Hello everyone When Katie from What Katie’s Baking asked me if I would be a guest blogger for her while she was on vacation, I was honored! I love all her tempting and mouth-watering recipes, and I always look forward to seeing the next thing she’s baking.

Anyway, I had a hard time deciding what to ... [read more]]]> Hello everyone When Katie from What Katie’s Baking asked me if I would be a guest blogger for her while she was on vacation, I was honored! I love all her tempting and mouth-watering recipes, and I always look forward to seeing the next thing she’s baking.

Anyway, I had a hard time deciding what to post for her, but I finally decided on something that I think not only looks beautiful on your plate but also tastes great!

It’s a spinach and cheese mixture that’s stuffed inside a cored out tomato and baked with an egg on top.

Every bite is packed with flavor, and it’s a meal we certainly plan to enjoy again and again.

To get the recipe for spinach and eggs baked in tomato cups

(recipe adapted from:  Recipes from my Mom),  head over to What Katie’s Baking, and find out how to make this scrumptious meal for yourself. Hope y’all have a great day!

Spring is a magical time of the year. It’s a a time of new life…a time when trees, plants, and flowers start to bloom, as well as a time when baby birds are born.

This spring, Kemal and I have had a wonderful experience. A mama dove used one of the hanging baskets on ... [read more]]]> Spring is a magical time of the year. It’s a a time of new life…a time when trees, plants, and flowers start to bloom, as well as a time when baby birds are born.

This spring, Kemal and I have had a wonderful experience. A mama dove used one of the hanging baskets on our balcony as a nest.

She laid her eggs there and sat on them for weeks, keeping them warm and protecting them until her babies hatched. Once the two babies emerged from the eggs, Mama Dove was with them day and night, feeding them and caring for them.

Papa Dove also played a crucial role in feeding both her and the babies.

During a recent severe thunderstorm with very high winds and large hail, we feared for the safety of Mama Dove and her chicklets. Mama had no protection from the hail, and she was not only being pummeled with  hail, but the hanging basket she and the chicks occupied was being thrashed around in the wind. Thankfully, Mama Dove and the babies survived the storm seemingly unscathed.

Watching the babies, as well as interactions between them and their parents, has been such a treat for us. We’ve witnessed the mother giving her babies a bit of independence by leaving the nest and leaving them along in the basket.

But she didn’t go far away. She stayed on the balcony nearby, watching them constantly.

Later, Mama ventured from the balcony to the large tree which shades our balcony.

She and Papa Dove kept an eye on them from there, and for a while, the couple even seemed to relax and didn’t keep their eagle eyes on the babies.

Yesterday afternoon after we returned home from a trip to the store, we noticed that the babies were alone in the basket

and Mama and Papa were no where to be found. Presumably they were nearby finding food for themselves and their chicks. Here’s a one-minute video Kemal took of the growing babies while Mama and Papa Dove were away. They’re just so cute!

Later in the afternoon, shortly before dusk, we noticed the hanging basket was empty. The babies had left the nest. We were kind of disappointed, but we knew the day they would spread their wings and fly away was coming. But Kemal predicted we hadn’t seen the last of them, and he was right.

This morning I was awakened at 8 a.m. by the cooing of doves. It’s not a bad way to wake up; I love their soft coos; however, when you go to bed at 3 a.m….well…eight o’clock in the morning comes awfully early.

Since I couldn’t fall back asleep, I went ahead and got up and poured myself some coffee. When I opened our blinds, I was treated to a wonderful sight. The baby doves were sitting on our patio table!

Just as Kemal had predicted, they had come home!!! Here’s a couple of pictures of Mama Dove and one of her offspring this morning. Look at the fluffy down feathers!!

And look at the baby’s face!! It’s just adorable!!

Later in the morning, both Mama and Papa Dove joined them, and all morning I’ve been watching the chicks and their parents. Mama is still feeding them, and it’s so funny to watch the hungry birds eagerly taking food from Mama’s mouth.

It’s also been fun to watch the little chicks as they flutter from our planters, baskets, flower pots, and patio furniture. They’re just so cute!

I hope Mama and Papa Dove, as well as their offspring, will be frequent visitors to our balcony the remainder of the spring, and the rest of the year actually. Since Mama and Papa have been visiting us for several years now, I have every reason to believe that they will. I wonder if we’ll be able to recognize the babies once they get bigger? I hope so. Regardless…I’m just thrilled to have witnessed the magic of new life this spring.

