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!

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!

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!

Armenian Sesame Cookies

” ARMENIAN SESAME COOKIES ”

All purpose flour 3 and 1/3 cups
Baking powder 1½ tsp

Salt ½ tsp
Unsalted butter, melted 1 cup or 2 sticks
Milk ½ cup
Sugar ½ cup
Egg 3 large
Sesame seeds 1 cup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Combining all wet ingredients
Combine flour, baking powder, salt together and set aside.

Whisk together melted butter and milk in a large bowl, then add sugar and continue whisking until the sugar is mostly dissolved.

Add one egg and whisk again thoroughly.

Gently stir in the flour mixture to make a soft dough.

On a lightly floured surface, divide dough into 36 pieces of approximately equal weight. Roll each piece of dough into a 4 or 5-inch strand. Connect the ends to make a circle and set aside. Finish shaping all the cookies.

Place a couple of tablespoons of sesame seeds in a shallow dish.

Beat two eggs well to form an egg wash. Paint each cookie with egg wash and gently press its top into the dish of sesame seeds.

Arrange cookies, seeded side up, on prepared baking sheets, spacing about an inch apart. Adding a little sesame seeds to the dish at a time to keep them from getting all sticky from the egg wash.

Bake sesame cookies for about 30 minutes or until they are golden and dry. Cool cookies on baking pan on wire racks. Store them in airtight
containers to preserve their crisp texture.

Credits to the Recipe www.sugarbakingblog.com

Talin’s — Armenian Tabouleh Salad

Hello, today is the day where the week of Delicious Armenian and Middle Eastern Food Recipes Kick off as I had stated a couple of days ago. I would like to start with Tabouleh Salad (TAB-OO-LEI). Without Further do, Here is the moment you have all been waiting for.

is a healthy and tasty salad served throughout the tables of Armenian, Middle Eastern People. It is important to incorporate
fresh parsley and mint when making this masterpiece we call tabouleh. Many traditional Lebanese and Armenian recipes for tabouleh use a
much higher proportion of parsley to bulghur. If you prefer this style more than the rest, increase the parsley to 3 cups as desired to your preference.

Ingredients include:
1 cup fine (#1) bulghur wheat
1 1/2 cups fresh parsley, chopped finely
3/4 cup cooked chick peas, chopped (Not necessary but if you like you can include this into it)
1 cup green onions, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, chopped to fine pieces
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped finely
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt to taste and to preference.

Preparation
1. With the bulghur mix with 2 cup cold water and let stand 1 hour to slightly soften.
2. Press out excess moisture and water in strainer.
3. Wash parsley thoroughly, and then drain and pat dry with paper towels, remove the stems and discard, finely chop leaves.
4. Mix the parsley with the bulghur in a large bowl, add chick peas(optional), green onions, tomato and some fresh mint.
5. Combine the oil, lemon juice and salt, pour over tabouleh and mix thoroughly and constantly.
6. Chill well before serving in the refrigerator for over 2 hours or you have the tabouleh salad instantly. Depends on the time you have.
7. Spoon tabouleh into small bowls lined with lettuce leaves for presentation and you can decorate the tops too with any ingredient not chopped in the recipe above.

Serve with pita bread or you can just eat it like that..

Notes
If you can’t find #1 bulghur, use #2 (medium sized bulghur) instead.

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. 🙂

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!

Armenian Pizza – Recipe — In Armenian It’s Called Laghmajoun (Mesa-Shod)

Due to Popular Demand and People wanting to know how to make this delicious Armenian dish, I’d like to welcome you to today’s recipe. They call it Armenian Pizza,

We have other words for it such as, Laghmajoun, Lahmajoun, Mesashod — For the correct pronounciation (MES-A-SHOWED) (LAG-MA-JUNE)

Ingredients.

• Ground Beef (you can substitute Ground beef for Lamb Grounds, but GROUND BEEF is a lot tastier)
• Fresh Garlic
• Parsley
• Tomato
• Pepper

 

How to Make…. (Credit — http://allrecipes.com/recipe/lahmahjoon-armenian-pizza/ )

Place ground lamb or ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and break into small pieces until mostly browned. Drain any excess grease. Add the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook until onion is translucent. Stir in diced tomatoes and tomato paste, then season with parsley, basil, mint, cumin, and if using, cayenne. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover, and refrigerate overnight to blend the flavors.

•                     Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Distribute the lamb mixture evenly over the tortillas, and spread out to the edges. Place the tortillas onto a baking sheet.
•                     Bake for about 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove from the oven and place the lahmahjoons onto a large piece of aluminum foil so that two of them are meat side to meat side, then stack the pairs together, and bring the foil up over the top to keep warm. These can be served hot or cold. Cut into small wedges.