Karkady - Hibiscus Tea

Karkady is one of the most popular and unusual drinks that you can find in Egypt. Made from the dried, dark red petals of the Hibiscus flower.  It is served in many of the popular cafe's throughout Egypt. The best Karkady comes from Upper Egypt. Be sure to bring home a bag of dried petals from Aswan or Luxor.

* 1 cup hibiscus petals

* 2 cups sugar

Pick over the dried petals, removing any stems or leaves.  Soak the hibiscus petals in cold water to cover for 1-2 hours. Transfer the petals and water to a pot and bring to a boil. Remove the pot immediately and strain the liquid through filter paper.  Return the petals to the pot, add fresh cold water to cover, and repeat as above.  Repeat the process until the karkady loses its reddish hue.  Then, discard the petals and sweeten the juice while it is still hot.  Serve cold, although it is a pleasant drink when served warm in the wintertime.

It is possible to purchase hibiscus tea bags from other lands as a substitute, but the intensity of flavor will not be the same. I have found hibiscus tea bags from Europe in the international food department of a very large supermarket.

Raspberry Mint Cairo Cooler

I feel kind of thirsty... so how about a nice refreshment drink?... especially because the hot days of summer are almost here...

Ingredients:

1  cup fresh mint

2 1/2  cups pineapple juice

1  cup frozen raspberries

3   ounces frozen limeade concentrate, thawed

16  fluid ounces cold carbonated lemon-lime beverage lime wedge (to garnish)

Instructions:

1. Rub the mint leaves around the inside of a large iced tea jug or pitcher, then drop them in. Pour in remaining ingredients and mix well.

2. Serve with a lime wedge on the edge of the glass.

Bon apetit! 

Basboosa - Semolina Cake with Honey and Lemon

 Bismillahi Rahmanu Rahim

I LOVE THIS!!!!!!!

Ingredients:

Ingredients

Semolina flour / sooji  / rava - 1.5 cup

Butter - 1 stick or 1/2 cup, softened (If you do not want it to be very rich, you can try adding only 1/2 stick or 1/4 cup. I have tried this recipe twice and the second time I used only 1/4 cup butter).

Plain yoghurt - 1 cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Vanilla extract - 1 tsp

For the honey syrup

Honey - 1/2 cup

Sugar - 3/4 cup

Rose water - 3 tbsp or 1 tsp rose essence

Lemon juice - 2 tsp

Method

1. Cream  the butter and 1/2 cup sugar using an electric mixer. Add yoghurt and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. Now add the semolina flour and baking powder. Mix well with a spatula until you have a sticky dough. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat an oven to 375 F. Transfer the dough into a well-greased 7 x 11 inch baking dish or a 10 inch round cake pan and level the dough using your hands. 

3. Bake for 20 minutes. Take out the baking dish using your oven mitts. Now cut the partially baked dough to squares or diamonds. Press an almond or any nut you prefer onto each diamond. Now return the baking dish back into the oven and bake for another 13 - 15 minutes till the edges are brown. Now put it on broil mode for 2 - 3 minutes so that surface will turn golden brown. Take it out of the oven.

4. Meanwhile combine the honey,  sugar and 2 tbsp rose water in a saucepan. Stir at medium-low heat until the  sugar dissolves and the mixture has a syrupy consistency ( would not take more than  7 - 10 minutes). Add the lemon juice and 1 tbsp rose water. Turn off the stove. When the basboosa is done in the oven, take it out using your oven mitts. Pour the honey syrup all over the hot basboosa. Cool and take out the cakes from the baking dish using a metal spatula. It tastes best after 1 - 2 days. Enjoy!!

If you note... I didn't add here no information about calories :D :D :D... I just want to enjoy this without looking to numbers :D :D :D.

Egyptian Koshary Pasta

 Bismillahi Rahmanu Rahim!

I am telling you from the beginning that I just simply adore this dish :) and I love also to made this :)! It was not a success from the beginning and I am still improving myself :D... but I love to try and to experience and I don't give up until I am not at least close to be perfect ;)...

Oh! and I have to tell you that no matter how much I love food, I still want to enter on my high school clothes and to have a healthy body and a harmony with myself! Besides, 3asady loves that his wife looks good and... sexy ;)... so pay attention to the calories too ;) and don't forget that we have to eat to live, not to live to eat! ;)

This meatless dish layers common grains, such as rice, lentils and pasta with a tomato-cinnamon flavored sauce.