Watching birds is so much fun, especially the baby doves. It’s definitely made this spring extra special and enjoyable! How about you? What has been the highlight of your spring so far?

Edit: By the way, all the pictures (except for one) and the video were made by my sweetie, Kemal.

If you can’t travel to exotic places, the next best thing (besides looking at photos) is to try to experience its exotic culture by enjoying its cuisine.

Kemal and I would love to visit Jamaica one day, but until we’re able to do that, we’ll have to settle for looking at pictures of this lush paradise ... [read more]]]> If you can’t travel to exotic places, the next best thing (besides looking at photos) is to try to experience its exotic culture by enjoying its cuisine.

Kemal and I would love to visit Jamaica one day, but until we’re able to do that, we’ll have to settle for looking at pictures of this lush paradise and making and tasting the the island food.

Last night we made a huge batch of Jamaican fried rice.

It’s a Jamaican family recipe that I found at “Hannah Lives,” and we very much enjoyed it last night for dinner.

We were unable to find the mushroom soy sauce that Hannah’s father uses in the rice, so we just substituted it with regular soy sauce.

Hannah said you can customize the recipe to your tastes, and so we did. She said you could add some ginger to the oil, but instead of doing that, we added a little bit of some ginger chili sauce. We also had some asparagus we needed to use up so Kemal fried that with the leftover chicken then added it to the fried rice mixture. Turned out great!

And it’s very easy to prepare too! I just diced some green onions and then made some scrambled eggs in butter It should be noted that Hannah’s father prepares his eggs a little differently. He fries his eggs in butter, but instead of scrambling them, he lets the eggs set up and makes two plain egg omelets…without any cheese or fillings…just eggs. Then he cuts the egg up into little pieces. Since scrambling the egg would save time without changing the taste, I went ahead and did that.

Anyway, once that was done, I fried six cups of cooked jasmine rice in sesame oil, and then added the scrambled eggs and green onions. I sprinkled garlic powder over everything, added soy sauce, and stirred the rice mixture around constantly.

While I was doing that, Kemal fried the leftover chicken and cut asparagus in sesame oil and ginger chili sauce. When the asparagus was tender, he added it and the chicken to my fried rice mixture. Then we added some black pepper and a little salt and that was it.

We so much enjoyed our Jamaican fried rice, and it matched perfectly with a mango mojito. Yummmm!!

Anyway, if you’re interested in tasting the flavors of this island paradise, click here to see Hannah’s family recipe so you know the exact amount of ingredients to use when making the fried rice.

The soup also has two eggs in it which, along with the chicken broth, adds a wonderful flavor.

It makes for a comforting, soothing ... [read more]]]>

The soup also has two eggs in it which, along with the chicken broth, adds a wonderful flavor.

It makes for a comforting, soothing meal, and it tastes so good! Give it a try sometime; I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Italian Bread Soup with Veggies and Lentils

Recipe Inspired by and Adpated from: eat, live, run’s “Springtime Minestrone” and About.com’s “Simple Italian Bread Soup Recipe – Zuppa di Pan Cotto

Ingredients:

• 55 oz. chicken broth
• 1/2 lb. sugar snap peas
• 2 ears yellow corn-on-the-cob
• 1/2 cup red lentils
• 1/4 of a bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 large, stale buttermilk biscuits
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 8 garlic cloves, diced
• 2 packets Sazon Goya seasoning
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 2 tsp. basil
• Vegeta to taste
• black pepper to taste

Instructions:

• In a large pot, mix together the chicken broth, 2 packets of Sazon Goya seasoning, and lentils.
• Add the 2 ears of yellow corn-on-the-cob.
• Bring the broth to a boil, and then reduce the heat to medium.
• While the lentils are cooking, wash and finely chop the parsley, including the stems; stir it into the chicken broth with the lentils and ears of corn.
• Peel and dice the onion and garlic cloves, then fry it in 2 tbps. of olive oil until it gets soft.
• Add the onion, garlic, and olive oil to the pot with the lentils and corn, stirring occasionally.
• When the corn is almost soft, use a pair of tongs to remove them from the soup, placing them on a plate to let them cool.
• While the corn is cooling, wash the sugar snap peas, cut them in half, cut the ends off them, and then add them to the soup pot.
• After the corn has cooled enough for you to handle, cut the corn off the cobs and add the corn back to soup, discarding the cobs.
• Beat the eggs, and then mix it into the soup.
• Crumble the 2 stale buttermilk biscuits, and then add the crumbled bread to the pot.
• Stir in the oregano, basil, black pepper, and Vegeta.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Sometimes it’s made with vegetables and legumes. Sometimes it’s made with vegetables and meat. Sometimes it’s made vegan, while other times it’s made with cheese and/or yogurt. It also ... [read more]]]>

