Tender Beef Kebabs

It's summer, so it must be time to use the grill! I wanted to make something healthy, but also tasty, so I decided kebabs might be a good option.

Beef kebabs might not be as healthy as, for example, chicken breast, but, beef has the advantage that it doesn't have to be cooked through. Just make sure to pick a decent piece of beef, I used sirloin for these, and cut off any excess fat that is visible.



You can also pick a variety of veggies to use. My choices were yellow and red pepper, red onion, green squash (zucchini), and grape tomatoes. Any veggie that can hold itself together when cooked works for grilling on a skewer. Yellow squash, green pepper (any sweet peppers), jalepenos, pearl onions, mushrooms - these would all be great for grilling.



Beef Kebabs
Makes 4 servings

1.5 lbs beef, cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
1 yellow pepper, cut into 1 inch square pieces
1 red pepper, cut into 1 inch square pieces
1 medium red onion, cut into 1 inch square pieces
1 green squash, cut into 1 inch square pieces
15 grape tomatoes
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

Place olive oil, vinegar, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, chili, salt, pepper and beef into a ziploc bag. Close bag tightly, squeezing out any excess air. Massage the mixture into the beef for one minute. Marinade in the fridge for three to six hours, turning over once halfway through.



If you are using wooden skewers, you will need to soak them in water for a few hours. I used metal, non stick skewers. Making kebabs is fun. Put pieces of beef, alternating with different vegetables on to each skewer. Don't clean your hands between beef and vegetable additions; the marinade from the beef will coat the vegetables as you handle them.



Place the skewers on a hot grill. I grilled the skewers for about 5 minutes per side, with the lid of the grill closed.



I served the kebabs over rice. They were tasty!

Hazelnut Cookies

Ingredients: 150 grams flour, 75 grams sugar, 75 grams butter, 1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, 1 egg yolk, 18 hazelnuts,

Number of cookies: 18

Knead 150 grams flour, 75 grams sugar, 75 grams butter, 1 tablespoon ground hazelnuts and 1 tablespoon cinnamon into a cohesive dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and leave it certainly an hour in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Roll the dough into a thin piece and make cookies of it. Place the cookies on a plate lined with baking paper. Cover the cookies with a mixed yolk. Press gently in each cookie a hazelnut. Place the plate about 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Let the cookies cool. Enjoy!

FLIRTY TURKEY BRIE SINWICH

Flirty, dirty and wordy. This sandwich offers all manners of sinful delights.

This turkey sandwich is no ordinary sandwich. It has sex appeal scientists are struggling to devise a method of measuring. It can’t help flirting with everyone its path. This sandwich has won over everyone it has met besides a few vegetarians who are questioning their own eating habits. That is the power of said sandwich. The tantalizing melted brie cheese, cranberry goodness, creamy aphrodisiac-laden avocado and crunchy bread dares to take you where no sandwich has gone before. You almost forget your eating a sandwich at all. It seems more like nosh meant for the gods who happen to be food snobs. I made this sandwich and God said it was good. God said it was damn good and paused time so he could have second. Amen!

Total time: approximately 10 minutes
Projected cost: $13
Drinking Buddy: ragging hard

Ingredients (serves 2):
1. Dijon mustard
2. Mayonnaise
3. 4 slices of sourdough bread
4. Sliced turkey
5. 4 long thin slices of brie cheese
6. 2 small handfuls of dried cranberries
7. 1 tomato sliced thinly
8. ½ an avocado sliced thinly

Step 1

Spread mayonnaise on one slice of bread and Dijon mustard on the other. Place half the turkey on the mayo side, topping it off with the Brie cheese, dried cranberries, tomato and avocado. Repeat with second sandwich.Step 2
Throw the sandwiches in the oven and toast until the bread browns. Slice each sandwich in half and serve for some lazy pre or post-coital nosh.

Balsamic Portobello Turkey Sliders

After eating these, you’ll be asking, “Where’s the Beef?” The Worcestershire sauce in the ground turkey meat really makes them taste like ground beef, but so much healthier. We love the concept of “sliders” or mini burgers, they’re just too cute! I’m sure you’ll be seeing different variations of these bite sized beauties… as they’re fun to make and even more fun to eat.

