Citrus-C
You know when you feel that itch in your throat? Or your nose starts to twitch and you just feel the cold coming on? Don’t let your weak, exhausted body fall victim to those yucky viruses! Whenever I feel run down and am about to […]
Food, Kids, and a Camera
Creamy mushroom soup is really much easier than you think. It’s also nice to know exactly what is in this soup since you are making it in your own kitchen! Go take a look at your canned mushroom soup ingredients…cringe? Once you try this easy […]
This is another classic Egyptian dish. Oozing a creamy béchamel sauce, savory beef, and yummy cheesiness, this pasta casserole will be a huge hit with the whole family. There are many variations to make this casserole slightly healthier such as using vegetables instead of beef, whole grain pasta instead of regular, and even reducing the cream and cheese used. This recipe however is the original and is the PERFECT texture and flavor. I am using my mother in law’s recipe which she perfected over the years as it is her husband’s favorite meal! Everyone who knows her, knows she makes this dish the best; so I went to none other than the source herself for the secret!
The recipe is fairly easy and is excellent for making in large quantities and freezing extra pans for later quick meals. The trickiest part is stirring up a creamy velvety béchamel sauce. But I will take you through the steps below to help ensure the best sauce! Bechamel consists of flour and butter creamed into milk. You first need to melt the butter in a large pot over LOW HEAT. The temperature is very important. If you scorch the butter or flour, it will clump and not cook properly.
Once the butter melts, you will add some oil, and then the flour and stir consistently with a wooden spoon or a whisk into a golden paste.
Then you need to slowly add the milk, a 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well in between each pour. It is best to use an immersion blender to stir in the milk and prevent any clumps.
The béchamel will thicken significantly when it sits, so you want to make it after you boil the pasta and cook the beef so that it does not sit for too long.
Once the sauce is cooked, you will add some shredded romano cheese, salt and pepper.
The pasta should be tossed in extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, some shredded cheese so that you’d actually want to just eat it like that! You will add a dollop of the béchamel to the cooked pasta and mix that all together. This mixture of pasta is part of the secret to achieving the perfectly delectable flavor in every bite you take. Once you have the sauce, pasta, and beef all ready, you can assemble the casserole.
First, pasta:
Second, beef:
Then Pasta again:
Finally, crown it with the béchamel:
Bake for 30-40 minute in 400 degrees until the top is bubbling.
The biggest food day of the year is just around the corner. Chefs and newbies everywhere are rolling up their sleeves to prepare a delicious (we hope!) roast of turkey to set on the table. With this fool proof recipe, you are sure to satisfy […]
If you have not been bringing your turkey, then you are really missing out on some juicy goodness! I have had far too many dry turkeys and even started to dislike turkey because of this. I decided to brine and cook a turkey this year […]
This dish is SO delicious. Roasted chickens are hands down one of my favorite comfort foods. I love the flavor of the roasted skin ( I know VERY unhealthy!) And whatever vegetables or stuffing you put with that chicken in the oven is destined to deliciousness. The chicken oozes all its wonderful juices as it cooks and imparts its flavor to whatever you put in with the chicken. One of my favorite things to do is to fill the chicken’s cavity with rice and golden raisins. The outer rice that spills out is so savory and crispy and the inside will be the juiciest tastiest rice you have ever had! I guess thats another recipe though!
For this zesty chicken I utilize the cavity as a flavor infuser and stuff it with half a lemon, left over lemon rinds from the juiced lemons, and garlic cloves. Your chicken will be flavored inside and out! The potatoes that cook around the chicken are also infused with this delcious lemon garlic flavor!
Steroids will manage to boost your Testosterone levels excellently but it all comes up with a lot of stuff from advertisements of medications to supplements with a levitra without prescription promise that they would be able to get and maintain an erection even after being sexually aroused. Because US won’t allow generic versions of these Drugs – There are a few generic versions of these drugs per pill are; purchase viagra uk– $16.20 per pill while levitra- $16.67 per pill. uniqkey%-prices.jpg as published by the uniqkey%-has-doubled-since-its-launch/ Those ads which set one-dollar-per-pill-price marketed as buy cheap levitra or generic sildenafil citrate has brought a significant treatment approach to overcome erectile dysfunction. How Impotence Is Cured? sale generic tadalafil ED is essentially cured by treating the root cause of the problem. Semi-rigid rods are rods best buy for viagra that are implanted into the penis with a saline reservoir and pump either in the abdomen or scrotum.
You can tie the chicken legs together so it looks prettier, but the baby was crying and I didn’t have time!
This cold weather is definitely having me search for comfort food. I also needed to do something with the rest of our roasted chicken. It always seems to be a challenge- what to do with the rest of that chicken? In fact, I sometimes […]
Its fall, and they are everywhere. Pumpkins are sure to make it into your kitchen this autumn if you are following these posts! This moist fluffy cake is a perfect treat for breakfast, dessert, or anytime you just want to cozy up with a delicious […]
Harissa is a typical Middle Eastern dessert very popular in Egypt. It is a dense, moist cake, gooey with a fragrant simple syrup. Harissa, also known as basboosa is a semolina sweet cake with a delicate balance of citrus notes, coconut, optional rose notes, and accented with golden almonds on top. It is the perfect treat to serve to guests with tea and coffee, and its simple recipe method will entice anyone to prepare it!
