Manti Armenian goodness!!!

Our last international Dinner took us to Armenia. I was not initally thrilled, as we just had Greece, and I didn't love the greek food all that much.  Armenian food and Greek food are very much alike, but we seemed to find the things that truely make them different. Yay!!  Dinner was delicious, and suprisingly, I loved it! I made the appetiser course. I made Manti.

Manti

Makes About 100: Serves 4 to 5

Each of these tiny dumplings is about the size of your fingertip, so you can easily serve 20 to 25 to each person.  It’s traditional to invite friends to help fill and seal the Manti; after all, many hands make light work.  They can be frozen for up to 1 month.

For the Dough:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting


• 1/2 teaspoon course salt


• 1 large egg, lightly beaten


• 3 tablespoons cold water

For the filling: 

• 8 ounces ground lamb


• 1 medium yellow onion, grated on the large holes of a box grater (1/2 cup)


• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


• 1 teaspoon course salt


• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For Cooking and Serving:

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter


• 3 cups homemade or low-sodium store-bought chicken stock


• 1 cinnamon stick


• 2 bay leaves


• Course salt


• 1 1/2 cups plain Greek yogurt or labneh


• 2 garlic cloves, minced and mashed to a paste with a pinch of salt


• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried mint


• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper (or papikra)


• a sprinkle of Sumac (found in grocery stores or spice shops that specialize in Middle Eastern foods)

1. Make the dough: Sift together flour and salt in a large bowl.  Make a well in the center and add egg. Using your hands, gently draw flour mixture into egg.  Gradually add the cold water, and continue to work dough with your hands or a spoon until it forms a smooth paste.


2. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface. Kneed until dough is smooth and springs back when pressed, 5 to 8 minutes.  Divide dough into 2 balls, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.


3. Make the filling: Gently combine lamb, onion, parsley, salt and pepper.  (Filling can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)


4. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out 1 portion of dough into a 16-by-10 inch oblong about 1/16 inch think.  Using a ruler, cut dough into 1 1/4 inch squares with a pizza wheel or a paring knife.  Keep remaining dough covered with a damp kitchen towel while you work.


5. Spoon 1/4 teaspoon filing in center of 1 dough square.  Gently pull 2 opposite corners outward to stretch dough slightly, then pull up to meet in center, and pinch to seal.  Repeat with remaining 2 corners, making sure all air has been pressed out.  Pinch together all 4 corners to form a point, then pinch along all 4 seams to seal.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, and cover with a damp kitchen towel.  repeat.  Remove towel, and cover with a piece of parchment. (Dumplings can be refrigerated on baking sheets, wrapped in plastic, for up to 1 day.  Alternatively, freeze on baking sheets, uncovered, for 2 hours, then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month.)


6. For cooking and serving: Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon butter.  Arrange Manti in a single snug layer in the dish.  Bake until fragrant and tops and corners are golden brown, about 25 minutes.


7. Meanwhile, bring stock, cinnamon, bay leaves and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil in a saucepan.  Remove baking dish from oven, and add enough stock to dish so that all but the tops of the Manti are submerged.  Cover tightly with parchment and then foil, and bake until soft, about 2 minutes more.


8. Meanwhile, stir together yogurt or labneh and garlic paste in a medium bowl.  When Manti have finished cooking, tile baking dish, collect about 1/4 cup liquid with a ladle, and stir into yogurt sauce (sauce should be spoonable).


9. Melt remaining 7 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Reduce heat to medium, and cook until amber, about 7 minutes.


10. Divide Manti among shallow serving bowls.  Spoon yogurt sauce over top, drizzle with browned butter, and sprinkle with mint, red pepper and sumac.

Calabrese Chicken in one pot. Deliciosoooo!

This dish is a huge hit at our house!. Break off a hunk of crusty french bread and sop up all the juicy goodness in your bowl! I swear you will want to LICK it clean!

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• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ lb. sliced calabrese salami, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped or thinly sliced
• 2 small ribs celery, chopped
• 1 cubanelle pepper, chopped or thinly sliced
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped or thinly sliced
• 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika, half a palmful
• 1 teaspoon fennel seed, 1/3 palmful
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1 (14-ounce) can tomato sauce
• A handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 1 loaf crusty bread (recommended: ciabatta), warmed for serving

Heat a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven with extra-virgin olive oil, a turn of the pan, over medium-high heat until very hot. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, add to the pan and brown on both sides and cook through. Remove the chicken to a plate.

Add the salami to the pan and stir 1 minute, then add in the onions, celery, peppers, garlic and stir a couple of minutes more. Add the fennel seed and smoked paprika. Deglaze the pan with the red wine, then add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, parsley, and the reserved chicken. Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Turn off the heat and cool completely to store for make-ahead meal.

Reheat in the same pan with a splash of water or stock to get things going. Top with an extra drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve with bread crusted up in a hot oven.

Comfort food: Chicken and Dumplings YaYa Style

Chicken and Dumplings, YaYa Style

8 chicken thighs
flour to coat

olive oil

salt

pepper
4 cloves garlic

3 cups chicken broth

2T italian  seasonings

1T rosemary

1 chopped onion

sliced mushrooms
chopped celery

a bunch of small carrots

6 cut up yukon gold potatoes

one can cream of mushroom soup

2 cups flour

2 t baking soda

1 t salt

1 cup milk

Roll the chicken thighs in flour and then, in a dutch oven, brown the chicken thighs well in olive oil.  salt and pepper. add the broth, onions and garlic cover and turn down to low for one hour.  Add potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and celery. Cover and cook for one more hour. Open the lid and add the can of soup. Stir in well and bring back to a boil

For the dumplings:

Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the milk and drop by spoonfuls into the boilling stew. Put the lid on and cook,( covered without peeking!) for 15 minutes.

