tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73947715259656911442024-03-21T09:13:07.893-07:00Staying Busy Vegging OutA meat-lover cooking her way through Deborah Madison's "Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone."Maria L Daouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13025594519837376132noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394771525965691144.post-86237254397749519832011-03-29T22:14:00.000-07:002011-03-29T22:14:27.211-07:00Im back with some pestoHi folks! Im back. Whew! It's been a crazy couple of weeks. I had a final and had to prepare for my lil one's christening. It's not that I stopped cooking, just didn’t have time to post. <br />
<br />
A couple of weeks ago I decided to make pesto. I looked at the recipe in the book and it called for a measly amount of cheese and nuts. My recipe, on the other hand, calls for more than double the amount. I was <em>this </em>close to making it anyway but my daughter is a big fan of my pesto and I just couldn’t chance it. I would really hate to disappoint my lil girl. So, ok, I’m cheating a little because this isn’t Deborah Madison's recipe, but I think it's fine. It's not like there's a blog police or anything.<br />
<br />
I gathered all my ingredients. It's really easy to remember the amounts of everything:<br />
<strong>Maria's Pesto</strong><br />
1 cup nuts (walnuts or pine nuts. I usually use walnuts because pine nuts are crazy expensive)<br />
1 package of Trader Joe's Basil (or 2 cups Basil)<br />
5 cloves of garlic (less if you’re not that into garlic. We LOVE garlic)<br />
1 cup of olive oil<br />
1 cup of parm cheese (I usually add more than a cup though)<br />
Salt and fresh pepper to taste<br />
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This recipe is very easy if you have a food processor. The only pain in the arse is cleaning the basil. Thankfully I have a little helper. Here my daughter is separating the basil from the stems. Notice the erase board with a very old menu. <br />
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I wash each leaf then I leave it drying in the dish rack and on some paper towels. Super annoying process.<br />
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I throw the dry and clean basil into the food processor along with the garlic and the nuts.<br />
Once that’s all chopped up I slowly add the oil through the chute. <br />
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After that’s done I add the cheese along with salt and pepper and let the food processor do its till it’s nice and smooth. Here's my daughter giving it a taste test. She said it was delicious but dummy me didn’t listen and I added more salt. After that it was waay too salty. I had to add more nuts to account for the saltiness.<br />
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</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">That's it! Easy peasy!</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">Tomorrow I'll post another dish I made but right now I need to hang out with the husband.</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">Till tomorrow!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Maria L Daouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13025594519837376132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394771525965691144.post-59927395967028937922011-03-02T22:20:00.000-08:002011-03-02T22:25:59.108-08:00What to eat...I haven't made artichokes in a loooong time. I think it was about 10 years ago. <br />
I was a young and clueless back then. <br />
After cooking the artichoke I kept peeling away wondering what happened to the edible part. I peeled until there was nothing left. Then, upset and confused, I chucked everything away. Yes. Even the heart.<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>I hadn't cooked an artichoke since then. <br />
<br />
Not really my fault. I didn't grow up eating artichokes. My mom is not familiar with artichokes and I'm pretty sure that till this day she has never eaten one. <br />
Thankfully my husband taught me how to eat them. Honestly I'm still a little confused as to which parts are edible, but I'm able to fake it really well.<br />
<br />
I saw instructions on working with artichokes in the cookbook and I thought it was time to revisit this vegetable. However, I was still worried that I would somehow mess up like I did 10 years ago. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">So worried that I kept putting it off until the artichokes looked like this: </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcMwvuhJfh53sukXYvpmbTbisedxUp9fzmuouUFaThXD-aHX9ItN9ibwUeFLPJEA8CNtLoiEbNrmsI5HoEwFhnY-QCTSrPyZboAK4d0dsfFs1UIUQUnSNgs4dlMjfE3Ee-mWlhy6an54/s1600/blog+picts+1+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvcMwvuhJfh53sukXYvpmbTbisedxUp9fzmuouUFaThXD-aHX9ItN9ibwUeFLPJEA8CNtLoiEbNrmsI5HoEwFhnY-QCTSrPyZboAK4d0dsfFs1UIUQUnSNgs4dlMjfE3Ee-mWlhy6an54/s400/blog+picts+1+002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I was hoping that they would still taste good despite being old. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Step 1: Cut the top part of the artichoke.</strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;">I feared I would either cut off too much or too little but I guess it's not that important because according to my husband his mom never cuts off the top part.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_HMMBN8AkaAQ2wSy5F85-B92jEFf5BrKCg2qVZGpGCmag_kA57819pXx3j-IB5H9d8N0Ywjg4g5_8W26aSNyikvmSm6ANF3gEYqCtb9eFqNp5sEb4aswUmyx9rs56NFjOXqTttXXMek/s1600/blog+picts+1+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS_HMMBN8AkaAQ2wSy5F85-B92jEFf5BrKCg2qVZGpGCmag_kA57819pXx3j-IB5H9d8N0Ywjg4g5_8W26aSNyikvmSm6ANF3gEYqCtb9eFqNp5sEb4aswUmyx9rs56NFjOXqTttXXMek/s400/blog+picts+1+005.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Step 2: Trim the lil thorns from the bottom leaves.</strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;">Thorns, another reason this vegetable worries me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJwBLSW0vt-soYK_vnXIoghMimQaDFxfE9WpNhQTmzyAz3hZ3p9CKVVXFuIJrIf83pzAnNVkMl5mHdK25Sh2XUCWm8C_IEAWS9F-b3TuHloD6KIoVj-NDc19fvTI1CaP0ctKBY1G7fFk/s1600/blog+picts+1+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaJwBLSW0vt-soYK_vnXIoghMimQaDFxfE9WpNhQTmzyAz3hZ3p9CKVVXFuIJrIf83pzAnNVkMl5mHdK25Sh2XUCWm8C_IEAWS9F-b3TuHloD6KIoVj-NDc19fvTI1CaP0ctKBY1G7fFk/s400/blog+picts+1+008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Step 3: Cut the stem "until it can stand."</strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;">The artichoke on the left is a bad example and the artichoke on the right is a good example.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAk7o_9QWl3J5OfyR7pvEf-_R7qPHXdJvxtipuG-H3_Oqmy21ROVO2BwIbzEUUF-haW3ngo0HwTUuAz7aJEZm2db4dj1WGALQOo4D2V8X97jBF0rAnNTUtoC8LJlkhofgMuPeH0ckagF4/s1600/blog+picts+1+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAk7o_9QWl3J5OfyR7pvEf-_R7qPHXdJvxtipuG-H3_Oqmy21ROVO2BwIbzEUUF-haW3ngo0HwTUuAz7aJEZm2db4dj1WGALQOo4D2V8X97jBF0rAnNTUtoC8LJlkhofgMuPeH0ckagF4/s400/blog+picts+1+009.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Step 3: Wash the artichoke opening the leaves so the water can also clean the inside.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3yTyOb3BGZiH6YLFZl8NN2QowHwH39jKYI98UkQgRALFoOnfzHLRU_WZs51SDFjUyrHKCaaVIr2vCtWjihoK5b5G_ETD7bOn_YqFk6c6V7h4la9lLz9yTKRm30x9qQ_6m86UUmDh2RA/s1600/blog+picts+1+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo3yTyOb3BGZiH6YLFZl8NN2QowHwH39jKYI98UkQgRALFoOnfzHLRU_WZs51SDFjUyrHKCaaVIr2vCtWjihoK5b5G_ETD7bOn_YqFk6c6V7h4la9lLz9yTKRm30x9qQ_6m86UUmDh2RA/s320/blog+picts+1+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Step 4: Place them upside down in a steamer and steam for 30 min. </strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYqq5_tdN5y1KN-LpJ1RaCXQof35yuyJcMzfk5V0WYfOrV6N7rXWgXU761_L3-W6Vm2w6N5d2Ts9sjHlWUvQnM938Gs5QGvxNK_pX6U7ezxndEIK5keLiCSrxyZvsrX4X3v3ntHvWKIo/s1600/blog+picts+1+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAYqq5_tdN5y1KN-LpJ1RaCXQof35yuyJcMzfk5V0WYfOrV6N7rXWgXU761_L3-W6Vm2w6N5d2Ts9sjHlWUvQnM938Gs5QGvxNK_pX6U7ezxndEIK5keLiCSrxyZvsrX4X3v3ntHvWKIo/s400/blog+picts+1+015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Thanks to my son (more about that later), I overcooked them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Despite being overcooked and old, they were still delicious, <em>especially</em> the heart! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This will definitely not be my last time making these. And not <em>only</em> because there are more recipes in the book with artichokes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg62rRbNsXT92GCG_S3FSY-qSKNiqsSh4FVxL-jfw8_LgzztJbxh25x991HuNwD7ObrLwZfg2kbI9bdtWzQ7Q6rKTnXgt44lzLe-fNm4f6MAiRXRs2vJpqXMG6D0s0dv0FDRuqi_aift0/s1600/blog+picts+1+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg62rRbNsXT92GCG_S3FSY-qSKNiqsSh4FVxL-jfw8_LgzztJbxh25x991HuNwD7ObrLwZfg2kbI9bdtWzQ7Q6rKTnXgt44lzLe-fNm4f6MAiRXRs2vJpqXMG6D0s0dv0FDRuqi_aift0/s400/blog+picts+1+018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Next I had to figure out what to make for dinner. My initial plan involved going to the market to pick up a couple things but that plan went out the window when my son decided he would not nap despite being super tired and cranky. The morning nap dilemma overcooked my artichokes and after taking over 2 hours to get the baby to nap, I was left with very few ingredients and with very little time. I toyed with the idea of making <strong>"Spinach and Herb Torta in a Potato Crust"</strong> but without the spinach, herbs or cheeses. I guess that would have only left me with the crust. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">I finally settled on "<strong>Latkes: Potato Pancakes with Eggs and Onions."</strong></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"> The recipe asked for 2 .5 lbs of potato's and since I don't have a kitchen scale I used what I did have.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAeHYg1d7Qj8E_bGY9xJl9Z5y-vpsFw_ybjvb1uJo7IFwoShyphenhyphenFZrq9qqMJrzp60-G-PjzmyXB0K4wOdLKUgKFra_SURRsxPJwKulevfujsdt3x3Z1KMqX72aZcLORYZihQc5laRCgcVQ/s1600/blog+picts+1+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAeHYg1d7Qj8E_bGY9xJl9Z5y-vpsFw_ybjvb1uJo7IFwoShyphenhyphenFZrq9qqMJrzp60-G-PjzmyXB0K4wOdLKUgKFra_SURRsxPJwKulevfujsdt3x3Z1KMqX72aZcLORYZihQc5laRCgcVQ/s320/blog+picts+1+020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: center;">It did the job. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Step 1: Peel and shred the potato's</strong>. </div><div style="text-align: center;">You can use the large holes from a grater or a food processor. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjLfPgL-yxqBBmje4bBBqX7dBRhKgk60-64AbcrIhDLg8h_VHZIhnvSq3J16eKy9oRQ5nnTrRH9bGgH0zsD_aeYId0YHsWLZGHxnA9Tjo_g6bSUlu4rFj44326Sv8SDnAOMTBVEf5g8o/s400/blog+picts+1+022.JPG" width="300" /></div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">This is how it should look. </div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;">The potato was watery so I dried it a bit with some paper towels.</div><div style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrAiTlriE08iQaIbOMI5Aphnkt9he5DSs-dY0mjUd0fev2EBpBCPnQi9A2aYZo8Dt-JhPzwIrmqNwMsMJEV6BPJCAbjdSYuUOY24C-YTCgbXa2I6yWOh-Dm0ojLrmiTdxzG5Jn0mqZIM/s1600/blog+picts+1+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgrAiTlriE08iQaIbOMI5Aphnkt9he5DSs-dY0mjUd0fev2EBpBCPnQi9A2aYZo8Dt-JhPzwIrmqNwMsMJEV6BPJCAbjdSYuUOY24C-YTCgbXa2I6yWOh-Dm0ojLrmiTdxzG5Jn0mqZIM/s400/blog+picts+1+023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Step 2: Add the eggs, shredded onion, flour, salt and black pepper to the potato.</strong> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Step 3: Mix it all up</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Step 4: Spoon the mixture onto a hot oiled pan.</strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVLN-G3p4eEYz1JUAtOK6dxoKXpqgPg59yrPDoXMBJqeUvOno07Jj7uWvkXD9A80aRuH8RaradjlqGx17E9oleAVorVHC1sL5ReKomWopKK4hBLDO2jr3OVvBuB5Xz8iAapkZTM5VXvg/s1600/blog+picts+1+024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwVLN-G3p4eEYz1JUAtOK6dxoKXpqgPg59yrPDoXMBJqeUvOno07Jj7uWvkXD9A80aRuH8RaradjlqGx17E9oleAVorVHC1sL5ReKomWopKK4hBLDO2jr3OVvBuB5Xz8iAapkZTM5VXvg/s400/blog+picts+1+024.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Step 5: Cook for about 6 min on each side or until golden brown. </strong></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><strong>Step 6: Serve with sour cream</strong> <em>(or in my case Labne)</em><strong> and applesauce.</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-HRMkP0fp0k_n5l6MV2MTNdRRXHFUVB9e3LCkO0dst9oKvr4YwP0wZExvu5s6dQR7E8LKaognYTVw8rt_5rz_X6XcQJx_TuaIOJJ82fF5ED2YmY8enKRRlMv94ZkrlvYPKn5okbp-q8/s1600/blog+picts+1+031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL-HRMkP0fp0k_n5l6MV2MTNdRRXHFUVB9e3LCkO0dst9oKvr4YwP0wZExvu5s6dQR7E8LKaognYTVw8rt_5rz_X6XcQJx_TuaIOJJ82fF5ED2YmY8enKRRlMv94ZkrlvYPKn5okbp-q8/s400/blog+picts+1+031.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Simple, quick, cheap and delicious! Tonight could have turned out real <em>ugly</em> but it all worked out. <br />
