On Tuesday I have a bunch of my girlfriends over for some fun. We had a lovely dinner, great conversation and sang along to "Mama Mia".
Kay, Mike and MissaThe guys vowed to not be part of the so called estrogen fest and left.
Lou and CindyEllie rolled her eyes and told me that it was embarrassing that I would do such a thing, again! (This is the second time I have had a "Mama Mia" sing-a-long party).If you know any teen-age girls, you can probably imagine this scene.
Pam, Laura and KarenI was not detered, in fact, it made it even more fun! We middle aged women could be as silly as we like. Missa, who is not middle aged by any means, is comfortable enough with herself that she could be silly, too.
Carol and Connie
Laura and I, making mustaches with my hair (and giggling all the while).
She took advantage of the special coupon she has for Elitche's and arranged some fun with her biking friends. Davis, Skyler and Scott are from Florida. They had never been to Elitche's, so Ellie and Anna made sure they had a great time. Stephen is a party all by himself so he had to come along, too. Aren't they cute?
Earlier in the day, while the kids were arriving to go to Elitche's and I was making the pita bread, I set off the smoke alarm. The doorbell was ringing, the sirens were in full glory and the kitchen was a bit smokey from the burned flour that fell off of the pita dough. Reisha (our dog) was freaked out and started to bolt out of the door and ran towards grandma Gay's house. Laura, who is very dog minded, turned her around and brought her back home. I was trying to call the alarm company, but forgot that the system takes over the phone lines. In the mean time, the alarm company calls Larr, who then calls me. I silenced the alarm, but one head is still going off. Scott, Davis and Skyler's dad, helped de-arm it and everything settled down. We got the crew dropped off at the amusement park and I got back to cooking.
A bit later Mike showed up early and saved me from. With all of the commotion, I was behind schedule. Mike, who is one of the most friendly and helpful people you'll meet, stepped in and took over Dolmas duty, doing a great job even though she was new to the process. Laura showed back up a little later. At less than an hour to go before party time I had still not set the tables, cleaned up all of the clutter or gotten dressed. Laura stepped in and took over the not so pleasant jobs of decluttering, moving tables and getting things set up. I ran up stairs to get ready even as people were arriving. It was an unsettling way to start, but I soon forgot that stress and had fun.
We had a blast. Here's what I served:
Pita Bread (Bread machine version)
Yield: 8 Pitas1 1/4 cup Water, warm
2 TBL Oil
1 TBL Honey
1 tea Salt
1 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour
2 1/2 tea Yeast
Place the inexpedience in the bread mixer in the order listed. Run the bread machine on the "dough" setting.
Once the dough is done and has risen, turn it out on a flour board and knead for a minute or two. Divide the dough into 8 equal segments. Roll each one out and place on a cookie sheet that has been dusted with cornmeal. Cover the pita with a tea towel and allow them rise a slight bit (30 minutes).
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Be sure to have a rack in the lower third of the oven. Removing the other rack before preheating the oven will be helpful. Use tongs to place the pitas directly onto the lower rack. Bake for 2 minutes, then flip and bake for 1 more minute. This makes lovely, soft pitas. For pita chips simple bake on one side for 3 minutes and two on the reverse side.
Allow them to cool and then cover them with a tea towel or plastic wrap.
We used those pitas to make gyros. I tried the recipe below with ground beef and enjoyed it, but the lamb version cannot be beat!
---Here's
Alton Brown's take on the matter:------------
(Note: I set up a buffet with all of the items needed to make the gryos including the pita breads, lamb gyros meat (thinly sliced), diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, thinly sliced red onion, feta cheese and the Tzatziki sauce. This allowed my guests to pick and choose what they wanted. Several people at the party do not eat wheat and this was helpful to them.)
Gyro Meat with Tzatziki SauceIngredients
* 1 medium onion, finely chopped or shredded
* 2 pounds ground lamb
* 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
* 1 tablespoon dried marjoram (I used Thyme)
* 1 tablespoon dried ground rosemary
* 2 teaspoons kosher salt
* 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* Tzatziki Sauce, recipe follows
Directions
Process the onion in a food processor for 10 to 15 seconds and turn out into the center of a tea towel. Gather up the ends of the towel and squeeze until almost all of the juice is removed. Discard juice.
