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!

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.

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!

Sushi Lovers — This is For You

In the many years I have heard about sushi, the maki rolls and Japanese style cuisine, I told myself that I will never try sushi ever in my life and I will stay away from it because I am thinking about all the raw fish and everything and how I do not like things raw, but then this summer my great friend and sister said Hey Talin, let’s go to an all you can eat Sushi place, and so I decided, you know what? Why not, so I went and I had the Sushi and I fell in love with it. Now I am so addicted to all that, the Miso Soup, The California, Avocado Rolls, Dragon Rolls, Volcano, there are so many names for them. I tried the Salmon, Tempura, noodles, seaweed green salad, and so much more. I always said that I won’t try it, but now I can’t get enough of sushi. Its healthy and good for you and its so tasty and when you put it in the soya sauce, its extra tasty.  I have become a sushi expert now. Been to that restaurant like 5 or 6 times since summertime. Once you get hooked, you will want to go all the time.

My first Sushi experience, my great friend showed me the ins and outs on what to order, the best things on the menu and choosing and selecting different types of sushi’s and rolls for me to try. The first time i went I went with the simple ones, then. They bring you tea when you get into the restaurant, they put soya sauce and this green very spicy hot dip where you mix it with your soya sauce to make it have a kick to it, they bring you a little bit of a salmon too. The second time when we went to sushi, I had the more advanced type of sushi and I loved it all. It was so yummy and it depends on how they are made. You can’t eat sushi everywhere.

I always like to try new things and I am very happy and excited that my great friend introduced me to it. I want to try to make sushi myself so that when I entertain at home, we can have a sushi night all prepared by me. I might take a course or learn to do it from online. Maybe I can become a sushi chef later on in future, but now I will just stick to the all you can eat Sushi place I go to. When we went to all you can eat, you could eat as much dessert you want like mango or mousse cake, green tea ice cream or different varieties of them, and as well as you have a selection of soft drinks to choose from as well. There was just a place mat style menu and anything on there you can eat as much as you want.

If you order too much and you leave sushi, maki rolls or something on the plate and do not eat them, depending on the place, they charge you if you leave them. They try not to waste any food.

Now, you can’t try sushi from anywhere. Do not buy the ones in the sushi boxes you see at the malls or whatever. When you go to a sushi restaurant, observe that there is no fish smells, and make sure they bring it fresh to you. Not in a box because you never know how long the ones in the box sits for. always be cautious and mindful of where you buy it.

Do you like sushi? How was your first experience? Let the sushi lovers unite. Bon Apetit!

Talin’s Avocado Dip

Talin’s Avocado Dip.

– 2 or 3 Avocado’s mashed up with little chunks of avocado left.
– Half teaspoon of sea Salt
– Half teaspoon of black or cracked pepper (Optional)
– 3 or 4 tablespoons of Creamy coleslaw dressing
– 1 teaspoon of lemon

You can also put Lime too instead of the Lemon. depends on your taste.

Optional black pepper or cracked pepper. Some cannot have that in their meals.

Depending and According to how many people you have, make the quantity of ingredients to put in the dip, Play around with it and test it for your liking. Great for parties, gatherings, dinner gatherings, during Game time, at the cottage, at home, with friends, family, co-workers, you can even take it to a potluck.

You can serve it with celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green peppers, red peppers, orange peppers, grape or cherry tomatoes, pita chips, chips, Doritos, crackers, nacho chips, you can make it as a spread in a tomato sandwich, . Bon apetit!

