This holiday season Social Studies is partnering with LG to bring you stories of Small Gatherings, Big Moments to encourage you to take the time to set the table with sparkling clean plates, and gather with the ones you love.

Last week Hawa Hassan showed us how she prepped before her boyfriend and sister joined her for brunch to celebrate her new book, In Bibi’s Kitchen. In addition to being a cookbook author, Hawa is the founder and CEO of Basbaas Sauce, a line of small-batch, hand-crafted organic condiments inspired by the flavors of her native Somalia.

This is why she likes to call herself a “Sauce Boss.” And like a boss, Hawa knows a good partner when she sees one which is why she trusts her LG QuadWash™ Dishwasher with TrueSteam® to rinse her dishes covered in sticky sauces. The TrueSteam® feature produces sparkling clean plates every time, giving her time to focus on testing new recipes, and ideas.

Heading into the holiday season, where gathering and dishes will be ever present, Hawa has two more thoughts on how to host with grace and ease:

1. Family Style is Always Best

Why? Because it always lends itself to a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Hawa also suggests to, “choose foods with a variety of textures and colors. Set them out family style. This will make for a beautiful, enticing, and lively table in multiple ways!”

2. Add Some Hot Sauce!

You knew this tip was coming from the Sauce Boss! “You can’t go wrong by adding a few hot sauces to the mix. A definitely fun crowd-pleaser that punctuates any meal. And my LG QuadWash™ Dishwasher with TrueSteam® gets all those sticky chutneys off without having to pre-rinse!”

We want to take the stress out of your holiday season, and can’t think of a better way than with the perfect pairing of Social Studies and LG. Together they let you focus on what’s important, the people you are gathering around the table, so you can truly have that Small Gathering, Big Moment we all want. 

Here is another great recipe from Hawa, in partnership with LG Dishwashers, to encourage everyone to gather around the table this upcoming holiday season:

Hawa Hassan’s Kachumbari in Partnership with LG Dishwashers with TrueSteam®

This crunchy, fresh salad is popular in Kenya but is also eaten throughout East Africa. You’ll find similar versions in Tanzania and beyond. Its main components are tomatoes and onions, but cucumbers and avocado are regular additions, You can also add some minced fresh chilies if you’d like.

Serve with just about anything you can think of, from fish to chicken or alongside legumes. If you wait to add the avocado until you serve, you can make the salad up to a few hours in advance and just keep it covered at room temperature. Stir in the avocado just before serving.

The Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced

The Directions:

1. Dissolve the salt in the boiling water in a small bowl. 
2. Add the onion and mix well. 
3. Let the onion soak while you chop the rest of your vegetables. This soaking will reduce the intensity of the raw onion. 
4. Once the onion has soaked for at least 10 minutes, drain and transfer it to a medium bowl. 
5. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, and lime juice and stir well to combine. 
6. Season the vegetables to taste with salt if needed (it will depend on how much salt the onions held on to). 
7. Gently stir in the avocado and serve immediately and enjoy!