Hooray!!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1C2bVMzrxBZoOBYQJfyoAHTZKYL4ndZoMQ3RlndbicdZ3yFc3_NJV35VTzoxqAs9DnBPcj0PehqeqsfON6UboKHil311YAsQrP8p35tjzxQuEYRCXjPi-x1mn4eKtfPykSWe1z1bLqE/s1600/blog+picts+1+030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb1C2bVMzrxBZoOBYQJfyoAHTZKYL4ndZoMQ3RlndbicdZ3yFc3_NJV35VTzoxqAs9DnBPcj0PehqeqsfON6UboKHil311YAsQrP8p35tjzxQuEYRCXjPi-x1mn4eKtfPykSWe1z1bLqE/s400/blog+picts+1+030.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Maria L Daouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13025594519837376132noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394771525965691144.post-46611340833623177032011-02-24T16:10:00.000-08:002011-02-24T16:23:57.522-08:00Almost ProudI was so proud of last night's dinner. Even when I was vegetarian I always made a pasta dish or a faux meat dish for dinner. <br />
Last night I decided to make <strong>"Chickpea and Spinach Stew"</strong> for 2 reasons. <br />
<ol><li>My husband and I have a cold and needed something comforting and healthy</li>
<li>I had frozen spinach I needed to use and canned garbanzo beans in the cupboard.</li>
</ol>I'm REALLY sorry for all the <strike>boring</strike> simplistic recipes I've been making but I want to cook with stuff I already have. My freezer looked like it was about to bust. So embarrassing......<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmvHrfc-JDDtKJVpxsbvEaHG-UbFVqB66fI-K1mTXWd3D9JnU7JiVcklJnP2jsRl8CkWHUXZs3NPw7zpN8iiTItoJxIJOpUg24xf3D0wMYiIt_RMjUn7nGavRV-j_RHW0EQeZR4JRVio/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwmvHrfc-JDDtKJVpxsbvEaHG-UbFVqB66fI-K1mTXWd3D9JnU7JiVcklJnP2jsRl8CkWHUXZs3NPw7zpN8iiTItoJxIJOpUg24xf3D0wMYiIt_RMjUn7nGavRV-j_RHW0EQeZR4JRVio/s320/019.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Needed to use this in order to leave more space. Coincidentally I still have no space in the freezer.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBoeEiWNAclc_erQKzv8GI9B7Ys8UmrDPaP1qmlnxcGiv0OtjTw5fyNfPl8U96AnohTrhyqJbAX8RNkpXjW5v_vvO186_A315k0-BV-Ryg4xwCptGUCPBbCOhzP3JeRhRrYXQ6SgddRM/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSBoeEiWNAclc_erQKzv8GI9B7Ys8UmrDPaP1qmlnxcGiv0OtjTw5fyNfPl8U96AnohTrhyqJbAX8RNkpXjW5v_vvO186_A315k0-BV-Ryg4xwCptGUCPBbCOhzP3JeRhRrYXQ6SgddRM/s400/018.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I gathered all my ingredients. Big can of garbanzo beans, pepper flakes, paprika, garlic, parsley, onion, olive oil, black pepper and chopped tomato's. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkULGuuDKEsDTz7ZUBNyNiaCVEcfiJq7jHuc4cQ2n2tRijFfWRBMQy0kPh4rlqg1cxoDTgCpgn1ee3-RA9g6wI1yQVdjNkP-qoH3v0SRQF36b9Z82bcNyQyXkd3XIMLoDO4AV_Aofs80/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIkULGuuDKEsDTz7ZUBNyNiaCVEcfiJq7jHuc4cQ2n2tRijFfWRBMQy0kPh4rlqg1cxoDTgCpgn1ee3-RA9g6wI1yQVdjNkP-qoH3v0SRQF36b9Z82bcNyQyXkd3XIMLoDO4AV_Aofs80/s400/014.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div align="center">Cooked the onion, garlic, parsley and spices with some olive oil.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiew7jrhyphenhyphenaz751HOVJ0In91odFHbi5nVlJvHFnaAVhk7_InoUrSqVvhA2EkcNVHjE2Rp6_ve7d_bZzRPzgt3mX29MQpnQEB1YkjAnIjH26SAcDOF3G7wvynuzRQ3PdrzdjuBUJHcPMUD1s/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiew7jrhyphenhyphenaz751HOVJ0In91odFHbi5nVlJvHFnaAVhk7_InoUrSqVvhA2EkcNVHjE2Rp6_ve7d_bZzRPzgt3mX29MQpnQEB1YkjAnIjH26SAcDOF3G7wvynuzRQ3PdrzdjuBUJHcPMUD1s/s400/015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I added the garbanzo beans and tomato's and let them simmer. Latter added the frozen spinach straight into the pot. Because it's baby spinach I didnt bother to cook it first.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Made some brown rice in my rice cooker and also mashed some garlic in order to make the aioli, which is a fancy way of saying garlic with mayo.</div><div style="text-align: center;">At my household we call it toum, the Lebanese way of saying garlic with mayo.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlk9B3_vf02Xh-2TfEqqgBlJEUEq0nHY3mKp0-L1Z1DY0JPIsFvuRTXxsqEobfamQwol6Gl9J-JFXjs1e6WHoemtMvbT5SsLQsz4zqELt8xaOp4vpk4pFivNhWqn2bujqsW5y5Xy9Y1s/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlk9B3_vf02Xh-2TfEqqgBlJEUEq0nHY3mKp0-L1Z1DY0JPIsFvuRTXxsqEobfamQwol6Gl9J-JFXjs1e6WHoemtMvbT5SsLQsz4zqELt8xaOp4vpk4pFivNhWqn2bujqsW5y5Xy9Y1s/s400/021.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center">And badda bing badda boom: Dinner! OH MAN! This was actually really REALLY good! I couldn't believe it! So this is what I was missing all those years I was vegetarian. My husband loved it as well. Keeper recipe!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzqncjqfwD7H0eIOXV7t2_9CmVXa0i3HrjCHufNTqq8GN1FML3ZhDCqwTtfHlYkEtBB8-ZDUnxfXcYvSq6NVfNG939pZx60Sr1TftVcdiiwjlujR33h0BKA4Htl64QP_8oGktD5vYMXw/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgzqncjqfwD7H0eIOXV7t2_9CmVXa0i3HrjCHufNTqq8GN1FML3ZhDCqwTtfHlYkEtBB8-ZDUnxfXcYvSq6NVfNG939pZx60Sr1TftVcdiiwjlujR33h0BKA4Htl64QP_8oGktD5vYMXw/s400/031.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Because of the spices I couldn't serve it to my daughter so she had brown rice with egg and green beans. Nothing fancy but it did the trick.