Yes, you know this dish, and you will love it while celebrating Papua New Guinea. There is the caution, that this food is from the restaurants of the capital, not the kitchens of the rural.
The shrimp are breaded in a combination of flour and coconut flakes. When cooked well, the shrimp are still light and beautifully pink. I am blessed to have Ben as my fry-cook; he takes care of the messiness that deep-frying entails. We use a wok because less oil is needed. Also, keep your oven warm because it takes awhile to cook them all, but after all that work you deserve to eat them at their best.
Jakob was the lone hold-out. Sometimes it feel like pushing him off a cliff to get him to try something he believes he won’t like. I have learned that it helps for me to work with him on his own, to give him a set limit for what he must eat, but there are times when getting the first bite past his lips feel like more work than it is worth. I won’t cry over this. I will focus on the fact that David (with some unconventional use of ketchup) happily ate all of his. Sam rejected shrimp at a young age, and I didn’t blink twice before his was gone. Looking forward, looking back, knowing that change will come.
Is it foolish to cook the same dish twice when the first cooking was not well received? This time, it wasn’t. Maybe the mood was off when we first tried it, because I clearly remembered that even Ben was underwhelmed. This time, everyone found something to like. I wonder if coconut will be like water by the time we finish the islands. I’m not sure, but I do know that I am finding surprising uses and tastes within this one ingredient.
Tapioca Cheating
A stretch to say the least.
When we ate from Papua New Guinea the first time, I made a dessert using tapioca and banana. It was firmer than jello, but not as sweet. You can imagine from the colors of the two ingredients, it was not a delight for the eyes. Also, due to its thickness, one could only eat a few bites before becoming full.
Those tapioca pearls in my pantry, so I decided to use them for something that I knew I would truly enjoy. This time, I used lactose free milk for Ben and garnished the bowls with fresh raspberries from our garden.
David found his own little slice of paradise in the mountains of West Virginia. We commonly think of islands as slices of the ideal. The Solomon Islands are a collection of over 900 islands, but during WWII they were far from a paradise. In school, they call the tactic “Island Hopping”. It sounds quite fun and does nothing to intimate the bloody campaign fought throughout the Pacific. If you have not heard of the Solomon Islands, you may have heard of The Battle of Guadalcanal; it was fought on the island that is also home to the capital. The battle lasted six months, but the Islanders are still feeling the effects today due to unexploded ordinances.
The beauty of this plate is magnificent. It feels very lush and colorful, much like the island nation from which it comes. Chicken usually pulls color out of dinner, but all of the sides do more than their part to compensate. The mellowness of the coconut milk worked perfectly for the chicken. The green onions gave the perfect freshness and crunch. I was once told that the greater the variety of color on the plate, the more healthful it will be.
The original recipe calls for mashed sweet potatoes, but I ran out of time. If you are going to cook plantains, a couple of quick words: Always wait until they are fully yellow with a generous amount of brown spots. Slice through the skin of the fruit for easier peeling. Use a non-stick surface when frying lightly in oil. Heartier than a banana, these will become a favorite if you can find them in your store.
Papayas
The sunset fruit
In my imagination, I love papayas. They are brighter than pumpkins and are filled with magical little pearls. Unlike a butternut squash, you can slice through it quite easily. Its size also means that you can be generous. I tried using a papaya recipe in the hopes that my past experiences were the result of bad fruit.
Sunrise International Market in Columbus is where I go to get my specialty produce. I found a papaya that looked big enough for the whole family, but when I began to prep the fruit, I knew that I would not be enjoying it.
A long time ago, I heard on Iron Chef, that papayas are great with meat because they have enzymes that break down the meat to make it tender. Do you know what else contains those enzymes, your stomach. To me, papayas taste like vomit. Ben knows of this and feels similarly to me. I kept my silence and let the boys form their own opinions. Only Jakob said that the papayas were yummy; Sam was disgusted later when I told him what they remind me of. It truly made me sad to see of that beauty scraped into the trash.
