Quick for Sick Mashed Potatoes!

So these aren't my go to mashed taters, they're my moms. My mashed taters are made with loads of parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and sour cream. And roasted garlic. The special thing about these mashed potatoes is that they help with tummy aches!



We made these today because my housekeeper, Yolanda, wasn't feeling to well. She's like family so me and mom had to do something. We put four potatoes in a pot to boil on low heat for a loooong while, and waited.

Quick for Sick Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:
4 russet potatoes, boiled until tender
1 handful of parsley, chopped finely
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 pinch of salt
1 tbsp. of margarine
1/2 a lemon, squeezed
Olive oil, to taste

Step 1:
Mash the potatoes with a fork, make it rough so you still sort of have to chew to eat it.

Step 2:
Add all the other ingredients, mix them in.

Step 3:
Enjoy!

It's really yummy, I just had a plate, and honestly it's really easy to make.

-Rana

Restaurant Review: Adoro Mexican Grille

During Anime Expo my mother decided to treat me and my cosplaying brothers to some food. A year prior, at Anime Expo, we'd gone to the same hotel we were staying at that week. So we decided to go to the same Mexican restaurant we visited last year. Adoro Mexican Grille. It was as amazing as before. :]

I only took a picture of my food, because I love how they'd designed the plate. My guilty pleasure? Those pickled onions. They were absolutely amazing. And the avocado mash on top. To die for.

So I ordered the Burrito Fajita:



Located in the heart of Downtown, Los Angeles, this restaurant is pleasing to almost all senses. I loved the service, we got to sit outside because my mom wanted to smoke, and the food was just simply amazing. I wish I had got a shot of the inside of my burrito. The meat was cooked to a medium rare perfection. This was the fanciest Mexican restaurant I have ever been to.

The waiter made little small talk at the end of the meal, asking about the convention and such, and he actually gave us a little bit of guacamole for our free freshly made tortilla chips. This food was amazing, I recommend it to anyone visiting downtown Los Angeles. The prices are just a tad high, I got one of the cheapest meals on the menu, but it's a real bang for your buck.

-Rana

LET THEM EAT CAKE! :D

CAKE! CAKE AND CUSTARD! CAKE AND CUSTARD AND CREAM! CAKE, CUSTARD, CREAM, AND BERRIES! YESSSS!



Angel Food Custard Cake and Berries:

Ingredients for Angel Food Cake:

12 eggs
1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
Directions

Step 1:
Separate eggs and discard yolks. Measure egg whites, adding or removing whites as needed to equal 1-1/2 cups. Place in a mixing bowl, let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Step 2:
Sift confectioners' sugar and flour together three times, set aside.

Step 3:
Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites, beat on high speed.

Step 4:
Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Fold in flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time.

Step 5:
Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets.

Step 6:
Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely before removing cake from pan.

Or do what I did and buy one from your local grocery store. :D

Custard recipe is at this site: Vanilla Custard Recipe

And for the cream on top just blend some heavy whipping cream, about a cup, and wait until slightly stiff. Slice some strawberries any way and decorate as shown in the pic, or get creative. The custard is in between the cake which I had cut in half. :] I zested some fresh lemons and sprinkled it on top. Super yummy. You can also decide to drench your cake in liquor. I happened to make one drenched in peach flavored liquor. It adds a very nice bite.

Enjoy!

-Rana

We got on FoodGazing!

It's a favorite Foodie website of mine! And we got featured! Yay!



By the way, the scones next to me are made by someone else I'm a devoted follower of. Visit her website at The Nesting Project!

-Rana

Ratatouille and Parmesan-Thyme Couscous! (Rana)

Yumyumyum! Let me tell you, this vegetarian dish should get rave reviews. It was tender and flavorful and with the couscous, I literally almost melted into it. It's a homey dish that I'll be sure to make again! Besides, who didn't love the movie Ratatouille. This dish was a bit of a homage, but since my family just can't have squash and eggplant alone, we added a bit of a twist. :]

Now I don't want to take credit for a recipe someone else created. The Ratatouille was not my recipe, but I did happen to modify it. I added another clove of garlic, and when she specifies a few sprigs of thyme, I used 4, and I also added just a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes. And lots of olive oil because it's my favorite condiment! Also, PLEASE get a smaller and or longer and skinner bell pepper. My brother messed up and got me a fat one. Obese bell pepper makes me sad.



Okay so for the Ratatouille recipe, go here: Smitten Kitchen

Now I take credit for the couscous! It's not those tiny little couscous you see most of the time, but a chunkier version. Because these do well in filling you up!

Parmesan-Thyme Couscous

Ingredients:
1 Cup Couscous
1 Cup Water or Chicken Stock(I used consomme to make it taste like chicken stock)
2 Sprigs thyme
1 tsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 or 2 pinches of parmesan cheese, shredded
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried basil, dried parsley to taste

Step 1:
Bring water or stock to boil in a pot. Salt generously if water, if stock not too generously.