Balsamic Portobello Turkey Sliders

(Based on a recipe by Rachel Ray, with lots of modifications).

INGREDIENTS
1/2 onion, chopped
1 pounds ground turkey
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon Emeril’s Essence (make your own here)
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 dinner rolls (we used Challah rolls from Trader Joe’s), split and toasted
2 portobello mushrooms, diced
More salt and pepper
about 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Coarse black pepper
4 slices Provolone or Swiss cheese (optional)
Baby greens
Tomato, sliced

DIRECTIONS
Saute onions in a small pan over moderate heat for 3 to 5 minutes until tender.

Brush a cookie sheet with olive oil. Combine meat with Worcestershire sauce, onion, salt, pepper, and essence and mix well. Form 8 small patties slightly larger than the size of your dinner rolls (they will shrink when cooked) and place on cookie sheet. Broil patties for 3 minutes, flip, and broil 3 minutes more.

Heat some olive oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add mushrooms and 2-3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and saute until just tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Combine mayonnaise, 2-3 additional tablespoons Balsamic vinegar, and more essence (optional). Spread onto both sides of toasted rolls. Add patty, cheese, mushrooms, tomato, and greens. Enjoy!

Grecian Turkey Sliders

Fabulous flavor in these Greek inspired turkey sliders (bite sized burgers – think White Castle). The olives, feta, and tahini give these a seriously strong flavor (but it’s a good flavor! I promise!)

Grecian Turkey Sliders

Recipe originally from RecipeZaar, miniaturized by us. :) Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground turkey
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup olives, chopped (i usually use chopped salad olives)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons freshly chopped basil (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
ground black pepper, to taste

Tahini
Dinner rolls or slider-size burger buns
Red onions
Lettuce
Tomato

DIRECTIONS
Combine first eight ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 8 small patties. Cook in non-stick skillet for 3 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

Toast halved dinner rolls, spread both sides with Tahini, top with burger patties, red onions (caramelized are yummy), lettuce, and tomato.

Turkey Meatballs with a Minted Yogurt Dipping Sauce ottoman turkish

We saw Emeril make these little bites and just had to try them. I’m a huge ground turkey fan, and this was a delicious recipe for it. We ate them as our entire meal along with some toasted bread, but they’d be great appetizers as well. Or, make yourself a meatball sandwich! The yogurt dipping sauce is a must, though… really adds something special to the meatballs.

We also substituted soy creamer for the heavy cream, and used regular plain yogurt instead of the whole milk/greek yogurt. No loss there. :)

Turkey Meatballs with a Minted Yogurt Dipping Sauce

Makes 3-4 dozen. Recipe from Emeril.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, very finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 egg
1 egg yolk
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 1/4 teaspoons salt, plus a pinch
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus 1/8 teaspoon
1 1/4 cups plain whole milk yogurt, preferably Greek, drained overnight in a cheesecloth-lined fine mesh sieve
1 lemon, zest finely grated and juiced

DIRECTIONS
Place the turkey in a medium mixing bowl and set aside. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a small skillet and, when hot, saute the red onion and scallions until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool slightly, then add to the turkey, along with the garlic, cumin, bread crumbs, heavy cream, egg and egg yolk, 3 tablespoons of the mint, the parsley, 1 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Mix gently but thoroughly. Using a small scoop or spoon, divide the mixture into 1 tablespoon portions and roll into smooth round balls. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 1 hour.

While the meatballs are chilling, make the dipping sauce. Combine the yogurt, remaining 1 tablespoon of mint, remaining 1/4 teaspoon plus a pinch of salt, remaining1/8 teaspoon of pepper, and lemon zest, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and lemon juice and whisk to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve the meatballs.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Brush the meatballs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and bake until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes.

Let the meatballs cool slightly, then serve warm, with the yogurt dipping sauce.

Yield: About 5 1/2 dozen bite-size meatballs, generous 1 cup sauce, serving 6 to 8

Turkey Meatball Sliders and Red Sauce

Taylor was in heaven when we made these little puppies. I managed to convince him to use ground turkey meat instead of the three-meat combo, but being that I’m not a big tomato fan, he doesn’t get robust red sauces too often. And for a ball of meat covered in red sauce, they weren’t bad. :)

Turkey Meatball Sliders and Red Sauce

Makes 6 servings. Recipe from Bon Appetit.

