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Home Remedies for a Cold!

Hello my lovelies!

I alas am sick again. Well, not sick again, more like I was feeling a lot better and then I stopped chugging the fluids and the meds and it came right back. *sigh*

Dont get me wrong, I'm not feeling no where near as bad as I did initially, no fever or sneezing here! However, I do have a bit of a dilemma. You see I was having some dimetapp for my cough, and as long as I have that, I dont cough. Yay, all is good right?




But no, life has to throw in a lemon. It turns out my sinuses were acting up, and thus, I couldnt breath through my nose cause it was all clogged up. But why not take Advil Cold and Sinus? My usual life saver? Because life hates me that's why. I called my pharmacist and she told me that I cant mix both cough meds with Sinus ones and that I have to suffer through one of them without medicine. :(

Well I'm taking my yucky tasting cough syrup but now my throat is SO DRY (because I'm forced to breath through my mouth ) that I can barely talk! *tear* If there is anything you are to know about Zahra it is that she talks. A lot. Like, you want to smack her in the hopes that she will shut up. But she wont.




So to not be able to talk is like death to me! But alas! Google to the rescue! I searched for some home remedies (while the humidifier was on full blast) to sooth a dry throat and came up with the classic lemon and honey trick. I sliced up some lemon slices and poured tea and honey over them. Very yummy. Somewhat effective. However, I have had 5 cups of it today, and I think if I have to have another cup I will probably start having a hissy fit. Yes, very mature, I know.




Soooo help me out peeps! What do YOU use as a natural remedy to a dry or soar throat? Any family recipes handed down from Great Aunt Jane? A trick you moms swear by? Let me know :)


P.S. Anyone want to write an essay on Thomas Hobbes Leviathan for me? preferably by Friday? pretty please? come on....I'll make you some brownies **bats lashes** ;)

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Marshmallows






Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to thee the new and revamped Edible Moments! With the same great recipes and your favorites still all in one place, but with a prettier and more user-friendly layout! 


Now step right up my dear laddie, for you are part of the lucky few chosen to be given a private tour! Now if you look on up to the wee banner up there you will see a picture of a yummy cup of hot chocolate which is what we will get into later today. The banner will be changing about 4 times a year to fit with the 4 seasons…amazing no? ( I decided to just make my own layout...after searching for days and days and sifting through thousands of layouts...I decided...if you want something done right you gotta do it yourself ;))


**BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER…I could use your guys’ help…anyone know how to add an extra column on the side?:/ let me know…I will love you forever :D


Now follow me on over to the little bar underneath. Right over here ladies, come on now, don’t be shy! As you can see there is a new “about me” section, which has an ACCURATE not at all fibbed or tailed account of my life story(check it out for a chuckle ;) ), followed by a contact me page and my tasting guide which is a rating system to help all of you ladies and germs follow how I rate each recipe.


Alright now, for the final part of our tour there is the side bar on your right. Now if you haven’t already (cant imagine why not!;)) then either subscribe to my blog via the email subscription OR by scrolling down a bit more and becoming a follower!(or do both!)


Now scroll down a lil more till you see a little picture of a blue little bird that says follow me. Click on her and follow me on twitter. Go on. Do it. I’ll wait right here till you’ve done it.
* waits *
**whistles**
**checks watch**
**waits some more**
Alrighty then! All done? Good. Now, on to this here Marshmallow Recipe:



Home made Marshmallows
From Food Network
Marshmallows are one of the simplest confections to make. They take advantage of gelatins ability to set under just about any conditions. In this case the gelatin incorporates air as it stiffens yielding a fluffy, light marshmallow. By caramelizing the sugar base, the familiar flavour of campfire toasting is built in... Timing Hints: Marshmallows can be made a week in advance and refrigerated. Makes 24 large marshmallows. Yields 6 (source)

The recipe made me think it wouldn't make too many but it made A LOT of marshmallows...like ...a LOT. I filled a 13 x 9 x 2 inch pan nearly to the top and had enough to fill up another pan too! So I think they either enjoy GINORMOUS marshmallows or they made a typo.

