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Lebanese Meat and Green Bean Stew

2011
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We’re getting ready for a cold front and possible snow on Monday (yay! I hope we do). Plus we decided to have some of Randy’s buddies over for the big Bedlam Bash tonight – OU vs OSU (Go Sooners! Sorry! I really do root for the Cowboys too, just not when OU plays them).  So I decided to make some yummy comfort food. I make this often, it is a great meal to take to someone when they are sick or have a new baby or something!

This dish is so easy because you have your meat and veggies and rice in one meal and then if you add a loaf of bread and salad you’re done! (Oh, and then there is my mother in law’s incredible brownie recipe.)

lebanese meat and green bean stew over rice The recipes-

Lebanese Meat and Green Bean Stew-

2 lbs. stew meat, big 1” chunks (sometimes we use sirloin)
2 cans green beans, drained
1 large onion, slivered or chopped
1 no. 2 can whole or crushed tomatoes
1 8-oz. can tomato sauce
4 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp salt (or more to taste)
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I add more to taste)
1 clove garlic (actually I use about 5 or 6!)
2 Tbsp lemon juice (sometimes more, to taste).

Saute the butter, onions and garlic on med high. Add the meat (in batches if needed so as not to overcrowd) Just sear the meat, dont cook all the way through and if doing in batches remove everything and then just add the new meat so the butter, onions & garlic don’t overcook (but the onions should be limp).  Put everything back in and then add tomatoes, tomato sauce and spices. Then add the drained green beans and lemon juice.
Cover and simmer for at least 20 minutes, until the sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.

Ok, this is the rice recipe we use, it is really good!

1/4-1/3 stick of butter
1/2 cup vermicilli (break in pieces)
1 cup rice

(we actually double or triple the rice recipe because we really like the rice!)

Brown the vermicilli in the melted butter. Add the rice and get it all buttery. Add 2 cups boiling water. Cover. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Thanks to my cousin, Julia Evans (she is the BEST cook!) for sharing her secrets on how she tweaked the original recipe.

Enjoy! I welcome your comments and your favorite comfort/cold weather food ideas!

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Brownie Recipe with hint of Almond Icing

2011
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Being Happy First to me is living a life you love! It is all about family, friends, hobbies, pursuing your passions.

Many of you that know me know that I love to be surrounded by family and friends. We love to have people over and entertain. Usually it is simple recipes!

This brownie dessert is my mother-in-law Joyce’s recipe. Joyce is an incredible person. I have learned so much from her. When Randy and I  first got married I knew nothing about cooking and Joyce and my sister in laws, Lyn and Missy, taught me so much. I also learned how to entertain.

When I had to go through chemo and radiation for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Joyce was the one who really took care of me. My kids were 2 months and 3 1/2 years old and I needed help with them. We would spend a couple of nights at her home ever 2 weeks after my treatment and she would look after all of us. So when I think of Joyce, I think of love, family and comfort.

So now I would like to share some comfort and sweetness with all of you!

Joyce’s Brownie Recipe

ingredients-

8 Tbsp. cocoa powder (like Hershey’s, Nestles, whatever)
3 sticks butter or margarine
2 cups sugar
1 box powdered sugar (16 oz, about 4 cups)
dab of karo syrup
splash of coffee
splash milk
1 Tbsp. almond extract (I use pure)
4 eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour

Use 2 saucepans, one big, one little

Put 2 sticks of margarine in big saucepan (batter) and 1 stick in the little pan (for frosting), melt. Add 4 Tbsp. cocoa to each pan.
Add 2 cups of sugar to the big pan, stir and then set aside to cool.
Small pan-add 1 box of powdered sugar, 1 Tbsp almond extract. Then add enough coffee and milk to make smooth but not too runny and just a dab (maybe a Tbsp. or 2) of Karo syrup to make glossy.
Big pan-Mix the 4 eggs in a bowl with a fork then add to the big pan. Add 1 Tbsp. vanilla.  Stir. Then add in 1 1/2 cups flour.
Pour the contents of big saucepan into a “pammed” large pan-13x9x2 works great for me. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Pour the frosting over it as soon as you take it out of the oven.
Enjoy!

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Basil Pesto Recipe

2011
3 Comments

basil in pots In one of my earlier posts, Live in Full Bloom,  I talked about living in full bloom, finding your passion and pursuing it!
One of my passions is cooking and I thought I would this summer recipe with you. I grow lots of basil each year. I usually plant the basil in the ground but this spring the grasshoppers and snails were so bad that they almost ate it all so I planted some in pots too.
The great thing about pesto is you don’t need to be exact.