If you enjoy them, my sincere apologies for this write-up.
I did not expect to find resources on Vanuatu, but a quick search on Amazon Prime came up with several. I was drawn to this program because the title conveys a sense of awe that is important when viewing a culture radically different from our own. As a collection of 84 islands in the Pacific, Vanuatu does not make the cultural impact on the western world that Australia does. Yet, as I watched The Wonder List, I found myself engaged on an imaginative level that surprised me.
What do you need to have a good life? People in remote Vanuatu wear little, eat simply, and are educated according to their religious tenets. I am so used to judging, rating, ranking, that observing their life style gave me pause. Can relentless acquisition (even of knowledge) satisfy? Living where I do, would I be happier with a radically simpler life? In short, what is the point of all of THIS, and who has found a better path?
While camping on Vanuatu, the locals slept in hammocks. Ben is in West Virginia, not Vanuatu.
Sam was put off at several point by the attitude of guide. He felt Bill Weir was being disrespectful to the person he was sitting beside in an effort to connect with potential viewers. In some cases, I agree with Sam, but if you are willing to have conversations, it enriches the viewing experience. When Bill seemed to scoff at some of the locals’ religious beliefs, we talked about what our religion sounds like when explained badly. Due to the extreme isolation of Vanuatu, I highly encourage watching this show in order to shine a light on these people and see what the reflection reveals.
There are many recipes listed with this link, but I picked Banana Chicken out of curiosity. It really is a simple recipe. You layer your ingredients in a pot (bananas, pumpkin, chicken, green onions, pepper), season, and pour on a can of coconut milk. After 30 minutes of simmering, it was done.
At first, I thought that something was terribly wrong. Cooked bananas closely resemble un-cooked chicken tenders. We used poblano peppers from our garden since the recipe didn’t specify a type. We also substituted acorn squash, since it isn’t pumpkin season in Ohio. The results were mixed. I was a fan of the entire combination, but Ben skipped out on all of the bananas at the bottom. Jakob ate quite a bit of squash and chicken, while David was bribed with the promise of cake.
Once again, we find a simple recipe that highlights coconut. In fact coconut, eggs, sugar, butter, and self-raising flour are the only ingredients. The recipe I worked with was unsure how shredded coconut would work. I will tell you that it worked well. The flavor came through beautifully. With the high egg and sugar ratio, the texture was close to a pound cake. The baking temperature seemed low, but the time was long, and they were both correct.
Can you guess what was wrong? The pan size! Twenty centimeters converts to 7.9 inches, and you are told to use either a round pan or a square one. Hmmm. Back in Math class, you would have discovered that an 8 inch circle gives you an area of 50 square inches, but the area of an 8 x 8 square is 64 square inches. The difference matters.
I knew what I was in for, after all this cake uses 8 eggs. It has to expand while cooking. Sam saw how the batter was level with the top, and he warned me, too. I didn’t really care, because I knew that the cake that remained in the pan would be yummy. I wanted to see if I could be as laid back as the recipe implied.
Ben and I were more than happy with the serving of cake we cut off from the outside. Hint: If you would like a round cake, the area of a circle with an 9 in diameter is 63.6 square inches.
New Zealand gets left off world maps (sometimes in images from its own government), but we have visited three or four times in an attempt to launch these travels.
Like many of us in the 2020/2021 school year, I had no concept of how intense home-schooling would be. Having earned a teaching license, I thought life would be smooth sailing with my three students. Wrong. Even with Sam’s high level of independence, assisting a kindergartener, first grader, and seventh grader through three different curriculums took every neuron in my brain. Trip ended.
The 2021/2022 school year saw us return to in-school learning. Trepidatiously, we opened our doors, welcomed expertise, and looked forward to some mental freedom. But did I mention that Ben was still exiled in his dungeon office? After his company announced they would not return to the office full-time, we took the plunge and added onto the house. As our living space shrank down to our bedrooms, a bathroom and one very cramped living room, anything that could not be made in an Insta-pot fell off the menu. Trip two cancelled.
