Anthony made Rum with Homemade Berry Soda. This was a delicious beverage – it made me wonder why I haven’t had more berry drinks. The seltzer added nice sparkle, and there was just the right amount of rum to not overwhelm me (I am a lightweight haha).

Kaija made Fresh Carrot Drink. She thought it was a bit watery, maybe because her carrots were smaller than the recipe expected. Also as you can see in the pic, the carrot tended to settle to the bottom so you got a lot of water when you poured. I agree with Kaija on the wateriness, and would be interested to try it at full strength.

I made Sweet Pea Soup with Coconut and Ginger. I thought this sounded tasty when I selected the recipe, but it was so much better than I’d even hoped for. A super simple combo of onions, peas, coconut milk, and some seasonings – I’d take this pea soup over split pea! The only minor inconvenience was putting it into the blender since I don’t have an immersion blender.

Matthew made Carrot Salad with Vinaigrette. This was another very simple dish that delivered. It was a welcome accompaniment to the rest of the meal, providing crunch, acidity, and a pop of color to counter-balance the many stew-like dishes.

Jody made Sukuma Wiki (Greens with Tomatoes). It was nice to have greens to go along with the rest of the meal, though this was very much a side dish for me. It didn’t stand out compared to some of the stronger flavors of the other dishes.

Revi made Quick Stewed Eggplant with Coconut. She wasn’t fond of the brownish-green color, but what this eggplant dish lacked in beauty it made up for in taste It was one of my favorites, even though she opted to leave out the jalapeños as she’s not big into spicy. I intend to make it myself with the jalapeños, as I think it will make a great dish even better.

Austin made Shahan Ful (Mashed Limas with Onions, Tomatoes, and Chiles). Another not particularly attractive dish, but packed with yummy flavor, especially the spice. Austin worried it was too spicy, but I loved it. Squeezing the fresh lemon juice onto the Shahan Fun just before eating finished this dish perfectly.

Austin also made Injera. This wasn’t a recipe from the book, but it is an East African staple that was great to have as a base for all the stews and salads – so yummy to eat after it soaked up all the juices and flavors.

Brian made Zanzibar Pilau (Rice Pilaf). This was also a dish that sounded pretty simple, but the mix of spices (cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves) combined with the coconut milk had me going back for more. It was good as a base for the stews, but I also enjoyed eating it on its own.

Matthew also made Shiro (Ground Chickpea Stew). This was tasty enough, but lacked the texture and bolder flavors that made many of the other dishes cast a shadow over this one. I liked it as one in the mix of things to eat on the injera, but it wouldn’t have been my pick if I had to choose just one.

Amy made Digaag Qumbe (Chicken Stew with Yogurt and Coconut). She also provided rice and bananas to accompany the stew as the recipe instructed. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I really liked it with the banana, even more than over the rice (and I am a huge fan of rice).

Kaija also made Harees with Chicken (Stewed Cracked Wheat and Chicken). Here again was a dish that wasn’t particularly appealing to the eye, but was oh so appealing to my palate. The cracked wheat added a nice texture to the juicy and tender shredded chicken thighs. I definitely went back for more.

Anthony also made Doro Wat (Stewed Chicken Legs with Berbere and Eggs). There is a Doro Wat recipe in the book, but he was concerned that it used very few onions which are very central to the dish in versions he’s made before. So he chose to make a version that he’s cooked previously with great success. I don’t know what the In Bibi’s Kitchen version would have been like, but I do know I very much enjoyed the Doro Wat we had.

Brian also made Date Bread. He did it as individual muffins rather than in loaf form, and presented them on this awesome cupcake stand. I found the texture of these a bit off-putting, and others agreed – they were very dense, almost like energy bars. The recipe suggested having the date bread with tea, which may have helped.

Revi also made Bolo Polana (Cashew and Potato Cake). A cake made of potatoes and cashews did not sound at all appealing to me, but I am so glad she thought it sounded interesting and went for it. While the cake didn’t have a noticeable cashew or potato flavor, it was moist and delicious, reminiscent of a good pound cake.