A Cooking Quest

Now I have to admit.  I may LOVE to cook, but by NO means am I super GOOD at it.  My ideas usually require the help of an adult to be really put into edible form.  However, my ideas are many and here a few.

Middle Eastern and Mediterranean ingredients are some of my favorite.  They encompass many different cultures and influences (spices, herbs, liquids, meats, vegetables).  Here are some of new favorite things to cooking with.

Sumac- a Persian herb that I think gives a nice citrus, yet dry flavor. Great in salads
Mixed Herbs- Fresh of course is best.  Parsley (curly or flat), basil, and MINT!
Pomegranate Syrup- Sound kind of unusual? Yea..kind of.  Its got a sweet/tart flavor and surprisingly goes great with lamb.
Fennel- A vegetable that's divine when roasted, and with a drizzle of olive oil and sprinkle of salt.
Zests of any kind- the zest in my view contains the most intense flavor of fruits (usually lemons or oranges).  Candied zest is great as well.

So, the above ingredients are somethings I'm trying to use more an more in my cooking, yet slowly.
I love making new versions of traditional recipes, but also don't mind have clear cut instructions,  My roasted potatoes with peppers and cumin is a recipe that I whipped up out of the blue but still love.

I also love Christmas and the food that comes along with.  My family loves to make fruit based desserts, along with our family recipe for a dish called "Chicken Korma."  Below is an open tart that I made with store-bought phyllo dough, last Christmas.  At the end I thought the apples were kind of dry so I made a topping with some jam!

Now, I know that CAP students love to bake and cook.  I especially loved Grace and Amy's cooking show.  I am definitely trying their recipe for Pumpkin Bread, as the holiday's roll around.  For all the CAP student/teacher baking and cooking aficionados reading this post, comment below on what your favorite recipe is (if you can).  Why? Well, because I still don't have one and love learning about how other's cook, and their favorite tastes:)