Week 9 1/2: Liberia

Tonight's dinner was a disappointment.  Yes, we enjoyed a couple of the dishes, but overall, just a disappointment.  And I had such hopes for our penultimate dinner!  I guess I should figure that out of 13 meals thus far, this had to happen at least once... and should feel good that this is the first time.  Still... I had such hopes!  Of course, I should count myself very lucky that Hurricane Irene didn't cause us to lose power while I was in the midst of cooking all this food.

Dinner:  Peanut Soup, Fufu, Sweet Potato Pone, Jollof Rice
Dessert:  Ricebread

Once I read this recipe and all the comments associated with it, I knew I had to make it.  I haven't used peanut butter for cooking in over ten years... the last thing being a peanut sauce for noodles that turned out disgusting.  If I have a bad experience cooking, I am prone not to want to repeat it.  For some reason I was swayed with this... a peanut soup with a kick of spice.  The soup was actually good... and all the littles finished off their bowls with the eldest asking for seconds.

African Peanut Soup

I really wanted to try the fufu once I read that the way to eat it is to tear a little piece off, roll it into a ball, and then make it into a little bowl to use to scoop up your soup.  My littles enjoy playing with their food anyway... and here's a food that is meant to be 'played' with at the dinner table!  In theory, it was perfect, both for the littles and a great way to try yuca!  Fufu is a sort of dough made from mashed yuca root and plantains.  The fufu turned out to be a disappointment.  First of all, not being familiar with the yuca root, I didn't know the tips to treat it properly... I didn't even know how to pick it out until I watched the lady next to me.  The recipe stated to peel and slice the yuca and then boil until soft.  I did exactly as the recipe stated and it came out lumpy and nearly impossible to mash.  For those of you who want to try it (because I really feel like it could be an interesting thing to try with young kids), follow the tips listed here, where it talks about removing the core and other helpful ideas.  I plan on trying out some of his ideas for leftover fufu.  I was right, though.  My littles LOVED playing with the fufu and making little balls.  Apparently when they can play with the food, they eat the food.  All the fufu was gone off of their plates.  As far as the taste... it was ok.  My guess is that it's supposed to have a very subtle flavor as to not overpower whatever is being scooped.

Fufu

The sweet potato pone was a last minute addition... only because it looked like it would be so scrumptious and simple.  And it still may prove to be... once I purchase the proper ingredients.  The recipe calls for molasses and we had molasses.  I didn't realize there were different types of molasses.  We had blackstrap molasses, which turned my sweet potato pudding into an impossible to eat mess.  I made all the littles take one bite... only one bite... and then watched as each one gagged while trying to swallow it.  My eldest, always trying to be my encouragement, told me that she really REALLY liked it.  I also saw the expression on her face as she ate each bite.  I didn't make her finish it... in fact, I threw the entire quantity that I made in the trash.  I do plan to make it again, though.  Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment.  I will buy the proper molasses this time.  I just really think it will be that good!

Sweet Potato Pone - the picture doesn't even make it look appetizing.

The jollof rice was quite tasty... and I think everyone agreed to that.  I guess maybe I should have just stopped after making the rice dish.  This is a very common dish for West Africa, each country putting their own twist on it.  The only thing that I did different from the recipe was omit the shrimp, which disappointed my eldest to an extreme.

Jollof Rice

The ricebread is a traditional Liberian bread, most often eaten as a dessert.  It tasted very similar to banana bread, which I had already assumed it would.  It had a slightly different texture and not quite as sweet.  The littles kept calling it cake and loved every bite.  I think for the husband and myself, the ricebread not really being a sweet treat after that disappointing meal ended up being just that much more of a disappointment.  Yes, it was good... and it will not be wasted, but I may have to make brownies tomorrow, just to even things out!  As an afternote:  I had some of the ricebread for breakfast, warmed with a small pat of butter and it was a perfect breakfast bread!  And somehow knowing this, makes the disappointment from last night just a little less.

