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.

—————————–

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!

Picky Food Eaters – This is an Eye-Opener

There is something that I need to address. Everyday it is a struggle to figure out what to cook, and there are those who ask, “What are you cooking today?” “We are eating that again?” “Why don’t you make this instead?” “I don’t like this, I don’t like that”, well some people do not know how hard it is, especially when it comes to picky eaters, those who waste so much food and those who don’t like to eat many things.

People have no right to complain, and also there are so many people in this world who go to bed hungry, who do not have sufficient amount of food to feed their families, malnutrition, and can barely get enough bread and butter on the table. Some people in impoverished countries and in our own backyards struggle with that and some people live off only a small quantity of food per month and even worse starve to death in this world.

I know due to certain health restrictions and non-permissible foods in someones diet or allergies or illnesses, irritants to someone which is understandable, but other than that people should not make a fuss over what to consume.

Because some people have resources and ample amount of choices of food and an array of ingredients to cook with and our fridge, freezers and tummies are always full and that is how picky eating comes to play. In life growing up if we did not eat the food our parents, grandparents made for us, and if we were fussy and picky, we would be sent to our rooms or somewhere without eating. People should not complain at all for food.

Just take a closer look to people who do not have that necessity or barely. What are they supposed to say? People should be fortunate and thankful that they do have that necessity, however some people take it for granted and are not thankful. This is really an eye-opener and our attitudes, pick and choosiness and other Things need to change in the world for the better.

Now to my readers,

Do you have picky eaters at home? would love to read what you have to think about all this.

It all starts with how we implement change in our society.

Talin’s — Favourite Sweet Tahini Bread Swirls

Many Years ago, I was at my Armenian Community Center and there was a Bazaar like a flea market type of event, and a couple of days before I went and assisted the Armenian Women’s Guild Group to make Sweet Tahini Bread Swirls to sell, So I learned how to make it from the Armenian Ladies and perfected it. So, I decided to write down the recipe to make it at home. I was so glad I did. It is incredibly tasty, and I enjoy making this. Although I have not made it in over a year, but I was thinking about it today, so I want to make it again this week, and Sweet Tahini Swirls are good anytime, any day. You can serve this with Coffee, Tea, Armenian Coffee, or at anytime. You can have it for Breakfast, or for a snack, whenever your heart desires. Well, Here is the recipe for this delicious dessert.

This is counted as 4 Bread Swirls of 16 Cm’s, but you can play around with the amounts according to how many you are making.

CREDITS: http://www.blago.net/baking/bread/lebanese-sweet-tahini-swirls/

Made some modifications, but full credit goes to the site above

Dough:

• 1 tsp dry yeast
• 120 ml lukewarm water
• 200 gr all purpose flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Filling:

• 4 small tbsp tahini
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 4x tsp olive oil
• 4x tsp cinnamon

Use Flour on countertop or big cutting board to work with the dough and filling.

Make the dough

Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water, and add the sugar and oil. Add the flour, a handful at a time. Quickly knead into a floppy, flexible dough that does not stick to the hands anymore. Leave covered in a bowl for about 2 or 3 hours, to rise. As all the air will be rolled out of it later, the stretchiness of the dough is more important than the amount of air in it.

Follow the Following Steps.

When the dough has had some time to rise, divide it into four balls. Roll out one ball at a time, into a rough rectangle of “pizza thickness” – about 2 or 3 mm (1). Scatter the teaspoon of olive oil over it. I combined the tahin with the sugar, added a teaspoon of finely ground lemon rind (packet) to that, and scattered the somewhat dryer tahin mixture, like crumbs, over the dough surface (2). Dust the tahin-sugar layer with cinnamon. Gently press it flat with the back of a spoon. You’re now ready to roll.

Pre-heat the oven to 190° C. If you use a baking stone, put it in the middle rack.