Kitchen on bottom and Office on top
Pictures show me that we ate from New Zealand on another week as well, but memory blurs, and I don’t know if it was another misadventure or a single night of remembering my dream.
In any case, I almost gave up, because we were supposed to be done by now. To continue in this public way is to display that I was not able to stick with my plans. Such is life. As I walk towards 40, I am beginning to think less about the opinions of others. This was a trip that was designed for my boys and to share my love of other cultures with them. That work is not done, and I am more proud of my efforts than I am of my successes.
Whale Rider
Please, watch this movie. If your children loved Moana, but have grown up a little: Watch this movie. There are some depictions of drinking and drug use, but they are done in a way that can start conversations, not spark interest. I watched this for the first time with Sam and fell in love. Like Roan Inish from Ireland, I could watch this movie once and year and not be bored.
It is the story of a young girl who is both loved and rejected by her grandfather for being female. It is a complex look at how damaging it can be to either live without traditions or to follow traditions to the letter. Give yourself time to tune your ear to their accents, or watch with subtitles. David and Jakob had many questions, concerns, and expectations for a happy ending. This is a movie you can pause and discuss. Sam felt like he understood it much better the second time around.
Practice does not always mean perfect, but in any state, these pies are delicious. The crust is puff pastry, and inside seasoned ground beef melds with cheddar cheese (see if you can find one from New Zealand or Australia). The blogs the recipe comes from says that you should try these even though they are normally purchased in a gas station. It gave me pause, but I’m glad I wasn’t a snob.
Just a few notes: The recipe encourages you to plan out how you will cut twelve 3″ circles and twelve 4″ circles from the four sheets of puff pastry. I didn’t do this the first time, I thought I was doing better the second, but on the third attempt I figured it out. Each sheet should be used for three 3″ circles and three 4″ circles. But fear not, I had to cobble together the scraps on the first two occasions, and nothing was ruined.
2021
You might wonder why I alluded to a lack of perfection if I finally cut the circles the right way on the third attempt. Do not over-fill these pies. The amount of filling is nearly perfect (much more so than the empanada filling)), so I packed it all in there. While yummy, each one burst it’s lid, and there was a mess of filling oozing all over my muffin tin. Not picture worthy.
Bonus: If you watch Whale Rider, you will see them eating these pies with peas and carrots in the dinner scene.
According to Ben, this candy tastes like roasted marshmallows without the mess. It is messy to make, worth the effort. First, order some golden syrup online. You will have enough for several batches, or you can challenge your creativity and find other recipes to finish this ingredient.
This is another fun moment if you have careful or older children. Candy burns are nothing to mess around with. If you think they might get too squirmy, follow your instincts. Like all candy making you dissolve the sugar, but baking soda get this party started. You can see how low the original mixture was in the pot. The baking soda caused it to foam almost to the brim. You want those air bubbles to stay in the candy, so pour gently. The result will be completely sweet, but lighter than normal hard candies.
Making Pavlova for New Zealand is a bit like deciding to make arepas for Venezuela or Colombia. You are bound to make the other one angry. Pavlova is also loved in Australia, and if you love it enough, make it for both.
In my opinion, a Pavlova will either be stunning or cloying depending on your choice of topping. As Americans, we are only used to sweetened whipped cream. Please hold off in this situation. Think of the Pavlova as a marshmallow (because the sweetness is that intense), whipping your own unsweetened cream is the only smart thing to do. Also, you will want some type of fruit that is acidic or tart. Like ballet, a Pavlova is all about balance, and when you get it right the clouds can’t compare.
