Excuse the crap quality photo. Still looks tasty though, right?!
think my friends here believe I'm some kind of cook who knows what I'm doing. Alright, I can bake pretty well, but actual cooking of meals is an undertaking I've only recently embraced as a deutsche Hausfrau. I must admit that this revelation is due to equal parts free time, inspiration from chef extraordinaire Frau Dietz and my Real Simple magazines. Even though I have the time, I still don't want to spend the entire day in the kitchen preparing dinner. And honestly, the more steps that are involved, the more stressed it makes me.My Real Simple magazines (which arrives here about six times a year - thanks mom!) have proven indispensable for making meals that are easy, delicious and don't make me want to pull my hair out by the time dinner is ready. The only frustrating bit is when they call for something we don't have here in Germany - like the rotisserie chicken for the gingery peanut noodles with chicken (above - btw, absolutely delicious as cold leftovers). At least that one was an easy fix- sauteed chicken breasts in sesame oil, soy sauce and garlic worked out just as well, if not better.
Sadly, it's not always so easy. I'm eagerly awaiting another trip to the food paradise in Frankfurt know as the Kleinmarkthalle for chipotle chilis. I know there's an Hispanic counter there and I'm crossing my fingers I find what I need so I can make the delicious-looking chipotle beef tacos with cabbage and radish slaw.
Le Creuset - I love you
Last week, I made the amazing creamy chicken with biscuits, utilizing our still-new Le Creuset in lieu of a slow-cooker. If you have the food processor, I highly recommend making the easy, delicious biscuits from scratch rather than buy pre-made from the store. I lucked out that the issue I received right after buying our Le Creuset was focused on slow-cooker recipes, which are surprisingly easy - and faster! and more moist! - to convert to a proper oven pot. I've become an immediate convert and now just come up with reasons to use it!
I'm thinking the curried chicken with ginger and yogurt for tonight...
*Daily Drop Cap by Linzie Hunter, via Jessica Hische
