Hi, here is a picture of the Cinderella castle at Disney's Magic Kingdom in Florida. My sister was visiting from Morocco and it was my sons birthday,so we decided to go there.

These three picture are of the Swiss family Robinson tree house.





These four are from The pirates of the Caribbean.





We did attend one of the day parades, here are some pictures.

In the "Judges Tent" you can meet and get your picture taken with Mikey.


Mikey's garden.

My son enjoying some jump rope with some employees from Disney world.



At night the Cinderella castle changes to many different and beautiful colors.


It was a really nice day, although very hot. At night we had planned to stay in order to watch the night parade and fireworks that is performed everyday. Unfortunately there was a thunderstorm that was so strong that they had to cancel both events.

Hello my friends,
As you all know, my sister came from Morocco to visit me here in the USA, she brought me a lot of presents from my beloved country that I would like to show you.
I thank her so much and I tell her : " I love you ".
First of all, let me begin with spices, Morocco is rich with spices.

Cardamom حبة الهيل او قعقلة : follows saffron and vanilla as the world’s most expensive spice, it has a pleasant flavor and aroma.
Cardamom coffee is a symbol of Arab hospitality. Cardamom seeds are either crushed coarsely or powdered finely before using. These seeds lose their flavor quickly when ground; and it is ideal to buy only whole pods and crush them just before using.


Bay leaves
 ورقة سيدنا موسى او الرند

Lepidium sativum
حب الرشاد


Cloves
القرنفل


Fenugreek seeds
الحلبة



Fenugreek powder




Nigella: حبة البركة Sprinkle nigella seeds over bread dough

before baking.

Mace (perfect for chicken and meats)
بسيبيسة


Mace powder




Cinnamon
القرفة


Nutmeg
الكوزة


Saffron used as spice and also for the color. Especially in tagines



Arabic gumm or gum acacia المسكة الحرة : beside the flavor,

it has a nice parfum, used especially for cookies and coffee.

Moroccan spices called "leachoub"or "Ras el Hanout" :
Ras el Hanout is the mixture of spices used for couscous and also

 a large number of other dishes. Certain Ras el Hanout is elaborated combination of 37 spices, the others are less sophisticated. All contain nutmeg, ginger, lavender, cumin, hot pepper, white pepper, black pepper, macis, anise, cardamom, caraway, coriander powder and other spices in some proportion, some more, some less.

Dried mint (my mother dried it for me)  النعناع اليابس




Caraway seeds (excellent for breads)
الكروية



Flaxseed
زريعة الكتان



Fennel seeds
الشمر

Lavender
الخزامى



Sage
السالمية

Whole wheat Couscous (not available in stores) this was made by my mother, recipe is already done, I still need to work on the video.



Barkoukch : it's like couscous (not available in stores) also prepared by my mother, I will soon make a recipe with it.
بركوكش


Barley , recipe with barley coming soon.
البلبولة






Different kind of scents, used chiefly as incense and in perfumes.
الجاوي والند




Lythracees "Henna" حنة

Henna is the Arabic name of the shrub Lawsonia Inermis. The leaves of this shrub are dried and pulverized to obtain the powder henna.
It is from these dried and pulverized leaves that we extract a red dye called henna.It exists in wet zones of North Africa and the South of Asia. This powder, very popular among the women of the Islamic countries, it is used in multiple manners, but especially for hair coloring, for temporary tattoos on the skin and for dying of finger nails and fingers, also for the occasion of weddings.



Salvadora persica called "Siwak" " السواك " is extracted from the arak tree.
The souak is a plant native of the Maghreb. The souak is recognized for its antiseptic, astringent and healing propreties. It makes teeth whiter , eliminates the impurities and cleanses the breath. It strengthens and also cleans up gums. Teeth are solid and more brilliant. 




Argane oil & Castor oil /
زيت اركا ن و زيت الخروع



10 Oilten ( 100% natural perfect for the hair ):
-Almond oil
-Avocado oil
-Argane oil
-Wheat germ oil
-Corn oil
-Nigella oil
-Apricot seed oil
-Ricin oil
-Sesame oil
-Sunflower oil




Argane oil soap /
صابون زيت اركان

Lavender soap /
صابون الخزامة



Gel with Argane oil /
كريما بزيت اركان




Moroccan Clay called "Ghassoul" good for hair and face, it absorbs all the impurities, tightens pores and satine the skin. Rhassoul washes, revitalizes and gives the volume to the hair.