Dust the worktop with a bit of castor sugar and flour to help with the rolling. Cut squares of baking parchment of about 17 x 17 cm. Roll up the dough rectangle, starting at the longest edge. Roll and pull and gently twist a bit, and the resulting sausage will be much longer, about 40 to 50 cm (4). Taking one end as the center, now turn the sausage in on itself, forming a rolled bun (5). Gently press it flat with your hand, then transfer onto a piece of parchment, and use the rolling pin again to gently roll the bun into a 15cm wide flat circle, about a cm in thickness (6). Prepare as much swirls as your oven can hold in one go, leave the rest covered up.

Using a pizza peel or an extra-wide spatula to support the flat tahini swirls sitting on their separate parchment, quickly transfer them into the oven. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or till parts of the surface have turned a deep golden brown. Get them out and leave them to cool and get nice and crispy on a wire rack.

Have some apple tea to go with that. Their taste is not overly sweet; and I love the combination of crunchiness with that slightly caramelized sesame filling. Roll over Swedish cinnamon buns, these tahini swirls are awesome!

CREDITS: http://www.blago.net/baking/bread/lebanese-sweet-tahini-swirls/

Pasta Lovers Unite – Loving All Kinds

I have been loving pasta for as long as I can remember. I remember when I was 8 years old. I made my very first pasta dish with of course the supervision of my mom. She started getting me in the cooking mode since I was 7 years old and she taught me the basics from making pasta sauce from scratch and how long to boil the pasta for and then as I got older when I was 14 years old, I began to do it all myself without supervision anymore and they love my pasta’s I make. Now I do an assortment. I do lasagna, fettuccine Alfredo and a whole bunch of other styles of Pasta. I love tortellini, rigatoni, fuccilli, elbow macaroni, linguine, and among other really awesome styles. For all those connoisseur’s for pasta, I am sure you can all relate to the passion. I think all of us pasta lovers have this different type of food passion and I am sure all of us can eat this everyday. 

Too many carbs though, but I do not care, Pasta is good for you. You may not believe it, but it really is and a good nutrition factor. There are some people who go overboard and go to extremes when dieting, I believe that nobody should diet. All it is, is to watch your portion control and who cares if you have a little more, but pastas have durum semolina, and all kinds of nutrition packed into it.  God bless this food. Spaghetti, Penne Rigate, Tagliatelle, Cannelloni. I have come up with so many recipes, and different styles of how to create and make that perfect sauce, and that perfect blend of tastes. Some can be done with Veggies, an array of meats, Seafood pastas, cheese pastas, pasta salads, Olive oils, vinaigrette,  I would love to get the accessories to make pasta from scratch for my Kitchen Aid stand mixer, but its so expensive to buy, So for the time being I want to try and do different pastas on my own and get the dough recipes and then cut the dough into Tagliatelle Nests, and get them all pretty. There are also small shells, linguine, and so many several types.

In the world, mostly Italy and few other places, pasta, spaghetti is very well know around the world, and different people make it different ways. what are some of your favourite pasta dishes? What do you work with? I would love to venture off to Italy and go on a Food Trip tour and taste and get the feel of how important Pasta is to those regions and to the cultures. I would love to go on a culinary adventure and get more personal with top chefs, Pasta Experts and so much more. The possibilities are endless and its such a beautiful thing.

  P-A-S-T-A …. yum yum yum. 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 Delicious Salad Dressing – Say Goodbye to Creamy!

Hello everyone,

I have started to eat really healthy for the past month and I am experimenting a lot in the kitchen about alternative and healthy ways to eat your food. Now some salads even though they are loaded with Veggies, can sometimes have many calories because of the dressing you put onto your salad. It plays a big part in promoting healthy eating. So, I came up with my very own dressing which is loaded with flavour, No calories and it kicks your salad up a few notches. Not just a notch. Just like Chef Emiral Lagasse would say.  Now it depends on how much Salad you are making, so eyeball how much of the ingredients below as to the quantity. Like say you have more than 5 people to feed or as desired or as you go, but here are my measurements.