I needed something new for our third trip, and it is not always smart for five people to eat an entire Pavlova. Enter: Honey Cake. Ben described it as banana bread, Kiwi-style. I understand what he means. The almonds in the batter make for a very dense cake. It the flavors were not as pronounced and I thought they would be. Hint: the recipe said the cake was scented, not flavored. It was still very enjoyable. Enjoyable enough to be eaten again for breakfast. There is my open secret: when the kids go to school, I love a sweet baked good in the silence.
When last we left our heroes, Ben was dangling from a cliff, and Jakob yelled, “Stay strong! I will back with help in a moment!”…
Not really. When we ended our European tour, there was no cliff-hanger and every expectation of working through the next continent with the new school year. For two years, it has not been possible, and in that time, many things have changed.
Sam had just finished 6th grade, had short hair, and I could still beat him when wrestling.
David finished kindergarten, discovered Sonic on the NES, and was about to discover Star Wars.
Jakob had yet to start reading, still talked with adorable baby mistakes, and needed me every moment of the day.
Ben was working in the basement between the dryer in the furnace. We were happier having him home, but he felt a bit like a banished troll.
I was just beginning to realize how precious and draining it was to be surrounded by the loves of my life 24/7. We were everything to each other, for a time, and that left me with precious little energy for creative pursuits.
David, Jakob, Luna (cousin), and Sam in the NEW kitchen.
Now, David is an encyclopedia of Star Wars information creates amazing sculptures using only paper and tape.
Jakob has blossomed into the best friend for each of his friends and has the best handwriting of any of the boys.
Sam grew his hair, took charge of his academics, and seems to be the friend/therapist that everyone needs.
How I love him.
Ben still works from home most days, but he now has a gorgeous home office with lots of natural light. We both have a kitchen to support all of our culinary desires. I have my eyes open for adventure and enrichment for everyone. Now that we are caught up: On to Australia!
Fairy Bread
2021
Back when we first attempted Australia, I offered fairy bread to each of the boys. It’s just bread with butter and colorful sprinkles, but Jakob (resident sweet tooth) was the only one who looked at it with any enthusiasm. He was delighted, and the crunch does give it some interest.
This concoction eats a bit like an over-stuffed omelette or frittata. The egg might be the main component, but it is only there to bind all of the other goodies together. Zucchini and sweet potato help you feel better about serving it, while cheddar cheese and bacon make them want to eat it. It is slightly different because the shredded zucchini and carrots stay in long strands across the slice, but this would make an amazing brunch.
Lamingtons
2021 and 2022
I would cook from Australia just for the names of the recipes. Our dessert was almost something different because I enjoyed the name. Then I read this comment, “So much work! And it isn’t even a real Polly Waffle!” Jaffle, Polly Waffle, Tim Tam, or Triple Choc Neenish-ish Tart, it makes me smile to bake them.
Lamingtons are a basic sponge cake, dipped in a runny chocolate glaze, and rolled in coconut. This impressive tower was built by me (solo) back during our short-lived 2021 attempt. This year was much more enjoyable because others are starting to participate.
The process from above
Everyone was eating their Steak Diane Pie with Potato Gem Topping (those names, again!) while watching a movie on Australian Wildlife, when I paused the movie to start making dessert. (You need to let the glaze harden in the fridge for a bit before eating, and watching the rest of the movie would be the perfect distraction.)
The sponge cake is firm enough that you don’t have to worry about little hands messing things up. The kids got a kick out of the chocolate dip and coconut roll. Jakob tried to submerge his in the chocolate for longer to get the sweetest dessert possible. I can understand why the Australians enjoy this dessert, and it will be perfect tomorrow with a quiet cup of coffee.
This is a version of Shepherd’s Pie topped with tater tots, because in Australia, tater tots turn into potato gems. Frankly, it’s magical. Potatoes are my favorite comfort food, and potato gems get all of the points for nostalgia. It’s also simpler to open a bag of tots than to whip up a batch of mashed potatoes.
Underneath, there is a rich gravy, stew beef, zucchini, and carrots. It is quite the hearty meal. I skipped the addition of cream, and mine was still completely yummy. Don’t skip the sprinkling of chives on top; that little bit of color makes a huge difference.
