Kibbee Ibsaniyeh (Kibbee in the Tray)

A friend recently asked for the recipe for kibbee ibsaniyeh. When I checked my recipe book, I realized I had not made it in years because the spices were measured in palmfuls and dashes. The recipe was filled with  my mother in law’s voice - teaching me how to make her delicious Lebanese food. She had never measured or timed the baking, it was just . . “it’s a palmful of allspice, or a dash of cinnamon” and when asked how long a dish should stay in the oven - she would say, “well, it’s done when it’s done”. I remembered that I had decided to  make it again before entering it into my recipe collection.  Over time, I too have ended up using  a dash of this and a palmful of that, enjoying the memories of my wonderful, loving mother in law.
I believe, traditionally, that kibbee ibsaniyeh was made with lamb, but my mother in law used beef, not so fatty and had a better taste. Although she kept that a closely guarded secret.

Ingredients

2 1/2 lbs. ground beef (ground chuck)
1 Spanish onion chopped
2 3/4 cups finely cracked wheat (bulger)
2 cups beef broth
Allspice
Salt
Pepper
Cinnamon
Olive Oil
2 tablespoons pinenuts
2 tablespoons leban (thick Greek yoghurt)
Lemon juice (or pomegranate juice)

Directions

Make the filling first

Chop 1 large Spanish onion
Use 2 tablespoons olive oil to cover frying pan, heat oil and sauce the onion until golden brown
Add 2 generous tablespoons (1/2 cup) pine nuts.
Add 1/2 lb. ground beef, a shake of pepper, a tablespoon of allspice, a 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 teaspoon salt.  Mix well together and continue to fry until the meat is brown. Keep stirring continuously.
Remove the meat mixture with a slotted spoon, tipping the pan so as to get rid of any excess oil and place meat mixture in a bowl.
Leave aside to cool.

To Make the Kibbee

You need a large bowl and a smaller bowl.
Pour 2 cups beef broth into the large bowl (I used to use Campbell’s Beef Broth but hard to find now)
In the small bowl, measure 2 1/2 cups finely cracked wheat and cover with water. Pour water off very slowly into the sink, trying not to lose too much of the cracked wheat.
Add cracked wheat to the beef broth, squeezing out any excess water with your hands.
To the cracked wheat and beef broth, add 2lbs. ground beef,
a palmful (3 tablespoons) of allspice,
a palmful (3 tablespoons) of salt,
half a palmful (1 teaspoon ) pepper
a dash (1/2 teaspoon ) of cinnamon.

Dip your hand into cold water first and mix all together with your hands. The damp hands help the spices to be thoroughly mixed into the meat.
Use a pyrex dish or baking pan (I used a six 13 x 8 pyrex dish). Wipe olive oil all round the inside of the pyrex dish.
Take a handful of kibbee meat and make into flat, thin hamburger pates.
Place and shape to corners of pan, continue in this fashion until the entire bottom of the dish is covered. The bottom layer should be thinner than the top layer.
Spread meat filling over bottom layer
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons (1/2 a lemon) freshly squeezed lemon juice over filling (or 2 tablespoons pomegranate juice)
Spread 2 tablespoons leban (thick Greek yoghurt) over filling
Make top layer of the kibbee meat in the same way you did the bottom layer, except this layer is a little thicker.
With a little olive oil in your hand, smooth and seal off any empty spaces and cracks on the top layer of the kibbee meat.
Score top layer gently with a knife, just touching not cutting all the way through. You can make any design you desire.
Make one insertion right through the centre with the knife and then go round the edge of the dish. This allows the oil to circulate during cooking.
Pour a little oil over the top of the kibbee dish, approximately 1/2 cup olive oil.
Bake at 350 degrees F. till golden brown - about 50-55 minutes.
As kibbee starts to brown, pour off all oil, put back in oven and continue to bake until kibbee is a deep brown- about 10-15  minutes.
Serve with yoghurt and salad.

