![Grilled Eggplant and Pepper Salad]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Jul 4, 2012 | Appetizers & Snacks, Gluten-Free, Italian, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Recipes, Sicilian, Side Dishes, Summer, Turkish, Vegan, Vegetarian
Summer food is equivalent to grilling, right? Well, in the intense heat we’re feeling here in the Midwest I’m not sure everyone is so excited about firing up the grills all the time. I mean, it’s really hot- even in the evenings I’ve seen temps at 98° F. That said, with all the amazing summer produce to be found at farmers markets and in our own gardens, there still needs to be a way to use up your favorite summer veggies even if it means staying indoors and NOT turning on the oven.
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![Chicken Sausages with Heirloom Tomatoes]()
by Yvonne Maffei | May 1, 2012 | American, Breakfast & Brunch, Dinner, Italian, Lunch, Recipes
On a recent trip to our local butcher, I inquired about the homemade merguez they always used to have on hand. He said they weren’t making any more of it because folks weren’t buying much of it, for some reason.
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![Roasted Pumpkin]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Nov 13, 2011 | American, Fall, Latin, Recipes, Side Dishes, Thanksgiving, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter
If there’s ever one recipe that will help create even more recipes, it’s those for roasted vegetables. I absolutely love to fire up the oven and get my produce seasoned and roasted to eat them as-is, puree them into soups or throw them into stews. You can be as creative as you want to be or simply enjoy them straight out of the oven.
Vegetables with similar roasting times to pumpkin are acorn squash and butternut squash, depending on their sizes, of course. (more…)
![Oven Roasted Lamb Chops]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Nov 11, 2011 | Dinner, Eid, Lamb, Recipes, Red Meat Dishes
I don’t normally set out to by lamb chops, but instead I wait for the Qurbani meat to come when there are so many included in the package. It gives me something to look forward to and I know they’re super-fresh.
Today, I didn’t plan on making lamb chops. Instead, I planned on making a lamb stew with pumpkin, sweet potatoes and chickpeas. I planned on using the thick pieces of meat that I thought I labeled on my freezer bags a few days ago. Come to realize when I opened my defrosted bag of meat that I had two beautiful thick chops ready to be cooked; not my stew meat.
Re-freezing is not an option to me so I decided to go ahead and quickly season and roast these chops. They turned out so tasty that I just had to share the recipe. They were seasoned so simply and cooked slowly to allow the taste of the meat to shine through. It’s the perfect recipe for a beautiful gourmet dinner at home without all the fuss. (more…)
![Super Quick Cherry Galette]()
by Yvonne Maffei | Oct 29, 2011 | American, Dessert, French, Recipes, Summer
Let’s face it- we’re all busy. We want to eat healthy and watch the ingredients in our food products for safety and for their halal factor, but it isn’t always possible to do absolutely everything from scratch, nor is it practical for most people. I’ll be the first one to say that it used to be a huge stress on my mind to want so much to make pleasing baked goods for family gatherings or visits to friends’ homes, but no time to do it. It helps to know that there are more and more wonderful vendors of great, high-quality products that meet halal standards which help us put together a nice, somewhat homemade gift or simply a treat for yourself at home.
I love this super quick cherry galette recipe because I’m tied to the memory of buying the cherries on a wonderful weekend getaway to Door County, Wisconsin. Fresh cherry season was over, but it seemed as though the entire county got busy dried and preserving these bursting red, tart cherries. I checked around to a lot of the local shops to see which one had the least amount of extra ingredients and make sure that fruit pectin was used before buying a jar of preserved cherries. My thoughts were that someday down the line this Fall, I would love to warm up the house with a cherry pie or galette, even if I had to purchase a good quality pie crust, even though I normally make my own.
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