6 o'clock Lamb

I haven't been cooking too regularly but I didn't post an amazing recipe which I cooked when my sister and brother-in-law were here two weekends ago. I think I was just taking in the moment and too busy prepping things and making sure nothing burns, although I did burn myself a little. That recipe I will just have to put on here anyway, since I feel that it was a keeper. It was a salmon dish, although the original was with trout, but I guess now you know that I like to switch some ingredients around. Ha

This latest recipe was from my Jerusalem cookbook. It usually doesn't take me too long in order to find a recipe that I would like to concoct. So this time I made lamb, with eggs, and other spices and such that made the dish worth what it is. I didn't however, and perhaps even unfortunately use tahini or harissa paste, or sumac. When you're not living in an Arab country, somethings may be a little harder to find. But I still found this recipe to be really good and interesting, with all the flavors in unison. My family who tried it said the same:)

With this one, there were a good number of steps that I had to pay attention to. But luckily nothing was too crazy or should I say even very difficult. I seriously started making this dish at 6 pm and had it ready a little after 7:30 pm. Sundays, (which was the day I cooked it) can always be a bit hard. I love Sundays, and I love going to the library on Sundays up until the late afternoon. My Mom and I kept telling ourselves that we would leave the library to go to store at a descent time, yet we kept pushing it back at least 3 times. We were thoroughly engrossed in our reading and work, and the quiet, glowing ambiance of the library was another factor. After finding all that I would need at the store, except for those three ingredients I mentioned earlier, I was ready to start cooking, and cooking fast, for my Dad highly dislikes eating 'late' on a Sunday evening, but fortunately everything seemed to unravel nicely and there were no big hiccups in the process.

Eggs, lamb, and all other ingredients cooking swiftly

Add the cooked tomatoes, and the eggs are supposed to be a bit runny

Here's the cover of the cookbook again, as well as the same recipe:)

My sister isn't too fond of lamb, but I guess I surprised her with this one because she liked it better than before. I personally like the smell of ground lamb cooking, and with the ingredients in this recipe, it worked well with the lamb, and the eggs, tomatoes and everything else. I look forward to the other recipes I will try in this gem!

Book Worm

With a new year well underway, it's always tempting to peek behind the curtain of the past year- in what happened and what was learned. Regarding books, what happened was that I finished more than I thought I could, and what I learned was that it's always good to read a book, or take it with you during your day since you'll never know when you will need it to be your companion and friend for those 20 minutes waiting or wanting some needed inspiration. So finally I will share the finished books I read in 2016, and will specifically highlight the ones I read this Fall.

I have my favorites that I read this year, and that really put a spark in me. These included The Blessed Eucharist, The Pioneer Woman, When Breath Becomes Air, Start Something That Matters, Led By Faith, The Diana I Knew, On The Noodle Road, The Introvert's Way, Our Lady Of Kibeho, Traveling To Infinity, White Jacket Required, and Spiritual Lessons along the Camino. Whew. Great titles and books that stirred up inspiring juices that uplifted, encouraged and gave me a new perspective and world to look into. It's always a treat when books can do that for you. :)

Now for the ones that I read this Fall. My goal was to read 8, but I finished 7.
Looking back at the ones I read this Fall, I realized that most of them are spiritual books, which I also found to be helpful and inspiring:)

The Virgin Mary of Guadalupe

This little book was amazing. I learned a lot about the life of Juan Diego and more about the occurrence of The Virgin Mary visiting him. It was also an easy and quick read. Happens to be one of my favorite apparitions of Mary:)






India Calling: An Intimate Portrait of a Nation's Remaking
Right from the start, this book hooked me into a deeper and hidden perspective of the history of India. I found it to be very interesting, as the author was raised with two different cultures, and going back to India as an adult was an interesting and riveting experience for him. I would like to read more books like this.

Our Lady of Kibeho

A very, very engaging and uplifting book about Mary coming into the city of Kibeho, on the Eastern side of Africa. There was so much power and hope in this book, it was difficult to put down. This was also a fast read, and to be honest was a little sad when it was over. Now I can say that I've read all of her books (Immaculee Ilibagiza's). Such a strong, beautiful and inspiring woman.

The Name of God is Mercy 

Another spiritual read! This one was also quite short, and easy to flip through and read. I liked that I read it at the end of the year of Mercy, and overall an insightful and uplifting book.

