French Inspiration

 Just because I had a dream the other night (while we were away in beautiful San Juan Batista), it influenced me to review or attempt to study French again. The dream was about my sister telling me I should learn French again. Ha! And all due to talking about hobbies and languages. 

So, yesterday, I got some outdoor time to bask in the sun and review some French. I forget how much I do know or recognize. And also, a year ago, I was in 2 French classes for my job at a high school and that brought back some inspiration.

What always brings back memories is listening to French sings that the classes listened to and voted on their favorite. I really liked one of them especially ever since I first heard it but didn't know exactly the translation of the lyrics. 

So, last night, I got the translation and its cool because I've listened to the song thousands of times- and still like it, now I know more what they're saying...but prefer the French rather than the English. 

Here are some of the lyrics:

Demain ca ira Song

Demain ca ira

On ne baisee pas les bras

Le soleil se levera

On ne restera pas en bas

Mon ami

L'avenir te tend les bras

Poser des pas

Construire un monde a part

Un nouveau depart

Pour tes droits et tes devoirs

Fond Africa

La route, elle est longue

Et tres difficile

Mais jamais (jamais jamias jamias) baisser le bras

Leve la tete vers le ciel

Et reve encore plus haut

Il y a de l'espoir

Ne vois- tu pas que c'est beau?

Tomorrow it will be good

We wont give up

The sun will rise

We won't stay down

My friend,

The future is reaching its arms out to you

Take a step

Create a separate world

A new beginning

For your rights and responsibilities

Build Africa

The road is long

And very difficult

But never (never never never) lower your arms

Lift your head to the sky

And dream even higher

There is hope

Don't you see how beautiful it is?

Spanish Rice

 I was inspired to cook something related, special for Our Lady of Guadalupe feast day yesterday. I thought of the cookbook I received for Christmas a few years ago from my now sister-in-law. It's a cookbook titled, 'Cooking with the Saints'. It's cool because it highlights different saints throughout the months and associated recipes tied to them based on their region or story.

So, I looked up Our Lady of Guadalupe inspired recipes in there and found tostada, enchiladas and leche recipe and Spanish rice. I decided to make the main meal from St. Francis Xavier- a chicken curry dish and the side be the Spanish rice.

If I'm honest, I have not been a big fan of Spanish rice. I guess the quick mixes of it haven't tasted very good to me. But this recipe of Spanish rice tasted flavorful and nothing like the packaged mix. And it went well with the chicken curry. Hmm, rewarding to have a delicious dinner after the time spent making and preparing it. 

And even in small ways of celebrating and remembering this beautiful feast day and apparition of Our Lady. 

Korean Study Habits

 I have this written down on my white board for some time now. It's a reminder for me to study Korean and keep progressing. I have some ideas and goals for July, and it included study Korean every day.

Unfortunately, I haven't made that happen. Life happens, and also getting sick makes it hard to stay up with these plans. I know that putting too much pressure and time doesn't work for me. Thats why I wrote for 30 mins. I think if its more than that then you can start to lose focus and get brain tired. 

I also enjoy more so studying in the later part of the day, in the evening. That's my favorite part of the day and usually feel that I have more focus and energy. It's a time of day I look forward to as well.

I will attempt to keep updated in my Korean language learning journey! 

Challah Bread

I haven't made challah bread in a long while, but I wanted to make it again for a catholic young adult social gathering. I forgot the steps, so knew I would have to look up the recipe again. It's a Jewish bread that tastes delicious, and I love the way it looks at the end. 

It was a fun process to make the bread. But I also didn't realize the amount of time it takes to do it all- the mixing, the rising, the kneading, the braiding and the baking. But it was worth it in the end! And the people liked it and enjoyed it. And what I had of it today and this morning with breakfast was great, especially with jam. 

It makes me want to get back into baking again, or even try out new recipes or ones from the past (like this one), that I haven't made in a while. 

Here's the recipe I used.

Bon Appetit!

Immersive Language Learning

 As I'm learning Korean, I thought it would be a good thing to hear more of the spoken language in real time. An ad I saw on YouTube many times was for videos in different languages and learning new words, called Lingo Pie. So, I signed up and have a subscription for 3 months. Korean is one of the languages they have, but some of the other ones include Brazilian Portuguese, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese.

