What's cooking Wednesday...

I have come to love Turkish food. The flavors are intense and robust, the food is rich yet doesn't leave you feeling like you gained a whole person in completing the meal. In the Turkish culture, cooking is an art...and art I have struggled to come close to mastering. However, finally learning that cooking everything on HI is not better and will not make dinner ready faster, has helped. So, I have been forcing myself to slow down in the kitchen...to appreciate and savor the food that I am preparing. I have been trying to incorporate more and more traditional Turkish recipes into our dinner menus. Like I said, I love the food...and I know that it is something nice I can do for Ilker. He never complains about my cooking, but he does get a little more excited when he sees I am preparing a Turkish dish (except if I am preparing Chili, that is winning in the faves right now)

Aside from loving the taste of the food...I love all of the colors and textures. The ingredients are fresh, and the dishes almost always create a beautiful presentation on the plate. I have been inspired to photograph this "new" food as I prepare it. For myself, because I am drawn to its beauty, but also to share with you guys. I have decided to post a pic and recipe for one dish a week....and call it What's Cooking Wednesday.

Tonight is Eggplant Bulgar Pilaf

and the Recipe is:

2 cups of bulgur (I chose to use fine bulgur, but it'll be great with coarse bulgur, too)
3 1/2-4 cups of water
1 big American eggplant or 2 regular size ones, peeled in stripes and diced
4 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, chopped finely
2 banana peppers, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 tbsp pine nuts
1 tbsp currants
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 bunch flat leaf parsley, chopped
salt & pepper

-Brush olive oil on a shallow oven pan (use aluminum foil to avoid a mess) , put diced eggplant on it, and bake for 20-25 minutes at 375F.
-Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a pot (it's easier to cook bulgur with non-stick pots). Add onions and stir for a couple of minutes. Add pine nuts, red and green peppers, and currants. Stir until peppers are cooked and nuts are golden brown.
-Add diced tomato and cook for 4-5 minutes.
-Add bulgur, stir constantly for a couple of minutes.
-Add water. Start with 3 1/2 cups of water. Cover and cook on low-medium until bulgur soaks water--this will take approximately 20-25 minutes. Some bulgur would be fine with a bulgur to water ratio of 1 to 1 1/2, some with 1 to 2. So check if the bulgur is cooked; if not add the rest of the water. Cover and cook on low.
-After you turn it off, cover the top of the pot with a clean kitchen towel or a paper towel. Put the lid back on and let rest for 10 minutes.
-Fluff the pilaf with a serving fork. Add eggplant and parsley. Mix well and serve

from Almost Turkish Recipes, my new favorite blog

as if I needed one more hobby...

I have to admit two things. 1) I haven't been terribly motivated lately to work on any wedding related projects. 2) I have started to have weird/nightmarish dreams that revolve around the idea of Ilker and I getting married in a mass of chaos where none of our wedding projects (ie even decorations) are finished. After telling Ilker about my weird/nightmarish dreams, we decided that I definitely had some anxiety about getting stuff done for the wedding, and that it was time to buckle down and start crossing some things off of our list!

While I'm not planning to divulge any particulars, I will say that a few of our projects involve some easy sewing. While, I am not a fab seamstress, Ilker actually is. Well I guess he would be a seamstir? Anyway, after a lot of deliberation, research, and advice (thanks Mimi!) this weekend we bought a sewing machine. I have always wanted one (cough mom&dad cough cough) and think that I might be really good at it. :)

I know I probably don't need another hobby, but I feel like this is at least a hobby that can also be useful! Who knows, maybe I will be good enough to start making my own clothes....

So without further ado...the newest addition to our household....Now if I can just kick this cold in the butt...and feel well enough to start playing with it. I'll keep you posted on my progress...thank god this came with an instructional DVD :)

I need a new 'do

My hair is long and feels lifeless. For those of you that know me, you know that I L-O-V-E to change my look, namely getting new hair styles. This affinity for constant change means that my hair is rarely long. However, with my upcoming nuptials (less than 4 months people!!!!) I have been trying to keep my hair long.

