The Spiced Life

Musings & Recipes From My Kitchen

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Spanish Pork and Fideo Noodles Cazuela (Stovetop Casserole)

November 5, 2013 By Laura 3 Comments

Spanish Pork and Fideo Cazuela

I swear I don’t do it on purpose. But somehow, whenever John leaves town for a conference, I seem to end up cooking something I know he would love. Sometimes I feel guilty about this. He is in Recife, Brazil for 8 days. I will let you draw your own conclusions about my guilt level… 

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Filed Under: casseroles, chorizo, kids cooking, pasta, peas, pork, sausage, Spanish cuisine, tomatoes Tagged With: angel hair, casserole, cazuela, chorizo, fideos, noodles, pasta, peas, pimentón, pork, smoked paprika, spaghetti, Spanish, tomatoes, vermicelli

Oxtail Stew with Cinnamon, Star Anise, Orange and Gremolata

October 1, 2013 By Laura 4 Comments

Braised Oxtails with Warm Spices and Gremolata

Each of the past few years Yotam Ottolenghi’s books (Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London’s Ottolenghi; Jerusalem: A Cookbook) have topped my Christmas wish list. This year’s re-issue of this first book, Ottolenghi: The Cookbook, I was totally prepared to have it also topping my list. But before I could even get the title typed out,… 

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Filed Under: beef, beef stew, butternut squash, carrots, fall spices, stews, tomatoes Tagged With: beef, beef stew, braise, braising, butternut squash, cinnamon, garlic, gremolata, lemon, orange, Ottolenghi, oxtail, parsley, short ribs, star anise, stew, tomatoes, winter squash

Thai Laksa Inspired Beef Stew with Mushrooms, Shallots and Tomatoes

September 10, 2013 By Laura 14 Comments

Curried Beef Short Ribs with Mushrooms and Shallots

It is funny, the way you can raise 2 kids close to the same (although of course not identically) and have them turn out so differently. I may have mentioned Sammy is my sensitive one where Alex is more prosaic. Well we have finally had a fish death.

Filed Under: beef, beef stew, curry, curry powder, mushrooms, rice, stews, Thai dishes, tomatoes Tagged With: beef, beef stew, curry, laksa, mushrooms, shallots, short ribs, stew, Thai, tomatoes

Chorba (Moroccan Soup of Chickpeas, Vermicelli and Vegetables)

August 18, 2013 By Laura 8 Comments

Moroccan Mixed Vegetable and Garbanzo Stew with Harissa

When I chose my island for my kitchen, my builder thought I was crazy for picking such a large one. Clearly he is not a cook, because there is just no such thing as too much counter space in the kitchen. I am a cluttered person, and being able to always have counter free for… 

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Filed Under: chickpeas, easily made vegetarian, Moroccan, pasta, potatoes, soup, sweet potato, tomatoes Tagged With: angel hair, chickpeas, garbanzos, Harissa, Moroccan, noodles, North African, pasta, potatoes, soup, tomatoes, vermicelli, zucchini

Farro Pasta with Mushrooms, Apples and Sausage

August 11, 2013 By Laura 8 Comments

Farro Pasta with Mushrooms, Apples and Sausage

A long time ago, before kids, when I worked outside of the home every day, stovetop pasta dishes were one of my favorite fast standby meals. They have endless variations, leading to endless creativity, and they cook up very quickly. Since becoming a stay at home mom, I do have more time to putter in… 

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Filed Under: apples, easily made vegetarian, Farro, mushrooms, pasta, sausage, tomatoes, whole grains Tagged With: apples, baby bella, chicken sausage, crimini, emmer pasta, Farro, mushrooms, pasta, sausage, tomatoes, whole grain

Quesadillas with Black Beans, Corn and Tomatoes

July 27, 2013 By Laura 2 Comments

A few days ago we finally got a fish for Alex’s aquarium. We knew you were suposed to start small–i.e., don’t get 10 fish at once–so we just got one. But here is the problem. We got the fish at Meijer’s, where I had not been planning to buy a fish, but we were there… 

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Filed Under: beans, corn, southwestern, tomatoes, tortilla dishes Tagged With: beans, black beans, cheddar, cheese, cherry tomatoes, corn, flour tortilla, grape tomatoes, Monterey Jack, quesadillas, southwestern, tomatoes, tortillas

Trofie Pasta with Bacon, Crimini and Cherry Tomatoes

July 24, 2013 By Laura 11 Comments

Pasta with Bacon, Mushrooms and Tomatoes

You may have been wondering what is going on with the aquarium project (check out the Spanish Soup post for a picture). We have had some issues getting the heater working right, so we still don’t have any fish (much to Alex’s irritation). But stay tuned! I am hoping to have some tomorrow!

Filed Under: bacon, cookbooks, easily made vegetarian, mushrooms, pasta, reviews, tomatoes Tagged With: baby bella, bacon, cherry tomatoes, cream, crimini, mushrooms, noodles, pasta, tomatoes, trofie

Spanish Inspired Soup of Cauliflower, Peas and Shrimp with Chorizo and Smoked Paprika

July 16, 2013 By Laura 5 Comments

Cauliflower and Peas with Chorizo and Smoked Paprika

I have this recurring dilemma about summer food. I realize that for many people a soup or stew does not sound great during the summer. But a lot of soups and stews are traditionally made all over the world in hot climates. Sometimes I feel like it is only those of us who live in… 

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Filed Under: cauliflower, chorizo, peas, seafood, shrimp, soup, Spanish cuisine, tomatoes Tagged With: cauliflower, chorizo, peas, sausage, seafood, shellfish, shrimp, smoked paprika, soups, Spanish, tomatoes

Indonesian Sour Fish From Sulawesi

May 14, 2013 By Laura 7 Comments

I like my fish prepared pretty much one of three ways: dusted in a starch and fried or sautéed, in sushi, or smothered in a complex, vibrant sauce, stew or curry. In other words, I live in the midwest and never really learned to appreciate the taste of plain fish. In all seriousness, when would… 

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Filed Under: fish, Indonesian, lime, seafood, tomatoes Tagged With: cod, fish, ginger, Indonesian, kaffir lime, lemongrass, lime juice, Sulawesi, tomatoes

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Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

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