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground pork
1/2 pound ground veal
1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)*
1/2 cup water
8 tablespoons freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
6 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 14.5-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes

DIRECTIONS
Mix all meats, panko, 1/2 cup water, 6 tablespoons cheese, egg, egg yolk, 1/4 cup parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in large bowl. Form into eighteen 2-inch-meatballs.

Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, fry meatballs until brown all over. Transfer to plate. Pour off drippings from skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Add olive oil to skillet. Add onion, garlic, basil, and fennel seeds. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add all tomatoes with juices. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to low, cover with lid slightly ajar, and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

Puree sauce in processor until almost smooth. Return to same skillet. Add meatballs. Cover with lid slightly ajar and simmer until meatballs are cooked through, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes longer. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

Place arugula leaves on bottom of each roll, if desired. Top each with 1 meatball. Drizzle meatballs with some of sauce and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons parsley and 2 tablespoons. cheese. Cover with tops of rolls.

Cupcake Madness.

I believe I may be obsessed. To me, a cupcake is the perfect treat. Not too big, not too small, just sweet enough to satisfy. One (ok ok, maybe two) cupcakes a day makes any day better. Needless to say, I’ve made many more cupcakes since that last batch. They are a great thing to experiment with, as once you get a basic recipe down, you can add all the flavorings you want and mix and match with various frostings. Up next on the menu are banana split cupcakes, we’ll be making those this afternoon. :)

Rich Chocolate Cupcakes with Seven-Minute Frosting

Simply the Vegan Almond Cupcake recipe with 1/2 cup of cocoa powder mixed in and topped with seven-minute frosting. While it makes for picturesque cupcakes, the frosting hardened to almost a meringue-like consistency after the first day. Not the best cupcake topper.

Almond Cupcakes with Marshmallow Fondant

Vegan Almond Cupcakes gone fancy. I was terrified (and intrigued) to try decorating these things like the pastry artists on the food network. I managed to find a recipe for Marshmallow Fondant, which, while extremely messy to make, was easy enough to work with, and doesn’t taste too bad either. I slathered a thin layer of the chocolate fudge frosting on the cupcake, and then positioned the fondant circle on the cupcake. Then added decorations. Despite my ambitions, I don’t think I’ll be a professional cake decorator anytime soon.

Chocolate Hazelnut Kahlua Cupcakes

These were last weeks cupcakes, and could rival the almond ones for perfection. Just don’t eat them too close to bedtime. :) And yes, these ones are vegan too! Recipe makes 12-14 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant hazelnut coffee powder
1 tablespoon kahlua

For frosting:
1/4 cup margarine
1/4 cup tofutti cream cheese (or regular cream cheese)
4 ounces semisweet or dark chocolate, melted
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons instant hazelnut coffee powder
2 teaspoons kahlua

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line pan with cupcake liners, and oil top of pan to prevent overflow from sticking.

Combine the soy milk and vinegar and stir well. Set aside, mixture will curdle.

Stir together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In separate bowl, combine soy milk mixture, oil, sugar, vanilla, coffee powder, and kahlua. Add wet ingredients to dry ones and stir until combined (don’t overmix!)

Fill cupcake liners with 1/4 cup of batter. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

To make frosting, beat together margarine and cream cheese until just combined. Beat in melted chocolate. Slowly add confectioners’ sugar 1/2 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix until smooth and fluffy, then add flavorings. Dust frosted cupcakes with cocoa powder and enjoy!

Spicy Salsa Turkey Burgers

A twist on the typical burger, and with all the ground beef madness going on right now (yikes!), ground turkey is the way to go. In fact, I prefer turkey burgers to beef ones. As long as you treat them right, you can have turkey burgers that are juicy and flavorful. One of the keys is making sure you have a nice set of buns. We used some ciabatta bread rolls that were crusty and delicious.

Next time we’ll get more creative with the toppings. We ran out of salsa (oops), so ended up topping them with a slice of tomato, cucumber, and some cilantro. Add some avocado/guacamole, crisp lettuce, and red onion in there and it’d be hard to top this burger.

