Moussakka (Jordanian style) مسقعه

Ingredients:

-Eggplant

-Fresh beefsteak tomatoes sliced

-Canned crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce

-Bell pepper, chopped

-olive oil

-salt and pepper

-Onion, minced

-Ground beef

-Slice the eggplant vertically into half inch slices. If the eggplant is too long then cut the vertical slices in half horizontally (you can peel the skin of the eggplant or keep it depending on how you like it). Brush a cookie sheet with olive oil, lay eggplant slices on top then brush eggplant slices generously with olive oil. Broil in the oven until golden then flip the eggplant and broil the other side. (this is a much healthier and easier alternative than frying!)

-Saute the onion in some olive oil until it starts to brown then add the ground beef, saute for a few minutes then add the bell pepper. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. When the beef is done cooking add the tomato sauce. Bring it to a boil and simmer for another 5 minutes.

-In a pyrex dish, layout one layer of eggplant slices (half the amount you baked) then add the beef mixture. Layout the rest of the eggplant on top and then top it off with the tomato slices.

-Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes at 350 then broil it for ten minutes or until tomatoes start to get golden.

Enjoy this delicious dish with some pita bread, rice, or bulgar. Yum! :)

P.S.:

-I didn't put quantities because it all depends on how many people you are making this for.

-The Greeks make this dish too, but they add béchamel sauce to it before baking. It's also an excellent dish but this version is lighter.

Chocolate bliss

What you need:
-Lite cool whip (thawed)
-Chocolate bar (for baking, I recommend the one from trader joe's)
-chocolate cake mix (betty crockers devil's food or extra moist chocolate cake works well)
-You'll need eggs and oil for the cake mix
-1 can condensed milk

What to do:
-Bake the cake in 13x9 pan according to package directions. Let the cake cool down for at least 30 minutes before you start
-Meanwhile, break up the chocolate into squares and place in a glass or metal bowl (if you like, reserve one or two squares of chocolate to decorate the dessert with chocolate shavings in the end). Place the bowl over a saucepan that is a quarter of the way filled with water, place the saucepan and bowl on the stove over medium heat. As the water comes to a boil the chocolate will melt. Turn the heat off, add can of condensed milk and whisk it together well. Ass two heaping tablespoons of cool whip and mix well.
-cut the 13x9 cooled cake into 1 inch thick pieces vertically (or any way you like, this is a totally random process so be creative! :))
-To assemble the dessert, start layering the cake and chocolate sauce you made in a glass dish (so you can see the layers, it makes it more appetizing that way ;)). Let the last layer be sauce (it will get soaked up by the cake later on or while you're making it). Then add a generous layer of cool whip and top off with chocolate shavings.
-Place in fridge until ready to serve. This dessert tastes even better if you make it a day before you're supposed to serve it.

enjoy!

Double-baked potatoes

A really yummy side dish, or you could have it as a meal for lunch!

Ingredients:
Large potatoes for baking (however many you need)- wash and scrub well
milk
butter
salt & pepper
chopped boiled broccoli, or sliced sauted mushrooms
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream (optional)
olive oil

Preparation:
-Bake potatoes in the microwave until fully cooked (it takes about 5 minutes per potato)
-Heat oven to 375 degrees
-Let potatoes cool for about 10 minutes
-Place potatoes on a baking sheet
-Rub the potato skin with olive oil and some salt (so you can eat it after it's baked the second time)
-Carefully cut out a wedge from the top of the potato (this is in order to empty out the inside of the potato while keeping the shell/skin in tact)
-Empty as much as you can from the inside of the potato, leaving some of the potatoe attached to the skin so it doesn't fall apart, and place it into a bowl
-Add butter, milk, salt, pepper, broccoli or mushrooms, cheddar cheese and mix well
-Repack the now mashed potatoes into the potato shells (it'll be more than what you took out, don't worry you can just pile it up high)
-Re-bake the potatoes in the oven for about 15 minutes
-Serve immediately, you can add sour cream on the side if you like

You can always prepare the potatoes ahead of time and bake them right before you're ready to eat. You can also top them with more cheddar cheese on top towards the end of the baking.

