Lebanese Chicken

Another easy, make ahead, stick in the oven forget about it supper....until it starts making your house smelling so yummy!

 

My mom makes this with chicken thighs and drumsticks, I do bone and skin on breasts and thighs.

I rinse them and put in a baking dish

Cut up and add the following vegetables 

Onion

Garlic

Bellpeppers

Carrots

Tomatoes

Fresh parsley

 

Season with salt, garlic powder, lemon pepper, red pepper, basil and cinnamon. Drizzle olive oil, worsteshire and squeeze juice of 1 1/2 lemon. 

Toss it all together

 

Cover and bake at 350 for 2 hrs. 

Uncover for last 15 mins, baste top of chicken and let it brown.

Serve over Syrian rice

 

Or if you are low carb like me, skip the rice

 

Syrian Rice

So, you have probably noticed by now that we eat A LOT of rice, well my kids do!

My kids LOVE rice.

I was raised on it and being Lebanese, syrian rice is kind of a staple.

Also, fun little fact- where my family is from

Crowley, Louisiana

is also known as the Rice Capitol of the world.

Those marshes make yummy rice!

So being lebanese and from south Louisiana- we serve everything over rice!

 

If you have eaten over at my house or my families, more than likely you have had our rice.

We are pretty picky about our rice and there is no Such thing as eating bagged rice or uncle bens!

Seriously it grosses me out-sorry to those that eat it...

But that is like sooo faux pas in my house!

But there is kind of an art to making good rice.

My advice is to find a specific pot in your kitchen that you will always make your rice in and learn and perfect how to make it in that pot! I know that sounds wierd but eventually it will make sense to you!.

 

 

Syrian Rice

 

Start by putting a little olive oil on medium heat

Add a handful of crunched up vermicelli

I crunch it by the fists as I put it in the pot.

Stand there and brown it, by stirring it constantly

First it will turn white, then brown REALLy fast and you do not want to burn it!

If you burn it, then your whole pot of rice will taste burnt and you will need to start over!

So stand there, stirr constantly until it is golden brown

Then grab your rice and add it to the pot

Stir your rice in so it gets mixed well.

Now- I DO not measure how much rice I put in

BUT if you are making rice for the first time, do, so  you know how much water to add in a minute.

Then take notice of how much rice is in your pot and where you water comes up over the rice.

Then eventually, you will be able to recognize those levels and be able to eyeball it.

To me, the more you do it, you eventually remember it and then you dont have to measure and its much easier cooking without measuring-and its faster!

That is why I say always cook it in the same pot!

So once you add your rice and stir it together

Add your water.

So rice cooks on a 1:2 ratio of rice:water

if you put 1/2 cup of rice you will need 1 cup of water

Again, I can cook rice with my eyes closed bc I have cooked it so much and in this pot that I dont measure my rice or water.

I know how much water to add based on the level in my pot.

So once you add your water, bring your fire up to medium and let it come up to a boil

Let the water cook out a little bit, then when the water level is just under the rice-there is still quite a bit of water, but you can see the top layer of rice, turn your fire down, to low and put the lid on cracked.

Then once you can't see the water at all and its almost all cooked out, cover it completely and turn it all the way down to the lowest setting and let it kind of steam for a good 10 minutes or so.

Then turn it off until you are ready to serve and "fluff" it before you dish.

Ligthly stirring it and fluffing it up.

 

*if the rice is not cooked all the way through, you can add a little more water and let it steam.

or if it turns out too mushy-then you put too much water

best advice is practice.

try and remember if you put too much or not enough water that way next time you adjust.

eventually you will learn how much water and can make perfect rice everytime.

 

Tonight, my girls had rice with the basil chicken and green beans that they are OBSESSED with and I cook at least once a week right now. So if you are wondering why im not posting new recipes its bc im cooking freaking chicken and green beans bc its all they want to eat! I guess I shouldn't complain though!

Oh and I love rice and haven't eaten it in a few months...willpower!

Sunday Supper

You know one of those days when everybody is in a good mood, everybody gets along....

its just a good day!

We spent the day oustide planting flowers, playing in the kids pool and water tables, painting flower pots, planting more flowers, eating popsicles and just plain SUMMER FUN!

