Pad Thai

Ingredients

10 oz. rice noodles
4 T. brown sugar
1 T. honey
3 T. lime juice
4 T. soy sauce
1 T. sesame oil
3 green onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1x1 inch bulb of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 bunches of broccoli, cut into florets and steamed for 4 minutes
1/2 cup salted peanuts, chopped by food processor
Olive or peanut oil for cooking

Directions

NOTE: In order to cook rice noodles, you shouldn't boil them like you do with semolina pastas; they need to be put into warm (not hot) water and left to sit for 1-3 hours. When you're ready to use them, just drain.

1. Mix together brown sugar, honey, lime juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil; set aside

2. Heat up oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat

3. Toss in scallions, garlic, and ginger and cook for about 1-2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn (be sure to move it around the pan)

4. Add the steamed broccoli, noodles, and soy sauce; toss around until noodles are coated

5. When the noodles are well-coated and everything is evenly distributed, add the peanuts and toss again to spread them around; let noodles sit in pot, cooking, for a minute or two until the noodles have absorbed the sauce

6. Serve immediately.

Veggie Burgers

These are best served with Mango Avocado Salsa (trust me on this). You can also add anything you want to inside them, like shredded zucchini, spinach, or edamame. This is the basic recipe, but I recommend adding onto it!


Burgers

1 14. oz can black beans, drained (I used Bush's seasoned)
A handful or two of baby carrots, finely chopped (these don't cook much, so make it small!)
1 yellow onion, diced
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs (or regular bread crumbs)
1/4 cup wheat germ (or corn meal)
edamame/spinach/zucchini/etc.
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. salt
olive oil for cooking

1. Squish all ingredients (except olive oil) between your fingers until it's consistent. If you prefer a milder taste to the onions, you can saute them in olive oil until translucent before putting into your burgers.

2. Shape into patties big enough to fit your buns and cook in olive oil for 3 minutes a side until lightly browned; serve with salsa!

Buns

Here is the bun recipe in case you're feeling bold (or bored. Or both.)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water
2 envelopes yeast
3/4 cup warm milk (I find 45 seconds in the microwave does the trick!)
1/4 cup sugar (plus one pinch)
3 T. butter, melted but not too hot
2 teaspoons salt
about 5 cups flour (625 g.)
2 eggs
1 egg for brushing (optional; butter can also be used but the effect is not as nice)
sesame seeds (optional)

Directions:

1. Proof yeast in a large bowl with the warm water with a pinch of sugar.

2. Add milk, sugar, butter, salt, and 2 cups of flour and mix with your hand

3. Stir in the 2 eggs

4. Add flour 1/2 cup at a time until a soft dough is formed

5. Knead until smooth, about 5 minutes

6. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes

7. Punch down dough and divide into 8 pieces for buns, 16 pieces for sliders

8. Roll each piece into a ball and place on a lightly greased or parchment-covered baking sheet; cover with a damp cloth and let rise for 30-40 minutes

9. Preheat oven to 400

10. Brush buns with egg (or butter) and sprinkle on sesame seeds if you have them. P

11. Cook for 10-12 minutes

Chinese Chicken and Broccoli

My first time cooking Chinese food! As Borat would say, "great success"! I found a recipe online but didn't really follow it at all, to be perfectly honest. I just kind of played around. I thought Chinese food would be complicated (thus never having tried it before) but it seems like if you have enough sesame and soy sauce you can't really go wrong. Murat was crazy about this, even the ginger, and that's saying something. This probably works better if you have a wok; I just used a frying pan, and it was fine.

Also, when I made this I put in soy sauce AND hoisin sauce, and it was way too salty for my taste (Murat liked it, though). This adds more soy sauce to the hoisin sauce and doesn't put in more, which I think would have been better.

This is my attempt at recreating it, but it may not be exact. Play with it! I think it's hard to get wrong.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size chunks
4 cloves garlic, pressed or very finely chopped
1 2x1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 T. chicken broth (low-sodium if you can find it)
2 large heads of broccoli, cut into florets
1 tsp. corn starch
olive or peanut oil for cooking (can add a dash of sesame oil for flavor)
seseme seeds for garnish (skip if you don't have any)
homemade hoisin sauce**

**Hoisin Sauce
(Honestly, I'm not sure how exactly the proportions were, so these are estimates; fix to taste)
3-4 T. soy sauce
1 T. honey
almost 1 T. tahini (or smooth peanut butter)
2 tsp. sesame oil
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. black or white pepper
2 garlic cloves, pressed

Directions

1. Saute the chicken on medium-high heat in the olive (or peanut)/sesame oil mixture until cooked through and lightly brown; set aside

2. Put a little more oil in the pan and saute the garlic and ginger for about 30 seconds to a minute (don't burn the garlic!) on medium

3. Add the cayenne pepper, broccoli florets, and half the chicken broth; cook until broccoli florets are looking green and tender and most of the chicken broth is evaporated

4. Whisk the hoisin sauce with the cornstarch

5. Add hoisin sauce, rest of the chicken broth, and chicken to pan, and cook until sauce is thickened

6. Serve over rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Again, a slight variation from King Arthur Flour. I made the ones on the back of the tollhouse package the other day, and blech, they were so tasteless. These were SOOO good!

Ingredients

2/3 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup (stick and a half) butter, room temperature
1/4 cup crisco
1/2 - 1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract, optional
1 tsp. vinegar, cider or white
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
2 cups flour (250 g.)
1 11.5 oz. package chocolate chips (or 2 cups)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Cream butter, shortening, and sugars

3. Add rest of ingredients except egg, flour, and chocolate chips; mix until smooth

4. Beat egg into mixture until smooth

5. Add flour

6. Add chocolate chips

7. Drop heaping tablespoons into parchment-lined cookie sheet

8. Cook for 10-11 minutes

(makes 3 dozen)

Almond Cloud Cookies

These are only slightly different than from the King Arthur website where I found them. If I had infinite time and money, I would do nothing but cook their recipes all day. These are chewy and crunchy and almondy and AMAZING! I would probably add a little lemon zest next time.

Ingredients:

10 oz. almond paste (from the reviews, you really should use love n'bake!)
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/4 tsp. vanilla
2 egg whites
confectioner sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325

2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper

3. Mix almond paste, sugar, and salt with a food processor (I use a pastry cutter) until it's a consistently crumbly texture.