Now without further due, here is my flavorful dressing.

Ingredients you will need to mix in separate bowl before adding to your garden salad:

Dry Ingredients:

1 tsp — Ground sumach Sumac (like a purplish/reddish powder)

1 tsp — of Salt

1 tsp — Black Pepper or Cracked Black Pepper.

1 tbsp — Ground Dried Mint

1 tsp — Ground and Chopped Parsley Flakes (You can find it in your spice aisle at the grocery store)

Pinch — of Cinnamon with the tip of your fingers.  Not too much!

half tsp — of Ground Ginger

Liquid Ingredients:

2 — Fresh Lemons — Make sure the skin is bright yellow as we will use some to zest about 1 tbsp worth of zest, maybe just a bit more than cut it in half and squeeze both Lemons well. Make sure you roll it a few times on your counter or cutting board to activate the juices inside and it will be easier to squeeze out with your Lemon squeeze.

3 tbsp — Olive Oil

3 tbsp — of Pure White Vinegar

1 Lime — Squeezed both sides and cut in half — Follow the same concept as Lemon but without Zesting it.

—– **NOTE** You can play around with the quantity and depending how small or big your salad is, make it according to the number amount of servings.

To Prepare:

Mix all the Liquid ingredients first, then as you go, add each dry ingredient separately into the mix and keep mixing it with your tbsp and then let your salad dressing sit for about 10 to 15 minutes until the dry ingredients have settled with Liquid ingredients because you want to let them incorporate with each other. Do not add it into the salad until after you let it sit. meanwhile you wait for the dressing to settle, set the table, do the dishes you took out to make your lunch or dinner so less washing of dishes later and you can get things done quicker after, then by the time you do all that, it will settle in, then you mix it well into the salad, and there you have it. Talin’s Salad Dressing. .

 

Bon apetit!

Have A Clean Kitchen While Cooking and Baking – Here is How

Do you ever wonder why it takes a long time to clean up after doing your cooking, baking and spending so much time after all that is done to clean, wipe mess, washing so many dishes and having to deal with a big mess after dealing with scrap of food left on the counter-tops, in the sink, or dropped on the floor? Are you looking for efficient ways to spend more time with your loved ones and less time in the kitchen preparing, cleaning, washing dishes and all that jazz?

Here are some tips and tricks to keep you organized in the kitchen and having a spic and span kitchen:

– When you know what you are cooking or baking, take out all the ingredients and food that you will use all in one section.

– Take out cutlery, cooking utensils, plates, bowls, cutting boards, pots and pans and have them ready.

– Foods, Veggies, Fruits, or other things that must be washed thoroughly and very well, wash them first before you turn on the oven or anything. before you wash them take out stems, and ends on fruits, veggies, and then throw all the scrap in the garbage before starting anything else, then if you see your counter-top dirty or cutting board. Give it a rinse and wipe down the surfaces while doing so. have a clean cloth.

– Wash whatever utensils, cutting board before you start to cook, so that you know not to worry about washing so many dishes at the end.

– When dealing with meats, have a separate cutting board or bowls to marinate your meats or however you want to cook it. Always a good idea to mix all your ingredients in a separate bowl then incorporate it with the meats so it will have an even flavour, then after you wash the bowl you mixed the ingredients with so that again less time washing later.

– Set up your table while the pan, pot is getting warm and hot and then that is where you start to cook. Now each time you put your food in the pan or pot or whatever, again wash the bowls that you put your food in and then all you need to do is just focus on cooking, then having to wash so many dishes before people come over, and having to clean up a huge mess in the kitchen. Have clean cloths ready and toss the other dirty cloths in the laundry hamper.

– When baking, it’s always a good idea to store your flour in a safe place so that you can just take it out, take the amount of flour needed then putting it back before you start any baking or anything. For safety reasons and for spill prevention all around. The sugar or baking powder that you use too. put everything back after using instantly.

