Transition

I have been using Blogger for 10 years and it is hard for me to say that I decided to move on to Wordpress. Hope they make it better for people to comment on my blog.

Come and join me over there:The Chef in Progress

Chicken and Green Rice

I love Italian Chicken, no matter what it is, it always tastes good and the colors are breath taking. I found Giada's Chicken Cacciatore and I paired it with Rachel Ray's Green Rice .

I have to give it to myself, the food tastes so good and the display isn't so bad!

 

I am making progress :-)

 

Kale

I have never had Kale, it always looked too hard to chew and I am not a big fan of tough Green things. I thought I would give it a shot, it might work. So I did it and Hallelujah! I love it.

I took the leaves off of the steam. Then dries and sprinkled with Olive Oil and salt. Left in Oven 300 for about 20 minutes and my Kale was ready!

 

My dinner tonight was Trout and Kale Chips!

Vegetarian Chili Verde

Saturday morning started at my favorite Yoga Studio (let alone the fact that I never thought I would ever be interested in yoga given some history). It was just the right start for my morning. After Yoga I went to the market and bought ingredients for this dish. Headed home fast and got to work.

I was very disappointed not to be able to find Tomatillos. So I just got Plum Tomatoes and convinced myself that I had to get over it. Recipe is here.

 

I love the colors.

 

It was so good that I didn't even take the time to decorate it. I just dived in!

 

Now top that with a Mocha Strawberry Tea Mix. 

Hummus

 

So I finally made the Hummus following the awesome recipe from Jamie Oliver! It is the best Hummus ever. I enjoyed every bit of it. Okay so I changed it a bit. No Garlic for me with my allergy, so I replaced that with Dill. I am big fan of Dill.

Tabouleh

I am a big fan of Couscous, but it always depends on how it is made. Sometimes it is too heavy. I like it cold as a salad.

 

Lunch in Paris, is one of my favorite books. Full of recipes and a pure love story.

 

It turned out really good. The raisin, tomato, cucumber and parsley are 

always a good combination. Now when you add couscous and 

grapefruit to it, you have the perfect mixture.

Chicken Pad Thai

Practice makes perfect. That is true. However, in this case all I needed was actually going to a Thai restaurant and order Pad Thai so I would really know how it looks like. With that being done, today's Pad Thai was a success.

I used Rachel Ray's recipe. I know. Don't judge me.

Pad Thai. 

Just remember to make triple amount of the sauce. It is better.

 

Colorful and so fragrant!

 

Success!

Kebob on Sunday is the Best

I love having Chelo Kebob on Sundays. It just makes you so heavy that you can nap all afternoon.

The trick was I had to be in a good mood for this dish to come out right. I was in a good mood and our lunch was fantastic.

 

That is my attitude!

 

Spices looking good in my green bowl.

 

Hardest job of all! Grinding onion and adding beef. I cry every time!

 

Basmati Rice added extra butter.

 

My favorite part of Chelo Kebob.

 

Honey! Lunch is ready!

The Return of the Naked Chef

 

This book was a gift from a very dear friend. When Sepi visited us, she told me that she loves this chef. So this morning I picked up the book. Sat on our red couch, which was warm and cozy with all the sunshine and read through the book.

I like the book, because it is not your traditional cook book. No exact measurements. It felt like he was telling me to be brave and creative. So I decided to make the Houmus.

The Chickpeas are soaking and I am getting impatient to get this Houmus ready!

Herbs

From Left to Right: Dill, Rosemary, Lavender and Mrs. Pepper.

I never have luck with my plants. The only plant that has survived ME is my plant Pepper. She is really strong and the peppers are all crispy and not too spicy. I added couple more plants yesterday, hoping I get good results.

I am open to suggestions on how I can save my plants from ME!

Squash and Plum Stew

I had a big craving for something sweet. So I went through my new book: Persian Cookbook for Healthy Cooking by Najmieh Batmanghlij. I found this recipe. It is for sure one of my favorite stews of all the time. You can either make it with Chicken or Stew Beef. Not sure if Lamb would taste good with it, I would give it a try!

 

 I was surprised that it had Butternut Squash! I tend to read the recipes fast and miss ingredients!

 

 Yummy! Our rice had a smokey flavor and it just made it perfect:)

Persian Halvah

For me, the toughest smell to stand is Rosewater. It reminds me of funerals, graves and mostly my beloved aunt and cousin who I lost in an accident 14 years ago. And I never eat Halvah, I promised myself the day of their funeral, never to eat a piece of it. I hate to recall those tough days.

