Kafta with Potatoes. Baby turning two

Baby turning two.

 It's September! I and V. don't want to admit to ourselves that Summer is over, so we decided to extend it. Every weekend, we will do something special. So far, our September weekends have included camping, Traverse City, and Baby's birthday party. Hopefully this will go on.. until the snow comes.

 It's working. It still feels like summer, and we're not as stressed as before. Maybe this also has to do with Baby turning two. Does it just get easier, with the occasional terrible two's tantrums?

 I weaned Baby two weeks ago, and I proudly boast nursing for two years. But now I'll just say, "It feels great to reclaim the ownership of my body". It's been three years since I felt that way.

 To celebrate, I and my friend G. joined a Pilates class. The last time I was in a workout class was during my pregnancy, and since then I've only exercised at home using dvd's. I love being able to go out, sometimes, again.

It's getting cold outside, and Kafta with Potatoes is a warming winter dish.  

My friend prepared this cookie cake for Baby's second birthday.

Cheese and fruits assortment.

Kafta with Potatoes, and a side of rice

2 Great Side Dishes. Cooking and Lifestyle

 Today I added the subtitle: "cooking after office.. with a touch of style" to my blog. I have many hobbies, though some of them are only temporary (like when I met V., watching soccer became my hobby, until I married him.)
 My passion, however, is for fashion, yoga, running, cooking, and sitting alone in a cozy cafe sipping hot caramel cappuccino while working on my laptop.  
 I have to squeeze all my hobbies into life after work.  
 I still struggle to establish some sort of balance (because life is hectic, and work plus baby is nunca easy). It will happen though, someday..

 The dishes are two great side dishes. Very fast to prepare in case you didn't have much time.

Recipe: Breaded Shrimp 

• 13 large shelled and veined shrimps (cooked)
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 eggs (seasoning: 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano)
• vegetable oil 
• 1 cup Italian breading

1. Using a fork, beat the eggs with their seasoning.
2. Mix the flour with 1tbsp paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
3. Heat about 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet.
4. Dip the shrimps (one at a time) in the flour mix, then the eggs, then the Italian breading.
5. Fry the shrimps, about 1 minute on each side, or until golden red.

Recipe: Potatoes and Eggs

Frijol con Pollo (Beans and Chicken). NYC

 Here's a list of the amazing things that happened to me since I arrived in the USA (I omitted the parts that indicate my real job). They are given in chronological order, from oldest to newest:

1. I landed in NYC. 
2. I learned how to cook.
3. I met my husband V. (He didn't immediately realize that it was also amazing meeting me). 
4. V. realized that it also was amazing meeting me (like 4 months after I was amazed by meeting him.)
5. I got my degree.
6. I had my baby.

 There is something in NYC that accelerates personal development, at an abnormal rate. For example, if  you arrive in NYC, let's say, on a business trip, don't be surprised, at all, if you leave like..this. That's just normal.

 NYC has this ability to make people totally comfortable being squeezed in tiny apartments, paying tons of money in rent, and just being so happy about it. I and V. lived in two of these places. We only left the first one after it became the headquarters for the new OCCUPY movement..by mice. (The plumber left a hole in the kitchen.)  

 Our horribly small apartments had even smaller kitchens. So… I am the master of cooking in the smallest kitchen. I have always fantasized about creating a competition of cooking in a small kitchen, and me winning it.

 Today's recipe is very healthy. It's my mother-inlaw's recipe. Mexican bean recipes are way much better than Lebanese bean recipes. You'll never see a Lebanese beans recipe posted on this site.

Recipe: Frijol con Pollo (Beans and Chicken)

Foul (Fava beans and Chickpeas). Beirut

 I lived in Beirut for seven years. Back then, I was a different person in a different world. Yet, that person is still in some sense part of me.

 I have been to many cities, but there is this one trait which is so special to Beirut: the smell of fresh food early in the morning.

 Beirut is a noisy city. People yell at each other and honk a lot. Sometimes they are both yelling and honking at the same time. Rush hour traffic is insane. My best friend used to compare it to the sliding puzzle where there's only one slot where you can move.
 Beirut breakfast is truly special though. As early as six in the morning, when the city is just starting to wake up, and the sun is just rising behind the mountains, the Manae'eesh bakeries, the Knafeh and Foul places, the coffee shops downtown and the Saj cafes everywhere, are all active and waking everyone up. It's an everyday reminder of the fabulous morning that uniquely embraces this city. Every new morning in Beirut has the smell of renewed hope, for calm, and even peace.