4. Add in egg whites until uniform

5. Add in almond and vanilla extract

6. Drop heaping tablespoons on parchment paper; top generously with confectioners sugar, then use 3 fingers to make a dent in the top

7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until just starting to brown around the edge

8. Cool in the pan

Raclette

A swiss classic. They sell $200 raclette makers at Williams Sonoma, but honestly, I can't think of anyone who would make enough raclette to warrant one. When I was in France my host family used to put the cheese over boiled potatoes in a casserole dish and pop it in the oven, although my other French friend was horrified at the prospect, since (rightly) the cheese really should be melted beforehand and poured over the potatoes. A saucepan seemed to have worked just fine.

To be truly traditional, this should be served with cornichons (little pickles) and salami or ham. I like it just plain, thank you very much. This also goes great with wine (white, theoretically, but I think it's beautiful with a lighter red, like a Languedoc).

By the way, since certain philistines think that raclette "stinks" (oh, how wonderfully does it stink!) I mixed in a little cream cheese (a very little) so take some of the edge off. It mellowed it out a little but you couldn't taste it. By the way, said philistine will eat kokorec, which is just as disgusting as it sounds. Hypocrite.

Ingredients

6-8 medium-sized potatoes
1/2 lb. raclette
cream cheese (entirely optional)
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Dice potatoes into 1 inch cubes and boil on high heat until tender

2. Meanwhile, melt sliced raclette in a small saucepan on low heat (2-3 on a 10-point scale), stirring at least once every minute.

3. You'll know the cheese is ready when it begins to get a little bubbly, is a consistent color, and (most importantly), flows down the spoon like a thick waterfall; add cream cheese at the very end if you, too, think it stinks, and stir in until consistent

4. Place cooked potatoes on a serving dish, sprinkle a little salt on them, and pour the cheese over the potatoes. Top with pepper and serve! (Can layer if the serving dish is small).

Sweet Potato Fries

New and improved method! The cornstarch makes for crispier fries, although of course they will never be as crunchy as deep fried regular potatoes.

Ingredients

2 sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil (approximately)
1-2 T. lime juice
1 T. cornstarch (approximate)
cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400

2. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into even-sized pieces.

3. Place potatoes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, being careful to spread them out so they don't pile on top of each other

4. Drizzle olive oil over sweet potatoes, then ground pepper, a few pinches of salt, and a couple dashes of cayenne. Drizzle lime juice over the potatoes, then sprinkle cornstarch on the potatoes.

5. Mix with your hands until consistent and the cornstarch "disappears"

6. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn over and continue to bake for 10 minutes or so. Turn off the oven until they're the consistency you like!

Rosemary Garlic Bread

As you could probably tell from my blog, I think rosemary improves everything. Yes, everything. I would put it on my cereal if it were socially acceptable.

I didn't think this was worth putting up but my mother asked me to and she's the only person who reads this blog besides me :P

Ingredients

1 loaf French bread, sliced
2-3 T. butter, melted
2-3 T. olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 large sprig rosemary, chopped

Directions

1. Place slices of bread on a cookie sheet and toast (I usually make this with something else so I just put it in with whatever temperature the oven happens to be on, but 350 is fine) until JUST beginning to harden, but not brown

2. Combine melted butter, olive oil, garlic, and chopped rosemary

3. Brush mixture on bread slices and continue to toast for another 5-10 minutes**

**If the toast doesn't toast on the bottom, toast one side first then turn over to brush on the mixture

Mango Sticky Rice

My mother introduced me to this wonderful Thai dessert, and at $6 a pop at our local Thai restaurant, I ventured to make it at home. I found a lot of different recipes that I boiled down to this one; it's new to me but I'm writing it as I made it, but I think some things are probably optional (cornstarch, brown sugar instead of white).

Anyway, being used to basmati rice, which is boiled, I had no idea how to work with sticky rice, which apparently needs to be steamed in a bamboo steamer. I was even all set to buy one, but before I did I thought I'd just try steaming it the way I steam regular vegetables and it worked BEAUTIFULLY! Boil some water at the bottom of a big pot, place a the steamer basket on top filled with rice and lined with 2 paper towels, cover, and cook! Who needs fancy rice cookers?

Ingredients

2 cups (thereabouts) Thai glutinous rice
1 can coconut milk
4 T. brown sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 tsp. salt
Toasted seseme seeds (can do without if unavailable)
A couple mangoes (preferably yellow ones!)

Directions

1. Steam the rice according to directions (again, if you don't have a bamboo pot, use the directions above). Be sure to soak the rice for at least two hours, then drain it, then steam for about 30 minutes.

2. In separate pot, add half of coconut milk, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1-2 T. brown sugar (taste it so it suits your sweetness preference; keep in mind that it will be less sweet on the rice than it is in the pot)

3. Add the cooked rice the the coconut milk mixture and let sit, covered, for at least 20 minutes to let the rice soak it up.

4. In a small pot, mix the rest of the coconut milk with 1/4 tsp. salt, the cornstarch, and as much sugar as you like.

5. When it's ready, serve rice topped with warm sauce and seseme seeds beside a sliced mango.

Rosemary Olive Oil Loaf

They sell these at Harris Teeter, and without the foggiest notion of what I was doing I threw some ingredients together to see if I could imitate it and the result was much better. Really, really good stuff!

Ingredients

2 1/2 - 3 cups flour (313 - 375 g.)
1 cup warm (not hot) water
1 packet rapid rise yeast
1 T. sugar
1+ tsp. salt
2 T. olive oil
Leaves from one sprig rosemary (10" tall), chopped

Directions

1. Mix yeast and sugar in a bowl, add water; let sit for 10-15 minutes

2. Add salt and olive oil and rosemary, mix

3. Add 2 cups of flour, then continue adding flour a bit at a time until a cohesive dough forms (you can add more as you knead)

4. Knead for 10 minutes

5. Form into a ball by slightly stretching dough around itself, lightly grease ball with olive oil, and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise for 50-60 minutes

6. Take dough out and flatten with your fingers; fold like you're folding a letter to go into an envelope, then again the other way so it forms a square. Place back in the bowl and let rise for 40 minutes.

