Talin’s Mouth-watering 2 Layer Penne Lasagna

I know you are probably thinking Penne Lasagna? I’ve made that possible. Who says that you always need to put Lasagna dough sheets to make Lasagna? Not to me. As long as you have Pasta Noodles of any kind that is large to mid size. I am not saying the Acini De Peppe, Orzo, and small noodles you use for soup and all that. I am saying Penne, Spaghetti, even Rotini. I have tried, tested and tasted. It is delicious! Well, let’s get started.

Depending on the number of people that you are serving in your family or your friends. It is in your preference.
This is for a family or friends of 4 or 5.

You will need:

– 900g of Penne Rigate Package (depends on your pan size as well and number of people)
– **Onions or Garlic are Optional. (It is your choice)**
– Oregano
– Basil
– Tomato Paste
– Tomato’s
– Mozzarella Cheese
– Parmesan Cheese
– Cottage Cheese
– Extra Lean Ground Beef
– Sea Salt – (Never use table salt) **To your added preference**
– Grinded Black cracked Pepper
– All Spice

To begin:

1) Mash the extra Lean Ground beef into small pieces, cook it well done in a pan. That is where you will add just the Tomato Paste and Sea Salt. add about 4tblsp full of tomato paste and 1 and a half tsp of sea salt. (Add water, but not too much) You do not want your Lasagna to be Soggy. Add just enough to mix the tomato paste with them together.

2) In a separate small mixing bowl add 1 tbsp Oregano, as well as Basil, and all spice – Mix them together

3) Wash and Slice 4 fresh tomato’s – use Tomato on a Vine or Roma Tomatoes. put them aside.

4) In a mixing bowl add the grated Mozzarella Cheese and Cottage cheese. Mix it together.

To make the Penne:

1) Make sure you put a little more than half a large pot of water

2) Boil the water and put Sea Salt and as soon as it boils, add the Penne. (Never put any kind of noodles in a non-boiled water, it will stick to the bottom of the pot and stick to the other noodles)

3) Immediately stir the Penne so that all the noodles will become tender evenly and keep mixing ever 2-3 minutes. Let it boil on medium heat for about 10 minutes. If it needs more time, then go to about 11-12 minutes. MAX. (Do not overcook and make it mushy. Take it out while it’s al dente)

4) Drain and set aside to make 2 equal parts of the Penne Rigate, but first Mix the ground beef/tomato paste mix with the penne before Parting them. Add the Oregano, Basil and All spice mix with them as well.
In a Medium to Large Pyrex Pan:

1) Add cooking oil spray to the whole pan.

2) Add the first layer of the Penne and even it out.

3) Add the cheese mix – then Put Parmesan Cheese

4) Add the layer of the Tomato’s

– **for the Last layer – Repeat Steps 2-4 but add #4 first, then #3– Add the Parmesan Cheese last.

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Oven Settings:

– Bring the Oven to Convection – to 375 degrees before you put the Lasagna in.

– Let it cook for 30 Minutes

and there you have it.
Penne Lasagna. Bon Appetit! Enjoy!

Not a Big Fan of Microwaves and the Recipes with it.

In my life, one of the many joys I have is cooking with pots, pans, wok’s, Pyrex and all those cookware products, and making things from scratch on a stove top or putting it right into the oven or toaster oven. I prepare food in healthy and great ways to ensure that my loved ones get the proper nutrition and everything. One thing that I am not a big fan of is Microwave recipes and things to heat up in there. I seldom heat up a hot beverage or something along the lines of that during the winter months, but other than that, I resort to other cooking methods as stated above.

I used to buy microwave popcorn a lot many years ago, but then I heard the harmful chemicals and ingredients used in the bag and the popcorn itself got my stomach churning and thinking, Oh my goodness I used to eat that and all those chemicals went into my body? After that, I refrained from purchasing them, and I invested into a popcorn making machine and now I make popping corn from scratch.

I know some people have no choice in using it because they either have to heat up food that you take to at your work’s cafeteria/lunch room, or when there is a child or children in you’re household to heat up their food instantly and feeding them, or when you have guests over or whatever the case maybe. It is okay, no problem.

