A bland little meal that evolved into something good

Last week I wanted something with bold flavors. I had some chicken in my refrigerator to use up and found a recipe for Morrocan Chicken and rice. Normally I love the warm spices and flavors of Morrocan cooking so I signed right up. 

I was so disappointed, it came out really bland. I will say that I don't think I marinated the chicken long enough for the flavor to really penetrate. If I make that again, I will add some more spices, the garlic, tumeric, coriander and cumin didn't add enough.  Maybe some cardomon or saffron?  Also, I might use skinless boneless thighs next time. I feel like they would absorb more of the marinade.   

There were quite a bit of leftovers staring me in the face. I tried squeezing some lemon and adding a bit of salt to it. Better, but not quite there yet. Then, when I was spooning out some Yogurt Tahini Sauce (which I tend to eat straight out of the jar...no judgements, please), I realized that it would liven it up perfectly. I also had a bit of chermoula sauce so I stirred that in as well. Divine!

Both recipes came the website Plant Based School. I've been leaning in on reducing my meat intake, partly due to budget, but also in the interest of reducing my carbon footprint and have found this site to be a great place to find easy vegetarian recipes. 

I first tried the Yogurt Tahini Sauce and the Chermoula when I made their Whole Roasted Cauliflower recipe. It was divine!

I loved the brightness of the pomegranite seeds along with the tanginess of the yogurt and the herbiness of the chermoula. Plus, the pop of color just adds a layer of enjoyment to the meal.

The only thing I did wrong was that I over-cooked the cauliflower a bit so, as you can see, it split when I plated it. 

I ate the leftovers of this just warmed to room temperature and loved it just as much as I did when it was steaming hot. I will make this over and over.  

I wish I could say that I'm an inventive cook and come up with my own recipes, but I'm really not. I just really enjoy cooking and trying new things. Most things that are my own recipes are just versions of something that I've tried that has evolved into my own, like my Ravioli Lasagna. 

New on the Needles

New on the needles right now: last week I hadn't picked up any knitting at all. It was really bothering me until I realized that I was bored with all of my current wips. I lectured myself to buck up and finish something so I could cast on something new and then realized that not casting on something new was a self-imposed knitting rule and I could just cast something new on.

I had bought the yarn for the Just Beachy shawl from my favorite LYS in Milwaukee, Cream City Yarn in September of 2021. I was rumaging through my yarn stash and ran across the Emma's Yarns kit in the St Pete collection for the Just Beachy MKAL that was kicking off that fall.  

Exactly a week after, I decided to completely deconstruct my life and sell my house and move to Belgium for a job so any new knitting projects were off the table. Fast-forward almost three years later, I decided it was time to join in. I'm just about to add the third color and am completely in love with it. A couple of the conch stitches are a little wonky, but since I'm making this for myself, I'm ok with them. 

I'm really glad (even though I ended up buying a whole new suitcase in order to do it) that I brought all of my remaining stash yarn back to Belgium with me on my last trip. I've been loving getting reacquainted with it and having a good selection to choose from. 

What am I bored with knitting right now? I have the following on the needles: 

• Seersucker socks from Modern Daily Knitting's Field Guide No. 11 Wanderlust in Cascade Yarns Heritage in 5607 Red. (I will do a heel flap instead of the short row version in the guide. I have found it works better for my foot.)
• Anne Budd's Basic Sock in Schoeller & Stahl Fortissima colorway 506 Black Edition. (I almost always have a set of these on the needles. This pattern is usually my purse and car knitting.)
• Yorlin by Kate Davies Designs in (I think) Kickapoo Ewetopia fingering weight yarn. (I can't find the yarn label - it was deep stash yarn that I acquired several years ago.)
• Find Your Fade by Andrea Mowry in several different skeins of Wild Haven Sonder Sock (sadly since discontinued, I loved her colorways).  I just want to comment here that I was very excited to knit this shawl and still think it's a gorgeous pattern, but it's such a snore to knit.
• I also have the Beekeeper Cardigan by Marie Greene in Quince & Co Phoebe in blue. This has been hibernating a loooonnnngggg time and I will pick it up again, just not this week. 
• Additionally, the Corstorphine by Ysolda Teague is lingering on the needles as well. I finally realized that I've been avoiding it because I am not happy with the color choice I made for the main color. I think I have something in my stash that I will like better so I will likely frog what I have so far (part of a sleeve) and recast on.
• Not really on the needles, but a fiber project nonetheless, I am working on weaving a color gamp shawl on my Cricket rigid heddle loom using Sweet Georgia Tough Love sock Party of Five (I can't remember what the color combination was called, and unfortunately, it's a discontinued set).    

I am definitely a multi-project knitter. Depending on my mood, how inspired I feel and the level of challenge I'm up to will dictate what project I pick up when. Right now, I'm spending a lot of time in study group calls in preparation for sitting for the Salesforce Certified Technical Architect certification, I knit simple projects such as the Basic sock or dishcloths to keep me focused on the subject at hand but keep my hands busy. 

What's cooking today...Ravioli Lasagna

I had a very busy day today at work and then two evening study calls I needed to attend so needed an easy, filling meal. As I live by myself, I like to make something that will feed me for at least three or four meals, but comes together quickly.  

I had some ravioli and tomato sauce in the cupboard as well as some italian sausage I had made and put in the freezer over the winter so Ravioli Lasanga it was. 

You can do this with or without the meat but it was blustery day today and I felt the need for a bit more substance. 