Freezing

Freeze partially cooked, that is cook the kibbee and remove just before it starts to brown on top.

When removing from freezer, heat up oil first in a frying pan, put hot oil over kibbee (this way the oil doesn’t soak all through the meat) place in oven, turn oven on at 350 degrees F. - DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN - or your pyrex dish will explode!  As kibbee turns brown, pour all oil off and continue to bake until golden brown.

Swiss Chard with Garlic

 

Ingredients

1 Bunch Swiss chard
3 Cloves garlic
Olive oil
White wine
Lemon Juice

Directions

Wash the leaves, and layer the leaves on top of each other then slice through the layers so you have leaves in strips. Chop 3 cloves garlic and place in a saucepan with 2 tablespoons olive oil.
Heat the olive oil and garlic, once the garlic starts to sizzle, add the Swiss chard, mix the leaves so the oil covers the swiss chard. Simmer covered for 5 minutes, then stir again and add 1/4 cup white wine. Cover the pan and continue to simmer until the swiss chard is tender.
Drain in a colander and put on a platter, sprinkle with fresh lemon juice.

Roasted Chicken Balsalmic with Tomatoes

This is an easy delicious chicken dish, we serve it with pasta, roasted tomatoes and mushrooms. It is light and very tasty.
Inspired by Allrecipes, I used chicken thighs rather than chicken breasts. I also did not get boneless or skinless chicken. Allrecipes called for cherry tomatoes, but I used fresh tomatoes, roasted first. Recipe for that below.

Ingredients

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4-6 chicken thighs with skins
1 lemon zested and juiced
Roasted tomatoes (see recipe below) or 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved.

Directions

Mix balsamic vinegar, olive oil, mustard and garlic together in an oven safe baking dish, season with salt and pepper. Place the chicken thighs in the vinegar mixture.

Marinate chicken in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit

Roast chicken in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes, add tomatoes to the baking dish and continue cooking until the chicken is not longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 10 minutes more. Thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Sprinkle lemon zest and drizzle lemon juice over the chicken.

Recipe for Roasted Tomatoes

This is easy and can be used as a sauce for pasta which we did and served with the balsamic chicken. It is very light and tasty.
I used the tomatoes we had grown in the garden, toward the end of the season our tomatoes had tougher skins and were all different sizes, but any tomato works with this recipe which came from food.com . I use more garlic than their recipes and of all the sites, they were the only ones who called for laying the tomatoes flesh side down. This way it was easier to pull off the skins and everything kind of got married together while roasting. We had masses of pasta left over with the delicious sauce, we added some mushrooms, and reheated. You can freeze this and use later.

Ingredients

2 lbs tomatoes
8 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil or fresh basil, leaves torn
1 teaspoon thyme
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Tomatoes from the Farmer's Market and our odd sized home grown tomatoes.

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Slice tomatoes in half
Pour 3 tablespoons olive oil onto a large baking sheet and spread it around the sheet.
Scatter evenly, 8 cloves garlic roughly chopped, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon basil or fresh basil leaves, 1 teaspoon thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar over the oil.
Place the halved tomatoes cut side down onto the baking sheet.
Roast for 30-40 minutes or until the skins start to lift from the tomatoes.
Allow to cool.
Remove the skins and put the sauce into a large bowl, break up with a fork or potato masher.
Reheat sauce if using immediately
 

Pot Roast

We used to be able get a chuck roast with the T-Bone, hard to find now. Chuck roasts are mostly sold boneless.

Ingredients.

1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 Spanish Onion chopped
1 package Liptons Beef and Mushroom diluted with 3 cups water - I use Lipton’s Mushroom and Onion or Lipton’s Beef and Onion. Beef and Mushroom hard to find.
3 Cloves Garlic chopped
2 Stick Celery cut in half
2 Carrots cut in half

1/2 cup red wine
Chuck Roast weighing approximately 4 lbs.
 