Here we are at the end of our second year. I can feel the waves of nostalgia breaking close to my sand castle of experience. Sam is transforming before my eyes from the silly speedy kid into a young man. David has a year of school under his belts and enough ideas to brighten the universe. Jakob has lost the last vestiges of toddler roundness and gave up his training wheels without a wobble or backward glance. What of me? What of Ben? Living through these at-home days has allowed Ben’s gardening dreams to expand and, forgive the pun, blossom. He has created an oasis that I would not have thought possible two years ago when our yard was mainly muddy holes where the boys would dig for treasure. Though I will never be truly satisfied with brief glimpses of some countries, I have learned to be gentler with myself.
Russia
Russia spins a magic with ballets, palaces, Faberge eggs, and tragic endings. I know there is a dark side to the allure. For a season, I researched the downfall of the Romanovs and the plight of the average Russian. Part of Russia’s magnetism comes from the large scale on which everything plays out. With the extreme scope, multitudes of transfixing details can emerge. Our culinary trip was a mere touchdown, a winded crossing of the finish line. Because Russia dips into Europe and spans into Asia, we plan on beginning where we left off and starting our Asian adventure here as well. Best wishes from my family to you on sustaining your dreams.
Fabergé: A Life of Its Own
This documentary is a little bit of a guilty pleasure, though not as much of a guilty pleasure as collecting Faberge. Even looking at the egg above, the entrancing detail comes through. Without a doubt, it is art. There is substance to this film, looking into the culture of Faberge as a symptom of the opulent imperial Russian court. It is one of those small but significant bites of culture that I like to take. Or, you could watch Swan Lake.
Tea
Early in her adventure of living in New York City, my younger sister worked at Alice’s Tea Cup. Obviously, they have an extensive list of teas to sample, one of which is Russian Caravan. I remember the smokiness of it, but did not have any to serve for breakfast. We drank traditional black tea, in a Russian manner. Try sweetening your tea with jam or jelly. The is the entire recipe: black tea + fruit spread. One word of caution, while high end spreads with chunks of fruit are delicious spread over a scone, they are less than appetizing floating in your tea cup. My suggestion, use the smoothest jelly you have or don’t look down. If you can source Russian tea, make sure to find a bit of sunshine and sip slowly to truly give yourself a moment of delight.
For months, I have been procrastinating using this can of pumpkin. As some of you may know, I said goodbye to my precious Peeves the cat in December. Why does this connect to a can of pumpkin, because it was one of his favorite treats. As soon as he heard the sound of the can opening, he would be circling my ankles meowing to get his portion first. Since most recipes don’t use the full can, there was always some for him. How strange that the leaving of a baking recipe would cause me heart ache, but there we are.
My can was large, so we multiplied Sasha’s recipe by four to use our can. As Ben and I flipped a mountain of tiny pancakes, David kept popping in for samples. This felt like a sensible win. The sun was greeting us, no one was over-taxed by the cooking, and we could just enjoy a morning together. Sam, Jakob, and I went a step further and experimented with sweetened condensed milk as syrup. Milk is Ben’s kryptonite and David was already full from his samples. The pancakes were lighter and slightly more delicate than our average fare. The milk syrup will be a real temptation for me in the future.
This marks the half-way point in our journey if you measure by continents: three down, three to go. We will take a brief route through the Middle East into Africa. With fifty-four countries, we will spend more than a year on the continent where humanity got its start. Looping back for the rest of the Middle East, Asia and Oceania will finish on my 39th birthday. What a treat it is to explore with you!
Sometimes the making of a monster begins innocently. Spring is winding to a close and berries are plentiful at the grocery store. This Finnish drink seemed like the perfect brunch pairing for a day where you wouldn’t want to be weighed down by something richer.