Spicy Salsa Turkey Burgers

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
1 1/4 pounds lean ground turkey
1 cup mild salsa, divided
1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon chipotle-flavored hot sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 crusty rolls, halved horizontally, toasted if desired
4 lettuce leaves
Other toppings (tomato, avocado, red onion, etc.)

DIRECTIONS
Mix ground turkey, 1/2 cup salsa, shallots, cilantro, 3 tablespoons oil, hot sauce, cumin, salt, and pepper in large bowl. Shape turkey mixture into four 3 1/2- to 4-inch-diameter patties.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add burgers; cook until brown, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to low. Sauté until burgers are cooked through, about 4 minutes, turning occasionally.

Arrange roll bottoms on 4 plates. Place lettuce, then burgers on roll bottoms. Top each burger with 2 tablespoons of remaining salsa, then roll tops.

Quinoa with Mango and Curried Yogurt Turkey Turkish Ottoman

We’ve been wanting to try quinoa (pronounced Keen-Wa) for sometime now, but it took a trip down to Wild Oats all the way across town to actually find it. But for this flavorful recipe, the trip was well worth it. The curry and peppers are deliciously spicy, but the cooling textures and flavors of the mango and mint perfectly compliment the heat. Plus, quinoa is really good for you (which makes you wonder why it isn’t more readily available). Anyways, if you can find it, I definitely recommend giving this one a try!

Quinoa with Mango and Curried Yogurt

Makes 6 side dish or 4 main dish servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable or peanut oil
1 1/3 cups quinoa (7 1/2 oz)*
1 lb firm-ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (2 cups)
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 fresh jalapeño chile, seeded (if desired for less heat) and minced
1/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 cup salted roasted peanuts (2 1/2 oz), chopped

DIRECTIONS
Whisk together yogurt, lime juice, curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined.

Rinse quinoa in a bowl using 5 changes of water, rubbing grains and letting them settle before pouring off water (if quinoa does not settle, drain in a large sieve after each rinsing).

Cook quinoa in a 4- to 5-quart pot of boiling salted water 10 minutes. Drain in a large sieve and rinse under cold running water.

Set sieve with quinoa over a saucepan containing 1 1/2 inches boiling water (sieve should not touch water) and steam quinoa, covered with a kitchen towel and lid, until fluffy and dry, 10 to 12 minutes. Toss quinoa with curried yogurt and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Leftover Turkey Tacos with Cranberry Salsa Ottoman Turkish

You know you found a good use for your turkey leftovers when the meal is good enough that you’d make it again some other time of year. Who knew turkey leftovers could be so good?

For the cranberry sauce, I used a few spoonfulls of our Vanilla Cardamom cranberry sauce, and then maybe 1/4 cup of our Grand Marnier Cranberry glaze. I also added a kiwi, just because I had one and it seemed like it would be a good fit. And it was! With this one, or anytime, be sure to wear gloves when cutting the jalepeño… it’s two days later and my fingers are still burning!

Leftover Turkey Tacos with Cranberry Salsa

Recipe from Simply Recipes, with adjustments.

INGREDIENTS
Small flour tortillas
Cooked turkey meat, cut into bite-sized pieces
Mixed greens
Avocados, diced

Cranberry Salsa
1 1/2 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries, or premade cranberry sauce/glaze.
1 apple, peeled, cored, and diced
1 kiwi, peeled and diced
Zest of one orange (or, 1 tablspoon orange juice)
Chopped serrano or jalapeno chili to taste (about a half a chili, but taste for desired heat)
2 Tbsp sugar
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 lime, juiced
Dash of salt

DIRECTIONS
Prepare cranberry salsa. Combine cranberries and apple in a food processor and pulse until coarsely shredded, about 10 short pulses. Combine shredded cranberries, orange zest, chile, and sugar in a medium bowl. Let sit 15 minutes for the cranberries to macerate. Add cilantro, lime juice, and salt to taste. You can also use cranberry relish, just add chopped chiles and cilantro.

Heat a large frying pan (preferably cast iron) on medium high heat. Unless you are using freshly made homemade tortillas, you will need to soften them first. Working one or two at a time, spread a little butter on one side of the tortilla and fry it in the hot pan for a few seconds on both sides. Most commercially made tortillas will bubble up a little when cooked like this.