Ingredients: 

500g/16oz. Italian Sausage - This is the recipe from spendwithpennies.com blog I used to make mine
750g/24oz. Jar of Spaghetti Sauce (I used Miracoli Basilico)
1/2 c red wine or water with splash of red wine vinegar
500g/16oz. Packaged Ravioli (fresh, dried or Frozen)
250g/16oz. shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Handful of Shreded Parmesan

Brown the sausage in a skillet, when cooked, add the jarred sauce. Put the red wine in the jar and put the lid back on and shake well and then add to the sauce. Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.

Brush olive oil in a casserole and spread a spoonful of sauce on the bottom. Layer raviolis over it and then top with one third of the mozzarella and one third of the parmesan. Cover with sauce and repeat the layers. Top with last third of mozzarella and parmesan. 

Cover with foil and put in a 180c/350f degree oven and cook for about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook for an additional 10 to brown the cheese and let extra liquid steam off. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. 

I would like to say that I took pictures of the gorgeous result, but alas, I can't.  So here is the evidence that it was really good and worth the 15 minutes it took to put it together. 

Observations of a brand new expat

Observations of a new expat

Last year, I decided to sell everything and move abroad. I had a great job offer and the opportunity to follow a life-long dream of living and working in a French speaking country. Moving to Belgium at the age of 57 has definitely challenged my perception of myself. Mostly positively, but also has revealed some things that I didn’t expect. I’ve lived here almost exactly a month now and these are the things I’ve observed about being here, some about the place, some about myself.

Speaking French

I love being able to speak French everyday. I’m in the French speaking part of the country. I graduated from college in 1990 with a degree in French. Now that I’m within spitting distance of paying off my school loans, I finally get to utilize all of that study and speak French every day. At first, I was timid about it and tried to find people that spoke English to help me. After almost four full weeks, I’ve gained some confidence and am braver about asking questions and trying to problem solve in another language.

One of the things I’ve noticed recently is that if I have a conversation with someone in French about something and then try to relay that information to my family in a conversation later, I have trouble recounting the conversation in English. Also, when I’m thinking about shopping or taking care of day-to-day chores like taking out the garbage, the words I use to myself are in French. I’m still not able to have a decent phone conversation in French. Maybe soon? 

I think it bodes well towards my goal of becoming fluent as part of my expat experience.

Comfort Zones

I’m WAY out of my comfort zone. I knew I would be pushing my boundaries a lot, but hadn’t realized that I would be knocking them down completely on an almost daily basis. I’m still not sure where they will be reconstructed. Everyday is an exercise in finding a new norm that may change a day later. 

Yesterday I took the train to Mechelen and wandered around the city. I found myself avoiding going to a restaurant, as I had planned, to have lunch because I wasn’t sure how the process worked. Do you go inside and find a host to seat you? Do you just sit down and wait to be noticed and served? Are there menus? I almost turned around and rode the train home hungry because I had so much anxiety around it. I finally ripped the band-aid off and sat down and had a lovely meal and survived the unknown. 

This is just a small example of the day-to-day things I’m learning to navigate here. It’s a growth process. But sometimes I miss having my comfortable limits.

Red tape

Red tape makes me crazy. The red tape and Bureaucracy here is challenging to say the least. My daughter keeps reminding me that people that immigrate to the states probably think the same thing about US processes. I try to keep that in mind when I run into one more thing I have to wait on or the next form that needs to be filled out.

The latest challenge has been around getting registered with the village. Immigrants to Belgium have to register their address with the city hall and have their residency verified by the police. Once that is done, then and only then, the national identity card with their national identity number is issued. Without the card and the number, I can’t open a bank account. My company is unable to pay me without the bank account so while I have a paycheck waiting for me, I can’t collect it as of yet.

Food

The food is amazing. Because I don’t yet have a car, I either shop when one my friends has time to drive me to the store, or I walk to the local smaller shops (which sadly are a bit too expensive as a long term solution) or I walk to the convenience store by the train station. 

Just a plug for the “convenience” store. This is not like the 7–11 my friends. It is a boutique grocery store with fresh produce, meat and baked goods and ready made single serving meals that can be heated in a microwave. And we aren’t talking about a Stouffers lasagna. They are dishes that are fresh, NOT full of preservatives and taste better than a meal you would get at a better fast casual place in the US. 

My favorite places so far have been the Fromaggerie (cheese shop) and the Boulangerie & Patisserie (bakery and pastry shop) in the village where I”m staying. The pastries are beautiful to look at and the croissants makes me feel like I’ve arrived in heaven. 

My favorite part of the stores here are that the bakery sections have loaves of bread and a self-serve slicing machine. So far my favorite is a whole-grain bread with pumpkin seeds in it.

Because I still don’t have a car, I’m getting a lot of walking and knitting time in. The walking has been great, even if I get tired of the limitations of only being able to go to places I can walk to. The first time I walked to the train station after I arrived, I was exhausted. Now after a month of walking everywhere, the train station feels like a brisk stroll before I do the next thing. 

In the evenings, I have been knitting a lot. While I have very dear friends here and they are fantastic and have been entertaining me a lot, the evenings I’m not with them I’ve been able to work through the projects I brought with me. Knitting has also helped me allay the anxieties related to the ever changing boundaries I had established for myself. As Elizabeth Zimmerman reminds us, “Properly practiced, knitting soothes the troubled spirit, and it doesn’t hurt the untroubled spirit either.”

I’m sure this is just the beginning of the new things I will find about myself and my new home. I’m appreciating the challenge of finding my balance in this new-to-me place.