Ingredients
* 4 packages gelatin ( I used 4 tablespoons of Gelatin instead)
* 1 1/2 cups water
* 2 cups sugar
* 1 1/2 cups corn syrup
* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* 1 pinch salt

Directions


1. In a small bowl sprinkle the gelatin powder over ½ cup of the water. Place the sugar and the remaining one-cup of the water in a pot and heat until warm to the touch. Add the gelatin mixture to the warm syrup and stir until fully melted.

2. Pour the gelatin syrup mixture into the bowl of a large stand mixer (i.e. Hobart or KitchenAid) fitted with a whip. Add the corn syrup and vanilla and begin beating at high speed. You may find it useful to cover the bowl with plastic wrap while it beats to keep down the splatter.
**DON'T BE WORRIED! When I first started stirring it creeped me out enough to the point of almost throwing it out cause I thought it had gone wrong. at first the mixture was this icky brown color (because of the corn syrup) but after you beat it a LONG time it turns white :) )

3. Continue beating until the mixture cools, increases in volume, and forms soft peaks. Working quickly before the mixture fully sets in the bowl transfer to either a standard hotel pan dusted with powdered sugar for later cutting into cubes or transfer to a piping bag fitted with a straight tip and pipe mounds onto a non stick surface such as a silpat mat dusted with powdered sugar.


My Instructions for cutting/handling marshmallows:
I found that after they set the marshmallows were REALLY STICKY and wouldnt peel off the sides without ripping. I used an offset spatula to carefully poke at the sides while pulling the wax paper and the marshmallow started pulling itself back and it worked perfectly :)


Also for cutting I would reccomend using a big knife and not 'sawing' through it but just applying pressure down ONCE. Then carefully pick up the slice of marshmallow....they tend to stretch back into themselves providing a perfect cut.


I also found it helps to rub in a bit of icing sugar on the 'sticky sides' until its not so sticky...making it easier to handle :)


Dont forget to rub the cut up sides in icing sugar too!

Review of Recipe:
I would give this a jaw dropping 8.5 – a rare high rating for me;)
I really loved how it tasted. I usually hate how store bought marshamllows taste, so dry and overly chewy…*blegh* but this…THIS is how marshamllows are SUPPOSED to taste like. The best part about it is that its SO easy to make! I was actually really surprised by it…like…REALLY surprised. I would give this a 9 because it’s the best marshmallows I ever tasted, but they kinda stuck to everything a little too much before they were dusted with sugar…so when that’s fixed ill give it a 9.

I also love, love, love, LOVE how the marshmallows actually MELT in your hot chocolate! (as opposed to those store bough brands)



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Martha's Cappuccino Brownies




I made these brownies a little while ago when I found the recipe on Martha Stewart’s website. I was pretty excited about it because the idea of coffee and brownies was quite intriguing. I was, however, left a tad disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, its not a ‘bad’ brownie recipe, in fact its probably pretty good for some people (which is why im sharing it). The brownie was bit too heavy for my liking, I was expecting something a bit lighter and more chocolaty with a hint of mocha flavor, but the mocha was very dominating. It was also a bit bitter, not the icky bitter, but the dark chocolaty dark coffee sort of bitter that I personally don’t like but I know for a fact that others ADORE.




 This was really rich, like you could probably only eat one square with a cup of tea or coffee, so I thought it would be neat to ‘package’ them up accordingly! :)




Sorry about the quick post, I wasn’t feeling to brilliant today (im blogging from bed). Hopefully ill get better by tomorrow so I can post another entry. Also, I’m currently working on a new layout which is taking way longer than I anticipated, but should be up by the end of the week. Also, my mini series on Persian cuisine should be debuting soon, so come back soon! :)




Martha's Cappuccino Brownies:

Ingredients

Makes 16
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pan
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees, with rack in center. Butter a 9-inch square baking pan, and line the bottom with parchment or wax paper. Coat paper with butter. Set aside.
  2. In a large heatproof bowl, combine the butter and unsweetened chocolate, and place over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Let cool slightly. Whisk in sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and eggs.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add to the chocolate mixture, and stir until just combined (do not overmix). Fold in chocolate chips.
  4. Pour into pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out slightly wet, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; cool completely. Remove from pan. Using a damp, warm knife, cut into 16 squares, wiping knife blade after each cut. Peel off parchment paper and serve.