Sprinkle one side of the tortilla with grated cheese, and cover one half of the tortilla with turkey meat. Fold over one side of the tortilla onto the other (like an omelette. Cook until the cheese is melted. You may need to flip the tacos over to cook the other side, but if the cheese is completely melted this is unnecessary.

Serve with cranberry salsa, fresh shredded lettuce (sprinkled first with a little vinegar and salt), and avocados.

Ramekin Turkey Pot Pies

Yes, it is a week after Thanksgiving and we are STILL eating leftovers. We only have one more bag of turkey in the freezer and half a bowl of mashed potatoes, and that will be gone after tonight.

These were another tasty treat. You will never look at a frozen pot pie the same again after eating a freshly made one! I only had one pre-made pie crust leftover (in my attempt to circumvent my pie crust ineptitude I used one, and it shrunk so much while blind baking it that I had to throw it away and make my own. So much for pre-made being easier!). Anyways, I only had one, and we didn’t want to have to deal with leftovers of leftovers. So we dug out our little ramekins (only 3… the 4th one broke), and used those. It couldn’t have been more perfect. We decided that crust on the bottom was unnecessary, and just put a round of pie crust on top of the filling. Even Taylor, who admitted he would have vetoed this recipe had I told him about it before hand, liked them, and even said they topped last night’s Turkey Cranberry Tacos. This might be another one we’ll have to make again!

Of course, we forgot to buy peas at the store. And our sweet potatoes weren’t in any position to be eaten again. The beauty of this recipe is that if you’ve got it, throw it in. A great leftovers recipe for any time of year.

Ramekin Turkey Pot Pies

Makes 4 servings (about 6 ramekins… halve for two people). Recipe based on this one by Emeril.

INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 tablespoons bleached all-purpose flour
2 cups Chicken Stock or canned chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half (or soy creamer)
1 cup peeled and diced red potatoes, cooked in boiling salted water until tender, 4 to 5 minutes
1 cup leftover sweet potatoes (if you have them)
1 cup diced carrots, cooked in boiling salted water until tender, 4 to 5 minutes (OR any leftover vegetables from Thanksgiving)
1 cup sweet young peas, fresh or frozen (defrost if frozen)
2 cups shredded cooked turkey, white and dark meat
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 pre-made pie crusts, room temperature

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 9×9x2-inch baking pan or prepare 6 ramekins (no need to grease these).

Heat the butter in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and celery, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes to make a blond roux. Stir in the chicken stock and bring the liquid to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce begins to thicken, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in the half-and-half and continue to cook for another 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the potatoes, carrots, peas (or any other leftover Thanksgiving vegetables), turkey, and parsley, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.

Line the baking pan with one of the rolled-out pie crusts (if using). Pour the filling into the prepared pan or divide equally into ramekins. Place the second crust or a precut circle of dough on top of the filling. Carefully tuck the overlapping crusts into the pan, forming a thick edge. Crimp the edges, cut vents in the top crust, and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the crust is golden brown and crusty, 25 to 30 minutes (15-20 minutes if using ramekins). Let cool for 5 minutes before slicing to serve.

Turkey, Turkish, Ottoman “Surprise” Baklava and Spices Gone Wild

So as I was slaving away during my 3-hour-solo-dinner challenge the other night, I figured, I’ve already got the phyllo dough out and thawed, why not make baklava too?

While it was good in principal, and actually ended up being pretty tasty, it could have been a disaster.

You see, the recipe calls for 1 to 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon in the filling.

That, my friends, is cayenne pepper. I don’t think I even need to say what happened here. Poor Taylor, still on the floor, heard me start swearing in the kitchen and panicked thinking I cut myself. Nope, but I did just dump in a boatload of cayenne into the freshly ground nut filling.

I hadn’t stirred it yet, luckily, and managed to skim off ‘most’ of the offending spice. Reground some more nuts, and hoped that you wouldn’t be able to taste it in the final product.

You couldn’t. In fact it was a decent baklava. I used the recipe I found here, using maybe 2/3 almonds (some regular and some marcona), and then the rest walnuts, because I ran out of almonds. I think it could have been better… I wasn’t too fond of the walnuts in there. Anyone have a killer baklava recipe that they swear by?