Recipe: Foul (Fava beans and Chickpeas)

Chicken Enchiladas. Lebanese Men

 Fact: Lebanese men do not cook. '"Why?" you may ask.
"It's a woman's task," which actually means, cooking is beneath Lebanese men.
This post is biased against Lebanese men. So if you are a Lebanese man and you are already offended, please click away from this page, then close your browser, then shut down your computer, then go somewhere else, then continue your life as normal. If you are a Lebanese woman who decides that she's offended on the behalf of Lebanese men, then please do the same.
 The only Lebanese men whom I met, who know how to cook, are the ones who spent a portion of their lives outside Lebanon. More precisely, those who were outside in the West, not in the East.
 In Lebanon, women cook, clean, take care of the children, and, have a full time job like all the men. The men also have a full time job. But they have the privilege of having women cook, clean, rear their children, and bring extra money. It really never made sense to me. No matter how much people tried to rationalize it, I still could not comprehend the obvious inequality. So it was hopeless, and, because I am lucky, I married my western man.
 There is this one episode that truly speaks for the situation: One time, my husband and I were visiting my family in Lebanon. My husband was helping do the dishes, and he was wearing the kitchen apron. My cousin A. knocks at the door, and walks into the living room. My father jumps freaking, and says, "Close the kitchen door very fast.. so A. won't see V. wearing an apron and doing the dishes!"
 That's how offensive it is to Lebanese men to participate in the house chores. Of course, they have more important stuff to do, like watching TV, and spending endless hours with other Lebanese men chatting about how good life is without the chores.
 So Lebanese men, here's your brother-in-law's Chicken Enchiladas. They are great!

Recipe: Chicken Enchiladas

Guacamole. Culture Shock

When I first arrived in the U.S., I had a massive culture shock. It took me about two years to comprehend how everything around me worked. I remember the first few days clearly.
 I am alone, with another 8 million people, in New York city. I decide to go out of the apartment, to buy bed sheets, a comforter, and kitchenware. I walk a lot. I don't know how to hail a cab, and I am too shy to speak English to native speakers. I buy all the stuff, and I want to carry it back to the apartment. The bags are so heavy, and I am struggling to hold my tears. People offer to help me with the stuff, but I've watched too much Hollywood crime movies to agree. I nod thank you and I keep dragging my bags.
 I arrive at my new place, and I am hungry. I don't know how to cook. I realize that food needs to be prepared. It doesn't just appear at the table. My mother cooks, and she's not here. I go out to get food. I don't know what to eat, I don't know any of the dishes, and the different types of foods. I buy cookies and juice. And I survive on cookies and juice for the next month. The more cookies I eat the more hungry I feel. I need to cook. I buy a pot. And I start cooking.
 I started to learn what people in the U.S. eat. Many times I was delighted, others I was surprised. Like it's striking to me how much people here like Hummus. And why do they call it only Hummus, instead of Hummus and Tahini. Hummus (in Arabic) means chickpeas. You can eat Hummus, and that's chickpeas, or, you can eat Hummus and Tahini, and that's the Hummus that they like to eat. There are restaurants in NYC that only serve Hummus (and Tahini). That's the weirdest thing to me. Hummus in Lebanon is just an appetizer. That's like a restaurant, with tables and chairs and waiters and all that, that only serves onion rings.
 Here's an authentic Mexican guacamole recipe. Some places add vinegar to Guacamole. Please always hold the following dear to your heart: it's a sin to put vinegar in Guacamole.
 The following is my husband's recipe.

Recipe: Guacamole

• 2 avocados, peeled and pitted (keep 1 seed)
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 serrano pepper, finely cut (I use Anaheim pepper when I don't want it to be spicy)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix the serrano paper, cilantro, onion, and then the lime juice. Add the two avocados, and smash them into the mix. Add the salt and black pepper. Put the seed on the top (this helps keep the Guacamole green and fresh for a longer period of time).

Chile Relleno (Cheese Stuffed Pepper)

 If your partner is Mexican, then you already know this fact: Mexicans have a super power that tells them exactly where the Mexican restaurants are in any town or city.

 My husband's psychic powers are even more advanced: He predicts the the quality of those places, staff credentials, and menu.
 We were on Highway 1 (north from LA) enjoying the glorious pacific coastline. We had Chile Relleno (first time I tried it) in Santa Barbara.

 I wasn't particularly thrilled about the idea of cheese stuffed pepper. I am Lebanese and we just don't stuff peppers. We only slice them. All of my principles changed when I discovered the superb Chile Pablano.

Top: Stuffed Pablano peppers coated in egg batter (fried)

Recipe: Chile Relleno (Cheese Stuffed Pepper)

Salsipuedes street, Santa Barbara, California

• 6 Chile Pablano peppers
• Oaxaca cheese (or Chihuahua cheese or Queso Fresco)
• 1 cup flour
• 3 eggs 

• 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt (seasoning for the eggs)
• vegetable oil (to fry the chiles)
• 7 Roma tomatoes
• 1 banana pepper
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 medium onion, sliced in big pieces 
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt 

1) Broil the banana pepper, until some of its skin is brown. Set aside.

