I usually make this one a pajama party, but this year I felt like doing something a little bit more elegant and a lil less “comfy”. I think the biggest hits of the night were my apple-cinnamon vodka drink and succulent beef roast. Here are some pictures from the night.
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A really good recipe to make during the cold winter months is a nice pot roast. There are a lot of advantages to making pot roast: it’s easy to make, it can feed a lot of people and its delicious and hearty. It’s easy to impress people with this low-effort dish, especially when made in a crock pot. You just throw all the ingredients in and go! If you don’t have a crock pot, follow this recipe below and the only thing you’ll have to worry about is making sure you bring your appetite.
Ingredients:
chuck roast (1/2 lb. per person)
2 cups red wine
1 cup water or beef broth
3 tbs. oil
10 cloves of garlic
1 large onion
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 or 2 chili peppers (optional)
dash of salt and pepper
vegetables of your choice cut into pieces (I used potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, okra, and tomatoes.)
1. Wash meat and pat dry. Coat with flour.
2. Fry beef in oil on all sides until brown
3. After the beef is done browning, add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pot in order to release all of the flavor.
4. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat for approximately 2 hours or until meat is to your desired texture, stirring occasionally.
5. Serve with bread.
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Being far away from family and “home”, I wanted to make something that could comfort me into knowing that I can have a piece of home whenever I want (although nothing will ever come close the the real thing!). I came up with the idea of making dolmeh all on my own. I have only made a version of this once before, and that was under my mom’s directions, a very long time ago. This time I had to figure it out all on my own, and with very limited spices and herbs. Regardless, it was quite easy to make. I have to be honest, I had no idea what I was doing, but it just goes to show that cooking is an art and everyone has their own style, my style being quick and easy, without the frills. Check out my quick and easy recipe below:
Ingredients:
1 lb ground chicken, beef or lamb
3 medium sized tomatoes
1 large onion, chopped
5 bell peppers and/or eggplant for shells
1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
2 cups cooked rice
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 cup dry or fresh mint
1 Tbsp tumeric
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tsp salt
1/2 Tsp pepper
Instructions:
1. Start by frying the onion in oil for a few minutes until translucent, then add meat.
2. When the meat is slightly browned, add the tomato paste, tomatoes, water, tumeric, paprika, salt, pepper and mint and simmer for 15 minutes. It should have the consistency of pasta sauce, so add water as necessary.
3. After simmering, pour most of the meat sauce in a big bowl with the chickpeas and rice and mix together, but leave some sauce in the pan. Set aside.
4. Cut out the stems of the bell peppers and eggplants, but save them to cap the peppers once they are stuffed. Scoop out the seeds of the bell peppers and the inside flesh of the eggplant to form a shell.
5. Next, stuff the bell peppers and eggplants with the mixture, and place back into the pot with the remaining sauce. Cook for another 20 to 30 minutes, making sure to add water to the pot as necessary so it does not burn.
6. Serve, and enjoy
Note: If you don’t like chickpeas, you can mix other vegetables instead like chopped okra, cabbage, green peas, etc. Check out the pictures, it’s pretty self-explanatory.
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On the second day of my trip, there was a huge celebration going on. I stepped out of the house to see what all the commotion was about. We came across a brightly lit alleyway with tons of street vendors all lined up selling all sorts of things. It felt like Christmas except this is pretty much the norm here, year-round. Here are some pictures of some of the things I sampled.
A little girl praying to Gunpati, the God of wisdom
The Indian ice cream man. The ice cream was kept cold and scooped straight out of that portable metal cooler.
Ice cream flavors: Mango, pistachio, strawberry, and fig, served up on a leaf
THIS is what I wish we had in LA…a man on every street corner serving freshly-cut exotic fruits
Isn’t that GORGEOUS!?
Local Milk Man
Vendor selling nothing but dates
The Roasted Peanuts Man!?
Sweet Samosas, drizzled in syrup
Brightly colored thingamabobs called “bundi”. They come in a sweet or savory flavor. The baker laughed when I took pictures of the desserts and rolled his eyes saying, “Heh, Americans!”
A local woman who made a big fuss of me being in the alley. She wanted a picture with me so a few of them took snapshots of me with their camera phones like I was some kind of foreigner or something!?
A lamb, chillin in front of the butcher shop, probably waiting to be someone’s dinner.
“Bhari” is a sweet snack made from cow’s milk. It looks like cheese and has the texture of silken tofu. I ate it every morning with my tea
I hope you enjoyed the mini tour. I was bright-eyed the entire time because there was so much to see and so many things to taste. Trust me when I say that this isn’t even half of it. There’s still plenty more to come!
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My co-workers put together a little going away party for me and luckily they ordered these delicious cupcakes from Crumbs Bake Shop. They came in many different varieties such as carrot cake, Snickers, Reece’s Pieces, red velvet, apple cobbler and others. We cut them in quarters because they’re pretty big and great for sharing. Thanks guys, I will miss working with all of you!
Crumbs Bake Shop
www.crumbs.com
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I was afraid I’d leave Canada before having one of my absolute favorite dishes my dad makes but luckily at the last second, for my last meal, just before I left for the airport, they made me my dad’s recipe for macaroni and cheese. It is made with chicken and topped with black pepper. This is something I grew up eating and if you knew what went in it you’d probably think it’s a little unconventional for mac’ and cheese. Regardless, any mac’ and cheese that I try rarely beats this recipe, as simple as it is. The funny thing is that NO MATTER WHAT I try, it never quite tastes the same when I make it on my own. To tell you the truth, I don’t know for sure what makes it so good, but I think it has to do with his secret ingredient. This is, yet again, another meal I have to return for in order to have.
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Just for the record, the best homemade food I have ever had so far has been Turkish food. Specifically Turkish food from Turkey, as opposed to the type of Turkish food that I’m used to cooking which originates from the northern part of Iran called Azerbaijan. Every thing that I’ve eaten so far from our Turkish friends has been incredibly unique and delicious. The last time I had a homemade Turkish dinner at our friend’s house was 6 years ago! To this day, I still remember every single dish that they made. That just shows you what a foodie I am. On this trip to Canada, I was fortunate enough to have dinner at their house again. Can I just say, I was in HEAVEN!!! Every single dish had been prepared so meticulously. I cannot even begin to tell you how refreshing it is to try new foods that are healthy and homemade. This is definitely one cuisine that I want to explore.
Tomato bulgar with fresh herbs
Dolmeh: stuffed grape leaves and bell peppers
Garlic yogurt with sauteed eggplant and peppers, drizzled with olive oil
Marinated and fried beef. This was so tasty because it had the perfect seasonings. It was my favorite dish of the evening.
Rice topped with sauteed vegetables
Pastry filled with flat leaf parsley and feta cheese
Most things displayed here are very time consuming to make and that is why I appreciated every single bite. Going in I knew I was in for a treat and they sure did come through. I can’t wait to get the recipes and try them for myself
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This next dish is one that definitely took me by surprise. I’ve had cow tongue before but this was my first time having it prepared in a creamy sauce. It was very similar to beef stroganoff. Although it was a little unnerving knowing that you are eating cow tongue, I have to admit it was damn good! If you ever have the opportunity, I encourage you to try it
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