The ample amounts of stories and articles I have read about microwaves make me think twice even three times when it comes time to use it. I have heard the radiation that gets onto the food or the unhealthy rays that come from it and then to consume it. I can really do without that appliance. Nothing beats a real home-cooked meal without having to use recipes of microwave use.

Do you use microwaves?
Or would you rather use natural pot/pan cooking and heating methods?
What do you feel about them?

Sahlab – Salep — Middle Eastern Sweet Beverage

Sahlab, Salep is a type of middle eastern sweet beverage that is served hot. You can top it with cinnamon and serve it. You can also put raisins in it as well and drink and eat the raisins. With the winter upon us and the cold weather has arrived, this is a great thing to drink in a cold winters night. I was introduced to this a few years back going to my Armenian Bible study. We would usually have cookies, and snacks for after bible study sessions, so a few times Sahlab, Salep was made by the women’s guild group of the church and we would enjoy 2nd even 3rd servings of it. They would make so much that everyone got seconds and 3rds. It is so delicious.

The ingredients are Skimmed Milk or Water
Salep Flour
Sugar
Rose Water
Cinnamon
Coconut

In Specialty Grocery stores and middle eastern stores, they sell the ready mixed ingredient packages, you just add the milk or water to it and it becomes Sahleb, Salep, however you want to call it. Many countries and regions have different names for it which have different spellings and pronunciations. Sometimes all you need is a warm beverage to satisfy your sweet tooth and just enough for cold days. Who says you cannot have it in the spring and summer also. Its a good thing to have all year round. It is yummy, delicious and you will keep wanting more of it.

Enjoy and bon apetit!

Comfort Food At its Best

There are days where we have had a bad day, something emotional might have happened, personal issues, or just that your day may have been rough at school, work, in a social setting, a disappointment and sometimes you just feel like over-eating more than the norm, but on comfort food. Sometimes there does not have to be a bad day, some people indulge on comfort food whenever they like. I know they say in moderation, but sometimes you cannot contain yourself and control the amount that goes into your body, but once in a while it is perfectly okay to over-eat or to cheat days where you feel like you need to have carbs and a little bit of sugar in your body.

Sometimes in the spare of the moment, you feel like heading to your local convenient, grocery store, restaurant and just grabbing a bite to eat, or loading your shopping cart with all these snacks, comfort food, and goodies. Its alright to do it once in a while I guess right? :).

What gets your taste buds rolling? My Comfort food at its best includes a variety of things which keep me going when I have a rough day, or when I have had a good day too. It does not matter.

My list of Some of the Comfort food I enjoy include:

— Nutella Hazelnut Chocolate Spread
— Frito Lay — Lays Ketchup Chips
— Kit Kat —
— Hummus
— Pita Bread Chips with Labneh (Pressed Yogurt)
— Doritos Cheese Nacho Chips
— Cashews, Peanuts, Sunflower Seeds
— Crackers
— Pretzels
— M&M’s Peanut/Milk Chocolate
— Nerds
— Fast Food
— Pizza
— Pasta

There is a lot more to this, but those are my main things.
What about you?
Do you indulge in Comfort food often?
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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.

Kitchen & Time Saving Tips for The Upcoming Holiday’s

It is that time again and it is quickly approaching where we are just a few weeks away from Christmas and New Year holidays, and a lot of people get so frustrated, and are confused with what to cook, what to do to save time in Kitchen and so much more. The Holidays are about spending time with your loved ones, making memories and cherishing precious and personal moments with them and to spend less time in the kitchen, which is why I have these tips and tricks to help you in that department. Well, without further a do, here they are:

— 1 or 2 weeks before your big dinner night with your loved ones, decide on the menu and what you will cook and serve as snacks, as dinner and dessert. We know how hectic it can be to make several types of dishes, but simplicity is key. Do not overload your table with so many options of foods. Limit the amount.

— a week before the big event, do all your grocery shopping. Do not wait until last-minute as that time is to start preparing the day or 2 before, but if they are foods that will need to be prepared on the day of, make sure you start early in preparations.

— If you have more than 10-20 people or more or less, it is a good idea to buy Christmas Holiday style disposable cutlery and plates to set the table or set them to the side like a buffet table along with of course napkins, disposable cups and glasses for juice, soft drinks, wine, beer, alcoholic beverages, so that no washing dishes are involved. Keep the garbage bags on standby where you can get a reach of it quickly. (The only washing of dishes would be servers, and plates, pans that have the food that is cooked from it.

