Mountain Breakfast With Kenyan Chai

We are sufficiently snowed in. The kids slept in (a rarely enjoyed treat for me). As we have limited milk in the fridge I cooked milk-less pancakes. Maddie wanted bacon or sausage to go with the pancakes, but I didn't have anything defrosted. The Dillards (a mountain bluegrass band from the mid-20th Century) was playing on Pandora. It inspired me to do something which would make my brother and sister-in-law glow with pride. We fried bologna to go with our pancakes and chai.

I know that I've just done two things with that statement; 1) I've lost the respect of some, and 2) I've gained the respect of others. I'm not sure which statement contributed more to the change in respect, the mention of the Dillards or the fried bologna. Probably both.

One of my dearest friends taught me how to make good Kenyan Chai. He was reared in Kenya as the son of missionaries. The key to good Kenyan Chai is to have good Kenyan tea. We both agree that Kericho Gold sets the grandiose standard of Kenyan teas. It is grown in the Kericho district of the Kenyan Highlands near Nairobi.

Pour boiling water over the loose-leaf tea and steep. The longer it steeps, the more intense the resulting tea. Pour through a tea strainer into cups and add a lot of sugar and whole milk. It is also good by omitting the milk and sugar and pouring over sweetened condensed milk (which is what many Africans do).