MIXED VEGETABLE SALAD

Ingredients:
Potatoes ..... 1
Carrots....... 1
Green peas .. 1/2 cup
Beans .......... 6-8
Olives.......... 5-6
Mayonnaise .. 2 tbsps.
White pepper.. 1/2 tsp.
Salt ............... to taste
Olive oil ....... 1 tsp. ( optional)
Method:
1. Cut all the vegetables into small pieces. Boil them ( except olives)adding a little salt. Let them cool.
2. Mix the chopped olives, mayonnaise and white pepper.
3. Refrigerate at least for an hour before serving.
( You may add any vegetables of your choice)

To make the pineapple birds click HERE

Pureness and Light

Weekend Memories with cousins.

Soft baby gurgles of pure delight

Sweet Mommy kisses while holding baby tight

Busy little hands at work making creations hopeful and bright

 While creating memories filled with love, hope and light

Sweets to share and to savor 

To decorate and to favor

With imaginary friends so important in a wee one's little life

Words of wisdom to ponder...flights of fancy to imagine

Happiness in still life so pure and free

The world is theirs to wonder, treasure and mold adding their layer to that special family tree

Project 31. - Day 6.

Day 6.  Jaded Beauty. Has the world's definition of beauty ever jaded you?

I can't say that it has "jaded" me in any way. However, it is tiresome to constantly be surrounded by images of "perfect" women. They are obviously photoshopped. As a designer I have seen many before and after pictures of celebrities, and learned that just like the rest of us, they don't have perfect noses, flat abs, and often DO have cellulite on their thighs and the dreaded pooch. I don't let myself get too envious, because I know the trick. Unfortunately many women don't and struggle to have what only exists in a perfect world. We should learn to love our flaws, they are what makes us unique. With that being said, here are a couple examples, and you'll see what I mean.

See what I mean? Now go give yourself a hug!

 Day 1.  What does beauty mean to you?

Day 2.  What makes you uniquely you?

Day 3.  Who is someone you know who inspires beauty?

Day 4.  Style 31.  Post a pic of you in your favorite outfit.

Day 5.  Write a blog thanking someone who has made your heart come alive.

Day 6.  Jaded beauty.  Has the world's definition of beauty ever jaded you?

Day 7.  Write a blog to encourage another beautiful woman.

Day 8.  Have a beauty secret (e.g. hair tip, make up tip)?  Share, please!

Day 9.  What virtues do you value in yourself?

Day 10.  What are you learning as a wife, mom, or friend? (Or just woman in general?)

Day 11.  Post a recipe.  Or if you don't cook, try a new recipe and write about it.

Day 12.  Write about what wears you out as a woman.

Day 13.  Tell us something you would like to change about yourself for the better.

Day 14.  Style 31.  Post an outfit pic!

Day 15.  Write to encourage a friend.  Inspire her beauty.

Day 16.  Write a letter to (daughter,niece,young girl). Tell her what beauty means.

Day 17.  Write about 3 things that make you happy.

Day 18.  Describe your personality.

Day 19.  Write about your favorite comfort food.

Day 20.  Write about your job and why you love it or hate it.  

Day 21.  Write a letter to your husband to encourage him.

Day 22.  Write a letter to your family as a whole.

Day 23.  What are your strengths?  What are your weaknesses?

Day 24.  What are you being taught you presently?

Day 25.  Style 31.  Post a pic of your favorite comfy clothes.

Day 26.  What do you hope your grandchildren will say about you someday?

Day 27.  Write a blog to encourage someone and build their confidence!

Day 28.  Write about your insecurities as a woman.

Day 29.  Write about "a day in the life of me."  (Pics are great!)

Day 30.  Who is your role model as a woman?

Day 31.  Write about your dreams and goals as a beautiful woman!

Reagan Telling Soviet Union Jokes

... can be found here. They were great!

Link of the Day

Cat Vomits on Sofa; Climate of Hate Blamed.

LOL!

Our Knight-Protector Adds A Crucial Teammate To His Staff

Sir, the residents of the Catican will sleep even more soundly than before ...

Oh goodness. I can picture the shredded upholstery and window blinds now. Not to mention feeling the sting of needlepoint claws sinking into bare legs as I walk through a dimly lit house. So how the blazes did I get talked into going to the animal shelter "just to look around and see what they have". Right. I should have seen that one coming.

Well done!

Cheezburger of the Day

... maybe of the month!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Simple Lamb Stew with Braised Red Cabbage

This is a delicious and incredibly simple stew, perfect for a cold Winter's night. It is accompanied by beautifully braised red cabbage and onion - which is a million miles away from the steamed or boiled cabbage so many of us associate with our youth...

