a surprise Ethiopian lunch

Today Eneye, Zalalem and Teklu surprised us by preparing a traditional Ethiopian meal complete with a coffee ceremony for lunch.  Justin and I were so touched.  Teklu brought in a traditional grass to decorate the ground where the coffee is roasted.  Eneye made popcorn which traditionally accompanies the coffee.  For lunch we had injera, rosemary beef tibs and siga wat.  Eneye is a very good cook.  She's taught me a few dishes and I've made them but she generally doesn't cook for us.  When she does, it's a treat.

We all sat outside and ate and when the meal was finished the real fun started.  An Ethiopian coffee ceremony is a production.  They revel in the process.  The coals are heated, incense is burned, coffee beans are roasted slowly over the fire.  They are cooled and then hand ground with something like a mortar and pestal.  Water is heated in a clay pot over the coals and the freshly roasted and ground coffee is added.  The coffee boils and percolates.  Then the pot is allowed to sit and rest so the fine grounds sink to bottom.  It's served in tiny little cups with lots of sugar.  It's strong and always has a thickness to it.  It's really wonderful and uniquely Ethiopian.  Eneye performs the coffee ceremony every evening at her house.

We've had such a great time getting to know our Ethiopian family members over our time here.  They've become apart of the daily fabric of our lives.  Through Amharic and English (Justin speaking and translating the Amharic for me, we chatted about how much the girls have grown since we moved here and how fast it has all happened.

We laughed about George and how he's become a spoiled American dog.  He waited patiently by the plate of popcorn waiting for us to share with him and then stealing our chairs and curling up the minute any of us would stand up.  We learned that Zalalem takes his coffee like Bella, with heaping teaspoons of sugar.  Teklu jokes with him that he and Lucy are the same in that they are always napping.  Eneye worked away at the coffee, waving a little piece of cardboard at the coals to keep them hot.  It was such a nice experience to sit and watch it happen in all it's methodical slowness.  I asked her a few times how she knew that it's been percolating long enough, or how long to let it sit and rest.  She sort of shrugged her shoulders because it's not something she times, the coffee ceremony process is ingrained in her because she's been doing it for her entire life.  She just knows when it's ready.  Zalalem calls it a "wise guess".

You drink Ethiopian coffee a small cup with a saucer and then wait for the next pot of coffee to boil, we did this for about three rounds of coffee.  All told, the ceremony took almost two hours.

Justin and I were so touched that they cared enough to give us this gift.  We will miss them very much.

Highlights of Ethiopia

Addie getting her hands washed in the traditional way before a meal at Four Sisters in Gonder

People are surprised when I tell them that I've enjoyed living in Ethiopia more than I enjoyed living in the Philippines.  And really, it's one of those statements that requires tons of explanation.  I loved Manila, I really did and I really didn't appreciate how awesome it is until we had left.  But you have to remember folks, the entire 3 years we lived in Manila, I was nursing, pregnant and mothering babies.  That's a hard job no matter where you live.  I was exhausted all the time! We didn't get to explore the Philippines as much as we've been able to explore Ethiopia.  Simply because our family life in Manila revolved around parenthood to little ones.  That's not to say that we didn't get to Boracay and Cebu and other amazing spots in the Philippines.  We traveled plenty but maybe I was mentally focused more on the children.  Maybe that sleep deprived fog took over a lot of the time.

Rainy season at Selam's Children's Village

The funny thing is that we arrived in Ethiopia with a very tiny infant and two toddlers.  Possibly, the issue is that in the Philippines I was a new mother and still more cautious.  When we arrived in Ethiopia, I felt more confidant and ready to explore.  For whatever reason, the exploration of Ethiopia has been less intimidating to me and a bit easier.  So we had some pretty great family trips in Ethiopia.  We've seen some amazing things and experienced Ethiopian culture in a way that we never experienced the culture of the Philippines.

Giving a soccer ball to a little boy at Bethel Women's Center

I've been doing a lot of reflection and comparisons lately of our past posts and in a way it's hard to compare Manila with Addis Ababa. But I compare anyway, I think it's something humans like to do.  We measure things up and think about our future experiences in reference to our past experiences.

The priest at Debre Brihan in Gonder

Silver Ethiopian crosses.  

