I love Barefoot Contessa! I love her personality. I like a lot of Giada's recipes. There's one in particular made with pasta, broccoli rabe, garlic and Italian sausage (I use turkey or chicken Italian sausage filling). It's sooo good! Rachel does annoy me also! I just can't deal with overly exciteable and happy ppl. My son, Aimen, has a crush on her though.

Rachel Ray also annoys me LOL...and that blonde almost from stratch lady, too...whats her name? LOL

I like Rachel Ray, but she hardley makes anything that doesn't have sausage or alcohol in it. Cool Kitchen, tho.
Personally, I like watching the iron chef and the other competitions at night. And Emerill ....
A network about food...I used to think it was a stupid idea!

hahaha I love Emeril! I also love Iron chef and sadly can't wait to see the one where Rachel and Giada help next week.

Rachel Ray has too many little sayings and moves her hands too much for me. I just can't stand watching her for too long.

Thanks for the recipes Bosco!

Sayings? Do you mean...EVOO? That irritates me also.

EVOO, sammy, yumm-o. Don't get me started I'm annoyed already! hahaha

I have a very easy chocolate truffle recipe, but it's at home. I'll try to remember to post it sometime, if I can remember. It's crunch time for me with school right now so I shouldn't even be here at all.

Wow all these Rachel Ray fans Well you should be happy to know that she now has her own talk show on another network. Now she can talk for a whole hour!

Don't get the Food Network, but PBS shows some of their reruns and other excellent cooking shows on the weekend

America's Test Kitchen
Joanne Weir's cooking class
Lidia's Family Table
Simply Ming

I've been wondering if Rachel has throat cancer or something 'cause if you watch an older show and then the newer one the new ones have her voice sounding wicked raspy.

Yeah she bugs the heck outta me too but I like some of her recipes. Not all though..sometimes she goes overboard on the spices. Her giggle gets under my skin too.

Henia are you talking about Paula Dean? You need to make an appt with a heart surgeon after eating just one of her meals!

My kids like "unwrapped" especially when they focus on candy.

OMG! I thought I was the only that noticed her voice got really scratchy, someone please give her a lozenge.

This is my all-time favorite salmon recipe and my whole family loves it too. I taught Abdel how to prepare it tonight. I usually cook it under the broiler though, not on the grill.

PEPPER GRILLED SALMON

SOURCE: CALIFORNIA MAGAZINE (Except it called for anise seed and I didn't have any, so tried it with fennel. When we got anise seed, we found out we preferred it with the fennel.)

1 TEASPOON BLACK PEPPERCORNS
1 TEASPOON WHOLE FENNEL SEEDS
1/2 TEASPOON COARSE (KOSHER)SALT
20 OUNCES SALMON FILLET, SLICED INTO 8 EQUAL PIECES
LEMON SLICES AND CHIVES FOR GARNISH

Preheat broiler.

Butterfly Salmon slices. In blender, spice mill, or with mortar and pestle, grind peppercorns, fennel seeds, and salt until coarsely ground. Spray broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray and place salmon slices in one layer in broiler pan. Sprinkle with spice mixture and broil 4 minutes or until just cooked. If desired, serve salmon with steamed baby vegetables and garnish with lemon and chives.

Each serving provides: 311 calories, 32 grams protein, 19 grams fat, 6 grams carbohydrates, 379 milligrams sodium.

I thought Henia was talking about Semi Homemade with the blonde lady Sandra... Lee? She annoys me too and I don't like her recipes.

Rachel Ray is a man I am convinced of it!

I've got two really great cheesecake recipes if anyone is looking for some. One is called fudge truffle cheesecake and if you like chocolate, this is definitely towards the scale of chocolate overdose. It's so yummy. And the other is a marbled pumpkin cheesecake. Also reallygood. And both are fairly easy to make, though just take a bit of time.

I love Paula Deen...she's so cute and funny. I make one her recipes for pot lucks or get togethers..Not Yo' Mama's Banana pudding. It's so yummy!

I would love to have this recipe!

About 2 or 3 days after our wedding, insha Allah, we will be inviting some of Usama's relatives and friends to celebrate with us. Since it will just be he and I in his flat, I will be the one to have to cook for all of these people.


This is what I think I'll make.......tell me if people from Cairo would like/hate this menu:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ei/ep...8_42579,00.html

That looks delicious doodle! If there is one thing about Egyptian gatherings, it is that there must be 10 billion dishes, heaped all over the table. Then the hosts will shove food on your plate, even when you insist that you're bursting at the seems.

I would make a few recipes you're comfortable with, and then supplement it with some prepared food from outside. You can easily purchase a few whole roasted chickens for 20 LE. See if you can find some place to buy mashi. Also, a variety of pickled vegetables. And, some fruit. Make a few dishes of rice and noodles too. Egyptians love their carbs.