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWuruBcQFQy4n8uaWn6Yfa1NgQ7gWwkihmfn0KC6ip0ntsRcDVLDZrCc6ROz6BJmFyj_hXW4we879LbJlIBLRyMHyQtAXkT3dl4U6RehZIlwXyFv0fBqjq6Q1d9e0okJ5-M7a2NkAqyg/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" l6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioWuruBcQFQy4n8uaWn6Yfa1NgQ7gWwkihmfn0KC6ip0ntsRcDVLDZrCc6ROz6BJmFyj_hXW4we879LbJlIBLRyMHyQtAXkT3dl4U6RehZIlwXyFv0fBqjq6Q1d9e0okJ5-M7a2NkAqyg/s400/030.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I was so pleased with myself. . .that is until my good friends brought us Tito's Taco's! I just couldn't refuse their food, that would be rude. Not really. I just really wanted that taco. Eh, I tried.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Maria L Daouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13025594519837376132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394771525965691144.post-45063873632796762282011-02-22T22:52:00.000-08:002011-02-22T22:52:45.638-08:00ColdSo not only do I have a mangled finger but I also managed to catch a nasty NASTY cold. Needless to say I haven't been in a cooking mood. But today I'm back!! Well, semi-back. I just had enough energy to make dessert. I decided to make <strong>"Pear-Almond Upside-Down Cake" </strong>because I wanted to get rid of my pears. Unfortunately I ended up only needing one pear for this recipe. <br />
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<div align="center">I started by blanching some almonds. Basically I just threw the almonds into boiling hot water. After a couple minutes I rinsed them and the skins slipped right off.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbFdHkh6oukgGpQIYhC6olYYlvidiRGOma1vhqUXUTsfs1jKV4G7ZJIGmkdqvyMyEMHei50qR6CpXrIGhNewi0GDudUDf3sByvCUUy47zw5NRvfXZlAURA8Efar2fAp7DVytw_76XBFM/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbFdHkh6oukgGpQIYhC6olYYlvidiRGOma1vhqUXUTsfs1jKV4G7ZJIGmkdqvyMyEMHei50qR6CpXrIGhNewi0GDudUDf3sByvCUUy47zw5NRvfXZlAURA8Efar2fAp7DVytw_76XBFM/s400/032.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Next I grind them in the processor. This will later go in the batter.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9oD2cukJXwmPDjX7Lxowfd-kXuB5Ke56TrL7o2_VU58Lx8fPXTDNFSuUIEptenOSUWkwYGr8gtSKip6MU1HyfhTDlIYlq6rs8P7yh5st_3zl0Z0MuqQI9JFJMLczsgemu6oHsn_Duf0/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgB9oD2cukJXwmPDjX7Lxowfd-kXuB5Ke56TrL7o2_VU58Lx8fPXTDNFSuUIEptenOSUWkwYGr8gtSKip6MU1HyfhTDlIYlq6rs8P7yh5st_3zl0Z0MuqQI9JFJMLczsgemu6oHsn_Duf0/s400/034.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After this I take a break because my son decided to pay me a lil visit in the kitchen. How cute is he?!?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_RtzJ3i6yKIaKDyWvIpQvCl781Rlf5JlMqq9IGcoujKodwzx1ocuuqXCB8b7UbGwPlmsoPopTi8I-j3GSOihuU_kV9XN4ILXbowdoR1_TG09ZDA1_b2ofLnd3gYFoom_9iW2EZdvBpM/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3_RtzJ3i6yKIaKDyWvIpQvCl781Rlf5JlMqq9IGcoujKodwzx1ocuuqXCB8b7UbGwPlmsoPopTi8I-j3GSOihuU_kV9XN4ILXbowdoR1_TG09ZDA1_b2ofLnd3gYFoom_9iW2EZdvBpM/s400/046.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center">Ok, back to work! I start preparing the pears. I peel, cut and place them atop a melted butter-sugar concoction.</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdK3PCPA8GCOVez74mqFEUIkK0u_7msUpUevN7_fIfc7lJB6rJTvyI5gL7H7KkfP7H5dkWRXulzD-mMB5UQjc2OAj4s_mLDE5WDATQ1B2mAuqLpUPyAuZZ4iFwZDqgUrxrrF5HQOoI4E/s1600/039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdK3PCPA8GCOVez74mqFEUIkK0u_7msUpUevN7_fIfc7lJB6rJTvyI5gL7H7KkfP7H5dkWRXulzD-mMB5UQjc2OAj4s_mLDE5WDATQ1B2mAuqLpUPyAuZZ4iFwZDqgUrxrrF5HQOoI4E/s400/039.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I pour the batter on top and I bake it. This is the result!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl45pUzTlRGoaH6o02b8LPCT0E94IBpSntpf2wBpUU73RiYJGnfU8ORQC33nU5do5UO8r04sWS49_GqwrtJUTkDQFhgcl_TSZ3CC63HhhB1wAQgXiM-cGTchWwqDwmL-fModgn-BQoCpM/s1600/054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl45pUzTlRGoaH6o02b8LPCT0E94IBpSntpf2wBpUU73RiYJGnfU8ORQC33nU5do5UO8r04sWS49_GqwrtJUTkDQFhgcl_TSZ3CC63HhhB1wAQgXiM-cGTchWwqDwmL-fModgn-BQoCpM/s400/054.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center">The cake was delicious! I was a little worried because the batter looked lumpy while baking but once out of the oven it looked great. OK folks, time to hit the hay!</div>Maria L Daouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13025594519837376132noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394771525965691144.post-26636151306667552572011-02-19T17:18:00.000-08:002011-02-19T17:25:33.308-08:00Ugly but Good<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Yesterday was "Vegetarian Friday!" My husband is Catholic Maronite and they try to abstain from meat and poultry on Friday's. Fish is permitted though, so I guess it's more "Semi-Vegetarian Friday!"<br />
We didn't have Tuna so I made the husband an <strong>"Egg Salad with Caper's and Onions"</strong> Sandwich. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">I gathered all the ingredients I needed. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Ignore the orange and Gatorade. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbgblP_fjcC-MXiwlUcO-Fx9c-BEbsbJ3tAqxnx2tvfXGAVkkQf7ZylLdEvCuK6Inxbg9c5EXX_LROnIXGH0q9nS0hSODyZEmxp_kk1oz8Pxx4irLw9xujwJFxGj-KOCFWteIlpNWsRk/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIbgblP_fjcC-MXiwlUcO-Fx9c-BEbsbJ3tAqxnx2tvfXGAVkkQf7ZylLdEvCuK6Inxbg9c5EXX_LROnIXGH0q9nS0hSODyZEmxp_kk1oz8Pxx4irLw9xujwJFxGj-KOCFWteIlpNWsRk/s400/001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Boiled some eggs. The brown ones are for my kiddies; they are the expensive organic kind.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlQ9kJ1rCb7CG15XP6rFqkS7AUOMslel-yxdyKyajNMKp7QljQpSdHPxlfz6M5h9I3Y_UXXbjJWEi0YGG8lx53u0Ia0O3aO-2Cir_a2YujJV77G6h6MRJ20_pijZ-YML9zIJEsTnDFZk/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGlQ9kJ1rCb7CG15XP6rFqkS7AUOMslel-yxdyKyajNMKp7QljQpSdHPxlfz6M5h9I3Y_UXXbjJWEi0YGG8lx53u0Ia0O3aO-2Cir_a2YujJV77G6h6MRJ20_pijZ-YML9zIJEsTnDFZk/s400/002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And there we are. It was hard trying to make the egg sandwich look pretty so I placed it next to some cherry tomatoes. Too lazy to take 'em out of the box. Still looked kinda ugly but it was pretty tasty!