Pan de Coco (Belize)

Happy New Year! New year, another new recipe, of course. Today I made Pan de Coco, coconut bread, as I contemplated the year left behind and the next ahead. Bread is the essence of many a meal across the globe, so it was easy to contemplate what the essence of life will be in the coming months. I also thought about making bread, which is hard work. Our family makes all our bread fresh with the help of our very handy bread maker. We put in the ingredients, push a button, and three hours later a piping hot loaf emerges smelling oh so delicious.

This bread was different. The Pan de Coco called for 1 whole coconut, grated into hot water, which was so not going to happen. Even if I could track down a fresh coconut in January, on a holiday, in Minnesota, I wouldn't have the first clue as to how to open it or peel it or whatever it is one does with coconuts. Instead, I followed the variation note in the margin of Extending the Table that suggested using canned coconut milk, of which I always have in my pantry, and water. One obstacle down. The ingredients went in smoothly, but then came the kneading. EIGHT minutes of kneading! Which I did, watching the clock carefully, switching between arms, using the weight of my body rather than my arms. Whew! Another step done. Then the rising, which isn't so much work, but remembering to check on the rising dough between making lunches and watching matchbox car races and monitoring an epic toy clean-up, is another. The bread, slightly sweet and very moist, got made. Three small loaves and a pan of rolls all total.

Making goals for the new year is easy, like pouring ingredients into a machine. Unfortunately there is no machine that takes off the holiday weight or refinishes the basement with simply the push of a button. It takes ingenuity, hard work, and commitment to reach ones goals. So I am going to list my first initial goals for the new year here, as a recipe of sorts, maybe not the most glamorous recipe, but one made for sustaining and enriching the day to day of our busy family in 2012. I'll let you know how it goes:)

1. Finish my book by the end of summer. Then sell it!

2. Teach the boys to swim.

3. Hike, bike, and camp outdoors as often as we can.

4. Put in a new fence for the backyard. Re-tile the bathroom.

5. Explore Thai cultural opportunities in our area.