7. Divide dough in 2, and for each loaf flatten with your finger tips, fold in half, then form into a final ball by stretching the tops and folding it into itself

8. Let sit on parchment paper for 40 minutes

9. Meanwhile, place a baking stone or upside down baking sheet in the oven and an empty pan below it while you preheat the oven at 400 (yes, leave it for a long time so the baking stone gets nice and hot).

10. Make a few slashes across the top of the dough and brush or spray with olive oil

11. Place in the oven for 20-25 minutes until dough is lightly browned

Raspberry Clafoutis

This elegant dish makes me look like a dessert genius who spent hours in the kitchen. Shhh...it's really easy.

This is traditionally made with cherries, and die-hard clafoutis makers will tell you that any other fruit is blasphemy, as is pitting the cherries. However, Murat, who is a philistine, hates cooked cherries, so raspberries it is. If I had put cherries in I would have probably added a little almond extract and taken out the nutmeg.

Ingredients

1/2 cup flour (63 g.)
1 large pinch salt
3/8 cup sugar
a couple dashes of nutmeg
lemon zest (I also used a little lime zest)
1 tsp. vanilla
3 eggs
3 T. butter, melted
1 cup whole milk
4-8 oz. raspberries (depending on whether you want your clafoutis fruitier or custardier)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

1. Whisk flour, salt, sugar, and nutmeg

2. Whisk in lemon zest, eggs, vanilla, and butter, keep whisking for about 2 minutes

3. Whisk in half and half/milk and continue to whisk for about 2 minutes

4. Place raspberries (1 layer deep, with as few or as many raspberries as you care for) at the bottom of a buttered tart pan (the earthern kind, not the metal kind)

5. Pour mixture over raspberries and pop in the oven for 20-25 minutes (the edges will start to turn golden and puffy and the center will set, which you will see when you move the pan around; a knife inserted in the center should come out clean).

6. Take out of oven and allow to cool. Sift powdered sugar over it for a more traditional look right before you serve it (can be served hot or cold!)

Rice Pudding

Murat wanted to make sutlac (Turkish rice pudding), but didn't have any cornstarch. This was my attempt. Doesn't look anything like sutlac, but it's really, really good anyway :) I'm thinking some cardammon would be good in it (just a touch) but I didn't have any on hand. You could also add raisins (towards the end to make them plump) if you felt like it.

Ingredients

1 cup cooked rice (cook about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of dry rice, cooked)
2 cups whole milk (I put half and half or cream in for some of the milk)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup honey/sugar (I use a 3:1 ratio, about; add about 1/8 cup of honey and increase sweetness to taste)

Directions

1. Heat rice, milk, and vanilla together over medium heat; once it starts to boil, lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes to thicken

2. Add sugar/honey, cinnamon, and salt and mix well (I topped with sliced almonds)

3. Pour into 4 small bowls and cool in the refridgerator (not when it's too hot, or you'll take the heat away from other things in your fridge!)

Bagels...no joke!

Found this online; it was AMAZING. I'm putting it here for safekeeping. I cut this in half and used one package of yeast, so the two packets of yeast of a guess. I'll have to try it and see.

Also, I made plain ones so I didn't "waste seseme seeds" (anonymous quotation...ahem). If you want to add seeds of some sort, place bagels on seeds right after it boils (only one side!) and cook that side first.

Ingredients

3 cups of flour (375 g.)
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups water
1 T. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 packets rapid rise yeast
1 T. oil (I used olive)
1/2 tsp. baking soda (apparently optional, but theoretically makes crust thicker)

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except baking soda into a large bowl (I proof the yeast in water separately, but the recipe said it wasn't necessary)

2. Knead for 10 minutes (important!)

3. Divide into 8 equal-sized pieces, and roll each piece into a ball. Let sit for 20 minutes.

4. After 20 minutes are up, roll each ball into a rope about as wide as your two hands, and wrap it around your non-dominant hand and pinch the ends shut so it forms a ring

5. Begin to boil water, adding baking soda, and preheating oven to 425 (just so they'll be ready when you need them)

6. Let the shaped bagels sit for 20 minutes

7. After 20 minutes, when the bagels are nice and puffy, place bagels (as many as can fit, don't crowd!) on the water for 1 minute; turn and boil for another minute

8. Take bagels out to let them dry for about a minute, then place on parchment paper (or a lightly-greased baking sheet)

9. Cook for 10 minutes; flip over and cook for another 10 minutes

10. Let cool before eating (or don't :)

Feta and Gruyere Mac N Cheese

Ingredients

1/2 lb. pasta (I prefer tubular pasta of any kind)
4 oz. gruyere
5. oz feta
2 T. flour (30 g.)
3 T. butter
1 bunch dill, chopped
1 1/2 cups milk
lemon zest from one lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 400

1. Cook pasta according to directions; when ready, drain and set aside

2. In a small bowl, mash 1/2 T. butter, a little bit of the feta, a little bit of the dill and one pinch of lemon zest, and mash together with a fork; set aside

3. Over medium heat, melt the rest of the butter; once it's melted, add the flour and whisk constantly for 2 minutes

4. Add the milk to the butter/flour mixture, and let sit and cook until thick and bubbly (about 5 minutes)

5. When it's ready, stir in remaining lemon zest, gruyere, feta, and dill; stir until uniform

6. Pour over the pasta and mix with a wooden spoon until pasta is coated

7. Put into a casserole dish; sprikle top with feta/dill/lemon zest mixture that you had set aside

8. Put in the oven for about 20 minutes

Pita Bread

Mmmmm...

Ingredients

3 cups flour (more for kneading) (375 g.)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. sugar
1 packet instant yeast
1 1/2 cups water, slightly warm
2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions

1. Proof the yeast in the water

2. Mix flour, salt, and sugar

3. Add the olive oil and the yeast and water to the flour mixture; blend until dough forms (too wet, add more flour, too dry, add more water)

4. Knead for 10 minutes

5. Place ball of dough into a lightly greased bowl, cover and let rise for about 90 minutes

6. Roll the dough out into a long rope and divide into 8 pieces

7. Roll each piece into a ball and cover with a damp cloth; let sit for 20 minutes

8. Roll out each piece into a 6x6 inch disc; place on parchment paper or a lightly greased baking sheet and allow to rise, uncovered, for about 30-40 minutes

9. Place an upside-down baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees (make sure the baking sheet gets really hot!)

