Thanksgivinggg made simple. and sweet.

American food is not my forte.  My moms family is from Yemen, my dad was born in Morocco.. they met somewhere in Israel.. so my food tends to reflect those general areas of the world. 

But it is our favorite all American holiday where we celebrate consumption, excess, and genocide.  So this afternoon.. I got in the spirit and got baking. 

Cranberry Sauce and Zucchini Bread: 

Cranberry Sauce:

Ingredients:

Fresh Cranberries (1.5 lb)

Brown Sugar (1.5 cup of sugar, add more to taste)

Ginger- grated (SHOCKING)
Orange zest
Lemon zest
Cloves (2) as my mother says "For aroma!" (Fun fact: the word in hebrew for a clove is tziporen, literally, a person's fingernail. Mmmmmmmmm. 

Directions:

Rinse cranberries
Cook the cranberries on a very low heat
Add immediately sugar, ginger, orange zest and lemon zest
Cook for 20 minutes
Taste
Make additions :) cinnamon perhaps? Go for it. Pomegranate juice, why not?

ZUCCHINI BREAD:
I learned how to make zucchini bread today.. well I've made it before.. but sometimes I just do what I'm told, other times I engage myself more closely with the food.  My best friend Sammy is a chef of the sort that you don't meet every day.  Bakes his own breads, pastas, challah to die for, german dumplings.. the list would literally take me a decade. Anyway, we used Paula Deen's recipe, and its fabulous.. and oh, so easy, even a baketard like me did it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/zucchini-bread-recipe/index.html

Enjoy! And have a merry merry thanksgiving.  

Leek, Broccoli, and Roasted Pepper Pizza


Yum.
Ok, so I didn't exactly cook this from scratch.  I'm not a baker.  I don't measure things (all the numbers I use below are estimates) I don't like following directions (so don't follow mine) and I like winging things (so substitute whatever I use for whatever you feel like).


I used a sick focaccia from Sam's club for $2.99 which is what made this dish so friggin easy and fun.


Ingredients:
Dough (can buy pre-made) or focaccia
Whatever vegetables (or meat) you want as toppings (in my case: leek, broccoli, and roasted peppers)
Cheese (I used sliced Mozzarella and grated parmesan)

Tomato sauce
Make your own with tomato paste, olive oil, oregano, basil, paprika, garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, sugar
Or buy pre-made marinara sauce

Directions:
Defrost your dough or pre-made crust
Preheat the oven to 350
Sautee the vegetables together with a little olive oil for about 20 minutes (depending on the veggies)
I threw in a touch of rosemary and garlic salt
Slice mozzarella


Ok the rest is pretty easy.. I mean I had never done it before..  Stack it all up- crust, sauce, cheese, veggies, I topped it with some parmesan, and throw it in the oven.  I can't remember how long I put it in the oven for.. but since your ingredients are mostly already cooked, I aimed for melted cheese as my indicator for when it is ready.. depending on the dough/crust it may be different.. so .. wing it... you're bright.
Top with fresh grated pepper.
Goes great with a merlot.

Moroccan Meatballs and Orzo

OK. I don't know what exactly is Moroccan about these meatballs, other than the fact that I started making them based on watching my Moroccan grandmother doing it for years.


Its super easy, and actual cooking time (as in time you spend cooking) is minimal.. 20 minutes.


Ingredients:
Ground meat (can mix the beef with ground Turkey as well for a leaner and a bit more environmental dish)
1 large onion
Ginger
1/2 zucchini or 1/2 cup of bread crumbs
2 cups of green peas
1 egg
salt and pepper
1 can of tomato paste
Cumin
Paprika
Olive oil
Vegetable oil