Sometimes it’s made with vegetables and legumes. Sometimes it’s made with vegetables and meat. Sometimes it’s made vegan, while other times it’s made with cheese and/or yogurt. It also can be made gluten-free. If you’re on a low carb diet, you can make it without the bread crumbs and you can make the sauce without the flour.

Moussaka is such a versatile dish, and the way Kemal prepared last night is very similar to how he prepared it the first time he made it for me. (Although the first time he made it I don’t believe he used butter or flour in the sauce.)

Of all the way’s Kemal has made moussaka, I think this is my favorite moussaka recipe, although I must admit it would be perfect with some fresh mint in the casserole. I just love mint in moussaka!

Anyway, this is comfort food for us.

It tastes wonderful, and I hope you’ll give it a try some day.

Vegetable Moussaka with Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel Sauce Adapted from: about.com Greek food

Ingredients for the Moussaka:

• 8 small potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 2 medium eggplants, peeled and sliced
• 2 medium zucchini, sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 16 garlic cloves, sliced in half
• 3 oz. freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• olive oil for greasing the pan
• Panko bread crumbs for sprinkling on the greased pan

Ingredients for the Bechamel Sauce:

• 7 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. allspice

Instructions:

Step One:  Prep Work and Layering the Moussaka

• Grease a 9 inch x 14 inch pan with olive oil.
• Sprinkle some Panko bread crumbs evenly over the oiled pan. Set aside.
• Peel and slice the potatoes.
• Place the potato slices on the bottom of the pan.
• Peel the garlic, and then slice in half.
• Scatter the garlic on top of the potato slices.
• Peel and slice eggplant.
• Place the eggplant slices on top of the potatoes and garlic.
• Wash and slice the zucchini and both of the peppers.
• Then place the zucchini and pepper slices on top of the eggplant.
• Peel and slice the onion, and then place the onion slices on top of the zucchini and peppers.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step Two:  Making the Bechamel Sauce

• Melt the butter in a medium-sized pot.
• While the butter is melting, beat the eggs.
• Add the flour to the eggs and whisk until the flour is mixed into the eggs.
• Add the melted butter, milk, salt, pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice to the egg/flour mixture.
• Whisk the mixture until all the ingredients are incorporated.

Step Three:  Adding Bechamel Sauce to the Moussaka and Baking

• Pour the Bechamel sauce over the moussaka, making the sauce goes all the way to the bottom layer.
• Bake uncovered for about an hour. The potatoes will be soft and the top will be browned.
• Let it cool, then cut into slices.
• Enjoy warm or cold.

It’s a high-protein meal that’ll give you a lot of energy, but best of all, it’s incredibly delicious! Give it a try one day and see for yourself.

Egg and Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

I love church cookbooks because they usually contain a lot of old recipes which have been passed down for generations.  So when I found a church cookbook in the used bookstore, I just had to pick it up. It contains a lot of treasures, and there are many recipes I want to try.

Yesterday ... [read more]]]> I love church cookbooks because they usually contain a lot of old recipes which have been passed down for generations.  So when I found a church cookbook in the used bookstore, I just had to pick it up. It contains a lot of treasures, and there are many recipes I want to try.

Yesterday morning when I was flipping through the book, I found a recipe for “Ranger Rider Pancakes.” Now normally, I’m not a big pancake person and neither is Kemal.

Don’t get me wrong; I like them. I like them a lot actually.  But the problem is they never stick to my ribs. I eat them and then two hours later I’m hungry. It was not the case with these pancakes though. They held me for around 10 hours.

I’m really glad I made them! They have such a wonderful flavor. They taste really “eggy”…kind of like French toast, and I like that.

Since these “pancakes” contain no sugar, they’re also are great as a quick bread to accompany soups, salads, and most any vegetable or meat dish. They take only about 16 minutes to make so on those days I need bread extremely fast, I’ll make these.

The one big surprise I had with these pancakes is that they puffed up…without spilling over my pans thank goodness.