Directions

Spray a baking pan with Pam, place the chuck roast in pan.
Add all first six ingredients and spread over meat. Add 3 cups water and a 1/2 cup red wine so that the liquid is halfway up the side of the chuck roast.
Seal the pan thoroughly with silver foil
Bale at 300 degrees Fahrenheit till meat is tender and falls away from the bone. The slower you cook the meat the more tender it becomes.

Serve with potatoes and broccoli/cauliflower/beans or a salad

Grilled Mediterranean Swordfish

I found this recipe on Mediterranean Dish.
Get steaks that are 1 inch thick. One steak weighs a little over 1 lb., enough for two people. Grilled swordfish hold up well on the grill - treat it like a beef steak using high heat to sear it on one side for 5 - 6 minutes, then turning the fish over and grill for another 3 minutes.
The fish is ready when it flakes easily with the touch of a fork.
This is a quick dish, you can marinate the fish for no longer than 15 minutes.

Ingredients

1 lb. swordfish steak one inch thick.
For the marinade
12 garlic cloves peeled
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 lemons squeezed
1 teaspoon coriander
3/4 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon sweet paprika (pimento)
Salt
Pepper

Directions

Blend all the ingredients for the marinade in a food processor until smooth for about 3 minutes..
Wash the fish and dry with a paper towel. Place the fish in a pan with sides and apply the marinade generously on both sides. Set aside for 15 minutes while you prepare the grill.
Grill the fish on high heat for 5-6 minutes on one side, turn over once and grill on the other side for 3 minutes. The fish should flake easily while maintain firmness.
Finish with a splash of fresh lemon juice.

Pan Seared Salmon with Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce

 

Last Saturday we bought fresh salmon at the Farmers Market, I thought we had too much but it was so tasty there was only a portion left over, it was even good cold the next day. I was thinking the leftover salmon would make a good salmon salad, but it was gone by noon!
Cafe Delite provided the recipe, I highly recommend this site! I’ve changed some of the amounts slightly. My sister in law, Portia, took the pictures, she thought they looked so beautiful in the pan with the lemon slices.

Ingredients

2 lbs salmon filets (we bought with skins on and cooked it that way)
Salt and pepper to season
6 tablespoons lemon juice divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoon butter
8 cloves garlic finely chopped
4 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves chopped, divided
1 lemon cut into slices.

Directions

Wash the salmon and pat dry with paper towels. Season all over with salt and pepper Squeeze 4 teaspoons lemon juice over each filet and rub all the flavor in. Let stand till the fish is at room temperature.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium high heat until hot. Place salmon filets skin side down, pressing them lightly so the entire surface is in contact with the pan. Sear undisturbed for 4 minutes until crispy and golden.
Flip the fish and sear the other side of each filet for 2 minutes. Add in the butter, chopped garlic, 3 tablespoons parsley, 4 tablespoons lemon juice and lemon slices. Stir the butter and garlic around each filet.

Pan Seared Lemon Garlic Scallops

 I’ve lately been looking for good fish recipe sites - cafedelites.com has fabulous recipes and they work! This one for scallops is excellent. It is Seared Lemon Garlic Butter Scallops. They describe the scallops coated in a “deliciously silky lemon garlic butter sauce” “The ultimate treat!” I made this for our wedding anniversary.


Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 lbs scallops
3 tablespoons butter
5 large garlic cloves minced (or 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup dry white wine
4 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions
Have everything ready before frying the scallops, the 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped garlic, the wine measured in 1/4  cup, the 4 tablespoons lemon juice squeezed and the 1/4 cup of  parsley chopped.
If there is a side muscle attached to the scallops, remove. Rinse the scallops and pat dry with a paper tower.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan or skillet over medium high heat until hot and sizzling. Add the scallops in a single layer without over crowding the pan. (work in batches if needed)
Season with salt and pepper and fry for 2-3 minutes on one side until a golden crust forms underneath. Then flip and fry again for 2 minutes until crisp, lightly browned and cooked through (opaque). Remove from skillet and transfer to a plate.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the same pan, scraping up any browned bits left over from the scallops. Add in the chopped garlic and cook until fragrant for 1 minute.
Pour in the 1/4 cup wine and bring to a simmer for 2 minutes or until wine reduces by about a half. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of butter and 4 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Remove pan from the heat and add the scallops back into the pan to warm through slightly, garnish with parsley.