Travelling to Infinity

I was so glad to finish this long, detailed and heart hooking book! I had been meaning to read and finish this book for sometime, and even bought it for my Mom for Christmas two years ago. I've seen the movie and really liked it. When my sister read it, I was more inspired to read it as well. Jane Hawking is such an amazing writer and storyteller, this too was a page turner. I recall reading 100 pages in a day practically fluidly. Highly recommended.

Make it Messy 

Aww, Marcus Sameulsson. I always enjoy looking at his cookbooks- I got one of them for Christmas this past year! I've also read his other memoir, Yes, Chef. This book was similar to Yes, Chef, a condensed version. It was also nice because I kind of forgot parts of the story, and what an interesting story he has. He's an interesting, creative and inspiring person and chef. 

White Jacket Required

I found this interesting book first at B&N and remembered and wrote the title down. I was inspired by the author's tenacity, passion and determination in the culinary and then later the pastry field. I could relate with some of those moments and situations of quarter life crises and uphill and downhill battles. She has an inspiring journey.

And lastly, right before Fall ended and Winter started, I finished reading Spiritual Lessons along the Camino.

This spiritual read, hence the title, was one I read in preparation for the Christmas season. She decides to go to Spain, to go on a personal and intimate retreat with herself and learns new things about herself, her faith and others along the way. It was a nice and enriching read when the gloominess of December stopped by for a visit.

So, those were all the books that I read this Fall, and this year. I'm excited for all the reading I will do in 2017, and want to read more this year, finding more time for it and covering more subject areas.

Till next time...

Holy Mackerel

I was so excited to cook something out of my new and inspiring cookbook. Flipping through the pages and learning about new dishes is always fun. This time, I decided to cook a recipe with fish in it. I'm not a huge seafood lover, then again I haven't tried most seafood, so maybe it's too early to tell. However, I do want to try more seafood that I haven't already checked off my list of scary looking, funny smelling and popular treats, some call that can easily be popped in your mouth. Hmm, sounds enticing.

This recipe in particular was something different and required mackerel. I do not know a whole lot about fish, or mackerel but something new is always exciting to try, right?:) I went on board to go to the grocery store with my Mom...(this is a goal of mine, to become more familiar with the grocery store) And if you're going to cook or bake, you kinda need to know where things are.

When I saw this tree a few weeks ago, I was like holy mackerel! Love this color. Now it's all bare:/

We had to ask the 'fish guy' who works in the seafood section if they carry mackerel. The first thing he said was holy mackerel, and the next thing he said was that no, they didn't carry it. He asked what I was making, and I told him a Jerusalem dish, and I could tell that his mouth began to water, yet I couldn't tell him the name of the dish- but now I can tell you! Pan fried mackerel with golden beet and orange salsa. Instead of getting mackerel and probably searching for a while at an Asian or specialty market, we went for sardines. They also didn't carry golden beets, only the red kind, we went for the red.

Making the salsa

I was unfamiliar with beets until now. They do tend to stain your hands and anything else they touch a little, but I thin it would be cool to use them for dying a t-shirt or something. In the end, the sardines worked out well, and were pretty oily, similar to the consistency of mackerel. I really, really liked making this dish and enjoyed even more eating it. There was so much flavor, and the salty, tender sardines with the sweet and sour tang of the fruit in the salsa was a delight.

Maybe now after cooking this dish, I will become more eager and perhaps more ambitious to cook up more fish /seafood recipes. Note, my big brother got me this cookbook for Christmas, and he's vegetarian so I think it's a win win and now I finally have a vegetarian dish under my belt:)

Sardines!

Brand New Year, What A Good Idea

Hello 2017! It's always so nice to welcome a new year, and to have a fresh start! New Years resolutions and predictions are always things I like to do on New Years Eve. As for resolutions, I aim to finish the books I start. And speaking of finished books, I still need to post all the books that I read in 2016! These will include my favorites- the ones that I would read again and also the ones I read for my Fall challenge.

I'm unsure of what this year of 2017 will bring, but I know that I'm excited for new beginnings and challenges that await me. And with 2016 under my belt, I feel more prepared for what will come this year.

I think one of my main challenges is becoming more grateful for all that I do have! Gratitude is an attitude for all seasons, not just Thanksgiving and the more you embrace it, the more you live and experience it:)

My cooking will continue, as I am excited to jump into a new cookbook from Christmas that speaks to my eclectic taste, and another one all about Jerusalem. My challenge for baking didn't happen, or should I say my interest and love for baking is still blooming, and I would like to bake something soon!

