Talin’s Ultimate Couscous Salad Recipe

I would like to introduce to you a very healthy, flavorful, Couscous Salad recipe, which is full of essential nutrients, which will get your taste buds active and will want the whole salad bowl to yourself. Yes, it is that good! Couscous is one of my favorite things to add to vegetables, and add so much flavor with it. Excellent choice to serve at dinner parties, or regular dinners, for lunch, for dinner, anytime. Here is The Ultimate Couscous Salad Recipe.

Couscous Salad Recipe
Serves: 4 or more. depending on how much quantity you would like to prepare. play around with the amount of ingredients to your desire.

Ingredients…
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups pearl couscous
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
• 1 full cucumber, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1 large tomato, diced…. preferably tomato on a vine…
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh herbs (any combination of fresh parsley, cilantro, arugula, basil, dill or mint)
• 1/3 cup raisins or more to your tasting
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted or not. you can just add them in.
• Freshly ground black pepper and salt

To Prepare follow these instructions…
1. In a large saucepan, bring about 2 quarts of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil. Add couscous and cook until tender, 8-10 minutes. Drain with a strainer — preferably thin holed strainer so the couscous will not fall through.

2. While the couscous cooks, in a small bowl, mix the oil, mustard, honey, lemon juice and zest, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

3. Add cooked and drained couscous to a large bowl, and then, pour dressing over warm couscous, mix well. Let it cool completely

4. After cooled completely, Add cucumber, tomato, herbs, raisins and walnuts to the couscous and stir. Taste for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper as needed.

5. Enjoy it when its cold – cover then refrigerate, about 1 hour. Better to eat cool…

Bon Apetit!

In The Kitchen With Stefano Faita

Recently, I discovered an incredible, wonderful and not to mention great looking chef on television on CBC. I was flipping through the channels one time and I really enjoy cooking shows, so I stopped on CBC’s channel while I saw this cooking show, and I saw that it was In The Kitchen with Stefano Faita, so I started to watch his cooking show, and I automatically knew it was a show I would like then I began to love it. I cannot wait to watch his show daily and especially, by the way Chef Stefano explains the way to cook food, incredibly easy methods, very tasty, full of flavour foods of which I like. I love to cook myself and I can tell that he is not afraid of adding a lot of flavour and he is always enthusiastic and excited when it comes to food.

This past week, I had the pleasure of speaking with Chef Stefano Faita during his chat that he had set up for his fans to ask him questions, and he gave me tips and tricks on what to do with stir fry when it becomes too liquidy, to always make sure my wok is hot and to make sure the liquid from the meat and vegetables dry out before putting in the soya sauce or whatever seasoning , and I had also asked him how to make pasta from scratch and he explained it to me thoroughly and I got to see his recipes and he answered me so quickly because it was an hour chat with him. He seems to be such a great person all around and I am so glad I got that moment to talk with him. I’d love to meet Chef Stefano Faita someday and enjoy his food that he makes with his magic chef hands. I am really impressed, and there are foods and ingredients that I never knew of until I learned them from Stefano. I enjoy chopping, dicing and the way he handles food. He is a natural.

I have learned so much about cooking from him that, I cannot wait to try his recipes at home to feed my family, friends and when people come over whether it’s for the holidays, occasions or for no reason, just to hang out with great company and great food in the mix, that will keep people coming back for more as Stefano says while he is cooking on Television.

You can catch In The Kitchen with Stefano Faita on CBC at 3:30pm Monday-Friday’s  in Canada or you can go to www.cbc.ca/inthekitchen to obtain more information, Stefano’s recipes, and where you can connect with him on Facebook, Twitter and more. You can also go to a taping of his show and be part of his audience. I wish Stefano Faita the best and May you continue working with those Magic Chef hands that you are so gifted with.

Introducing You Armoir Fashion – Handmade & Embossed

I would like to introduce to you a whole new twist to fashion in modern day, and that is Armoir Fashion. Firstly, I’d like to introduce you the very talented and founder of Armoir and his name is Sevag Haroutunian. He is Armenian and is raised in Toronto, Canada who is a young and captivating stylist with incredible talent of the art of Fashion. His flavour of fashion is completely fabulous with so many colourful and fresh ideas and adds spice to the studio with his creative thoughts and wisdom which bring his creations to life and inspire many people with his incredible talent. in history his own people were leather masters thousands of years ago, forging the world’s first shoe 3000 years ago out of leather.

Each piece is carefully hand crafted out of cowhide leather and the masters of art are selected with fine designs of historical and ancient manuscripts bringing it to life in modern day fashion. It is made for your comfort each unique piece is hand sanded and softened to avoid irritation and rashes to your skin. It is handmade in the Armenian Highlands of ancient origin and civilization. Each hand crafted material is embossed in unique and different ways and different styles to fit your needs and to what you are interested in.

The return of leather is trending and its designs are compelling, beautiful, and bringing history back to life with these beautiful creations.

*(credit to Armoir)The history of leather work in Armenia is known exclusively through bindings of manuscripts. The practice of protecting a manuscript with boards covered with leather goes back to the very invention of the codex in the first Christian centuries. Before that books were in the form of scrolls or continuous rolls of papyrus. The earliest preserved Armenian leather bindings are from the eleventh century; the earliest binder’s colophons are from the tenth-eleventh centuries. In this period bookbinding had become a specialized and highly developed art in medieval Armenia. Elaborately decorated bindings followed the artistic fashion of the time, for instance borrowing designs used for the ornamentation of memorial cross stones or khach’k’ars. A large variety of geometric forms was used, and later, floral as well as the traditional braided bands were employed. Also typically, Armenian was the affixing of metal studs, often silver, to outline a design. As in all other areas of Armenian art, leather bindings differ from region to region and century to century, but they share the characteristics mentioned above and thereby belong to a single recognizable family.*

*its Peerless collections vary in sizes and shades, Highlighting the human touch in each art piece*

These unique collections can be found in stores in Ontario, Canada in Ma zone, Dana Jordan and Art Gallery of Ontario.

To see visuals, to obtain more information and its beauty please click on this link http://www.armoir.ca

So take and wear a part of history with you today to share with family and friends. Enjoy the masterpiece and when you wear it, I guarantee you will enjoy it and it will catch a lot of eyes and intrigue those who see this beautiful fine art of fashion of Armoir.