I started watching a video yesterday, it's kind of like a drama. They have different types of videos you can watch to engage in your target language. I think its a helpful way to be immersed in the language, even if you aren't directly translating (there are subtitles). The nice thing is that you can click on the words or pause, and it will show the translation, also there is a script you can follow along with the episode. I also like to hear the language in a conversational way- I think that makes it enjoyable and come to life! 

It brought back memories when I watched a Chinese drama and got so hooked on it. It was addicting as the plot keeps you interested and wanting to keep knowing what happens next. But I also remember that I didn't really get better with more knowledge with Chinese. It felt more for entertainment than language learning, and I got behind in my classes! So, I think there's a fine line and balance. I can tell with LingoPie, its emphasizing language learning though in a fun and engaging way with videos, episodes to watch and learn from. 

I would also say, its not just this that assists with language learning. This is just one simple method, and other methods in the end are most likely more productive. But I can already detect some of the vocab I've been learning and hearing it being used in these videos, so that is pretty cool. 

Syrian Red Lentil Soup

 

The other night I made soup from a Syrian cookbook. The recipe title was Aleppo Red Lentil Soup. These past days in June have been cooler and feeling at times like Fall, hence the inspiration for the soup.

I haven't delved into too many recipes recently especially ones of Middle Eastern origin. But now with more open time and more space for cooking and being in the kitchen, I look forward to sharing more too!!

Quick Daily Russian

 I try to make Russian a part of my day. (As I'm listening to Russian music now:)). Now that I've become a lot busier since summer, it has become not so simple to think of ways to progress in this language and still stay inspired. 

At work, I write a Russian word a day that I can remember and write on my whiteboard to challenge myself and have some fun. It has actually become a good tool since it challenges me to think of a word that I already know and how to write. 

Some words include dog, cat, work, read, book, thank you, hello, how are you, please, nice to meet you, may I, what is this, this is pizza to name a few. As I continue to learn more words and memorize writing, it will become easier. But this muscle memory is good because it helps me spell on the spur of the moment, and even practice in a way that is not so typical. Even trying to spell words like someone's name is good practice and can count for a mini lesson in the world of Russian learning. 

Hopefully I can share more content soon!

Russian Question Words

Russian Numbers!

Jerusalem Cookbook Recipe- Turkey Burgers

 Last night I made a dish from a cookbook called Jerusalem. I haven't made a dish from here from a while but thought I could easily find a good recipe with using ground turkey. (There are a lot of fun, interesting dishes in here) And sure enough, one of my bookmarks was placed where a ground turkey meatball/burger type recipe was. I may have made it before, I don't remember but it was delicious. It was a rather simple recipe, no extravagant ingredients really. And I liked the sauce with it as well!

Turkey and Zucchini burgers with green onion and cumin 

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 1b Ground Turkey

1 large zucchini, coarsely grated (scant 2 cups)

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large free-range egg

2 Tbsp chopped mint

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

about 6 1/2 Tbsp sunflower oil, for searing

Sour Cream & Sumac Sauce

scant 1/2 cup sour cream

scant 2/3 cup Greek yogurt

1tsp grated lemon zest

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, crushed

1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp sumac

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

First make the sour cream sauce by placing all the ingredients in a small bowl. Stir well and set aside or chill until needed.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the meatballs except the sunflower oil. Mix with your hands and then shape into about 18 burgers, each weighing 1 1/2 oz/45g. 

Pour enough sunflower oil into a large frying pan to form a layer about 1/16 inch/2 mm thick on the pan bottom. Heat over medium heat until hot, then sear the meatballs in batches on all sides. Cook each batch for about 4 mins, adding oil as needed, until golden brown.

Carefully transfer the seared meatballs to a baking sheet lined with waxed paper and place in the oven for 5 to 7 mins, or until just cooked through. Serve warm at room temperature, with the sauce spooned over or on the side.  

Bon Appetit!

Smoked Rice Recipe

 Last night, I made a dish from a recipe I copied down from a Syrian cookbook. I didn't go through all the normal steps since some things were harder to do and was just as well to modify it. I realize how much I enjoy making ethnic dishes, the process, the ingredients. I wanted to use up some items we already had like green bell pepper, tomatoes and chicken tenders. I also really like adding nuts (almonds) in the rice like this recipe called for and adding a dollop of Greek yogurt on the side- a traditional signature, yum! 

Here is a picture of the final product

 

Here is the recipe