10. Place the pita (on the parchment paper) onto the preheated baking sheet and cook for about 3 minutes; you'll notice when it's ready because the dough gets really puffy!

11. You can stop here if you intend to eat it later; otherwise, cook slightly longer until it's crispy and maybe turn it over for a minute or two.

Pumpkin Pie

CRUST

6 T. butter
1/3 cup crisco
2 cups flour (250 g.)
1 tsp. salt
1 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup ice cold water


1. Mix flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl

2. Cut butter and shortening into the mixture

3. Add ice cold water a couple tablespoons at a time until crust just holds together

4. Wrap ball of dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10-30 minutes

5. Roll dough out on a floured surface and put in a pie pan!


Pumpkin Filling

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) pumpkin
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk

1. Preheat oven to 425.

2. Mix all ingredients and put into uncooked pie crust.

3. Bake for 15 minutes at 425, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake for another 40-50 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Stuffed Shells

Ingredients

1 box Jumbo pasta shells
1/2 jar pasta sauce (about)
15 oz. ricotta
1 cup mozarella cheese
3 T. parmesan
(a little goat cheese if you have it; this makes it really good!)
(a sprinkle of cheddar if you have it)
1 egg
1 clove garlic
1 bunch fresh basil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions

Heat oven to 350

1. Boil the pasta according to the directions (add olive oil to the water to make sure they don't stick)

2. Meanwhile, chop basil, parmesan, and garlic (and goat cheese) in a food processor

3. Mix the above mixture with the ricotta, egg, mozarella, cheddar, and salt and pepper in a large bowl

3. Put pasta sauce along the bottom of a baking pan until it is just covers the bottom

4. When the shells are cooked, run them under cold water so they're cool to the touch and place them along the pan so they're spread out; stuff each shell with a spoonful of the cheese mixture

5. Spoon some more pasta sauce over the top, and if you like, sprinkle with a little mozarella. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Creamy Butternut Squash-Sweet Potato Soup (sans creme)

I made butternut squash before using a fresh squash and it was the biggest pain in the butt of my life. I love this stuff, but couldn't bear to make it again. I found some canned butternut squash, and thus the recipe for easy soup was born! By the way, most butternut squash soup recipes call for several cups of heavy cream...ouch. I couldn't find any good recipes online so I made this one up, and added sweet potatoes since I had some in the cupboard that were going bad; it was a good call! Also, you could probably use fresh butternut squash in this, as opposed to canned, but a) I'm lazy and b) I'm cheap. Oh, and I forgot the garlic when I made this. It turned out just fine, but I think some garlic would be nice.

Ingredients

1 15. oz can pureed butternut squash
1-2 sweet potatoes, cut into cubes
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, pressed/very finely chopped
2 tablespoons (or thereabouts) fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 can condensed chicken broth, plus water (could probably use non-condensed; about 20 oz., or one 14 oz. can plus water)
2-3 T. butter
A little bit of milk (optional)
Cinammon, nutmeg, cloves, and/or black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Saute the onions at the bottom of your soup pan with enough butter to coat them; add garlic towards the end when the onions are getting transparent

2. Add chicken broth/water, ginger, and sweet potatoes. Boil on medium-low heat until sweet potatoes are tender (about 40 minutes).

3. Puree everything with a food processor until smooth

4. Put back in the soup pot and add butternut squash and spices (and milk or cream if you feel like it, but it's totally unecessary).

Garlic Rosemary Roast Chicken

Ingredients

1 whole chicken
10 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
7 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 tsp. salt
A whole bunch of rosemary
2 cups hot (not boiling) water
1 cup olive oil
Pepper to taste
Cool water
Chicken broth or boillion cube

Directions

Prepare the chicken in brine:

1. Place 3 sprigs of rosemary, 1 tsp. of salt, and 10 unpeeled garlic cloves in a ziplock bag with the air squeazed out and mash it with a meat mallot or rolling pin or someother heavy object.

2. Place the ingredients in a pot of the hot water for about 10 minutes, then add 1 cup of cool water

3. Add the hot water mix and the chicken to a large bag and add enough cool water to cover the chicken; close the bag and leave in the fridge at least one hour, preferably overnight

When it's been brined:

Preheat oven to 450

4. Press the peeled garlic and rub it in with the salt in a small bowl

5. Meanwhile, chop the rosemary and add it to the garlic, then add the olive oil

6. Take the chicken out of the brine and pat it dry; rub the olive oil/garlic/rosemary mix all over the chicken, slipping some under the skin and in the cavity

7. Add chicken broth to the bottom of the roasting pan, and place the chicken on a rack over the roasting pan

8. Cook for 30 minutes breast side down, basting occasionally with the chicken broth at the bottom of the pan

9. Lower the temperature to 400; take the chicken out and place it breastside up on the roasting pan. Chicken is ready when a thermometer at the thickest part of the breast reads 160 degrees.

Spinach Dip

This is a modified (and WAY better) version of the directions on the packet.

Ingredients:

1 package Knorr or Lipton Vegetable Soup Mix
1 package (10 oz.) chopped frozen spinach (more is fine); defrosted and drained
1 giant bunch of dill (however much you can get at once at the grocery store), chopped
3 chopped green onions
1 cup mayo
1 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Mix it all together! Serve with pita.

Banana Bread

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
5 T. butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup flour (156 g.)
5 very ripe bananas
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
Two dashes of nutmeg
Several dashes of cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

1. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs.

2. In small separate bowl, mix baking soda and sour cream; set aside

3. To sugar/butter/egg mixture, add flour, bananas, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt

4. Fold in sour cream mixture; throw in walnuts if you've got 'em

5. Pour into greased loaf pan; bake for 75 minutes, or until knife comes out clean

Ginger Molassas Cookies

Really soft and yummy...all the ginger and none of the snap!

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (281 g.)
2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
1/3 cup more white sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350

1. Combine flour, sugar, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon

2. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with the sugar

3. To the butter sugar mixture, add the egg

4. To the butter sugar egg mixture, add the water and molasses

5. Combine wet and dry ingredients.

6. Separate into 24 little balls; roll in the extra sugar and place a dozen on a cookie sheet

7. Flatten each cookie slightly with the back of a spoon and bake for 10 minutes.

Baba Ghanouj

I'm not sure if I spelled it right, but it sure is good! This is very simple for even the laziest cooks, and much better than the junk you get in a plastic container full of preservatives.

