I was only a sometime reader of William Safire’s column in the Sunday Times magazine, On Language but as a teacher of English, and general word nerd, I appreciated his insights into language.
This is a great essay from Ben Zimmer, of Visual Thesaurus, in which he pays homage to the word maven. http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/wordroutes/2000/?utm_source=rss
I know I do, especially when baby gear is involved! Thrifty and Chic Mom has not one, but two three awesome giveaways right now.
The first is a Bumbleride Indie Twin Stroller: http://www.thriftyandchicmom.com/2009/09/riding-in-style-giveaway/ My neighbor has the Bumbleride Queen B and I admit to some stroller envy!
The second giveaway is ErgoBaby’s new infant insert, Heart2Heart. It’s International Babywearing Week, and ErgoBaby is giving away their new infant insert, called the Heart2Heart. I would love to have this for myself! http://www.thriftyandchicmom.com/2009/09/international-baby-wearing-week-ergo-heart2heart-giveaway/
T&C is also giving away Aden+Anais muslin blankets. I have one of these blankets and I just love it. It is perfect for chilly nights, and for when the A/C is blasting. It’s easy to pack along on trips, too! http://www.thriftyandchicmom.com/2009/09/not-your-typical-blanket-giveaway/
Check out my latest article at Associated Content! Journeys with Baby. Read, recommend, link!
I really want two boxes of Tim Tams and a pound of Graham Cracker coffee. Sarahcentric is giving this stuff away, hopefully to me. Go check it out: http://www.sarahcentric.com/the-tim-tam-slam
My friend Tamara suggested, in the midst of my whining about planning the week’s dinner menu, that I make Shakshuka. Shakshuka is a versatile dish, with origins in Tunisian cuisine, that has become an Israeli staple. It truly is a farmer’s dish– hearty, filling and full of good stuff from the land. The basic shashuka recipe is made with onions, peppers, tomatoes and eggs, along with hot sauce or hot pepper. In The Book of Jewish Food, Claudia Roden notes that Tunisians used other vegetables as well. It’s versatility lies in that it’s good for breakfast, lunch or dinner and it’s a great way to use up vegetables that are languishing in the crisper.
The version I made this morning included zucchini.
You’ll need:
Peppers and zucchini, chopped and tomatoes peeled.
Prep all your vegetables before you begin.
An easy way to peel tomatoes is to blanch them, then dunk them in an ice water bath. Bring a pot of water to a boil. If you score the top and bottom of each tomato with an X, the tomatoes will begin to self-peel while blanching, making your job easier. Blanch tomatoes in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then scoop out with a slotted spoon and place into ice water bath. When tomatoes are cool enough to handle, peel off skin.
Fry onions in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil until softened and browned.
When the onions are nice and soft, add in the peppers and whatever other vegetables you are using. Cook until soft.
After adding tomatoes, simmer for ten minutes.
Add in the chopped tomatoes. At this point, I season with salt and pepper, to help draw out the moisture from the vegetables while they simmer.
Crack those eggs!
Tamara likes to crack the eggs one by one in a separate dish, then slide the eggs in. I cracked the eggs right into the pan, because I’m dangerous like that. (You can see that I broke a yolk. Boo hoo.) Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the eggs set. You want the yolk to be a bit runny– it’s the best part of the dish! My yolks ended up a bit more cooked than I would’ve liked but I’m not ready to feed my 13 month old runny eggs, as much as I love them. (You are supposed to make little indentations in the vegetables for the eggs, but I forgot to do this. Next time!)
Serve with whatever bread you've got on hand.
We only had whole wheat toast in the house but this would be excellent with pita or a hearty peasant slice, toasted and buttered. Enjoy!
(By the way, most of this dish is locally sourced food– the peppers, zucchini, tomatoes and eggs are all from within 100 miles, if not closer.)
