Moroccan Chicken - Voila

I have to share a recipe with all of you.  It's my famous Moroccan Chicken one pot meal!  It's fabulous.  Also, like most of the wonderful things in my life, I came upon it purely by accident, a large dose of creativity and a prayer.  Don't you just love it when things come together just so?

The story behind this outrageously delicious recipe goes as follows:  My parents were visiting, that meant that Sergio and I actually got a date night...out...without the kids!  Yippee!  Still I'm the type of person that hates to impose, so much so that in my quest to not impose I often find myself imposing on people who probably wish I would just go away quietly without so much hoopla. The thought of leaving my aging (don't tell them I said that) parents with my kids and have them make dinner would just be too much.   So, I decided to make a quick and easy chicken fricassee.  Only it wasn't so quick and time was ticking and the movie would be starting and we still needed to stop and have dinner ourselves.  In my rush, I grab what I thought was cumin and doused the chicken with it.  The aroma hit me like a cinnamon stick, because instead of cumin I had just doused the chicken with cinnamon!  YIKES.  No time to fix it, I just put the lid on the pot, kissed everyone goodbye and prayed that it would all work out in the end.  I mean we had cheese and tuna and milk in the house.  I'm sure that would somehow come together for a lovely meal.

Much to my surprise everyone (including the kids) love this dish.  My dad asked me if it was a Moroccan recipe, which is how it got it's name.  The recipe has since evolved.  Please note that you can add as many or as few of the ingredients listed, but don't forget the cinnamon.  You are just going to have to work and test the amounts, because I'm a dash of this, pinch of that type of cook.  Enjoy!

Chicken thighs (you can use whatever part you like, sometimes I throw drumsticks in there too)

Heat about 2 TBLSP of your favorite oil in a pan and brown the chicken

Once your chicken is slightly browned add the following:

1/2 cup of chopped onions

3 mashed garlic cloves (or more if you like garlic)

one 8oz. can of tomato sauce

one 15oz. can of chopped tomatoes (or even better sun-dried tomatoes)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon of:

Oregon

Thyme

Cumin

Lots of cinnamon (I like each part to be covered in it, but start with less, add more)

1 15oz can of Garbanzo Beans (rinsed)

A handful of manzanilla olives

1/4 cup of white wine

Cover and let simmer until the chicken is fully cooked (about 45 minutes)

Serve over rice or couscous...Enjoy! 

Also I've been working on this pretty young thing.  She's a mess, but she'll be gorgeous.  Stay tuned.

Pssst....

Do you like winning stuff?  Go to this lovely site, Maynard Greenhouse  Even if you don't win, a visit to this site is inspiring.  Good luck!

It's a Keeper or I'm a Giver

We have this table that I (and by "I", I mean my husband) picked up for free from Craigslist.  It was 
ugly and it was heavy.  No matter, we wanted to use it as an art table and were happy that we didn't have to worry about getting paint, glue or glitter on it.  Then I decided to open a preschool and after school enrichment program at home, so we took that ugly table and painted it, cut the legs down to a child's table level.  It turned out so much better than we expected.  Sometimes we consider using it as a HUGE coffee table, but then my kids would be sitting on their chairs with no table and the state frowns upon that...so it stays put in our classroom!  All this to say sometimes free stuff is awesome and you can totally score. 

But wait!  There's more.  I see an ad (again on craigslist) for another free table.  This time I think it's a gimmick because it's actually not hideous.  I ask beg hubs to come with me just in case it's some sort of kidnapping ring.  You know we middle aged housewives are all the rage in the world of people trafficking, also it might be heavy.  Well the couple seemed nice enough.  I don't think I would've been kidnapped, but I do think they were crazy for giving it away!  This is definitely a keeper...only I don't have a place for it and don't need it.

But just look at it!  It's so pretty.  I love the details on it.  I knew right away what I wanted to do with it and thought maybe (if I didn't find a place for it) I would sell it.







  Then I ran into my daughter at the mall.  I realized she's using a card table as her dining table, so now it's hers.  Or at least it will be when I'm done with it.  What can I say I'm a giver.  And this little beauty gets to stay in the family.

The Ugly Duckling

We've had this table since we were first married.  It belonged to my mother-in-law and at some point my husband came to have it in his apartment before we married.  It's never been my favorite but it's served it's purpose.  It's been a side table, a night stand for various children, a table for the printer and it has always been ugly.  I thought when I first saw it that it had potential and that I would refinish it someday.  Fast forward 13 years (and I do mean fast, the years just flew by) and I'm ready.  So the plan for this baby?  Blue/grey paint with metallic dry brush, glass knobs on the drawer and wait for it....a mirror on top!  It's going to be sooo glamorous.  

I will name her Willamina! (after my MIL)

 
Of course I couldn't stop there.  I'm a big picture kinda gal.  So I got these for a song ($10.00 for both) on Craigslist.  Aren't these (there's two of them) headboards just about the ugliest thing you've ever seen?  They're covered in vinyl.  I'll have to post the fabric I choose soon so you can imagine (if you have an imagination...which I'm sure you do) how elegant it's all going to look when it comes together. 

They shall be known as The Twins!

There is even more, but that will wait for another post.  I'm already working on these.  I can't wait to see and share the finished pieces!  See you soon.

Embrace

The word for 2012 for me is Embrace. This year looks to be bringing a ton a changes for me and my family.  Change is inevitable.  Instead of fighting the onslaught of changes I'm going to embrace it.  I'm determined to make the best of it and enjoy what is sure to be a wild ride.

Another thing that I'm fully embracing this year is who I am.  I've fought too long against my innate desires because they seem even to me to be all over the map.  I'm constantly telling myself to focus, to finish one thing before I start another, to follow through.  One of my former bosses told me I was like a butterfly.  That she noticed that I liked to go from one thing to another.  I have no idea how she meant it but I took it to mean that I was flighty.  A friend of mine once suggested that Ritalin might be a good fit for me because I had adhd "tendencies."  I retorted with a very dry comment about not being invited to the celebration when she received her doctorate.  She of course had not and I vaguely remember that conversation ending badly.

No more.  This year I will fly from flower to flower collecting pollen and savoring the nectar that is my life.  I will embrace every idea and follow it to where ever it may lead.  I will embrace change, success, failure, if not with equal enthusiasm (I mean let's be honest, I'm no Polly Anna) with a sense of wonder and oneness.

I am a creative spirit who loves to try new things.  This year I started sewing.  I sew very badly, but some people (ahem...my kids) seem to love the things I make for them.  I think they are pleased that I don't sew clothes.  I made my girl a Hello Kitty pillow.  It sits on her bed and she cuddles with it every night.  Sometimes I hear her reading to Kitty. It makes my day when I hear her reading.

Kitty Sachet

 Kitty Pillow

Owl Pillow (obviously)

I'm no fool so I tried a small version of the pillow first and made a little sachet.  It's not perfect, but the lavender scent makes up for the less than symmetrical face.  I think the pillow turned out quite nice.  For my son I made a really weird looking owl pillow.  He loved it and said he was so glad it didn't give him nightmares!





Currently I working on refinishing some furniture and making some toys for the after school enrichment program I run.  I'm excited to be sharing these as well as my thoughts about the changes on the horizon.  I do have another blog which you can visit here.  That one is very business and education related, this one will be more creative, more personal, more me.  Next up...the ugly duckling furniture that I'm transforming.