I admit it, I am addicted to spices!

I am officially a spice addict! My father teases me because I have almost every spice there is. He states that the only spices you need in your kitchen are: salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper sauce. He loves hot sauce on just about everything. But, nowadays he is on a seafood fad diet and he really splashes the hot sauce on his fish. He loves tilapia, salmon, and milk fish mainly. He can devour fish daily and never get tired of it. I'll go into that in more detail at a later date Insha'Allah.


Back to the spices.....I am unable to consume food that has not been seasoned properly. I am a curry addict and I love spiced up food! By spicy I do not necessarily mean hot. I am talking about zesty and tangy flavors here! I love cumin, coriander, garlic, thyme and basil. This weekend I discovered a more economical brand of spices by the name of Badia. I will surely be using these as my first choice in spices for here on out. I have been paying $3 and up per spice and these were well under $2 a spice for most of the spice I purchased and I did purchase many.


For those of you afraid to try out new spices.....do not be afraid just go for it! your taste buds will thank you for it! Spices make you feel more uplifted and your taste buds flourish with delight!

~Ayesha

I love to cook and whip up unique flavorful concoctions for my family to adore!

Bismillah ir Rahman ir Rahim


Assalamu alaikum everyone! This will be my first post here on my newest blog "A Dash of Masala Please". I will start off with a mild introduction about myself. I am 29 years old, a Muslimah and a mother of three. I have a loving husband and all of my family enjoys my cooking. I am a college student, studying Psychology so I strive to balance school, raising a family, and still trying to find the time to cook delicious meals. I love to experiment in the kitchen and most of my attempts are totally, outrageously, awesome!


Today I tried a couple of new products and cooking experiments. I had two assessments for college last-night so I stayed up really late. I wanted something really simple to whip up for a light brunch. Therefore, today I whipped up some Macabee Kosher Cheese Bagel Pizzas (they came in a pack of 6 and about 4" in diameter around)  and some Annie's Macaroni and Cheese. I added some seasonings to the macaroni such as Badia white pepper and Badia complete seasoning and it was so yummy! It was a real hit! This was our first time eating the Macabee line of products. We will definitely be purchasing them again. The bagels were soft and delicious and the sauce on the pizza was mild and the cheese was decent. I like them, overall it was a good small pizza. Although, I must mention that Annie's products are nothing new as Annie's macaroni is always a first choice at our house.


For a late lunch I prepared a curried couscous or couscous biryani. It was actually my first attempt at this. I took Kook's Biryani Sauce, RiceSelect Couscous, a mixture of vegetables, scrambled eggs, cocktail peanuts, and seasonings and made up a huge pot of couscous casserole! This was even more of a hit than brunch had been. Everyone piled their plates with extras (2, 3, 4 and even 5 times). Having had a mild aversion to simple couscous, I think it was the addition of cocktail peanuts and scrambled eggs which had me coming back for more. I really liked the way their flavors blended in with the biryani sauce and the couscous. I will definitely be making this casserole again Insha'Allah. I will share the recipe and perhaps a cooking tutorial for this in an upcoming post Insha'Allah.


For now I must go. There is cleaning to do and little ones to tend to. Until next time.....


P.S.: Please check out the blog my friends and I share at: Journey to Islam as it is a very helpful site for new Muslims and people interested in finding out more about Islam.

~Ayesha