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked rice

2 cups cooked penne pasta

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 teaspoon Ground Cumin , divided

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 cup cooked lentils

1 can (15 ounces)  crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup water

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon  Crushed Red Pepper

3 medium yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)

2 medium onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups), optional*

Instructions:

1. Combine rice and pasta; spoon in bottom of shallow serving platter. Keep warm.

2. Whisk together vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Add cooked lentils and stir to combine. Spoon over rice and pasta.

3. Combine tomatoes, water, sugar, cinnamon, salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin and red pepper in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Stir in squash. Spoon tomato mixure over lentil layer. Partially stir tomato mixture into other layers, but do not completely combine all layers. If desired, prepare crisp-brown onions as directed below and add as a topping.

*Cook onions in large skillet with 1 tablespoon oil over high heat, stirring frequently, until brown and slightly crispy, about 10 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Calories: 169, Fat: 1 g, Cholesterol: 0 mg, Sodium: 281 mg, Carbohydrates: 34 g, Protein: 7 g

Ingredients for Hand Cream / Lotion Making

There are many ingredients commonly used in hand cream and lotion making. Here is an ingredients list to help you understand what to order and what the various items do. 

Aloe Vera
This is a plant that has thick, long pointy green leaves. If you go into most plant stores you can buy aloe vera or at least look at the plant to see what it's like. The sap of the plant is a natural healer. If you get sunburned you often put aloe vera on the burn to help it feel better. 

Vitamin E
Probably the most common vitamin found in skin lotions. Vitamin E definitely DOES affect the skin and its ability to heal and grow. However, most studies I've read say that vitamin E comes in via the blood stream - i.e. you eat Vitamin E through food or vitamins, it gets digested, goes into your blood and reaches the cells. Your skin layer on top is *dead* skin - it can't grow. So putting Vitamin E on your top, dead skin doesn't really help much. From what I've seen, vitamin E can't absorb past through those layers of dead skin to get into the cells of the live skin below. Still, if you like adding vitamin E to your skin care process, it's cheap and won't hurt. I would still make sure you eat appropriate amounts daily through your MOUTH :) That is the best way to keep your skin health.

 

Olive Oil
Olive oil has been used for thousands of years. The Romans adored olive oil and would bathe and massage with it. It is light, nicely fragrant, and really good at moisturizing your skin. I highly recommend it. Heck, you can cook with it too :).

 

Glycerine
Glycerine is also spelled glycerin and also called glycerol. Glycerine is actually used in cooking as well as in cosmetics. It's a slippery, sugar-based item that is a humectant. This means it brings in moisture, which is perfect for soaps and lotions. I personally adore creams that are made with glycerin - they are very smooth and soft without being greasy. In wine, glycerin can add a smoother mouthfeel. 

Soy Lecithin
I always mistype this as lechithin for some reason!! It is lecithin with only one H. This is an emulsifying agent. It's something that lets an oil and water mix together. If you don't have this sort of stuff in your blend, then after a few minutes you'll start to see your mixture separate out into an oil layer and a water layer. 

NOTE: If you use the caplets, they are a ROYAL pain to cut open one by one. I highly recommend boiling some water and dropping the caplets into the water. The caplets will burst, but the soy lecithin will stay in little balls and can be fished out. Or, if your recipe calls for water, just start out by using that water for this process and fish out the caplets. 

Emulsifying Wax
Sort of a two-in-one mixture. You get the wax for the smooth coating, plus you get an emulsifying agent built in. Emulsifying agents are the things that get oil and water to mix together, rather than separate out. 

Beeswax
Wax adds a nice protective layer or coating to your skin or lips. Many lip glosses involve beeswax for that reason. They keep your lips from chapping and stay on for hours. Beeswax on foot lotions helps to keep the lotion in place and to protect you from callusses. I would use more in those locations, and less in areas like the face. You probably don't need your face to feel waxy :) NOTE: You can't just nuke beeswax - solids don't melt well in microwaves. If you are using the beeswax with other oils, melt the beeswax in whatever oil you're going to use anyway. 

Unibase / Hydrophilic Ointment
There are a number of names for this stuff. In essence it is a lotiony base that helps the other ingredients all blend together well. You usually have to special order it. 

UltraMaize / Structure XL
This is a smoothing agent - it helps give your cream or lotion some texture so that it feels a little thicker and more smooth.