An ordinary day..

Sometimes you just enjoy the moment..like,

 

.. watching him sleeping before you go to work..

 

 

 or taking a walk after work..

 

and sometimes just being in the kitchen and making a colorful salad :)

 

 

..to treat your loved ones with the food they love..

 

 

or maybe one piece of chocolate cake can make you happy!

Life is colorful!

 

 

Happy weekend!

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Recipes!!!

Let's have  some fun in the kitchen! Ready???
You choose any of these recipes and I'll help you!
Chat me, email me, message me, text me, call me..anything :D

 

 

Everybody loves zucchini except Aria!

 

Zucchini with mint and tomato sauce

A good recipe for zucchini with simple on-hand ingredients.

 

5 zucchini (cut into half moon)

1 onion, chopped

4 gloves garlic, minced

4 tbs olive oil

1 tsp dry mint,

 like more mint?..me too!! Let's add one more :D

salt , pepper

1 cup chicken broth

2 tomatoes

or 

 1/3 cup crushed tomato/canned

or

if you have homemade tomato sauce I gave

the recipe earlier you might want to use it now.

I'd like to get more zucchini taste instead tomato,

so, I didn't use more sauce or tomato though.

But if you like it in more tomato, just scoop more sauce, less chicken broth in it!

 

 

Saute onion and garlic.
Add tomatoes (if you use raw tomatoes,

 cook for a few minutes stiring)

Add half moon sliced zucchinis to the pot..
..salt n pepper and finally dry mint!

 

Zucchini and Bulgur Pilaf

Some leftover zuccini and bulgur was my last night dinner.

 

 

I tried bulgur pilaf with sauteed egglant, served with spicy chicken wings

and arugula salad.

Hmm...We liked it!

 Eggplant Bulgur Pilaf

1 big onion(crushed)
2 eggplants(cubed)
(OK..I have to note this..if you would use Italian eggplant
 which is equals to 2 eggplants in Turkey, So,
only one would be good enough.(cubed)
1 cup bulgur(washed in cold water)
2 tomatoes(peeled and diced)
1/2 tbs paste(add to the tomatoes)
2 green peppers(sliced)
1 glove minced garlic
3 tbs oil
2 cups hot water,salt, pepper

How to make Eggplant Bulgur Pilaf ?

Saute onion, green pepper a few minutes in olive oil and
add eggplant cubes, garlic.
Cook the eggplant in oil, stirring occasionally,
 untill the eggplant is fork-tender,
about four-five minutes.
You combined the diced tomateos and the tomato paste, right?
Cook a few minutes more..until tomatoes soft.

Ok, well it's time to add bulgur and boiled water.
Don't forget to salt n pepper!!
That's all! You made a yummy pilaf :)
Cook until the water is absorbed.
 Remove from heat and let stand, covered,
 until bulgur is softened, about 25 minutes

Chicken Wings!
 

Sprinkled with spicy chicken mix and grilled!
 We started to like wings, lately. :)

 

Hmm...yummy Arugula Salad with grated tomato sauce.
I use cherry tomatoes for this salad but i tried a different way
 to add tomato taste to the salad
and added grated tomato to the sauce. 

Taste was good!
 

Arugula Salad
 1 tomato
 2 garlic cloves pressed
 1 tbs vinegar
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, salt

It has been a while I haven't made Dolma;
(Ground beef stuffed cubanelle pepper)

Served with spaghetti and famous Turkish Yogurt Cucumber Salad,
CACIK!

Especially ideal for summer time!
 

 

CACIK

Ingredients
3 cups plain yoğurt
1/4 cup water
2 gloves garlic(minced)
3 cucumbers(diced)
1tbs olive oil
1 tsp vinegar
salt and dry mint

Beat yoğurt; mix with garlic, salt and water.
Pour the yoğurt mixture over cucumbers.
You might prefer peel cucumbers but I don't..
I like more color in salad :)
Drizlle vinegar and olive oil.
Garnish with mint.
Serve cold in bowls!

And final recipe for this week;
Dolma!


Dolma/ recipe

Dolma means to stuff,..We all love it. Many versions of Dolmas...
from stuffed vine leaves, zucchini, eggplant and more more....
Stuffed wine leaves are very common.

Ground beef/rice stuffed cubanelle.
Pictured just after placed into pot before cook it!
 Colorful bell peppers are also pereferable.
Mmmm..beautiful color combinition on the plate!!!

Stuffing İngredients

11 adet cubanelles(I have small ones.
So, you might need to use less pepers for this stuffing)
1 pound ground beef;
2 chopped onion
 1/4 cup uncooked white rice
 2 gloves minced garlic
One handful of parsley, chopped
1 tsp tomato paste
1/4 cup crushed tomato
salt n pepper
---
rest of the ingredients
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes,
1 teaspoon butter
2 tbsp olive oil
hot water, salt

Cut of the tops off the peppers and
clean out the seeds inside. Now, the peppers are ready!

Mix all the ingredients and stuff the peppers with a teaspoon.
 The rice will need some room to expand during cooking.
So, don't over do it.

Place the pepers into pot..I have already have hot water in the kettle:)
Fill the pot half way up with hot water.
Pour the hot water and rest of the ingredients all over the peppers
and cook them until rice is soft.

Smells like heaven!!!
 

 Have a tasteful weekend !

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