My inspiration is back!

Yay, I've found my inspiration again. *doing the happy dance* I guess those hours of cutting paper and not studying made all the difference. So far I've done 3 cards and I've got a lot of ideas (but not enough time).

It's been raining cats and dogs today so I haven't been in the mood to do anything. At least not study... I just wanted to get back into bed and stay there all day. Instead I made chocolate muffins, an apple pie and now I'm preparing spinach soup. But now I really, really need to study for about half an hour until I have to rush to school to get the boys.

Have a great week everyone!

Spanish Christmas candy

In a way I'm glad Christmas is over. I've gained too much weight lately and I don't like that. Not just for the way I look but most of all, for the impact it has on my health. I feel tired all the time and I feel exhausted when I climb the stairs. I hate that feeling!

This is what I have to avoid, Spanish Christmas candy:



I've almost run out of candy and I'm definitely NOT getting any more. Enough is enough! There will be a Christmas this year too and then I will have another go at the candy. Until then, Christmas candy is a total NO NO.

The candy in the colorful wrappings in the photo is called mantecados, and is made by flour, sugar and lard. It dates back to the 16th century. I don't know if this is true or not, but I've heard that they used mantecados during the Inquisition to see who was a Christian and who wasn't, because both Jews and Muslims aren't allowed to eat fat from pigs. People went around offering mantecados and those who didn't accept to eat one was taken to prison, accused of not being Christian.

Olives

One thing I really like about Morocco are the olives. I LOVE olives!!! The olives here are not expensive at all, and they come in all kinds of shapes, colors and tastes. It's my favorite snack when I'm watching TV, I love olives in my sandwiches and I usually add quite a few to my salads. When I make bread I like to add some choppes olives to give the bread a better taste and make them healthier.

Eating olives is good for your health. Read more about the benefits. Olive oil is even healthier. It's so versatile! I only fry in olive oil these days, because I'm afraid of getting cancer. I use olive oil for a number of things - to fry, in salads, salsas, some soups, on my bread... And I use it on my skin and in my hair. Maybe that's why my skin is still like a little girl's. *lol*

The France Show

I just found out about this and wanted to share. I really would love to go to the France Show but I'll be busy doing exams at that time so unfortunately I can't go. But if you're in London in January maybe you can go and then blog about it. *lol*

Jean-Christophe Novelli, Britain's favourite French Chef, will be one of the star attractions at The France Show 2008, which runs at London's Olympia from 18-20 January.

He will be conducting three live cookery demonstrations each day at the show with his "mobile" Novelli Academy Cookery School, revealing the secrets that have made him one of the most celebrated Chefs in Britain.

The Novelli master classes will be among the main highlights of an already mouth-watering line-up for the Olympia show, which is expected to attract 30,000 visitors. It is being organised by Archant Life, publisher of theUK's three leading French lifestyle magazines - France, Living France and French Property News.

Miller Hogg, Regional Managing Director of Archant Life France, said: "We have had a wonderful response to the France Show so far from the public and are extremely excited about working with one of the world's greatest Chefs. For anyone with a love of French food, watching Jean-Christophe Novelli in action is a must."

Jean-Christophe, who started work at the age of 14 as a baker in his hometown of Arras came to Britain in 1984. He is a Michelin and 5AA Rosette award winning Chef, whose attributes include AA Chef's Chef of the Year, European Chef of the Year finalist representing Great Britain and the prestigious Egon Ronay Desert of the Year. He won Restaurant of the Year on numerous occasions and many other awards for culinary excellence.

In 2005 Jean-Christophe established the Novelli Academy, which was voted among the 'Top 25 Cookery Schools in the World' within three months and offers a diverse range of courses to suit aspiring cooks of all levels. A year ago he branched out again to open his first gastro pub, 'A Touch ofNovelli' at The White Horse in Harpenden.

During 2007 Jean-Christophe launched Novelli Wines - "I have always been as passionate about wine as I am about food. As a chef, I know that if you serve the right wine with the right food you can turn a good meal into a truly great one. There is a wealth of small producers in France creating wonderful, and affordable, wines. The France Show is all about sharing and appreciating everything that France can offer."

Jean-Christophe's new recipe book "Everyday Novelli" will be available from 1 February 2008, from Headline Publishing, and advance copies can be ordered at the show.

The Novelli Food Theatre will be one of the main attractions at the France Show offering demonstrations of cookery to suit all palates. There will be six cookery demonstrations each day, three by Novelli, two by his protégé, Steven Kitchen and one by Franck Raymond, the head Chef of London's oldest French restaurant, Mon Plaisir.

Other highlights of the France Show 2008 include a huge property zone, London's largest French market and an extensive holiday travel fair, as well as insights into French culture, language and lifestyle.

Visitors who pre-register can obtain free tickets or else pay £8 at the door on the day. For your free tickets and further information about the FranceShow, visit the official website at France Show

Trapped at work

It's still raining... It has been raining for several days now. And the sky is grey and cloudy so I guess it won't stop raining today. So unfortunately, no church today. It's raining too hard, I've never seen rains anywhere like these here in Morocco.

Yesterday we went to my job to have lunch. Yes, we do that sometimes. Someone decides to make lunch for the rest of the bunch and everyone brings what he/she can (bread, fruit, Coke, juice, cookies, salad, whatever...). It's really nice. Not so much for the food as for the getting together with friends and have a good time. Yesterday one of the guys from Peru made paella. I LOVE paella!



