Stuffed Chicken

Posted on December 29, 2012 by Eat-O-Live

Merry Christmas!!. I hope you had an amazing time. Our Christmas was very nice. We went to New York for it. I didn’t cook this Christmas instead, I relaxed and enjoyed Christmas meals  :). We also got to see the Famous Macy’s Santa this year.

I will share with you this year the Arabic way of a Christmas Meal. Stuffed Chicken is essential every Christmas and is also repeated for New Year’s Day.

I don’t have good pictures but I will make sure to update them once I have better ones.DSC08265

Ingredients:

Whole Chicken (1.5 Lbs)
One cup of Rice
Ground beef
Almonds or Pine Nuts
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

How to Prepare:

Clean the inside of the chicken with salt and water to get rid of the blood. Then place it on a tray to dry.

Soak the almonds in hot water for 15 minutes so it can peel easily.

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To prepare the stuffing, use a medium pot, fry the peeled almonds, and the ground beef with some butter until the beef is cooked.  Then, add a dash of salt and pepper and stir for a few minutes.

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Add to the pot, one cup of rice and one cup of water and bring it to a boil. When it starts to boil, lower the flame and cover for about 10 minutes until the water dries.

Put the ground beef and rice on the side until it cools down.

Sew one side of the chicken by the neck then stuff the inside of the chicken with the stuffing. Also, place a small layer of the stuffing under the skin, making sure that the skin stays loose so it does not rip off.

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Sew the other side and tie the legs together and cover the chicken with a stocking (women’s stockings…yes you read it right – and yeah make sure they are new and clean).

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Place the chicken in a large pot with water and boil for an hour to an hour and a half. Place salt, pepper, cinnamon, and bay leaves in the pot. Make sure to skim the froth as it appears.

After it is boiled, take it out of the stocking and place on a baking sheet that has been brushed with olive oil. Lightly brush the chicken. Bake in the oven for around 20 minutes until it becomes red.

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Now it is ready to be served! Enjoy! Happy Holidays…

Posted in Chicken | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Gingerbread House!!

Posted on December 17, 2012 by Eat-O-Live

Easy to make, very messy but so much fun. This is a recipe that the whole family can help with. It is right up there with decorating the Christmas tree. Merry Christmas!
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Ingredients:

6 Cups of All Purpose Flour

1 tsp of Baking Soda

½ tsp of Baking Powder

2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter

1 Cup of Dark Brown Sugar

4 tsp of Ground Ginger

4 tsp of Ground Cinnamon

1 ½ tsp of Salt

2 Large Eggs

1 ½ Cups of Molasses

For the Icing:

3 Egg whites

5 Cups of Powdered Sugar

How to Prepare:

Mix all the ingredients in a mixer, shape the dough as a ball then place in the fridge for one hour.

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Find a template you like to use or make your own. I made my own simple template, here are the dimensions.

For the house: (2 Roof pieces 6 1/2″ by 7″ – 2 side pieces 3″ by 5″ – Front and back 5 1/2 ” bottom, 3″ side, 7 1/2″ height- Door 1 1/2″ width and 2 1/2″ height).

For the chimney: (Front 3″ by 1″- Back 1 1/2″ by 1″ – 2 sides 2 3/4″ by 1 1/2″ by 1″).

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Roll out the dough to about a 1/4 inch thick and then cut it over your house template.

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Place on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Take out of the oven and let the pieces cool down.

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Prepare the royal icing by mixing  3 egg whites and 5 cups of powdered sugar.

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Let the fun begin, shape, and decorate your house.

Tip: I used some can goods and spice containers to hold the pieces at some point until the icing dried and glued the house together.

I also made some gingerbread cookies and Christmas trees to decorate around the house from the left over dough.

My work area..

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With my brother’s helpDSC09628 DSC09634

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Keep holding until it dries out.
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Ladies and Gentlemen We finally finished 🙂DSC09656

The front.
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The side.DSC09672

The top.DSC09683

The cookieDSC09688

The tree.DSC09690

The door.DSC09691

The window.DSC09694

The chimney.DSC09695

The back.DSC09696

Posted in Sweets | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

My Mom’s Rice Pudding

Posted on December 14, 2012 by Eat-O-Live

My son is 17 months old now and in my mom’s opinion, I should introduce him to her rice pudding. I love this treat. Although, I am lactose intolerant, it was worth the pain after eating it.

