Happy New Year!
January 1, 2012
Hello from Ghana, 2012! It was a quiet celebration for me (though Syambra and Matthew celebrated in Accra, the big city).
I celebrated New Year’s Day at a small church service in a very small village. Our neighbor and friend, Fred Huffman, runs a very active “In Christ Ministry” here and he is building churches and teaching disciples about Christ. (More on this in a separate blog.)
We arrived at the village about 7:30 A.M. and visited with a family who had a brand new baby…born Tuesday, December 27…5 days old! So precious! Fred will return on Tuesday for a naming ceremony for the baby.
We began the church service under a shade tree with a few plastic chairs. As we began to sing the people in the village came out bringing more chairs and benches. Everyone wanted to begin the New Year with thanks to God! Services always include singing, praising, testimonies and even dancing! The new baby’s father and the grandmother shared testimonies of joy and gratitude and then began to dance together! Soon others joined in the dance!
When we were leaving, the people began to load up Fred’s car with yams, plantains, beans, and other food…their gift for Fred’s preaching. Fred shared this abundance with plantains and black eyed beans. I soaked the beans and made “red red” a Ghanaian recipe that is really very healthy and very delicious. The plantains were not ripe enough yet so they will be for next week’s dinner. (I will include the recipe for red red.)
I hope you enjoy the pictures!
Recipe for Red Red
Black Eyed Peas (Beans) – soak overnight or boil for 5-10 minutes and then let them soak for 2 hours
Sauce:
1/4 c. Palm Oil or Vegetable Oil
2 cans crushed tomatoes
2 onions
1 clove garlic
1-2 Maggi Beef cube
Hot peppers to taste
Method:
Soak beans (once soft, strain the beans and set aside in large pan)
Pour oil in frying pan, saute onions & garlic until the onions are translucent.
Add canned tomatoes and beef cubes.
As you bring this to a boil, the oil will rise to the surface. If you choose, you can carefully
spoon off the oil.
Add sauce to beans, stir to mix. Add peppers and other spices to taste.
Let this simmer until ready to serve.