Ingredients

1 large eggplant
3 T. olive oil
2 T. tahini
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
3 T. lemon juice (or juice of 1 lemon)
3/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Cut eggplant in half lengthwise, rub olive oil on the two halves, and place face down on a cookie sheet. Cook for 35 minutes.

3. When the eggplant is out of the oven and slightly cooled off, scoop it into a food processor along with the other ingredients.

4. Pulse until JUST blended.

Vegan (almost) pesto sauce

This comes from Chef Chloe's blog with just a few modifications, and I'm just putting it here for safe keeping. It is really, REALLY good and so healthy it should be illegal.

Ingredients:

1 lb. fettucine
2 ripe avocados
A whole lot of basil (the entire container you buy from a grocery store; more never hurts)
1/2 cup pine nuts (since these are super expensive, you can sub half walnuts/half sunflower seeds, but won't be as good)
3-4 T. lemon juice (or whole lemon's worth)
3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp. honey

Directions

1. While boiling the pasta, mix everything else in a food processor. Toss pesto sauce with still warm pasta.

Can be served with sundried tomatoes.

Almond Apple Pie / Apple Galette

*updated*

I made this once and it turned out really well, but then made it a couple more times and the apples were really dry. I've updated the recipe by slicing the apples a little thicker, pre-cooking the apples, and covering them during cooking. Turned out REALLY well!

If you want to leave out the almond paste, you will have a simple and delicious apple galette instead! But if I were you I would leave in the almond extract, since it goes so well with the apples and is very subtle.

This is a really easy-to do crust that is astoundingly delicious. Don't use store-bought or you will be disappointed!

Crust:

1 1/4 cup flour (156 g.)
2 T. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup crisco (or 3 T. crisco, 3 T. butter)
1 T. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup ice water

Also:

1/2 cup maple syrup or agave (I use a 50/50 blend from trader joe's)
slivered almonds (optional)

Filling:

3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1 cm. thick (you heard me) slices
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
2 T. butter

Plus around 4 oz. almond paste, flattened with a rolling pie

Directions

Start with the crust; preheat oven to 375:

1. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and sugar

2. Using a pastry cutter (food processor) blend crisco into flour until it's crumby looking (not crummy looking, hopefully!)

3. Add vanilla and almond extract, then ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough just holds together

4. Wrap in plastic wrap and put in the fridge while you make you apples (or about 10 minutes)

5. Peel, core, and chop the apples then mix them in a large bowl with the cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and vanilla and almond extracts

6. Over medium-high heat, melt butter in a large frying pan; add apple mixture and cook until very slightly cooked (approximately 5 minutes)

7. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll out on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin. Place the dough in a pie pan, letting it fall over the sides (or a parchment-lined baking sheet).

8. Roll the almond paste until very thing and tear off pieces, dotting the bottom of the pie crust like a dalmation's spots.

9. Add apples to the center (put any leftover liquid in last), then fold the edges over so that the pie is still "open-faced" but has a 1-2 inch border of crust on the top

10. Brush crust border with maple syrup and sprinkle whole pie with sugar and slivered almonds

11. Cover exposed apples loosely with a fitted piece of aluminum foil. Bake for 35-40 minutes until crust is golden.

Jeanette's Chicken Salad

This is the best chicken salad I have ever had. I could probably eat a bathtub full of this stuff. (This isn't the nasty, mayonnaise-infested rubbish that people put in sandwiches, by the way; it's a stand alone dish). Many thanks to Jeanette for the recipe!

BTW: Since I'm breastfeeding and can't eat parsley, I replaced the parsley with several sprigs of dill and leaves from a couple sprigs of tarragon (a little goes a long way!) It made it much more savory, but not nearly as summery.

Ingredients:

2 lbs. chicken breast
1/2 cup* regular mayonnaise
1 tsp* honey
2-3 stalks chopped celery
1/2 cup* halved red grapes
handful of parsley chopped
salt and pepper
*All amounts are approximate, as I do it by sight. Tweak the amounts to suit your taste.

Directions:

Cook the chicken breast and allow to cool enough to handle. Shred chicken into small pieces. Chop celery, parsley and grapes and add to chicken. Add honey, salt and pepper, and mayonnaise. Mix and tweak to taste!

Another variation that I really like has dried cranberries and toasted walnut pieces instead of the grapes and celery; all the other ingredients stay the same. This is particularly good in the fall :)

Murat's Salmon Salad Sandwich

Ingredients

1 large pouch/can of salmon
1 tomato, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1/3 long cucumber, cubed
several sprigs of dill, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
3 T. lemon juice
mayonaise
bread

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except mayonnaise and bread

2. Spread mayonnaise onto bread, add salad!

A good time had by all!

Lemon-Basil Chicken

This is a very light, easy to make chicken that's wonderful if you don't have a lot of time. It's much better with fresh herbs as opposed to dried (why would you ever use dried dill, by the way?)


Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, cut into chunks (can also be done with whole thighs)
Juice of 1 lemon
1 T. white vinegar
several sprigs of fresh dill, chopped (or 2 T. dried)
several leaves of fresh basil, chopped (or 2 T. dried)
1 T. honey
1 T. grainy mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except chicken

2. Add chicken and marinate for 2 hours

3. Cook in a covered pan until chicken is cooked through

Matzoh Spinach Pizza

I tried this as a way to sneak some spinach into my diet (the baby builder of champions!), and it was so good that I'll probably eat this even when I can have real pizza! Wonderful for spinach lovers and haters alike, since you can taste the spinach but barely.

Ingredients

3 matzoh crackers
10 oz. frozen spinach (or thereabouts!)
1 small to medium onion
2 T. olive oil
1/2 cup mozarella
Store-bought spaghetti sauce
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350

2. Saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent; add the frozen spinach and mix until cooked

3. Spread spaghetti sauce onto the matzoh crackers

4. Add sauteed spinach onto the matzohs and sprinkle with the mozarella; top with oregano, basil, and black pepper

5. Place in the oven on a aluminium foil covered cookie sheet until cheese is melted

Breakfast smoothie

This was shown to me by my friend Alexis, who made this delicious smoothie for me when I went to visit her. It's healthy and delicious and is a lifesaver over passover when there isn't much to be found without corn syrup. It's also great to make a smoothie without any ice, which never really gets fully crushed in the blender. I love that I can get all those awesome berry nutrients without the expense and waste of the too-quick-to-rot fresh berries. My version has been slightly modified from hers.

