A Sweet Holiday Tradition

It seems that not only is this recipe a holiday tradition for my family, but publishing it on my blog is also a tradition. This is the third year I'm posting it but it is truly that good that it should be repeated annually. Only three ingredients and so simple and so delicious!

This year the boys were old enough to really help...in fact they almost made this all by themselves. And that is pretty sweet!

Ingredients:
clementines
semi-sweet chocolate chips
sweetened shredded coconut

• Peel and section clementines
• In a glass bowl (shallow is better so you can get your hand in), melt chocolate chips in the microwave in 30 second intervals (to ensure it doesn't burn) and stir
• Dip each clementine section in the melted chocolate and then in the coconut
• Put the pieces on wax paper int he fridge to set

Hope your family enjoys these as much as mine does...enjoy!

Adventures in Ethiopian Cooking...

Scott and I were required to bring an Ethiopian dish to our international adoption class' potluck. Though I am a lousy cook and have never made Ethiopian food before what concerned me most about this request was the fact that there were not one, but two, Ethiopian women in my class. So, I have to make Ethiopian food for Ethiopians?!?!?!?!

After looking over some recipes, I decided to try and make dabo kolo, a small bread type snack. It appealed to me as it only required one exotic ingredient and looked like something the whole family, Jack and Logan included, could make together.

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients
2 cups wheat flour
2 tablespoons berbere*
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons butter, softened (room temperature)

• In a clean mixing bowl, combine and mix dry ingredients (flour, berberé, sugar, and salt).

• Slowly add the water and mix so as to form a thick paste. Remove the mixture from the bowl and knead it on a lightly-floured surface for a few minutes to form a thick dough. Add the softened butter and knead for an additional five minutes. Let the dough rest in a cool place for ten minutes.

• Divide the dough into handful-size pieces and roll these into long "pencils" not quite as thick as your small finger. Cut these rolls into pieces (scissors can be used), each piece no longer than the width of your finger. (Jack and Logan loved helping for this part.)



• Heat an ungreased skillet over a medium heat. Place enough of the uncooked dabo kolo in the skillet to loosely cover the bottom. (They may have to be cooked in batches.) Cook over medium heat, stirring periodically, until they are lightly browned on all sides, -- OR -- Arrange on a baking sheet. Bake in a hot oven (350 degrees) for twenty to thirty minutes, stirring or shaking the pan a few times to prevent sticking.
• When done, remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Store in dry air-tight containers.

* Berbere is a collection of finely ground spices including hot cayenne pepper, garlic, sweet paprika, ginger and cloves. I bought mine at a local Ethiopian merkato (market) but you can substitute cayenne pepper if you don't happen to have berbere in the spice pantry.

(This recipe is from Recipe Zaar.)

Luckily, when I was at the merkato buying berbere I bought some pre-made dabo kolo. We had never had it before so it was our control subject. The store bought varieties were very crunchy. Unfortunately, the ones we made were hard on the outside but a bit doughy in the middle. Next time we will try making them a lot skinnier.

We were told by one of the Ethiopian women in our class that she makes them without berbere and much much smaller. Knowing how Scott likes to experiment in the kitchen, I'm guessing there are some cinnamon dabo kolo in my future.

My Darlin' Clementine

"Oh, my darlin'! Oh, my darlin'! Oh, my darlin' Clementine!"

Last year I inadvertently started a holiday tradition...a really yummy holiday tradition! And it was just too yummy to not repeat this year.

Here is a simple and easy recipe for chocolate and coconut dipped clementines. Make sure to get the kids involved...peeling and dipping and whatnot.

Ingredients:

clementines (sometimes referred to as an Algerian or seedless tangerine)

semi-sweet chocolate chips

sweetened shredded coconut

• Peel and section the clementines
• Fill a glass dish with chocolate chips and microwave in 30 second intervals (to ensure it doesn't burn) and stir
• Dip each clementine section in the melted chocolate and then in a bowl of shaved coconut
• Put the pieces on wax paper in the fridge to set

See, simple and yummy and fun for the whole family.

Christmas Tour of Homes 2008

Welcome! Come on in and make yourself at home. Grab a drink...there's no need to use a coaster. Go ahead and put your feet on the coffee table. We're casual here.

Here is our tree. Notice the breakable ornaments on top and the soft ones at the bottom. We have two young boys...enough said.



We keep Christmas-themed kids books on the table. The red box has our Santa photos from previous Christmases.

Yes, that ridiculously long thing is our advent calendar. I kind-of sort-of made it.

Can I offer you a chocolate and coconut covered clementine? They are pretty scrumptious if I do say so myself.

Oh, sure. I don't mind sharing the recipe. It's a bit time intensive (to peel all the clementines) but it's easy.
You'll need to peel and section a couple of clementines (sometimes referred to as an Algerian or seedless tangerine). Melt some semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave. Just nuke it for 15 seconds at a time (to ensure it doesn't burn) and stir. Dip each clementine section in the melted chocolate and then in a bowl of shaved coconut. Put the pieces on wax paper in the fridge to dry.

Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to come by any time.
Happy holidays!