— Before your loved ones arrive, set all the desserts to the side where it will be quick to bring out.

— Do not spend half your time in the kitchen. Besides your loved ones came to get together and spend time together, to see each others faces. Preparation in advance is so important to do. Do not be afraid to ask for help, and delegate tasks for the whole family to do before others start coming over.

— Of course the house should be clean and tidy, use a rug at the front of the door to put people s shoes and organize them so that shoes will not be everywhere. make room in your closet for people’s coats. So take all the coats out that you and your family who live there and take them and put them in another room. If you have enough space for all jackets in your closet, then its all good.

— Before the meal, when people start knocking on your door and come in, have vegetable trays and chips bowls on the table or whatever snacks you will serve, but not over indulge in the snacks so that you have room for the main dinner. Then after the dinner is done, put out the snacks and dessert table. again limit the desserts as well.

— In the kitchen when you are about to start cooking, take out all cooking equipment out and once you use something and will not need it anymore, simply wash them, dry them and put them away, so that you have less dishes to wash later.

— when your loved ones are over, make sure everything is ready, then all you do is just bring them over to the table which won’t take more than 5 minutes, keep the food warm on the oven, until it is time to serve. After serving your food, and after eating, clear the table and of course throw out the disposable plates, cutlery and cups and glasses, then just give the table a quick wipe. Then quickly convert it to the dessert table where everything is self-serve. Also use disposable dessert plates and cutlery as well.

— Leave the washing of the big dishes until later so that you can enjoy your loved ones to the fullest and if people want to volunteer to help you clean and wash, allow them and it will be fun as well-doing things together. just not all on you.

— make the coffee, espresso and put the water into the coffee maker, in advance. after dinner, just press the button and the coffee will start to brew. Also make those disposable cups. Remember less washing the better it is for you.

— decide on decorations on table, centerpieces and theme. I have read that people dress up in Christmas sweaters, and same colours, sometimes people just come in anything.

— This is super important if your loved ones have a little too much to drink, do not allow them to drive a vehicle and make sure they stay over, until they are sober to drive again. Do not drink and drive and enjoy the holidays responsibly. You can save your life, your loved ones lives and others lives who share the road with you. When you know there is alcohol involved and you know that your loved ones will drink, ask to collect everyone’s car keys and place them in a basket and put the basket in another room and keep the door locked and when people leave just bring the basket out and let people grab their keys only if they have not drunk. or if they had one drink or something that still gives them the capability to drive.

— When nature calls, some of your loved ones will want to use the washroom. It is a good idea to have paper towels on standby so that your towels won’t be soaking wet when another person decides to dry their hangs, and a couple of rolls of toilet paper on the side, and extra hand washing soap if need be.

That is all for now, but if there is any particular questions you need to ask, do not hesitate to comment or personally e-mail me. You can find my e-mail on my contact me site which is located on top of the page. Thank you and have a great, safe, happy Christmas and Holiday season!

 

Talin’s Cauliflower Pilaf Rice Medley With Ground Beef

Hello, as you may or may not know, I love the kitchen and cooking and baking and here is the recipe for today.

What you need:

Half a cauliflower — Cauliflower must be washed, then cut up into bite sized pieces.

3 Cups of Parboiled Rice — Washed well of about 3-4 times —

3 tablespoons of Margarine Butter

1 Extra Lean or Lean Ground beef — about 1 cup full or 2 cups full

1 and a half teaspoon of Nutmeg

1 teaspoon of All Spice.

2 teaspoons of salt

A handful or two of each of —- Pine Nuts, Slivered Almonds, Walnuts in pieces. Not too small though, —-

3 Teaspoons of Olive Oil

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How to Prepare:

Take a large pot

First you cook the ground beef well done with the Margarine butter, then you add in the Nutmeg, Allspice, Salt after it is cooked thoroughly –

as the meat is cooking in a separate pan with the olive oil, you incorporate the pine nuts, slivered almonds and walnuts and get them to a golden brown. Do not let it burn. take it off the burner… KEEP THIS UNTIL THE END

then you go back to the meat, as you cook that take the washed cauliflower and distribute it evenly and do not mix with the meat….

then you put the washed rice over the cauliflower and spread it evenly — AGAIN DO NOT MIX

then you add the Finishing touch of the pine nuts, slivered almonds and walnuts —- AGAIN DO NOT MIX.