You can serve the scallops over pasta, rice or crispy bread, nice with steamed broccoli, or zucchini.

Kale & Basil Pesto with Walnuts - dairy free

Ingredients

1 bunch kale (preferably Tuscan but the curly is fine) Approx.1 cup
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup olive oil
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
Black pepper
1 cup walnuts chopped in food processor
1 tablespoon thyme
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 cloves garlic minced

Directions

Tear off the kale leaves from the center stem and wash thoroughly.
Use only the basil leaves and also wash well. Drain both in a colander.
In a food processor or blender combine 1 cup kale leaves, 1 cup basil leaves and 1 cup walnuts, along with a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, 1/3 cup of olive oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Pulse until chunky smooth. Add 1 tablespoon thyme, the zest and juice of one lemon and 2 cloves garlic minced. Pulse again.

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add a package of your favorite pasta. Once tender, drain the pasta, put in a bowl and stir in the pesto.

Pork Loin Chops with Garlic/Rosemary Butter Sauce

This is absolutely delicious! We served it with broccoli and mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

1 lb pork loin chops
2 tbsp olive oil
 
For the butter sauce

1/2 stick butter melted
3 cloves garlic minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped

Parsley for garnish

Directions
Remove pork chop from fridge and leave out at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Make the butter sauce first
Melt 1/2 stick butter
Stir in 3 cloves garlic minced and 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Make 4 slashes in the fat of the chop without piercing the meat, this prevents the chop from curling up when searing.
Generously sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chop
In a cast iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high heat
Once the oil is really hot, drop the chop into the skillet and sear for two minutes or until browned, flip and continue to sear for one minute, cover the top of the chop with the butter sauce.
Transfer the skillet to the oven and continue to cook for six minutes. Using a thermometer the temperature should read 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove and let rest, the chop will continue to cook and should raise to 145 degrees F.  Sprinkle parsley leaves over the top and serve with apple sauce.

Salmon Filet with Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 onion chopped
3 cloves garlic chopped finely
8 plum tomatoes, skinned and chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped
2 lbs salmon filet cut into 4 pieces
Olive oil

Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Make the sauce ahead. Fresh plum tomatoes are the best or you can use a large can of crushed tomatoes. Plunge 8 plum tomatoes into boiling water, leave for a minute and remove, place in a colander. While waiting for the tomatoes to cool, prepare the other ingredients for the sauce.. Chop half a Vidalia onion and 3 cloves garlic (chop garlic finely). You can now peel the outer skins of the tomatoes, hollow out the core and chop.
To make the sauce, put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and sauce until just beginning to brown, add the garlic and sauce for 1 minute.
Add the chopped tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt and half a teaspoon of pepper. Cook over medium low heat stirring from time to time until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and set to one side.
 
Rinse the salmon in water, pat dry with a paper towel.
Take a large cast iron pan over high heat for five minutes, during this time, brush the fish with olive oil on both sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Place the salmon skin side up in the pan and cook for 4 minutes without moving until browned.
Flip the fish skin side down, transfer to the pan to the oven and cook for 8 minutes. The salmon will not be completely cooked all the way through. Remove from oven and place on a platter, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 8 minutes.

Reheat the tomato sauce, serve over the salmon.

Greek Lemon Chicken and Potatoes

I found this recipe on Allrecipes, submitted by Chef John.
I’ve tweaked it a bit, but it’s a delicious dish, all in one and has a lovely lingering flavor.