Ricebread

Interesting Facts:
- Monrovia is the capital of Liberia, named after President Monroe.
- Liberia declared independence on July 26, 1847.
- More than 70% of Liberia's trade is shared with South Korea, Japan, Belgium and the US.
- Liberia serves as one of the biggest exporters of iron ore in Africa.
- The pygmy hippo is the national symbol of Liberia.
- English is Liberia's official language.
- Liberia means "land of the free" in Latin.
- Liberia was originally founded as a land for repatriated slaves.
- Liberia has more female leaders than Norway, Sweden and South Korea combined.
- Joseph Jenkins Roberts was the first Liberian president.  He was born in Virginia.
- Liberia is 43,000 square miles - slightly larger than Tennessee.
- The annual rainfall in Monrovia is 200 inches.
- Liberia borders Sierra Leone, the Guinea Republic and Ivory Coast.
- The population of Liberia is 3,195,931.
- Liberia has never participated in a FIFA World Cup and has never progressed further than Round 1 in the Africa Cup.

Week 9: Albania

One 'problem' I've discovered through this project is that sometimes it is really tough to narrow down the selection of wonderful new foods to just those dishes that I need for one dinner.  This week was one of those times.  Albania has a rather surprising selection of interesting dishes... more than I needed for my dinner... so I expanded and tried Albania a little early, just so that I could fit in one extra dish.  The fried meatballs (or Qofte të fërguara) were so good that I'll go ahead and include the recipe here as an extra.

Dinner:  Tarator, Salad, Byrek Mi Spinaq, Gjellë me Arra të Ellit, and Tavë Kosi
Dessert:  Halva
Extra:  Qofte të fërguara

Tarator, or cold Cucumber Soup, is a staple among that area of the world... from Greece, where it's called Tzatziki to Iran, where it's called Ab-Doogh-Khiar, to Bulgaria where again, it's called Tarator.  Simply, it's yogurt, garlic and cucumbers, though I added dill and ground walnuts.  It is perfect for a summer dinner.  Though the littlest did eat all of his, I'm not sure that I would say it was a hit with any of the littles.  The husband really liked it and for that I am grateful.

Tatator

Our book listed a spinach pie called "pieta" as Albania's most traditional dish.  I actually have been looking forward to our Albania dinner, because I imagined that pieta would be very similar to spanikopita.  And just thinking about spanikopita makes my mouth water just a little.  When I started researching Albania cuisine online, I had some difficulty finding an acceptable recipe for pieta... come to discover that the Albanian spinach pie is actually called "byrek".  All the littles claimed the byrek to be their favorite and with the eldest eating three helpings, I can't help but believe them.  How did it compare to spanikopita?  Well, the byrek had a much creamier spinach filling.  When asked which he preferred, the husband actually liked the byrek.

Byrek... or as we like to call it, Pieta

My slice

I read that Gjellë me Arra means dish with nuts and is traditionally made with veal or chicken and walnuts in Albania.  While Chicken with Walnuts may not be the national dish of Albania, it is the most typical dish.  It was a popular dish at the dinner table.  While some of the littles ate the chicken and left the walnuts, the eldest kept asking for more topping.

Gjellë me Arra

As I was putting together my menu, I started questioning the completeness of it.  When I asked the husband for input, he thought maybe adding a little lamb into the meal would be a good representation of the region... and of course, he's right.  It wasn't exactly what I was thinking, I was trying to come up with another vegetable dish!  Anyway, reading that the Tavë Kosi (or Lamb with Yogurt) is the national dish of Albania, I conceded and added it to the menu.  My extra vegetable dish that I was searching for?  Salad!  Both were well received.  The lamb and yogurt was the husband's favorite and the eldest's second favorite (after the byrek).  I didn't try it, but heard that the yogurt had a very nice flavor.  The salad with it's feta cheese and kalamata olives... who could resist?