I have many ideas for this something of a friend- personal type blog that relates to creativity and becoming innovative with what I have, yet also going into the kitchen and getting into the groove of creation, personality, flavor and culture! However, I cannot leave out my language passion and goals- and this year there is more responsibility for my brain to know, remember and understand the languages that I have decided to study as well as keep on studying.

 Right now, it almost feels as if my mind is going a bit crazy, with all of the ideas and adventures I store up in my mind for times to come. But in all honesty, that's what I need and Plum Tree helps me do that. :) So, here's to all other inspirational bloggers out there, let's unite! Wishing and hoping for a wonderful 2017 ahead, and all that will happen. Cheers!

Reflecting Upon A Time

This time of year is always very busy and even sometimes crazy. There is the hustle and bustle of shoppers, family in town and personally for me a large desire to reflect on this year and to prepare my mind for the next! With only a few days left in 2016, there seems to still be so much that I would like to do. My list of goals may not have been completed fully but I accept that since that's the beauty of creating challenges and goals for myself; it doesn't have to be perfect.

This year of 2016 has had so many emotions and trials that in the end it has really taught me a lot about life, myself and what really matters. This year there were many moments of solitude, soul searching, and learning about myself on a whole new level that wasn't familiar to me before. I think that's something that is normal as you go through your 20's, most likely one of if not the hardest time in your life. There is so much time for self- discovery during these years that is so very needed, yet painful and even lonely at times.

While I was in Rio this Summer, there were many hard moments that I experienced, internally. There were also really nice and enjoyable times, but a lot of them were also more internal. My last day in Rio, I had the hotel room to myself since my roommate had an earlier flight. I just enjoyed soaking everything in, and looking out the window and taking some alone time to myself before my long flights ahead.

If I could pick a month that stands out to me this year, it would most likely be August. There was so much variety and new experiences that collided with one another, challenging, exciting, inspiring, and fear paved the way. The month started with going to a coffee shop with my dearest and inspiring sister, and getting more into my Arabic studies. Learning more about this interesting and exotic language keeps motivating and challenging me to advance my knowledge in this Semitic language.

Close to the middle of August, I was lucky enough and able to go to San Salvador, El Salvador for my sweet sister and brother in law's wedding. I will never forget that day and I don't even think the details will fade my memory. The experience and feeling of being there was something incredible and easy to recreate in memory and feeling but hard to explain in words. The week after the wedding followed a spark in my mind, a necessity to create a blog, something to look forward to and write and share about my interest and passions. This also happened to be one of my hardest weeks of the year- full of anxiety and fear that led my mind and actions. The end of August only got better, and writing on Plum Tree began to become a regular thing, and the last rays of Summer were in due season as Autumn would soon be taking its course.

To be honest, each season this year was very hard and had its moments of pain, but I found that this pain only brought me to know and understand myself better and with this understanding came more appreciation and awareness of  the goodness and beauty around me. I don't have to even look very far to find a glimmer of it. The pain and the emotion throughout these four seasons helped with this beauty, and realizing that all emotion is beautiful.

I think there is still so much more to say about this year, and how 'new' and 'unpredictable' were the words that highlighted this year. But I think I will save it for another post, and leave my reflections and thoughts for another time:) Cheers to this wonderful, long yet short, interesting and surprising year of 2016!! Looking forward to all that's ahead...

Favorite Foreign Words

I've been meaning to pick and write about my favorite words in the languages that I have learned. I would call myself someone who likes to and quickly jumps around from various languages, desiring and seeking inspiration along the way. I will go in order from the language that I've been studying the longest to the one that is the most recent.

The language that I've been studying the longest is Chinese (Mandarin). Winter reminds me of studying this language interest of mine, since I started learning in Winter of 2014. The often cold and dreariness of the Winter weather can get me in the mood to study something inspiring such as a language, and Chinese has been that for me. A word in Chinese which I have easily remembered since the start of learning is 东莞周大 which means California State University East Bay. I've always remembered this, and maybe also because it has to do with how personal my school has become for me. I like to say this word, I think it gives me comfort and I'm proud to say it, knowing that it belongs to me. 

After a year of studying Chinese, I dived into Russian. I liked the sound of it and still do. I think it's a beautiful language, one of the top spoken slavic languages. Unlike Chinese, Russian has an alphabet, yet some look like English letters and others sound like them, and still others look and sound nothing like English. This excited me, and I thought the letters of the alphabet looked cool and exotic. It's been a while since I've studied this language thoroughly and diligently but I know there's still an interest hidden somewhere, and will come out every now and then. The word that I really like to say, and like it's meaning is пожалуйста. This word simply means please or you're welcome. This is one of the words in Russian that I have remembered. It is a very useful phrase but also I really like the way it sounds, it's almost as if it rolls off of the tongue, so gently and elegantly. 