I was right. It is absolutely refreshing. Similar to a smoothie, the beautiful blue hue makes it feel special while whizzing it up couldn’t be easier. We don’t have a blender, so I made individual portions in our mini-blender. This also allowed Ben to have his with almond milk. I decided to make mine without any sugar, but I served it sweetened to the boys.
Jakob stopped digging long enough to down half of his. Then, he finished it when we came inside. At dinner, he looked at his milk and then to me with concern. “It’s not blue.” Apparently, he thought blue milk would become our new normal. Three days later, he is still angling for more serving. Possibly because it is summer, I keep indulging him. Drink your fruit!
If you like cinnamon rolls, but your tastes have evolved to enjoy something less sweet, welcome to your new best friend. This bread is made with cardamom, which I cannot suggest enough. We get ours at a Middle Eastern market. It is less expensive, and you can buy it as a whole spice instead of ground. While the lowered sweetness might decrease some of the excitement, chomping into a flavor-packed cardamom seed will more than make up for it!
Please do not feel intimidated by the shaping of this bread. I used to be seriously envious of people who could create French braids, herringbone braids, anything with multiple strands. I never graduated beyond the standard three. This bread gives the look of amazingly complex stranded work without any of the difficulty.
Here is the secret. When your bread is rolled out into a rectangle, the filling is spread down the center line. The third on each side of the filling is sliced into a matching number. Then you simply lay the strips across the filling so the look like v’s. I was kicking myself as I crafted the bread because it looked so beautiful at each stage, and I knew that visuals would be helpful, but the children had hidden the iPad. I didn’t care to stop to look for it. If you click on the title, it will take you to Sasha’s recipe and amazing photography.
Last note, always do the egg wash and sugar sprinkle suggested. If you do not, it will not shine. Think of it like buying a piece of art only to tack it to the wall with push pins. The content is still there, but something is lost in the presentation. Slice off a hefty portion and enjoy with a tall glass of blueberry milk. It will brighten any weekend morning.
The Spirit of Flatness
My movie selections seem to be rather sporting of late. Just like I judge all restaurant desserts by the quality of their menu description, this title caught me with its cheeky smile. The Spirit of Flatness is anything but dull. You watch the jumps and obstacles and are amazed that the breadth of human imagination.
Warm weather is officially upon us, and outdoor projects abound. David dressed up to help Ben put gutters on our shed. Sometimes I wonder how different our house will look by the end of this quarantine. My projects tend to be inside and involve a lot of paint. Ben’s projects tend to be outdoors and involve tools. I will never complain about how handy he is. We are project oriented people, and look at how adorable David is. Meanwhile, the kitchen is heating up and I am sprinting for European finish line so we can grill and relax the pace of our lives.
This is a recipe that I could see myself making again, but I will have to adjust the recipe. The idea is intriguing, bread wrapped around shredded carrots. Stromboli has a healthy cousin! If bread and carrots sounds too light for a full dinner, don’t worry. Two chopped hard boiled eggs gives this the oomph it needs. While I was delighted with the simplicity of the filling and the clean flavors, the bread did not work for me.
I have made more than my fair share of enriched loaves. I am not a stranger to the pit falls of yeast being set back by additional ingredients. Something about this bread dough felt off from the beginning. I could have switched to my favorite German recipe, but with so little setting this recipe apart, I wanted to be authentic. It didn’t rise enough. In fact, the amount of dough felt tiny from the beginning.
Nearly in tears, I made an additional mistake of rolling out, filling, and shaping the dough on the counter. Without any structural integrity, moving the loaf onto the pan was a nightmare. Ben helped, but even with four hands, the dough gave way while we were moving it. I pinched it back together as best as I could, knowing that ruin was coming for me.
Surprisingly, the dough baked, even on the bottom. It did not have the lift and lightness I would have liked, but it was edible. It reminded me more of hot water crust pastry. The hint of cardamom in the dough worked well with the sweetness of the carrots. I can see this as a great picnic dish using a tried and trusted bread dough.