– Now you want to give your guests your undivided attention and you want to spend as much time with them as possible right? So when you know they are coming over, always prepare things before hand and have things organized because if you start cooking, and everything when they are over, you will spend so much time in the kitchen and less time with your guests, family, friends or whoever comes over, so you want to prevent that and get organized with everything.

– It is a good idea to clean and wash left over dishes left from cooking or baking, then put them away and out of your sight so that all you need to wash are people’s plates, utensils and the cooking pans, pots which then shouldn’t take so long to do and when people ask would you like some help, include them into your cleaning process. gets done quicker and more time to relax later on.

Nowadays time is very precious and a lot of us deal with work, school, kids, family, friends, and this world has become so fast paced with everything like technology and its changed so much and we barely have time with our loved ones and the people who matter to us the most, and we want to do everything we can to make time and to save 10 minutes there, 5 minutes there, half an hour, so that is why I have come up with a method of cooking, cleaning in the kitchen so that you do not have to do it later and spend hours cleaning your house where you can spend hours with your family. I know with kids, pets or both can be a struggle to clean the house, but then again you gain more time with your family which is so important.

More tips, recipes and other things to come. Stay tuned.

Have A Clean Kitchen While Cooking and Baking – Here is How

Do you ever wonder why it takes a long time to clean up after doing your cooking, baking and spending so much time after all that is done to clean, wipe mess, washing so many dishes and having to deal with a big mess after dealing with scrap of food left on the counter-tops, in the sink, or dropped on the floor? Are you looking for efficient ways to spend more time with your loved ones and less time in the kitchen preparing, cleaning, washing dishes and all that jazz?

Here are some tips and tricks to keep you organized in the kitchen and having a spic and span kitchen:

– When you know what you are cooking or baking, take out all the ingredients and food that you will use all in one section.

– Take out cutlery, cooking utensils, plates, bowls, cutting boards, pots and pans and have them ready.

– Foods, Veggies, Fruits, or other things that must be washed thoroughly and very well, wash them first before you turn on the oven or anything. before you wash them take out stems, and ends on fruits, veggies, and then throw all the scrap in the garbage before starting anything else, then if you see your counter-top dirty or cutting board. Give it a rinse and wipe down the surfaces while doing so. have a clean cloth.

– Wash whatever utensils, cutting board before you start to cook, so that you know not to worry about washing so many dishes at the end.

– When dealing with meats, have a separate cutting board or bowls to marinate your meats or however you want to cook it. Always a good idea to mix all your ingredients in a separate bowl then incorporate it with the meats so it will have an even flavour, then after you wash the bowl you mixed the ingredients with so that again less time washing later.

– Set up your table while the pan, pot is getting warm and hot and then that is where you start to cook. Now each time you put your food in the pan or pot or whatever, again wash the bowls that you put your food in and then all you need to do is just focus on cooking, then having to wash so many dishes before people come over, and having to clean up a huge mess in the kitchen. Have clean cloths ready and toss the other dirty cloths in the laundry hamper.

– When baking, it’s always a good idea to store your flour in a safe place so that you can just take it out, take the amount of flour needed then putting it back before you start any baking or anything. For safety reasons and for spill prevention all around. The sugar or baking powder that you use too. put everything back after using instantly.

– Now you want to give your guests your undivided attention and you want to spend as much time with them as possible right? So when you know they are coming over, always prepare things before hand and have things organized because if you start cooking, and everything when they are over, you will spend so much time in the kitchen and less time with your guests, family, friends or whoever comes over, so you want to prevent that and get organized with everything.

– It is a good idea to clean and wash left over dishes left from cooking or baking, then put them away and out of your sight so that all you need to wash are people’s plates, utensils and the cooking pans, pots which then shouldn’t take so long to do and when people ask would you like some help, include them into your cleaning process. gets done quicker and more time to relax later on.

