Absence, bread and a moment of reflection on self confidence..

I have been absent from this blog for some time now, starting a new job and moving apartments has kept me pretty busy and away from my blog, not to mention over 9 hours a day spent at a computer may have something to do with coming home and not wanting to switch on my laptop. However I have let it go far enough, although I still don’t have a working camera, I’m going to make a conscious effort to try and update this blog as regularly as possible, please excuse me for not showing pictures or ones that are used from other sources, I will get back to photography as seen as i can. Lately I have had many food adventures and I’ve been introduced to a variety of traditional Moroccan cuisine, however at home I am still keeping it pretty simple, that will be changing soon, thanks to a nice new equipped kitchen..i can’t wait to start using the oven again. I’ve been able to experiment a lot with just a stove-top, from quick stir-fries to slow cooked pasta sauces. I am also making an effort to eat a little more healthily and cut down on too much meat consumption, although my sweet tooth is still alive and well, I’ll never give up dessert! Living around the corner from a patisserie is pure bliss and trouble all at the same time, the aroma of freshly baked bread and pastries has lured me in many times for a petit pain au chocolat and mille-feuille. Weekend breakfasts are not complete without buttery croissants and petit pain, (perhaps on weekdays too, I confess) and the wonderful selection of wholemeal Moroccan breads complete a lunch time or evening meal. That is one of the bonuses of living in a city like Marrakech, fresh bread is not hard to find at all and doesn’t come wrapped in plastic, lying on a shelf for who knows how long, it’s baked fresh early every morning for breakfast and lunch and then another batch baked mid-afternoon for dinner. I used to be someone who was taken in by the ‘carbs are bad for you’ diets, and stay away from bread as much as possible. It did me no good, deprivation only made me crave it more, and I was missing out on essential ingredients needed in my diet and for my body that carbohydrates can provide. I am now thoroughly enjoying good bread and everything else, including sugar, I would say ‘within moderation’ but I have come to realize that everyone has there own definition of what moderation is. I like a little bit of everything in my day, including coffee and black tea and a little square of dark chocolate to end the meal of course! Fruit, vegetables, legumes, wheat and pro-biotic yoghurt have become a big part of my diet, as has regular walking and exercise; I hope I can keep this up! I’ll admit that I do get guilty pangs every now and then if I’ve eaten a full meal and topped it off with a creamy dessert. That is down to a mind set since the age of 14 of carefully watching every calorie consumed and thinking about body weight numerous times a day, I think that is something that many women can relate to no matter how extreme or little. I don’t know if the media, fashion or celebrities are to blame for our obsession with women’s bodies, weight issues and food, but I do know it affects us all to varying degrees at some point, however I will not point the finger at anyone, it can be a very personal journey for some. I know my own has been a hard one to acceptance and love, but I think I have discovered my happy place, I’m not saying it’s the end of the journey, I’m sure there will be many road bumps along the way, but in this moment I am happy and confident in my own skin and proud of my attributes and I’m enjoying my food! What I believe has been key for me to understand is that healthy living starts with a healthy mind.

Women for Women

I hope all my readers take the time to visit not for profit organization 'women for women International' web page. This organization does amazing work to help women in need around the world, if you get a chance to take a look please do and help spread the word.

A very late post...but a beautiful adventure

This post is about 2 and a half months late but i finally found pictures from my visit to Ourika, a mountain village 45 minutes outside of Marrakech. It was cold but it was beautiful, the air was fresh, the sun was shining and i ate the best lamb tagine sitting on an old rug down by the river. Sipping hot mint tea while watching the water flow and the odd person walking about, i was lost in the moment. I've been told this little town is a popular destination for city people wanting to escape the Marrakech heat in summer. The roads are small and at times a little scary   ( don't look down) every so often you will pass a small brick house, a small market, a motel....i hope you all have a chance to visit one day.

My moment of Baking fame!

Karen's Rococo chocolate cake

I apologize for my absence on this blog for the last couple of weeks, i've had a lot going on lately and quite a few things to think about, but that is no reason to neglect my beloved blog so i'm back : ). On one particular day, my dear friend Matt made my day when he put my chocolate Rococo cake on his restaurant menu as a weekend special, his chef re-created it and in the picture it looks exactly like mine. I was even more delighted when i heard people were asking for seconds! I am one very proud baker! Thank you Matt and the rest of your team : )

Happy new year!

Happy new Year to all my readers!!

