Zekrayaat (ذكرايات / Memories)

Food & the 4th of July are inseparable. Actually, come to think of it, all social events are traditionally commemorated with food. In my own limited yet confusing background I can count at least 7 different countries where I lived and witnessed this great symbiotic relationship between food and celebration. Keeping with my own newly found tradition of blogging about what I cook, I made two very delicious dishes that I will share; Grilled Chicken with " Bharat " (a middle eastern blend of 7 spices), served with my favorite Salad (some call it Fattoosh , some call it Tabouleh , I called my Salad ). The good news is: the recipe is easy, flexible, and absolutely delicious 😀 PS. Bharat is an Arabic Slang for " spices". Every middle eastern region, country, or even family has its own version of it. Mine is no different. I first time made it when cooking stuffed cabbage, then I was hooked. See my post titled: "Bharat" or "Middle Eas...

Well, today was not a "cooking" inspiring day, it was more of removing wall closet shelving and sanding sort of day.   However an hour ago I started craving something salty. Behold the spicy oven roasted almonds...   This really does not qualify to be called a recipe, it's more of a whim, but what the hell …     Ingredients (All quantities to taste): 2 pinches of Smoked Paprika 2 pinches of Cayenne Pepper 4 pinches Kosher Salt 2 pinches Cream of Tartar Powder 1 tsp Olive Oil 1 C of Whole raw Almonds   Steps: 1. Preheat the oven on 350F. 2. Take some smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, kosher salt, cream of tartar powder, olive oil. 2. Mix all the ingredients well, then add a big bunch of raw almonds. Toss the almonds very well in the mixture until all coated well. 3.   Spread the almonds on a cooking sheet, and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. 4. Take out, let it cool, and EAT.   PS: never use the broile...

Ingredients 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (or chicken tenderloins/boneless thighs) 1/4 C extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 teaspoons paprika 1 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp coriander 1/4 tsp ginger 1/4 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp cinnamon 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper Instructions 1. Place chicken between 2 pieces of wax or parchment paper and, using a meat mallet, pound to an even ½-inch thickness. (Skip this step if substituting chicken tenderloins or thighs) 2. Mix all ingredients except chicken together in a small bowl or measuring cup. Place pounded chicken breasts inside 1 gallon zip-lock bag. Add marinade to the bag, press air out and seal shut. Massage marinade into the breasts until evenly coated. Place the bag in a bowl in the refrigerator (to protect against leakage), and let the chicken marinate for 5-6 hours (anything longer than an hour will do). If you are using the oven broiler: 3. Pre-heat the oven broiler on hig...

 Farro served with "Grilled Chicken - Egyptian Style" Ingredients:   1 1/2 C Farro 3 C water 1/4 tsp allspice 1/4 tsp salt 4-5 C chopped Kale (one bunch) 6 Cloves sliced garlic 1 T fine chopped ginger 1/3 C golden raisins. 3 T olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1 T apple cider vinegar 1 T honey 1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 C chopped parsley 1/2 C sliced almonds 1/3 C fresh Feta (Crumbled) Steps to produce the Magic: 1. In a small pot bring farro, water, salt and allspice to a boil. 2. Cover and turn heat down to low and simmer for 45 mins (depending on the quality of the grains, so check it after 30 mins) or until farro is tender and water is mostly gone. 3. In the mean time, sauté ginger and garlic on med low heat in 3 T Olive oil. 4. When the mixture is lightly browned (5 mins) add chopped kale. 5. Cook slowly on low heat, stirring often for about 5 min. 6. Add 1/3 C golden raisins. 7. Let simmer on lowest setting until kale is tende...

Well, I decided to revive this little corner of my universe for the sole purpose of doing so. My excuse: to post the recipes I cook now and then. So stay tuned (whomsoever you are :) ), some good food on its way.

I have come to understand and appreciate that which is most needed, yet often missing, in those who practice the profession of technology architecture.  Whether the architect is responsible for infrastructure, software or the enterprise itself, there are certain key things beyond the technology that they should be paying closer attention to.  They should observe not only what people do (business activities), but also why they do it (work culture, business climate, organizational dynamics), how they do it (existing systems, business processes, workflows, manual tasks), and where they do it (local vs. global, factory floor vs. desk vs. out and about, tech savvy vs. more primitive locations).  They have to have the wisdom and discipline to see that this is not just a backlog of issues to solve and features to implement. It is a living, organic being that has evolved into what it is, reaching the state it is currently in.  The question they do need to answer is this: How do I process the s...

I am currently reading a book titled: Physics of the Impossible. In a chapter on teleportation, I found this stream of thoughts spill over…. Maintaining the momentum, keeping the continuous flow of progress during coaching. The State of Quantum Coherence. Transfer of information through unison (where 2 individuals vibrate/resonate on the same frequency) resulting in a state of quantum coherence that leads to informational/ consciousness teleportation While coaching someone, you need to work on 2 levels simultaneously. The 1st level is the present self that deals with goals and challenges that the individual is facing or is aware of. The 2nd level is the future self , this is a subconscious, waiting to happen set of futures that is waiting for the present self to decide which one of the endless possibilities it wants to manifest. Of course, each of the levels may take precedence over the other in a state of continuous flux. The present self produces changes to the person’s current c...