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJ-V7WclEk3y_ZFbyzh_QnTeo6MpzZv2qtgYBdVufsP7dO4bym509REDz6lUA4ZBjFtyf785k_VSDtNxksyOaWK8WQiSh2n9K0BV2bwiUUs6VAUJknauiLTZ8kv9R_S6Z061wEdJ7a3A/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJ-V7WclEk3y_ZFbyzh_QnTeo6MpzZv2qtgYBdVufsP7dO4bym509REDz6lUA4ZBjFtyf785k_VSDtNxksyOaWK8WQiSh2n9K0BV2bwiUUs6VAUJknauiLTZ8kv9R_S6Z061wEdJ7a3A/s400/011.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">And speaking of ugly...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSXq8LGeXkriewTPc9UvVSCenQ9U6k7Es-etyaF1r0AdyCel53zmzFPtH3maAbWPBSpwDxH2GveddWvXWzxJfqOYnRIDKWvHCxBAyLB-_zc3lJAleShtluGs_Yi4DAkhLPzX7bxaHUww/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSXq8LGeXkriewTPc9UvVSCenQ9U6k7Es-etyaF1r0AdyCel53zmzFPtH3maAbWPBSpwDxH2GveddWvXWzxJfqOYnRIDKWvHCxBAyLB-_zc3lJAleShtluGs_Yi4DAkhLPzX7bxaHUww/s400/012.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>These guys needed to be used so I looked in the cookbook and found <strong>"Banana Oat Muffins."</strong><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Mashed the bananas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BiXVQaOMCthC3_-TudoNWePxviN-ZQbTcSrrTi063QFx9TkTphCaIAzk6oPLRM7jgyAFwQC2zjhj5x0-fCeAr_O2BF2m_yqsiHjjaBpa7-1rAiGeIYytLl70CKBINVPsG1jIbsaopG4/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BiXVQaOMCthC3_-TudoNWePxviN-ZQbTcSrrTi063QFx9TkTphCaIAzk6oPLRM7jgyAFwQC2zjhj5x0-fCeAr_O2BF2m_yqsiHjjaBpa7-1rAiGeIYytLl70CKBINVPsG1jIbsaopG4/s400/016.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Didn't have buttermilk so i did the milk and vinegar trick.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMQqXWla4gRdZ9yiUnYuBuuGQJuJ4qsUFnmWUPPZvKiioiMCPnf66-L2Us8i2afDfo1nu7wmbC3dmoyna-g_1opNKDLm2aT1kdD5DRMGggs4ilxs6iXYf0wjKuoaVQDfxM-0BwXfJoHs/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaMQqXWla4gRdZ9yiUnYuBuuGQJuJ4qsUFnmWUPPZvKiioiMCPnf66-L2Us8i2afDfo1nu7wmbC3dmoyna-g_1opNKDLm2aT1kdD5DRMGggs4ilxs6iXYf0wjKuoaVQDfxM-0BwXfJoHs/s400/019.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Grated some nutmeg. I LOVE the smell!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvFSA4DbIqERbNJpQvdWqCYUHQmuIc9MM0I-zSR32nU1oCbxl8ZwtDbNJ49qKdIXr-OzWh-UJm-78Gk5Abrbq7h2gDjM2s74WyHdJZHz1cYJ4wYL6vxTv7cNgBOpuWlB91XK0A11EEyM/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvFSA4DbIqERbNJpQvdWqCYUHQmuIc9MM0I-zSR32nU1oCbxl8ZwtDbNJ49qKdIXr-OzWh-UJm-78Gk5Abrbq7h2gDjM2s74WyHdJZHz1cYJ4wYL6vxTv7cNgBOpuWlB91XK0A11EEyM/s400/020.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Ready for the oven</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAd7iMpAnQhA1KTsvqstPU0GcwugvP2IR6i8TkuBgV24gKaR1lquqUohLrfRdeoZXdZhm6t_25LCh6D7hIDH4E30PKPNWnm-q69Ouucvi1ii11zDLrJIdwNf_entR7ksvzRhca7RJWX8/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGAd7iMpAnQhA1KTsvqstPU0GcwugvP2IR6i8TkuBgV24gKaR1lquqUohLrfRdeoZXdZhm6t_25LCh6D7hIDH4E30PKPNWnm-q69Ouucvi1ii11zDLrJIdwNf_entR7ksvzRhca7RJWX8/s400/023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<strong><em>Top Row in Pict:</em></strong> The first batch came out pretty sad-looking and tasted a little bland. I immediately realized the recipe didn't call for salt! Salt brings out the sweet flavor in baked goods. <br />
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<strong><em>Middle Row in Pict</em></strong>: I added salt and little bit of white sugar to the next batch. It tasted <em>much </em>better! <br />
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<strong><em>Bottom Row in Pict</em></strong>: To the last batch I decided to add some vanilla and a little bit of baking powder. The last batch had a lighter texture, though I think I prefer the more dense texture. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdKJcugY810NSdcWfj2jmQRRn5trxSE8r8BlSElcuyFKTn-2gtO3lyVJvQp4K5DyJkNZogDx1WAxqqddC4AeHN-9zEbHTqszUUMcn0d5WjXvpecBNp7P5IVRqsEjs3QyKg5m8QtLtaC0/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdKJcugY810NSdcWfj2jmQRRn5trxSE8r8BlSElcuyFKTn-2gtO3lyVJvQp4K5DyJkNZogDx1WAxqqddC4AeHN-9zEbHTqszUUMcn0d5WjXvpecBNp7P5IVRqsEjs3QyKg5m8QtLtaC0/s400/026.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Yesterday was the first time I completely abstained from meat. Our dinner included the mujadarrah that my mother-in-law fixed, hummus with olive oil my father-in-law made and Shanklish my husband made (a combo of cheese, onion, tomatoes and olive oil). I had the hard task of washing the veggies.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhktuftcB5S0umtvxdOiNrKkcXz1Hk2Ojlx1sKExxWNMFK0Bsp6AJAIWceObqby66HdKY4oDbcCUr8XxVsWr_0YgGfuHaWR2B7m3NxkbLkMP0AOZsmTFCw9CIosp3invRSaENaQbKovY/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYhktuftcB5S0umtvxdOiNrKkcXz1Hk2Ojlx1sKExxWNMFK0Bsp6AJAIWceObqby66HdKY4oDbcCUr8XxVsWr_0YgGfuHaWR2B7m3NxkbLkMP0AOZsmTFCw9CIosp3invRSaENaQbKovY/s400/015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My daughter's dinner looked a lot cuter.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkg4buXo8R77lws7Lh0bC4JA-NTLVG9lfC2SrL4nFxxVAfTOeb0bxWH5i93xSFPJu5IyPw0yQfK4wif5gVyBQQZxiCOc_ZCcyWeWImzizLEtFuZfoLlOSAhn2v5Dps6BTseg_BiI15JM0/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkg4buXo8R77lws7Lh0bC4JA-NTLVG9lfC2SrL4nFxxVAfTOeb0bxWH5i93xSFPJu5IyPw0yQfK4wif5gVyBQQZxiCOc_ZCcyWeWImzizLEtFuZfoLlOSAhn2v5Dps6BTseg_BiI15JM0/s400/013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">And this was our lunch today. Leftover egg salad with pickled jalapenos and carrots on top of a green salad. My daughter had cheese pizza and veggies and my son had hard boiled egg yolk mixed with a bunch of other stuff. Dinner tonight might be similar to what we had yesterday. </div><div align="center">Looks like another meatless day!!! </div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXItoELvG8lT5CTibNytgklpQcF4447YumjrGSZ-ZbkhK9SWx6nNQcL6MP8ho7L8ne8p06_LUaMj0iTuS0kBmUKiF6ecHllhHDoriZ5w0Uy19y1rKsxWkG82miiApRIB64v-2P0IA8Ias/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXItoELvG8lT5CTibNytgklpQcF4447YumjrGSZ-ZbkhK9SWx6nNQcL6MP8ho7L8ne8p06_LUaMj0iTuS0kBmUKiF6ecHllhHDoriZ5w0Uy19y1rKsxWkG82miiApRIB64v-2P0IA8Ias/s400/027.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />
</div>Maria L Daouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13025594519837376132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394771525965691144.post-12317463558926197522011-02-17T14:28:00.000-08:002011-02-17T20:10:15.525-08:00My towed up Finger: War wound from my KitchenSo this is really embarrassing you guys, but I totally messed up my finger yesterday with my new stick blender. I TOLD myself to be careful and not to mess with it unless it was disconnected, but it only took one second of stupidity to get this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uKJ_TTfvXHB6b2BISQNYZWUpQusIY-1NA5hEuv-sHCeAEtHiyDKDdTooMqU9NPNimY0yuOn-H9mFshwgS9OEtKhM1oTOSAsWcHbOVgjdFh909ANuPdWPnEmB7tww_JqL_HV3__tqq0A/s1600/cut+finger.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0uKJ_TTfvXHB6b2BISQNYZWUpQusIY-1NA5hEuv-sHCeAEtHiyDKDdTooMqU9NPNimY0yuOn-H9mFshwgS9OEtKhM1oTOSAsWcHbOVgjdFh909ANuPdWPnEmB7tww_JqL_HV3__tqq0A/s320/cut+finger.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The food I was blending got stuck and as I was trying to take the food out I accidentally pushed the button. It was super scary because I couldn't see how bad the cut was since it was bleeding profusely. I grabbed the first thing I saw (my sons dirty undershirt that was soaking in the bathroom sink) and wrapped it around my finger. My mother-in-law lives next door to me but she was working. I told my 4yr old to watch the baby while I went downstairs to ask help from my neighbors. After my neighbor poured alcohol we went back upstairs to check on the kids and I called my nurse friend. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">THANK GOD FOR HER!! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">She walked me through the process, basically pressure and ice. My neighbors had to go and I was left alone with my 2 kids and a finger that wouldn't stop bleeding. At the moment I felt super alone; it's when I finally lost it and begin to cry. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">An hour later a few people arrived to help including my nurse friend and my father-in-law. My friend treated the wound and said that I might not need stitches after all. I<span style="background-color: white;"> was relieved</span> because I don't <span style="background-color: white;">have insurance.</span></div><br />
Anywho, today the wound is looking like it's healing well. Not looking forward to doing dishes with this bandage around my finger, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I'm just thankful it wasn't worse then it could have been and that I had so many helping hands. Of course, this was the one day my husbands phone decided to blow out, so he had no idea what happened until he got home. He pretty much freaked out because he thought the top of my finger was gone. Craziness. <br />
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Well, after that whole gory story I'm sure the last thing someone wants to look at are pictures of food, but here goes anyway.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE260zTSFEs8vEIFxLmJiwikUhnDeehdw6GrL00diNJcaddDLH-fzhXu9G3xkpI_HAJxizh66SB6BcuZ4EH5XsAnwJ6LJYcLbGc6Fr_18BPdBJ5M0z1324pB_LU_Up32CY3tdCyP7ltk/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirE260zTSFEs8vEIFxLmJiwikUhnDeehdw6GrL00diNJcaddDLH-fzhXu9G3xkpI_HAJxizh66SB6BcuZ4EH5XsAnwJ6LJYcLbGc6Fr_18BPdBJ5M0z1324pB_LU_Up32CY3tdCyP7ltk/s400/001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Yesterday (pre-finger-mutilation) I made Mujadarrah or <strong>"Lentils and Rice with Fried Onion."</strong> Since my husband is Lebanese we have this often but I've never made it before. This recipe was different from my mother-in-laws in that it had black pep<span style="background-color: white;">per and much </span>more rice.<br />
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I liked the fried onions that go with the dish.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmkQqPC8xMpjp-ivzIEAbAWIU0KfB6m8rCkAm4AYTDLWm3C5lQ-uJUgNZBkJVhvUTG2UH8RyjRzBQme8o27El8R03Mzti1167OENhn5kepwzYOGOMdDPA80QCkFmMJy1xsMlRCi_kzzo/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmmkQqPC8xMpjp-ivzIEAbAWIU0KfB6m8rCkAm4AYTDLWm3C5lQ-uJUgNZBkJVhvUTG2UH8RyjRzBQme8o27El8R03Mzti1167OENhn5kepwzYOGOMdDPA80QCkFmMJy1xsMlRCi_kzzo/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Finished dish</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1v5EfffyyxLR0mxnSJkQEBva3C1xrxR13V0-n_glJbaRzXXfrennHUFmljmzVzxoUkU7q-VGOlchMSpSaeKmxkUooX5IXlbHCqB2mcM9rydB_-oQbYrr6X12M82zHwy1Ry9FH-Lr3-WM/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1v5EfffyyxLR0mxnSJkQEBva3C1xrxR13V0-n_glJbaRzXXfrennHUFmljmzVzxoUkU7q-VGOlchMSpSaeKmxkUooX5IXlbHCqB2mcM9rydB_-oQbYrr6X12M82zHwy1Ry9FH-Lr3-WM/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up I made <strong>"Sauteed Zucchini with Garlic and Lemon."</strong></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoYO6oAsSc2FrFORVVI_sZxkImtVWOrI5Qk3F7IHcraZ4jtaLgWfMtNP-SJ_RcEf0XSNddhyj2cTvedCGcsmfkHGZPhCdoYr3LPMDvkuZWL-cntwfHxKp-4_ZNCcdRFhvoDVnTm-e9ho/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHoYO6oAsSc2FrFORVVI_sZxkImtVWOrI5Qk3F7IHcraZ4jtaLgWfMtNP-SJ_RcEf0XSNddhyj2cTvedCGcsmfkHGZPhCdoYr3LPMDvkuZWL-cntwfHxKp-4_ZNCcdRFhvoDVnTm-e9ho/s400/015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Adding some lemon with my trusty grater</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc042lh9njY3OC1yMnuonYEL-0HprNuV5jYTxp_Of_zqoFxuaeXTK9whx4DlY5L9TfbcK2PZbH1rbRxQ6dkrM9BYuiMQ0lDGKpvRLjsUShD2UlMSm4ldY7e_G2eDhiGFwrkEX60aoLtII/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc042lh9njY3OC1yMnuonYEL-0HprNuV5jYTxp_Of_zqoFxuaeXTK9whx4DlY5L9TfbcK2PZbH1rbRxQ6dkrM9BYuiMQ0lDGKpvRLjsUShD2UlMSm4ldY7e_G2eDhiGFwrkEX60aoLtII/s400/020.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">*Sigh* my index finger looks so pretty in this picture. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Because of the whole finger drama I didn't eat dinner until about 9pm. At this time the food tasted OK. I definitely like less rice in my Mujadarrah. Today my mother-in-law told me she would "fix it," which means make it taste more like hers. The zucchini was nice, nothing special but a good way to cook it if I'm in a hurry. I don't think I'm going to be cooking tonight. I might make some banana muffins but other then that it might just be leftovers. Yesterday was pretty crazy and I want to take it easy today. </div>Maria L Daouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13025594519837376132noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394771525965691144.post-77329431899208644752011-02-16T00:09:00.000-08:002011-02-16T10:58:52.797-08:00Daisy's for Dinner<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">Today I made "<strong>Dandelion Greens with Roasted Walnuts and Hard-Cooked Egg</strong>." My husband bought the Dandelion greens thinking they were something else. After a week of seeing them in the fridge I asked him what they were and he responded with, "Oh, my mom told me they were daisy's." I asked him if he was sure they were daisy's and not dandelion greens and he said, "yeah, dandelion greens sound about right." </span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Husbands say the darnest things.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