Tavë Kosi

Cucumber and Tomato Salad

I can still remember the first time that I ever tried Halva.  It was back in the summer of 1996 when a friend of mine came back from a trip to Turkey, with souvenirs.  It was so different and yet, divine.  I looked for it anytime I was in an international store, but didn't get the opportunity to try it again until November of 2000, when the husband and I were in Turkey on vacation.  We bought a huge block of it and brought it home and then it was gone.  Eleven years later and I finally attempted to make it!  Ironically, it took me this long to look up a recipe and make it... and recently I've found that they sell it at my local international market!  Anyway... there are many different types of halvas.  The Turkish halva that we tried had a tahini (or sesame paste) base, while Albanian halva has a flour base.  And apparently the base makes all the difference!  The Albanian halva was stickier... really trying hard to come up with a good analogy... more like the consistency of peanut butter or really thick butter cream frosting with the grainy texture of cream of wheat.  I know... that doesn't sound very appetizing.  In fact, other than just being super sweet, it really didn't have much of a flavor, even after adding rose water and saffron.  As a comparison, the Turkish halva is more like the consistency of maple candy, but not even close to that sweet.  I absolutely prefer the Turkish halva.

Halva

We've been so lucky to be able to share these last few meals with friends. Though this time, our friends decided to share a little something with us... sticking with our theme.  We were surprised with a little Raki (in a not so little bottle)!  Raki is an anise-flavored spirit that is a popular apéritif in Albania and other Balkan countries.  When it is mixed with chilled water, it turns milky white and is commonly referred to as 'lion's milk'.  Let me assure you... it was terrible!  We all tried it and none of us could take more than a few sips before giving up.  But no matter how terrible the Raki was... it was an incredible experience that we were able to share with great friends!

A popular drink in Albania

Let's toast to Albania!

Interesting Facts:
- Albania borders Greece, Montenegro, Kosovo, and the Republic of Macedonia
- The language of Albania is Albanian
- Albania's capital, Tirana, is its largest city
- The Albanian currency is the Lek
- Albania is 27,898 square miles - about the size of Maryland
- The population of Albania is 3,155,271
- Albania gained independence in 1912, though it was not recognized by other countries until 1913.
- Albania was a part of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries.
- Albania is called "Republika e Shqiperia" in its native language
- The official motto of Albania is "the faith of Albanians is Albanism"
- Greeks make up 1.2% of the total population of Albania
- In Albania, nodding the head means no and shaking the head means yes
- Albania has never participated in the FIFA World Cup, however have continuously placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the Balkan Cup.

Week 8 1/2: Saudi Arabia

I didn't miscalculate, but here we are squeezing in the last four countries into the last two weeks of summer.  There were 10 weeks of summer, but I had the eldest choose 12 countries as a 'just-in-case'... just in case I felt like doing two countries in a week... just in case I couldn't find any good dishes for the chosen country... etc.  However... now I am on this compulsive track to finish our list.  It's definitely not a bad thing, it'll keep me busy now that we have all our back-to-school shopping completed.  Also for those of you actually keeping track... we will finish this project with 15 dinners:  Brazil, China and Morocco were unexpected.

So our extra dinner this week is Saudi Arabia, which was nice as it was a fairly easy meal to fix.  In researching the meals for both Saudi Arabia and Albania (which is our official meal this week), I came across a website for someone who is taking this idea to the extreme... he is fixing the national meal for each country on the globe!  I was so impressed that I wanted to include the link here.  For those of you following my little project and getting ideas of doing this on your own... you should definitely use this as a resource... recipes are included!!