Nowadays time is very precious and a lot of us deal with work, school, kids, family, friends, and this world has become so fast paced with everything like technology and its changed so much and we barely have time with our loved ones and the people who matter to us the most, and we want to do everything we can to make time and to save 10 minutes there, 5 minutes there, half an hour, so that is why I have come up with a method of cooking, cleaning in the kitchen so that you do not have to do it later and spend hours cleaning your house where you can spend hours with your family. I know with kids, pets or both can be a struggle to clean the house, but then again you gain more time with your family which is so important.

More tips, recipes and other things to come. Stay tuned.

Delicious Recipes to Come Soon! Stay Tuned…

Hello everyone, I am excited to introduce to you recipes that I have come up with on my own, experimenting with different flavours in Marinating chicken, pork, and all those things, and so much more. I am really excited to be sharing my recipes to come soon within the next couple of weeks and they are recipes that you could try for yourself too and for your family. I recently discovered chicken, beef, vegetable bouillon cubes and they are so delicious. I get the ones with the less sodium content inside and I add that to the food I am making to give it a kick in taste. I love to cook, and I love to come up with new things. not the same old stuff all the time. I enjoy spending time in the kitchen and whether its baking, cooking, cleaning the kitchen, efficient ways of cooking, baking, and always keeping the kitchen clean while I cook, washing the dishes and things after using while cooking, so that I do not spend more time cleaning and washing at the end. I like to keep things tidy and the counters cleaned off instantly. All those things will be discussed and written when I introduce to you my new food recipes and more efficient ways to lessen the dish washing and more with entertaining guests, with quantity of food to make and so much more….

Stay tuned!

 

 

The Joyful Moments Of Cooking. How Much I Love It

In my life, one of the most joyful and satisfaction I receive is when I cook, bake and enjoy my time in the kitchen with all my favourite kitchen appliances that make my cooking a lot more enjoyable and fun at the same time. I was 8 years old and I remember cooking rice for the very first time. It was the best feeling in the world when my mom taught me how to wash it and cook it. Now with my mom’s supervision she watched me as I cooked and she said, great job and it was my first time doing it. I got so excited. From then on, I started cooking a lot for my family and then as soon as I turned 14 years old, I did not need supervision anymore, and I could do everything on my own. I learned how to make lasagna, chicken soup, and other different types of food since I was 10 years old. When I turned 20 years old, I began to take over the kitchen and I would tell my mom to go relax, and I told her I got this. So now without my mom being in the kitchen, I do all sorts of dishes, I bake cakes, cupcakes, I make cookies, jello, home-made ice cream, fruit platters, salads, I marinate meats, I make meatballs, Ravioli, Armenian and Middle Eastern Dishes, I make my famous Chilli, different types of breakfast, dips, sauces, and everything, Among other delicious things that my family, and who comes over to my house, that always want seconds and even thirds sometimes. I sometimes think, I should have made extra, but I love it when there is no left overs.  I love making everything from scratch. I seldom go and buy ready-made easy stuff, I enjoy making it all on my own. The best way to make it and you know exactly what is going into your food without all the added calories and ready-made products. Sometimes you see ready-made pasta, and lasagna trays from the grocery store, I never even touch those. I make mine fresh. You never know how long those things have stayed like that. I’d rather do it myself and it is a lot more fun that way.

I remember a time when I invited my whole group of friends over for Armenian Style Ravioli Called (Mante, Manti, Mantuh, Mantee, However they spell it), and the whole extra-large pot finished amongst everyone and to this day, they want my Armenian Style Ravioli, but that day will come again when I will invite them over.  I remember a time when I cooked for over 20-25 people and all on my own. I had over 4 or 5 different dishes with salads, meats, and rice. It was a lot of fun although it was very hard to take it all on myself, but I made sure that the flavours were perfect and that everyone enjoyed it and they sure did. I love taking on big tasks on my own. Although it is great to receive help too, but I like taking on challenges and doing things on my own. especially when it comes to cooking. I don’t know, but I have become a perfectionist in the kitchen and I just love things to be cooked evenly, the sizes and I love the presentation. Even if it’s just for my family on a regular dinner night. I just love the presentation. I get the joys and satisfaction when doing so.