The kohl is a black or grey powder. It was formerly used as eye drops. It is a true medicine against the conjunctivitis and it protects the eyes against the reverberation and cleanses the white of the eye, the lens. It is a real symbol of the oriental beauty.
It stored in a small bottle which has a small wooden stick that is dipped into the grey or black powder "Lmerwed", then we make slide this stick between both eyelids starting from the outside to the inside of the eye.



Red powder called " Leker el fassi العكر الفاسي " ( perfect for the face, it clarifies the skin ). 



Silver Jewelry ( I love to wear silver jewerly especially in summer time ).








My favorites presents are these Moroccan handmade ceramic colourfull plates.






Original traditional Moroccan dresses called " Kaftan قفطان " or " Badiya بدعيا " for my little daughter Jenna-Aicha, she is two years old.
Check out those beautiful colors.



My sister didn't forget the famous Moroccan schoes called " Balgha بلغة " 


Look at my daughter, isn't she beautiful in Moroccan dress ?

Hi friends,
I present you a Tagine recipe which is a little different

to other recipes of Tagines which I have already prepared.

It does not contain a lot of spices, this time I exchanged

the spices for a broth, the result was excellent, I hope that

you like the recipe, it is really delicious.

I invite you to watch the video.

Today, I want to share with you a recipe of Brioche with Custard,

but first I would like to show you my new mixer from Kitchenaid.

I've wanted this for a long time, it makes my work much easier

and it is a beautiful piece for any kitchen.
My husband surprised me when he said he would buy me one,

I think it was because I said if I had one I could make more

sweets( hahaha ). Obviously he is the one that is going

to benefit from the things I will make with this machine.
 

Actually we went to the store only for the mixing machine,

then I saw the mechanical pastry bag, I wanted it, and

I had to take advantage of the opportunity,( I've had bad experiences with regular pastry bags ).

I got lucky, my husband really wanted the Brioches so I told

him, I could make it, but only if I had this mechanical pastry bag.

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to share

with you my cook book collection.

Brioche with Custard is a recipe which you need

a little bit of time to make, but believe me,

it is well worth  the effort.

The video

Last year the largest Couscous was prepared in Agadir, and this year the largest Tanjia was prepared in Marrakech.
 

Last Saturday April 4th, Morocco entered the Guinness Book of World Records, with the dish Tangia a specialty of the red city Marrakesh.
 

The Tanjia pot was two meters high and one meter wide, it took 20 days of continuous work by three people who are specialists in making traditional pottery, used about 75 kilos of mud to make it.

The chefs who prepared the Tangia , cooked over 400 kg of beef.

It was displayed at the famous town square Jemaal E Fna.
 

A place famous for its culture and entertainment. Jamaa El Fna became the gathering place for people coming both from different quarters of the city and the surrounding areas of Marrakech to listen to story tellers , the snake charmers who come forward to put a tame snake around their neck or the couple of men making their Halka

(the circle of people surrounding them) bigger.
 

Gunawa musicians with their unique African music as

well as their acrobatic dances.

There are women sitting and waiting to apply Henna on a woman' s hands, or men sitting nearby waiting to read someone's future either by reading their palms or using cards.
 

The place is also surrounded by orange juice stands

that make fresh juice day and night.

 


At dusk Jamaa El Fna becomes illuminated by dozens of food stands making it the biggest restaurant in Morocco. The foods, typically Moroccan, Harira (Moroccan soup), snails, sheep's heads, chicken, couscous, kebab and of course, Tanjia.


The food is exquisite, tasteful and much appreciated by

Moroccans ( including my self of course) and tourists.

 


Horse drawn buggies called "El Koutchi" is usually used by tourist as a form of transportation in Marrakesh. It lets the tourist see the sides of Marrakesh and hear the stories from the buggy driver.
 

 

It is enjoyable to sit at the terrace of one of these cafes and observe the movement, color, culture and history.
 

Jacque Majorelle was one of the more important collectors of plants of his area. Plants of the five continents are exposed in an enchanting framework. That was the workshop of Jacques Majorelle.

Jacques Majorelle is born in 1886 in Nancy (France). In 1919 he settles in Marrakech to continue his career of painter, where he acquires a ground which was going to become the Majorelle garden. Since 1947 he opens his garden's doors to the public.

Following a car accident, he returns to France, where he dies in 1962. in 1980 Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent repurchase the garden and restore it.

I dedicate this article to the red city " Marrakesh". I have been in many cities throughout my life but Marrakesh is without a doubt my favorite city.
If I had the choice, I would live there for the rest of my life.

Let me share with you some photos of this magnificent city.

Do you believe me now ? I told you Marrakesh is beautiful.

You will find the Tangia Recipe HERE.