     


Over All Review: 4.5/10 ...but note that this is just from my taste.
It tasted alright, and was more than edible, it just didn't suit my taste. If you love dark chocolate and the somewhat bitter taste of coffee you will LOVE and ADORE this recipe. If not, you will still like it...I would just recommend trying another brownie recipe, like this one ;)


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Oatmeal Cookies




Hello hello my lovelies! I hope you will all have (or had depending on time zones) a wonderful Valentines Day! Anybody do any baking?:)


I am finalllyyyyyy on my spring break, and to say I’m happy would be quite the understatement! However, I, unlike practically everyone else I know, will not be going down to Mexico or Dominican for spring break. Instead im stuck here in good old Ottawa, with expectations of at least another 10 cm of snow this week. *sigh*


However, I will definitely not be letting that bring me down. No siry bob. I’m really planning on getting lots of baking and cooking done so that I can use em up for those weeks when I have 3 essays due and no time to bake. Ugh, speaking of essays I will probably have to start them... though you and I both know procrastination is the solution to all problems ;)


I’ve also started commenting on a lot of people’s blogs. I get a bit peeved when I see I have over a thousand hits but only one comment! :( But then I realize that its karma. I read soooo many different blogs a day, and even if I love the content, I never comment….so… I WANT GOOD KARMA, thus the extra commenting-ness.


Alright, on to these oatmeal cookies, I *love* these cookies. I know, I know, just another oatmeal cookie don’t be such a hypocrite! But honestly, these oatmeal cookies converted me from despising the very thought of oatmeal to being obsessed with them! This time I did things a bit different and chopped up some Hershey's 80% Dark Chocolate into it...SO GOOD.


I found this recipe over 2 years ago and it is very dear to me, which is another reason for me to have this blog – to keep hold of my favorite recipes. I can’t tell you how many of them I have lost over the years and been devastated when I cant find them. But by posting it in my blog, not only can I share it with everyone else, I hope that one day my blog will become my go to online recipe book! Wo0t!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe
(source: Cuisine Magazine)
Ingredients:
Whisk together and set aside
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Cream wet ingredients
* 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
* 2 large eggs
* 2 teaspoons vanilla
Then stir in
* 3 cups oats (not instant)
* 1 1/2 cups raisins ***I always mix in about 3/4 cups of chocolate chips and 3/4 cup of raisins, but this time I shopped up a 100gr packet of Dark Chocolate and it was BEYOND amazing :)




  1. Preheat oven to 350°.
  2. Whisk dry ingredients; set aside.
  3. Combine wet ingredients with a hand mixer on low.
  4. To cream, increase speed to high and beat until fluffy and the color lightens.
  5. Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture until no flour is visible.
  6. (Over mixing develops the gluten, making a tough cookie.) Now add the oats and raisins; stir to incorporate.
  7. Fill cookie scoop with dough.
  8. (Use a #40 cookie scoop; it measures 2 tablespoon of dough) Press against side of bowl, pulling up to level dough.
  9. Drop 2-inches apart onto baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray.
  10. Bake 11-13 minutes (on center rack), until golden, but still moist beneath cracks on top.
  11. Remove from oven; let cookies sit on baking sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.




Overall Rating: 6 1/2 stars! (which is really good in my books! *see my rating system on the side*)
As I mentioned I really like these cookies and I tell you, you eat one...you will reach for another, and another, and another...! Don't shy away from this recipe because of the 6.5 stars though! 6.5 is the highest I'll give to an 'ordinary' dessert such as oatmeal cookies and brownies. This cookie is really chewy and moist, be careful to bake JUST until it turns a bit golden, even if its a bit gooey on the inside. when it cools it will be amazing! (but if you let it get too brown when it cools it'll be a bit more crispy)

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Valentine's Day: Individual Chocolate Heart Cakes




Happy Valentines Day to everyone! :)

This will be a really quick post since Zahra has a midterm today that she of course hasn’t studied nearly as much as she should have for. Therefore Zahra is just going to provide a quick recipe for a yummy but easy Valentines day individual heart cakes. Zahra will now stop referring to herself in the 3rd person. 




Valentines day had always been one of my favorite holidays in elementary school. I used to love making valentines for all my classmates and bringing in yummy treats for our valentines day in class party. I remember creating little ‘mail boxes’ for this very occasion, and when we had our parties after lunch time, everyone would go around and put the valentines cards in everyone else’s mailboxes. It was great because my teacher REQUIRED us to make one for EVERYONE in the class, or we weren’t allowed to give them out at all. This way nobody would feel left out. It was loads of fun to go back to your desk and see your ‘mail box’ (made out of construction paper and popsicle sticks) filled with different colored Valentines! 




