When my father’s mango tree started to give fruit a few weeks ago, I teased that I wanted some. He jokingly responded that he would, under the condition that I invented a mango flavored Tres Leches cake (his favorite dessert).
I accepted the challenge and secretly made him one for father’s day! It came out so amazingly moist, creamy and mango-y I have to pat myself on the back. Lol. I’m submitting the recipe into a contest so I can’t share just yet but will let you know the results!
Now that I’m off for summer vacation, I’ve gotten excited to experiment more in my kitchen! A recent conversation with my aunt about her favorite middle eastern restaurant got me thinking about how much I miss eating my mother’s stuffed grape leaves. Unfortunately, mom has decided in recent years that she has no patience for cooking so I knew I’d have to recreate myself if I was going to eat them. Thankfully, she taught me how. (And after tasting them has given me her vote of approval!)
The following recipe is one that has been passed down from my great grandmother. She had to improvise on some ingredients that were not readily available in supermarkets or specialty stores in the early 60’s. Now, we have lots of variety and wonderful ethnic groceries that carry all kinds of delicious things. I will give you both the “improvised” version my great grandmother taught my mom (in parenthesis) and the actual ingredients in the version that I made.
Ingredients:
1 pound of ground lamb (ground beef)
1 pound of thinly sliced lamb shoulder (chicken breasts)
1 cup of rinsed white rice
1 tsp. curry powder
1 box of mensaf yogurt based soup starter (1 1/2 blocks of cream cheese)
3 + cups of chicken broth
1 jar of preserved grape leaves
Directions for Set Up and Leaf Assembly:
Directions for Sauce and Cooking:
This is the main way my version differs from the way my great grandma taught my mom. She had to resort to mixing cream cheese and chicken broth in the blender to create the tangy taste of “yogurt” soup that the leaves are cooked in. I don’t think the current Greek Yogurt trend was a “thing” back in the 60’s and there most certainly weren’t many Middle Eastern specialty shops in Miami. LOL! The problem with this is that, while it does taste delicious, it separates and looks curdled once cooked. If your grandma makes it and you know it tastes amazing you overlook this sort of thing… but if you want to serve it to guests… not a good thing.
On a trip I made to Jordan with my sister a few years ago, however, we discovered a dish called Mensaf. I had never heard of it before but the minute we put that piece of lamb cooked in yogurt sauce into our mouths, my sister and I gave each other a wide eyed look of recognition. “It tastes just like the sauce mom cooks the grape leaves in!” When I got back, it was my own grandmother who inadvertently taught me that they actually HAVE the yogurt base for that dish pre-packaged at middle eastern stores. (She has an obsession with purchasing everything from spices she won’t use to dishes and incense there, lol.)
I hope you enjoy eating them as much as we have for such a long time. I’d also love to hear your feedback if you decide to try the recipe out or have your own grape leaf recipe you’d like to share!!!
No more need for tears. I’ve found my focus.
Sometimes we humans create and work towards goals just to keep our minds engaged and to keep ourselves focussed on things we feel we do have a level of control over. Focussing and working towards achieving things we feel that we can actually attain gives our minds a rest from the hurt and seeming hopelessness of those things we have no power to change… We figure, “At least I can move forward in some way.” And the truth is it helps, because we ultimately do move towards something… Anything.
But here’s why I hadn’t truly yet shed the tear and found the focus: I was proud of my races but had no one waiting or cheering for me at the finish. I made food for myself but had no one to share my meals with. I had ideas for all sorts of creative activities but had no one to see enjoy them when I was done. I could think of a ton of fun things I wanted to do and try but had friends too far away to enjoy them with.
But I finally understood the very simple missing piece: I needed to reach out to the people I already had in my life and create connections to even more. And that doesn’t mean that I’m needy. It just means that I’m full of love. Love for my family, love for my friends, love for happiness and love for life. I like to share my life and I like to live it in many different directions at once because it makes me feel, hectic, happy and fulfilled. I need to have adventures to look forward to, even if the adventure is one that I’ve had a million times before.
The reality is, I already had tons of people to share my life with, and I’m meeting more and creating friendships with others to share it with further… and, hopefully, I’ll find that one specific person I’m looking for soon. 🙂 ❤
A Father’s Day selfie!!
Today, and every day, I am grateful for my amazing Dad. Today is all about celebrating his awesomeness and the awesomeness of having such an amazing family. We had a delicious brunch at my place and had an amazing time relaxing at home and enjoying each other’s company. My family is my everything! xoxo
Menu du Jour:
Recipes to come on my “Yumminess” page!
I’m really grateful for having such an amazing, loving family. The older I get, the more I realize how much they mean to me. Without my family I would be nothing. They are my backbone, my support and my teachers. It goes without saying that I am grateful for them 365. I can overcome anything and achieve anything with them by my side, and one day I will create a family of my own. 🙂
I’ve just been cracking up all day about random stuff. Silly laughs with some co-workers over lunch, random sarcastic comments from others in the hallway, funny things that I read on Facebook or saw on TV at the doctor’s office waiting room this afternoon, conversations with friends and my sister.
When I think about people who have made me laugh the most in my life, I think about my friend Alfredo and my Aunt Georgette. Alfredo told me that when I left the hospital we used to work at together things weren’t the same. “Its not as fun being funny if no one is here to laugh about it as willingly as you are.” On my last day working there, another one of our co-workers jokingly asked if I could please record my laugh before I left. I guess the hallway outside the office we shared is not half as loud without the sound of me cracking up hysterically from inside.
