Having a go at Turkish Pizza!

Thought I'd give making a Turkish (Lamahcun) pizza a try.
Loved it even though I did not do it as the real recipe
follows. Was in a rush will do the real recipe next time.
This turned out really good. Add minced Turkey, pimentoes,
creamy cheese, olives, onions, bell pepper and of course
Turkish seasoning on Arabic flatbread. It was very good.

Turkish seasoned beef

Another meal of marinated Turkish seasoned beef sirloin with rice and salad.
I love the many exotic spices of the Middle East and the wonderful things
you can do with them in a recipe.

Raspberry vinaigrette chicken salad

This was a beautiful salad of raspberry vinaigrette marianted grilled chicken
on a bed of fresh spinach with coriander, tomatoes and cucumber. Topped with
sun-dried tomato cheese adds more flavour.
Wasn't really sure what the raspberry vinaigrette marinade would taste
like but it's actually very good.

Happy Birthday to me

Today is my 100th birthday or at least it feels like it.
The last several weeks have been in the dumps. Would like
to enjoy this day and be truly grateful for it but it's
not easy. Anyways................

Birthday dish :-)

Had a great birthday lunch with my friend Zainab this afternoon.
She makes such lovely ME dishes. Today with kefta meatballs, couscous and
a salad that I accidently drenched in dressing. Still very good anyways.
Thanks for a lovely meal Z!

Red wine venison and salad w/grilled mushrooms.

I love venison and decided I would cook this
one in red wine. The taste is strong compared to
beef or lamb but it's still very good and actually
healthier.
Another favourite of mine is lemon garlic grilled mushrooms
and these were great on Romaine lettuce and cherry tomatoes.
So lovely :-)

Turkey rotini bolognese

Today I made great turky rotini pasta and decided to give this pasta
sauce by Emeril Lagasse a try and it was very good. I wanted something
different and was told that there is a good sauce by Paul Newman but
saw this one and gave it a try. The taste is very fresh and hearty with a
smooth texture not like some of the otehr ones I have tried.

Latin Splash

This recipe for Cilantro Lime Chicken turned out to be really good.
It was a matter of marinating breast of chicken
in diced tomatoes, cilantro, S/P, garlic, lime and mushrooms.
Yes the dish was a bit starchy but the yellow rice and black
beans made it even better. Topped it off with a nice Corona!

Cilantro lime chicken

I love an awesome chicken recipe and this one for chicken cilantro looks pretty easy.

Ingredients
4 boned, skinned chicken breast halves (2 lb. total)
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Preparation
1. Pound the chicken breasts to an even thickness (about 1/2 in.) and place in a shallow baking pan.

2. In a small bowl, mix lime juice, cilantro, garlic, honey, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over chicken and turn pieces to coat evenly. Cover and chill at least 30 minutes or overnight.

3. Lay chicken on a grill over medium heat (you can hold your hand over the surface only 4 to 5 seconds) and cook, turning once, until no longer pink in the center, 4 to 6 minutes per side.

Chicken Corona

I discovered this delightful looking dish this morning watching the Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations (Mexico/US Border) show. I have had regular beer chicken but I am sure the Mexican Corona spin is great. It certainly looks it with the bacon and cilantro. Can't wait to make this one!

Zesty lamb meatballs

I am so looking forward to making this
meal. It looks so good. I love lamb but
it's not so easy to find in these parts
so I think I will go with another favourite-
turkey but of course good old fashioned beef
would be great too. LOL.

Great Earl Grey tea

I am really missing a great cuppa Earl Grey.
This is practically my fave tea but to think
it was an acquired taste. Some EG's of course
are a bit too strong so it's best to leave it
alone with the milk and go for a bit of lemon.
I was quite surprised to see Earl Grey macaroons.
I love the teacakes--alone.

Love my wines

Wine is a good for you--well depends on who you are and if you can handle it.
I love somes reds, Merlot, Shiraz, Burgundy but my favourites are the lighter ones. I love a nice sweet wine and what I mean by sweet is a light sweet nothing too much like a Port but a nice dessert wine like Gewürztraminer or Zinfandel. Soooo great with a nice dessert or simply alone. ;-)

Paella sounds good to me

Spanish Paella is one of my favourite European dishes.
There's so much in it and I think I might want to try
a hand at making one. Seems complicated but at the same
time a bit easy. I just need to decide what I really want to
try. It's a great rice and seafood dish. Yums!

La Chambre Dessert

I really wish I had the talent to bake. It would be really cool to open a very nice European style pattisserie or cafe. These delectable treats are to die for. I love chocolate dipped fruit, cheesecake and lattes. Yes they are tres fattening but so beautiful and a good thing to have on that perfect day. No this is nothing new but I would put a different spin on things. Maybe I can find the perfect partner for that one day.

Great foods 4 a low fat diet!

I have been working on this new diet or cut back on eating -whatever you want to call it. Been looking at several articles on fat fighting foods. Women's Health is a great source. From what I see some of the best foods to consume when trying to control fat intake include; Greek-yoghurt (wonder if you can add honey?) hmmm I see that adding cinammon to your youghurt is a good thing. Think I might try it. Oooh hot peppers I see too. Think that was a part of that liquid diet thing that Beyonce did a few years ago for Dreamgirls. Green tea and grapefruit are always perfect solutions to fat burning. Other fruits on the list include watermelon (however not in season at the moment), apples and pears and grapes. These are awesome filler-uppers! Another popular fruit I'm told are berries and from what I keep reading the darker the better.
One interesting food is Tabouli; very much like couscous and even better with some black beans, cucumber, parsley and tomato stirred in. The list goes on and on with other great eats such as chicken, salmon and salad with balsalmic vinegar. Wow who knew eating away the fat could be this damn exciting! Whoooh hoooo!

VeGStEw

I have decided to do less meat in the new year.
Maybe a bit of chicken or fish but stirring clear
of the red stuff. I have also decided to cut back
seriously on the salt intake. It is my mission to
eat very healthy this year.
I made this veggie stew with rice. It's just green beans
with sweetcorn and tomatoes and some ras el hanout spice
mixed with it. Goes well with rice and sardines.