Ingredients

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups of frozen fruit (blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and mangoes work well; mix them up!)
1/2 fresh banana (optional)

Some great additives: flax seeds, wheat germ, and/or a handful of frozen spinach (trust me, you won't taste it)

Directions

Blend in a blender! Nice and easy. If the blender can't seem to crush your berries, adding more liquid should do the trick.

Baked Salmon

Ingredients

2 salmon steaks or filets
1-2 heaping T. of grainy mustard (depending on taste)
1/4 T. olive oil
1/2 tsp. basil
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 bunch of fresh dill
Sliced lemon
Salt to taste (optional)


Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, basil and pepper. Add salmon steaks and marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (ideally turned halfway through so the marinade gets all over)

2. When the marinating is done, preheat oven to 375.

3. Place salmon filets on a sheet (one for each) of aluminium foil. Place sprigs of dill and lemon slices on top of the salmon and wrap up the foil.

4. Put wrapped salmon into a pyrex or glass plate and cook for 45 minutes, or until it will flake with a fork.

Steak Marinade

This was Murat's idea. Makes a very yummy, slightly spicy steak. He cooks the meat, though (man's job), so all I know is the marinade. This is enough for 2 steaks.

Ingredients

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1-2 tsp. black pepper (I'm more on the side of 2 tsp., but some might find that overpowering)
1-2 heaping T. plain yogurt
1/2 cup olive oil

Mix the ingredients in a bowl, then add the steak, turning it over so it's covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and keep it in the fridge for at least an hour.

Murat's Chicken Soup

Soul food for everyone! This is about as basic and simple a chicken soup as you can get. It's really nice when you get sick (G-d fahbid!)

Ingredients

1/8 cup olive oil
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
Handful of chopped baby carrots (optional; I don't like cooked carrots ruining my soup!)
3 small potatoes, diced
2 gloves of garlic, chopped or minced
1/2 tsp. oregano
3+ T. lemon juice
Huge bunch of fresh dill, chopped
2 chicken breasts
Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

1. In a large soup pot, saute the onion in the olive oil. When it is almost translucent, add the garlic and saute that, too (tends to burn, be careful!)

2. Add the diced potatoes and chopped celery and fill the pot with water so it just covers all the ingredients

3. Add the chicken breast, lemon juice, oregano and dill to the pot. Cover with additional water if needed.

4. Allow to simmer for 45 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through.

5. Once the chicken is cooked, pull it out of the pot and shred it with a knife; return shredded chicken to the pot

6. Salt and pepper to taste; voila!

Pasta Caprese

This is a perfect spring/summer dish, but cleaning the pot is kind of a pain.

Ingredients

2/3 box of shell pasta
Several sprigs of fresh basil
1 large or 2 small cloves or garlic, VERY finely chopped
1-2 medium tomatoes
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
2 T. olive oil (plus more for cooking)
Fresh ground pepper to taste


Directions

1. Boil the macaroni with olive oil and salt

2. Meanwhile, chop the basil, tomatoes, and garlic

3. When pasta is tender, drain and stir in the olive oil, basil, tomatoes, and garlic

4. Sprinkle in the cheese a little at a time; if you put it in all at once, it will all clump up on the spoon and won't spread around much on the pasta (you may still need to separate the cheese a little)

5. Add pepper at the end when it is a plate/in a bowl, otherwise it may clump up in the cheese

Avocado and Tomato Salad

This is like a deconstructed guacomole. Makes a nice, light lunch.

Ingredients

2 avocados, cut into bite-size chunks
2 tomatoes, cut into bite-size chunks
Lime juice from 1 lime (or lime juice to taste)
4 T. olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
1 garlic clove, very finely choppped (optional)


Directions

Mix it all together, being careful not to mush the avocados. If you put too much lime juice, add more pepper/salt (and visa-versa). You can add jalepenos or cilantro if you want to.

Gozleme

These are like Turkish crepes, but a little more savory than sweet. Not for those intolerant of lactose :) If you have a Turkish store in your neighborhood, you can buy the really thin dough from them. Otherwise, you'll need to make it yourself (sort of a pain, but at least you won't need to workout your shoulders at the gym that day).


Dough Ingredients

1 cup flour (more if needed) (125 g.)
1/3 yeast packet
A little less than 1/2 cup water, room temperature
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar

Dough Directions

1. Mix flour and salt in one bowl and yeast, sugar, and water in another.

2. Add water mixture to flour mixture while stirring until a dough forms (add more water if needed)

3. When it can stick together into a dough, place on a floured counter and knead for approximately 10 minutes, or until it becomes smooth

4. Put dough back in bowl and cover with a damp paper towel/washcloth for at least 15 minutes

5. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces; let sit for at least 20 minutes

6. Roll them out as thin as you can (more flour will likely come in handy at this point). Turks get it paper thin. How? I don't know. My dough is always a little lumpy.


Filling Ingredients

1 part feta cheese
1 part chopped fresh parsley
1 part ricotta cheese
Ground pepper to taste (I like loads!)

(1 cup each is a good guideline)


Filling Directions

1. Mix together. There, wasn't that easy?


Actual Gozleme Directions

Fill half of rolled out dough with the filling and pinch closed; cook in frying pan with olive oil or butter (depending on taste) until browned. Serve immediately.

Sour Cream Doughnuts

Another Hannukah classic...just in time for Passover. You wouldn't believe how simple these are (doughnuts always seemed so...complicated). Surprisingly little sugar (but I'm sure the oil and sour cream don't make it any healthier!)

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups flour (312 g.)
1 tsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 T. sugar
1 T. vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
Oil for cooking


Directions

1. Mix flour, baking powder, eggs, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla together in large bowl

2. In deep frying pan, heat oil (deep enough for 1 inch of dough)

3. Roll dough into balls and cook a couple at a time for 3-5 minutes

4. Remove and coat with powdered sugar

Latkes

A Hannukah classic, just in time...for Passover. Oh, well. These are very tasty, but I hope your house is well-ventilated! Serve it with the classics: sour cream and/or applesauce!


