Over the last couple of weeks our Waiting Mom’s group has welcomed home 3 families and their little ones. These are folks we met over the last 6 months or so and it’s really fantastic to see them with their kiddos. We have gone to the airport and cried our eyes out. Meeting these families “without” their kids and then seeing them with their kids makes this process feel even more real.

As waiting moms- we have all been arranging meals to bring to these families for the first few weeks. I know it’s really helpful to the families- but really I think of it as an excuse to see more of their kids!

One of the members in our group brought home 2 kids- ages 3 ½ and 2 ½. I wanted to make them some Ethiopian food.

Well anyone who knows me knows that I can’t make toast. So really my plan was to start the Ethiopian stew (called Wat) and then have Andy “fix” it.

Here is what I did- I cut up veggies and meat- put in minimal spice left the whole thing to simmer in a crock pot and left for work. Andy who is an AMAZING cook played with the spices all day until he got it just right. I knew this was going to happen- heck I was counting on it happening- because otherwise – this nice family would have had vaguely tomato flavored meat water. When I got home from work the whole house smelled like an Ethiopian Restaurant. Amazing. I also picked up some injera so we could have some for dinner before I packed the rest and took it to my fiend’s house.

I think it passed the test because these kids gobbled the stuff down like it was going out of business. I loved hearing my friends 3 ½ year old sing song “Wat Wat Wat” in her beautiful Ethiopian accent while eating it with injara like a pro! I told Andy that that was probably going to be his hardest critic a picky 31/2 year old Ethiopian girl who has been home for 2 weeks and he passed with flying colors!  Andy said “That’s cause I am a Beachthiopian”.

Thanks baby- for fixing my culinary mistake (again) and giving these kiddos a taste of home.

As a side note- I have asked him for the recipe and he said he would write it down.