I've done it. I've switched over to wordpress and i'm never looking back!
Come follow me here: http://www.strangerthanbaking.wordpress.com
I will be making all of my new posts there.
Someday I will figure out how to redirect this site to the new one.
And don't forget to follow me on twitter! @STBaking
love STB
Stranger than Baking
Ana Pascal went to Law School to discover what made her happiest was baking and the way her baking made people feel. I am trying to find that handful of things in life I can focus on and be happy. I am struggling to focus on JUST a handful. This is my struggle. Oh yeah, and I love to bake.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Monday, November 14, 2011
The arrival of autumn....
brings cozy times reading on the couch until it gets dark, your favorite sweaters, cute jackets, fall colors outside and in, and warm food that makes you feel good. I love fall food. Savory soups made with hearty vegetables that melt in your mouth and dense broth that restores health to your bones. The aromas of baking pastries with cinnamon lathered fruits in the middle. Cookies that have ginger and shortbread and marzipan! Breads that have fruit and cinnamon and sugar. Those sister spices of fall make their welcome appearance to the front of your spice rack, ready for the daily grind with a grin on their face and a mischievous gleam in their eye... allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and of course... more cinnamon!!
Although I always love baking more, I think cooking is the most fun in fall. There's a cozy feel of being in the warm kitchen with the stove bubbling, your long sleeves rolled up around your elbows and cutting root vegetables that can be casually tossed into a large dutch oven to ruminate and get cozy with their neighbor veggies in a savory broth bath. One of my favorite, easy to make comfort foods is Moroccan Chicken. I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast cookbook. It is easy to prepare, low maintenance to cook, and makes tons of food for yummy leftovers! Side note: I also love that the prep needed for this recipe involves chopping things in large chunks. Plus, I enjoy cutting zucchini! I just like the texture of cutting through ripe zucs... call me weird. I have a thing with textures and tactile sensations. I hope I just enlightened you to a new appreciation for zucs!
Come on in fall! I open the door whole heartedly. But hurry up and don't let the cold in!
Moroccan Chicken
Ingredients:
~ 2lb of your favorite parts of chicken (thighs or breasts?) cut into chunks
3 carrots, chopped in large chunks
3 onions, thinly sliced
1 14.5 oz (or larger) can of cut, peeled tomatoes. I will settle for nothing less that San Marzano tomatoes! Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to them ASAP. I even save a handful to toast on bread and drizzle olive oil on top as a pre-dinner snack with a spirited bev ;)
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 3/4 C chicken broth
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground tumeric
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t chili powder
2 zucchini chopped in large chunks (savor the chopping ;)
2 C dry couscous (2 cups chicken broth and 2 T butter for making the couscous)
Directions:
-Combine all the ingredients from the chicken to the chili powder in a large pot or dutch oven (make sure you add the juice along with the tomatoes!). You can accidentally toss in the zucchini if you forget to separate everything like i did. Smile at how easy this recipe is already. Add a large dash of salt and pepper.
- Simmer covered for 20 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the chicken is cooked. Add zucchinis in after 10 min if you didn't add them already.
-Meanwhile, bring chicken broth and butter to a boil. Once butter is all melted, add couscous and stir well. remove from heat and leave covered to cook for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
-Pour a heaping mound of couscous into a bowl and top with the chicken dish. Enjoy!
Although I always love baking more, I think cooking is the most fun in fall. There's a cozy feel of being in the warm kitchen with the stove bubbling, your long sleeves rolled up around your elbows and cutting root vegetables that can be casually tossed into a large dutch oven to ruminate and get cozy with their neighbor veggies in a savory broth bath. One of my favorite, easy to make comfort foods is Moroccan Chicken. I adapted this recipe from Martha Stewart's Great Food Fast cookbook. It is easy to prepare, low maintenance to cook, and makes tons of food for yummy leftovers! Side note: I also love that the prep needed for this recipe involves chopping things in large chunks. Plus, I enjoy cutting zucchini! I just like the texture of cutting through ripe zucs... call me weird. I have a thing with textures and tactile sensations. I hope I just enlightened you to a new appreciation for zucs!
Come on in fall! I open the door whole heartedly. But hurry up and don't let the cold in!
Moroccan Chicken
Ingredients:
~ 2lb of your favorite parts of chicken (thighs or breasts?) cut into chunks
3 carrots, chopped in large chunks
3 onions, thinly sliced
1 14.5 oz (or larger) can of cut, peeled tomatoes. I will settle for nothing less that San Marzano tomatoes! Do yourself a favor and treat yourself to them ASAP. I even save a handful to toast on bread and drizzle olive oil on top as a pre-dinner snack with a spirited bev ;)
1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
1 3/4 C chicken broth
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground tumeric
1/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t chili powder
2 zucchini chopped in large chunks (savor the chopping ;)
2 C dry couscous (2 cups chicken broth and 2 T butter for making the couscous)
Directions:
-Combine all the ingredients from the chicken to the chili powder in a large pot or dutch oven (make sure you add the juice along with the tomatoes!). You can accidentally toss in the zucchini if you forget to separate everything like i did. Smile at how easy this recipe is already. Add a large dash of salt and pepper.
- Simmer covered for 20 minutes or until the veggies are tender and the chicken is cooked. Add zucchinis in after 10 min if you didn't add them already.
-Meanwhile, bring chicken broth and butter to a boil. Once butter is all melted, add couscous and stir well. remove from heat and leave covered to cook for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
-Pour a heaping mound of couscous into a bowl and top with the chicken dish. Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Psalm for a dark night
murky aura of dissatisfaction
where do you reside?
if I knew, would i try
to ripe you out
from the inside?
who is the illusion
me or you?
not lean enough
not strong enough
not the right clothes
not the right shoes
not the right bag
or
not the truth
not the light
not the cure
not the end
not the fight
a twisted comfort
in the doldrums
why do i let this
sadness linger
exercise, diet, money
nothing i can buy
can satisfy
when i get this way
i know the cure
but i don't have
the mind the heart the might
i fail
and i choose
a dark night
until He chooses me
to pull into the light
once again and
not for the last time
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