Preserved lemons really are very easy to make – I actually plan to put up another batch today, now that Meyer lemons have reappeared at the co-op.

Learning our limits is the hardest part, I think, at least for me.

Julie – Thank you. Let me know how it goes when you try it. (Incidentally, have you been to la Maison du Couscous? Fabulous Moroccan restaurant down in Bay Ridge.)

Preserved lemons… I’d read somewhere they were fantastically easy and wonderful to use/eat/cook with. I’ll need to hunt out some glass jars… and then figure out how to fit them in my tiny fridge. Lovely dish, though.

As for finding time… I don’t know, honestly. Sleep less? I took on a project this month that required me sleeping far, far less than I was used to, and though I neared the breaking point a few days ago, I finished the project last night and the sense of accomplishment… overwhelmed. In the end, it’s all about priorities and learning our limits, I suppose. Cooking, however, is something I feel is my time alone (since bf doesn’t cook and many times isn’t home when I begin cooking, or stays in the living room while I do)… it relaxes me and is almost meditative for me.

Debi – Ack, I forgot to add the step about pre-cooking the chickpeas if you are using dried ones! Edited the post to add that in. My apologies. I don’t think you can peel uncooked chickpeas.

I look forward to seeing what you do with the preserved lemons; I’m sure you’ll come up with some new and interesting use for them!

I believe that we are always pretty much doing what we want to be doing, rather than what we say we would like to be doing.

I’ve made that argument before, but I’m no longer entirely convinced by it. Desire to do X is only one factor in our decisions – there is also desire not to do Y, or fear of Z, or feeling trapped, or whatnot.

I didn’t know you could peel the chickpeas before you cooked them. That’s really good to know.

I believe that we are always pretty much doing what we want to be doing, rather than what we say we would like to be doing. That doesn’t mean we’re necessarily happy about it–it just reflects the choices we’ve made. That you and Dave have chosen to make time together a priority shows how important it is to you both, and it is reflected in pretty much every post you write.