Saturday, December 27, 2008

Looks like I"ve been tagged

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago
1. I was 17
2. I was a senior in high school
3. I was still living in my home state
4. I was preparing for college
5. Working at my first job

5 Snacks I Like
1. cheese
2. apples
3. strawberries
4. yogurt
5. chocolate

5 things I would do if I was a (multi-)millionaire
1. Purchase a home in the US and in Algeria
2. Purchase apartments for my husband's brothers and sister so they can get married
3. Send my child(ren) to college
4. Help those in need in my community
5. Pay my parents bills so that they can retire comfortably.

5 places I have lived ( for various lengths of times)
various locations in two different states in the US

5 Jobs I have had
1. pizza shop my senior year of high school
2. Picking my brother up from the bus every day and watching him during the summer-he has downs syndrome and i did this since I was in middle school
3. restaurant
4. mom/wife
5. Histotechnologist-current

5 people i tag

Friday, December 19, 2008

Lessons from a 5 year old

This conversation took place between my son and I in the elevator last night.

Abdu- Mommy you know we have to reuse paper?

Me-What?

Abdu- Yes we have to reuse paper. Write on both sides.

Me- Did your teacher tell you that?

Abdu- NO! MOM! I told me that...

Me-okay, so where did you learn that from?

Abdu- Mommmmm! I have a good brain. I'm a genius.

MashaAllah. I don't know where he gets this stuff from, but most of us could learn a lot from the five year olds in our life.

Friday, December 05, 2008

Since we all like to eat...

This is a really yummy dish that is very popular throughout Algeria. I'm sure everyone has their own version. This is mine. I apologize about the quality of the picture. The lighting is very bad in my kitchen.

TAJIN ZITOUN

Chicken legs or thighs, skin removed
1 onion diced
cinnamon
thyme, dried
1 jar manzanilla green olives, drained
carrots, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
butter
light and dark olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Clean and pat dry chicken. Cook chicken and onions with cinnamon and thyme in light olive oil on a medium high heat until pink color is gone and onions are tender. About 5-7 minutes. Stir often and be careful not to burn chicken or onions. Season with salt and pepper and add enough water to just cover chicken. Add a few tablesppons of butter. Brint to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until chicken is no longer pink.

Remove chicken from pot and add sliced carrots. Bring back to a boil and cook for about 3-5 minutes to soften carrots. You want them to still have some bite. Do not overcook because they will further cook in the oven.

Lightly cover the bottom of an oven=proof baking dish with good quality dark extra virgin olive oil. Arrange chicken in the dish adding the drained olives. Pour carrots and sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with more thym, rubbing it between your fingers to break it down, and add more salt and pepper if needed.

Bake uncovered in a preheated oven until chicken is lightly browned on top.

Delicious served with warm pita bread and grilled vegetable salad. If you're really in the cooking mood, try serving with homemade french fries tossed with finely chopped parsley and onions.

Bon Appetit!

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Update tomorrow

how's that for a post? You might even get a recipe with pics. Who knows! I'll see ya'll then.