And the food, oh the food. I guess I was a foodie from an early age…just didn’t know it;) My teacher brought in unfrosted cupcakes and a tub of pink butter cream frosting and different types of sprinkles. We each got to make our own cupcakes – and unlike my fellow classmates who put a reasonable amount of frosting and sprinkles on, in proportion to cupcake- I slathered on – no joke- a good cup full of frosting and a good fistful of sprinkles onto that poor little cupcake. Ahh those were the good times. Where your greatest worry was to have more frosting on your cupcake than Thomas who sits beside you, and to make sure you have all 32 Valentines accounted for.




A simpler time where you didn’t have to worry about a 60 question midterm in 60 minutes on Public Law and the roles of the state through the administrative process…oh how I miss it!



Valentines Day Individual Heart Cakes

* 1 Chocolate Cake baked in a sheet
( I used my go to recipe for chocolate cake here, but you can use your favorite or even a cake mix if you are short on time)
* Coco powder for dusting

Directions:
Prepare and bake the cake as per instructions and pour into a 13×9x2-inch metal baking pan. Allow to cool Completely. Then using a large heart cookie cutter cut out heart shapes.
If you don’t have a heart cookie cutter than trace one onto a piece of wax paper, and place on to cake. Carefully cut around the template with a knife.

Then place individual cakes on their own pretty dish and sprinkle with coco powder on top through a sifter.

Enjoy!




So, do YOU have any fond Valentine’s day memories of a simpler time? :)
Now I have to get back to studying. Wish me luck you guys!

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Marbled Pound Cake



Is it just me or does this really get to you guys too? When people lie. Liars annoy me. Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve told main little white lie. Some of them not so little, and some of them not too white. I am definitely no angel.

But what gets to me. What really gets to me is when people you ‘trust’ lie to you when there is no real good reason to lie. I mean, why?

Now I’m not talking bout your mom lying to you. What am I’m really talking about in this case is when fellow bloggers lie to you. This is the scenario that usually plays out in these cases. I may be checking a few food blogs I like, or perhaps see something delicious on tastespotting or foodgawker and I will get all excited. I click on the picture and go to a said persons blog. The blogger will then go at length to describe how easy the recipe was and how amazing it tasted, and how I should definitely try it.

Of course I think to myself, oh my! This looks great! I should make this...I mean s/he says it tastes as good as it looks. Ok. I’m definitely going to bake it on my night off this week. So I bookmark it. I then use up my precious limited amount of time (time that I should probably be using to study for my midterm next week) and bake. Sometimes it goes bad right from the start. Sometimes it looks beautiful. I honestly don’t know which is worse, and then it makes me think why? Why would this person so OBVIOUSLY lie to me? I mean most times I try to give them the benefit of the doubt…you know be like ‘oh I must have done it wrong’ or its just not ‘my personal taste’ but I mean sometimes, you just cant give the benefit of the doubt. I mean I know how to make a basic chocolate chip cookie and I know it is my taste. So then I am both angry and heartbroken. Heartbroken that I have been fooled by a fellow blogger in to baking something they undoubtedly found to be of ‘meh’ quality, yet decided to lie and post about anyways! I also get angry cause that precious hour I had to bake that week has been wasted.







So I just don’t get it. Well, that’s a lie, I do get it, sorta. You try a recipe, you feel the obligation to update your blog regularly, and well this wasn’t disgusting so to speak, so…why not just post it. I mean…JUST LOOK AT THE PRETTY PICTURES I TOOK. I get it, trust me I do. But if you want someone to want to try another one of your recipes, be nice enough to at least provide them a little warning before hand. Post your post just as you would have, include your pretty little pictures, but just give a general warning if you feel it didn’t turn out great! Maybe it IS your taste, or your skill level! Maybe someone else can use this recipe! :)

So, if you make something that doesnt taste too good either a) dont post it on your blog or b) if you do, and you have pretty pictures, go right ahead! but just give a warning. If not, you risk losing readers!