Ingredients

4 Bone in Chicken thighs (skin on)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon black ground pepper
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (or Real Lemon)
1/2 cup olive oil
6 cloves garlic finely minced
3 potatoes quartered and halved
2/3 cup chicken broth with a bit left over to deglaze pan at end

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a roasting pan with Pam
In a large bowl, place the chicken pieces. Season with 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, 6 cloves finely minced garlic. Add 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice and 1/2 cup olive oil. Add potatoes and mix until potatoes and chicken are well coated with the marinade.

Transfer chicken to the roasting pan, skin side up, reserving marinade. Scatter potato pieces around chicken, drizzle 2/3 chicken broth and finally spoon remainder of marinade over chicken and potatoes.

Place in preheated oven, uncovered. Bake for 20 minutes. Toss chicken and potatoes, keeping chicken skin side up. Continue baking until chicken is browned and cooked through more (20-25 mins). A thermometer inserted near the bone should read 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Transfer chicken to serving platter.
Toss the potatoes and continue to roast for three minutes.
Transfer potatoes to the platter with the chicken.
Place roasting pan on stove over medium heat. Add a splash of broth and stir up browned bits from bottom.Strain the marinade.
Spoon juices over chicken and potato.
Serve with broccoli/ green beans/ or salad.

Swordfish Steaks with Peppercorn Butter

I found this recipe in Bon Appetit dated September 2005, it was also on the Epicurious site. This recipe calls for starting by sautéing the fish in an ovenproof skillet on one side and then flipping the fish and transferring the skillet to a 400 degree Fahrenheit oven to complete the cooking. I did not do this, but sautéed the fish for three minutes, and then flipped the fish and continued for another 4 minutes. The fish were different in thickness, so one was perfect, the more thicker fish needed 3 - 4 minutes more. It was very moist and I will make this again.


Ingredients
2 one inch thick swordfish fillets (about 6 ounces each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter (1/4 stick)
2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 teaspoon ground peppercorns, plus more for sprinkling
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Directions
Mash 2 tablespoons butter, 2 teaspoons chopped parsley, 1 clove finely minced garlic, 1/2 teaspoon ground peppercorns and 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel  in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt.
Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle swordfish with salt and ground peppercorns. Add swordfish to skillet. Cook until browned on one side approximately 3-4 minutes. Turn swordfish over and continue to cook for another 3-4 minutes. Check with a knife to see if the fish is done, depending on the thickness the fish may need more time. Swordfish should be just cooked through, don’t let it overcook as it will become dry.
Remove from skillet
Add seasoned butter to the same skillet. Cook over medium high heat, scraping up browned bits, until melted and bubbling. Pour butter sauce over swordfish and serve.
Garnish with a sprig of parsley

Whole Roasted Cauliflower

My son, Jason, found this recipe. It is from Miznon in New York City and appeared in Food and Wine. It is silky and creamy all in one mouthful. The recipe calls for sel gris (grey salt) which I don’t have so used regular salt instead.
I usually make a cauliflower cheese, or roast it with red pepper flakes, but this recipe doesn’t need any additions, it just lets the cauliflower shine on its own at its best.

Ingredients

1 Whole cauliflower with green leaves, base sliced so it stands straight leaves intact.
7 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons extra virgin
      olive oil
2 gallons water


Directions
Preheat the oven to 550 degrees Fahrenheit
Have the rack centered in oven

In a large pot bring 2 gallons water to the boil.
Test to see how much water is needed before it’s boiling away. Place the cauliflower in pot and cover with water, may not be as much as 2 gallons
Once the water is boiling, add
6 1/2 tablespoons salt
Carefully lower the cauliflower into the boiling water and place an ovenproof ceramic plate over the top to keep the cauliflower submerged. Cover and boil for about 10 mins or until a fork inserted into the cauliflower is just beginning to feel tender. Don’t let it get mushy.
Remove the cauliflower carefully and let it cool whole in a colander so the excess water can drain a bit.
Take 1 tablespoon of the oil and brush all over cauliflower .
Next sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon salt over the top
Place the cauliflower on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes or until it starts to brown on top.
Remove, brush with remaining 2 tablespoons oil and eat immediately.

