Real Fast Food...and the Egyptians?


This pictured recipe by Nigel Slater gets no points for food photography, but it does get points for being delicious.  I guess other people probably knew about Nigel long before I got to him, but he's definitly worth a read. I am currently enjoying Real Fast Food which has great ideas about how to get real food on your table in 30 minutes or less. I like his creativity and his flexibility...and his Chili-Chicken with yogurt sauce.

This morning NIS and I went to our local farmer's market, where we had a chocolate brioche and bought fresh pork sausage made from happy pigs and some vegetables. Right now it is cooking in an onion-beer sauce. We plan to eat it with mustard. We also enjoyed seeing a part of the city we had never been to before - we wandered around with our coffees in hand and saw Morning Glories:

and this bizarre...Egyptian...thing...proving once again that I just don't understand the South.


It was just out in the middle of the grass...randomly...



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Nigel Slater's Chili-Chicken (modified)
1 small onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon chili powder
juice of one lemon
1 or 2 chicken breasts cut up into small pieces

combine all ingredients together and let chicken sit as long as you can...heat a skillet (if you have one of the Le Creuset grill pans, that would be perfect - I make do with my little iron skillet) very hot and throw the chicken in. It shouldn't take more than 3-4 minutes to cook. Serve in whole-wheat pitas with chopped lettuce and yogurt sauce - or alternatively, just eat it plain with the yogurt sauce. It is that good.

Crafting for Relaxation

So I've pretty much realized that when there is a lot going on in my life (and sometimes the stress level is high), I can measure it by the sheer volume of craftiness that suddenly overtakes me. Then I have to stop myself so I don't get out of control and start planning all sorts of crazy projects.

Guess what I've been up to recently? Well, first there was the cool shirt made by PPS:




(which I think is pretty awesome and soon to be posted in the etsy store)

So I tried my hand at some sewing:




(also coming to the store - I think I like how it turned out?)

Then there is something for the Meeper (Jan, close your eyes):


(I think he was trying to get away)

And as Amms correctly guessed, Marie Antoinette is in town:



(yummy shoes, anyone?)

Which brings me my special winter break project that I'm really excited about. Let's just say it relates to the pink shoes, but involves this:



(they look like easter eggs??)

I could stop at any time...