Ingredients

1/2 large onion, chopped
6 baking potaties, peeled
2 beaten eggs
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 T. flour (30 g.)
1/4 tsp. white pepper
Oil for cooking


Directions

1. Grate potatoes and place them in cold water

2. When you're finished grating them, remove water by draining the potatoes through a sieve, then mix them

3. Mix the potatoes and onions together in a large bowl

4. Add eggs, baking powder, salt, flour, and pepper

5. Shape into 3-inch pancakes (add more flour if the pancakes are not sticking together, but usually 2 tablespoons is fine)

6. Cook in oil (medium-high to high heat) for about 4 minutes on each side; place cooked latkes on a paper-towel covered plate

Ginger Yogurt Chicken

Marinade for chicken (I like breasts, cubed, about 4):

2 1/2 cups yogurt
Lemon juice (1 lemon's worth or 2 T.)
2 T. fresh ginger, sliced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, pressed (or finely chopped)
2 T. olive oil


Directions

Marinate overnight (or at least for a couple of hours), then cook on stovetop until chicken is cooked through. Eh, voila, tres simple, no?


Just make sure not to marry Turks, who don't like ginger :(

Lasagna

The idea of making lasagna always seemed a little daunting to me. This was surprisingly easy (minus the multitasking and long list of ingredients) and incredibly delicious; beats any restaurant lasagna!

I add spinach to the ricotta, which makes it slightly healthier. Spinach haters rejoice! You can barely taste it.

Ingredients

9 lasagna noodles
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup onion
1 clove garlic
2 cans tomato paste (6 oz. each)
1 jar pasta sauce sauce
2 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. basil, oregano, marjoram (or whatever Italiany herbs you feel like)
1/2 tsp. pepper (I like a little more)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg
1 15 oz container of ricotta
1 bag frozen spinach (thawed and drained; optional)
2 cups mozzarella
1/4 cup parmesan
Olive oil for cooking (about 2 T)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Boil the lasagna noodles until tender (put some olive oil in the pot to prevent them from sticking to each other)

3. While lasagna is boiling, on medium-high heat, saute onions in the olive oil, adding garlic a little later (it tends to scorch). Add the beef and brown it.

4. Add tomato paste, spaghetti sauce, sugar, pepper, basil, oregano, and salt, and lower the heat

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the ricotta and egg and the frozen spinach if you have it.

6. When all your ingredients are ready, put 1/4 sauce at the bottom of a lasagna pan. The add noodles, 1/4 of the sauce, 1/2 of the ricotta, then 1/3 of the mozzarella. Layer again, eventually ending with noodles, sauce, and mozzarella. There should be, in total, 4 layers of meat, 2 layers of ricotta, 3 layers of noodles, and 3 layers of mozzarella (last one with parmasan). At this point you can refrigerate it for up to a couple of days so that you can pop it into the oven whenever you need it.



7. Cover with foil (rub bottom with olive oil so it doesn't stick to the lasagna) and put in the oven for 25 minutes; remove foil and cook for an additional 15-30 minutes (until it's bubbly)

This makes a LOT of lasagna, so either feed a party or a family or be prepared for leftovers.

Beetroot with apples and goat cheese

Exactly like it sounds. This is a surprisingly tasty recipe, despite the oddity of the combination. This is a great way to get your folate/fiber! My cousin Ilya made this recipe for me when I was visiting him, and it has made a beetroot fan out of this previous hater.


Ingredients

3 cooked beetroots (I buy them packaged, since I'm lazy, but if you are hardcore you can peel and steam them yourself)
2 granny smith apples, cored
Goat cheese


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375

2. Slice the beetroots and apples horizontally into 1/2 inch slices

3. Place the apples onto an aluminium foil lined cookie sheet and place the sliced beats on top

4. Put goat cheese on top, amount depending on your taste (I like it sliced into medallions [or the undignified "crottes", as they say in France], but you can crumble it on top if you want to keep it light)

5. Cook until goat cheese begins to melt and turn brown; the apples should be softened by now (and soaked with beetroot juice)

Just slice and enjoy! An excellent side dish.

Spinach with rice

Turkish soul food. This is surprisingly awesome for something that's good for you.

Ingredients

About 10-12 ounces of spinach (I use frozen, but fresh is always good!)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium tomato, diced
1/3 cup rice (I like basmati)
Olive oil for cooking
Salt and pepper to taste

(serve with plain yogurt)


Directions

1. Saute onion in olive oil in a medium pot (not a frying pan), adding the garlic a little later (garlic scorches, so be careful!)

2. Add spinach, tomato, rice, salt and pepper to the pot.

3. Cover the lid and cook for about 20 minutes on medium-low heat. The rice should be cooked through, but make sure before you take it off the burner

Guacamole

Best guacomole you've ever tasted, guaranteed. You can add jalepenos or cilantro (blech) if you really want to, but this is perfectly good as is, I promise.

Ingredients

2 avocados, cut into 1/2 inch chunks (you can mash it if you want, but why???)
1-2 tomatoes, chopped
1 large clove of garlic, VERY finely chopped
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
Juice from 1-2 limes
Fresh ground pepper and salt to taste


Directions

1. Mix together onions, garlic, and tomatoes

2. Fold in the avocados; stir if you want it mushier

3. Add salt, pepper, and lime to taste. If it's too limey, add more salt. Too salty, add more lime.

Quesadillas

Ingredients

1 cup sweet frozen corn
1 can Bush's seasoned black beans, drained (I don't work for Bush's, I just like their seasoned beans)
1 red onion, finely chopped
1/2 red pepper, chopped (optional)
Mozzarella and cheddar cheese
8-10 tortillas (click for recipe)
olive oil
butter


Directions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees

2. Saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent in a large frying pan

3. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the corn, then the beans and red peppers when the corn has thawed, mixing until warm



4. Place 1 layer of tortillas on a cookie sheet

5. Place bean/corn mixture on top of the tortillas



6. Sprinkle plenty of cheese on top (mix cheddar and mozarella for best results, but can use either/or), depending on your taste (more cheese means they will hold together better) and put another tortilla on top



7. Brush top of quesadilla with butter and place in the oven until cheese has melted

8. Turn quesadilla over, brush top with butter, and broil on low until lightly brown and crispy

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, or whatever your sick mind can come up with

Basmati Rice (How to cook basmati rice)

I don't really get why people make "minute rice". It takes just as long, is easily as complicated, and tastes, quite frankly, gross. Here is a simple way to cook basmati rice, which tastes and smells about a thousand times better.

