Bamya (meat and Okra Stew)

Last weekend Na had an event called Egypt Unwrapped. This was the end of year party for GT. She got to dress up like an Egyptian. We were supposed to make her costume but everything was too crazy around the house so I ended up making it by clicking "buy" on EBay. As part of the event the children were supposed to research Egyptian food and either create their very own recipe or find one they liked and bring it to the event to share for dinner. We found the recipe for Bamya and decided it was the winner. I think only 2 spoon fulls were taken at the event. The Okra on the top must have scared the kids off. My family however loved it. The recipe says to serve with rice but I decided to mix the rice in to make it easier to serve at the event. So, here is the recipe.

Bamya (Meat and Okra Stew)

6 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
2 pounds (1 kg) stewing lamb or beef, cut into 1 in cubes
2 onions, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 cup (6 ounces /185 g) peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup stock (beef) or water, or as needed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint (optional)
salt and freshly ground pepper
1-1 1/2 pound (500-750 g) okra
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat an oven to 325° F (165 C).
Heat 4 tablespoons butter or oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Working in small batches, brown meat, turning constantly, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a baking dish or stew pot.
Over medium heat, sauté onions in fat remaining in frying pan until translucent, 8-10 minutes Add garlic, cumin, coriander, tomatoes, tomato paste, stock and optional mint. Stir well.
Pour over meat and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover tightly and bake in preheated 325° until all liquid is absorbed, about 1 1/2 hours.
Taste and adjust the seasonings. Meanwhile, prepare the okra as directed in note below. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons butter or oil in skillet. Stir in okra. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring gently.
When meat is finished, arrange cooked okra on top in a spoke pattern. Sprinkle lemon juice evenly over the surface. Re-cover the dish and return it to the oven. Bake for 35 minutes longer. Add stock or water if the mixture seems too dry. Serve very hot.
Serve with rice.

Tips: To cook okra so that it is not slimy, cut off the conical tip ,and soak in red wine-vinegar for 30 minutes, allowing 1/2 cup vinegar per pound. Drain, rinse and dry the okra and proceed with the recipe. Another method is to trim the tips, then put into water at a rapid boil for 2 minutes. Remove and rinse with very cold water, drain and pat dry.

I'm sure there is going to be a way to prepare this dish in the crock pot. I might need to experiment with that. I did cook it in the stoneware from my crock pot and used tin foil to cover it since my lid was not oven safe. Our favorite way to eat the left overs was warmed up and rolled in tortillas with salsa. I think the next time I'm going to slice the okra up and mix it into the stew as well.

Easy Meatballs

I came across a meatball recipe a month or so ago on a blog I was reading. I'm apologizing now because I can't find the blog again to give the blogger credit. I did however find the recipe at the Kraft foods website. My kids loved these meatballs and they are super easy to make. I served them over noodles with some brown gravy. I think next time I will serve them with marinara over spaghetti.

(before baking)

Meatballs

2 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1-1/4 cups water
2 eggs

HEAT oven to 400ºF.
LINE 2 (15x10x1-inch) pans with foil; spray with cooking spray. Mix ingredients until blended; shape into 32 (1-1/2-inch) balls, using 1/4 cup for each.
PLACE 16 meatballs in each prepared pan. Bake 16 to 18 min. or until done (160ºF).
COMBINE half the meatballs with Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce or Creamy Brown Gravy. Cool remaining meatballs; freeze for later use.

Best Recipe for Meatloaf

I've tried many recipes for meatloaf. Some are too spicy while others are too dry and bland. My sister in law gave me a cookbook for Christmas one year and in it was her father's recipe for the meatloaf he used to cook for the firehouse when he was a fireman. This recipe makes a lot so I freeze half of it to bake at another time.

Firehouse Meatloaf

2 lb. lean hamburger

1 (4 oz) can tomato sauce
1 lb. pork sausage

1 green pepper, chopped
4 eggs

2 small cans mushrooms
1 onion chopped

1 C. Italian bread Crumbs

Blend ingredients together with your hands; form into loaf shape on wax paper. Move to a cooking rack and bake open at 350 for 1 1/2 hours or until done.
Or, take half of mixture and freeze it. Place the other half in the shape of a ring in a 9x13 inch pan and bake 45-60 minutes until done.
I sometimes chop up whatever veggies I have and add them too.

(This picture is pre-baked)

My Favorite Grill Seasoning

I did it. Last night my husband was working late and I wanted a steak. I have only cooked on the grill once before and that was hamburgers several months ago. I have always been afraid of turning on the grill. I guess I have this idea that when I turn the knob and there is a spark a big flame is going to jump out of the grill right at me. Well, I'm happy to report that didn't happen the first time and it didn't happen last night either.

My husband likes his steak still mooing. I on the other hand prefer mine well done. However, not as well as I got it done last night. I don't know what I'm doing but I really cooked them too long. They were on the verge of being burnt but they were not. They were dry and tough to chew. I still ate it and my kids ate it. The flavour was still there. Perhaps not as much as what would have been if there was a bit of juice left in them. I firmly believe the reason for such good flavor was the seasoning I put on the steaks. It is the same seasoning I use for everything that goes on the grill. So what is this seasoning extraordinaire you ask? It's Crushed Peppercorn and Garlic rub put out by the Pampered Chef. It does cost a bit more than what I like spending on seasoning but, I love it so I stocked up and got 4 bottles the last time I had the opportunity to.

I am open to change so I want to know, what is your favorite grill seasoning?

Beef Picadillo Tostadas

This is a new recipe I have added to my rotation. The adults loved it and 1 out of 4 kids liked it. The 3 that didn't like it ate the tostada shell and their fruit and picked at everything else. I think I'll keep it in the rotation for a little bit longer and change things up with the change of seasons. I got the recipe from one of the 29 Minutes to Dinner cookbooks Pampered Chef sells. It took me a little longer to make it but that was because it was the first time. I'm confident my next time I'll be right around 29 minutes to make it. I omitted the olives because Dad doesn't like them.

1 lb 90% lean ground beef

2 C. thinly sliced romaine lettuce
1 medium onion

1 ½ C. grape tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, pressed

½ C. snipped fresh cilantro
1 jar (16 oz) salsa

8 tostadas
1 Can (2.25 oz) sliced pitted ripe olives, drained

2 oz queso fresco cheese, crumbled
½ C. golden raisins

Add beef to 10-in skillet; cook over medium high heat 5-6 minutes or until beef is no longer pink, breaking into crumbles. Chop onion. Add onion and pressed garlic to skillet; cook 3-4 minutes or until onion is crisp-tender. Ad salsa, olives and raisins; cook 2-3 minutes or until heated through.
Meanwhile, thinly slice lettuce and cut tomatoes in half. Snip cilantro. Top tostada shells with lettuce, beef mixture, tomatoes, cheese and cilantro.

Cloud Pie

This is an easy recipe which my husband loves and requests. It's a perfect meal for meat and potato guys and gals.

Cloud Pie
1 lb hamburger
1 can cream of Mushroom soup divided
1 1/2 C. bread crumbs
1 egg
2 tsp. onion flakes
1/2 tsp minced garlic
4 servings instant mashed potatoes
1/2 C. grated cheddar cheese

Mix hamburger, bread crumbs, onion flakes, minced garlic, egg and 1/2 can cream of mushroom soup. Press into a pie pan in a shell shape and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. While meat is cooking, prepare mashed potatoes. When meat is done fill the shell with the mashed potatoes. Mix 2 T. water with the remaining cream of mushroom soup. Cover pie with soup. Sprinkle grated cheese on top. Return to oven for 10 minutes or until cheese has melted.