Category
July 23, 2016
Eggplant Lasagna When I am in the mood for comfort food, I can’t think of anything more satisfying than Eggplant Lasagna. Cutting into layers of tender pasta, gooey melted cheese, eggplant, tomato sauce, more cheese. . . Ummmm. Making my own mouth water. 🙂 The thing about a good Lasagna is letting it sit for a few minutes after removing it from the oven so it can firm up. Who can ever wait though? When I make Lasagna, we are...
April 17, 2016
Zesty Garlic Lemon Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs I am so excited that the weather has warmed up and it is actually nice to sit on my back porch and use my grill. I had some of my Saffron Garlic Infused Olive Oil left over from making my dressing for my Chickpea and Orzo Salad and I wanted to use it up. What better use for it than to make a marinade for some grilled chicken. I love garlic and lemon...
April 14, 2016
Chickpea Orzo Salad Something about salad just makes me think summer. This Chickpea Orzo Salad is no exception. It literally screams summer. The crunchy cucumbers and sweet grape tomatoes make this salad really refreshing. This salad would be a great light lunch or side to grilled meats. And if you are looking for a dish to take along to any summer cook-outs you may be going to this summer, you definitely need to make this and take it along. Your vegetarian...
April 13, 2016
Saffron Garlic Infused Olive Oil First of all, before going any further, I would like to address concerns about the price of Saffron. Several people had mentioned wanting a substitute for Saffron because of the price. I included a picture of my Saffron that I bought from TJMAXX with the sticker attached because I wanted to point something out. While Saffron is expensive, you can find bargains sometimes. Plus, if you are only using a pinch of it, the...
December 19, 2015
Lamb Okra Chickpea Stew aka Bamyali Nohutlu Kuzu Et When I think of winter comfort food, Lamb Okra Chickpea Stew aka Bamyali Nohutlu Kuzu Et immediately comes to mind. It is a hearty, satisfying dish that will leave you will a fully belly and make you want to curl up by the fireplace with a good book. If you are not a fan of okra, this dish is one that you should try. It might make an okra lover out of...
July 10, 2015
Nothing says summer like a nice refreshing salad. This salad combines grilled corn, black eyed peas, tomatoes and onions in a tangy olive oil lemon sauce. You could serve this salad with grilled meat or also as a dip with tortilla chips. The next time you grill out and have left over corn, don’t waste it by tossing it out (my pet peeve is wasting food), repurpose it in this Grilled Corn and Black Eyed Pea Salad. Try it out and...
April 14, 2015
My friend Rania recently showed me how she makes Makdous, which is eggplant cured in olive oil and that is the inspiration for my newest pasta recipe, Penne Pasta with Makdous, Tomato and Feta . Making Makdous is a pretty tedious process and I will make a post on that later. I will quickly tell you how it is made. We started by preparing the eggplant. This is just removing the stems. We then boiled the eggplant briefly. Next, we salted...
April 12, 2015
I owe the creation of my Shrimp and Mushroom Angel Hair Pasta Alfredo Recipe to my daughter, Stella. We were talking the other day and she said she was really wanting some creamy pasta with shrimp. I was going with my sister to Birmingham for her doctor’s appointment so I thought I would go by Restaurant Depot and pick up some shrimp. Unfortunately, the only wild caught shrimp they had out was a 5 pound bag of frozen shrimp that...
October 15, 2014
Yalancı Dolma or Fake Dolma are one of my favorite Turkish meze. It was always on the table for our New Years celebrations in Ankara every year. Sevim hanim, my former mother-in-law made the best dolmas ever. The were cooked perfectly every time. Tender leaves on the outside firm never mushy rice on the inside. The mixture of the olive oil and the lemon juice along with all the spices and flavors inside the dolmas would make your tongue...
August 12, 2014
Last night was a Meat-less Monday at our house. Guess what? It was so delicious, we didn’t even miss the meat. Don’t get me wrong, I love meat and don’t ever see myself becoming a vegetarian, but sometimes veggies are the way to go. I have made homemade pasta before and have been wanting to make some wide noodles. I think wide noodles go really well with a creamy vegetable sauce. Of course you have to throw in...
July 20, 2014
Zeytinyağlı Pırasa or Leeks in Olive Oil is a Turkish dish that is traditionally cooked in the winter months. I actually saw some in my grocery store yesterday and couldn’t resist making zeytinyağlı pırasa. This dish is served at room temperature. It is a healthy recipe that I hope you will try soon. Afiyet olsun! Zeytinyağlı Pırasa or Leeks in Olive Oil Save Print A healthy delicious dish that will leave your taste buds longing for more. Author:...
June 26, 2013
A high school friend of mine posted a pic of Sabra Hummus on Facebook a little earlier and I realized that I had still not posted my recipe for this versatile appetizer. It is really easy to make and while I really like Sabra brand, making it homemade is really better and cheaper. Another benefit, no added preservatives. The variations for preparation are endless as well. You could roast some garlic, toast some pine nuts, roast some eggplant or...