Many Egyptians also call this dessert basboosa. Basboosa is my nickname my father used for me as a child. The name basboosa literally translates to my sweet or my precious when used as a term of endearment, so it can certainly be applied to both your loved ones or this scrumptious dessert! Depending which region of Egypt one is from, it would be referred to as harissa (Alexandria) or basboosa (Cairo and the vicinity). Growing up, basboosa has always been a part of our family dinner parties, a basic sweet to have on hand for casual guests, and of course, for the month of Ramadan. I recall enjoying basboosa many moments with friends and families. It is truly a delightful treat, and especially nostalgic because you really only receive or serve it in the home, made with love by your mother or grandmother. I remember enjoying this dessert with my best friend in Ramadan; we sat there savoring the gooey delicious little cakes, licking our fingers from the sticky crumbs that remained.
I am so fond of making harissa at home, especially when we have guests because it is SO easy to make! You can whip all ingredients easily in a bowl with a spatula and no eggs are needed for the batter! Mixing this up is truly a cinch, yet the flavor and texture so complex. My Syrian and Lebanese friends refer to this very cake as namoura in their homes and Turks may refer to it at Revani. I have seen versions of this dessert in Jewish traditions, as well as Greek and Armenian cuisine! As I always say, bonding and connection always happens through food!
I love my mom’s recipe because it is so light and not overly sweet and heavy like some Middle Eastern desserts can be. Although this is a syrup soaked cake, the batter is a nice and fluffy semolina and coconut mixture with minimal sugar (you could even omit it in the batter). The syrup that soaks into typical Middle Eastern desserts is a simple sugar syrup, heavy with rose water or orange blossom essence added to it. The syrup used for this basboosa is very fragrant and light. As my mom always does, I simply use a dash of lemon juice, and orange rind for flavor which balances nicely with the sweetness of this semolina cake.
Harissa is made with coarse semolina flour, which you can find in any Middle Eastern market, Italian specialty shops, or other specialty grocery stories. If you cannot find it, a good substitute you may use is the Cream of Wheat cereal mix made with farina wheat. Just make sure it is not the instant variation as that grain is too fine. This recipe cannot be made with fine semolina, it should be the coarse type.
The cake is made without eggs, and uses yogurt and sour cream instead. Be sure to use plain yogurt as flavored kinds have additives that can change the recipe. It is easily whipped together in one bowl and bakes in one large sheet pan. It cannot get any easier!
The simple syrup is incredibly easy: dissolve sugar in water and boil it until it becomes thickened, add a hint of flavoring with lemon juice and orange juice, and optionally rose water, and then a tablespoon of butter. In my mother’s recipe for syrup, a fresh squeeze of lemon juice is important to help the syrup thicken. I add the rind of an orange to scent and flavor the cake with more depth of flavor. In the winter, when we have great citrus I like to add orange zest into the batter of the basboosa, for variation.
I rarely use rose water because I don’t like the quality of the rose syrup we have locally. However, if I get my hands on some of the pure rose essence, it is a must! I have also started boiling rose buds in the syrup water, before I add the sugar. This makes for a similar fragrant effect that is purely rose. The delicate scent of rose in each bite is so lovely.
What is sildenafil citrate?Sildenafil is the core activity of viagra 50 mg discover my drugstore now the arteries that can also improve your performance in bed. If you are lucky, there cheapest cialis will be an imprint on the capsule. If you canadian discount cialis intend to take a legal action in opposition to the makers then it is encouraged to go for a healthy oral drug which can help with hair regrowth in areas of baldness. Not following these guidelines sildenafil pill may bring some adverse side effects.Other people like to add orange blossom to the syrup. You can use what you love! The syrup should be prepared in advance as it needs to be poured after cooling, onto the hot cake, fresh out of the oven. The syrup becomes fully absorbed by the cake this way, making it so lusciously moist and gooey.
The batter is so incredibly easy you will want to get up and make this as soon as you read this! All you need is semolina flour, baking powder, yogurt, a dash of butter, coconut, sugar and sour cream. No eggs! You mix all of these together into a nice thick and creamy batter, allow it to sit and rise for 30 minutes, and then spread into a 9 inch rectangular pan. Bake at 400 degrees (F) for about 30 minutes. In no time, you will have gorgeous little semolina squares to enjoy for dessert!
Harissa is traditionally presented with a slivered almond on top of each slice and cut into squares or diamonds. This sweet semolina cake pairs perfectly with coffee or tea.
Literally, maqlooba means upside down or flipped over. That is exactly what this dish is- a pot full of deliciousness, flipped over onto a plate for serving. The first time I had this was at my friend’s house for dinner, and yes she is Palestinian. […]