Some Favourite Cookies
I thought I would take a short hiatus in following my international recipe dictionary and instead of going on to Nepal, next on my list of recipes to try, I want to add an entry about cookies. After all, this is the one season of the whole year when the most amount of cookies are consumed, in my opinion anyway. 
My favourite treat from El Salvador are peperechas, a type of thin sandwich cookie filled with pineapple jam and panela sugar so I searched for the recipe and finally found it! I wanted to make them as gifts for my sisters who love them and some friends who’ve never tried them but have always heard me talk about them… Read more
Lebanon…
Lebanon, or The Republic of Lebanon, is situated in Western Asia on the Eastern Shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It’s bordered by Syria and Israel. Lebanon’s capital and largest city is Beirut.
Interesting Facts:
- Lebanon has astonishing beaches as well as high mountains and skiing. Lebanon’s geography makes it easy to go from the city to the slopes in a matter of just 1–2 hours.
- Evidence of the earliest known settlements in Lebanon was found in Byblos, which is considered to be one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and date back to earlier than 5000 BC.
Why did I choose Lebanon? While I was searching for interesting recipes I realized that a lot of the foods that I like originate from there… Gyros, Shawarma, Tabouli, Hummus… I want to try a few of them but for now, because it is the time of year for entertaining, I wanted to make an appetizer, something to share either for a potluck or as a starter before dinner:
Recipe: Baba Ghannouj or Mtabbal Bathinjan (eggplant dip)
1 large round eggplant (aubergine)
2 or 3 cloves of garlic
4 tbs. tahini
4 tbs. lemon juice
salt, chili sauce
olive oil
chopped parsley
slices of red bell pepper to garnish
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Generously oil rimmed baking sheet. Place eggplant halves, cut side down, on sheet. 
Roast until eggplant is very soft, about 45 minutes. When it is well cooked through and the skin is blackened,Cool slightly.
Using spoon, scoop out pulp from eggplant into strainer set over bowl. Let stand 30 minutes, allowing excess liquid to drain from eggplant.
eggplant in strainer
Transfer eggplant pulp to processor. Add 1/4 cup oil, tahini, lemon juice, and the garlic; process until almost smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to small bowl. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before serving. Serve with pita wedges.
Verdict: Another easy and straight forward recipe. It’s very important to chill, I found that it tasted better after letting it chill and serving it later. Pita wedges are the best, but you can also dip plain potato chips or pretzels. I actually used it as a spread on my veggie sandwich. I found that it was very versatile and really not difficult to make at all. Enjoy it!
Ko-re-a
After going for Korean food for my birthday I really fell in love with it. I did find that most of the recipes I looked at were really not that difficult so I decided to make a soup.
First, a little information about Korea: Korea is a formerly unified nation that’s divided into two states. It’s located on the Korean Peninsula and it borders China and Russia. It’s separated from Japan to the east by the Korea Strait. Read more
Jamaica Mon!
Finally! A breather! I was hoping to continue blogging while the move was going on but that was a pipe dream apparently. Moving and getting internet connection as well as taking a cross-country drive to Vancouver and coming back a week later to unpack really takes a lot out of a girl! Whew! I’m so glad that’s over, and now that I am totally and completely unpacked and acquainted with my new kitchen I can get back to my cooking. Let’s see… where was I?… right! The letter J and Jamaica! Read more
Iraqi Pastries
Sorry about the big gaps between entries. I’m in the process of moving and it’s difficult to sit down and write when there are a million other things on my mind. What’s funny is that while I am busy doing the other million things I have my blog entries on my mind so it’s a vicious circle! 
Now, on to Iraq. I think all of the world has heard about this country in the last few years and I was always curious to learn a little more about their culture. So here is just a small peek about what they’re all about. Read more
An international staple…Birthday Cake!
A very good friend of mine asked me to make the birthday cake for her eight year old son. I was a bit nervous at first because I haven’t really decorated a cake all by myself before. I have always had some help in that department. Baking? BRING IT ON!!! Decorating? um… I am very critical of my own work even though people have told me that my creations are excellent (I make hand made cards too) so when I she told me that her son would love a Transformers themed cake I thought I had my work cut out for me… Read more
Romantic Dinner?… Hungary!
I had absolutely no romantic thoughts when I started this dish, but as it came together I realized that it would be an excellent dinner for a romantic evening, light some candles, a little wine, some Michael Bublé playing in the background… *sigh*
Hungary, officially the Republic of Hungary is located in Central Europe. Bordered by Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia. It’s capital is Budapest. The official language is Hungarian and one of the four official languages of the European Union that is not of Indo-European origin. Read more
Gambia here I come!
The country of Gambia, official name The Republic of The Gambia, is situated in Western Africa. Gambia is the smallest country on mainland Africa. It borders Senegal to the north, east and south and has a small coast on the Atlantic Ocean in the west.
Interesting Facts:
- On February 18th, 1965 Gambia was granted independence from the U.K. and joined The Commonwealth.
-An agriculturally rich country, its economy is dominated by farming, fishing, and tourism. However about a third of the population lives below the international poverty line of US$1.25 a day.
-Although Gambia is not an island or a penninsula, approximately 1,300 km² of its area is covered by water. Read more
Next Stop… Fiji!
My father always wanted to go to Fiji. It was one of the things on his bucket list that he never got to do. I have wanted to go ever since I watched “The Blue Lagoon” and found out that it was filmed there, seeing that beautiful scenery and beaches makes it seem like a paradise. Now I want to go not only for the beaches but for the cultural diversity. With this recipe today I will travel to Fiji with my tasebuds. Read more
El Salvador… part deux
I have always wanted to try to make Atol de Elote but thought the process would be very time consuming. I looked and searched for a good recipe on-line and in the books I’ve collected and found a few contradictions. So I took a few pieces from a couple of recipes and came up with this: Read more