Afterwards we just had to stay, because it was raining so hard that you just couldn't get out. We live just a few minutes from my job, I can actually see it from my house, but no way. We were "trapped". It was an odd feeling, but we had a great time. I did manage to study a little and help a friend of mine prepare for an exam, so I felt really good.

But today I have to finish a paper on Arcipreste de Hita, and it's taking me forever...

Harira

Every night during Ramadan people eat harira and chebbakia. Harira is a thick soup made with tomatoes, other vegetables, meat, chick peas, lentils and vermicelli. There are about as many ways to make harira as there are Moroccan women in the world, because every household has their own recipe. I prefer to make my harira without meat and more chick peas. Moroccans would probably not consider it a real harira, because in Morocco, meat is the most important part of the meal. In spite of being a rural country with lots of different vegetables, vegetarians are scarce around here and considered a bit nuts. I'm sure people thought my hubby had gone crazy when we first started dating because at that time I was still a vegetarian.

Yesterday I found a new blog from Morocco. I think their harira recipe sounds delicious so instead of writing mine I’ll give you the link to their harira. *lol* That way you can try a real Moroccan harira.

The boys and I love harira and not just during Ramadan. When we for some reason can't have dinner at home we go to a small restaurant and have harira. It's really cheap, 3 dirham (less than 0,40 USD) for a bowl of steaming hot delicios harira. And after one bowl you are normally not hungry anymore because of all the ingredients. This is the perfect soup for cold winter nights!

Eating in London

I'm a London fan. When I was younger I dreamed about moving to London and making a living as a musician. Mind you, I don't know how to play any instruments so that was a crazy idea. But dreams have to be crazy sometimes. They add flavor to life, don't you agree?

I've been to London several times and although I don't dream about a career as a punk rocker any more I wouldn't mind living in London. I mean, that city has it all! Or as Samuel Johnson said: "When a man is tired of London he is tired of life, for there is in London all that life can afford." That is so true!

One thing I really like about London is the variety of places to eat and the nightlife. I think there must be at least one restaurant for each cuisine in the world. There's a new community about London restaurants - check it out! The funny thing is that most people think that British food is dull and well, not so appetizing.... And then when you go to London you see all those wonderful restaurants and you just go wow.... *lol*

Me, the menu maker

I'm a disaster when it comes to cooking and planning meals. I love to look in my cook books and pick out meals and do grocery lists and so on, but when it comes to actually cooking I always forget my good intentions and desperately look around my empty kitchen at 5.30 PM wondering what I'll make for dinner. I had a menu planned out and managed to stick to it for a whole month. Wow, that was the best month ever in my kitchen. I've wanted to go back to that ever since, but I've always found zillions of excuses for not making a menu. Well, that is something that's about to change!

Today I sat down for a long, long time (several hours actually) and made a menu for 5 weeks. I even wrote down all the special ingredients for each meal and made a general shopping list with EVERYTHING I'll need for the coming weeks. I feel sooo PROUD of myself.

I've decided I will share my menus with you, but not now. I'll participate in Menu Plan Monday over at I'm an Organizing Junkie. BTW, I LOVE her blog. If you haven't visited it yet, what are you waiting for? *lol* So from now on, I'll post my menus every Monday and hopefully that will help me stick to my menus too.

I don't like meat very much. I used to be a vegetarian for over 10 years. And now, all of a sudden, I couldn't think of any good veggie dishes. Isn't that strange? I've decided to be a good Catholic this fall and not eat any meat at all on Fridays (I know, it's not an obligation to fast on Fridays but I want to do that. I have so much to be grateful for so a little penance won't hurt me). I'd like to know what you fellow Catholics think about not eating meat on Fridays, what do you do? Do you obey the Friday rule or is it business as usual?

Healthy snacks

My kids have lunch at their school because they spend many, many hours at school - between 8 A.M. and 4.15 P.M. At 10 A.M. they have half an hour break to eat their snacks. Usually my kids take a sandwich or some fruit, but this year I want to be more organized and give them healthier snacks and not give them the same things all the time.

I've been thinking about giving them tortilla (the Mexican tortilla *lol*, not the Spanish one) and I found several recipes here. Granola bars is something my kids are not used to having, but I love them and since they are not sold here I'll have to learn how to make them myself. I also found a recipe for Caramel Bars. They sound really yummy but are not to be served on a regular basis, at least not in this home. But every now and then we all need a special treat. *lol* I also found a healthier recipe, using zucchini - I'm definitely going to try that one on my kids because zucchini is a veggie they seldom want to eat and I love it! Picnic bars with shredded coconut and walnuts or caramel apple bars with apples and caramel? There is so much to chose from on the Internet. I think I'm going to have so much fun this fall trying out new recipes, when I finally get my kitchen back. I think I'll post photos and reviews when I try something new. I can't wait to have a kitchen again!

WW - Modern life

The first McDonald's opened in Tetuán last week.

Summer lunch

It's really hot here in Morocco now. The average temperature during the day is around 30 degrees C and maybe around 20 degrees at night. The boys still have another week of school so when we get back home they are hungry but not in the mood for a "real" heavy meal, so this is what we usually have for lunch during summer:


Lots and lots of fresh fruit, sandwiches with tuna, tomatoes, mayo and fresh cheese, rghaief (moroccan pancakes - I will give you the recipe one of these days, i promise!) and lots of juice and water. As you can see, we had cherries, melon and apples yesterday. *lol*