Few days ago, we heard a sad news that Paula's mom passed away. So Bobby suggested that I make Halvah and we take it to Paula's house. I had to make Rosewater from scratch, because I was too lazy to go to Persian Store. I didn't follow any recipe. I simply boiled my rose petals for 10 minutes and then got the liquid out.

Halvah turned out really good and it was a hit at Paula's house.  I found this recipe online: Persian Halvah.

Challenge Number 3: Stuffed Cornish Hen

Tony, challenged me to make Cornish Hen with Butternut Squash sauce. Since, I was missing home and my mom's cooking I had to make couple changes. I went through Najmieh Batmanghlij's Cook Book and I found Cornish Hen, stuffed with Barberries, Rice and Almond. That was just the best meal I have ever had! Not really, but pretty high up in the list. I was so thankful that the hen was already cleaned so I didn't have to go through the whole painful process. I made to Cornish Hens, one is already gone :-)

Ready to go in the oven

I think they like eachother!

Challenge Number 2: Obgoosht (Lamb Soup)

I wonder how many times I have said it out loud that I miss home! How many times did I say it inside?

To bring the feelings from childhood back to my new home, I decided that I need to make something that was made by my mom every other weekend. Obgoosht was a challenge mentioned by Katia (Bobby's niece). I never made Obgoosht before. So I merged 3 recipes: Najmieh Batmanghlij, Lila Joon's and my mom's. First thing in the morning I boiled the beans (suggested by my aunt Jila). Then I boiled the Lamb Shanks and Ribs, that way it is easier to get rid of the smell and the fat. Then I put the lamb with the Chickpeas, Pinto Beans and Split Peas in 6 cups of water and added pepper and onion and let it cook for 2 hours. As I was on the phone with my mom and dad they suggested I add a bit of cinnamon just to make it smell better and as it simmered the smell started to be exactly as I remember it. Then I added the tomatoes and potatoes and tomato paste and let it simmer for another hour. The lamb was so tender, and the obgoosht was perfect. Actually I am enjoying a small bowl of it while typing this post;-)

So red an bloody, I am thinking Twilight.

Looking better.

The potatoes are in.

Almost there.

YUMMY!

Challenge Number 1: Miso Soup

I love Miso soup. I am very simple when I go to a Japanese restaurant, I find the Miso very quickly on the Menu and I have my order. It was always a big mystery for me how one can make a good Miso Soup. Until I decided that it was time for me to try out couple recipes and add this to our family dining menu. Two nights ago,  went out to Harris Teeter (an American grocery store) and bought Miso Paste, Tofu and Scallions. I couldn't find Dashi. So as you might know by now my plan failed that night.

So last night I found a International Grocery Store (Thanks to Travis) called Global Food! EVERYTHING was confusing. I had no idea what was written on each can. I wasn't sure which section I was in. The only place that felt like home was the Persian department. Yes, all the labels were in FARSI! I asked for help. Finally found all my ingredients. Miso paste (White and Red), Tofu (The real one, Firm that wouldn't break down like the one I had the night before) and Dashi. So I dashed home.

 

I put the pot on the stove boiled some water and added the Dashi as the direction on the box (one day I will make it from scratch) and let me tell you that Dashi SMELLS like raw Fish! So then I added my Miso Paste and later on Tofu and Scallions. I followed this recipe which is fantastic.

The soup was the best Miso I have ever had! Way to go Newsha.

Bobby picked up some sushi to go with our soup and we had a marvelous dinner.

 

 His

 Hers

Italian Cooking

You know when you have a LONG weekend, and that is when you decide it's time for adventure. That was the reason that on Monday I went shopping and started cooking for dinner. I was excited to see the results, more than I was to taste them.

So the first recipe that I had kept to try was Barciole. I watched the video of Giada De Laurentiis demonstrating the process and looked very easy. I followed her steps, except for using garlic, I used Shallot. I cannot eat Garlic, so I always have to find another spice to replace it.

I even made my very own Tomato Sauce, which I have to admit was DELICIOUS!

All My Soldiers lined up for some action.

Flank Steak ready to be tenderized.

My very best Barciole.

Vegetables for Tomato Sauce.

Tomato Sauce sizzling in my new French Oven.

 On the other side to complete the Italian Theme, I decided to try out the Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash recipe that I found on Foodnetwork.

It was a bit of more work than I anticipated, but all worth the try!

Roasted Butternut Squash.

Saffron Risotto with Butternut Squash.