Then you take 6 and a half to 7 cups of water – put into the pot and let it come to a boil,

after it comes to a boil, put the pot cover and leave it slightly open about an inch or half an inch and put the stove onto medium and leave it cooking for about 10-15 minutes. depending how long the water fades. it can be more.

You don’t want the rice to be mushy. just make it al dente…..

BON APETIT!

Stay Tuned For My Armenian/Middle Eastern Recipe Week Starting December 8 – 15, 2012

Hello everyone, due to popular demand and many people wanting to know about different types of food I eat, prepare and what my ethnic background eats, how it is prepared, what spices, herbs, among specific amounts to everything. I will be featuring an array and variety of Armenian and Middle Eastern foods that a lot of people are interested in. It is coming time to Christmas celebrations and gatherings with the family, and it is timely and it gets people to think about different recipes and create a new masterpiece in everything. So basically I will be writing and posting about different recipes that I have cooked myself, have learned from my family and friends, and basically what we love to eat with appetizers, deserts, dinner, breakfast, lunch, baking different cakes, pastries, salads, finger foods, meatballs, soups, among other delicious types of food. It will be quite exciting to me to share with the world my favourite Armenian and Middle Eastern Dishes. So stay tuned and get your taste buds ready for a new world in the culinary world and among everything else. Enjoy and have great Christmas and enjoy the holidays and every other day. 🙂

I Am So Happy! I Can Yell From The Rooftops On How Happy I Am!

I cannot even begin to describe how great I feel and have been feeling. This whole new world of exercise, eating well and losing weight has put a huge smile on my face and the motivation is so contagious, that I got it in an instant. I am just so ecstatic and satisfied with everything that is happening. I have a lot more energy throughout the day, My treadmill and outside walks are getting so much easier since I will be getting into my 4th week next week. I cannot believe it has already been four weeks since my exercise has started and feel so great. My body muscles are getting tight, i feel like my thighs and legs have gone down quite significantly. All I can say is I can yell from the rooftops and announce it to the world on how great I am feeling, so much more positivity, and so much more outlooks on life and just walking through the mall and saying I am going to wear that dress and I am going to make it a goal for me to do it. Who says exercise and eating well is easy? It is hard at first and it is a new experience and challenge, but I believe that anything can be achieved with hard work and determination to what you want in your life. If you want that nice body and the great health benefits that come with it, then I say go for it. If it is something that is going to benefit you in the long run and in the future, then do it. You are your own person and you have to make these changes for yourself and for the people you care deeply about. It is tough at first, but trust in me, it will get easier, the results will come soon after and everything will fall into place in where you want it. If you want something bad enough and if you are determined to change your lifestyle, then you will do it and you will feel so much better about yourself once your accomplish your goals that you set. If you say your going to lose 60 pounds or if your going to lose that 100 pounds or whatever the case maybe, and write down your goals and check them off as your accomplish them, you will see a big difference on your life and you will be rewarded with great health and so much more. If you want it you must go after it. Enough said, but it the willingness to do it and the will power to not give up. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Once you get into shape and eat well at the same time and find your balance in diet and exercise, with portion sizes, and fresh produce and meats that are not processed and staying away from processed foods, you will see the big difference. did you know cutting out sugar from coffee and tea, cutting out soft drinks, cutting out ketchup/relish condiments in your burger or fries, sodium, mayonnaise, fatty dips, chips, cookies, vegetable/corn oils, and replacing these with  a more healthier approach, you can lose weight by just cutting these things.

My mood is ever so good. I am the happiest woman right now and I am so enthusiastic and serious about my workouts. I am having fun doing it. I listen to my MP3 Player, I watch TV while on treadmill. Everything. Occupy yourself with something in the beginning because I know you may think being on the treadmill or exercise feels long, and it will feel like that in the beginning, and then once you get in the swing of things and when you get used to it, you wont even feel the time going by. SO DO IT, BE HAPPY LIKE ME. IF I can do it. YOU CAN DO IT! YES I CAN!