Also, be prepared to substitute. there are a lot of ingredients we're familiar with here that you can't find in Egypt, or that are increadibly expensive. If you can't find something at the local corner store, find a "Metro," which sells a lot of american products. Some of the Metros I've been in will even take your credit card, or iwll have an ATM machine outside.

You know, doodle, no one will expect you to cook for your own wedding party. Couldn't you have the party at his family's place? Or alternatively you could just serve cake and other refreshments. No one will expect you to feed everyone. For our wedding party we just had cake and other pastries with tea and pop.

He is expecting me to feed everyone!!!

There is no "family's place" either. His mom and dad are deceased and his sisters have left so it's just him. He does have an aunt, but he can't exactly ask her to host a party for himself, so it's just going to be us having a wee lil celebration with his friends and maybe some family.

He said he wants them to come for "lunch" so I'm thinking that's a whole sunday dinner type thing. I think he wants to impress his buddies with my culinary skills since he's bragged about it.

Oooh...I wish you all the best of luck on that! Make sure you go to a bigger supermarket like Carrefour to get the ingredients. They have more imported goods there so you may find a lot of what you need. Plan a menu with simple ingredients that you know will be easy to find. Do you know any recipes for Egyptian or Arabic food?

Alright, get ready for it! Brace yourselves! More chocolate than you can throw a... a.... well... something at!


Fudge Truffle Cheesecake

Chocolate crumb crust
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup melter butter

Combine all ingredients and press firmly onto the bottom of a 9" springform pan.
Set aside.

Filling
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 (8oz) pkgs cream cheese, softened
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla (in whatever form you use, dry or imitation, etc.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit

1. In a heavy saucepan, on low heat, melt the chocolate chips, stirring constantly (I just melt them in the microwave and it's fine. I just make sure to stir every 30 seconds so they don't scorch or what have you). When melted, remove from heat and set aside.
2. In a large mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese until it's fluffy. Gradually beat in the condensed milk until the mixture is smooth.
Add melted chocolate chips and the rest of the ingredients (eggs and vanilla).
Mix well.
3. Pour into the prepared pan (with the crust already in it).

Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until the center is set.
Cool and then chill.

You will need some whipped cream or a tall glass of ice cold milk with this.
Enjoy!

Just what I'm getting from here. Do you have that one for the stuff with the red sauce on top? I think it's couscous but I'm not too sure. I think they'd like that.

Last night he was attempting to make something with liver, onions and tomatoes. He was on the phone with a guy friend who was trying to coach him via his wife. I really feel bad because up until a month ago he never ever ever cooked (not even boil an egg or made tea), did laundry or cleaned. Now he was suddenly deserted and has to learn it all from scratch.

So apparently he likes liver so any recipes with liver would be good. He had to specifically state "cow liver, not the liver from a bull". Okkkk...whatevaaah. I've only had chicken liver myself.

I don't think Egyptians eat couscous. Don't say couscous in front of his friends though, cuz cous is a naughty word.

Yep, I was going to say that . . . but you beat me to it, Rahma!!!

Maybe she is thinking of koshary????

That's what I'm thinkin. If I remember correctly, most egyptians don't make koshari, becuase it's relatively cheap and plentiful from outside shops. I would definately make a few dishes and buy several from outside, so you're not slaving over a hot stove all day.



salivates

Ok that looks like it has worms or something in it. Blech!

Oh man, it's my favorite egyptian food of all time. Don't hate until you try it. Maybe you can smuggle some back in your suitcase for me

Oh it's really delicious, doodle. The "worms" are shaariya..small vermicelli pieces. I can tell you how to make firakh meshwiya which is really delicious and something very similar to American food. It's basically chicken cooked in the forn (oven) with potatoes, onions and spices. You can make large quantities of this very easily then serve it with rice or macarona, salad, baba ganoug, and torshi (pickled vegetables such as cauliflower, turnips, cucumbers, etc.). Egyptians like to have several plates on the table so make a few dishes and put them on several small plates.

Firakh meshwia

1 (or more) chicken cut into pieces
a few diced onions
sliced potatoes (as many as you like, cut au gratin style)
butter/semnah
spices..cumin (easy on the cumin), salt, pepper...they also sell a chicken spice packet in Egypt that you can pick up.

Butter a large pan then layer potatoes mixed with some of the spices, onions, more semnah/butter, chicken (skin on), more spices. Bake in the forn until chicken is cooked. Easy peasy.

Here's a quick recipe for baba ganoug that I got off Food Network. Egyptians tend to like their's a bit chunkier so just mash everything with a fork instead of putting it in a blender or food processor. Also you can add diced tomatoes and a bit of hot pepper. That's how my sisters prepare it.

1 eggplant
2 cloves garlic
2 ounces fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons tahini
1/2 bunch parsley, leaves only
Salt and pepper

Pierce some holes in the skin of the eggplant (to avoid explosion) and grill over medium-high heat turning every 7 minutes, until the skin is blackened and the body is nice and soft. Total time for grilling is about 30 minutes. If you do not have a grill you can roast your eggplant in a 375 degree F oven for about 30 minutes.
Remove eggplant from the grill and let cool.

