"They broke bread in their homes and ate together
with glad and sincere hearts, praising God" Acts 2:46

When we first arrived in Kenya in 1978, you went to a general store for canned goods sugar, etc., to a bakery for breads, a green grocery for fresh vegetables and fruits, and to a butchery for meat. Spices and flours were sold from huge barrels. Today we have many grocery stores that carry it all, but I still find that the best breads, fruits, vegetables, and meats are found in the specialty stores. There are also open air vegetable and fruit markets and though it is timely to shop there you can barter, which many of my friends prefer. Shopping and cooking do take longer, as we have few prepared foods, though that is changing. Thankfully, Jack and I love to cook, plus cooking from scratch and the abundance of fresh ingredients leads to a healthier diet.

We do have lots of guests in our home for meals, usually at least once a week. I've learned that especially for people travelling, the meal doesn't have to be fancy and a bowl of stew or soup is often very welcomed. Having lots of guests also provides the incentive to try new things. Hope you enjoy trying the recipes for some of the things that are old and new favourites at our house.

Chocolate Strawberries

When we first came to Kenya, there were lots of fresh fruit available, but no strawberries and we missed them. When we moved to Nakuru in 1986, the son of a White Kenyan friend managed a new project where fruits were raised in greenhouses. After his produce was shipped by plane twice a week to Europe and the Middle East, he would return home for his Mom’s cooking and laundry services. He would bring the extra fruits to his Mom and she would sell them to her friends. Thankfully strawberries were among these goodies.

Seeking to be a healthy cook, we often eat fruit desserts at our house and I began preparing chocolate covered strawberries for our kids. Soon, their friends were requesting these at parties and tea-times at our house – Remember, Kenya was a British colony, so tea-times are still important “meals” in our part of the world! Thankfully, Kenya is now a major exporter of fruits and vegetables to Europe and the Middle East, so we have strawberries year round at a fairly reasonable price.

This recipe has lots of advantages – Although it is easy and a good recipe for the inclusion of little helpers, it is a beautiful and tasty dessert that can be included at even the fanciest parties. Our daughter Jennifer served this at her wedding reception!

Now for the recipe: Wash and dry fresh mature strawberries. Sometimes I leave the greenery attached, but usually I slice off the leafy end so that the strawberries will sit upright. (In Kenya we soak them in bleach water, but you can skip this step in the US!) Have a plate ready for holding the completed strawberries. Melt a chocolate candy bar (Cadbury rather than Hersheys, etc., is available here and I use an 80 gram bar which is a little less than 3 ounces) in a dish in the microwave. Do this slowly and watch closely. When you can just stir the chocolate with a toothpick, remove from the microwave. If you have left the leaves, dip so that chocolate covers the lower part of one side and place on plate with the chocolate up. If you have sliced the strawberries, dip the bottom ½ or so and place the sliced part next to the plate. Allow to cool and set and then you can place them in the fridge until ready to use. When ready to serve, I add bits of mint around the bright red strawberries.
I’m not giving exact amounts as you will simply need to experiment. I’ve found it is better to melt one small candy bar at the time and melt others as needed. Also I like to use different kinds of chocolate such as dark, milk, etc. Also make sure that no water gets in the chocolate or it will become grainy while melting.
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