and I am starting to love our fake tree. Every year it grows on me a bit more. Scotty is severely allergic to real trees. We learned that a few years ago, having a real tree in our home for less than 24 hours and Scotty almost landing in the hospital.

Our special ornaments are hung - like baby's first Christmas and the little handmade ones.













Traditions have started.



The name of Jesus is on our lips, and it is truly the most wonderful time of the year!

In the midst of this we are praising God that our family is all together this year.The bigs are praying for Jamesy's EEG today, and so am I.

.Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree.

I had resigned myself to the fact that we were not going to able to get a tree the day after Thanksgiving, as has become a tradition. Our sweet Scotty exhibited a lot of allergy problems last Christmas due to our tree. After much researching we were told the best thing to do for him was to get a live tree for no longer than ten days.

I had resigned myself to the fact that because our tree would not be up from the day after Thanksgiving until the week after New Year's, that we would have to get a small Charlie Brown type tree. How could we justify spending $40 on a tree that would be up for only a few days?

It has not felt like Christmas in our home. I am very traditional, and having such a huge tradition "messed up" has been hard for me. Of course, a Christmas tree is not the reason for Christmas - not at all. And I know that, and I believe that, and with or without a tree I would and will celebrate my Savior's birth and His rescue plan for me. And of course, I want my precious son to be healthy, and do not want to jeopardize his health just because of my want to fill a silly tradition. But still . . . .

My sweet, sweet husband who knows me so very well, and who (I am sorry to all you other wives who think differently {wink}) is definitely by far and away the best husband on this earth, surprised me this afternoon. Just after the children had gone down for their naps, I heard the doorbell ring. When I opened the door there stood my hubby with a grin stretched across his handsome face, and a monstrous 8 foot tree in his arms!! He bought a balsam fir. I was so excited,and could not wait for the children - especially Cadi to wake up from her nap.

Cadi could smell it as soon as she got to the top of the stairs. She was so excited to see the HUGE tree taking up much of our dining room. I think she thought we were just not going to get one this year. She was a lot of fun decorating the tree with this year. Scotty woke up about half way through our decorating. He was so cute upon first seeing the tree. "Pretty, pretty tree" he kept saying.



Jim helped Scotty touch the tree. This was probably not one of our brightest moves as parents to a son highly allergic to Christmas trees. {bah}



Scotty went to bed with quite the runny nose, and a bit wheezy and raspy. We will see how this works out. He was given a dose of Zyrtec, per doctor's orders, for the first time tonight. I am hoping that once that builds up in his little body, it will help.

Jim spent a bit of time trying to set up his train under the tree. He had quite the little "helper" in Scotty! Cadi for the most part sat mesmerized on the floor beneath the tree. This is a rather technically, horrible shot, but something about it is so sweet regardless.



I cannot find my tripod. I think it must be in our van from my last shoot. Jim has the van at church. I tried to take a photo without it, but I am just not steady enough on my own. It is really hard getting a nice lit Christmas tree photo with a tripod, and without is nearly impossible for me. Any tricks that you know?? This is my only lit version until I find my tripod - I laid down under the tree and held the camera as steady as I could on my chest! {grin}
I think that my husband is so romantic for bringing this tree home to us.



And in case you are wondering, because I have not mentioned it in eons - yes, we are still doing school! {wink} A homeschooling post complete with photos {grin}, for all of those who emailed and commented questions, will be coming soon!



Hope you are having a "tree"mendous day! {giggle}

.It's Beginning to Look a lot Like {a country} Christmas.

For almost two solid days I hauled out decorations and arranged and rearranged and arranged some more our Christmas decor. It was hard for me to get into it this year. A lot of things contribute to that, but this is neither the time nor the place, sooo with that come take a peek into my humble, Christmasy home. {grin}

Our decorations are nothing elegant, spectacular, or expensive. They are a hodge podge from years gone by. Some are older than we are, some are heirlooms with much more sentimental value than monetary value, some were cast offs found buried in old boxes at yard sales, many I made from scraps I picked up and collected, some were gifts, and very few were purchased brand new by us.

I really like country kitchen themed trees. I am still sad over the fact that we cannot get our real tree until right before Christmas, because of Scotty's allergies, but was happy to move around the two little trees that are a part of our normal every day decor and make them festive.




