Moroccan chicken recipe

We had this for dinner tonight (grilled not baked though). Though it sounds somewhat spicy, it was not, which is good because our two boys are sissies when it comes to spicy food - something we're trying to work on since they are half Malaysian afterall!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 whole chicken (4 pounds), quartered, skin on
• 1 lemon, quartered

Directions

1. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack of oven, and preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix spices, 2 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, and the oil in a small bowl. Rub spice paste all over chicken.
2. Carefully arrange chicken in a single layer on hot sheet, and arrange lemon wedges around chicken. Bake until chicken registers 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer and juices run clear, 30 to 35 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with pan juices and roasted lemon wedges on the side.

Gone with the Wind

Our book club decided to read it this month, and though I knew it was a classic, I was unsure how much I'd actually like it, thinking it might be dull and antiquated. Oh... my... word.... it is a beautiful book. If you have not read, go to the library RIGHT NOW and start reading. I have not enjoyed a book this much in ages.

I started it last Monday and finished all 1,000+ pages by Saturday night. I tend to be a fast reader but that might set a personal record for me. I was up past midnight every night - ending at 4:30 a.m. on Saturday (well, technically Sunday). It was that good!

All well and good, but here is the problem. The author, Margaret Mitchell, did not write a sequel. The ending begs a sequel, so why didn't she write one? She died in 1949 after she was struck by a speeding automobile. But according to extensive internet research (haha), her untimely death was not the reason for no sequel. She refused to write one (though her estate authorized Alexandra Ripley to write the sequel "Scarlett" in 1991). I keep on pondering what Mrs. Mitchell wanted for the characters. Would Scarlett and Rhett eventually get back together? Will Rhett ever recover from the death of their dear daughter? Would Belle play a larger role in their futures? (She would pop into the story here and there but never became as large of a character as I thought she would eventually become.) Will Scarlett ever become a better mother to her children? Is Ashley out of Scarlett's life forever?

I cannot get the story out of my thoughts ...

I do plan on reading the sequel "Scarlett" (my name is on the list for that book at the library in fact), but what I really want is Margaret Mitchell's sequel. I guess this would be called unrequited love because I know my wish will never be fulfilled.

What's a girl to do

I am going to the Walton Arts Center with my dear hubby tonight and spent the morning rummaging through my closet to see what still fits, what looks good, etc. I found several nicer dresses that both fit and look good (yipee)... but the problem is that I am ALWAYS cold - especially inside where people seem to love to blast the A/C (even if it's 100 degrees outside in August). So often I just opt for dressy slacks instead of dresses and skirts, since it's not fun to eat fancy food or see Broadway plays if you're shivering so bad you can't sit straight.

So that's where you all come in (if there is anybody reading this poor neglected blog, that is). Any advice in looking good but staying warm at the same time?

(Or maybe I should just wear the sexy clothes but bring a portable heater with me??? Hmmm, this is not a bad idea!)

Happy Easter

A few pictures from our family egg hunt in our yard. We decided to do it a day early because of the weather forecast. It was beautiful yesterday for the hunt ... and today is rainy and cold, so I am glad we listened to the weatherman!

Zac: "See my amazing stretching ability... I'll do anything for chocolate!"

Benji: "I'm so glad Daddy told Mommy that they should buy M&M's this year instead of all that healthy stuff. Daddy is smart!"

Check Out My Woman - The Half Marathon Runner

So all the training over the last 3/4 months came to this - Laurel's inaugural half marathon, together with good friends Kristin and Britni. They finished the race!!!! Yay!!!!

Here's me and the boys cheering them on.


Look at them go. Hardly breaking a sweat.

Tackling one of 'em killer hills. No problemo.

(Rocky soundtrack as the background) The triumph of finishing the run!

Laurel did it, and I'm so proud of her! Congrats, sweetie!

Recent pictures

The boys climbing a tree that fell from the ice storm

Benji

Here are my serious boys

Here are my normal boisterous boys :)

Sweaty Samson

This morning during our Bible time we were reading about Samson in the Old Testament. The picture showed how he had long hair. Out of nowhere, Benji said, "He must have been hot with that long hair. He would need to take lots of showers." Benji is a very clean boy if you did not know. :)

I need to do more ab exercises

I was doing some crunches this afternoon, so of course both of my children were trying to get on top of me and all over my bended legs, making it very difficult to complete any actual exercise. But I did get two more reasons to keep up the work...

Zachary felt my tummy and said, "Your tummy is really soft."
Benji didn't even have to touch it to say, "Your tummy is also really wrinkly."

I felt compelled to point out to them that there are two reasons why their statements were true ... and their names are Benji and Zac.

Back to the floor to keep crunchin'

Vegan cake recipe

This recipe is for Heather but I thought others might like it too. My dad is a vegan so this is my go-to recipe for birthday cakes for him. And I swear, it tastes good! I once served the chocolate version at a church picnic and no one knew the wiser.

Vegan cake

Dry ingredients:
1 ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt

Wet ingredients:
1 cup cold water
1 Tbsp. vinegar
¼ cup oil
1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 8 or 9 in. baking dish. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a small bowl mix wet ingredients together. Add wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a fork or an electric mixer. Bake for 30-35 min.

Variations:
Chocolate chip cake – sprinkle 1/3-2/3 cup chocolate chips on top of cake before baking.

Chocolate cake – add ¼ cup cocoa powder for dry ingredients.

Spice cake – add 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. allspice, ½ tsp. ground cloves & ¼ tsp. nutmeg to dry ingredients; omit vanilla.

Ginger molasses – reduce sugar and water to ¾ cup. Add tsp. cinnamon, 15tsp. allspice, 1-3 tsp. ginger to the dry ingredients. Add ¼ cup molasses to wet ingredients and omit vanilla.

Banana cake – reduce sugar to 2/3 cup. Instead of water, use 1 cup mashed banana and a little milk.

Comments that make it all worthwhile

The process of getting a child to go to sleep by themselves in their own bed AND stay there all night is a very long process. Benji is there and has been for awhile. Zachary not so much.

Currently one of us (normally Mommy) lies down with Zac until he's asleep - occasionally he is fine with me sitting in the hallway and knitting or reading (that way he can still see me). Since Zac and Benji now share a room, Benji has started requesting me lie down with him for a few minutes too. It's a nice time to snuggle, so that's been fine with me. Two nights ago, when I was lying down with Benji, he told me, "When you lie down with me or take me on dates, I feel so special." As you can imagine, my heart melted right then and there.