Shereen Elaidi's Website

Professional

I am a PhD student at McGill University studying mathematics. Previously, I completed my B.A. at McGill University in mathematics with a minor in computer science.

Art

Here is some of my art. Everything is done with coloured pencils.

Nefertiti, June 2024

Fish, August 2023

El Professor, May 2022

Minerva, June 2019

Mountains, Feb 2019

Sherlock Holmes, April 2014

Recipes and Food

Below are some of my favourite recipes not from cookbooks (either made myself, from friends, or from family). For cookbooks, The Mediterranean Dish and Le Filles Fattoush are some of my favourites for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking.

Italian summer soup

Ingredients:

  1. 2 chopped onions
  2. 2 chopped carrots
  3. 4 chopped celery sticks
  4. 1 tsp olive oil
  5. 2 tsp sugar
  6. 4 crushed garlic cloves
  7. 2 bay leaves
  8. 3 chopped courgettes
  9. Chopped tomatoes
  10. Vegetable or chicken stock
  11. (optional) pasta
  12. (optional) fresh basil
  13. (optional) chicken

Directions:

  1. Cook onion, carrots, and celery for 20 min in the olive oil.
  2. Add the sugar, garlic, herbs, and courgetts, and cook for 4-5 min.
  3. Add tomatoes, chicken (this should already be cooked), and stock.
    1. Freeze now if making the soup for meal prep
  4. Add pasta. Let it simmer for 6-8 min.

Tabbouleh

Ingredients:

  1. 2 bunches of flat Italian parsley
  2. 2 large tomatoes
  3. 1 lemon
  4. 1/4 cup bulgur
  5. 1 green onion
  6. 1 bunch of mint with leaves removed from the stem
  7. Olive Oil
  8. Salt and pepper
  9. (optional) 1 diced red onion for a sweet taste

Directions:

  1. Chop the parsley very finely.
  2. Measure out 1/4 cup of bulgur and soak it in the lemon juice from one half of the lemon.
  3. Chop the green onion and mint very finely and add.
  4. Dice the tomatoes and add.
  5. Combine the parsley, onion, tomatoes, mint, and bulgur into a bowl.
  6. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Squeeze the remaining half of the lemon onto the salad. Mix everything together.

Bread

Ingredients:

  1. 2 1/4 cups of warm water
  2. 1 1/2 tablespoon of sugar
  3. 1 tablespoon of instant yeast
  4. 2 tablespoons salt
  5. 2 tablespoons oil
  6. 5 1/2 - 6 cups of flour

Directions:

  1. In a bowl, combine the warm water, sugar, and yeast. Let the yeast sit for 3-5 min until it's foamy.
  2. Add salt, oil, and 3 cups of flour to the yeast. Mix for 1-2 min (until it starts to combine).
  3. Ad the remaining 2 1/2 - 3 cups of flour, 1/2 a cup at a time, until the dough leaves less residue.
  4. Knead the ough for 2-3 min until it's smooth.
  5. Let the dough rest for 5 min.
  6. Knead again for 1-2 min.
  7. Transferr the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl. Cover it with a towl.
  8. Let the dough rise in a warm place for approx 1 hour until it doubles in size.
  9. Divide the dough into 2 equal rectanges.
  10. Cover it with the towl again, and let it rise again for 35 - 45 min.
  11. Cut dashes into the top of the dough.
  12. Bake in the oven @ 190 degrees C for 25-30 min until it's lightly brown.

Rice & Ground Beef

This one can probably be made vegetarian by substituting the beef with beans, but I have yet to try this one.

Ingredients:

  1. 1 lb ground beef (~0.5 kg)
  2. 1 Onion
  3. 7 Arabic Spices
  4. 1 teaspoon cardamon
  5. 1 teasponn cinnamon
  6. Salt
  7. Black pepper
  8. Almonds
  9. (optional) Pine nuts if you'd like to treat yourself [expensive]
  10. Olive Oil
  11. Egyptian rice (any medium grain rice works)
  12. 2 cubes of maggie chicken broth

Directions:

  1. Add oil to a pot and fry the almonds in the pot until they're golden. Take them out and put them on a plate with paper until the end.
  2. Cut the onion very finely. Using the same oil as in step 1, saute the onion until it's slighly red.
  3. Add ground beef to the pot with the oil and onions. Mix, and saute until it's slightly cooked.
  4. Add all the spices and the maggie cubes into the mix. Mix it all together.
  5. Add the rice, and mix everything together.
  6. Add water & cover until cooked.

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

  1. 2 Tomatoes
  2. Garlic
  3. Dry oregano
  4. Salt & Pepper
  5. Nutmeg
  6. 1 cube of sugar
  7. Basil
  8. Maggie Chicken broth cube
  9. 1 can of tomato paste

Directions:

  1. Chop the onions and garlic, and let it simmer in olive oil. Add dry oregano.
  2. Add water to the desired amount of sauce.
  3. Grate two tomatoes and add into the pot with onions and garlic.
  4. Add 1 can of tomato paste. Mix everything together.
  5. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, and a little sugar. Optional: add pepper, basil, and maggie chicken broth.
  6. Mix and leave the sauce in the pot until it thickens.

Lazy Cake

Ingredients:

  1. 2 cups of Nesquik chocolate powder
  2. 1 tablespoon of coca powder
  3. 14 tablespoons of unsalted butter
  4. Milk to taste
  5. 6 packs of tea biscuits

Directions:

  1. Melt the butter in the microwave. Combine the chocolate powder, coca powder, and the melted butter together.
  2. Add the milk until the chocolate is the desired taste.
  3. Break the tea biscuits up by hand into small pieces, and add them to the chocolate mix in stages, mixing it all together.
  4. Put the mixture on pieces of wax paper and roll them up into salami shapes. Place them in the freezer for 2-3 hours, or overnight, until frozen.
  5. Cut them into slices.