Ingredients (for about 2 people)

1 cup of basmati rice
2 cups of water
1 T. butter
1 tsp. salt

(Double for more servings; just make sure that there is exactly twice as much water as rice)

Directions

1. Wash basmati rice 3 times

2. Soak rice in water for approximately 30 minutes (it should start to look whitish, which is possible for rice, believe it or not)

3. Drain the soaking water, then add the water to cook it in

4. Put on the stove on medium, placing the salt and butter directly on top of the water

5. Allow to boil uncovered; when the water reaches just below the rice line, turn the stove down to low and cover the pot

6. Cook for an additional 10 minutes (keep covered on low heat)

7. Fluff before serving

Roasted Red Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary

Ingredients

-About 2.5 lbs. washed red potatoes, cut into even chunks (smaller potatoes in 4, medium potatoes into 6, etc.)
-8+ sprigs of fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped (I use the whole package)
-1/3 cup olive oil
-3-6 cloves of garlic, minced/pressed
-1 tsp. of salt (plus more for sprinkling)


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mince garlic cloves and rub the 1 tsp. of salt into them to create a sort of "paste". The salt should be almost fully absorbed.

3. Add garlic to a large bowl, mix in with half the rosemary and the olive oil, mix together

4. Coat the potatoes in the olive oil

5. Put into a roasting pan (we don't have one, so we use a cookie sheet lined with aluminium foil) so that they are evenly spaced

6. Cook for about 45-55 minutes, or until it starts looking dryer and slightly brown on the bottom

Salmon "burgers"

These aren't much like burgers, but they are very healthy and seriously delicious. These have a bit of a kick. I served them with roasted red potatoes and they went very well together.

Ingredients

1 to 1.5 lbs. salmon filet, chopped
6 T. mayonnaise
4 tsp. lemon juice
Fresh chives, chopped (if you grab a bunch, about 3/4 inch in diameter)
3 heaping tsp. grainy dijon mustard (depending on taste)
1/4-1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (depending on how much kick you want)
About 20 crumbled crackers (I like mini stoned wheat thins, but saltines should work fine)
2 medium zuchinni, peeled and grated
Salt to taste (I don't use any, but my husband prefers it)


(Serve on one slice toasted boule)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Whisk together mayo, mustard, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and chives

3. Add grated zuchinni and salmon to mayonnaise mixture

4. Crumble crackers over the mixture and mix; it won't ever form into perfect patties, but if it looks more like a salad than like a burger mixture, add more crackers so that it "holds"

5. Shape into patties and cook in the oven for about 15 minutes

Pancakes (best you've ever had!)

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup of flour
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2-3 T. sugar
1+ cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 stick butter


Directions

1) Mix dry ingredients together then add the milk, eggs, and almond extract
2) Cook the half stick of butter on a large frying pan until melted, then add to the batter (you can use a spatula if there is too much butter in the pan)
3) On slightly-above medium heat, cook the pancakes, turning over when the edges look dry and bubbles begin to form in the batter (note: the first batch usually looks a little flat)
4) Add butter as needed


OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS

You can replace the almond extract with 1/2 to 1 tsp. of vanilla extract.

You can also add canned or frozen corn to the batter before you cook it (remove any almond or vanilla extract to the mix). Chopped apples and blueberries are also good choices, but can make it difficult to cook.

Kofte (Turkish meatballs)

These are juicy and delicious. You can use this as a burger recipe, too!


Ingredients

-1 pack of ground beef (about 1.5 - 2 lbs)***
-1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped or grated*** (depending how you like it)
-1 tsp. baking soda + 1/2 tsp.***
-1 tsp. salt + 1/2 tsp.***
-1 tsp. vinegar
-1/2-1 tsp. cumin
-1/2 tsp.t black pepper
-3 sprigs of fresh parsley, finely chopped
-olive oil for cooking

***You are going to make a starter for this by mixing 1/4 of the beef, 1/4 of the onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. baking soda. Mix it all together by squeezing between your hands, then place in a ziploc bag and leave in the fridge overnight.

Directions

1) Mix onions, salt, cumin, parsley, and black pepper in a medium-large bowl.
2) Add baking soda and vinegar so it starts to fizz.
3) Mix in the beef and starter fairly quickly, so the chemical reaction is still going on
4) Cover tightly in plastic wrap and leave kofte mix in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably at least 2-4 hours, to allow it to "puff up".
5) Heat the olive oil on medium-high heat in a large pan
6) Meanwhile, roll the kofte into slightly flattened 2-by-1-inch meatballs and cook them in the olive oil on both sides until cooked through
7) Place onto plate with paper towel to absorb some of the grease

Apple Pie Recipe

YUMMM!!!!

Crust

Crust:

6 T. butter
6 T. (1/3 cup) crisco
2 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1 large glass ice cold water

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients

2. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, (or a food processor) blend crisco and butter into flour until it's crumby looking (not crummy looking, hopefully!)

3. Add ice water 1 tablespoon at a time until dough just holds together

4. Divide dough into two parts; shape into discs and wrap each disc in plastic wrap and put in the fridge or freezer while you make you apples (you want it to be hard enough so it's not sticky, but not so hard it's impossible to roll it)

5. Take the dough out of the fridge and roll out on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin.

6. Use one half for the bottom and one half for the top




Filling

Ingredients:

5-6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
3/4 cup sugar
2 T. flour
2-3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 pinches clove (optional)
Lemon zest from 1 lemon
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 T. softened butter


Directions:

1) Preheat over to 450 degrees.
2) Mix all ingredients (except butter) in a large bowl.
3) Put mixture into bottom pie crust.
4) Dot the top of the filling with butter and cover with the top pie crust
5) Close the crust by pinching the top and bottom together; cut 6 slits (like rays of sunshine) in the top for ventilation. Or you can make a criss cross crust.
6) Put into oven for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes are up, lower the oven to 350 degrees and cook for an additional 40-45 minutes (closer to 40 minutes if you have a criss-cross crust). I recommend placing a piece of foil under the pie, as it tends to leak.