My Aunt Georgette is the silliest, goofiest, most random person I know. Her “Spanglish-isms” and hysterical dancing and general craziness has sent me into hysterics since I was a kid… and it doesn’t get old. Spending time with her is like breathing life back into me and I love her for it.
I guess my point is this: Nothing is better than a good laughing fit and no one is dearer than a friend or family member that can make you laugh ’till you cry. 🙂
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again!!!…. time to start thinking about the holidays. My step mother, Jane, has already finished her Christmas shopping (I’m not joking). And although I haven’t even begun to deplete my bank account on useless chotchkies, I have successfully finished making our insanely awesome costumes for the Thanksgiving morning Turkey Trot race….
Ah yes, the age-old tradition of running 5 kilometers while wearing a very politically incorrect Native American costume or brown tutu and crazy turkey hat. I’m pretty sure that the first race was organized by the pilgrims themselves… the same year they initiated Black Friday camp-outs in front of Best Buy and Walmart…
Regardless of the ridiculousness of the whole thing, it’s something my sister and I love doing and have absolutely no plans of stopping despite the embarrassment it causes others. In fact, our bodacious costumes from last year’s event got us featured in the flyer that came in the mail for this year’s race! We’re dragging my brother-in-law and some friends along this year in full costume for our most outrageous Turkey Trot yet!!
I have very simply taken some cotton t-shirts from the craft store (you can use old ones from your closet and up-cycle them!) and pieced them together with ribbon, rickrack, fabric and dollar store finds to create a family full of pilgrims, Indians and turkeys that would rival the first thanksgiving. Here’s how I did it:
Pilgrims:
Materials:
Black T-shirt
white cotton fabric
ribbon remnants
sewing machine or no-sew iron tape
hot glue gun
lace fringe/ buttons (optional)
Directions:
For Shirt
1. fold a square piece of fabric over to form a rectangle.
2. Cut a half circle from top for neck hole and a slit down center to create two lapels.
3. With hot glue gun, glue the collar onto the black t-shirt. Add bow or button to finish.
Skirt/ Apron
1. take any piece of ribbon long enough to be tied around your waist and a large rectangular piece of fabric.
2. pleat the white fabric as you either sew or iron it onto the ribbon.
Bonnet
check out this great site’s simple directions
http://dorcassmucker.blogspot.com/2011/11/easy-pilgrim-costume.html
Indian
Shirt:
1. Take brown shirt and create pattern using rickrack, ribbon and fringe. Attach with hot glue gun.
Skirt:
1. Take a rectangular piece of fabric long enough to be tied around your waist and fold it onto itself.
2. Cut it on an angle from the fold to create a triangle.
3. Open triangle and cut out decorative edges.
Arm Bands:
1. Hot glue fringe to ribbon
2. Sew elastic to ends
The Holidays are a time for being with family, enjoying your friends and… eating. A LOT. And, as much as I love eating, I have to say that I almost enjoy baking and preparing holiday foods even more. I always loved helping my mom in the kitchen when I was younger and some of my fondest memories are those that include the amazing smells of certain dishes that MUST be served yearly in our household. Now, I love making those recipes myself (or heading over to mom’s and helping her out like the good old days).
Although I have been sworn to secrecy and have promised my mother to never divulge the details of our most prized recipes, there are some yummy things I can share with you. Namely, those things that I have created myself and have become NEW traditions. I’ll be honest, I can bake a mean cake from scratch by following a recipe but, I’m not a chemist so I’m no good at coming up with recipes on my own. I take recipes that already exist, add a few things, omit others and put my spin on them. A lot of times, they are “semi-homemade” but they are never “semi-good”… They’re always totally amazing 😉
The first yummy recipe I’m going to share with you is almost not a recipe at all. Its more like a set of directions on how to put together something that is both gorgeous and delicious: Irish Crème Berry Trifle. You are guaranteed “ooooohs and aaaaaahs” every time you bring this to the table and it is the desert that inspired my friend Kris to name me her “most Martha Stewart-y friend I know.”
Ingredients:
1 box of prepared yellow cake mix (follow directions of your favorite brand)
Irish crème
I pint each: Blue berries, raspberries and strawberries
Small cool whip
1 box of vanilla Jello pudding prepared (I add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to make it special)
Raspberry jam
Directions:
1. Slice the prepared cake into rectangular pieces and place one layer on the bottom of your trifle dish. (yes, you need to invest in a trifle dish to make this recipe. They’re really inexpensive and easy to find at discount stores like Marshalls, TJ Max, Homegoods or Ross.)
2. Drizzle ¼-1/2 cup of Irish crème over the cake so that it gets absorbed.
3. Spoon and spread raspberry jam over cake.
4. Carefully spoon pudding on top, making sure that the layer is clean at edges of trifle dish.
5. Layer berry mix
6. Layer of cool whip
7. Repeat until you are at the top!
8. On top of your last layer of cool whip, decoratively place some berries.
Let set over night so that the irish crème has time to absorb and the flavors meld.
Gorgeous!!
Let the holidays begin!! More festive recipes to follow.
Little Miss Sunshine State 