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Ingredients:

2 Liters of Milk (8 Cups)

1/2 Cup of Rice

3/4 Cup of Sugar

One teaspoon of Flower Water.

How to Prepare:

Add the rice with one cup of water in a large pot and bring to a boil, then lower the flame and cook until the rice starts to open up a bit (About 10 minutes).

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Add the milk and cook on a low flame until the rice is well done and the milk gets thicker while stirring occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking.

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Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is fully melted.

When it is done, turn off the flame and add the flower water.

Put in small serving bowls and let it cool outside and then put in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours before serving.

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Posted in Baby, Rice, Sweets | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

100 Posts and Counting!!

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Eat-O-Live

Today’s post was my 100 post on this blog. I want to thank everyone for the support that you have given me. I have met many interesting people through this blog and hope to meet many many more. I have enjoyed following other blogs about their experiences from photographs, recipes, inspirational stories, adventures and travel around the world.

I hope that everyone enjoys the passion that I have for cooking and travel. I will be posting more as I cook new dishes and get some time to travel :).

Hope you all have a great Holiday!

Sandy

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Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments

Meatballs and Pasta

Posted on December 12, 2012 by Eat-O-Live
Let me show you today my way of making meat balls. I was told to have the best meat balls is to boil first then deep fry them. In my opinion, I find frying them with hot olive oil is as delicious and tender plus it takes less time to  prepare.
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Here’s the recipe :).
Ingredients:
Pasta or Spaghetti
One pound of ground meat
1/2 Cup of bread crumbs
One Egg
4 large Tomatoes
Diced garlic
Salt and Pepper
Basil
Olive oil

How to Prepare:

Using a large pot, boil some water with salt and olive oil then add pasta and let it boil for 10 minutes.

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Mix the ground beef with egg, bread crumbs, salt and pepper.

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Assemble the meat mixture into balls.

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Boil the tomatoes for 5 to 7 minutes. Peel the skin and then crush into a sauce.

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Heat the olive oil and brown the balls, flipping them every 4 minutes until all brown.

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Fry the garlic in a saucepan until blond then add the tomato sauce with some basil, salt and pepper, then add the meat balls to the sauce.

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Once t starts to boil, lower the flame and let it simmer until the sauce gets thick.

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Add the meatballs and sauce on top of the Pasta and enjoy.

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Posted in Meat, Pasta | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Mashed Potatoes

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Eat-O-Live

What is a Thanksgiving Dinner without a side of mashed potatoes? I am sharing today with you a simple and tasty recipe.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of Yukon Gold Potatoes.
¼ Cup of Unsalted Butter
¾ Cup of Heavy Cream
Salt and Pepper

How to Prepare:

Cut the potato in halves or quarters and place in a large pot with cold water.

Bring the water to a boil and then cook on medium heat until the potatoes are tender.

Drain the potatoes and smash using a potato ricer or masher then return them to the hot pot.

Add the butter and the cream and mix together until all is combined well.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Posted in Appetizers, Thanksgiving, Vegetables | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Yummy Yams

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Eat-O-Live

So my sister said that she wants yams for Thanksgiving. To be honest with you, I had never tasted it before. I got her recipe and it became one of my favorite side dishes. Oh My God! I am in love :).

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Pounds of Sweet Potatoes
1 Tablespoon of Butter
4 Oz of Evaporated Milk
1/4 Cup of Brown Sugar
1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1 Tablespoon of Ground Cinnamon
1 Bag Miniature Marshmallows

How to Prepare:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the sweet potatoes in half  and place in large pot and boil. Reduce heat and cook until tender.

Remove from heat and drain water.

Using a potato riser, mash the potatoes.

Add butter, evaporated milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon and beat until smooth.

Place in a baking sheet and spread evenly, covering the top with marshmallows.

Bake for 20 minutes or until marshmallows have browned.

Posted in Casserole, Sweets, Thanksgiving, Vegetables | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Home Made Gravy

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Eat-O-Live

I know that you can go and buy the gravy package from the store but believe me nothing will ever taste like the one that I am about to share with you.