Return the onion to the food processor and add the lamb, garlic, marjoram, rosemary, salt, and pepper and process until it is a fine paste, approximately 1 minute. Stop the processor as needed to scrape down sides of bowl.
To cook in the oven as a meatloaf, proceed as follows:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Place the mixture into a loaf pan, making sure to press into the sides of the pan. Place the loaf pan into a water bath and bake for 60 to 75 minutes or until the mixture reaches 165 to 170 degrees F. Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the loaf pan on a cooling rack and place a brick wrapped in aluminum foil directly on the surface of the meat and allow to sit for 15 to 20 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees F. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes and feta cheese.
To cook on a rotisserie, proceed as follows:
Form the meat mixture into a loaf shape and place on top of 2 overlapping pieces of plastic wrap that are at least 18 inches long. Roll the mixture in the plastic wrap tightly, making sure to remove any air pockets. Once the meat is completely rolled in the wrap, twist the ends of the plastic wrap until the surface of the wrap is tight. Store in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours or up to overnight, to allow the mixture to firm up.
Preheat the grill to high.
Place the meat onto the rotisserie skewer. Place a double-thick piece of aluminum foil folded into a tray directly under the meat to catch any drippings. Cook on high for 15 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium and continue to cook for another 20 to 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 165 degrees F. Turn off the heat and allow to continue to spin for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175 degrees. Slice and serve on pita bread with tzatziki sauce, chopped onion, tomatoes, and feta cheese.
Tzatziki Sauce:
16 ounces plain yogurt
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
Pinch kosher salt
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
5 to 6 mint leaves, finely minced
Place the yogurt in a tea towel, gather up the edges, suspend over a bowl, and drain for 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Place the chopped cucumber in a tea towel and squeeze to remove the liquid; discard liquid. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the drained yogurt, cucumber, salt, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and mint. Serve as a sauce for gyros. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
We also had Spankopita. This is a lovely treat!
SpanakopitaYield: 1 9" x 13" Pan
2- 3 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained*
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
1 TBL Garlic, finely minced
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1 1/4 cups shredded Swiss cheese
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tea Cinnamon,ground
1/4 tea. Nutmeg
1/4 tea Black Pepper, ground
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough
Directions
(* I squeeze the spinach with my hand to get out as much liquid as possible.)
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Saute onion and garlic until tender, but do not brown. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until all moisture has evaporated. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
3. In a large bowl combine feta cheese, Swiss cheese, Parmesan cheese,nutmeg,salt, pepper and cinnamon. Stir in spinach,garlic and onion mixture.
4. Combine the melted butter and with the Olive oil. Brush the bottom of a 9" x 13" casserole pan with butter/oil mix. Place 1 sheet of dough in the bottom of the pan; brush with butter/oil. Place two more sheets of phyllo dough on top of this and brush with the butter/oil mixture. Continue this until you have used around 8-12 layers of phyllo (the more you use, the crunchier it will be). Spread half of the spinach and cheese mixture over dough. top with six sheets of phyllo, brushing every other one with the butter/oil mixture. Top this with the remaining spinach mixture. Top this with more phyllo, using the same method as before. I used about 6-8 sheets on top. You can use more, if you like. Use a sharp knife to cut the Spanakopita into a diamond or square shaped grid before you bake it.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes, or until golden brown.
Dolmas / Stuffed Grape Leaves
1 jar Grape Leaves (found in the pickle section on the top shelf of a large grocery store)
1 Onion, finely chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, finely chopped
1/4 cup Olive Oil
3 cups Rice, cooked (I use Botan brand Calrose Rice, a shorter, fatter grain of rice used for making Asian desserts)
4 TBL Lemon Juice
1 tea salt
1/2 cup Pinon Nuts
4 TBL Fresh Mint, finely chopped
1. Saute the onion and garlic with the oil until they soft and translucent. Once this is done, add in the rice and stir until it is all coated with oil. Remove from the heat, adding in the lemon juice, salt, pinon nuts and mint. Stir to combine well.