Soupe a L'Oignon (Onion Soup)

Soupe a L’oignon (French Onion Soup)

This wonderful recipe if from Vincent Price’s cookbook.
Serves 2.


Ingredients

3 rashers of bacon,
2 large onions
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 clove garlic chopped finely
Sprig of parsley
Pinch of thyme
1 quart chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon cognac
French bread

Directions
In a deep saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons bacon drippings
Saute2 large onions chopped fine in the drippings. Cook over medium heat until onions are soft.
Add 2 tablespoons flour, salt, pepper and 1 clove garlic finely chopped.Cook until mixture is golden brown but not burned.
Add a sprig of parsley, a pinch of thyme, 1 quart chicken stock, 1 cup dry white wine and simmer for 3/4 hour.
Add 1 tablespoon cognac at the very end.

Serve in individual ovenproof bowls
If you want to serve the soup gratin, bread torn into pieces and float on top of soup - sprinkle bread with parmesan cheese and place under grill.

Pumpkin Squash or Butternut Squash Bisque

PUMPKIN SQUASH OR
     BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISQUE

Ingredients

1 lb cooked pumpkin or butternut squash (Leila used butternut squash)
4 tbs butter
1 large onion
1 medium leek
4 cups chicken broth (homemade is best!)
1 cup heavy cream or half and half
1 teasp. Salt
½ teasp. Curry powder
¼ teasp. Ginger
¼ teasp. Pepper
1 bay leaf

Directions


1.  In a large pot-Melt butter and sauté leek and onion (chopped)

2. Stir in pumpkin ,broth, salt, spices and bay leaf

3. Bring to boil

4. Lower heat, simmer uncovered 15 mins.

5. Remove bay leaf

6  Puree in blender small amounts at a time

7.Add cream.

Potato Soup with Kale and Chicken Sausage

Potato Soup with Kale and Chicken Sausage

Yesterday I tasted the most delicious soup made by Marianna at Jason’s house. She found the recipe on Farmstead Chic at http://www.farmsteadchic.com/whole30-zuppa-toscana.
The original recipe used Italian sausage and organic beef tallow or ghee. Marianna used chicken sausage sliced, which she added towards the end and the chopped kale just before serving. I’m going to use olive oil to sauté the onion and garlic.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil (or beef tallow or ghee)
1 lb chicken sausage, casings removed and sliced (or Italian sausage)
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
6 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (equal parts of basil, oregano, rosemary, marjoram, cilantro, thyme, red pepper flakes)
7 medium red potatoes (approx. 3 lbs) coarsely chopped
A bunch fresh kale, stems removed and chopped
1 13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk.
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large saucepan, saute the onions in olive oil till turning golden brown, add garlic stir for one minute. Add 6 cups chicken broth and the coarsely chopped potatoes. Add the crushed red pepper and Italian seasonings. Bring the soup to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 - 15 minutes
Add the coconut milk, chicken sausage and chopped kale. Continue to simmer until the potatoes can be pierced with a fork and the kale is tender.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Green Beans with Slivered Almonds & Onions

This is a delicious dish that Jason made for me last week. He served it with salmon.
I came home and had to make it right away!

Ingredients

1 lb green beans
2 strips bacon
2 Cloves garlic
1/2 an onion
Handful of slivered almonds (or walnuts)
Red Pepper Flakes
Salt
Butter
Sugar

Directions

Cut off the tails of the beans, wash in cold water. Heat a saucepan water with a shake of salt, once boiling drip the beans in (whole) and cook for 6 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a pan, sauté 2 strips of bacon until crisp, lay aside on a paper towel
In the same pan saute 1/2 a chopped onion, add chopped garlic (2 cloves), towards the end add a handful of slivered almonds, a shake of red pepper flakes and 1/2 a teaspoon sugar. In a saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon butter, add the beans and the onion mixture and 1/2 a teaspoon salt. Stir and cook over medium low heat covered for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.