This has been a challenge. I feel blah, my hair is always pulled back. It has no style, and I never put forth the effort to fix it. This got me thinking....is it that important to me to have long hair for ONE day? So important that I want ugly hair for every remaining day leading up to that ONE day? The answer: no.

So, with my upcoming trip home to the Big D, where my amazing hair stylist sister can work magical wonders with my hair, I have been brainstorming the change. And the verdict: I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ginnifer Goodwin's hair.


It is fun, and cute, and sassy...which let's face it...is totally me :) Now, I realize that she has a cute round face, and my face is long. Which means this 'do may not do on me...but I really like the general idea.

And for an added bonus, I found this pic of Renee from Chicago, and I'm thinking this could work as a new wedding hair style...which would totally fit into our vintage theme.

would love some opinions.....

The end of Day 3

and this is not as hard as I thought it would be :)

Sure I have my ups and downs. I am so thirsty throughout the day. And there are moments where I am overcome with hunger and feel myself getting grumpy, but when that happens I take a deep breath and remember why I am doing this. And I am so glad that I am doing this. It is an amazing thing, to exhibit such control over your mind and body. Almost exhilarating.

I have added to my rules of Ramadan, that I am trying to be a bit more selfless during this time. Meaning that I am trying to take care of Ilker and the house a bit more, even though it requires added energy, and trying to help out at work and focus less on myself and what I am going through and focus more on how I can help others. It is also, not always easy, but is so satisfying.

I must admit that I am not so sure that I would be so successful at this without Ilker's support. He has been amazing, cheering me on, keeping me distracted during the tough hours. Even just knowing that I have his support has helped tremendously when my resolve starts to waver. This has added such a wonderful, new element to our relationship as we support each other, and endure this together.

Well, its getting late....we eat breakfast or Sahur at 3:00AM, and I need to go prepare my oatmeal before going to bed.

Goodnight!

Tomorrow marks the start of Ramadan, and I have decided to observe this holiday and ritual with Ilker this year...and kind of keep a diary of my experience on here :)

So to start, I thought I would offer a brief explanation of what Ramadan is and what it means. Ramadan represents the month that Muslims believe Allah revealed the first verses of the Qur'an. During this month, Muslims fast. This means that they do not eat or drink (including water) during the daylight hours. Fasting serves many purposes. It serves to make Muslims more empathetic toward the poor-to have a greater understanding of what it means to be in need of the basic fundamentals for living. It also gives them an opportunity to practice controlling the body and the mind, and cleanses both. Fasting allows is a demonstration of their religious devotion.

For me, I believe participating in this sacred ritual together will strengthen mine and the HTB's relationship. It will allow me to really show him my level of commitment and devotion to our relationship, and understanding all facets of it on every level. Personally, I believe this will be a good challenge for my mind, body, and soul. To commit to something and test my personal limits. I have been pre-fasting for three days, and while it hasnt been easy, it also hasnt been impossible. I am looking forward to seeing how my mind/body can handle this, and to see the changes that will be made. I also plan to use this time to do a lot of introspection and "soul searching"...and to also really focus on expanding my knowledge of Islam, the Turkish culture, and most importantly the language.

So, among other goings ons in our life, I will try to keep an update/diary of my adjusting to this challenge...as well as my "turkish lesson" progress :)

Wish me luck! and now I am off to prep the kitchen for our 3:30 AM breakfast before fasting begins!

I received my first vintage Pyrex in the mail yesterday! It is going to look so perfect in our new kitchen! It is the bluebird design and it is fab!
you love Ilker's contribution, dont you :)

you know I like my chicken fried...

My 15 year old cousin, Harper performed in Dallas a couple of weeks ago! She is amazing! She uploaded her performance to youtube, and this morning I listened/watched her set. This song made me a little homesick...