Dinner:  Kabsa, Cauliflower with Cilantro and Jarjeer
Dessert:  Baklava

Kabsa is the national dish of Saudi Arabia... and can be made with all different kinds of meat.  I, of course, chose chicken.  For those of you who don't know me... I'm sure you've latched onto a running theme with my dinners.  The kabsa was definitely yummy, how could it not with cinnamon and cardamom?  I made the mistake of not taking out the whole cloves and cardamom pods prior to cooking the rice and then telling the kids not to eat them.  The middle little was so worried about finding something in his rice that he wouldn't even try it!  Once I eased his concerns and he realized there would be no dessert if he didn't eat, then he conceded and tried the rice.  Next thing I knew, he was delivering an empty plate... but had filled up and had no room for dessert... poor guy.  Needless to say, my middle little is sort of my barometer to measure the success of a dinner.  Even when it's a hit with everyone else, I always look to him to see how it "really" turned out.

In my rush to get things finished, I did forget to top the rice with raisins and almonds.

Kabsa with Chicken

I added the Cauliflower with Cilantro last minute... as I picked up a head of cauliflower and needed an interesting way to fix it.  I think I've worn my family out on roasted veggies.  This was perfect!  It had such a different flavor.  I didn't add in the red pepper... mainly because I didn't have any, but I ran out of time to find a decent substitute.  The littlest loved the cauliflower... it was the first thing gone from his plate... before I had even taken my first bite.

Cauliflower with Fresh Cilantro

Jarjeer is a simple salad with arugula and mushrooms.  It was good, but I think the onions overpowered the subtleness that the dressing offered.

Jarjeer

Delving into the middle east, I just HAD to choose baklava for a dessert.  And this is the perfect chance to prove to myself that I can make it.  It turned out that the hardest part of making the baklava, aside from dealing with phyllo dough, was shelling the pistachios.  I got the eldest to help me, and we both had sore (and salty) fingertips by the end.  And it was delicious!  I, literally, swooned at every bite.  Even now thinking about it makes me want a piece!

Baklava with Pistachios

Interesting Facts:
- Saudi Arabia is the largest country in the Middle East.
- Saudi Arabians do not raise cows.
- Riyadh is the capital and largest city in Saudi Arabia.
- Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy.
- Arabic is the official language of Saudi Arabia.
- ARAMCO, a Saudi Arabian company, is the world's largest oil producer.
- Saudi Arabia is one of the driest countries.
- The currency of Saudi Arabia is the riyal.
- The population of Saudi Arabia is 27,019,731.
- Saudi Arabia is 756,984 square miles - roughly one-fourth the size of the continental United States, and about the same size as all of Western Europe.
- Saudi Arabia has appeared four times in the FIFA World Cup (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006) with no victories.

Week 8: Costa Rica

Coming down from France, I was expecting to feel some relief at the simplistic nature of the Costa Rican cuisine.  I was actually surprised to find myself looking for ways to 'complicate' things... so I ended up adding an extra dessert.  From my reading I discovered that lunch is the Costa Rican meal of the day, consisting of a salad, gallo pinto, meat, and fried plantains.  So we are having lunch for dinner!

Dinner:  Ensalada Palmito, Platanos Maduros, Gallo Pinto, and Marinated Chicken
Dessert:  Cajeta De Coco and Pastel de Tres Leche

I was a little sneaky tonight.  The eldest was so interested in all the food, most especially the plantains and the hearts of palm.  The hearts of palm salad has a dressing with Dijon mustard in it... and I didn't tell her.  Not only did she eat all that I gave her, she raved about how much she liked it.  The littlest also really enjoyed the salad, but that's not so much of a surprise as he really just loves salad.

Ensalada Palmito

And then we come to the plantains.  I gave each of the littles one to try initially.  As curious as the eldest was about the plantains before I cooked them maybe equalled her enjoyment eating them.  She kept taking one more and then one more.  My guess... the fried plantains were her favorite of the night.  The other littles liked them, too, but not nearly as much as the eldest.  Thinking back, the husband and I had tried fried plantains once before, years and years ago, and didn't really care for them.  After eating them tonight, I'm trying to figure out how we could not have like them.  From my reading, I learned that there are two types of fried plantains:  ripe plantains (which are sweet) and green plantains (which are more of a snack to eat with refried beans).  I have to wonder which one we had.  I used the ripe plantains, thinking that the kids would like the sweetness... and they did. 