Omelette

Ingredients

3 eggs
1/4 teasp. Salt
Shake of pepper
2 tablespoons milk/ cream or almond milk (if dairy free)
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Crack the eggs in a bowl
Add salt, pepper and milk (or heavy cream or dairy free milk)
Beat well till fluffy.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat, pour in the egg mixture and with a spatula, gently move the egg mixture to one side. It will start to thicken and fluff up. Once the egg is beginning to brown on one side, flip the omelette and continue cooking until the omelette is lightly browned on the other side

For variations, add cheese during the middle of cooking (grated cheddar) or sliced cooked mushrooms, or cooked asparagus. Or use all three!

This recipe is good for 1-2 people.
Just increase the amount of eggs and use a larger pan if feeding more people.

Nadia's Christmas Cupcakes

Each cupcake carefully decorated by my granddaughter, Nadia.
We made them from scratch, but I think a boxed mix would work just as well!

Mirabel's Mini Hot Cocoa Mugs (Dairy Free)

 

 

 

Written and Made By: Mirabel Fuleihan
(Julia Fuleihan’s Granddaughter)

Mini Hot Cocoa Mugs
(Dairy Free)
Ingredients
For 24 servings
COOKIE DOUGH
1/2 cups of unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cups of brown sugar, packed
1/4 cups of sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
6 oz of semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 cups of cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt
FOR DECORATING
6 oz of semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup of almond milk, warmed
1 cup of mini marshmallows
24 mini candy canes
Vanilla frosting
Christmas sprinkles
——————————————————————————————————————————
Instructions
First you have to preheat the oven to 375*F
After that I mixed together the butter and both sugars with an electric hand mixer(you might need a spatula to get the dough out of the mixer). Then I beat in the egg and 6 oz of chocolate chips (if you don’t have and weigher then you can lay the chocolate chips on a large flat pan or something and cut it into 4th’s because 24 divided by 6 equals 4) AFTER you mix the sugars and flour, beat this until combined. The real directions said to sift the flour in, but I think it’s just a waste of time because I didn’t and it turned out great. Mix until combined.
(This is the fun part!)I first spray the pan then I looked at my mini muffin pan and kind of measured in my mind how much dough I’ll need. By the way you have to make sure that the top is completely even and that the sides are pushed to the edge so it looks like a tiny cup.( Make sure to use a mini muffin pan because my Situ gave me a big muffin pan and it was catastrophic!)
Let the cookies/muffins bake for 8 minutes. If the sides puffed up too much on the sides, when it’s warm you can use the back of a spoon and push the sides in delicately. While your cookies/muffins cool, let’s start decorating!   
Put 4 ounces of chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl and turn into a liquid or as close as you can get. Since I’m lactose intolerant I replaced the heavy cream with almond milk, so you pour the warmed almond milk into the chocolate and mix until combined and smooth to make gnash.(It tastes the exact same as if you used heavy cream)
Once the cookies/muffins are cooled then I took them out of the pan using a knife. I put them on a cutting board and poured the gnash into the cookie/muffin cups. Next I made my chocolate glue. The recipe say’s to use two oz of chocolate chips but that’s not enough so you should use 4 oz , and put it in the microwave for 50 sec. and mix it around. Put the glue in the freezer for 10 minutes or more so it can cool. While it’s cooling take your strongest pair of scissors and cut the curved part of the candy cane to make a handle. Once the chocolate has cooled take it out of the freezer and dip the sides of the candy canes in the chocolate and press it vertically on the mini hot chocolates. Let these set in the fridge for 1 hour.
After you take the hot chocolate mugs out of the fridge, place three mini marshmallows on the top of each of the hot chocolate mugs. After that put the vanilla frosting in a piping bag and do a dollop of frosting on each marshmallow. After that I poured red, green, and white sprinkles out of the container and placed one of each color sprinkle on the mini hot chocolate’s frosting.
After you completed that YOUR DONE!!! Please enjoy your mini hot chocolates! (they’re  great for parties!)

Inspired by thegunnysack.com