A Delicious Week Ahead For Everyone! Stay Tuned. Many Surprises Coming Your Way

It is with great joy and excitement, that I report to you all today, that starting tomorrow, It will be a very delicious week with so many Armenian and Middle Eastern Authentic Dishes and Recipes. I will show you tricks on how to prepare them, I will be outlining them with key flavours, and among so many other surprises that are headed your way. I have already prepared all the recipes that I will be featuring per day and I just cannot wait to have them posted up. I want to show to the world what we Armenians and Middle Eastern people eat on a regular basis and show to people different types of dishes that many are and have always been interested in. A lot of my readers/fans always wanted to know what we eat and how we prepare things, what we do to entertain our loved ones who come over, among many tasty recipes. Armenians and Middle Eastern dishes have unique types of foods and we carry a wide selection of all kinds of foods to eat from Appetizers, Vegetable Dishes, Meats, Breakfasts, Lunches, Dinners, Desserts, Pastries, and I will be giving you ideas on what to prepare during the upcoming Christmas holidays, and all year round.

In this world, there are so many different types of foods, styles, herbs, spices, and so many ways you can create your masterpiece with ingredients and it is an interesting world of culinary, cooking and baking. It is incredible what you can do with food, how it all comes together, the right texture, taste, and filling our tummies with goodness and a necessity in life that all of us need in life. I cannot wait until I show you all some interesting recipes, ingredients and products needed, the quantity, preparation, notes, and among so many different things. Stay tuned for a delicious and mouth watering week to come. 🙂

Red Lentil Soup — With Parboiled Rice, Potato & Carrots

Hello, Here is one of my favourite and easy recipes to make on a cold winters day. Red Lentil soup is high in Iron, and Goodness and very healthy to eat. This concoction is a hearty soup and its incredible… Here is how to make it.

You will need:

– 1-2 teaspoons of Ground Cumin

– 1 Cup of thoroughly washed Parboiled Rice – Make sure you wash it very well until water becomes transparent….

– 2-3 cups of Red Lentil — Make sure this is also washed 3-4 times.

– 1-2 teaspoons of salt — use as desired, but I do not recommend it to be too too salty, so use it to your discrection.

– 3-4 potato’s — chopped and diced — wash the potato’s as well — Use regular sized potato’s but not too big.

– 1 to 2 carrot sticks, washed and zested, but diced as well.

To Prepare:

First you put the Red Lentils in the large pot to cook with the water, and bring it to a boil and make sure all the red lentils cook very well until you don’t see the lentils anymore just a light coloured mixture. Make sure there is enough water, then you put in the parboiled Rice, you let that cook for a good 10-12 minutes, but after 8 minutes of cooking the rice, put in the potato and carrots at the same time, then put in your Ground Cumin and Salt — Make sure the soup has enough water. keep adding water if desired, but make it hearty…. There you have it… RED LENTIL SOUP with Parboiled Rice, Potato and Carrots..

—– You can add Cooking Onions if you like into the soup…. that adds a bit more flavour… about 1-2 onions….

 

Talin’s Hummus — Chick Pea Dip

Hummus (Chick Pea) Dip is one of the easiest things to make… Here is how to make it…

 

Ingredients:

Salt

Lemon Juice (Use the machine or the lemon squeezer to squeeze the lemon juice out of real lemons)

Olive Oil

Garlic

Tahini

Chick Peas

Water

 

1 — Open up the Chick Peas can 1 or 2 or how much desired — put them into a strainer – Wash and rinse the liquid thoroughly, then drain the water completely..

2 — 2-3 cloves of garlic. Put in the food processor or to your choice (have little garlic, if you love a lot of garlic in your hummus.. it is all about a persons preference)

3 — Put 4-5 tablespoons of Tahini

4 — 2 or 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil

5 — Put a teaspoon of salt

6 — Put the lemon juice in

7 — Then add water in gradually

8 — Make sure the hummus chick pea dip is not so watery. Make sure it is not too too thick either.. just in the middle but more toward the thick side.. Also make sure the hummus is not too too salty, just right. take a spoon and have a taste before serving…

 to top it you can put ground pepper, paprika, olives, cumin, and decorate it with either grape tomatos, and so on and so forth. It is a great appetizer and you can even make it for lunch… have it with pita bread, or have it with Eggplant kebabs, Pork Kebabs, or with other Appetizers…

 It is a healthy appetizer and you will love it. If you have not tried it out, try it out.. you will love it!