When I go grocery shopping, I also donate food to the less fortunate, and I put food in the food bank boxes that are put in front of grocery stores or in certain shelters, at my church they have food banks and I put a few non-perishable food items in the box. I love donating food to them. Knowing that a family out there who is less fortunate and needy is fed, that also makes me happy and that also makes me feel great that someone doesn’t have to go to bed hungry at night. It feels great to donate.

Food is my specialty and knowing that my family enjoys it and knowing that I made this with my love and care is what it important to me. I don’t cook because I have to everyday and I don’t cook for the sake of it, I actually love doing what I do and making sure my family is fed with the best possible nutrition.  Happy Cooking everyone!

A Clean House Is A Happy Talin – I Love Cooking & Cleaning

For several years now since I was a little kid, I have always had this eye for organization, wanting to learn new things, cooking, and how to clean efficiently and among everything else. I learned how to cook since I was 8 years old, and I started to clean and tidy up when I was 4 years old. My mom and dad always taught me the importance of cleanliness, organization and neatness so that when I want to look for something it will be easy to find when things are organized and neat. Now that I am almost 28 years old 7 days from now, All those skills and things I experienced is something that my mom tells me that you clean better than I do now, and your always finding new things to do in the house, how to organize, and everything better than I do. I said I only learned from the best and when I have my own home one day, you will be happy with what I am going to do with it. My mom has looked after me all these years for the past so many years now I keep telling my mom to relax and put her feet up, I will do the cooking and stuff. I love to cook a lot. It takes a lot of my stress out and I enjoy doing these things, and looking after the house. I find complete joy when I do. My parents really appreciate all that I do and to make sure the house is in tip top shape.

Every person we have who come over, they say this place is so spotless and so clean. Everything is well maintained. I said thank you. To me it is important to keep my place clean and tidy and up to date. I like to hear compliments and leave a great impression on family and guests who come over and I don’t like to hear that this persons place is so filthy and they don’t know how to clean a house. I don’t like hearing those things, so I like to maintain my house every 2 or 3 days, but the kitchen area I always maintain everyday, clean out the fridge, and never leave dishes in the sink and I always wash them, dry them and put them away, wash down the counter tops and kitchen table with vinegar and water, and clean my floors with vinegar and water. I don’t use other chemicals for my home. The house does smell like a salad for a couple of hours, but it shines and cleans it right down. Oh happy joy joy. I get so excited when it comes to cleaning. I know you must say this woman is crazy, but it fills my day with joyfulness.

I have so much to do everyday. There aren’t enough hours in the day. I love doing laundry too and the smell of the laundry detergent is so great. I love the smell of it, and folding my laundry after is something I enjoy too. When I put laundry away, I co-ordinate by colour too so as I know what I have and don’t have. I designate a day in the week to do Laundry, to vacuum, to mop the floors, but I usually do all the floor work in one day. I have a central vac in the house so I never sweep my floors anymore. I only vacuum and then I mop after. Its so much easier without dust and stuff going all around with the broom. You just vacuum and its done in less time.

Do you like to clean, cook and do you find joy in doing housework? What does a clean house mean to you?

Would love to hear from you.