If today is a predictor for the rest of the summer, its going to be a great summer.

I must say, its really nice that the girls play so well together and we can just relax and play at home!

 

Momma was craving shrimp, so shrimp boil day it was!

Northing is better than boiling some seafood after a day in the sun!

And a cold salad to go with it!

 

Avocado Cucumber Tomato Salad

 

Avocadoes, heirloom cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh basil, juice of 1 fresh lemon, drizzle olive oil and a little Tony's.

 

Boiled Shrimp

 

Season a big pot of boiling water with beer, lemons, onions, salt, red pepper, garlic powder, lemon pepper and Tony's. You gotta use A LOT of seasoning too! If you want to cook any vegetables, do those first because they take longer to cook. We did corn on the cob today. Then boil the shrimp, they float when they are done but usually only about 4 minutes.

 

I made a few other things too. It was Sunday Supper after all!

And I wanted the girls to eat good after being outside and eating popsicles all day!

 

Sweet Potato Fries

 

Line a baking sheet with foil. Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, paprika, oregano and basil

Bake at 350 for about 30-45 mins, or until tender and crispy.

 

I also made a pot of

Stuffed Mishii  (spelling?)

This is another Lebanese Dish

Stuffed Mishii can be stuffed squash, bellpeppers or eggplant

 

First you prep your vegetables to be stuffed.

cut tops off of bellpeppers, deseed

Core out squash (there is such thing as a vegetable corer, a cooking tool)

I used both yellow and mexican squash

 

Prepare your stuffing:

1lb of lean ground meat (I used org grass fed)

1/2 cup of rice (you can make more just always use this ratio)

1/2 can of rotel

Season with salt, red pepper, garlic powder, lemon pepper and lil cinnamon

Mix it up really good using your hands, add a lil water when you are mixing it up, you want it to be moist (eww i know we hate that word but I couldnt think of another word to use!)

 

Stuff your vegetables generously with your stuffing.

Pack it in good

Tap the vegetable on your counter as you are stuffing it, packs it in better...

this is how my momma taught me! haha

Then you line them in your empty pot. Stand bellpeppers up then lay squash around.

Then add 1 can of tomato paste and 1 can of tomato sauce (I used 1 box of Pomi tomatoes)

You have to kind of push the sauce down and around all vegetables

Why not make sauce before you put the stuffed vegetables down you ask? I dont know, but my momma says that is just not the way to do it. Probably becasuse that is not how Sittee did it and we do it the way Sittee did it! :) keep the tradition :)

Add some water, turn fire on medium, use your spoon and even shake your pot a little to get teh sauce to come together. Make sure you add enough water so that it covers all of your vegetables. There has to be enough liquid to cook it and the rice and meat mixture in all your vegetables.

Season  your sauce with salt, red pepper, garlic powder, oregano and basil.

Cover and let come to a boil.

 

You are going to let it cook and boil for a long time.

Leave lid cracked open.

Let cook on a light boil for probably 2 hours.

When you are nearing the end, add fresh oregano and basil if you can. Not necessary but makes it even better!

 

When you serve it, make sure you pour sauce over it. I crack them open for the girls and pour sauce down the middle, and also to help cool them faster!

 

WAIT. So remember when you were coring out the squash, DON'T throw away the inside of the squash....

That is good squash.

So put it in a lil pot, then if you have any leftover meat mixture add that to it too. If not then just season the squash and cook it down.

I had a lil meat mixture left so I added that to my squash, added a lil sauce from my mishi pot and just let it cook down.

This is what it looked like.

A lil, pre-supper snack for the girls.

 

This actually makes me think of my Sittee. Whenever she would make mishi, she would always make a little pot of the insides for us. We always got excited about it, probably becasue we knew we would get a taste while we waited for the rest to cook.

 

Feature Friday

We are back for our Feature Friday. Today we are featuring my other sister, Jen.

Jen is the middle sister and otherwise known as my mother's mini-me. Can you tell?