Platanos Maduros

Our reference book guided us to gallo pinto.  What I didn't realize was that residents of Costa Rica eat gallo pinto for any meal of the day.  A typical breakfast could consist of gallo pinto, eggs and a breakfast meat.  It's a simple rice and beans, but the Salsa Lizano gave it a very different and interesting flavor.  Apparently, the translation is literally "spotted rooster" which doesn't make sense as there is no rooster or any other type of meat in the dish.  I made a ton (I know... that seems to be a recurring theme with these dinners), but this time I don't mind as I'm actually looking forward to snacking on the leftovers.

Gallo Pinto

For the chicken, I just marinated it.  I found a recipe for a Costa Rican marinade, which ended up being perfect.  The chicken had a great flavor, with lime being the prominent.

Chicken

In fact, there wasn't anything about this dinner that I heard complaints about.  The littles ate pretty much all that they were given.  And I felt pretty lucky that it was such a successful dinner since we had a family join us for dinner that has never eaten with us before.  I have really enjoyed sharing these meals with friends.

And that brings us to the desserts.  First, the coconut fudge.  I don't know what I did wrong, but it would not form into balls like the recipe said it would, so I just dropped a small amount into each paper cup.  I think I may have made a mistake using the sweetened coconut, because it was VERY sweet.  It was also very rich... and VERY good.

Cajeta De Coco

And then the tres leche cake, or 'three milk' cake.  I've read some compare the flavor of this cake to ice cream, but I'm not sure that really fits.  Of course, I have no better description.  It was just so moist and decadent...mmm.

Pastel de Tres Leche

We are starting to wind down from this project, we only have a few countries left and two weeks before school starts.  I think I will be a little sad when this project officially comes to an end, but with soccer starting up, I'm sure my focus will be diverted.

Interesting Facts:
- Monkeys are one of the most common animals in Costa Rica.
- The capital of Costa Rica is San Jose.
- Costa Rica's currency is the colon.
- Costa Rica is spanish for "Rich Coast".
- Spanish is the official language of Costa Rica.
- Costa Ricans call speed bumps "dead persons".
- Costa Rica has only made 3 appearances in the World Cup, with no victories.
- Costa Rica declared independence from Spain on September 15, 1821. Spain did not recognize their independence until May 10, 1850.
- Costa Rica has a population of 4,075,261.
- Costa Rica is 19,730 square miles - approximately the size of West Virginia.

Week 7: France

Of all the countries that we are exploring this summer, this week's country is the only one that I've actually visited.  It was the summer of 1998 and a time in my life when a lot of my friends were backpacking through Europe.  I remember the desperation that I felt to go with them, but for whatever reasons back then, it didn't work out... until it did.  We spent two weeks exploring as much as we possibly could fit into that time and had some positively exhilarating moments and some absolutely horrendous moments.  Overall, it was truly a wonderful experience... our first travel outside of the US.  So many memories, tied so tidily into one little photo album... how is that even possible?  Here are a few pictures from that trip.

Catedral de Notre Dame

Sunset on the Seine

Tour Eiffel

The husband in Nice with a big bowl of Bouillabaisse

Me in Marseilles

And now back to the food.

We actually fit in two French meals this week!

Dinner1:  Boeuf Bourguignon with Boiled Potatoes, Salad Niçoise, and Crusty French Bread
Dessert1:  Soufflés Chauds au Citron

Dinner 2:  Coq au Vin, Ratatouille, Quiche, and Baguette
Dessert2:  Mousse au Chocolat