Once the eggplant is cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and discard. Place the eggplant flesh in a colander and drain for 10 minutes. In a food processor, combine garlic, lemon juice, tahini and parsley and pulse to combine. Add the eggplant flesh. Season with salt and pepper and pulse to combine. Adjust the flavor with more Tahini or lemon juice if you prefer. If it's bitter, some sugar or honey will help. Research shows that the white variety of plant is sweeter in flavor.

You guys sure make it hard for me to stick to my freakin diet.

Just try not to think about it. What diet are you on? I've been on South Beach since about June and have lost over 40 lbs!

I'm on my own modified version of Atkins. Modified because I don't eat most of the stuff they let you eat. No eggs (yuck), no bacon, not alot of fatty foods. I stick to mostly cheeses, greens, lean protiens, and nuts. I only drink water and crystal light. I have been on it since the end of august and lost 23 lbs.

I think I have some food allergies but I need to investigate further. When I eat certain carbs I get really sick, bad indegistion. I have always had stomach problems but they went away as soon as I began Atkins. So I'm not sure what it is, but the reason I stay on it is because of the comfort I have now in my tummy and 3 sizes smaller jeans are a plus too

Yeah I lost my indigestion on both Atkins and on South Beach. If that is what you're eating then you're basically doing south beach. I have an egg in the morning with a v8, a salad with some chicken in it for lunch with a Big Gulp diet coke , another salad with chicken for supper and maybe some couscous or some brown basmati rice and I allow myself two or three wicked dark chocolates after that. I find if I eat the very very dark dark bitter chocolate I don't need as much to quench my cravings.

Except I have NO CARBS No brown rice, no couscous (sorry can't say that word without laughing )I do eat this low carb sugar free chocolate from trader joes, its so helpful! Oh and ANYTHING PICKLED

Anyone have a good substitute for prociutto ham?

very thinly sliced turkey pastrami might be sorta close. I haven't found anything closer yet.

Hi all,

Does anyone here have the recipe for Jordanian Mansef? Can you please share it. Thanks.

Do you have Jameed?

Bechamel


Enough noodles to fill a 9x12 pan - cooked and drained
1 lb ground beef or turkey
tomato sauce - either from a can or your own homemade stuff
any kind of spices you like in beef and tomato sauce
one or two onions

3-4 cups milk (I mix half vitamin d and half skim)
1 T butter
3-4 T of flour
2 egg
salt and pepper


Lay half the noodles in the bottom of a greased 9X12 baking pan
Brown the beef and onions. Add tomato sauce and cook for a little while. I will sometimes use store bough spaghetti sauce. You can also mix things up and make it non traditionally by adding a variety of veggies.

Prepare sauce - melt 1 T butter in a sauce pan. Add milk. Heat for a few minutes, and then add flour. Stir until it comes to a boil for awhile. The sauce will get thick and lumpy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pour half of the sauce over the noodles in the bottom of the pan. Return sause to stove and stir in one beaten egg.

Lay beef, onion and tomato mixture on top of noodles
Lay rest of noodles on top of beef mixture
Pour remaining sauce over the top of the noodles
Beat the other egg and pour over top

I go untraditional here and sprinkle shredded cheese over the top, and sometimes lay turkey pepperoni.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes - 20 minutes in the middle, 10 minutes on the top.

Feel free to play with the recipe, mixing spices, the meat inside the bechamel, etc.

Thanks, Rahma, I might try a variation on this since I have a packet of bechamel "pwdered" to mix with milk. I've got some meat and I've some macaroni . . . just need to mix everything up.

When I mentioned couscous to Usama he didn't tell me it was a bad word, but he did ask if I meant the kind made with butter and cream and sugar.Does anyone know what this would be? Sounds like cream of wheat to me?

I think its a bad word in Egyptian or something... not actually sure.

When I was in Algeria we had sweet couscous with butter, cinnamon, and sugar and ate it with a glass of "milk" (it tasted like sour cream that had been diluted with water). It was good, but I couldn't eat a whole meal of it.

Spelled differntly and using the first four letters it means vagina.

Thank you, JP!! I had that one pointed out to me early on by my Egyptian friends . . . they all laugh so hard when you say you want to eat couscous.

oooh a new word to add to my vocabulary

That's funny...just like the time when my husband's aunt was explaining the names of ingredients in a recipe...one of the ingredients was zebib (raisin)...so I did not think anything of it...and kept saying it... somehow the more I said, the better it sounded...faster I said it...my husband came running yelling "ssssssssssstooooooop saying that it wooooooord"

I did not know... Well ok I did...who knew that I knew?

does raisin (in english or arabic) mean something bad?

LMAO....Penis...its not bad but if you don't say it correctly it can sound like the arabic word for penis, only one letter difference.

so that is why her hubby was running to her