2. Gently unpack the grape leaves from the jar and rinse them. Use a pair of scissors to cut off the small bit of stem left at the base of the leaf. Place these on a plate next to a cutting board. Have the bowl of the rice mixture next to these.
3. Take a large saute pan and place torn grape leaves or very thinly sliced carrots to cover the surface of the pan. This will prevent any of the dolmas from sticking.
4. To make the Dolmas: Place 1-3 Tbsp (depending on the size of the leaf) of rice mix at the bottom near where the stem would attach. Roll the grape leaves by first folding the bottom up, then the right and left sides in then rolling all the way toward the top. (This is very similar to the way we roll a burrito. see the dedemed.com website for video instructions, if needed). Continue to fill and roll each grape leaf this way. Once the Dolmas is done, place it seam side down in the pan, making sure to place them right next to each other. This will help them keep their shape. If you fill the bottom of the pot in a single layer and still have more, you can start a second layer. Be sure to separate the layers with a few leaves.
5. Fill the pan with water just until the Dolmas are covered.
(Original instructions: Place a large plate or dish on top of the Dolmas to hold them down and keep them from unraveling as they boil. Place the pot over high heat, bring to a boil then reduce the temperature and simmer.I did this and found that the Dolmas were more mushy than I would have liked. Next time I will simply microwave them to warm them up.) Gently remove the Dolmas from the pot after cooking. Reserve any left over liquid to be poured over any left over Dolmas while they are stored in the refrigerator.
Cucumber Lime Water3 small seedless cucumbers, sliced
2 liters of water
1/2 lime, sliced into small pieces
Add all ingredients into a pitcher. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Strain water and pour into glasses. Enjoy straight from the pitcher or over ice.
Carol brought a lovely dessert that is both gluten and dairy free. Several people asked for her recipe. She graciously agreed:
Lemon Curd Bars
Nuts are best when soaked and dehydrated, but I’ve used both raw and soaked nuts with good success in this recipe.
Makes 16
1 recipe of tangy lemon curd Recipe below. (Save extra zest for the the cookie base).
1 cup of raw almonds
1 cup of raw cashews
1/4 cup honey (These are very lightly sweetened. If you want the bars sweeter, you could up this amount)
1/2 cup of melted virgin coconut oil
2-4 teaspoons lemon zest
2 eggs
1 teaspoon sea salt
1-Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and make the lemon curd. Place the curd in the refrigerator to cool.
2- Place the almonds and the cashews in a food processor. Grind them into a medium fine “flour”. You don’t want to turn it into a nut paste, so don’t over do it. There will still be little chunks here and there.
3-Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until combined.
4-Evenly spread the nut batter into a greased 8 by 8 pan. Place in the middle of the hot oven. It will take between 15 to 18 minutes to cook. It may puff up as it cooks, but don’t worry, it won’t stay that way once you take it out of the oven. When the top is lightly brown, and a toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle, it’s done.
4-Cool completely, then spread one recipes of lemon curd on top. Let set in the refrigerator for at least several hours. The curd will continue to set, and we liked it even better the next day. When ready to serve, take them out and cut into squares (16 bars worked well for us), and serve.
Enjoy!
Tangy Lemon Curd
This is a more frugal version of curd, because, like the Joy of Cooking’s version, I use whole eggs instead of just the egg yolks. However, you could substitute 6 egg yolks for the whole eggs for a super rich curd.
3 large eggs
1/4 -1/3 cup of honey
Grated zest of one lemon (I used about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 cup of lemon juice
6 tablespoons virgin coconut oil (or you could use ghee or butter).
1-In a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan, whisk together the first three ingredients until light colored.
2-Add the the coconut oil, breaking it into small clumps as you drop it into the pot for even melting. Then add the lemon juice.
3-Cook, whisking over medium heat until the coconut oil is melted. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens and you start to see a few bubbles popping at the surface.
4-Remove from heat, and scrape into a fine sieve set over a bowl. Strain the curd, gently stirring if needed.
5-Refrigerate for several hours to thicken. Will keep about one week in the refrigerator.
