Monday, July 25, 2011

Middle Eastern Cuisine and Crafternoon #3

I come to you picture free today, which is a bummer, but I was way too busy at each of these events to even think about finding the camera much less take any pictures.

On July 16, we held our second International Food Day of the summer.  This time, we were experiencing (and enjoying!) different foods from the Middle East.

All but one of the recipes can be found in The Multicultural Cookbook for Students by Carole Lisa Albyn and Lois Sinaiko Webb, which is a part of our Teen Reference section.  You can't check the book out, but you are welcome to make copies of any recipes you think you'd like to try.

First up, we had Imam Bayildi, which is a vegetarian stuffed eggplant and originates from Turkey.  The eggplant is stuffed with diced tomatoes and sauteed onions, green peppers, and eggplant.  Delicious.

We also had Nan-e Lavash, a flat bread from Iraq.  There was no sugar in this bread, but it kind of had a sweet taste to it.  This recipe was time consuming but not difficult.

Next up, from the country of Israel, we had chicken soup with knaidlach, which is essentially just a matzo ball soup.  You make the broth with lots of chicken and veggies and then pull all that out and cook the matzo balls in the broth.  FYI, if you decide to make this, Harp's is the only place I found with matzo meal.

From Egypt, we had kosheri, which is a mixture of lentils, rice, and macaroni then topped with onions and/or a red spaghetti type sauce.  While I was making this, I kept thinking how bland this would be.  I was so wrong!  This was actually my favorite dish of the day.  Once you top it with the red sauce, it is full of flavor.

We had two different desserts, both of just general Middle Eastern descent.  The first, made by the very awesome Amy, was date bars.  Dates are a huge industry in the Middle East.  My husband served in Iraq and said he once had a meat dish with a date sauce on top, so they are pretty versatile as well.  We wanted to use them on a dessert basis, though, so the date bars are what came to fruition.  We also had something called Umm Ali, which is the only recipe that is not from the cookbook.  I have a friend who used to live in the United Arab Emirates and said that she looked forward to Ramadan all year because they would serve this once the fasting for the day broke.  You can find the Umm Ali recipe here.

All in all, I think the day was a huge success!

We also had a great time at Crafternoon #3, which I decided I should've called "Advanced Craftmaking 101."  We made things out of duct tape and I had NO IDEA that it would be so difficult!

(Duct Tape Patterns)

But lots of people walked out with completed items that looked really cool, so I'm calling it a win.

I've had such a blast hosting these events and I'm so glad that I've been given the opportunity.

We only have a few more days until our summer program comes to a close, so if you still have a reading packet and want a prize, come on in!

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Crafternoon #2

We hosted our second of three Crafternoon sessions last week here at the library and, I gotta say, it was super fun.  I even got to get in on the good times during this session and I made myself a super cute picture frame.

Another big thanks to Hunter Clayton who came out to play hostess.

See, guys?  We can make crafts manly.










One of the many completed projects.

Our next and final Crafternoon will be on July 22 and there are still spots available!