The Joyful Moments Of Cooking. How Much I Love It

In my life, one of the most joyful and satisfaction I receive is when I cook, bake and enjoy my time in the kitchen with all my favourite kitchen appliances that make my cooking a lot more enjoyable and fun at the same time. I was 8 years old and I remember cooking rice for the very first time. It was the best feeling in the world when my mom taught me how to wash it and cook it. Now with my mom’s supervision she watched me as I cooked and she said, great job and it was my first time doing it. I got so excited. From then on, I started cooking a lot for my family and then as soon as I turned 14 years old, I did not need supervision anymore, and I could do everything on my own. I learned how to make lasagna, chicken soup, and other different types of food since I was 10 years old. When I turned 20 years old, I began to take over the kitchen and I would tell my mom to go relax, and I told her I got this. So now without my mom being in the kitchen, I do all sorts of dishes, I bake cakes, cupcakes, I make cookies, jello, home-made ice cream, fruit platters, salads, I marinate meats, I make meatballs, Ravioli, Armenian and Middle Eastern Dishes, I make my famous Chilli, different types of breakfast, dips, sauces, and everything, Among other delicious things that my family, and who comes over to my house, that always want seconds and even thirds sometimes. I sometimes think, I should have made extra, but I love it when there is no left overs.  I love-making everything from scratch. I seldom go and buy ready-made easy stuff, I enjoy making it all on my own. The best way to make it and you know exactly what is going into your food without all the added calories and ready-made products. Sometimes you see ready-made pasta, and lasagna trays from the grocery store, I never even touch those. I make mine fresh. You never know how long those things have stayed like that. I’d rather do it myself and it is a lot more fun that way.

I remember a time when I invited my whole group of friends over for Armenian Style Ravioli Called (Mante, Manti, Mantuh, Mantee, However they spell it), and the whole extra-large pot finished amongst everyone and to this day, they want my Armenian Style Ravioli, but that day will come again when I will invite them over.  I remember a time when I cooked for over 20-25 people and all on my own. I had over 4 or 5 different dishes with salads, meats, and rice. It was a lot of fun although it was very hard to take it all on myself, but I made sure that the flavours were perfect and that everyone enjoyed it and they sure did. I love taking on big tasks on my own. Although it is great to receive help too, but I like taking on challenges and doing things on my own. especially when it comes to cooking. I don’t know, but I have become a perfectionist in the kitchen and I just love things to be cooked evenly, the sizes and I love the presentation. Even if it’s just for my family on a regular dinner night. I just love the presentation. I get the joys and satisfaction when doing so.

When I go grocery shopping, I also donate food to the less fortunate, and I put food in the food bank boxes that are put in front of grocery stores or in certain shelters, at my church they have food banks and I put a few non-perishable food items in the box. I love donating food to them. Knowing that a family out there who is less fortunate and needy is fed, that also makes me happy and that also makes me feel great that someone doesn’t have to go to bed hungry at night. It feels great to donate.

Food is my specialty and knowing that my family enjoys it and knowing that I made this with my love and care is what it important to me. I don’t cook because I have to everyday and I don’t cook for the sake of it, I actually love doing what I do and making sure my family is fed with the best possible nutrition.  Happy Cooking everyone!

I Am In Love With My KitchenAid Stand Mixer

Since I got my KitchenAid Stand Mixer life has gotten so much simpler with cooking and baking different types of food, and My hands don’t get tired anymore with mixing with a whisk and a hand held food mixer. Now my kitchenaid stand mixer does all the work and it is so beautiful. I have a flashy white one and its an ultra power plus one. Very good quality. Well, even if its an Artisan, Classic, Professional, all of them do a great job in mixing the batter or mixture well. I make all sorts of things into it. I love the wire whip, kneading dough, and all the accessories. my next purchase is going to be the pasta maker accessory and the other ones. Anything else in the kitchen doesn’t quite add up to the kitchenaid stand mixer. Can’t believe all the colours it comes with now. I have seen it at the stores and there is Pink, Orange, Copper Orange, Black, Red, Purple, Tangerine Orange, White, and you can even customize your own kitchen aid stand mixer if you special order it, but why do that when you can buy it at the store instantly right? LOL.. But it all depends on what your preference is, but I love my baby and it is so beautiful. Each household, should have one of these. It is a great tool in the kitchen. If you have one, I am sure you can relate to me and the passion you have for it. I even kiss mine after I use it for good luck for the next time I use it. I love it so much. These kitchenaid mixers are not cheap either. They happen to be a lot of money if they are not on sale. Some are over 500 bucks, some are over 700 bucks, but if you get it on sale its like 250, 300 bucks, but then again they do run expensive because of the high quality and the way it is made. So I can for sure relate as to why it is expensive. This baby is gorgeous. I will be using it today to make my cake. 🙂 I have a lot of things to do today. I will be cooking and baking this week so it will be ready for Christmas. I can’t wait to use it today. I use this baby at least 3 times a week. If you need tips and tricks on how to work it and what speed, just let me know. Depends on what you make.