Basil Pesto Ingredients

Fresh basil (pull off the stems and rinse in a colander)-in this recipe I used probably 5-6 cups.
Garlic (We love garlic and I used 10-12 cloves-that may be too much for some people!)
Pine Nuts (used in total about a cup)
Parmesan (I just used the grated in the jar-Kraft- and then use the shredded  type on top once I was serving in the bowls), probably used a cup.
salt to taste
  (used about 3/4 to 1 cup)
Peel the garlic and put in the food processor with about a 1/2 cup pine nuts. Blend. Then start adding everything else a little at a time- the basil leaves,  the parmesan (probably half at a time), dash of salt, olive oil (I don’t add the olive oil all at once, I just add until it looks right), the rest of the pine nuts. When it is the taste and consistency you like, you are done!

Different ways to serve your pesto Basil Pesto over Angel Hair Pasta

Our favorite way to serve it is over angel hair pasta and I put shredded parmesan and more pine nuts on top. Some people add cherry tomatoes. You can even add cooked shrimp (My husband sometimes adds canned octupus!)
Another thing you can do is just put the pesto on top of creme cheese and you have an appetizer to serve with crackers.
My friend Brice  said he bakes a croissant  (the kind of croissants you buy in the freezer section like Pillsbury) and 5 minutes before it is done he slices it in half and adds mozzarella chunks. Then when it is done he adds pesto in the middle.
My friend Linda Waters reminded me that you can freeze the pesto in ice cubes (or even a zip lock bag if you have a bunch).
Pesto is so fresh and easy, one of our weekly favorites in the summer!

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Fruit and Yogurt Smoothie

2011
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Yay, I’m so excited! It’s the last day of school for us! I want to share my summer recipes with you. We love to entertain! My younger son has lots of friends spend the night and one of their favorite things is my yogurt and fruit smoothie. And they are very healthy! It is hard to find a really healthy smoothie so I would rather make my own.

Here’s what I use to make a blenderful (is that a word?)

Organic Plain Yogurt – I use 1/2 of a 32 oz. container
1 fresh or frozen banana
1/2-1 whole bag (10 oz) frozen  organic raspberries, mixed berries, or whatever frozen fruit
about 3 Tablespoons honey (to taste!)
1/2-1 scoop protein powder (I use unflavored Whey Factors from Whole Foods- I think whey is better for you than soy)
(you don’t have to do the protein powder, my son is a teenager trying to put on muscle weight)

Blend all together, it is that easy!

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Lebanese Salad Dressing

2011
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It’s spr Lebanese Salad Dressing ing! I am so excited! My mint is growing like crazy! I love having it fresh just outside of my door instead of having to buy it at the grocery!

This is the recipe I make all of the time for my salad dressing. My husband’s mom’s family is Lebanese so they make the best middle eastern food. This recipe is not exact, so you can’t mess up! So I am just guessing on the amounts, it really doesn’t matter, just make to taste!

Lebanese Salad Ingredients-

Mint (fresh is best!)-guessing 1/4 cup or more?
Salt-a Tablespoon or so
Garlic (ok, we go overboard and do about  8 cloves, but you can do less)
1/2-1 lemon, to taste
Pepper-1/2 tsp is my guess, i just grind over the mixture
Olive Oil-probably 1/2-3/4 cup
Tomatoes-I usually do 3 Roma Tomatoes
Lettuce

If you have a wooden bowl, it is best, but not essential. In the bowl, take the mint, salt and garlic and grind to a paste, using a pestle. Then squeeze the lemon juice into the mixture. Add Olive Oil and then grind pepper over it. Then cut up tomatoes, throw them in there, then add the lettuce. It’s that easy! Enjoy!

This makes enough for a whole bag of lettuce (Ok, you purists don’t have to use bagged lettuce! I am just telling you about how much it will cover).

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Snow Ice Cream recipe

2011
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Snow Ice Cream!

These past 2 weeks in Oklahoma and northern Texas has been crazy! We have received record snow and so many people are stuck at home! I have actually enjoyed it.  So many of my friends have been on Facebook talking about the snow and things they are doing at home. I have thought of a twist to the saying “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade”-how about “when there is too much snow, make snow ice cream!”  One of my old high school buddies, Kevin Misak, gave me this recipe. It is fun, easy and delicious! My family loves it. So here it is!

Snow Ice Cream

2 eggs
1 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla (or less, we liked a bit less)
1 cup milk

Beat eggs first, then stir the rest of the ingredients in. Stir well. In a separate bowl, go outside and grab a gallon of snow. Pour the mixture in the first bowl over the snow. Keep stirring till it looks like ice cream. Enjoy!

snow ice cream ingredients

beat the eggs, then mix in the sugar, milk and vanilla

scoop of snow for ice cream

scoop out some snow!

sugar mixture with snow

stir together well the sugar mixture and the snow

bowl of snow ice cream

the finished product! ready to eat!

snow ice cream

16 year old boys do not like posing for pictures!

snow ice cream

once they hit 20 they don't care, just want the ice cream!

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