<span style="color: black;">So first things first, I had to roast the walnuts. Unfortunately my lil woke up from his nap, so by the time I picked him up and finished nursing him <em>this</em> happened!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkiLfNPITk0Lpp7i7YepuKQsmqO8xVvddHkUiwrOTQa9eFW8XghGcoD_T8TDYJVjF4pAjA4k_hvCrrPLvqM0GAKKzHQjqVwqWOQ0q9XiC8olNUmoPN17UTngbc3gj0aWErrNBXwobqr8/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" closure_uid_1snzai="138" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXkiLfNPITk0Lpp7i7YepuKQsmqO8xVvddHkUiwrOTQa9eFW8XghGcoD_T8TDYJVjF4pAjA4k_hvCrrPLvqM0GAKKzHQjqVwqWOQ0q9XiC8olNUmoPN17UTngbc3gj0aWErrNBXwobqr8/s400/001.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">I ate the walnuts that were still OK and chucked the rest. My </span><span style="color: black;">husband would be frowning if he were there. He grew up during a war so its very much ingrained in him to never waste food. Ah well, whadya gonna do?!?! My second batch came out much better!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkDxE8ljp_RwyRUr8rL-ifTMyNWDHY4qrtZ7BL7Y7v3sJIRrs2qyaIktJ_EdbzN1A9g1mEVwS2_D4yZ07t_cX0vhN5Xn-waH9SrRXtMpS8Secci6DYYYPGcrZUkIdakuOUl8RIl4JxNI/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" closure_uid_1snzai="140" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtkDxE8ljp_RwyRUr8rL-ifTMyNWDHY4qrtZ7BL7Y7v3sJIRrs2qyaIktJ_EdbzN1A9g1mEVwS2_D4yZ07t_cX0vhN5Xn-waH9SrRXtMpS8Secci6DYYYPGcrZUkIdakuOUl8RIl4JxNI/s400/007.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"> Next up I boiled some eggs. I only needed 2 but I boiled more for future use. My daughter had one for dinner. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fU4KilpPWD8jYNBdOPLiIqMqAYEwhmmAVYJa3YAKgO7S_9FjGpB8ycX6IoAWRIL2c6VxnpwBy_IY9tBG7uQ9Xx2sWclmLPdPPUNEIwjVFjJioPFFMybznGDmAucs87B-jzGn6vxOOlc/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" closure_uid_1snzai="139" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5fU4KilpPWD8jYNBdOPLiIqMqAYEwhmmAVYJa3YAKgO7S_9FjGpB8ycX6IoAWRIL2c6VxnpwBy_IY9tBG7uQ9Xx2sWclmLPdPPUNEIwjVFjJioPFFMybznGDmAucs87B-jzGn6vxOOlc/s400/004.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;">This is she, keeping me company in the kitchen while working on her alphabet sounds.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93GLqwRVPkCP-PdXrdF-TzT24zSv63F9RFYnzgjkjucx-zUIVEQzfroWIXGzo5-HlpRPwmA3F2BD2kuDLKBqGeAIE5bWX3FDBuzii0ZekIqK-DCwBsUGoO1rtdtxPIj9CLC6G8nYAsyg/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" closure_uid_1snzai="143" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi93GLqwRVPkCP-PdXrdF-TzT24zSv63F9RFYnzgjkjucx-zUIVEQzfroWIXGzo5-HlpRPwmA3F2BD2kuDLKBqGeAIE5bWX3FDBuzii0ZekIqK-DCwBsUGoO1rtdtxPIj9CLC6G8nYAsyg/s400/005.JPG" width="400" /></span></a><br />
Smashed some garlic<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaaJ4qmI2KkPSy9vEw4vFW98XATylkZBvoVEtBU7kU2gCEEdxZeJFgZW-Q6p0D9ViR-YSzDOM65Lu1dREd2qS000fi7_nexsmP7B1t-Cnnoqc0uy6XwIyeAI-9p9ZOQ_iBEfR04AQzio/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNaaJ4qmI2KkPSy9vEw4vFW98XATylkZBvoVEtBU7kU2gCEEdxZeJFgZW-Q6p0D9ViR-YSzDOM65Lu1dREd2qS000fi7_nexsmP7B1t-Cnnoqc0uy6XwIyeAI-9p9ZOQ_iBEfR04AQzio/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;">I made the garlic, red wine vinegar dressing and cooked it for a minute.</span></div><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTeWOEurs_Ha6r4RZVw3RUpFCXINJ7fjDD-mvQRZQmTZN0Q3fqsD58P5CRHfDUsaOml5f_bP9bJGNks1zOl7QI6ELpQoncmnrU0_GRlOyS61sUMIb3Yz0osowIqUMxHyXEZqZ5g7VUas/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" closure_uid_1snzai="472" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTTeWOEurs_Ha6r4RZVw3RUpFCXINJ7fjDD-mvQRZQmTZN0Q3fqsD58P5CRHfDUsaOml5f_bP9bJGNks1zOl7QI6ELpQoncmnrU0_GRlOyS61sUMIb3Yz0osowIqUMxHyXEZqZ5g7VUas/s400/010.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><span style="color: black;"> </span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;">These are the dandelion greens </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsGT_gk1-sO7Rv-hL4mgSLYIh4FicSwe1jdVDo6Wj1iAmejbDuoHlB2Yf2w_c_s6iL-UFFC0Jhjoh75RM0vOxTwMUfwU_q-7E8xaeVOETyoMnY52RnnPdtrElPuuKCzffreW-IFZ3MYI/s1600/009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" closure_uid_1snzai="473" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwsGT_gk1-sO7Rv-hL4mgSLYIh4FicSwe1jdVDo6Wj1iAmejbDuoHlB2Yf2w_c_s6iL-UFFC0Jhjoh75RM0vOxTwMUfwU_q-7E8xaeVOETyoMnY52RnnPdtrElPuuKCzffreW-IFZ3MYI/s400/009.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;">This is the finished salad. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0spWHXCvzed5oazNcrLY1unL-CqmQcZDzJCpjDHyVra8rK7RIlg6_Oxtsoosqi7fj2s3iU0WGQzvRnD4wAzQ3TQObxqL9Bh0ZJ19isj-E43eCjHeu8ldePovSVXP-4HHtUfwaAFA3Fk8/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0spWHXCvzed5oazNcrLY1unL-CqmQcZDzJCpjDHyVra8rK7RIlg6_Oxtsoosqi7fj2s3iU0WGQzvRnD4wAzQ3TQObxqL9Bh0ZJ19isj-E43eCjHeu8ldePovSVXP-4HHtUfwaAFA3Fk8/s400/011.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>I really like this salad! If you dont like bitter flavors then this is not for you though. I thought the walnuts gave it a nice sweet taste and the egg made it slightly creamy. The dressing was super yummy though I think next time Im going to add more garlic. I ate this as a side dish but the husband had it as a main dish. <br />
