Words & Brush Weekender: Easy listening music and chat, Friday 13th February 2026, Free Choice - all genres of music welcome
Enjoy some good music here on Words & Brush, it's your free choice so please post any of your favorite music of all genres!
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Chicken Marengo
By Sara Buenfeld, BBCgoodfood.com
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chicken-marengo
According to a popular myth, the dish was first made after Napoleon defeated the Austrian army at the Battle of Marengo at Marengo south of Alessandria, Italy, when his chef Dunand foraged in the town for ingredients (because the supply wagons were too distant) and created the dish from what he could gather. According to this legend, Napoleon enjoyed the dish so much he had it served to him after every battle, and when Dunand was later better-supplied and substituted mushrooms for crayfish and added wine to the recipe, Napoleon refused to accept it, believing that a change would bring him bad luck.
This colorful story, however, is probably myth; Alan Davidson writes that there would have been no access to tomatoes at that time, and the first published recipe for the dish omits them. The more plausible explanation for the origin of the dish is that it was created by a restaurant chef in Paris to honor Napoleon's victory.
Serves 4, prep. time 5 minutes, cooking time 55 minutes
Ingredients:
Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole dish and stir-fry the mushrooms until they start to soften. Add the chicken legs and cook briefly on each side to colour them a little.
Pour in the passata, crumble in the stock cube and stir in the olives. Season with black pepper – you shouldn’t need salt. Cover and simmer for 40 mins until the chicken is tender. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with pasta and a salad, or mash and green veg, if you like.
Words & Brush Weekender: Easy listening music and chat, Friday 6th February 2026, Free Choice - all genres of music welcome
Enjoy some good music here on Words & Brush, it's your free choice so please post any of your favorite music of all genres!
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One-pan lemon beef and rice stir-fry
By Henny Shor, Jerusalem Post, January 31,2026
https://www.jpost.com/food-recipes/article-884885
Originally, I planned to share two separate recipes: a lemon ginger beef stir-fry and a bright lemon rice to serve alongside it. But as I started cooking, I suddenly realized that I could make the whole dish so much simpler by bringing the two together in one pot.
With just a few small tweaks, everything cooked beautifully, the flavors blended perfectly, and the result was incredible. The beef becomes tender, the rice absorbs all the citrusy goodness, and the entire meal comes together with almost no effort. It is cozy, fragrant, and exactly the kind of winter dinner that warms the entire kitchen.
Yields 4-5 servings
Ingredients:
1 kg. steak (rib eye, chuck steak #2, or minute steak #5)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 Tbsp. date syrup
4 Tbsp. soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, finely grated
Zest of 1 lemon
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, diced
6 celery stalks, thinly sliced on an angle
1 green pepper, sliced
Juice of 1 lemon
2 cups rice
2 tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. turmeric
4 cups boiling water
Directions:
Slice the beef into very thin strips and place in a large bowl with the cornstarch, date syrup, soy sauce, grated garlic, grated ginger, lemon zest, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Mix well so everything is evenly coated, and set the lemon juice aside for later.
Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or wide pot over medium high. Add the onion and sauté for about three minutes, then add the marinated beef. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the meat releases its juices and begins to brown.
Add the celery and green pepper, mix well, and pour in the lemon juice. Lower the heat and let it cook for about 25 minutes.
In a small bowl, rinse and drain the rice, then add it to the pan along with the salt, pepper, and turmeric. Pour in the boiling water, mix well, and bring to a gentle simmer.
Cover the pot and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, until the meat is tender, the rice is fluffy, and the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork and serve hot.
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| Enjoy! |
Ring in February at last. Winter is still holding on
Most important get back to your project, or begin it. Make the first rough draft of the story or poem, or just journal. A blank page is worth a thousand words. Maybe a favorite character of a book or movie inspires you. A word or phrase spoken in the present or the past. Most importantly don't let your self critic get in the way. Just try making the project as you see fit. How does the story begin? How does it end? Is there a cliffhanger to carry the reader to the next story?
Maybe Yoda does enjoy coffee. Unlock the
imagination and go with it.
