When I was younger, about high school age, I used to love having snow days or other days off from school because it meant that I would have time to bake. I loved baking and I still do, I just can't right now because it doesn't fit with my lifestyle. I loved going through those old cookbooks trying to find the best recipe. And I always knew which cookbook was the best because of how dirty it was; for my family it was a 1972 Betty Crocker's Cookbook for holiday times. The book is literally falling apart because it's been used so much! Flipping through the pages of that book, I knew which recipes were the best because of how many dried splatters they had on their pages. Well, I am proud to say that yesterday, my healthy cookbook became sullied with it's first spots. At first I was sad that my new book was no longer neat and clean, but as I looked at those spots I became proud of myself and the kind of new legacy I was starting with my son. Yes, eventually I will make allowances for the old favorite recipes, but my life will no longer be controlled by those unwanted and uncontrollable urges to have "comfort" food. A new wave of comfort food is upon me, such as last night's dinner!
Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Summer Squash and Green Olives:
This meal explodes with 8 different spices of flavor; cumin, ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, allspice, salt, cayenne, and lemon zest and juice all combined with olive oil to make a wet rub to put on both sides of the chicken which then becomes blackened in the skillet.
I am not a fan of green olives, but this meal would have only been at about 68% of it's potential without them. They added so much different flavor that was both unexpected and delightful at the same time.
I've always liked summer squash but for the first time in my life I noticed how wonderfully sweet it is. I guess that's what happens after two weeks when a sugar-a-holic quits cold turkey.
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| Yes, those are onions, and yes, I did eat them. Although not happily... |
My one problem with the meal was the cayenne pepper. I currently do not have 1/8 teaspoon and had to guess on the measurement and I definitely went overboard! Next time I make it (1/8 tsp included) it will not be so hot that I can't enjoy the full flavor!