Enjoy! :)

Easy Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:
1/2 pound of sliced beef fillet
3 tablespoons light sour cream, brought to room temperature
1 1/2 cups of chicken broth (you can make it by boiling water with a bullion cube)
1 medium sized box of sliced white mushrooms
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 medium onion, chopped
Salt & pepper
oil

Preparation:
- Heat 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet, add beef. Saute until beef is no longer red, then add the onions. Saute for about 2 minutes then cover, lower the heat to medium-low, and let the beef cook until it's tender. You can add water to it every now and then so it doesn't burn. Add a little bit of salt and pepper after the meat is cooked.
-Add mushroom and saute until the mushrooms are cooked, set aside in a separate bowl.
-Melt butter in skillet, add flour and mix well (on medium-low heat)
-Add chicken broth gradually until you have a nice thick sauce, lower the heat. Add meat and mushroom mixture. Stir in sour cream gradually (one tablespoon at a time), don't bring the sauce to a boil after this point because the sour cream will curdle.

-Enjoy this delicious dish with some white rice, egg noodles, pasta, or mashed potatoes! :)

Dana's special pasta

(sorry, I couldn't think of a better name hehe)

Ingredients:
1 box of farfalle pasta (the bow-tie kind)
1 medium sized carton of heavy cream
1 small broccoli bunch, chopped into small pieces (don't use the electric chopper though)
2 large garlic cloves, pressed/minced
a handful of sundried tomatoes in olive oil, finely chopped (this time use the chopper)
1 medium box of small white mushrooms, sliced
6 chicken breast cutlets, marinated in zesty italian dressing, grilled, and sliced
3 tablespoons butter
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
salt (to taste)
Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Preparation:
-Boil pasta as directed on box, rinse lightly when done, reserve 1 cup or 2 of the pasta water
-Melt butter in pan (I use a large stainless steel pan), add garlic and saute for a few minutes. When garlic starts to brown, add sun dried tomatoes and saute for 3 minutes or so. Then add broccoli and mushrooms, salt, and olive oil.
-Cover and let the veggies cook until they are done.
-When veggies are cooked, add the pasta to it and mix well.
-You can set everything aside at this point until you are ready to serve the food.
-When ready to serve, turn on the heat (medium-high), add heavy cream and half a cup of pasta water.
-Bring the sauce to a boil then lower the heat. You can add more of the pasta water if you want to increase the amount of sauce.
-Add parmesan cheese and mix into the pasta... let it simmer until the sauce thickens...
-Finally add the sliced chicken and mix into the pasta. Let it heat up for a couple of minutes and serve!

Enjoy! :)

Banana Cream Pie

Ingredients:
1 package of instant vanilla pudding (you'll need two cups of milk to make it)
3 medium yellow bananas (not too ripe but just right)
a few drops of lemon juice
cool whip
graham cracker crust (you can get the ready made crust or make it yourself)

Directions:
- slice bananas in a bowl and then sprinkle with lemon juice and mix well (this is to prevent browning)
-Spread bananas over the crust, mix pudding and pour it over bananas.
-Chill for half an hour
-Take the pie out and spread cool whip on top
-Keep refrigerated until ready to serve...

this is a super easy, delicious, and light dessert. Everyone who tries it loves it... give it a try and let me know what you think! :)

Enjoy!

Shrimp Scampi

Ingredients:
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 pound of pasta, of half the box (any kind you like), save 1 cup of pasta water after it's boiled
salt & pepper
1 cup steamed chopped broccoli (optional)
Parmesan cheese

Directions:
-Put some salt and pepper on the shrimp and set aside

-Start to boil pasta, remember to save 1 cup of the water after the pasta is done. Drain the pasta and set aside.

-In another pot or pan, heat olive oil and place butter to melt. After the butter is melted add the garlic (be careful because garlic burns easily)... before the garlic becomes brown add the shrimp and stir fry until the shrimp turns pink (fully cooked). Add lemon juice, lemon zest, and pasta water and heat the liquid through, once it comes to a boil bring down the heat and add the pasta and broccoli. Stir everything together and let it simmer for a few minutes.

Add salt, pepper and lemon juice if you feel it needs more.

-Serve immediately and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese...

enjoy! :)

PS: This will make enough food for 3-4 people depending on portions. You can also substitute capers for the broccoli if you like.