White Sands, Las Cruces, New Mexico

We recently went on a roadtrip throughout the South West, and ended up in Las Cruces, New Mexico. There was not much to this town, seemed like the only thing to do there was go out to eat at Ruby Tuesday! However, we did come across this amazing national monument, by White Sands Missile Testing Area. The sand here was so white, it looked like snow!! Also, with the extreme warm weather, you would think that the ground would be hot with the sun beating down on it, but the sand and ground was nice and cool. We spent a good couple of hours here, enjoying the beauty and the complete silence. No animals, no wind, we were just enveloped in sand, sun, and the beauty of the New Mexico desert.

OMG, c'est les kababs!!!!

It took me years to come up with the perfect kabab. I have been able to combine ideas from my mother's Moroccan kabab recipe, Persian kabob recipes that I have obtained from close family friends (which in my opinion are amazing!! so moist, tender and flavorful) and Desi-style kabob (much more spiced than Arabic and Persian kabob). After years of practice, experimenting and tasting, I came up with something that makes all of my friends and family happy. If you adjust the spice according to the guest's needs, you will be successful!


Kafta Kabab (ground beef kabob)

1 lbs ground beef (the fattier the better!)
2 tablespoons of paprika
2 tablespoons of ginger (fresh or in a jar is fine)
3 cloves very finely chopped garlic
1 small onion, very finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground dry Aleppo pepper. Aleppo pepper is a spicy pepper from Syria, and very delicious! (omit if you do not like spicy food, add more if you love it!)
1/2 a cup of chopped Italian Parsley
Salt and Pepper to taste





Heat up your grill. Charcoal tastes best but it takes a long time to get the charcoal ready. Gas and infrared grills take a short time to heat up, but it doesn't taste the same as charcoal.

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Gently mix all ingredients together until mixed in (be gentle, because if you are too rough the meat will become less juicy and tender!)


Roll (gently!) into balls or patties. The amount of meat should make about 10 patties or "meat balls"

Use a grill cage to cook the kafta. They are cheap and you can find them in any store that sells kitchenware. This prevents the kafta from sticking to the grill and breaking up.

Grill on one side for 3-4 minutes. Then turn over and let cook for another 4-5 minutes. Do not press on the meat, or turn more than once!!! This will cause the meat to be less tender!! Let it cook and be patient.


Take off the grill, let it sit for a few minutes and serve!! So simple!!

I am considering on whether or not I should reveal my chicken recipe yet. I get tons of compliments, but still contemplating on whether or not I should keep it a secret. :-) Anyways, enjoy the Kafta, you'll love it!

Takchitas and Kaftans

 Definition of Takchita from Wikipedia:

"The takchita (alternate spellings: takshita, tackshita, tackchita) is a Moroccan traditional women's garment that, like the Moroccan caftan, is worn for celebrations, particularly weddings. It is composed of two pieces, a dress as a first layer, often of fine but not ornately decorated fabric, and a more elaborate second layer or over-dress that often buttons up the front using the traditional sfifa and akaad closures. The upper layer is often richly adorned with embroidery, beading or sequins."

Being 1/2 Moroccan, the Takchita and the Kaftan have been an integral part of "dressing up" when it comes to weddings and other celebrations. I have accumulated an extensive collection thanks to one of my aunts who lives in Casablanca (Je t'aime Ta ta Nannoo!) and my mother in law, who was able to bring a sample of one of my takchitas with her to Pakistan, and had some made for me! The ones that she brought from there were just as beautiful and good quality as the ones I get from Casablanca, so kudos to Pakistani tailors and their wonderful skill!

The purple one pictured was given to me as a gift the last time my aunt came to visit, and the second and third dresses in gold were given to me by my mother in law. I usually wear these when I go to an Indian or Pakistani wedding, as there are not very many Moroccans that live here, and South Asians usually wear traditional clothing that is just as brightly colored and beautiful as Moroccan dresses!

The details on these dresses are very extensive. There is tons of beadwork on them, and it really makes you appreciate the art of fine tailoring which is hard to find nowadays! 

I will be posting some more pictures soon, so please, enjoy :-)

Mac & Cheese

My husband never ate mac & cheese before marrying me. He had assumed that mac & cheese was something that you buy in a box and either zap in the microwave or make on a stove using a packet of powder and bad quality noodles. Boy, was he pleasantly surprised when I introduced him to homemade mac & cheese! I think that this is the ultimate in comfort food, and a wonderful part of American culture/cuisine. I like using a blend of white cheeses, and top it off with seasoned bread crumbs and shredded cheddar in the oven. What type of mac & cheese do you prefer?

Mac and Cheese recipe:

1 carton of 1/2 and 1/2

1/2 a stick of butter

touch of flour

teaspoon of cayenne pepper

teaspoon of ground tellicherry pepper

teaspoon of kosher or sea salt

1 lbs block of grated pepper jack cheese

1/2 lbs block of grated white chedder

1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs

1/2 a cup of chopped jalapeno

1/2 a cup of shredded cheddar

1 lbs of your choice noodles, I like using elbow macaroni or rigatoni

• Fill a pot with water, and heavily salt the water. Once the water boils, put your noodles in it. I time it one less minute than the time required on the bag because I like the noodles to be al-dente. Drain noodles and put in a deep oven pan.
• Melt the butter in a pot. Keep the fire medium. Toss a small amount of butter in once it's melted, and stir rapidly with a whisk until a roux starts to develop.
• Once the roux is developed, add in the 1/2 and 1/2. Raise the heat on the stove and let it come to a boil. Add all of your dry spices and stir. Some people use milk, I like to use 1/2 and 1/2 because it's creamier and has a wonderful smooth taste to it.

• Take the 1/2 and 1/2 mixture off the flame, and let it cool for a few minutes. Now you can start adding your cheeses. slowly mix it in until everything is mixed in together. It is very important to make sure your cheese is entering a warm, not hot mixture, so that the cheese will melt and blend into that perfect sauce.

•  Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

•  Once your sauce is done, you can pour it into the pan with the noodles. Add the chopped jalapeno and stir it in.
• Sprinkle bread crumbs and shredded cheddar on top of mixture. 

• Pop it in the oven at 375 degrees, and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until the top is bubbling.
• Serve in a bowl, by it self or as a side dish. I hope you enjoy :-)

Hi everyone! My name is Leyla, and I am new to this website. I am really into traveling with my husband, cooking, dressing up and eating out, and I would love to give you guys a little glimpse of what I enjoy doing! I will be posting recipes, pictures and such as soon as I can get used to this format. Thank you for visiting!


Ciao :-)