Baba ghanoush #2

Ingredients
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more as needed
1 pinch ground cumin
salt, to taste
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup brine-cured black olives, such as kalamata
Directions
1.Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill.
2.Preheat an oven to 375°F.
3.Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire.
4.Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
5.Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
6.Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin.
7.Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl.
8.Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste.
9.Add the 1/4 cup tahini, the garlic, the 1/4 cup lemon juice and the cumin and mix well.
10.Season with salt, then taste and add more tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.
11.Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well.
12.Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the parsley.
13.Place the olives around the sides.
14.Serve at room temperature.

* I copied the recipe from the following website..
http://www.recipezaar.com/Baba-Ghanoush-the-Best-in-the-World-67570

** I made a few changes according to how I really like to make it. It is really good. everyone should try it.. and it is really easy to make!

*** Tahini is a type of dip you can use it in cooking . You can find it in Wegmans in the international section.

Baba ghanoush #1

Processing eggplant into Baba ghanoush is very easy if you followed four simple steps.
First, place a pricked eggplant in a preheated oven to 375 F, and bake until the eggplant is very soft. It would take around 20 minutes. After that, remove the skin and put the flesh in a bowl, and mash it with a fork. Then, add 1/4 cup tahini, garlic, 1/4 cup lemon juce and the salt. Also, you can add cumin to season it. Finally, serve in flat plate with olive oil on top.You may decorate the dish with parsly or olive.

Homework for Wohee

This is just an update of the homework we have due this week for Wohee.
Due Tuesday 10-13 :
Bring a recipe with you, you can download it online, you don't have to cook anything..
For the writing.
Due Wednesday 10-14 :

The Essay #2 ,Causes and Effect.

For the Grammar,
Quiz on Friday, on models.
complete pages 253-259
Seminar,
We have a couple of handouts, check out ANGEL to print them out.
and quiz on Friday.

My Old Bedroom

My old bed room is a small piece of heaven. As you walk into it the soft sunshine gently stroke your face. You face a window with white curtains. Underneath it is a small comfortable coach. On the left side of it there is my loft bed, the walls next to it are covered with Islamic art paintings. Underneath the bed is my desk and chair, where I spent many hours studying, reading or working out a puzzle. You hear soft music coming from the wind chimes I hanged from the bed. Posted on the wall a calendar and pictures. Next to the bed is my closet which is crammed with clothes and shoes. After that is my sister's bookcase next to the door.
On the right side of the couch is the dresser, holding on top of it a flower pot which gives the room a nice aroma. Next to it is my favorite part of the room, my bookcase which holds all my books, puzzles, letters from friends and souvenirs. It is decorated with little flowers that I posted all over it, and it always smells of old books. Next to that is another window which keeps the room sunny for the whole day. Right next to the window is my sister's bed. You can't really see the covers as it is constantly occupied either by my sister or her books! Next thing is my sister's closet and then back to the door.
The floor was covered with a brownish soft rug. And the walls are covered with posters. I have lived many good days and bad days in that room. But mostly they were good and happy days.

A lesson learned in Shela

"I will have to leave the village for the day. Kai will look after you" said Dr. Miller. "Maybe you can learn something from him one day" He added after a moment.
12 years old Molly was happy to hear that. She lived with her father Dr. John Miller who was the only doctor in Kipungani the village they lived in. After her mother died a year ago, her father devoted his life to his job. They moved a month ago to Kenya and she didn't have any friends other than Kai who was her father's assistance. Kai, wasn't really her friend, he never answer her questions or talk to her. Nevertheless, she would tell him about her hometown, how pretty it is, and how different it is than Kenya. Therefore she was really surprised when Kai told her that he will take her to his house in Shela So, they rode the donkies –which were the only transportation there. By the noon they reached an old cottage. Kai knocked the door and they heard footsteps rushing to open the door. Two kids were standing by the door, a boy and a girl. Kai introduced them as Kojo and Chika, his brother and sister. They stared at her before Kai said something sharp in Swahili- the official language in Kenya. She stepped into the house where she found herself in the living/dining room. There was only one old couch and an old wooden table. She stepped into the kitchen which looked as old. She asked Chika and Kojo if they wanted to play, but they giggled and Kojo said "We have to work. If we want to have dinner we must get clean water from the well"
"why?" asked Molly "what's wrong with the tap water?"
Kojo looked confused "what do you mean tap water?" he asked "You can't get clean water just like that. Do you want to help me?"
But Molly didn't want to carry water for a couple of miles so she refused. She asked Chika if she wanted to play with her. But she said no because she was going to pick up the vegetables. Molly was very bored so she went to the beach by herself. The beach was quite different than what she expected, no body was laying down to get tanned, and there were no kids playing and making castles from sand. Rather everybody seemed busy. There were many women picking crabs, or algae. It seemed to Molly that nobody had time to relax. So she went back to the house. She found that Kojo had brought the water, and Chica was preparing dinner, Molly asked her why doesn't her parents do it. And Chica said "But my parents are working in the field, they can't make dinner" slowly she realized why had Kai brought her here, he didn't want her to have just kids her age. He wanted to show her the way kids had to live here, and how they appreciate everything. She thought about how she took everything for granted. She never thought how hard it is to live in a poor country or to have to participate in the community in such early age. She thought about the times she complained to him about the hardenship of this life, because they didn’t have cable TV or Video games. She was really ashamed of herself and she never complained about her life again. Every time she thought she was having a hard day she thought about what Chika and Kojo had to go through everyday.
And thus Molly learned to appreciate every little thing in her life.

My adventrue in America!

In the past month I have learned a lot of new things. For instance, I learned about the Nittany Lion and what does it's name means. As I lived in a city surrounded by mountains, I have never seen a creek or a river in my life, I thought the creek was great, I tried to fish and canoe, but I didn't really like canoeing very much( it is too hard!! And too much work to do !!)

The Amish people were a new experience, too. We are not familiar with them in Saudi Arabia, and I didn't know any thing about them. I thought it was exiting to learn so much about them.

I have also learned new activities, I have learned bowling, ice- skating and volleyball. I am not good in any of them but I enjoyed the experiences.

The university had an ice skating activity before the beginning of classes, as I have never ice skated in my life it was an amazing experience. Although, I fall down a few times and hurt my back, I still had so much fun, and I hope I can do it again.

I find the most interesting thing is the library, I was told there were over 5 million book in it. I was very happy to hear that, this way I will never run out of fresh books to read!

I know I will have a great time studying in America.

Madinah ( My hometown)

Madinah is a historical sightseeing city. It is where prophet Muhammad(PBUH) died. he was buried in his own room which eventually became part of the Holy Mosque. Every year millions of Muslims visit the prophet grave and the Holy Mosque. There are many other activities to do in the city. For example, shopping for Islamic souvenirs and photos of the two Holy Mosques. Also you can visit the great mountain of Ahud, where one of the greatest battles in Islam took place. Or the grave yard which was dedicated to the honor of those who died protecting the city.

.In brief, one can learn a lot about the history of Islam by just visiting the city.