Good stuff!Maria L Daouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13025594519837376132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394771525965691144.post-13159604794544890522011-02-16T00:03:00.000-08:002011-02-16T00:11:29.126-08:00Starting out Small<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">So I unofficially started on Saturday by cooking some asparagus the husband brought home. I almost never make asparagus (too expensive!) but when I do I steam them. I like to steam everything. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">The recipe I used is simply called <strong>"Skillet Asparagus."</strong> The book called for asparagus boiled in a pan with all the tips pointing one way.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxGyeUcUQzYyuXXv0wTwN5i2Dj4t4iB6OgDx4EO86qYBRQWevD6RiajjPJXkdu_G0FmGoNxRFCQrhVyASkRQrrydqqbAI6Q3sLjAvUWHuvAQohqmwPp6O58aXKEeD6sh1BWdoMdNL-HU/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSxGyeUcUQzYyuXXv0wTwN5i2Dj4t4iB6OgDx4EO86qYBRQWevD6RiajjPJXkdu_G0FmGoNxRFCQrhVyASkRQrrydqqbAI6Q3sLjAvUWHuvAQohqmwPp6O58aXKEeD6sh1BWdoMdNL-HU/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;">I was to cook them until firm but not limp then drizzle with olive oil and add chopped herbs. I only had parsley as an herb so thats what I added. I finished it with salt and fresh black pepper and Wala! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
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<span style="color: black;">They were waaay better then steamed asparagus. So we obviously had these as a side dish...well, they were meant as a side dish but turned into appetizers since we all just dug in before eating the main dish. </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofx2gJjWJKkYdESnBGslfExWyKtsbGiguIA-09k43vf52kf-MWmF2I_BqrJbXCqnm-cUfAgU1R0j_-IiaIuwHYUjKpc8vDImrswTo-44AUdZh5sFk42AdGJfK4X3a0nuOiDUaa5Ng5J8/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" j6="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjofx2gJjWJKkYdESnBGslfExWyKtsbGiguIA-09k43vf52kf-MWmF2I_BqrJbXCqnm-cUfAgU1R0j_-IiaIuwHYUjKpc8vDImrswTo-44AUdZh5sFk42AdGJfK4X3a0nuOiDUaa5Ng5J8/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a name='more'></a> </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Maria L Daouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13025594519837376132noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7394771525965691144.post-13055514274994107172011-02-15T15:31:00.000-08:002011-02-16T00:10:27.758-08:00In the Beginning<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "Arial", "sans-serif"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was 16 years old when I decided to become a vegetarian. I'm Mexican and I lived in the hood (South Los Angeles to be precise) so at that time I was the only vegetarian I knew. I didn't mind it and since I loved to cook I would spend hours in the downtown library reading vegetarian cookbooks. Yes. I was/am a big ‘ol nerd.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone" quickly became my favorite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had so many recipes that I didn't need to bother bringing home other books. I loved the fact that a lot of the recipes were simple and had ingredients I could easily find in my parents fridge or pantry. I was so enamored by this book that in my diary I wrote that if I could dine with any 3 people in the world, Deborah Madison would be one of them. </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fast forward 12 years later, I still love to cook but I’m no longer vegetarian. There are 3 reasons I stopped:</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I missed mom’s short ribs and nopales in red sauce</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I wanted to try my (then) boyfriend’s favorite Lebanese dishes</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I was tired of asking waiters if they were SURE the soup didn’t have chicken broth. </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Though I have no plans in becoming a vegetarian, I do feel like I’m eating too much meat. I also feel like I’m stuck in a vegetable cooking rut; the veggies I prepare are either salads or steamed green beans or peas. I would LOVE to get to a point to where I can go to the farmers market and just grab veggies that look good with full knowledge on how to prepare them. In all honesty the farmer’s market intimidates me the way the weight room in the gym used to intimidate me. I wander around trying to pretend I know what I’m doing, that I know what to do with this and that. I fear that others see right through me and wonder what I’m doing there, why I don’t just stick to the <s>cardio machines</s> regular chain markets. </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: auto auto 0pt; mso-add-space: auto;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So, in cooking my way through “Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone,” these are my goals:</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Eat more vegetables and less meat</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">2.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Get out of my vegetable cooking rut.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-add-space: auto; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">3.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">No longer be intimidated by the farmers market</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I have not set a time limit like that Julie chick that cooked her way through Julia Child's French cookbooks. I have 2 kids, I go to school, I like spending time with my husband and I want to remain sane. And just as a little aside, thanks Honey for being so gung-ho about this!</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black;"><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">So here we go! Very excited and nervous about this process....but mostly excited!</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cheers! </span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"></div>Maria L Daouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13025594519837376132noreply@blogger.com0