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Welcome to my cooking page!

I started cooking with my step-mother one summer when I was home from college. We traded off days on who would cook. I would find delicious recipes and prepare them for my family with great anticipation. Now out of college and in a home of my own I cook for my husband. My husband is not originally from America. He is from Morocco and it has allowed me to expand my cooking interests to international dishes. I hope that you enjoy the recipes and experiences that I will share with you!
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Sunday, February 28, 2010

Kab El Ghazal (Horn of the Gazelle)

This is my favorite cookie from Morocco! My husbands parents brought numerous amounts of cookies over from Morocco on their visits to us. This was my first time making this cookie and I was really unsure how it would turn out. It took a couple times to actually get the shape of the cookie down. My husband said it tasted good, not to mention he almost ate the entire plate which says something about it!


Dough Ingredients:
4 cups flour
1 cup water
5 Tbsp butter (also equals 1/3 cup)
pinch of salt
1 egg
2 Tbsp blossom water (You cannot find this at a regular grocery store. Check online or around town for a middle eastern store that sells specialty foods and ingredients.)

Filling Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups blanched almonds (if not blanched boil regular raw almonds for 45 seconds)
3/4 cups sugar
1/4 tsp of cinnamon
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp blossom water (also known as orange blossom water)

Dough:
Melt butter. Making the dough by hand requires you to knead the dough for about 20-30 minutes. Otherwise you can use a food processor. Add the flour to the food processor, then add the salt, then add butter, egg. Cover and turn on the food processor for a couple of seconds. Then add water through the top and turn on again for about 10 seconds. Open and add the blossom water. Turn on food processor for several minutes. Make sure dough is properly mixed. You may have to hold the food processor down. The final product should be a smooth elastic dough.
Filling:
Roast the almonds in a pan to enhance the flavor for a few minutes. Again in a food processor add your almonds, sugar, cinnamon, butter, and blossom water. Mix until the filling is paste like with no chunks.

Now its time to roll the Kab El Ghazal. Roll out the dough very thinly. Take a small handful of filling and place it on the dough. Cover the filling with the dough and shape the cookie into a crescent shape. Use a cookie cutter to cut the cookie out of the rest of the dough. Then reroll the dough thinly and continue until all the filling is used.
Use aluminum foil or parchment paper on a baking sheet. If you don't have either you can use nonstick cooking spray directly on the baking sheet. Place the Kab El Ghazal on the baking sheet. Use a fork to poke holes in the sides of the dough to allow heat to escape when baking. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook for 15-20 minute. Serve.

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Save Money by Cooking with a Crock-pot

First introduced in 1971, the Crock-Pot revolutionized the way we cook meals. The word Crock-Pot is actually trademarked by Rival Industries, but is used in every day conversations instead of the term slow cooker. Many recipes for the crock-pot require little preparation. The slow cooker can then safely be left to run unattended, making it a convenient cooking method.
Crock-pot meals can not only save you time in the kitchen, but they can also save you money as well. The reasons are as follows:
1. It keeps you out of the fast food line. If you had not loading up the crock-pot with the ingredients this morning you’d likely be in the drive through line at the local fast food restaurant this afternoon after work, grabbing a meal for your family. The average fast food meal for a family of four rings up over $20.
2. Stretches your dollar. Most crock-pot recipes and meals can truly stretch your food dollar. Because you can put a whole chicken in the crock-pot to cook then cut it up for several meals, you can stretch your budget with the use your leftovers.
3. Cuts your grocery budget. You can save money at the butcher since the slow cooking process is especially useful to tenderize cheaper cuts of meat.
4. Saves on your energy bill. Instead of running a larger appliance like the stove you are running one small energy conservative appliance, the crock-pot, saving on your energy costs.
The convenience of the slow cooker not only saves you time, but will also save you money. Don't you think it's time to take it out of your closet (or wherever you have it packed away collecting dust) and make a Crock-Pot meal today?
About the Author:Cara Mirabella is a WAHM with one toddler from New Jersey. She owns and manages TheHouseholdHelper.com - a site dedicated to saving your time, money and sanity when managing your household. She has written several articles, reports and e-books including http://wahmcart.com/x.php?adminid=1826&id=6133&pid=1993"Recipes For Every Occassion: 470 Crock Pot Recipes".
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