Any country that embraces the full spiciness of a gingerbread cookie gets my smile. The secret, besides copious amounts of other spices, is black pepper. You want your mouth to warm as you are eating. The rest of the ingredients in the cookie are just carriers for spice explosions. If you can eat gingerbread without something to drink, your gingerbread is under-spiced.
My only hint is to use the fridge as your friend. The dough is on the sticky side. If the day is hot, expect a mess. I rolled, cut, and re-chilled the scraps before trying to roll it out again. Don’t try to convince me or yourself that this is too much work! Gingerbread is worth it. Icing is optional. My cookies were significantly lighter than Sasha’s because my molasses was not blackstrap. When I’ve located a source, I will make these again to compare the tastes. Any excuse for my favorite cookie.
The Fencer
Unlike the problematic look at sporting from Poland, this movie looks towards inspiration. I’ve placed this trailer here as bookmark both for you and for me. I haven’t had time to watch it yet, but I am intrigued by the story. Risk versus reward. What makes your life fulfilled? I am hoping that this movie will give more questions than easy answers.
Another day, another country. We are reaching the edge of Europe with these tiny northern countries. My college poetry professor was originally from Latvia; her earliest memory was of standing in a line for soup at an Allied encampment after WWII. As a neighbor to Russia, this is not an easy location to find oneself.
Electrician’s Day
(No trailer available)
We found this gem while searching on Amazon Prime. As he was still up, I shared my viewing with Sam. This looks like a fun little cartoon, but be warned it has some European naughtiness that made Sam question whether or not it was appropriate. His rules are always much stricter than mine.
You will not find this cake in New Orleans during Mardi Gras. It is used for celebrating birthdays and name days. I adore it’s pretzel shape and the generous amount of nuts and fruit. My constant plea to always remember your glazing stands strong here. Look at that gorgeous sheen. If you bought saffron for a different recipe, here is another place for it to shine.
I know they use it for desserts, but I think it would make just about the best breakfast.
I remember meeting Renata at Family Story Time at the library. Both of our children (it was just Sam then) lived at an intensity level of 10/10. Since our school is so small, we have been able to keep in touch as they have grown into amazing young people. It was to her that I turned because native knowledge is always best. I was dumb-struck at the facts I learned about Lithuania.
It is obvious, even through the bad lighting, that my zeppelin technique could use some refining. Steps that you should not skip, peel your potatoes. You will notice a gray-ish cast to my zeppelins that makes them less than appealing. The depression-era grandparents that live in my head told me that peeling my potatoes was a type of food waste. The rushed mother in me decided it was also a waste of time. Turns out, they were both wrong for this recipe.
If you can get past how they look, you have a min-meat loaf encased in potato with a creamy bacon sauce. If you are intrigued, click on the original recipe to see how good it can look.
Do you have the patience to wait a few months before tasting something truly spectacular? Lithuanian Honey Spirits take high proof alcohol and blend it with a honey syrup and all of the Christmas spices you could want.
On the day that you make this, your kitchen will smell divine. Honey simmering with citrus peel. Complex spices wafting through the rooms…Excellent. My only warning is not to get drunk on the steam.
Really.
Ben was working, so I took Sammy for a sous chef. He poured the mix while I held the funnel and bottle. But I will ask you this, when alcohol is added to a bubbling brew, what is in the steam? Enough to give Sam a headache. He was quickly well again, but it reminded me that not all adventures are for the underage.
When you pour the concoction through a sieve and into a bottle, you will be left with some very yummy extras. To help me with my patience, and to reward Sam for his pain, I tossed the peels and spices into a ziplock bag. If you pour in the quantity of milk needed for a basic quick bread, it can infuse the milk over night. The baking of the bread will turn this adult mixture into something that can be had for all.
I enjoyed the Honey Spirits so much, that now I make a batch after David’s birthday (late June) to have it ready for New Year’s Eve.
The Roberts Family’s Worldwide Adventure 