A lot of my Christmas decor is really just every day decor moved to a different location and lit - like this little sign that I painted a few years back. Nothing really Christmasy about it, and it isn't really a kitchen sign, but I still liked it here. {grin} I always use a lot of lights all year round. I like my home softly lit and glowy - it is homey and romantic. At Christmas, I just kick it up a notch and add more lighting. I try not to light our home until evening falls to save on electricity, but if I know company is coming Jim has a running joke about watching me scurry all over our little home plugging in this and turning on that. I just feel like the lighting is a nice, welcoming touch. It puts me at ease, and I hope it does my guests as well.


(I know, I know - still NO window treatments on my kitchen windows. {sigh} Maybe next week??)


Again this rustic ladder resides in my home all year round. I just decorated it differently, added some lights and changed its location. It is one of my favorites this year. The couch next to the ladder is "my couch". It is where I curl up with my journal, a cookbook, crocheting or a mug of tea in the evenings. "Jim's chair" is beside me on the other side. And that crocheted blanket is my absolute favorite. Someday I will blog its story.



Here is my second tree. This one usually resides in our bedroom, but I decided it should be added to the living room for Christmas. We are not going to have our live tree in here this year, as I am not in the mood to figure out how to make it fit. Rather our live tree will be placed in the dining room. Hopefully that will be okay with Scotty's allergies.



I really love the crows in this tree. I found these more than 50% off at AC Moore this summer. They have already been displayed all over in my home. I think they will land in the downstairs bathroom or my kitchen after Christmas. {grin}



Another rustic ladder, but I didn't change the location or add lights. I left the decorations up that are always on it, added some old ripped fabric and knit prim stockings.



A lot of my decorating is just little touches tucked here and there. Nothing elaborate - just simple.









A simple Christmas countdown made from scrapping paper and an old cookie sheet.



A basket of Christmas books is kept out all December so that my children can freely sit and look at them. I also have a basket filled with a play nativity set that Cadi is free to play with while Scotty naps. (The pieces are a bit too small for him to handle.)



I thought Cadi would enjoy a touch of Christmas in her room this year.



Our Christmas tree will go next to this hutch, which again is mainly filled with everyday things that I have added a Christmasy touch to.



Flickering candles make me so happy. {grin}



This is one of my favorite pieces. Jim found it last year at a school auction. It is old and rugged and perfect. I usually store crafting supplies and paper products in here, but I had to open it up for Christmas. It was just begging to be made as a focal point to our dining room. (I hope to get this piece painted black and sanded to look even more worn. I am thinking about painting the inside of the doors mustard.)



This bottom section will hold our Christmas cards this year.



This manger scene has quite a story. It was made by my great grandpa, and it was displayed in their home for years. My great grandma painted all the ceramic pieces that go with it. I brought to our family a tradition from my childhood. Each night in December - leading up to Christmas - Cadi picks one of the wrapped ceramic pieces that goes with the nativity set. She then displays it however she wants to. On Christmas Eve she will finally pick baby Jesus and display him in the manger. It was one of my favorite childhood memories from Christmas, and it is so sweet to be able to not only pass the tradition on but use this special vintage set. (Yes so far she has picked two camels!)




I enjoyed giving you a brief tour of our home. Now I am one of "those" women who also decorates her bathrooms for Christmas. {grin} This year I only decorated one of three - our downstairs guest bathroom. Does anyone else do that?

I love to see Christmas decoration and the creativity of others. Let me know if you post any photos of your home. Mine is very kid friendly, but I do love the elegant Christmas style of some, as well as traditional and vintage. It is so much fun to see how people incorporate their style into Christmas decor. What is your style of Christmas decorating? Is it beginning to look a lot like Christmas in your home?

.Here Comes Christmas.

Well, with Thanksgiving behind us - and oh what a lovely Thanksgiving it was! It is now time to throw myself into the Christmas celebration. I truly love Christmas. I love the story of Christ's birth in a stable to a young, no-doubt scared, Mommy and Daddy. I love that it is not just a simple, beautiful story, but it is truth. It is the foundation for everything I believe. Christmas has always been my favorite time of year for as long as I can remember. I long for it all year - really, just ask my hubby.

When I was a child, I would cry Christmas night when it was all over realizing that I had a whole year to wait once again for that special day. I love the simpleness that can be Christmas. But I am not going to lie, I love the decorations, the music, the trees, the special hand picked gifts for my children, the cookies, the lights, and the mounting excitement. I am so excited to share my passion and love for Christmas with my children. I love the traditions that we have created with our own little family - a mix of our childhood traditions and some new ones all our own.