And now for something wonderful: Pumpkin Cake

Sometimes I just get an itch to cook, so today I made this delicious cake, just for the heck of it.  Aaron loved it so much he kissed me!

Luscious Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake

what you need

1 pkg. (2-layer size) yellow cake mix

1 can  (15 oz.) pumpkin, divided

1/2 cup Milk

1/3 cup  Oil

4 Eggs

1-1/2 tsp.  Pumpkin pie spice, divided

1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened

1 cup  Powdered sugar

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed

1/4 cup  Caramel ice cream topping

1/4 cup chopped PLANTERS Pecans

make it

HEAT oven to 350°F.

BEAT cake mix, 1 cup pumpkin, milk, oil, eggs and 1 tsp. spice in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round pans.

BAKE 28 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min. Remove from pans to wire racks; cool completely.

BEAT cream cheese in medium bowl with mixer until creamy. Add sugar, remaining pumpkin and spice; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP. Cut each cake layer horizontally in half with serrated knife; stack on serving plate, spreading cream cheese filling between layers. (Do not frost top layer.) Drizzle with caramel topping just before serving; top with nuts. Refrigerate leftovers.

The most amazing thing I ever ate! Lemon-Garlic Spanish Chicken Thighs and Rice Pilaf

I found this dish in a magazine and knew right away we must try it. It is one of my favorites. It is very flavorful and we both loved it. I just couldnt get over all the complex yet wonderful flavors!

Lemon-Garlic Spanish Chicken Thighs and Rice Pilaf

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup broken pieces thin spaghetti
• 1 cup rice
• 3 cups chicken stock
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 1/3 pound cured chorizo (about 5 links), casings removed and sliced on an angle 1 inch thick
• 8 chicken thighs
• 4 small onions, quartered lengthwise with the roots intact
• 2 small regular or meyer lemons, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
• 3/4 cup pimiento-stuffed green olives (a couple of generous handfuls)
• 6 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons sweet smoked paprika or paprika (2/3 palmful)
• 1/2 cup dry white wine or 1/3 cup dry sherry
• 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the pasta and toast for 3 minutes. Stir in the rice to coat. Add 2 cups chicken stock and bring to a boil, then cover the pot, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes; fluff with a fork. (If the rice sticks near the end of the cooking time, add a splash more stock.) Season with salt and pepper. 
   
   
   In a large, deep skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat 1 tablespoon EVOO, 1 turn of the pan, over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo and cook, turning, until browned, 2 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Season the chicken with a lot of pepper and a little salt and add to the drippings in the skillet. Cook over medium heat, turning once, until browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a plate. 
   
   
   Add the remaining 1 tablespoon EVOO to the skillet, 1 turn of the pan. Add the onions, season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the lemons, olives, garlic, bay leaves and paprika; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes. Add the wine and cook, scraping up the browned bits from the pan. Stir in the remaining 1 cup chicken stock. 
   
   
   Return the chicken and chorizo to the skillet, cover the pan, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Transfer all the solid ingredients to a platter. Reduce the sauce for a minute over high heat, then stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the parsley. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Discard the bay leaves. Serve alongside or on top of the pilaf
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Spicey Ginger Shrimp on a Stick! On a STICK!

Jon is a miracle worker on the BBQ.He made this recipe up, and I stole it! He is actually a VERY good cook! Job Well Done Jon! These are MAGIC!!! Watch these dissapear!

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• Spicey Ginger Shrimp on a Stick!  On a STICK! 
• Shrimp (I get the bigish ones or else I put two)
• Jalepeno slices
• Bacon (I use the center bacon because its leaner and skinnier. The fat bacon does not cook very well.)
• wooden skewers
• Safeway private label Spicy Ginger Sauce

Method

wrap one slice of bacon around one shrimp with one slice of jalepeno. thread it onto the skewer. I usually put 4 or five on each stick. Marinate in a deep pan with the sauce for at least one hour.(Important step, as it not only flavors the dish, but soaks the wood so it does not catch on fire)
Grill on the bbq over a medium flame , turning often.

Broiled Tilapia(wait! thats not tilapia!) with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce

I found this recipe the other day when I was looking for something interesting to cook.  This really did fill the bill.  It was savory and delicious, and Mike even liked it! A miracle I am telling you!  I made it with a peice of halibut.  It was really good. I do highly recommend the little finish of a splash of lime juice from the wedge, it made the dish so well balanced.  I loved it.

This amazing fish dish will make you look like you really know your way around the kitchen. The sauce really makes the dish! For you Thai lovers, this recipe is a keeper. Prep all your ingredients before you start cooking, I used my mini food processor to save time (love this!). This dish is quick, easy, took less than 30 minutes start to finish. Perfect over jasmine rice. (You can substitute basil for cilantro if you don't care for cilantro)

Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: 1 piece fish plus sauce • Points: 5 ww pts
Calories: 225.2 • Fat: 6.9 g • Protein: 35.5 g • Carb: 5.6 g • Fiber: 1.1 g 

• 1 tsp dark sesame oil, divided
• 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 2 tsp red curry paste
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 4 tsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp Asian fish sauce
• 1 (14-ounce) can light coconut milk
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets
• salt
• Cooking spray

Preheat broiler.

Heat 1/2 teaspoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute. Add pepper and scallions; cook 1 minute. Stir in curry powder, curry paste, and cumin; cook 1 minute. Add soy sauce, sugar, Asian fish sauce, and coconut milk; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Remove from heat; stir in cilantro or basil if using.

Brush fish with 1/2 teaspoon oil; sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Place fish on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 7 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Serve fish with sauce, rice, and lime wedges.