Ingredients for the chicken stock:

1 Tbsp of Olive Oil
1 lb of Chicken Wings
3 Stalks of Celery, cut in quarters
2 Carrots, cut in quarters 
2 Onions, cut in quarters 
1 Large Head of Garlic, cut in half
½ cup of White Wine
2 Pieces of Rosemary
4 Pieces of Thyme
5 Cups of Chicken Stock

Ingredients for the Gravy:

Fat drippings from the turkey
Flour
Prepared Stock
Salt and Pepper.
Strained Turkey Juices

How to Prepare:

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.

Cut the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and place at the bottom of the tray with the herbs.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add about 1 tbsp of olive oil to the veggies and mix together.

Add the chicken wings on top of the vegetables and place in the oven for 45 minutes.

After 45 minutes, add the white wine and the chicken stock to the tray and put back in the oven for another 45 minutes or when the liquid has reduced about half.

Take out of the oven and strain the liquid. Then put in a gravy separator to separate the fat.

Repeat the last step with the turkey drippings.

Match the fat you get out of the stock or the turkey drippings with the same amount of flour to make the roux for the gravy.

In a pot, add the fat and the flour and mix together on a medium heat until well combined for about 3 minutes.

Whisk the chicken stock that was prepared and the juices that were strained from the turkey slowly with the flour/fat mixture.

When it starts to boil, lower the flame and let it simmer for 10 minutes and serve.

TIP: You can prepare the chicken stock a few days earlier and put in the fridge.

Posted in Chicken, Thanksgiving | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Big Bird

Posted on November 24, 2012 by Eat-O-Live

Let me tell you, this is the most delicious and easy recipe for a super moist and tasty turkey. This is all that I am going to say :).

Ingredients:

20 lbs Turkey

3 Onions +1 to stuff the turkey

6 Sticks of Celery + 2 celery sticks to stuff the turkey

4 Carrots +1 to stuff the turkey

2 Giant head of Garlic + 2 cloves for the butter 

 Fresh Herbs (Rosemary – Thyme- Sage).

One stick of Unsalted Butter at room temperature.

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

One Cup of Chicken Stock

How to Prepare:

This is me setting the timer and getting ready to start cooking (protecting my hair from the smell and the food from my hair)

First, completely thaw and clean your turkey.

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.

Dice the herbs finely, using about 2 tbsp of each kind and add to butter.

Grade 2 cloves of garlic and mix with the butter, herbs, and add a generous dash of salt and pepper until well combined.

Cut the onion, celery, carrots and garlic and place at the bottom of the tray with some of the herbs.

Season with salt and pepper.

Add about 2 tbsp of olive oil to the veggies and mix together.

Take some of the butter-herb mixture and place under the turkey’s breast skin.

Spread the rest of the butter/herbs mixture all over the skin of the turkey.

Place the turkey on top of the veggies in the trey.

Stuff the inside of the turkey with one cut onion, carrots, celery, garlic and some herbs.

Tie the legs together and tuck the wings under the birds.

Add one cup of chicken stock to the tray and place the turkey in the oven for 2 hours.

After 2 hours baste it once then cover with foil making sure to baste it every half an hour (in my case for 2 more hours since I used a 20 lbs turkey).

After 2 hours, baste it for the last time and put it back in the oven for 15 more minutes uncovered.

Take out and let it rest covered with foil for 20 minutes before carving.

Tip: Save the drippings of the turkey after you drain the vegetables for gravy.

Enjoy! I know you will.

Posted in Thanksgiving | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Eat-O-Live

This year I will be hosting a Thanksgiving dinner for the family. This is my first time cooking a whole thanksgiving dinner. I am so excited and looking forward to it. I already purchased all the essentials that I need.

I will be posting all the recipes after Thanksgiving, I know it will too late but you can use my recipes for next year’s Thanksgiving or for Christmas (I already started a Thanksgiving page which you can check out).

I hope you all enjoy Thanksgiving and the Holiday season.

Happy Holidays!

Here are some photos of this year’s Fall.

Posted in Thanksgiving, Uncategorized | Tagged | 6 Comments