Step 2:
Pour couscous, drizzle just a tad of olive oil, swirl around, then cover and put it to low heat. Be patient, you want the couscous to absorb all the liquid.

Step 3:
Once liquid is absorbed, drop the butter in, then drizzle some more olive oil, sprinkle on the spices and run your fingers along the thyme sprig to separate the leaves from the twig. Stir around and let the flavors set in, give it a taste to see if you like it.

Step 4:
Sprinkle the cheese on, stir it around, give it another taste and adjust the flavors as you like.

Step 5:
Ready to serve! :D

It's amazingly delicioussss! You could even add sharp white cheddar for a nice zing! Now you may notice the bits of meat at the top, that pinkish ham looking stuff. That's some fried up prosciutto! One of my favorite things to splurge on! Just cut it up to your desired size, I actually used scissors(clean of course!), and then I tossed it into a pan with heated oil and warmed them up until I was certain they were free of the dangers of pork poisoning, or whatever they call it. xD

It's super yummy with the saltiness of the prosciutto, just sprinkle it on top, you can serve it however you like. My mom even came back for seconds on the ratatouille SAUCE. And the couscous flew out of the pot, so if you wanna make more because your sure it'll be a hit, just double the ingredients. No biggie. I should have listened to that advice, I didn't get enough couscous. ;D

Here's another shot just because I love it so much. <3



- Rana

Manaeesh(Arabic Pizza)

So this dish is extremely delicious and comforting. My mother made it the morning after my father returned from the hospital. She made three different kinds, onion and pepper, zaatar(which is a mixture of spices that I cannot describe), and lebni and veggies. My favorite?



Lebni and Veggies!

Now it may not look completely mouthwatering to you, but whenever I see this on a plate I drool. This is one of my favorite dishes ever. It's garlicky, sweet, tangy, spicy. It's absolutely amazing and refreshing and just... yummm. So here's the recipe!

Lebni and Veggie Manaeesh:
1 tomato, chopped
2 seedless cucumbers, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped
2-3 stalks of green onion, chopped
1 handful of mint, cleaned and chopped
3 large tablespoons of lebni, or depending on how thick you want it. I actually usually put 2 tablespoons.
Salt to taste
Olive oil to taste
3 premade and half-baked pizza dough rounds(can be storebought, or you can make your own and freeze them like mom did)

A little note: The pizza rounds were about 6 inches in diameter, so they were a personal pizza size. If you want a big pizza, just make one. I'm sure you'll figure it out.

Step 1: Combine all chopped veggies and herbs into a bowl with lebni. Sprinkle with salt. Set aside.

Step 2: Drizzle some olive oil on your pizza dough. Start baking your pizza, once it starts to reach a golden brown around the edges, pull it out.

Step 3: Cut the pizza's in half, then pile the veggie mixture onto it and spread it around. Don't care about an even coat or anything.

Enjoy!

Like I said, I love this dish. Have some gum on hand for afterwards, it gives you garlic breath, but man is it good. The chewy crust of the pizza mixed with the amazing crispness of the vegetables, the kick of garlic, the refreshing mint. It's a great summer eat. ;]

-Rana

A new post?!

It's insanity! Well I've been cooking a lot, but not putting it up on here. Makes me a bit sad.

Well here's another quick culinary fixation, my Homemade Pasta Sauce!
(Jimmy calls it Hoe-made)



I put it in a bento last I made it because I was going on a train ride and I really wanted to eat something that wasn't a sandwich. :D

Alright so let's get started on this sweet, savory, and spicy sauce. :]

Ingredients:
1 lb. of ground turkey or beef
1 large can of Hunts tomato sauce
1 large can of stewed tomatoes(italian seasoned, you can buy them in any supermarket)
1 or 2 large sweet onions chopped, depending on how much you like onion
1 handful of fresh basil chiffonaded(you can use dried if you like, just use less of it)
7 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
2 tbsp of olive oil
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
Salt, pepper, oregano, and garlic powder to taste

Start off by heating a pot, not a pan or skillet, on medium-high heat. Drizzle some oil on the bottom. Put in your onions and garlic and stir around until the onions are a little brown at the edges.

Place in beef or turkey and start breaking that stuff up, unless you like your pasta sauce super chunky.

Once the meet looks to be totally browned but not well done, pour in sauce and tomatoes. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes. Stir it around, place the top on the pot, and let simmer for a while. Takes around 5 minutes.

Drizzle some more olive oil, throw in your basil, and stir around. Let simmer a little while more.

Season to taste, it should taste amazing.

And you're done! Enjoy with any kind of pasta, I love it with whole wheat spaghetti. :]

This recipe takes all in all about 20 minutes, maybe 10 minutes to prepare all the ingredients. It's great when my brothers or house keeper helps me. My house keeper actually asks for this dish on a lot of occasions.

YUM!