Thanksgiving

So, I set out to make a special Thanksgiving dinner that's not like the one we always had, not matter where we ate:). I picked out some yummy side dishes, that were safe for our son to eat, or that I could easily make safe by substituting ingredients. I picked this recipe for Acorn Squash with Cranberry-Cornbread Stuffing I found on TastyKitchen.com as well as this super-easy and delicious recipe for Cranberry-Pomegranate Sauce, I found on thepioneerwoman.com.

For a vegetable side I made the most surprisingly yummy Brussels Sprouts ever. That recipe came from simplyrecipes.com.

We made a simple turkey and some mashed sweet and regular potatoes and had the best Thanksgiving meal so far….it helped too that I got to spend it with my favorite (American) family members:)

No Butter, but dairy-free margarine for the squash.

I had made some cornbread a few days earlier, so it came in handy.

Presentation is the key...

There you have it! Yummy all the way.

Souzoukaki Kebab

I know a certain someone who was really anxious for me to post this, so here you go:)

This recipe was discovered by my mother while we were visiting them in Germany. It was published in the local paper in conjunction with an article about a restaurant that supported my favorite soccer club. I have never needed that many onions for a recipe. It is split up in two parts, the meat and the sauce. Other than the prep, meaning the dicing of the onions, the recipe is pretty simple and easy and it is delicious as well. The meat is seasoned with fresh mint, which is just wonderful, so make sure you try it too.

For 4 servings you need the following:

2lbs. Ground meat (the recipe actually calls for mixed pork and beef)
3 ½ Tbsp. Olive Oil
4 Onions, diced
6-8 Mint leaves, chopped
1 bunch Parsley, chopped
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

For the sauce:
7 Tomatoes, cut into small pieces
1 Big Onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. Tomato Paste
6 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Oregano
Salt
Pepper

So, we start chopping the onions for the meat, cop chop:

And since we're in a choppy mood we might as well take care of the onion for the tomato sauce as well:
Don't they look yummy?

Ok, back to the meat. Add the chopped parsley and mint leaves as well as the oil, salt and pepper, mix thoroughly and form meat balls, about 4 per person.

For the sauce cut the tomatoes into small pieces and sauté with the finely chopped onion in a large pan in some olive oil. Add the tomato paste and the rest of the olive oil. Add oregano, salt and pepper to taste. For some reason I didn't take pictures of that part, so just trust me on that:)

Next, spread the sauce on a baking sheet and arrange the meatballs on top of the sauce. Bake at 350 for about 35-40 minutes.

That picture didn't turn out too good, but I just had to share it:

Serve over rice and with some wine and you will be happy for at least the rest of the meal.

Enjoy!

The Pioneer Woman's Summer Stir-Fry

The Pioneer Woman has too many good recipes, as yo can see. So, because vegetables are good for you and so is seafood I tried this recipe. Again, the only thing I had to substitute was the butter. I used all olive oil instead, which probably was the reason my shrimps and veggies didn't brown too nicely, but then again the pan I used was a non-stick, so who knows.

Here are the veggies:

Some chopped parsley and basil:
And the shrimpies:
Sautee some garlic:
And then add the shrimp:
Looking good:
Take out the shrimp, keep warm and add the squash:
Next up is the corn:
And then some tomatoes:
Add the herbs and the shrimp and there you go:
I served it with rice, so that the guy(s) had some more substance:)
Again, this recipe was so yummy, easy and just an overall a winner. That one will definitely be served again.

Enjoy!

My non-dairy version of Ryan’s Bolognese Sauce

When I first read this recipe, I just had t try it. I love pasta and more than that I love meaty tomato sauces on my pasta. The only think I changed was to substitute soy milk for the milk, so that my son could eat it. Of course, I made up for it by putting a little bit of extra parmesan on mine:)

Of course, the Pioneer Woman's pictures are a lot better than mine, but here it goes.

Grate the carrots and dice the red onion:

Get out your olive oil, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic and beef:
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven:
Saute the carrots and onions:
Mince the garlic:
Yes, I followed the recipe as best as I could…
Time for the beef:
Time to get the spices ready:



Another well for the tomato paste:
In goes the garlic:
You can never go wrong with a little wine:
I loved that the recipe calls for Worcestershire Sauce:
Whole Tomatoes:
And now the (soy)milk:
I served it with spaghetti and lots of cheese for me:

I really do love this recipe and whenever I feel like a meaty pasta sauce, this is the one I make. Everybody at our house just loves it.

Enjoy!

Pork Chops with Mushrooms in a Honey-Dijon Sauce

I am a little behind posting dishes I had previously made, so sometimes it takes me a while to find the recipes for those dishes to post along with the pictures. I could not find the recipe for this one, so I assume that I just came up with it or at least combined a few recipe ideas to accommodate the ingredients I had on hand.

So, let's see if I can piece the ingredients together:

3/4 cup Onions, chopped

1 cup Mushrooms, sliced

2 Tbsp. Honey

1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard

2 Tsp. Marjoram

1 - 1 1/2cups Vegetable broth

2 Pork Chops, seasoned with salt and pepper

1-2 Tbsp. EVOO

First, heat the olive oil in a skillet and pan-fry the pork chops on both sides until they're done:

Take out the pork chops and keep warm. Meanwhile, saute the onions and mushrooms for a few minutes until the onions are translucent:

Stir in the honey, mustard and marjoram as well as the broth. Heat through until it thickens up a little and add the pork chops back to the pan to heat through.

Serve with rice or whatever you would like with it:

Just a note here, I am guessing on the honey, mustard, marjoram and broth amounts here, but it sounds about right to me:) I'll update this post when I try it out again and make sure to note that on the top of the blog for anybody who may be following this.

As always, enjoy!