Yesterday was a glorious day to sit outside under the gazebo and drink a cup of tea and enjoy nature. Of course, I couldn't sit without my latest project. It's a large needlepoint scene that I purchased with 96 skeins of yarn. I soon found out that 96 skeins of tapestry yarn is way too much but at least I'll have some leftover for another time.
I wanted to fix something fast and easy for lunch so I made my husband a bowl of foul medammes or as you may know them as fava beans. Foul (pronounced fool) is an iconic food of Egypt; probably Egypt's first fast food. It can be eaten many ways; in a bowl with seasoned sauce, as a sandwich in pita bread with fresh chopped salad and tahini sauce, or ground and made into taamia as it's called in Egypt or more commonly known as falafel.
In the old days, I would buy the fava beans in bulk and cook them in my slow cooker. Of course times have changed and now you can find them already cooked in cans, ready to be heated and seasoned to your liking. The dried beans shown above are the large fava beans. The large beans can also be bought without the skins and these type of beans are used for taamia (falafel) or a wonderful dish called bisara. Bisara is a popular dish during the lenten fast as it consists of pureed fava beans mixed with molokhia and seasoned with garlic.
Today I was trying out a new crochet pattern when it dawned on me that maybe I should fix my dear husband some lunch. I had two frozen Boca burgers (vegan burgers) in the freezer which I browned in a skillet. I took two frozen puff pastry squares from the freezer and let them thaw. I them placed the puff pastry on a greased baking sheet, added a little mix of mayonaise and dijon mustand in the middle of each pastry, and then placed the Boca burger on top. I turned up the ends and added some cheese to my husband's burger. I baked them at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes or until nicely puffed and browned. I added some sauted onions (with a little Worchestire sauce as flavor) to the top and served them. Voila! A easy lunch entree.
I have always wanted double ovens and now I have them in this home. I love to use my oven and I use it a lot! Unfortunately, here in SoCal, our electricity is so expensive and they monitor your use and tell you if you're using too much. So.....
I easily came up with a solution. My friend has a countertop oven that works so well so I thought I'd give it a try. This is a Hamilton Beach that can bake, broil, rotisserie and convention bake. I purchased it earlier this year from Amazon for around $70.00. It works great! And, most of all, it bakes great!
I think today is the calm before the storm...I will be babysitting my dear little grandchildren, shown above, for four days starting tomorrow. Their parents on going to NYC and of course Grandma and Grandpa are here to take over. It will be fun to have them and make more memories with them.
I hope your are having a good day. I want to say THANK YOU on this Veterans Day weekend to all our Veterans who have placed their lives in service to our country. I appreciate and applaud your service. I'd love to hear from you if you have the time. Feel free to stop by for a chat!
With my best wishes,
Pat
(PS - if you are interested in any of the recipes I wrote about above, please let me know)
that's so nice! I would love to see your craft projects! It's nice to make food for our husbands! :) I use my toaster oven a lot too! My dream is to have 2 ovens like that, where you don't have to bend down to use them! :) God bless you my friend! have a good time with your grandkids! :)
ReplyDeleteIt is so lovely to sit outside and work isn't it, I love being outside, in the summer months I am outside as much as possible. The mini ovens are a good little moneysaver, if I had room I would have one myself.
ReplyDeleteThat was interesting to read Pat. I often make falafels when my vegetarian son and his wife come over, but I have always made them from garbanzas (chick peas), not fava beans.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to following your progress with the tapestry. It is a long time since I attempted any of that.
I love this Autumn weather when we can sit outside and feel comfortably warm, but not too hot, the sky is blue above us, and the birds are twittering everywhere. I guess they like it a few degrees cooler too. So we are making the most of days when we can have lunch 'al fresco'. Soon it will be too cold, but right now it is warmer outside than in the house. Kate x
Have fun with your grandchildren! I have two ovens and we use them often, might even copy your burger in puff pastry creation, which sounds delicious. I'd also like your foul, it is my kind of food.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing, your lunch looked lovely! Enjoy spending time with your grandchildren :) xx
ReplyDeleteWe love Fava beans! Hard to find them for sale here in the south, but every year Mac plants them and we have some. Your cooking looks so delicious.
ReplyDeleteHave fun babysitting, we're off to NYC at the end of the month.
I love beans of all kinds, but I have never had Fava beans - I'm sure they are delicious! Growing up near Boston, we loved Boston Baked Beans made with molasses - a deliciously sweet concoction, served with brown bread which was made with more molasses! Your day of stitching out on the veranda sounds lovely and your lunch with the burger and pastry looks wonderful. I've often thought of buying a small oven like that - so convenient. I hope you have fun with your dear little grands. Sending hugs xo Karen
ReplyDeleteI love beans but I'm on a low carb regimen.. so I can't have them.. so sad! I am sure you will have fun with the grandkids.. be sure to spoil them greatly! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteBeing able to sit outside when it's a comfortable temperature is enjoyable. It sounds as if you're having a lovely time with your stitching and crocheting. Your lunch meals must be delicious - my kind of food. I expect you've put your crafting to one side for the moment and instead you're having fun with the little grandchildren. It'll be a special time so enjoy their company.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing picture of your grandchildren. Is your electricity usage actually capped? I’m hoping for a new oven, but it’s been a bit of a nightmare getting changed from gas to electric xx
ReplyDeleteThank you Cheryl for your kind comment. Our electricity isn't capped however you are charged according to what tier you reach; meaning if you reach tier 4 then you will pay dearly for those kilowatts. I hope you find the oven you like and will enjoy using. My best to you dear friend. Pat
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