I do have to say, that this experience has reinforced the fact that our spices are out of control. Maybe if the labels hadn’t rubbed of the bottles, the above disaster could have been avoided. But the spice rack is just the beginnging…

It all started with the spice rack. Until you realize that you cannot be limited by the 16 random spices that someone decided to fill it with (Dill Weed, anyone?).

Then things start to migrate into the spice drawer. Good in concept – the drawer is just deep enough to lay down one row of spice bottles. But when that gets full, and you start buying bigger bottles and bags of spices… well..

That’s when things really start to get messy. They get thrown on a shelf in the cabinet. The very deep shelf that makes them almost impossible to find (”Taylor, where’s the oregano?” I say with my head as deep inside the cabinet as it will go. Maybe I should just get Kitty to get it for me).

They multiply, I tell you! And we’ve just discovered the wonder of spice that is the international food store, which only sells spices in large bags. Too much to transfer to a bottle (not that there’d be room in the drawer anyway), we need some spice mason jars or something. But where on earth would those go?!?

And thus I pose another question – how do you keep your spices under control? We have limited space – that drawer and some counter is about all of the room we have for any spice-containment-unit.

Turkey Ottoman Gyros and Homemade Pita Bread

Ok, so just because my last post was so – monumental? – doesn’t mean I’m ignoring you. We’ve still been cooking, and eating, and taking pictures of things… but surprisingly we’ve also been repeating things. Like that Darn Good Pasta Salad? Yea. Made it three times since I posted it. This gem of a red-lentil-soup? A few times more. And well, to be honest, sometimes I just want to sit down and eat something when we finish it, rather than spending time trying to take pretty pictures of a piece of fish that fell apart in the pan. Yes, that happens too.

Anyways, on to the food. Because that’s the reason we’re all here, right?

One good, new thing we made this week (well, mostly new) was this…. a twist on the typical gyros with homemade pita bread. For the gyro meat, we usedAlton Brown’s gyro recipe that we had made before… but seeing as ground lamb is not easy to find (can you tell I just LOVE our grocery store?) we used ground turkey instead. Not too bad – different flavor for sure, but good.

But the best part was the homemade pita bread…. made out of necessity, because when was the last time you actually had a really good pita bread from the grocery store? Thought so. They must have finally realized it too because our grocery store even stopped carrying them – completely. That or they just moved them. Either way, I couldn’t find them, and didn’t really want to eat them if I had, so I decided to make it myself.

I will never buy store brand pita bread again. It wasn’t too hard to make it, and the results were beyond delicious. Plus, you get to watch them do this in the oven:

So I guess that explains where the pocket comes from… another food mystery has been solved!

Sometimes the pocket worked, sometimes it didn’t. Even the pocket-less pitas were good, so don’t toss them! Some of ours also got a bit too crispy. I pressed as much steam out of them as I could without cracking them – but the recipe isn’t kidding when it says put in a plastic bag right away. The steam builds up inside the bag, and softens the bread into the pita bread you’ll recognize. For the really crispy ones – I first covered the bread with a damp tea towel. That softened it enough to get the pocket flatter, at which point I put it in the bag.

Homemade Pita Bread

Makes about a dozen. Recipe from About.

INGREDIENTS
1 package of yeast, or quick rising yeast
1/2 cup warm water
3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teapsoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water

DIRECTIONS
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.

Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Make a small depression in the middle of lour and pur yeast water in depression. Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until elastic. Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes. When the dough is no longer stick and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded.

Coat large bowl with vegetable oil and place dough in bowl. Turn dough upside down so all of the dough is coated. Allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

Once doubled, roll out in a rope, and pinch off 10-12 small pieces. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 500 deg F. and make sure rack is at the very bottom of oven. Be sure to preheat your baking sheet also.

Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.

Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes. Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and add additional pitas for baking. Take spatula and gently push down puff. Immediately place in storage bags. Pita bread can be stored for up to a week in a pantry or bread box, and up to a month in the freezer. Be sure to use freezer bags when storing in the freezer.

Turkey Picatta Ottoman Picata

Chicken or turkey… either would work here and be just as good. This is a fun meal to do when you need to let out some frustration, as pounding a piece of meat until it’s flattened is oh-so-fun. :) Just don’t over-do it. You want to be sure your pieces are even all around. So don’t get too angry now.