Anyway, seeing as this post was intended to be a simple list of highlights from Ethiopia, I better get on with it.

The painted ceiling at Debre Brihan

1. Gheralta
We visited Gheralta Lodge twice and it was amazing both times.  Very peaceful and lovely with some of the best accommodations.  Having friends take us to Gheralta only a month after our arrival in Ethiopia was the best thing they could have done.  It immediately showed us that the best of this country is to be seen outside of Addis Ababa.  It also alleviated all my fears of traveling here with small kids.  Once we did it that once, it opened the doors and ignited an excitement in me to see the rest of the country.  The second trip to Gheralta was with friends and we were the old experienced Addis people.  Funny how that works.

Ashlynn at about 4 months old in Gheralta, Right before bed!

Hike to the church in Gheralta

The view from Gheralta Lodge in Mekele

The priest at the church in Mekele

2. Gonder
Also a destination we saw twice.  Spectacular after rainy season and a different sort of beauty during the dry season.

3. Lalibela Hudad
Hard to describe how epic this trip was for us.  The four hour donkey ride/hike up to the plateau, camping in huts at the top of a mountain, fresh slaughtered goat for dinner.  The most authentic Ethiopian experience we had.  Definitely the most adventurous. We had a donkey carry our pack-n-play as well as another suitcase up the mountain for Ashlynn!  HA!

Our accommodations at the top of the plateau

Bella on her donkey for the hike to Hudad

4. Lalibela
Seeing the ancient rock hewn churches was one of the most spectacular things I've seen in my life.  It was like walking through living history.  I highly recommend going at Ethiopian Christmas.

Lalibela

5. Wolliso and Negash Lodge
My favorite road trip with our family.  Great lodging and a great hike to see Wenchi crater.

6. Mombasa, Kenya
We spent Thanksgiving 2012 with friends in Mombasa.  We rented an entire home for a week and enjoyed the beach.

7. Cape Town, South Africa
This almost month long trip took us everywhere in Cape Town and will likely go down in our family history as the very best vacation we've ever taken.

7. Paris, France
This was my first single trip without my family and away from my children.  Paris is amazing for many reasons but this trip was spectacular because I met my friend Sunny there for the ultimate girls weekend.

I've stated in an older post just what Ethiopia has meant to me as a creative person.  My love for this country stems from my personal success and growth I've experienced here.  I was really truly happy in Ethiopia.

Our friends here have made this post unforgettable.  I love that the friends you make don't ever get left behind.  You can carry friendships from place to place and goodbye is really never final.  We almost always end up saying "see you later" instead.  I don't like goodbyes and I'm not very good at them.  I don't like being the center of attention with people getting emotional (me included) about the experiences we've had together.  In a lot of ways I'd rather quietly slip away without making a fuss.  The fact is we live a life of transition and change. People coming in and out of our lives is a huge part of it.  We're used to it and so are our friends but as much as you can be accustomed to it, it can still be hard.

Entoto moss

deconstructed eggplant parmesan

Hell might be freezing over folks.  I can't get myself pumped about making dinner these days.  I know it stems from the stress of moving and the supplies in my kitchen are dwindling.   The last few weeks at post require creativity to put together meals that don't require purchasing new or exotic ingredients.  It's at this time you have to just start cooking whatever is in the fridge and cupboards.  I'm going to share with you a super easy recipe that took so little time and so few ingredients.  Both requirements for me right now.

My sweet friend Emily and I share a love for cooking and food.  She's a mom to a son with allergies and just a healthy eater in general.  She introduced me to Vegan with a Vengeance months back and I was in love.  Then, for Mother's Day she surprised me with a copy of Isa Chandra Moskowtiz's gorgeous new cookbook, Isa Does It.  This cookbook is loaded with great vegan recipes and for those of us who aren't vegan, but just love the idea of cooking new and interesting things, I find this cookbook really inspiring.  The photos are amazing and Isa is hysterical.  A gal I'd love to be cooking and drinking with at home.

Most of the recipes in the book will have to wait until I can get settled into a new kitchen and stock it full of all sorts of fun ingredients required.  But her Eggplant and Breadcrumb Fettuccine recipe stuck out to me as the kind of meal anyone, and I mean anyone can throw together any night of the week.

