Alya's 4th Birthday Party: Saddle up!

Alya turned 4 in July but we decided to throw her a birthday party in June because her actual birthday fell during the month of Ramadan and most of her friends were out of town in July. Last year's birthday party was designed around the paper plates that I got on clearance, orange and red circles, and you can read about it here. This year is a "Cowgirls and Horses Year" by excellence. Alya's answer to any question is cowgirl and horses related.

what is your favorite toy "Woody, Jessie and bullseye"

Karniyarik: Turkish stuffed Eggplant شيخ المحشي

I miss the food scene is Portland, Oregon. We had plenty of restaurants to choose from whenever we decided to eat out. I talked about one here. We dont really have great restaurants in San Jose. Do you have a favorite in San Jose? Let me know! Of course, San Fransisco is only 45 minutes away but parking in the city is a nightmare.

Nadine's Tomato Sauce: One sauce, Many Uses

Homemade tomato sauce

I use tomato sauce more than the average family because our favorite food is from Middle Eastern and Italian cuisines. Both cuisines call for a tremendous amounts of tomato sauce and I have a great tomato sauce recipe that I use for pasta dishes, pizza, lasagna, eggplant dishes etc...

You are going to say that there is a big array of canned and jarred tomato sauces ready for use. My answer to your question is "Do you know me?" I like to make everything from scratch if possible, besides, I find that the store bought tomato sauce lacks depth and flavor. I never met one that I liked. Let me know if you have a favorite.
I use tomatoes when they are in season for my sauce or canned diced tomatoes the rest of the year.
We also use the tomatoes from our garden when in season. Delicious! I talked about them here.

Simple Arabic Salad سلطة عربية

Simple Arabic Salad is an oldie but goodie kind of salad. It probably exists in every cuisine but has a different name. It is basically my go to salad when the main dish requires lengthy preparation. However, the secret to the success of this simple salad is the use of fresh ingredients. This is a summer salad by all means. Look for the best seasonal red tomatoes and fresh cucumbers. I beg you, do not make this salad from greenhouse tomatoes and cucumbers. I make this salad almost everyday in the summer when my tomato plants are full of red ripe tomatoes. I also use fresh mint from my garden. Nothing, N.O.T.H.I.N.G. tastes better than the tomatoes you plant. Mine are organic as well.

Sour Cherry Kabab: Kabab bil Karaz كباب بالكرز

Sour Cherry Kabab 

Sour Cherry Kabab or Kabab bil Karaz is a specialty dish from Aleppo, Syria. Aleppo is a city with heritage and history. It is located at the end of what was the silk road. It was a crossroad of my cultures such as Greek, Roman, Ottoman, Armenian, and French.  I never visited Aleppo and it is one of my major regrets. I visited Syria many times and love every Syrian city and village that I visited. For some reason, every time we visited Syria, we postponed Aleppo because we ran out of time.