Anywho, Sorry for the few too many exclamation marks. Yes, I’ve been burned way too many times! That’s why I have decided to create a ‘ranking system’ of sorts. Those of you who are regulars to my blog will notice I’ve started rating each of my recipes, but I thought it would be best if I could provide you guys (and myself)with a solid rating system, so here it is:



Zahra’s Fancy Pancy Amazing Taste Rating Guide:

10 – EXCELLENT! Most amazing thing you will ever eat. EVER. You eat this and die now you will die a happy person. (RARE rating)

9 – AMAZING! This is the best slice of (cake, brownie, cookie etc..) that I have ever tasted. Definitely added to my favorite list.

8 – REALLY GOOD. Tastes really good. I would make it again. NOT as mouth dropingly amazing as a 9 but still reallyyyyyy good.

7 – PRETTY GOOD - it was good. It tasted good. It was just…average. Just another cookie or brownie to eat. No complaints…its perfectly yummy. Just not anything amazing, but pretty good all the same.
6 – GOOD – I liked it. I genuinely did. Just needs a few tweaks next time. But there will definitely be another attempt.
5 – OK – it was ok. Its not on my ‘good list’ but it was something that was fairly easy and the taste was ‘ok’.
4 – ALRIGHT -This was alright but I will probably never make it again. If it happens to be there I will probably eat it….but I’m not going to go through the effort of making it again.
3 – NOT GOOD - This was…..not too good…its just missing something….:( Disappointing. Not making anymore.
2 – EW. Enough said
1 – The definition of DISGUSTING

I hope to not have to rate anything a 1, and I will rarely rate it a 10, just so that if it IS...you know that it is. Of all the things I’ve made on this blog, I would probably maybe give it to my strawberry mousse cake. And there has been some good stuff on here (cinnamon buns and peanut butter frosted decadent chocolate cake to name a few).
So if it does fail, I will post pictures and talk about it, but I will let you know in advance how crappy it is. :)

Also, just a heads up, I plan on changing the layout of this blog a bit. Making it more user friendly and pretty-ing it up, but that will probably be next week when I’m on spring break. As well, I am currently working on starting a mini series on Persian food which has me a bit excited to be honest- I will hopefully launch it next week ish.
DISCLAIMER: this vent isn't at all related to this recipe! I promise! lol




Traditional Marble Loaf Cake
By: Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients

2 Cups Flour plus 2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 ¼ tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Sea Salt
1 ½ Sticks (12 Tbsp) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
1 Cup Sugar
4 Large Eggs
½ tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
½ Cup Whole Milk
4 oz Bittersweet Chocolate, melted

Method

Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Butter an 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½-inch loaf pan, dust the inside with flour and tap out the excess. Place the pan on an insulated baking sheet or 2 regular baking sheets stacked one on top of the other.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

Working with a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, or with hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Don’t be concerned if the batter curdles and stay curdled-it will be fine. Beat in the vanilla. Reduce the mixer speed to low and alternately add the flour mixture in 3 additions and the milk in 2 (begin with the dry ingredients), mixing only until each addition is incorporated.

Divide the batter in half and stir the melted chocolate into one half and keep the other half plain. Drop spoonfuls of dark and light batter randomly into the pan, and then plunge a table knife deep into the batter and zigzag the knife through the batter, making only about 6 to 8 zigs and zags. Scrape the batter into the pan.

Bake the cake for 1 hour and 20 to 30 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. If the cake looks as if it’s getting too brown during its bake, cover loosely with a foil tent. Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and let it rest for about 15 minutes before unmolding, then cool the cake to room temperature right side up on the rack.



OVERALL RATING:
This tasted pretty good. It was nice and soft and a bit heavy but with a nice slightly crispy outer crust. this would be perfect with afternoon tea or as a quick breakfast out the door. It wasnt anything AMAZING but it was pretty good, considering the fact that I dont think pound cake can ever be AMAZING ;)
(that means i think if you are looking for a regular old marble loaf cake that tastes as it should and is pretty good, make it and you wont regret it)
7 stars out of 10



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Random Fun Stuff

Song of the week: Glee Season 2!!

Watching: Criminal Minds season 6 (man! its mind blowing)

Inspirational Quote:

"Life isn't about finding yourself, it's about creating yourself"

Random Foodie Fact:

"The world's first chocolate candy was produced in 1828 by Dutch chocolate-maker Conrad J. Van Houten."

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