Dinner 1:
My husband, not being a vegetarian who only sometimes eats chicken, really wanted a dinner with beef.  He is also an over-the-shoulder Internet surfer.  So when he saw that I was looking for dinner recipes for France, he requested something with beef.  He even offered to help prepare it, so he settled on the beef stew for our Sunday meal.  The boeuf bourguignon is traditionally served with boiled potatoes... perfect!  I attempted to round it out a bit, with a salad nicoise (minus the tuna), and the lemon souffles for dessert.  Voila... a perfect French dinner!  However, I did not want this to be our project dinner for two reasons:  1)I couldn't partake of the beef stew and 2)the kid's weren't prepared with any of their facts or flags.  And, besides... there is a LOT to choose from when it comes to French cooking.  My guess is that we could have devoted an entire week to France with a different meal every night.  Wait... isn't that sort of the whole basis for the book 'Julie and Julia'?  Well, except she did a year... but I digress. 

Boeuf Bourguignon

 Salad Nicoise

Lemon Souffles

I didn't try the boeuf bourguignon, but I'm so glad that I have my husband and my eldest to cheer me on with these dinners.  If I relied on the reception from my middle little and my littlest, I would be a lot less likely to put in all this effort.  The salad nicoise was surprisingly better than I expected... and it was a full meal by itself.  I replaced the green beans with broccoli.  The souffles looked perfect coming out of the oven.  I made the mistake of cooking them ahead of time, when I should have cooked them right before we were ready to eat them.  So as perfect as they looked coming out of the oven, by the time we ate them, they were deflated... and I was too.  I didn't even get a picture of them looking all puffed and perfect!  But they were oh so tasty!

Dinner 2:
I chose Coq au Vin strictly to use up that gargantuan bottle of burgundy that we bought to make the boeuf bourguignon.  I was a little worried about making two dishes that were so similar, or at least had such similar ingredients.  Although after talking to a friend, I was reminded that the chicken gives it a much different flavor, and also the coq au vin is less of a stew and more of a chicken in wine sauce.  The eldest was insistent that this dinner include quiche and mousse.  And I had always wanted to try ratatouille.  In fact, I was wondering just the other day how it was that I never tried it while we were in France.  I think I concluded that I just didn't know what it was back then... and may not have been adventurous enough then to try it even if I had known what it was.  Anyway... that is how tonight's meal was formed.

Spinach Quiche

Ratatouille

Coq au Vin

Chocolate Mousse

Let me first just say that the quiche was perfect! It was my first time making the crust from scratch and it looked, smelled, tasted absolutely perfect. The quiche was the one thing that my middle little assured me that he'd eat (which I wasn't sure I believed since it did have spinach in it), but he was begging for seconds! The Gruyere was the secret ingredient, I'm sure of it! The ratatouille, although good, wasn't as 'special' as I was expecting, especially as time-consuming as it was to make. I think that may have been everyone's least favorite... looking at how much of it was left over. The coq au vin was really good. I was afraid it would have too much of a wine flavor, but it wasn't overpowering at all. The only thing that I would have changed, using boneless, skinless chicken cut up into pieces instead of a whole chicken. I thought it was a bit cumbersome to eat through all the sauce. Although, honestly, I could have done without the chicken altogether and just had the sauce on my noodles! And lastly, but most definitely not least, the mousse. I have never made mousse, or even tried it... so making it and having it actually turn out was a surprise. I have this idea that these delicacies are more complicated to make than they really are. Although, what was really funny is that the middle little was worried that he was going to have to eat moose covered in chocolate. Thankfully, no... and the real thing... oh... so... chocolatey delicious! And truly enough said.

I'd say that overall, this has been an incredibly successful visit to France, without the plane tickets. Of course, the husband and I have been reminiscing all week about our trip. It's been nice, but it's time to move on. Next week... Costa Rica.

