Stop Right There

Well, I know that once again it has been awhile since I blogged. I'm sorry, I'm just a very bad blogger, I guess...

In the past month I have had a little bit of cooking schizophrenia as I discovered The Pioneer Woman blog and watched Forks over Knives in a matter of a couple of weeks. So, one day I'm making everything with heavy cream and bacon and the next minute I find myself disgusted by the harmful effects of food additives and animal products. Here I am trying to find some kind of balance. I'm leaning more towards the less meat is more and experimenting with many new ingredients. There are just so many good things out there and I was limiting us tremendously without even realizing it. So no more casseroles with cream soups at the Vander Wall's! We are eating new veggies and loving it! The kids have been doing really well with learning to try and enjoy new things.

Tonight we're having injera, an Ethiopian flat bread with two stews- beef tibs and red lentils. I just made the lentils and sampled it for my lunch and it is INCREDIBLE! So stop whatever you are doing and make it! I don't even really like lentils that much, but the berbere spice in this just makes it so good! If you don't know where to buy berbere (try an international market or maybe call your closest Ethiopian restaurant and see if they'll sell you some), you can make it. Here's the recipe for the lentils (so easy once you have the spice!)

Berbere Ethiopian Lentil Stew
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 1/4 cups red lentils
2 1/4 cups water
1 garlic clove, crushed
1-2 Tbsp berbere spice mixture (dry)
1- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

Mix lentils with water, garlic, onion, and spices.

Cook, uncovered, over med-low heat for 20 minutes or until lentils have softened.

Watch carefully and add water if it starts to dry out.

Add the tomatoes and heat 15 minutes more.

Serve alone, with injera, or over brown rice.

Here's my simple injera recipe. In Ethiopia they use this instead of utensils to scoop up stews or veggies. It's not a perfectly authentic version, but it's good (Teshome likes it) and it's easy.


ingredients-
2 cups of teff or whole wheat flour (I use teff which you will probably have to order online or buy at an Ethiopian market- I got mine in Chicago)

1 cup of unbleached white flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 cups of club soda- more to thin as needed (I definitely use more like 4 cups, but add it slowly so it isn't too runny)

directions-
Combine the flours and baking soda. Add club soda and stir well. Heat a large skillet or griddle with oil or ghee. Using a cup or ladle, pour batter onto the griddle in a circle, starting on the outside and tilting the griddle back and forth quickly to fill in any holes and spread evenly. Cook for about 1-2 minutes, until the surface is spongy and filled with tiny air bubbles. Do not flip it. Slide it onto a plate and continue the process until your batter is gone.

Peaceful Rest

Pete's Grandma Fennema entered into peaceful rest with her Saviour today after living on this earth for 91 years. I just had to share this news with Pete over the phone and he is hurting right now and I feel so helpless. It almost feels like a daydream, all hazy and strange and unreal. But it is real. And I am unable to comfort my husband in his pain.

We are so blessed that Peter, Kate, Maddie, Ella, and Charlotte were able to know her- some better than others, of course. But there is great sadness for Pete that the son that he has quickly grown to love over the last several days will never know this great grandma.

Please keep Pete in your prayers as he deals with this grief alone right now. And please also pray for our new son that he will understand what is going on and not be worried or insecure as he sees daddy grieving.

It Looks Like it's for Real

For a week or so now I have been aware of a rumored slow down in the Ethiopia adoption program. By slow down, we're talking about a 90% reduction in adoptions. Well, the US State Department has issued a statement and it looks like it's really happening. This is a tragic situation as it means that thousands of children will be left institutionalized for much longer periods of time. It means that many families in the process of waiting for an Ethiopian adoption will wait even longer. Please pray for the waiting children, for the waiting parents, and for the health of the Ethiopian adoption program.
You can read the State Departments statement here:
(be sure to scroll down to see it)

This Friday is Ethiopian Christmas!

This is an explanation of Ethiopian Christmas that I found online:Ye Ganna Baal – Ethiopian Christmas A common way to refer to the Christmas holiday is "ye ganna baal". The word Ganna is used interchangeably with the word Christmas to mean the birth of Christ (leddat). Ethiopia is one of the oldest nations in Africa. It still follows the ancient Julian calendar, so Ethiopians celebrate Christmas on January 7. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's celebration of Christ's birth is called Ganna. It is a day when families attend church.
The day before Ganna, people fast all day. The next morning at dawn, everyone dresses in white. Most Ethiopians don a traditional shamma, a thin, white cotton wrap with brightly colored stripes across the ends. The shamma is worn somewhat like a toga. Urban Ethiopians might put on white Western garb. Then everyone goes to the early mass at four o'clock in the morning. In a celebration that takes place several days later, the priests will dress in turbans and red and white robes as they carry beautifully embroidered fringed umbrellas. Most Ethiopians who live outside the modern capital city, Addis Ababa, live in round mud-plastered houses with
cone-shaped roofs of thatched straw. In areas where stone is plentiful, the houses may be rectangular stone houses. The churches in Ethiopia echo the shape of the houses. In many parts of the country there are ancient churches carved out of solid volcanic rock. Modern churches are built in three concentric circles. In a modern church, the choir assembles in the outer circle. Each person entering the church is given a candle. The congregation walks around the church three times in a solemn procession, holding the flickering candles. Then they gather in the second circle to stand throughout the long mass, with the men and boys separated from the women and girls. The center circle is the holiest space in the church, where the priest serves Holy Communion. Around the time of Ganna, the men and boys play a game that is also called ganna. It is somewhat like hockey, played with a curved stick and a round wooden ball. The foods enjoyed during the Christmas season include wat, a thick, spicy stew of meat, vegetables, and sometimes eggs as well. The wat is served from a beautifully decorated watertight basket onto a "plate" of injera, which is flat sourdough bread. Pieces of injera are used as an edible spoon to scoop up the wat. Twelve days after Ganna, on January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat, which commemorates the baptism of Christ. The children walk to church services in a procession. They wear the crowns and robes of the church youth groups they belong to. The grown-ups wear the shamma. The priests will now wear their red and white robes and carry embroidered fringed umbrellas. The music of Ethiopian instruments makes the Timkat procession a very festive event. The sistrum is a percussion instrument with tinkling metal disks. A long, T-shaped prayer
©2006 Publications International, Ltd. On January 19, Ethiopians begin the three-day celebration called Timkat.
stick called a makamiya taps out the walking beat and also serves as a support for the priest during the long church service that follows. Church officials called dabtaras study hard to learn the musical chants, melekets, for the ceremony. Ethiopian men play another sport called yeferas guks. They ride on horseback and throw ceremonial lances at each other. Ganna and Timkat are not occasions for giving gifts in Ethiopia. If a child receives any gift at all, it is usually a small gift of clothing. Religious observances, feasting, and games are the focus of the season.

Amharic Kids

I just found a GREAT new website! It has all sorts of products from and about Ethiopia. Check it out!