Homestudy Interview

Our homestudy interview with LSS is scheduled for November 18, 2009!

Next up: Second part of our CHSFS paperwork.

PRAISE BE TO GOD!

Doro Wat

Perhaps the best-known of all Ethiopian, or even African recipes, Doro Wat (Doro Watt, Doro Wot, Doro Wet, Doro We't, Dorowat) is a spicy chicken dish made with berberé and niter kibbeh (or nit'ir qibe, a spicy clarified butter). Berberé and niter kibbeh, basic ingredients in many Ethiopian recipes, are usually made in large quantities and kept on hand for some time. No doubt using berberé and niter kibbeh gives a special quality to Doro Wat. However, I am told that a very good result can be obtained by adding some easier to find ingredients from an American grocery store.

Our family loves this dish served over injera and yes, even the boys like it!

Ingredients:

1 lime, juiced (or lemon)

2 teaspoons salt

1 chicken (about 3 pounds), cleaned and cut into serving-size pieces, remove skin and score or pierce the meat with a knife to facilitate marinating, reserve wings, gizzard and neck for other use

2 (or more) red onions, finely chopped

4 tablespoons niter kebbeh or butter

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped or minced

1 piece fresh ginger root, cleaned, scraped, and chopped (about a teaspoon)

1/2 teaspoon fenugreek, ground

1/2 teaspoon cardamom, ground

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground

1/2 teaspoon berberé or 1 to 2 tablespoons of a combination of cayenne pepper and paprika (if berberé and niter kebbeh are not used)

1 small tomato, chopped or a few tablespoons tomato paste or tomato sauce (optional)

1 cup dry red wine, chicken stock or water

hard-boiled eggs (1 per person), pierced with a toothpick or the tine of a long fork.

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the lime juice, half the salt, and chicken pieces. Let chicken marinate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Cook the onions over medium heat for a few minutes in a dry (no oil) pot or dutch oven large enough to eventually hold all of the ingredients. Stir constantly to prevent them from browning or burning; remove the pot from the heat if necessary.

Add the niter kebbeh or butter to the onions, along with the garlic, ginger, fenugreek, cardamom, nutmeg, remaining salt, berberé (or cayenne pepper and paprika), and tomato. Stir and simmer for a few minutes until te onions are soft, tender, and translucent, but not browned.

Add the dry red wine, chicken stock or water. Bring the mixture to a low boil while stirring gently. Cook for a few minutes, then reduce heat.

Add the chicken pieces, making sure to cover them with the sauce. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes – or until the chicken is done – turning the chicken a few times.

After the chicken has been cooking for 20 minutes, gently add the hard-boiled eggs and ladle sauce over them.

Serve hot. The only traditional way to serve Doro Wat is with a spongy flat bread called injera, which can only be properly made with difficult-to-obtain teff flour. However the recipe found here can be made with whole wheat flour. While it's not the way Ethiopians would serve it, Doro Wat is very good with couscous, rice, or Middle-Eastern or Indian style flat bread.

Berbere

In Ethiopia, the preparation of berbere takes days — chilies are dried in the sun for three days, then ground in a mortar and pestle, mixed with ground spices, and set in the sun to dry again — and it is usually made in huge amounts.
Each Ethiopian family has its own recipe for this universal seasoning, with varying degrees of heat and spiciness. Traditionally, berbere is used to flavor Ethiopian stews, such as Doro Wat, but it also works well as a rub for meat.

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 1/2 cup ground dried Serrano chilies or other ground dried chilies
• 1/2 cup paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, preferably freshly ground
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Directions:

Finely grind the fenugreek seeds with a mortar and pestle (if you are strong enough) or in an electric spice or coffee grinder (like this weak girl does). Stir together with the remaining ingredients in a small bowl until well combined.

Hair care (in case I have girls)

This is something I never thought of...what if I have girls? How do I care for their hair? My friend, Cathy, has told me of the difficulties of it but what happens when I actually have to care for a girls hair (other than my own)?

Another mother pointed this out to me....just in case I have girls :)

Thought you all might benefit from this adoptive mom's tutorials, it was really
helpful to me.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Katelynylyn

"I originally made this channel to help other adoptive mothers who were trying
to navigate the waters of styling and caring for hair that was different from
their own. I am so happy that so far, many people, not just adoptive parents,
have found my videos to be helpful. I do not claim to have any expertise, just a
few years of trial and error. I love doing my girls hair and I hope to help
others enjoy it too!"

Timeline

A lot of people have been asking exactly what our timeline is. So I thought I would write on that today.

We have completed all the paperwork for our homestudy and will be scheduling the interviews the next few days. Our psych evaluations will be completed this Thursday and will take about one week to turn that paperwork in to LSS.

Once our homestudy is completed we will have to send out our dossier to CHSFS and then on to Ethiopia. Once our dossier is submitted (about one to four months from now) we will have to wait 12 to 18 months for a referral which depends on the ages of the children, gender preferences, medical conditions we are willing to accept, etc. Once we accept a referral, then we wait 3 to 5 months until we travel to Ethiopia for a 10 day stay.

It will be awhile yet, but well worth the wait!

Know the question...be the answer!

What a great campaign to raise awareness of such a horrible global crisis. Visit JCICS (Joint Counsil on International Children's Services and their campaign site, Be The Answer.

Tef

Tef (Eragrostis tef) – also known as Lovegrass – is a poppy seed-sized grain that comes in a variety of colors, from white and red to dark brown. It is able to withstand high heat and bright light and thrives even in unpredictable and difficult climates. Tef grows predominantly in Ethiopia and comprises the staple grain of the cuisine. Ground into flour, teff is used to make the traditional bread, injera. This flat bread – not as thick as a pancake but not as thin as a crepe – is slightly sour and nicely complements the exotic spices found in Ethiopian cuisine.

The word tef is thought to originate from the Amharic word teffa which means lost, due to the small size of the grain). Tef's history can be traced back thousands of years to the ancient civilizations of Abyssinia. This grain was also placed in the pyramids together with pharaohs as food for their last journey.

Tef Trivia:

• Eragrostis tef borrows its name from Greek, to mean "the grass of love" from eros (love) love, and agrostis (grass).
• Three thousand grains of tef weigh one gram.
• Tef is the smallest grain in the world. It takes about 150 teff seeds to equal the weight of a kernel of wheat!
• Teff is extremely high in fiber, iron, and calcium.

For some great tef recipes visit Purdue University or The Teff Company. For an easy and tasty injera recipe visit Cooking Light.com.

Prayer request

Please pray for a little Ethiopian boy named Elias who is ill and was taken to a hospital in Ethiopia. His soon-to-be forever family has not received much information on what is wrong. It could be the flu but they are not sure. Keep Elias, his family and the doctors in your prayers!