Interesting Facts:
- The capital of France is Paris.
- Although French is the official language, 77 other languages are recognized in France.
- The French currency is the franc.
- 20% of France's land is outside of it's European borders (e.g. French Polynesia).
- La baguette means 'little stick'.
- The Eiffel Tower today has 2 restaurants, an observation deck, a post office, and elevators to the top.
- The Statue of Liberty was made in France.
- The population of France is 60,876,136.
- The area of France is 210,026 square miles - slightly less than twice the size of Colorado.
- France won the 1998 World Cup, came in 2nd in the 1986 World Cup, came in 3rd in 1958 and 1986, and 4th in 1982. France has participated in 13 times in the FIFA World Cup.
- France had a high scoring soccer match, beating Azerbaijan 10-0.
- In soccer, the top scorer is Thierry Henry, from France, who plays for the New York Red Bulls.

Week 6: Russia

We had friends over to enjoy our Russian feast, which helped elevate the mood.  It is so nice to share our experience with others, I don't know why we don't do it more.

Dinner:  Cold Borscht, Kasha Simenukha, Pirozhki, and Chicken with Prunes
Dessert:  Blini with Hot Fruit Compote

So to start, there was a question of what was on the menu, because my friend's 16-year old daughter was worried that Russian food would be "gross".  Now added to the list of 'will my kids eat this' was the concern 'will my friend's kids eat this'.  I was not going to let these worries interfere with the bit of excitement that I felt in preparing this meal.  No matter my mood, I am still loving the project and the preparation that goes into fixing each country's meal.  And as I grew up eating certain Russian staples, I knew that it would be good.  Really, I just need to take a deep breath and dive in!

Ok... I think I made enough food to feed four families, plus the enormous amount of kasha that was literally overflowing from the baking dish. 

Finding a traditional recipe for borscht (hot or cold) was incredibly difficult, as all the recipes that I came across were incredibly varied... not just slightly different. One website said "that there are as many 'real' recipes for borscht as there are grandmothers in Russia and Ukraine."  So I finally settled on one that I thought would be the most well received by my family and our guests.  It worked... the borscht was a hit with the adults and my littlest.  Even the day after when we were talking about the dinner, when asked what was their favorite dish, the littlest responded "porsh".  My guess is that the color, referred to by some as "the pink stuff", was a turnoff for my middle little.  I'm not sure if he even tried it. 

Borscht

I had high hopes for the kasha, as I am always on the lookout for an interesting new grain to add to the dinner table, but it was my least favorite new taste.  I really think it was the recipe I used, which of course was a more authentic way of preparation, but I feel like if I had cooked it in broth instead of water, that would have helped immensely. 

Kasha Simenukha

I chose to stuff the pirozhki with a cabbage filling, but I read that other traditional fillings are mashed potato or sour cherries. 

Pirozhki

The chicken with prunes was good, but nothing special.  I really liked the prunes with the chicken... they added a mild sweetness that was nice.  I know that my husband wasn't impressed, but the kids ate it up.

Chicken with Prunes

The blini was the obvious best... everyone LOVED the blini.  The blin is a Russian pancake that we topped with warm fruit compote and homemade whipped cream.  My kids had a blast helping make them, but that didn't come close to how much they enjoyed eating them.  And as much as my kids loved them... our guests' kids loved them even more.  As they left, each child clutching cold blini for the ride home.

Yum!

What I came away from this dinner was how similar and yet how different traditional Russian food is to my mom/great-grandma's Jewish food.  When I first set out to find the recipes for this dinner, I was sure that this was all stuff that I had growing up, but it's not... it's close, but definitely not the same.  The pirozhki are reminiscent of my mom's knishes, which she always stuffed with mashed potatoes and onions.  My mom used to make kasha varnishkes, which is the kasha mixed with a bowtie pasta.  I am actually going to try to use some of my mountain of leftover kasha to make this.  And... oh how I remember the blintzes that she would make as a special treat!  Blintzes and blini... so similar, with only the thickness of the later separating it from the former!  I remember fruit stuffed blintzes topped with sour cream and a sprinkle of sugar.  It was a rare treat... and sooo yummy.