Ingredients (Serves Two)

3/4lb diced leg of lamb
1/4 red cabbage
2 small white onions
1 small carrot
4 tbsp frozen peas
2 pints fresh chicken stock
1 tbsp sunflower oil
Salt and pepper

Method

The lamb should be quickly browned and sealed in a dry pot before the chicken stock is added. The carrot should be sliced in to discs, one of the onions peeled and quartered and both of these added to the stew. The stock should be brought to a simmer for about an hour, until the lamb is beautifully tender.

Any remaining hard core should be cut out of the quarter red cabbage and it should be sliced across the way. The second onion should be peeled, halved and sliced. When the stew is almost ready, the sunflower oil should be added to a large pot and brought up to a medium heat. The cabbage and onion should be added, seasoned and stirred frequently over a medium heat for ten minutes until slightly softened.

The peas should be added to a pot of boiling water for three minutes. The stew should be divided equally between two plates with a slotted spoon before the cabbage and peas are arranged alongside.

Courgettes with Chickpeas in Lemon and Mint



ekşili kabak or courgettes with chickpeas in lemon and mint



I always think it must be very easy to be vegetarian here in Turkey because what with the abundance of fresh vegetables here,  the cuisine includes so many non-meat dishes. Think of all those meze for a start. Now me, I am not vegetarian: I just love vegetables!

 You might say courgettes - kabak -  are not seasonal and you would be right. For me too they spell summer but with the addition of the chickpeas/nohut, the dish acquires a whole new wintry dimension.  Anyway there they were at the market no less so I succumbed and bought some. In Turkish this dish is called Ekşili Kabak – my Turkish husband says he has never heard of it! Probably because he is more used to Kıymalı Kabak/courgettes with mince, which is the classic. But I was burning to make this: I love pulses in any form so I knew I’d love this combination which I first saw in Alev Kaman's book 'Modern Türk Mutfağı'.

 

I say airily I love pulses but I hardly knew what they were when I first came here. They were not English staples by any stretch of the imagination and when I saw the amount of work it took to prepare them – think mother-in-law with a pile of lentils in front of her sifting through them meticulously fishing out the little pieces of stone -  it was hardly a given that I too would try my hand.

 

 After similar sorting, the dried nohut had to be soaked the night before and then boiled. No wonder a pressure cooker was a prize possession in those days: cooking Turkish-style  was a long-winded business. Eventually I bought one myself but I never really took to it. It now languishes on the top shelf in my kitchen today. But I do know that especially the older generation of Turkish home cooks still swear by it.

Ingredients for Courgettes with Chickpeas in Lemon and Mint

Serves 6

8 medium courgettes/kabak

1 cup boiled chickpeas/nohut  (use tinned)

1 onion thinly sliced Turkish-style in half moons

4 tbsp cooking oil

1 tbsp pepper paste/biber salçası

1tbsp tomato paste/domates salçası

2 cups hot water

1 tbsp dried mint/nane

Juice of 1 lemon

3 cloves garlic, crushed

Salt and pepper to taste

  

Method

·         Cut the courgettes into 3 pieces.  With a fork, score on all sides. Then cut each piece lengthways into 4 and each length into 2 cm pieces.

·         Gently soften the onion in the cooking oil. Add the pepper and tomato pastes and stir briefly.

·         Add the courgettes, chickpeas, salt and pepper.  Pour the hot water on top and cook over a low flame for 25 minutes.

·         Then add the mint, lemon juice and crushed garlic and stir. Cook for 10 minutes more.

·         Serve hot.

Tips

1. I mentioned those tomato and pepper pastes in the recent kapuska post. One little caveat: the pepper one comes in 2 types: acı as in hot or spicy, and tatlı/sweet.You can use either depending on your taste. Be careful as acı really is acı!

red peppers drying at Biber Evi, Assos

2.These pastes or purees are sold in both tins and jars of all sizes. Always get a small jar as it will keep much better and anyway I'm betting that you're not going to be using it in huge quantities on a regular basis, are you?

 Afiyet olsun!

ELAICHI CHICKEN ( Fote Bhugi Chicken)

Ingredients:
Chicken .... 200 gms.
Cardamoms ... 8
Wheat flour ... 1 tbsp.
Turmeric powder ..1/8 tsp.
Garam masala ...... 1/2 tsp.
Salt .................. to taste
Oil .................. 2 tbsp.
Black pepper ..... crushed.

Method:

1. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a pan. Crush the cardamoms with the skin and add to the oil.

2. Add the chicken pieces, turmeric powder, salt and garam masala. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes on medium flame.
3. Add 3 cups of water and simmer it for 20-25 minutes until the chicken is tender.(if you pressure-cook it, use less water)

4. In a small pan take 1 tbsp. oil and fry the wheat flour on low flame for a minute.
5. Dilute this with a little water and add to the chicken and cook further for a minute.
6. Sprinkle freshly crushed black pepper before serving. You may squeeze a little lime juice too if you like.



This is a traditional Sindhi preparation. You can prepare the mutton in the same way.

It is very light without too many spices and can be relished even when you are a bit unwell.

Serve with rotis or bread. It can be just taken like soup too.