2) Prepare the sauce: Blend the tomatoes, parsley, 1 garlic clove, and the sliced onion in the food processor, until they become smooth. 

3) In a large pan, heat 1tbsp olive oil, add the tomato mix, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and sea salt to taste. Add the banana peppers. Simmer for 1.5 hours.

4) Now to remove the skin of the Pablano peppers: Smear the chiles on all sides for about 1 minute, then broil on each side for 4 minutes (until the skin is visibly bubbly. Do not over cook). Remove from the oven, and place the chiles in a plastic bag for about 10 minutes. The skin can now be easily removed.

Banana peppers and slightly smeared Pablano peppers right
before they go into the oven for broiling. 

5) Look for the weakest part of the skinned Chile, and make a long slit there using a knife. Carefully remove the bulky white part and the seeds. Be careful not to rip the veins off the Chile, since that would cause holes in it.
6) Stuff the chile with cheese.
7) Using a fork, beat the eggs with the oregano, black pepper, and salt. 
8) Heat the vegetable oil (only 1 inch) in a large frying pan.
9) Dip the stuffed Chile in the flour and then in the egg batter. Coat the whole chile, except the tail.
10) Fry for about 2 minutes on each side, or until the egg batter is golden brown (see picture).
11) Drop in the tomato sauce. Do not mix.

Serve with rice, refried beans, and guacamole. 

Chilaquiles (Mexican Tortilla Dish)

 Have you ever been bullied by a bull? Yes!  (Scroll down to meet the bull.)

The first time I had Chilaquiles, I was in gorgeous Guanajuato, Mexico. That was the last stop on our across-Mexico road trip (it wasn't really a road trip. We were delivering a car to V.'s brother, since we were the only two in the family, and probably in all of Mexico at that time, who were on vacation.)

 Now Guanajuato is a town where no one can drive. It's a known fact that Guanajuato is the only place in the world where, due to a minor planning error, all the city tunnels form a Mobius band (meaning, if you enter the tunnels, you actually flip while driving- flip as in become upside down- and get out again on the correct side). People who've been living there for years still get lost while driving in Guanajuato.

 The only way to avoid the tunnels is to walk. Walk up, and up, and up, and up, and up. Only when you think that it's impossible to go more up, that's when you arrive. Then you can see the whole colorful city, and realize that this view is worth all the foot pain that you have (definitely your feet will hurt.)

 On our way up, we encountered the bull in the picture. I thought it was the most natural thing I've seen in years, just a bull by the side of the street. The bull though, was not as happy to see me. He started hitting the ground, as in the cartoons, and making angry sounds, also as in the cartoons. RUNNN. Wait, snap a shot and then RUNNN...
Tip: You can finish left over tortillas by making Chilaquiles. That's what authentic Mexicans do with their unwanted tortillas. Serve Chilaquiles with refried beans.

Recipe: Chilaquiles

• 10 corn tortillas. 
• vegetable oil to fry the tortillas
• 1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced in big pieces
• 1 clove garlic
• 7 Roma tomatoes
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 garlic clove
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 medium onion, sliced in big pieces 
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1 can chicken broth
• 2 banana peppers
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• sea salt 
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt. (seasoning for the eggs)
• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper (finely chopped)
• 1.5 cup Mexican cheese: queso Fresco, crumbled.
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (for garnish)

1) Fry the tortillas until crispy and golden in color. Drain oil on paper towels and set aside.

2) Broil the banana peppers, until some of its skin is brown. Set aside.

3) Boil the chicken with the black pepper, salt, 1/2 medium onion, garlic, and dried oregano.

4) Prepare the sauce: Blend the tomatoes, parsley, 1 garlic clove, and the sliced onion in the food processor, until they become smooth. 

5) In a large pan, heat 1tbsp olive oil, add the tomato mix, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and sea salt to taste. Add the banana peppers. Simmer for 1.5 hours.

6) Shred the boiled chicken (get rid of the broth). Break the fried tortillas into pieces (make 3 pieces out of each tortilla.)
7) Mix the eggs with 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. 
8) In a big pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil, then stir in the jalapeno or serrano pepper.
9) Add the eggs and stir 3 minutes, or until the scrambled eggs are well cooked.

10) Add the fried tortilla pieces shredded chicken, and the cheese. Mix for about 3 minutes.

11) When the tomato sauce is done, remove the banana peppers, and add on top of the tortilla, chicken, cheese and egg mix. Do not stir.

12) Garnish with cheese and some cilantro.