Directions:
Defrost ground meat, put in a medium size bowl.  Mince half onion, the other half cut into small cubes.  Mince or grade fresh ginger (or put about two tablespoons of ground ginger). Grade zucchini. Mix the minced onion, ginger, zucchini, breadcrumbs, egg, salt and pepper, and cumin together.  Yes, mixing ground beef means use your hands. I wasn't kidding about the whole- get ready to get dirty thing.
This is the fun part.  Use your hands to glob some meat and roll a ball of whatever size you so desire (expect them to shrink a tiny bit).
Put some vegetable oil on a pan, add the other half of the onion and peas to the pan.  Let sit for 5-6 minutes or until the onions are slightly browned.  Add meatballs.
This part I did for the first time.  I have seen my Israeli fam do it this way for years, so I figured I would wing it.  I basically made a quick tomato sauce: Olive oil, tomato paste, water (around a cup but eye-ball how thick or thin you want the paste) a pinch of sugar neutralizes the sweetness of the tomato, paprika, pepper (go crazy) and salt.
Cook everything together on medium for 20 minutes and let sim for another 20 minutes.


My sous chef made the orzo.  A bit undercooked, but still delicious.  Turns out a day later, the orzo is perfect for leftovers.. The meatballs I used the next day for spaghetti and meatballs... thought about a meatball sub. Ah, the beauty of leftovers..

On the eve of my first blog... You gonna deglaze that?


Ok, so I realize, I'm kind of a tool for starting this blog on the same day South Park premiered their Food Network spoof. So good. SO inappropriate.  But yes, us foodies have a sick sick love for food.  And we're damn proud.


Check it
Whole Episode  http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s14e14-creme-fraiche


If you can only watch a clip -- http://www.southparkstudios.com/clips/360880/you-gonna-deglaze-that#tab=featured

Ginger Soy Chicken

My Dinner:
Chicken breast marinated in a ginger, soy, miso sauce
sauteed with onions and chick peas
side of acorn squash

Prep time: half of "Let it Be"
Cook time: I don't know I was too busy cutting fennel. Yum.

Ingredients:
chicken breasts (2)
chick peas (half a can)
one whole onion (cut vertically- not too small or they got lost in the sauce)
ginger
garlic (3 cloves)
MISO PASTE << my new favorite ingredient and the maker of this dish. (Thank you sis)
brown sugar :) just a tad
salt n pepper (duh)
paprika
chili powder
sesame oil (also new favorite ingredient) - if you're from Clark/Worceser go to the international fish market on main st.  Procede to orgasm. They have everything. For a great price.
acorn squash
soy sauce
olive oil
thyme

I think thats it.. oh yeah.. add anything else you like :)))))

So the first thing I did- defrost the chicken, ah, key.  Run it under some water to speed up the process.  Some people put frozen meat in the microwave for a few seconds, I dont know, that never seemed appropriate to me.  Something about the radiation. Or the awkwardness of microwaved meat..

Wash the chicken, cut off the fat, cut it into cubes (of whatever size you so desire)
marinate the chicken in a tablespoon of sesame oil, soy sauce, and miso paste.
I cut up a shitload of garlic and ginger, cuz its fucking delicious.. and healthy
salt, pepper, paprika- to taste

Let sit for 20 min-1hr. (even more if you so please, won't hurt) but I would fridge it if its gonna be marinating for super long...

Sautee onions till slightly browned (you can drizzle some salt over the onions to prevent them from soaking up a lot of oil)
I also use spray vegetable oil- fab for the diet-minded

Add chicken, a pinch of sugar, another tbsp of miso paste and soy sauce (again, to taste) I also sprinkled some thyme.
I let the chicken cook for 20 min before the chick peas, but I'm sure it makes no difference.
Cook on medium for 30 min, then let sim.

I've been cooking with my mom since the fall of the Berlin wall, but just recently discovered the beauty of the sim.  So let sim for 15min-45min depending how much time you have, it really integrates the food and the sauce.

I tasted the chicken after 20 min, decided it was slightly bland (my taste buds are dead from eating spicy foods since age 3) and added chili power, chili flakes, and hawaiij- a yemenite spice that is similar to curry- made up of tumeric, cumin, ginger, cardomom.

So feel free to spice it up as you wish.

Enjoy!