I really long for this month of December to be filled with cherished moments and happy memories. Some,I am sure, will find their way to my blog in the form of words and photos, and some I will tuck privately away into my heart. Every year I strive to do as much as I can ahead of the month of December, so that we can really enjoy the whole month and not stress, and not get caught up in the hustle and bustle. I was really good with getting all of my Christmas shopping done. I was done by the end of the summer - that is a first for me! But I have not started the wrapping. I am hoping to do it slowly each evening while watching Christmas movies with my honey. I still have some of my craft projects to complete, but I am hoping they will be more fun than stress.

For Cadi's first or second Christmas, I had a crazy idea to make a different Christmas cookie (or two - sometimes even three!) every day in December and freeze them. I ended up with over 30 different kinds of Christmas cookies. That was dozens and dozens. It was fun, but it was stressful. I have not done that crazy baking for a few years now, and I certainly don't want to go that extreme again. However, I would like to make one or two different kinds of cookies each week this December. I have yet to choose which recipes will make the cut. I have so many favorites. And yes, I know I talk up our natural eating ways, but folks - it's Christmas! {wink} I cannot wait for Cadi and I to don our Christmas aprons, turn up the Christmas music, and make a mess in the kitchen. I hope to share some of our favorite recipes here - for memory sake and in case anyone is interested in cookie recipes.

I have a lot of fun things planned for school for the month of December, too. I hope to snap some photos and share. The past few days I have been busy doing some fall cleaning and organizing. (Jim has been a HUGE help! He is truly the organizer in the family.) I really like to decorate my house only after it is deep cleaned. Then I only have touch up during the weeks leading up to Christmas and can hopefully really enjoy the Christmas season. We hope to decorate our home for Christmas tomorrow. We would normally already have our decorations up, as well as our tree, which we have traditionally gotten the day after Thanksgiving. However, last year we realized that Scotty has severe allergies, and one of the things he is allergic to is Christmas trees. After doing much research, we learned that artificial trees are even worse for him, as when stored they collect dust mites and mold. We were told the best thing for him would be to have a fresh tree in our home no longer than two weeks. He is actually allergic to the mold that grows on the tree while sitting in a home, and not to the actual tree - or so we think. So that is our goal. It will be a bit sad to have a tree for such a little amount of time, but I sure do love my boy more than a Christmas tree! So tomorrow we pull out the decorations and later on we will get a tree.

I was a bit late on the draw with getting our photos for Christmas. So we had a quick shoot on Sunday. It was chilly outside, Scotty was tired and hungry and Cadi was silly. They were not the greatest shots, but it is nice to have that done! The one we finally chose for our card is the one on my header. It is not what I typically would send out, but it depicts our family well. Here is another impromptu shot of my kiddos. Maybe I will share a few more of our photos later.



And speaking of photos - I had two shoots last week! I am still editing through the photos. I worked with some really cute kiddos!

Well, my bed is calling. I'm dreaming of a white Christmas. (It's looking slim here in New York this year though! {boo})

Are you excited about Christmas? Why or why not?

.Snowy Traditions.

We awoke to this this morning.


and this


and this!


And my family was excited. It didn't matter to us that it is only October and that colorful leaves are still clinging to trees. We were excited because our tradition is that the first morning of the first snowfall of the season we get to indulge in homemade gingerbread waffles while listening to Christmas music. {grin}



Daddy REALLY loves these waffles!


We also made snowflakes in school this morning and hung them on our windows.


It is a good thing that we made all of those snowflakes, because despite it being cold, the snowflakes on our windows is the only snow left. I am sure there will be more to follow, though. I really enjoy the winter months being snuggled in my home with my family after a busy summer at camp. {sigh}

And if you are looking to start a "first day of snow" tradition or any excuse to make waffles, here is the yummy recipe!

INGREDIENTS
2 cup all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
2teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 egg, separated
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup molasses
6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, mustard and salt; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat brown sugar and egg yolk until fluffy. Add buttermilk, molasses and butter; stir into dry ingredients just until combined. In a small bowl, beat egg white and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gently fold into batter. Bake in a preheated waffle iron according to manufacturer's directions until golden brown.