Relaxation via the Culinary Arts

Cooking and spending a day in the kitchen is my ideal mode of relaxation. This past Sunday, I was so excited because I had absolutely no plans - this was a welcome change because this was the first day in a long time where I had no place where I "needed" to be. So, I got to spend the day my way - listening to great music, sipping my coffee and cooking like crazy!

I started the day by simmering a big pot of chicken stock. The scent of chicken, aromatic vegetables and herbs filled the condo! Otis was beside himself while he waited for the stock to finish so that he could dine on the leftover chicken scraps. Here is the final result: a well-stocked freezer-shelf - with containers of chicken stock awaiting their supporting role in this winter's various soups, stews and risottos.



While the chicken stock simmered, I started a batch of a hearty soup. My first soup recipe of the fall was White Bean & Bacon Soup. It was a very simple recipe of bacon, Great Northern beans, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, herbs & spices. The soup was finished just in time for me to enjoy a "lunch break".

Next up, I tried out a recipe from a recent edition of Cooking Light. This creation was aptly called Bulgur Salad with Dried Cranberries, but if I was a magazine editor or recipe-writer, I would have called would have called it something like Rustic Autumn Tabbouleau. I've been dining on this creation all week for lunch at work - it gets better day by day! It's a simple recipe of bulgur, cucumber, dried cranberries, parsely, lemon juice and EVOO. I added the special touch of goat cheese, too. So yummy!

Next on the agenda was Foccacia Bread. I had never made foccacia bread before, but really wanted to try my hand at it before I learned the "official" way to make it in my "Baking Bootcamp" class next week. This recipe was very simple and called for parmesean cheese & Italian herbs as the garnsih on top. This is another creation that I've been enjoying all weeklong!

I took an afternoon break from cooking to relax in the sunroom with Otis and a book. This was truly shaping up to be a perfect day. Since we had just "fallen back" for Daylight Savings Time the night prior, by five 'o clock it was getting dark outside and I was craving dinner. I went back into the kitchen and tried out another Cooking Light creation - Chicken & Butternut Tagine with Mediteranian Couscous. The "tagine" was flavored with great spices like cumin, tumeric, and cinnamon. A special touch was also added by the flavors of dried plums and kalamata olives. For the couscous, I again used mediteranian spices and also added dried currants. This dish was so authentic that it made me feel like I had travelled to a foreign land!