Friday, June 8, 2012

Here's What Love Looks Like!

These are some of our first letters from the kids!  Together Rock and I had goose bumps and tears as we read their messages!  They even love and miss the dogs!
Enjoy!
Pam & Rock


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Many of you have asked....

Many of you have asked how dinner went....I must admit my first attempts at Ethiopian bread were a flop!!  But I recovered with making a mild chicken stew & doro wot (a hotter chicken dish).  I am having so much fun!

If you want to learn more...read on!
Dining in Ethiopia is characterized by the ritual of breaking "injera" and sharing food from a common plate, signifying the bonds of loyalty and friendship. The traditional way of eating is with fingers. "Injera" is placed on the plate with variety of dishes decoratively arranged around it. A small portion of "Injera" is torn off and wrapped around a mouthful of the selected dish.
"Injera", our staple bread, is a flat bread made of "Teff", a fine grain unique to Ethiopia. "Wot" is dipping sauce which maybe prepared using a variety of meats, fish, and vegetables. "Wot" is cooked with "Berbere" (Ethiopian seasoning prepared from matured red chili pepper and other exotic spices) which may range from very mild to spicy hot. "Alitcha" is more mildly spiced dipping sauce prepared with a variety of meats or vegetables.
Ethiopian dishes are prepared with a distinctive variety of unique spices for an unforgettably striking dimension to exotic cookery. To help you make the best of choice for this truly different and exciting dinning experience we offer the following descriptions:
Berbere : A popular Ethiopian seasoning prepared from red chili peppers, garlic, & other spice. Berbere is sun-dried then mixed with more spices & used in wots.
Nitir Kibe : Another Ethiopian basic, Nitir Kibe is pure clarified butter seasoned with several condiments and used in traditional sauteing.
Kaey Wot : A lively sauce prepared with berbere, nitir kibe & meat, fish or legumes.
Alitcha : A delicately mild sauce made from meat, legumes or beans with garlic, ginger and Ird.
Mitmita : Bird's eye red pepper spiced with cardamom & salt, usually served with Kitfo.