myfreeiran.com - young, brave, & beautiful Iranians

Kabab 0 Matic

Can you believe that this exists? I am going to buy it for Dad:-) The video is long, once you've seen them make 10 or so, you've seen them make 100, so just watch for a bit, in awe, and then shut it off:-)

Pretty Pretty

These are a couple of pictures swiped from aroomsomewhere.blogspot.com  Just a glance through will knock your socks off. This girl has exquisite taste. I love everything. Just to look, you know, we can't have everything, but we can look. And anyway, where on earth would one wear this? 

This crocheted collar necklace is so so pretty with this portrait neckline. From Irregular Expressions, on Etsy.

This photo makes me think of pretty Sarra...

Mark is home!

I picked up Mark from the airport tonight, and I was so excited I was actually jittery and weirdly distracted. It was so fun - we talked for two hours about everything - he is pure eye candy right now. He had some exciting adventures and took lots of pictures, a couple of which I hope to snag. I am so thankful that his trip was fun, and safe, though he was approached by a wierdo in the Paris train station.

Ash e Jo (Persian Barley Soup)

I was checking on line this morning for a recipe for Veal Scallopini, and found that Ash e Jo is the Recipe of the Day at allrecipes.com. Must be their way of showing support for Iran:-)

Check it out; this soup is delicious!

Free Iran!

Mark

Mark is coming home on Monday and I am so excited to see him - he has been galavanting across the globe, Tunisia, Paris, London...I will be happy to have him back home, safe and sound. He is smart, so I try very hard to NOT worry, and hope that he is using the beautiful brains that God gave him to their maximum potential. Hopefully I will have some photos soon.

Teeth Whitening on the CHEAP

How did we live without YouTube? I found this really great way to brighten your smile...I tried 7 days worth of Crest Strips once about 6 months ago...it was a bit of a pain, I really wanted them for Mano, but he is against all things that taste bad, with the exception of cigs...that's another story, so I tried them. I think they worked a little. Some people have naturally whiter teeth, and you know, as you get older they can yellow a bit, so this seems like an easy and INEXPENSIVE way to whiten teeth. I'll try it and post the results, but here is the vid:

My friend Gwyneth

Gynneth writes a blog that is actually quite good. I am including her recipe for Quick Roast Chicken & Potatoes here. To view her blog, go to goop.com and click on any of the topics - Make, Go, Get, Do, Be, or See, or click on the upper right 'view this weeks newsletter'.

Quick Roast Chicken & Potatoes

By removing the back and thigh bones, which is a lot easier than it sounds, you cut your cooking time in half. Also, this is a flexible recipe — you can vary the herbs and substitute any hearty vegetable for the potatoes.

SERVES: 4
TIME: 1 hour

• 1 3 to 4 pound chicken, washed and dried
• 1 lemon, cut in half
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• a few sprigs each fresh rosemary, sage and thyme
• coarse salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• about 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/2 dozen fingerling potatoes (or any small potato), peeled

Preheat the oven to 450ºF (on convection if possible).

Using a pair of sharp kitchen shears, remove and discard the backbone of the chicken (or save it for making stock). With a sharp pairing knife, remove the thigh bones — simply follow the bone and let your knife do the work for you. You can also ask your butcher to do this.

Lay the chicken, breast side up, in a roasting tray and press down with your hands so that it flattens. Squeeze over the lemon, getting the juice on and around the entire chicken, and throw the lemon halves into the tray. Toss in the garlic cloves, being sure to tuck a few underneath the bird along with the fresh herbs. Liberally salt and pepper the chicken and drizzle over enough olive oil to coat — about 3 tablespoons.

Meanwhile bring a saucepan of water to a boil and season with a few pinches of salt. Boil the potatoes for 8 minutes. Drain the potatoes, put them back in the pot with the lid on and shake vigorously to ‘fluff’ their exteriors. Put the potatoes in the tray with the chicken and drizzle with olive oil to coat (about another 3 tablespoons) and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cover the tray with tinfoil, roast for 20 minutes, remove the tinfoil and baste with the juices that have collected on the bottom. Roast for an additional 20 minutes, uncovered, or until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers at least 165ºF and the skin is browned.

Beautiful Routine - So You Think You Can Dance

Not much needs to be said, we have all been touched by Breast Cancer, and cancer in general. I thought this dance routine was beautiful, and very moving. I lost my sweet Aunt Bev to breast cancer, and my Dad to lung cancer, but I am far, far from alone. Too many of us have lost loved ones to cancer. Enjoy this touching depiction of a troubling topic.