I had to make all the components of this meal, like the tomato sauce and bread crumbs.  My quick homemade tomato sauce can be tossed together in minutes and I just let it simmer away.  It's so easy I won't ever buy jarred spaghetti sauce again.

Deconstructed eggplant parmesan (adapted just slightly from Eggplant and Breadcrumb Fettuccine)
Olive oil
2 medium eggplants peeled and sliced in 1/4 inch half moons or quarters
salt
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp cumin
pepper
1 lb bow tie pasta
tomato sauce homemade or jarred.

Make your sauce* and let it simmer.  Toast your bread and pound it into crumbs.  Then start on the eggplant.
Heat a large cast iron or nonstick pan on medium heat.  Add a drizzle of olive oil, Add eggplant and sprinkle with a generous amount of salt and another drizzle of olive oil.  Cook, flipping the eggplant here and there for about 15 min or until the slices are nice and soft and slightly browned in parts. I put a lid on for a few minutes to let the steam really cook the eggplant through.  Add a bit more oil and add the bread crumbs, cumin and a dash of pepper to the pan, stir to coat the eggplant. Cook for a few more minutes until the crumbs are browned a bit.  Turn off the heat and let the eggplant stay warm.

Cook your pasta as directed for al dente pasta.  Spoon some onto your plate, layer on the tomato sauce and then eggplant breadcrumb mixture.  If you're a cheater like me add a tiny bit of shredded parmesan and enjoy.  It's delicious and exactly the same flavors as eggplant parmesan minus all the fuss of frying and layering and baking.  Such a quick perfect meal.

* I used to be intimidated by the idea of making homemade tomato sauce.  As if it wasn't worth doing unless you had your great grandmother's prize winning recipe or something.  But making your own sauce doesn't have to be an all day affair and my recipe is quick enough that you can do it on any given day.  You could make a huge batch of this and freeze some OR you can make just enough for one dinner.  My disclaimer for this recipe is that I really don't measure anything out when I make my tomato sauces and I use what I have in the fridge or cupboard.  So I am approximating on these amounts BUT the great thing is you can't wreck the sauce, just taste as you go and add this and that to your taste.  Always error on the side of less salt in the beginning.  You can always add salt at the end if needed.  But there is nothing worse than realizing later on that it's too salty.  Then your stuck!

Sara's homemade quick tomato sauce.
3-4 medium to large ripe tomatoes cut in quarters
2 medium onions cut in quarters
4-6 large cloves of garlic peeled
olive oil
salt
1 can of plain tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes (choose one without any added sugar)
red pepper flakes
oregano
basil (fresh or dried)
vinegar (balsamic, red wine or cider)

The quickest way to throw together this recipe is with a food processor.  You can hand chop the tomatoes and onions if you like but I wiz mine in the processor so they are chopped finely and quickly.

Heat a dutch oven or pot over medium and add about 2 tbsp of olive oil.  In your food processor, add the onions and garlic and pulse until chopped.  Not until it's pulverized but just fine enough.  Add the onions to your hot olive oil.  Stir and add a large pinch of salt.  Turn the temp down just a tad. Add more olive oil if it starts to look dry. You don't want the onions to brown, let them saute for a few minutes.  Food process the tomatoes until nice and fine, there will be a lot of liquid.  Add them to your pot and let the mixture simmer, stirring frequently.   Put a lid on and let simmer 5-10 minutes or so.  Add the can of tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes.  You don't have to add this if you don't want to.  If you want to only use fresh tomatoes just add a few more large tomatoes during that first step.

Add a dash of pepper flakes, oregano and basil.  Then add about a tablespoon of vinegar and stir.  Add another large pinch of salt and turn the temp back to medium or a bit higher.  Let it get nice and bubbly and then put the lid on and turn it down to low.  Let it simmer for however long you can, and don't forget to stir here and there.  An hour is probably the minimum for the flavors to blend.  Sometimes I let it simmer all day.  If you want the sauce smoother you can use an emulsion blender to puree it.  But I like mine with identifiable bits of onion and tomato.  After it's been simmering for some time taste it.  Add salt or spices if needed.  When I have red or yellow peppers I like to roast them and throw them in the sauce too for a roasted red pepper flavor.