Lunches!

Today at lunch I surveyed ten students lunches anonymously. I noticed that most people have very similar lunches. Most people brought some type of juice box or bottled water along with some type of granola bar. I noticed that the most popular granola bar was the Chewy bars. Some people also brought some type of fruit or vegetable such as snap peas or strawberries. It was the main part of the lunch that varied the most amongst the students. Some people brought sandwiches while others bought pizza at the caf or brought leftovers from their dinner. Lastly, the majority of the students brought cookies for the dessert part of their lunches. Overall, I think that the fruits and vegetables food group was the most lacking amongst the students lunches. Also the dairy and alternatives food group is also lacking. To improve their lunches the students should bring a salad or some cut up fruits and vegetables. They can also bring some yogurt to fulfill the dairy food group. I think that the average student lunch would cost about $5 if you are buying a lunch, but if you bring your lunch from home it could be between $5-10 depending on what you bring. Personally, I think my lunches are lacking these two food groups as well and from now on I will work harder to make sure I include all the different food groups in my lunch.

Bird's Nest Cookies

For Easter I decided that I would try a new Easter cookie recipe. This recipe is called Bird's Nest Cookies. They are very festive when they are finished and are quite colourful. To start, you mix together all of the ingredients which are butter, cream cheese, eggs, sugar, vanilla, coconut and almond extract, baking powder and flour. Then you form the dough into balls and make an indentation in them using the back of a tablespoon. You then bake them in the oven for 11 minutes at 350 degrees. When they are finished you indent the cookies again and let them completely cool. Once they are completely cooled you mix coconut flakes with green food colouring then place the coloured coconut in the indentations in the cookies. Next you put some Cadbury mini eggs on top of the coconut and they cookies are complete. You can also put other toppings on the cookies such as jellybeans, smarties or other little candies. These cookies are extremely easy to make and are a very tasty treat. I would recommend these cookies to anyone looking for a quick and easy Easter recipe:) Below is a picture of the finished product and they recipe of how to make it... Enjoy:)

The Egyptian Way

Lately I have been doing some research on the Egyptian culture and I have decided to share some of my newfound knowledge of their etiquette when it comes to dining. To start, when eating with others it is considered rude to stare at a fellow diners plate. It is said that staring at another persons food symbolizes greed and envy and it will bring bad luck. I would find it very difficult not to look at another persons plate because I am always curious about what other people have ordered and what their dishes look like. Although if the Egyptians are eating at home then it is okay to stare at someone else's plate because you are all eating the same thing, therefore you are sharing. The next thing about Egyptian food etiquette is that you should always leave food on your plate when you are done eating. If you do not then the host will think they have not been generous enough with the amount of food provided. Therefore, when you are finished eating you should leave a little bit of everything on your plate. Leaving food on your plate is also a sign of wealth. The next thing is that you should never pour your own drink. If you want a refill then you first refill your neighbours glass then they will refill yours. You should also never use your left hand for eating, only your right. Keep your left hand at your side and pass any food with your right hand as well. In addition, men and women may be asked to eat separately and alcohol is usually never served with the meal. Also, it is quite common to sit on a carpet or at low tables when eating a meal. Pertaining to the order of service, the honoured guest is always served first just like how it is when you go to someone's birthday. Then it changes, the oldest male is then served then the rest of the men then the children and finally the women. Overall, I don't think I would enjoy eating in Egypt because I like to eat right away and I don't really like waiting for everyone else to get their food first. I also like to sit at a table and be able to use both my hands to eat because it is much more comfortable. Otherwise, I thought that the Egyptian etiquette for dining is very unique and I never expected that any place would have rules such as they have for dining!

Harry Potter Cookbook

Today I had decided that I wanted to go through some of the cookbooks in my house and I came across a very unique one. It is the Unofficial Harry Potter Cookbook. 

This cookbook is filled with many different recipes from Cauldron Cakes to Knickerbocker Glory, many of which I have yet to try. Some of the recipes I have tried include English Fried Eggs and a Gammon of Bacon, Big Fluffy Pancakes, Cheesy Chivy Scrambled Eggs and Hot Chocolate. My favourite is the big fluffy pancakes. This cookbook also has some interesting features in it. Each of the different recipes have their own explanations and origins written beside the recipe itself. There are also introductions before each recipe that relate to the Harry Potter books and where you can find when the characters tried these foods in the books. I love this cookbook for many reasons. I love how it is layed out and everything is easy to find along with how it provides you with information on what exactly the food is because I honestly haven't heard of a lot of the names of these recipes. Most of all I love this cookbook because it is a Harry Potter cookbook and I am definitely a big fan of the books :) Every time I read the books I wondered what each of these foods mentioned really tasted or looked like and now I can experience them myself! 

The only drawback I can think of about this cookbook is that it's pages are like an actual book's pages. I worry that if I spill anything on it I could easily wreck the pages. I also don't like how the book is hardcover so it is difficult to keep the book open to a certain page without it closing on itself. Otherwise this cookbook is amazing and I would recommend it to anyone who is a Harry Potter fan or even if you want to try a taste of some unique British dishes.