This would be a great purchase or a gift to your loved ones or someone very special who loves cooking in your family. They would love it. 🙂

Enjoy and have a great Christmas and Happy New Year almost.

🙂

The Joyful Moments Of Cooking and How Much I Love It

In my life, one of the most joyful and satisfaction I receive is when I cook, bake and enjoy my time in the kitchen with all my favourite kitchen appliances that make my cooking a lot more enjoyable and fun at the same time. I was 8 years old and I remember cooking rice for the very first time. It was the best feeling in the world when my mom taught me how to wash it and cook it. Now with my mom’s supervision she watched me as I cooked and she said, great job and it was my first time doing it. I got so excited. From then on, I started cooking a lot for my family and then as soon as I turned 14 years old, I did not need supervision anymore, and I could do everything on my own. I learned how to make lasagna, chicken soup, and other different types of food since I was 10 years old. When I turned 20 years old, I began to take over the kitchen and I would tell my mom to go relax, and I told her I got this. So now without my mom being in the kitchen, I do all sorts of dishes, I bake cakes, cupcakes, I make cookies, jello, home-made ice cream, fruit platters, salads, I marinate meats, I make meatballs, Ravioli, Armenian and Middle Eastern Dishes, I make my famous Chilli, different types of breakfast, dips, sauces, and everything, Among other delicious things that my family, and who comes over to my house, that always want seconds and even thirds sometimes. I sometimes think, I should have made extra, but I love it when there is no left overs.  I love making everything from scratch. I seldom go and buy ready made easy stuff, I enjoy making it all on my own. The best way to make it and you know exactly what is going into your food without all the added calories and ready made products. Sometimes you see ready made pasta, and lasagna trays from the grocery store, I never even touch those. I make mine fresh. You never know how long those things have stayed like that. I’d rather do it myself and it is a lot more fun that way.

I remember a time when I invited my whole group of friends over for Armenian Style Ravioli Called (Mante, Manti, Mantuh, Mantee, However they spell it), and the whole extra large pot finished amongst everyone and to this day, they want my Armenian Style Ravioli, but that day will come again when I will invite them over.  I remember a time when I cooked for over 20-25 people and all on my own. I had over 4 or 5 different dishes with salads, meats, and rice. It was a lot of fun although it was very hard to take it all on myself, but I made sure that the flavours were perfect and that everyone enjoyed it and they sure did. I love taking on big tasks on my own. Although it is great to receive help too, but I like taking on challenges and doing things on my own. especially when it comes to cooking. I don’t know, but I have become a perfectionist in the kitchen and I just love things to be cooked evenly, the sizes and I love presentation. Even if its just for my family on a regular dinner night. I just love presentation. I get the joys and satisfaction when doing so.

When I go grocery shopping, I also donate food to the less fortunate, and I put food in the food bank boxes that are put in front of grocery stores or in certain shelters, at my church they have food banks and I put a few non-perishable food items in the box. I love donating food to them. Knowing that a family out there who is less fortunate and needy is fed, that also makes me happy and that also makes me feel great that someone doesn’t have to go to bed hungry at night. It feels great to donate.

Food is my specialty and knowing that my family enjoys it and knowing that I made this with my love and care is what it important to me. I don’t cook because I have to everyday and I don’t cook for the sake of it, I actually love doing what I do and making sure my family is fed with the best possible nutrition.  Happy Cooking everyone!