Serve this with a side of freshly steamed green beans, tossed with some olive oil and salt and pepper (simple – but fresh and delicious), and you have yourself a meal.

Turkey Picatta

Makes 4 servings. Recipe from Alton Brown.

INGREDIENTS
1 whole turkey breast, approximately 1 1/2 to 2 pounds
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.

Cut the turkey breast crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. Place pieces of turkey, 1 at a time, between 2 pieces of plastic wrap. Squirt the meat lightly with water and squirt the top of the plastic wrap as well. Pound to no less than 1/8 inch thickness.

Season both sides of meat with salt and pepper and then dredge in flour. Shake off the excess flour. Set aside.

In a large saute pan over medium to medium high heat, heat olive oil and 4 tablespoons butter. Once hot, but not yet smoking, brown turkey scaloppine quickly, about 1 minute on each side, and remove to an ovenproof platter. Place in oven to keep warm.

Reduce the heat to low and add the shallots to the pan. Saute for 1 to 2 minutes or until they begin to turn translucent. Add wine and lemon juice to the pan and simmer until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 tablespoons butter and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, if necessary. Pour sauce over turkey, sprinkle with parsley, and serve immediately.

Lentil, Turkey, & Apple Wraps, Turk, Turkish, Ottoman, Arab

Make the best of the fall apples – stick them in anything and everything. You’d be surprised how well they work with just about everything. Like these crisp and refreshing wraps. They’d be good, but somewhat dull if it weren’t for the bright crunch of the apple. These would make a great lunch (or they DO make a great lunch – we had the leftovers the next day and enjoyed them just as much as we did the night before).

Lentil, Turkey, & Apple Wraps

Makes 4-6 servings. Recipe from Epicurious.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup dried brown lentils
1/2 cup dried French green lentils
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 medium tomato, cored, seeded, and diced
1 small Fuji apple, cored and diced
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 (12-inch) flour tortillas
3/4 pound turkey breast, thinly sliced
1/2 head Bibb lettuce

DIRECTIONS
Place the stock, lentils, celery, carrot, thyme, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 30 minutes, depending on the lentils. (If they begin to dry out, add water as needed.) Remove and discard the thyme. Drain and transfer the mixture to a bowl; let cool.

Fold in the tomato, apple, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with the pepper.

To assemble a wrap, place 1 tortilla on a clean work surface. Spread the lentils in the center, top with the turkey and lettuce, and fold up the bottom, left side, and right side before rolling away from you.

Turkey Onion Soup with Thyme and Gruyère Crostini

A rare indulgence… Taylor decided he wanted to make French Onion Soup, with all it’s rich cheesy goodness. And yes, that cheesy goodness was indeed delicious.

Topped with crusty bread and broiled until the cheese is melted and bubbly, this soup is perfect when you really just want to sit back and savor something warm and satisfying.

I also have to comment on the adorable serving vessels… perfect mini-replicas of our beloved Le Creuset, and in the exact colors to match our rainbow kitchen appliances. A gift from Auntie Sal… we’ve been waiting for the perfect dish to use these, and I think we’ve found it!

French Onion Soup with Thyme and Gruyère Crostini

INGREDIENTS
1 pound yellow onions, halved and thinly cut lengthwise
3 to 5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Fresh cracked pepper
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 cups beef stock
1 cup water
1 1/2-inch-thick slice of ciabatta bread cut in half
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups grated Swiss Gruyère cheese

DIRECTIONS
In a heavy 5-quart pot melt the butter over low heat. Add the onions, thyme, bay leaf, and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the onions are deep amber and exceedingly soft, stirring occasionally, 25 to 30 minutes. Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, then add the wine, increase the heat, and let the wine bubble away for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beef stock and water, and let the soup simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to broil. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven.

Place the ciabatta on the middle rack of the oven and toast until crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes per side.

Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs from the soup and discard. Pour the soup into two ovenproof bowls, float the toasted ciabatta on top, and cover it with a thick layer of the Gruyère. Put the soup bowls under the broiler on the middle rack and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until the cheese is fully melted and golden.