Pad Thai er something

My take on Pad Thai:
Ingredients: whatever you want + rice noodles

Cook time: Anywhere from 20 min to an hour (If you're doing 20 min style, make sure to start boiling the water 5-10 minutes into cooking the vegetables, 10-15 min for chicken)

What I used: 
Rice Noodles
Tofu
Celery
Onion
Broccoli
Chick Peas

Essentially, whatever I found in my fridge that works- any watery vegetable--> zucchini and carrots are great in this, parsnip I had, but figured was too starchy, same with potatoes.  You already have your rice noodles for carbs, so lean away from vegetables with a lot of carbs.  Also, chicken or shrimp works fabulously in this.

Sauce: Peanut Satay (adapted from http://www.goodearthpeanuts.com/recipes/peanutsataysauce.htm)
Peanut butter
Soy Sauce or Oyster sauce < great investment, works in any stir-fry or asian soup, comes in veggie style oyster sauce too
Brown sugar or a dab of honey
Ginger (fresh or ginger powder)
Garlic (chopped fine)
Coconut milk (quarter can)
chili powder (dab, this stuff can ruin a dish)
Sesame oil (or any kind of oil for that matter)
Dab of cumin (also very potent so don't go overboard)

Cook the vegetables and chicken on medium for about 20 minutes- sometimes this depends on what types of vegetables you are using, so wing it based on your preferences (some people loved overcooked, some hate it..).

Boil water for the noodles.
For the sauce: I put all of these ingredients together, cooked for 5 min, and let sim for another 5 minutes.

After the veggies/chicken cook for 20 minutes, add most of the sauce to your stir-fry, and let sim for another 10-20 minutes.
Now, the noodles for me are the hardest part.  You don't want them to be too soft or too hard.  The way I do it (and its done differently by different chefs) is once the water is boiled, I put the noodles in the pot, and turn off the fire completely.  After 5-8 minutes they should be soft, but a bit al-dente.  Add in the noodles to the stir fry and the rest of the sauce.  Let sim for another 5-15 minutes.

Feel free to top the Pad Thai with crushed peanuts, cilantro, and a lime wedge.
Serve your sexy guests.
Receive compliments.
Bask in your glory.
Repeat.

FEEL FREE TO POST ADDITIONS, CHANGES, PERSONAL PREFERENCES!
Every time I've had pad thai it tastes a little different, its really a fun dish to play around with.

Alternatives:
The sauce can be as simple as: soy sauce, peanut butter, pepper, and garlic/ginger
or you can use an oyster sauce, with paprika, cumin, tomato paste, chili flakes
or you can be a peanut satay or coconut sauce pre-made!

Really, its up to you, and the more you play around with stir-fry's the more you'll see how maleable they are. Its pretty hard to fuck up majorly, so have. fun. with it! (The easiest way to fuck up is to OD on salt or soy sauce--> salt you can ALWAYS add at the end, or people can add it personally to their plates, so be careful!) Its also super unhealthy and habitual, if you want to ease off salt, you're food will taste just as good after you train and ease your taste buds off it)

My new blog!

Hey friends,


Welcome to my new blog.  This is intended for all varying types of foodies.  The foodies who only eat at the best restaurants, the foodies that spend their days and nights cooking, and the foodies that order pizza every day.  Yeah you.  We all have one thing in common: our love for food. So fuck the whole I don't cook thing you have going- its not very pretty on you.  Cooking is the new basketball.  Its sexy, fun, and gets you smelly.  So get your hands dirty and go for it.  One idea I've been playing with is meals in 20 min - for the on the go college student or working mother.  I mastered the art of 20 minute meals my senior year of college when I had exactly 20 min to cook.. and eat.  Fun.


But the point is, anyone can cook.  I'm so sick of hearing my friends say they can't.  All you have to do is take a bunch of foods you like, throw them in a pan with some oil, and go nuts.  The rest of this blog follows that golden rule.  Only in some more detail.  But the rule persists- regardless of the ridiculous hilla- concoctions, the rule is, once again- take a bunch of foods you like and throw them together. Don't think. Just cook.
And never stop singing. Or dancing.


Enjoy.