Jan
31
2008
Anyways, I really fell in love with this Greek salad recipe from a blog called Janet Is Hungry. The recipe I tried was her accidental adaptation of her own recipe that she loves even more than the original. So, I thought I’d give it a try. Continue Reading »
Jan
30
2008
Man oh man these were the blandest gyros I’ve ever had. I made the oven version since I don’t have a rotisserie, the consistency was perfect, but NO flavor – catastrophic! Thank goodness I wasn’t trying this new dish out on guests as I often do.
I’m not even sure what gyros are spiced with, so I wouldn’t even know where to begin with what spices are missing, but I would definitely add salt and oregano to the list.
If anyone has any tips, I would really love to hear from you!
This is the recipe I tried: Gyros Meat from the Food Network
Jan
29
2008
There is something in me…deep deep down inside that loves food from “that” part of the world. You’d think that in another life I was middle eastern.
Oh, wait. I am – partially.
My great grandparents came over to the US from Iran Iraq*see update bellow* and had, if I remember correctly, 5 children. One of those children was my grandma. When she was old enough she married an Iranian Iraqi student who was studying in the US. Along came my dad…and he married “out” to my mom who is from Colombia. When I was young my dad died and I was raised by my mom – so I was raised as a Hispanic American. I never had any middle easter dishes…never tasted hummus until I was in college, I believe I had baklava for the first time in high school, and lamb I had for the first time once I was married and living in Germany.
It’s funny how we’re just born being who we are, and that even though I was never raised with any middle eastern gastronomic influence, I adore all dishes that I have had to this day. Hummus being my favorite.
*update – September 2010: This summer I was able to visit with my cousin. Having not seen her for 14 years, we had a lot to talk about, and family heritage was on the agenda. Our family history stories almost matched up, but I was always told that my father’s family was from Iran. There was no reason to assume otherwise, but when I told my mom that my cousin said that we had family from Mosul and Baghdad, she decided to check my father’s baptism certificate. And there it stood – black and white – his father’s birth place: Mosul, Iraq. You can imagine her – and my – shock after thinking for so many years that my father’s family was from a different country. In my mother’s defense, she didn’t speak much English when they met – this is no longer the case.
So, my great grand mother was from Mosul, Iraq, and my great grand father was from Baghdad, Iraq. They left emigrated to the US while hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians were be mascaraed. My only guess is that they left the country for their safety.*
Continue Reading »
Jan
27
2008
My mom has this great little Pillsbury cook book for casseroles. I meant to bring it back to Germany with me, but forgot it along with the pie tins that my mom was going to give me and a few other things. In this book my husband came across this recipe called Grilled Chicken and Tortellini with Roasted Red Pepper Cream. It looked interesting – I definitely never thought about adding pureed roasted bell peppers to alfredo sauce. And then I just thought to myself…where have you been my whole life! It was absolutely divine! I don’t think an alfredo sauce will ever be the same in my kitchen, and this new found wonder-ingredient will never been missing again! Continue Reading »
Jan
26
2008
Mmmm…I can’t wait to make them again! Actually, I never made them the first time, my husband made them for me. See the different shapes? The crescents, the circles, and the nun chuck?? The nun chuck was his 
Another great Better Homes & Gardens recipe! Continue Reading »
Jan
25
2008
Anyways, I have been trying out some of the recipes that I have been meaning to cook for ages from Better Homes & Gardens. And, I have not come across a bad one yet – they are all excellent. This stew is so heart warming and filling, even though it makes 10 servings, and there are only 2 of us (eating solid foods), I made it all and froze the rest in single serving portions for those days when I just don’t want to cook – gasp! Yes, it happens to the best of us. Some days it’s just nicer when someone else could do the cooking – even if it was me in the past – oh, I can’t wait to bring that microwave back home with me in May (I’ll tell you more about it once I’ve got it)! Continue Reading »
