Dabo Kolo

Today, for the first time, we tried an Ethiopian recipe. Dabo Kolo is a crunchy, spicy snack that is popular in Ethiopia. They look something like peanuts, and they are served like peanuts: as a snack, between meals, with drinks, and are available from street vendors and small shops. We thought they were pretty darn good.

Here is the recipe if you want to try it out:

2 cups wheat flour
1 tablespoon berbere (can substitute cayenne pepper or red pepper)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
4 tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 F. Combine dry ingredients in mixing bowl. Slowly add the water and mix as to form a thick paste. Remove from bowl and knead it on a lightly-floured surface 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 10 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, each piece no longer than the width of your finger. Heat an ungreased skillet over medium heat. Place enough of the uncooked dabo kalo in the skillet to loosely cover the bottom. Cook over medium heat, stirring periodically, until they are lightly browned on all sides OR arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes shaking the pan a few times to prevent sticking. (We preferred the oven baked method.)

Safari

We are only a few weeks from closing on our house in St. Louis . . . which means that soon I can start decorating our baby's room! We have decided that an African Safari theme would be fun and would also be gender-neutral since we don't know if we will have a boy or girl. It is also a theme that works for any age since we could get an infant or a toddler.

So far, we have a crib that will convert to a toddler bed and have picked up a few "safari" theme items. This giraffe seat/coatrack is my favorite! I put it together last week.

If anyone has good ideas for our African Safari room, then send them my way!

Whatever it takes. . .

Whatever it takes…

I’ve said that phrase so many times during this process. Whatever it takes to make this adoption happen, I’m willing to do. I truly mean that. If we have to travel two times to Ethiopia or ten times, we will do whatever it takes. As luck would have it, one of my favorite bands Pillar has a song on their new album titled, “Whatever it Takes.” As anyone who knows me would guess, I have made this my unofficial theme song for the adoption process (it’s not mushy enough for me to get Dana to make it our official song). I was listening to the words again today:

“Whatever it takes to get to you, whatever it takes to break through, whatever it takes you are my reason, for everything I do. Whatever it takes.”

I think it’s crazy to think that we love our future child so much that we would do anything for them-even though we have never seen or met him/her (or them). Then it hit me that God has that crazy type of love for us. Romans 5:8 says that “God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God gave his only Son Jesus to die for my sins. Jesus paid the penalty for my sins on the cross thousands of years before I was even born! That is an amazing kind of love. As we continue to struggle through this process I’m trying to see the struggle as a small (very small) example of the kind of love God has for us and his relentless pursuit of us, His children.