About a year ago, my interest for Arabic took off. I soon became interested in this part of the world and this almost scary and daunting looking language. Almost all of the letters connect, and it looks so fluid and flowy. It took some time to get used to writing from write to left, and knowing all of these letters and how to write them. There are a lot of gutteral and airy sounds in this difficult language but it makes the challenge even more present. One of my favorite words in Arabic is صباح الخير, which means good morning. It's such a simple word but this could be the first word you say to somebody and yet it's so important. I like this word becasue of that, and also because of the way it sounds, rolling off the tongue, and with the back of your throat also having a role. 

The most recent language that I've been studying is Hindi, as of early Fall. I enjoy learning this language, it's so different but I find myself immersed in it every time I study it. I want to create goals for myself with this language, since there are so many things to learn and to keep learning and challenging myself is always something good. The word that I really like in Hindi is कोई बात नहीं, which means it's alright or no problem. I feel that I say this word a lot in English anyway and it's a useful word. Soon I will make flashcards for Hindi and will need to start memoriszing more words and phrases. Happy language studies!

Persian Twist

I've been meaning to cook a Persian dish, and for a while had no luck in finding a cookbook from this region. With a little more scoping, something came up, and I found the same recipe that I had had at a Persian restaurant just 3 weeks ago, with my sister and brother in law. I was excited to make this recipe, yet I've learned a few things about the cooking process. Always read the whole recipe before starting, and once I did this I realized that I had the wrong kind of lamb. Lamb shoulder instead of ground lamb. Oh well. So the recipe made a turn of its own, and I created a kind of lamb chops with rice. It wasn't what I wanted initially but it turned out alright in the end.

The delicious Persian meal

With great company:)

Hopefully in the future, I can cook more Persian meals, and maybe try this one again, with the right ingredients;) Now, I'll need to figure out what I'll be baking this holiday season! Till next time...

Welcome to the World of Baking

Baking has been on my thoughts recently. With a new season of the the Great American Baking Show, my Mom baking Christmas cookies and seeing more and more ideas on what to bake during the holidays in magazines such as Bon Appetit and Living; I seem to grow closer and closer to the mysterious and colorful world of baking.

I remember when my Grandpa was still alive, or Bebop as we would call him, he asked me what kind of cooking I liked to do. I was only in High School at the time and wasn't familar with much in the kitchen. I would even go further and say that my heart wasn't there, yet nor my knowledge. I was really only interested in eating what was made in the kitchen, for eating sake. When Bebop asked me this, I wasn't sure what to reply, and knew that he was quite the cook and really enjoyed cooking and eating expensive and high quality food. Then and still now, I like to eat sweets and desserts; I'm a sweet tooth by nature. So my reply was desserts, although I never really delved into baking then either. From his bookshelf, he pulled out a cookbook that was inspired and influenced by a restaurant. I had never heard of it, and thanked him yet wasn't sure how I would use it. To this day, my Mom still has this cookbook, since I gave it to her and she was familar of it from her childhood.

When I think back to this moment, I wish I could talk about cooking and baking with him, now that I've become more and more interested in it, as well as comfortable. The kitchen is no longer a foreign  place, but one that stirs up inspiration and creativity, using my whole being- my mind, atttention, imagination and all of my senses to make it right.

The idea of baking perhaps seems harder or even more delicate compared with cooking. Cooking is tough and straight to the chase, whereas baking can be dainty and precise, rich and sweet all in one. This is something that is new to me, but I want to give it a try! My goal before 2016 is over: to bake three things. They will most likely be holiday/Christmas inspired. I have three weeks, lets see what I bake!

Spices and Flavors for the Chicken

I made a Pakistani dish, according to Mary Knoll International Cookbook. This dish seems to have many variations to it, since I've made a similar recipe but the Indian version. The recipe is Chicken Curry, and upon seeing this recipe, I immediately knew that I wanted to cook it. That's the thing about me, even looking for a recipe to cook (or bake) has to inspire me in some way! I think I also have to be in the mood to cook as well.

This recipe was fairly easy, and the ingredients were not too crazy or unfamilar, except I wasn't sure what a cheesecloth was, so just used the ingredients separately for that. I think it turned out similar to what it was supposed to, hopefully :) I really like chicken dishes where there are lots of flavors and spices- I find that the Middle Eastern and Asian recipes have the most of those.

