Mexican Mania

So this week's international adventure was Mexican food, and since that's Ian's forte and realm he took the lead on this one. We went to this internet cafe (Cybergate) over by ShopKo and Olive Garden and had Mexican tortas. They were scrumptious! And we forgot to take pictures of them... sorry...

Later that evening, Ian made Mexican smoothies...

Don't they look scrumptious?! The cantaloupe really adds a great dimension, I suggest throwing a melon in there next time you make a smoothie!

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful (save for the fact that in the last two days Ian and I have been enjoying the bliss of either a virus or food poisoning together... huzzah...)

Last Saturday we went to our ward's closing social. It was a Brazilian BBQ and sports. It was a lot of fun...

Kimi and me enjoying the bliss that was the weather on Saturday.

Me, Ian, and Ian's tongue. A frequently seen element in our photos ;) hehe.

The rest of the week has been spent getting ready for finals, taking finals, relaxing from finals (not that I have finals... but...)

And there ya have it. A week in review.

Dragons!

So a couple weeks ago Ian, Seth, and I went to see How to Train Your Dragon. It's a new animated flick by DreamWorks. AMAZING! It's seriously one of the best and most-enjoyable animated movies I've seen in a long time.

The character development is great, and although you know how it's going to end, the getting there is pretty durn exciting! It had enough surprises in it to keep me interested and enough real-ness to it to make it worth watching. Just wanted to throw that out there.

Go see it!

It's awesome!

Saudi Arabia

Arabian food! Woot!

So the Arabian food was a lot like the Moroccan food... no curry though, saffron instead, but the premise is very similar (tomato base, veggies, etc.)

I made Al Kabsa, Fattoush, and Falafel (I think I didn't put enough bread crumbs in the falafel because they didn't fry up right, so that recipe is going to be excluded until I figure out what works...)

Enjoy!

Al Kabsa
serves A TON

1/4 c. butter
Chicken breast pieces (how every many people you're planning on serving - 8-10)
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 c. tomato sauce
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 c. grated carrots
4 whole cloves
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch coriander
1 pinch saffron
6 whole allspice berries
1/2 t. cinnamon
(Other spice suggestions are white pepper, dried limes, and green cardamoms, which we didn't have)
salt
pepper
4 c. hot water
1 chicken stock cube
2 1/4 c. basmati rice
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. slivered almonds, toasted

Melt butter in large pot. Add chicken pieces, onion, and garlic and saute until onion is tender.

Stir in tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes, carrots, and spices. Cook for a few minutes. Add water and stock cube.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cover.
Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Add rice and stir carefully.
Re-cover and simmer for 45 minutes until rice is tender.
(Can remove chicken and brown it in the oven at low temperature instead of boiling it)
Serve rice on platter with chicken and garnished with almonds.


Fattoush (bread salad)


*This is a great fresh salad that is a bit tangy, but has a lot of different flavors to it

4 c. lettuce
1 medium cucumber, peeled and diced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
4 T fresh parsley, chopped
2 T. fresh mint, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
3 T. olive oil
1 T. lemon juice
2 c. well-toasted pita bread, broken into small pieces

Mix all except pita.
Add pita bread. Mix again.
Serve.

Enjoy!

Greekalicious

So this week was Greek. YUM. We had souvlaki kebabs, Greek salad, tzatziki dip, and then we added pitas to the mix when we ate leftovers on Wednesday!

Here's the Greek food in its glory. Ian was a terrific slicer, dicer, and skewer-er... haha.

And here are the recipes! Enjoy!

Souvlaki (Meat and Veggie Kebabs)
makes 15 or so kebabs of the above nature

1 lamb chop
1 lb. beef (of some kind)
(or whatever mixture of meat you'd prefer)

2 lemons
1/4 c. wine (red or white)
2 t. dried oregano
2 t. dried thyme
3-4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small onion, chopped
Salt and pepper

2 red peppers
2 green peppers
2 onions
1 red onion
1 container grape or cherry tomatoes

Whisk together lemon juice (from 2 lemons) and wine. Add herbs, garlic, and chopped onion. Put some marinade aside for cooking later (if desired). Add meat, cubed, and mix together. Make sure meat is evenly coated and allow to sit for at least two hours (overnight is better).

Use either metal or wood skewers. (If using wood, make sure to soak at least 30 minutes before assembling kebabs). Chop peppers and onion into large pieces. Assemble kebabs.

Grill, BBQ, or bake in oven at 375 degrees F for about 20-30 minutes. Serve with tzatziki (also good as pita filler)


Tzatziki Dip
(this was great for Ian, because he doesn't like mayonnaise, and so this will be a great substitute)

32 oz. plain or greek yogurt
1/2 English cucumber, grated
5 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and Pepper

Mix all ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate. 


Greek Salad (Horiatiki)

3 T  extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon (juice)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 t dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1/2 red onion, sliced into rings
1/2 English cucumber, sliced into half moons
1 green pepper, julienned
4 oz. (or so) feta cheese, crumbled or cut into cubes
1 small can kalamata olives (about 15-20)

Whisk olive oil and lemon juice together. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and oregano. Mix. Place salad ingredients in a large bowl. Pour dressing over just before serving. Garnish with fresh black pepper.