Jen recently got engaged to Brandon and they are getting married next January and most importantly my two sweet girls get to be the flower girls! We are ALL very excited! According to Jacquelyn, Jen is going to be a princess and be so pretty, she is only going to dance with Pops and Brandon is going to be a REAL prince!!! Whenever we talk about the wedding, this is what she tells me...she's got it pretty straight! Let her believe in the fantasy as long as possible!!!!

Her and Brandon recently moved in together and I have to say, she is really taking to the whole domestic role pretty well! We ALL know Jen is VERY messy...but every time I have been to their place it is very clean. She is an AWESOME cook and always has a plate ready for Brandon!

This is one of his favorite things she cooks.

Mediterranean Lamb Chops and Quinoa

Lamb Chops

Drizzle lamb chops with fresh lemon juice and olive oil

Season with salt, red pepper and garlic powder

Sprinkle chopped fresh mint and garlic

Rub mint, garlic and season into the lamb

Turn lamb and repeat

Serve with Tzatziki Sauce, recipe can be found under labels.

Quinoa

Cook quinoa as directed on package

Once cooked, pour into a bowl, drizzle with fresh lemon juice 

and olive oil, stir and place in refrigerator.

Once it is cool, dice the following and add to quinoa:

                            jalapeno

                            onion

                            red bell pepper

                            tomato

                            cucumber

Add chopped fresh mint.

Season with a little more lemon, salt, red pepper and a little Tony's.

Rice Dressing

Do certain foods and their smells bring back special memories like the do for me? The smell of rice dressing cooking in the kitchen definitely does for me! Rice dressing is another lebanese dish, usually a side dish. It is a staple at our family holidays and is usually paired with our turkeys on Thanksgiving and Christmas or with our BBQ chicken at Easter. The smell puts me back as a little girl in my Sittee's kitchen, sitting on the coveted orange stool my sisters and I would fight over watching my mom and Sittee cook and prepare for all of our Big FAT LEBANESE Holidays! Those were the days....Miss my Sittee everyday...
Rice dressing has become a staple in my house for my girls. THEY Love it. It is one of those things I like to make a big batch of at the beginning of the week and have in the fridge for the girls to eat on.
Recipe-
Sautee onion in olive oil until soft
Add 1 lb of your choice of ground meat (I do grass fed beef or lamb)
Break up meat and brown your meat all the way through
Once meat is cooked pour Kitchen Bouqet (liquid browning sauce you buy at the store) once around the pot (sorry, everything I cook is not by recipe but learned by watching so I never know measurements)
Season with salt, red pepper, garlic powder, and good amount of cinnamon
Stir so everything is mixed well
Add 1/2 cup of rice
Add water 3/4  way up the rice/meat mixture
Cook on med to let water cook out and cook the rice
Once the water is almost all the way cooked out, turn on low and cover pot and let finish cooking.
Top with chopped finely italian parsley

***Most of my family adds toasted pine nuts before adding water but since Jacquelyn has a nut allergy I do not add the pine nuts. But the true recipe calls for them.

This is what I served the girls for lunch. They love it with avocado and of course cucumbers!
You can always make a bigger batch, just use the 1 lb meat to 1/2 cup rice ratio.

Lebanese Lentil Soup with a Twist

If you don't know, I am half Lebanese. My mom is full blooded Lebanese, so we cook a lot of middle eastern food. My Sittee (arabic for grandma) was the best cook I WILL ever know! One thing that I grew up eating and still enjoy is Dreda. It is a lentil and rice soup. My girls LOVE beans so naturally they love dreda. I recently started added vegetables to it to make it a more complete meal and more nutritious. Our favorite is dreda with carrots and kale.
Recipe-
Sautee 1/2 sweet yellow onion and 2-3 carrots chopped small in olive oil until onions are soft. add 1 cup to 1 1/2 cup of lentils (you can use any kind). Season with salt, red pepper, garlic powder, and cinnamon. Add a quart of chicken stock and bring to a boil. Let cook until lentils are tender. Once lentils are tender add 1/2 cup of rice. Add 1-2 cups of water at this time to make sure you have enough liquid to cook the rice and it still be somewhat soupy. Cover and cook on low-medium. I let my rice cook slowly so I dont cook out all the liquid. Add chopped kale at the end. Taste and re-season if needed with same spices.