 My next recipe will be something new for me, and I've been looking for these kind of recipes from this certain country for quite sometime, and finally found a cookbook, which made me stretch my arms to reach this beauty. I am excited to cook and share it here on Plum Tree, so stay tuned for that next week! 

It called for yogurt to be mixed in with the chicken and the spices and other main ingredients.This part reminded me of one of my favorite recipes- Syrian Meatballs, which I still have not made and put on PT, but I want to do that soon! I made white rice to go on the side for this dish, which worked well, as most chicken and meat dishes do. Enjoying the late Fall rain on this cozy Saturday! So many things I want to do and capture my melancholy, creative soul once again;) Till next time...

The Piece of the Pie

I do not do well with uniforms, so I've learned. The realization that putting together an outfit all on my own, with my innovative and artsy mind to help, is what lifts up my mood and helps create a world full of ideas and inspiration to reign in.

One of my first posts on Plum Tree http://plummtree.blogspot.com/2016/08/i-remember.html had to do with a job of mine that I soon discovered I did not like, mainly becasue it was not a fit for me in the slightest. Some days, I find myself reflecting on this particluar time in my life, this season and job where finding what I needed to thrive was somewhere in the dark, and needed to be found and revitalized again. This job, among many customer service type jobs had a uniform- it's own particular and strict uniform guidelines, in order to look and play the part. It's true, I was playing a role, all the while not feeling like myself in the process, yet felt like how all eyes percieved me to be.

My creative, self expression was out the door, and I had to literally leave it there once I came into this noisy, intimadating and unsure environment that I called work. Day in and day out, my mind and attitude about this place began to spiral, not to mention my well- being and confidence. The connection that I wanted to create with this small stucture of a place, it's inviting demeanor and sense of hospitality left a different impression than ever before, since I was slowly but swiftly discovering what it's like to be behind the scenes, to play the part and get paid to act it for those 6 hours, and to see the outside world taking it all in, appreciating every motion, smell and tired smile.

Seeing all of my clothes, accesories and everything that could make me feel more alive, just as simple as wearing my own clothes while not working, felt like a breath of fresh air. I no longer felt like a number, an identical among the coworkers, but like my good ol' self again. Once I decided to leave this job, there was no turning back. I began to heal the things that made me feel like not enough or underestimated. These toxic thoughts affected me, yet they soon began to disappear as my wardrobe was in use again, and no longer having to rush off to a crowded, noisy place, wondering if I'll remember how to pin this, and tuck in that and say the right things and not forgetting to smile at the exact moments. Flexibility is a quality of mine, but it didn't serve me much use in this environment where unpredicability is the name of the game.

Art, stlye, fashion, these all give me the inspiration I need to pull through the day, and to discover a side of myself that I was unaware of. Last night, I helped pick out my sister's clothes for her workday. the next day. These random, and ordinary times where I like and decide to help her out and find options- perhaps some that were new and never seen or discovered before and make it look like a whole new creation, just by shopping in her closet. Mixing and matching, and finding the right patterns, colors and textures all make me feel and be inspired. I find that it's a little different when you do this for someone else than yourself, since it's more like an act of charity, and making it easier for them, such as my sister who doesn't always enjoy the process of finding a new outfit for the next day.

I've learned and expereinced how it is to not have the piece of pie, and how much different it can make with that extra piece in the picture. I didn't realize how important this slice was until it was taken away. Hello 100% pie, hello inspiration!

Full of Noodles

Noodles, noodles, noodles. I came to realize that I enjoy cooking with noodles, and that I want to keep going with this interest of mine. This funny and quirky allure of noodles reminds me of the book I read this past Summer, On the Noodle Road. Like I mentioned before in my Summer Books post, that the author traveling and becoming knowledable about throughout the regions of Asia, Central Asia and to the boot heel of Italy. This book inspired me, within the art of cooking as well as traveling, and learning about the various and eclectic cultures in these geographical locations of the world.

Now for the recipe, which is something that is easy and simple along with no sweat or tears, except maybe the onions that are optional for this dish.

Here are noodles, cucumbers, mushrooms, onions, and chicken.

Easy, breezy directions.  Directions with 1,2,3 always makes you feel better!

This stir fry dish is always a go to, and doesn't make you feel too bad because it's still cooking, and a process. There will be many more times when I cook this go to recipe, and other noodle recipes to come!