Interesting Facts:
- Russia has 12 seas, 35 national parks, and 100 forest reserves.
- Russia is the largest country in the world.
- The Russian alphabet is a Cyrillic alphabet with 33 letters.
- There is the closest point between Russia and USA that is only 4 km long.
- Russia borders North Korea, Mongolia, China, Finland and Norway.
- The Ural Mountains in Russia are the oldest mountains in the world.
- Lake Baikal is the world's deepest lake and the largest fresh water reservoir on Earth.
- Russia is a federation of 86 republics, provinces, territories, and districts all controlled by the government in Moscow.
- Moscow is the capital of Russia.
- Russia was the first country to launch a man into space.
- The population of Russia is 142,893,540.
- Russia is 6,592,800 square miles - 1.75 times the size of the US.
- The people of Russia speak Russian.
- The Russian coin is the ruble.
- Oymyakon in Russia is the coldest city on Earth. It's nickname: "Pole of Cold", with a recorded temperature of -96F.
- Russia came in 4th in the 1966 FIFA World Cup.  Russia has participated in the FIFA World Cup 9 times (1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 2002).

Week 5 1/2: Morocco

I find myself suddenly in one of those typical situations where I'm feeling both the good and the bad and can't settle on one or the other. Last week, I wrote of the immense pride that this project has brought me. This week, I'm feeling the immense weight of being grounded. This project has opened wide my desire to travel, my wanderlust, at the worst possible time. Especially, as I hear about the travels and adventures of others. I started this project as a way to experience the world from the comfort of our own home, but I'm not feeling comfortable... I'm feeling restless. Of course, I realize that by putting this down on record, it has the possibility to take away some of what exactly I'm doing, but I really hope not.

Inspired by the spontaneous purchase of an eggplant, I decided to stop for an impromptu night in Morocco.  I also thought that diving into another cooking endeavor would help my mood.  It totally worked... what also helped was the last minute hunt for the necessary ingredients.  Tonight's dinner required the ever elusive orange blossom water, which isn't carried by any of the stores that I frequent.  Thanks to a tip from a friend and my knight's brief jaunt down to a Mediterranean store, dinner was ready!

Dinner:  Moroccan Vegetable Stew with Couscous and Cabbage Salad
Dessert:  Rice Pudding

Initially, I was concerned how a cabbage salad would go over with the littles, until the eldest started sneaking the cut up cabbage right off the cutting board.  Add to that apples, raisins, and cinnamon... and the littles ate it up!  The middle little was the funniest.  At dinner, he was so fixated on how everything looked that when I finally asked him if he had tasted it, it seemed almost like an afterthought.  He finally tasted it... and then it was gone.

Cabbage Salad

I have made a similar stew in the past, which is why the eggplant inspired me toward Morocco.  Of course, it was great... how could it not be with all those lovely vegetables and spices?  Only the middle little had issue with the contents... "but it has mushrooms in it" and "is that zucchini" and the ever-present "but it doesn't LOOK good". 

Moroccan Stew with Couscous

This was my first time making rice pudding and I love rice pudding!  It doesn't make sense that I wouldn't have tried making something that I know I like before now.  Instead of rationalizing it, I'll just add one more notch to the benefits of this whole project.  So easy to make... and it tastes divine.  I made it according to the traditional Moroccan flavor by adding the orange blossom water, but can see how it can easily be more versatile with just almond or vanilla extract.

Rice Pudding

Interesting Facts:
-  The capital of Morocco is Rabat.
-  Morocco is the 12th richest country in the world.
-  Moroccans eat prickly pears and avocado milkshakes.
-  Morocco's official name is "Kingdom of Morocco".
-  The shrine of Sidi Vahya in Morocco is said to be the tomb of John the Baptist.
-  Morocco's money is the dirham.
-  Morocco went to the World Cup in 1970, 1986, and 1998.  They made it to the 2nd round only in 1989.
-  The population of Morocco is 33,241,259.
-  Morocco is 172,317 square miles - slightly larger than California.
-  The languages spoken in Morocco is Arabic, Berber, and French.