I had no idea that was going to happen because nothing was said about that in the recipe. I was kind of excited about their puffiness though and thought they were cute.

Anyway, these Range Rider Pancakes seem to basically be German pancakes which are also sometimes called Dutch babies, or baked puff pancakes.

We really enjoyed them for breakfast and topped ours with bananas and agave nectar.

Oh yeah, I put some cinnamon on them too. Yummmm!!

Range Rider Pancakes (a.k.a. German Pancakes/Dutch Babies/Baked Puff Pancakes)

Recipe Source: Recipe was submitted by Eloise Jackson  in “Food for the Soul,” a cookbook from the First Christian Church of Glasgow, Kentucky.

You need a lot of energy to get through it in one piece, and as far as I’m concerned, spinach and eggs fried in olive oil is fuel food…perfect for keeping you going ... [read more]]]>

You need a lot of energy to get through it in one piece, and as far as I’m concerned, spinach and eggs fried in olive oil is fuel food…perfect for keeping you going and for giving you the strength and endurance needed to get through two back-to-back holidays and then a double shift the day after that.

This meal is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, and it’s so good that I could actually eat it for all three meals in one day.

It’s also light on your stomach yet gives you plenty of energy. Best of all, it tastes wonderful, and it’s quick and easy to make. Doesn’t get much better than that!

Nargesi Esfenaj (Persian Spinach and Fried Eggs)

Recipe Source: Cooking and Cooking

Vesna’s Cheesy Potato Stuffed Peppers and

Kemal’s Veal and Rice Stuffed Peppers, Zucchinis, and Tomatoes

This time, Kemal added anise and fresh mint, and the anise gives the stuffed peppers a wonderful taste ... [read more]]]>

Vesna’s Cheesy Potato Stuffed Peppers and

Kemal’s Veal and Rice Stuffed Peppers, Zucchinis, and Tomatoes

This time, Kemal added anise and fresh mint, and the anise gives the stuffed peppers a wonderful taste and aroma. It was an incredibly delicious dinner!

The mint flavor, unfortunately, didn’t really come through so next time we’ll definitely add more.

These peppers make a perfectly satisfying meal…filling yet not heavy. I love the sweetness of the peppers and tomatoes combined with the soft, comforting potatoes. The spices pull everything together, making you ooh and ahh with every bite!

What’s neat is that if you have any extra filling, you can just add some more beaten eggs to the filling, pour it in a greased pan, and make a frittata…like this:

Or you could just add any leftover filling to scrambled eggs.

Anyway, here’s the recipe. Hope you enjoy your peppers.

Potato Stuffed Peppers (Version 2.0)

Ingredients:

• 8 small red bell peppers
• 4 medium-sized potatoes, diced
• 2 small onions, diced
• 1 zucchini, shredded
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 40 fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 10 fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tbsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 3/4 cup olive oil
• 6 oz. crushed tomatoes (canned)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp. anise
• 1 tbsp. dried oregano

Step One:  Prep Work

• Wash, peel, and dice the potatoes
• Wash all the peppers and then cut the tops off all of them.
• Peel the yellow onions, and then dice them.
• Wash the green onion, and cut it into thick slices.
• Wash and chop the parsley and mint.
• Shred the Monterey Jack and Parmesan cheese.
• Beat the eggs.

Step Two:  Cook the Potatoes, Make the Filling, and Stuff the Peppers

• Fry the potatoes on medium (uncovered) heat with 1/2 cup of olive oil. Cook until they’re halfway done.
• After the potatoes are done, put them (and the any warm olive oil that’s still in the pan) in a large mixing bowl.
• Add all the vegetables (except tomatoes), cheeses, eggs, and spices to the potatoes. Mix thoroughly.
• Stuff all the peppers with the filling that you just made.
• Grease a Dutch oven or other baking dish with a little bit of olive oil, and then place the stuffed peppers on it.

Step Three:  Make the Sauce

• Mix together the crushed tomatoes, water, and 1/4 cup olive oil.
• Stir in the anise and oregano.
• Pour the sauce over the peppers.

Step Four:  Bake the Peppers

• Preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Bake uncovered until the potatoes are soft. If you like your peppers really soft, cook them until they become dark and blistered on the outside. We usually fix them that we, but this time we cooked them a little less…so the peppers were still a little firm but the potatoes soft. So it’s really up to you how long you bake it.
• Garnish with some dried parsley and oregano if you like.