It's been a few weeks since i updated this blog, i mostly spent my time back home in London with friends and family. There wasn't a whole lot of cooking going on either, not as much as i would have liked anyway, two weeks just seemed to rush by and in the madness of Christmas and New year's there just wasn't enough hours in the day.

I did enjoy my Christmas with family, i loved catching up with everyone, sitting around eating chocolates, watching bad Christmas television with a few good Christmas movies, shopping for and wrapping presents, and the food! It's like a week long food marathon, but it was all wonderful. New year's eve was a family gathering at my parents home, it was very relaxed and joyful, i couldn't have asked for a better holiday season, for me it really is about the people who make it special, when everyone i love is around me i know it's going to be amazing.

I did get round to making some dark chocolate and orange brownies, almond biscotti, gingerbread, apple berry crumble and the best bread i've ever made, Chorizo and thyme fougasse.

Unfortunately there aren't any photographs for this post, after months of struggling on my camera has finally died on me, so i'm looking into getting another one very soon! It's a shame because i was really proud of my fougasse and it's shape and i wanted to show it off...maybe next time.

For the gingerbread i used the recipe from Emma of  http://www.poiresauchocolat.net/, this is such a fantastic blog, Emma's recipes are beautiful as is her writing do take a look when you have a moment.
The gingerbread was moist, sticky and spicy, it was a hit with everyone.

I hope you are all having a good start to the year, the first few days of January are exciting but also a little scary ( in my case) all the things that may unfold this year, the lessons that will be learned and the success achieved, most importantly i will love my loved ones even more and i will continue to thank God for all my blessings.

Karen

My cook book Christmas Wish list

My top ten eye candy in the Baking department this Christmas....

1. Making cupcakes with Lola

2. Vegan cupcakes take over the world

3. Miette bakery cookbook

4.  Laduree : sucre: the recipes

5. The cupcake diaries

6. Make, bake, love

7. Desserts from the famous loveless cafe

8. Tea with Bea

9. Baking from my home to yours

10 . The boy who bakes

Spicy spaghetti with merguez sausage

My new food find is Merguez sausage, it's a skinny lamb sausage with a mix of hot peppery spices, a north African speciality. When i bought half a kilo from the local meat market i went about discovering different ways to cook and eat these delicious sausages. One of the dishes i made was chicken legs, potatoes, merguez sausage, red onion seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, oregano, and a little orange zest sprinkled on top, all baked in the oven in one dish for 1 hour 15 mins, simple and delicious and full of flavour and juices  just waiting to be mopped up with some crusty bread.
Another dish was fried red onion, red pepper and sausage eaten all wrapped up in a warm soft tortilla, add a nice green salad and you've got an easy lunch!
On the third day ( you'd think by now i'd be sick of them but i really wasn't, when i find new food i literally eat it everyday until my next find!) i decided i wanted pasta with my sausage, so this is the recipe that was putting it self together in my mind and it turned out just as i hoped, hot and fiery.

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Spicy spaghetti with merguez sausage

1 large red pepper cut into strips

1 medium red onion, finely chopped  

1 tomatoe, peeled and diced

2 cloves of garlic,crushed

2-3 merguez sausage per person

2 tbsp passata/tomatoe puree

2 tbsp olive oil

salt

pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/3 cup of water

Spaghetti

1. Mix 1 tbsp of the olive oil into the sliced red peppers, place on a baking sheet and bake on 200f for 25 mins until the peppers are charred.

2. Add the remaining olive oil to a large cooking pan and cook the finely chopped red onions for 5 minutes on a medium heat, until softened.

3. Add the crushed garlc to the onions and continue cooking until both have turned a light golden colour. 

4. Use 2-3 merguez sausage per person and chop into bite size pieces, mix into the onions and garlic and cook until the sausage has browned. 

5. Add the passata/puree into the pan with the tomatoe and 1/cup of water with all the spices,salt and lots of pepper. Give it all a gentle stir and cover and cook on low for 30 mins.

6.After 30 minutes add the roasted red peppers ( with charred skin removed) Turn off the heat. Cook your spaghetti in slightly salted water, according to instructions.

7. Drain the spaghetti and mix into the sauce for 1 minute on a low heat.

8. Serve immediately, with an extra sprinkling of  fresh black pepper.

You can omit the chilli powder and pepper if your looking for a milder dish, or add more to spice it up as you like. I used lots of pepper and the sauce was packed with heat, perfect on a cold night.