Dajaj Ablama (Syrian Chicken Stew)

This chicken stew is ready in under an hour, but tastes like it stewed all day.  Sooo good!

Dajaj Ablama

(Syrian Chicken Stew)

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

½ cup flour

¼ cup butter

1 large onion, chopped

5 tbsp pine nuts

4 ½ cups chicken stock

Pinch of salt

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp lemon juice

Fresh cilantro, roughly chopped, for garnish

Seen here served with brown basmati rice.

Directions:

Trim chicken breasts of any fat, rinse and pat dry. Cut each breast into 3 pieces and dip them in the flour. Melt butter in a frying pan and brown chicken over moderate heat. Remove chicken from the pan.

Fry the onion in the same pan until golden brown. Remove and fry the pine nuts in the same pan until golden brown. Remove and drain on paper towels. Add the chicken stock, salt, pepper and cinnamon to the pan, stirring continuously for 2 minutes.

Transfer the chicken and onions to a large saucepan. Add the stock and cook over moderate heat for about 40 minutes, until tender. Add the lemon juice and cook further for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with the fried pine nuts and cilantro.

Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Bars - 2 Ways

If you have a lover of cookies and cream ice cream in your house.

If you open a package of Oreos, then turn around and they are gone.

If cheesecake a one of the main food groups on your household.

Then this is a recipe for you!

I got this recipe from Recipe Girl.  I have made it several times and it is always a hit.  Once, I converted it from squares into a cheesecake.  That rocked also.  And now, I have taken it a step further. 

Forgotten Jambalaya

I recently bought myself a copy of Taste of Home's Most Requested Recipes, and although many recipes caught my eye, this one stopped me in my tracks.   Jambalaya slow cooked in the crock pot?  Yes please!

It turned out every bit as good and the recipe promised.

(Click on the recipe name to go the original for a printable version.)

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp

Serve still warm with some creamy vanilla ice cream...  oh my. 

Note:  For best flavor, use a variety of apples.  Crisp textures work best. The tartness of Granny Smith apples combined with the wonderful flavor of the Honeycrisp is always a winning combination!

2/3 cup flour
2/3 cup rolled oats
1/3 cup brown sugar
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
1/2 cup soft butter
6/7 med apples, peeled, cored and sliced 
1  tbsp sugar
1  tsp cinnamon

Homemade Oreo Cookies

 
Homemade Oreos  
(recipe from Smitten Kitchen)
Adapted from Retro Desserts, Wayne Brachman

Let’s talk about the sugar for a minute, shall we? This is a sweet cookie. A good, sweet cookie. Yet, if you think of an actual Oreos, the wafers are fairly un-sweet and actually on the slightly salty side, which contrasts with the super-sweetness of the filling bringing harmony, happiness, yada yada. If you want your cookie closer to that original, you can take out a full half-cup of the sugar. If you want to make the cookie by itself  go ahead and use the full amount.

Makes 25 to 30 sandwich cookies

Crater Cake

This is a slight twist on the classic southern cola cake. It's moist and cakey with a brownie flavor. It has just a hint of a caramelized sugar flavor from the mini marshmallows that float to the top of the batter and caramelize on top. MMMMMMMMMMM!!! 

 

Vichyssoise

This is one of our family's favorite soups.  So simple, but absolutely delicious.



Potato Leek Soup (Vichyssoise) by Alton Brown, I have to make it for dinner tonight with some fresh homemade buns. MMMMMM.... Leek Potato Soup Ingredients

Mouth Watering Chicken Chili or Stew or Chilli or ....

I love comfort food. Chili's, soups and stews are where it's at, baby! Of course, I am also a pasta-holic, so pasta is also where it's at. And, my all time favorite food is a perfectly grilled steak. But, I digress. I found a recipe for Chicken Black Bean Chili online and didn't copy my source and now I have no idea where I found it. So if that is your recipe, I apologize. Let me know and I will give credit!!! Anyways, I took that recipe and adapted it to what I had on my shelf and to my taste.

Stewed Meatballs

Slowly transferring over, one by one the recipes from my food blog.  I just don't have time to maintain separate blogs.

Today I am featuring Stewed Meatballs.  These are a family favorite.  So simple.  So budget friendly.  Very adaptable!  Enjoy!

In My Kitchen Right Now

Caramelized Mango Upside Down Cake

Today, In My Kitchen

Layered Pumpkin Cheesecake Brownies

(from Cookie Madness)

Pumpkin Cheesecake Filling:
12 oz cream cheese, softened
6 tablespoons brown sugar (dark or light)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 large egg plus 2 tablespoons beaten egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 tablespoons flour



Brownies Batter:
2 sticks (8 oz) unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon plus a tiny pinch of salt
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
9 oz bittersweet chocolate chips (1 ½ cups), melted and cooled
1 cup (4.5 oz) Flour



Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 inch square pan with foil and spray foil with cooking spray.

Make the filling first. Beat the cream cheese and both sugars together with a mixer, then reduce speed and beat in the pumpkin, egg, vanilla and pumpkin pie spice. Stir in the flour. Set aside.

In a second bowl, beat the butter, salt and sugar until creamy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the melted chocolate chips then stir in the flour. Pour all but about 3/4 cup of the chocolate mixture into the pan.

Spoon the pumpkin mixture evenly over the brownies layer.

Drop reserved brownie batter over pumpkin to give the brownies a splotched, marbled look.

Bake on center rack at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until brownies test done. That is, when a skewer inserted comes out clean. Let cool for about two hours at room temperature and then chill for a few hours or overnight (the longer the chill, the better). Lift from pan and cut into 16 large squares.

Today, In My Kitchen

Here is what is happening in my kitchen today:
Crustless Low-Carb Cheesecake    and  Chocolate Chip Cookie Sweet Rolls

I still have a few more pounds to lose.  Clearly that may have to wait until next week.  *smile*

And for breakfast, V and I had this:

Quick Blackberry Eggs

Yes, blackberries and eggs work together in this recipe which has a flavor similiar to french toast.
Recipe makes one serving. 

1 egg

5-6 fresh blackberries (or frozen berries, thawed)

1 tbsp cream cheese

2 tsp table syrup, or more to taste  (I use sugar-free)

Whisk eggs. 

Soften cream cheese in microwave. 

Mash blackberries. 

Add cream cheese, berries and syrup to eggs and whisk together until smooth. There will be some lumps of cream cheese. 

Pour into greased ramekin.

Microwave for 1 min - 1-1/2 min.  They will puff up while cooking, then shrink back again when you take them out.

Turn them out onto a plate, or serve them right in their ramekins.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar for a nice effect and drizzle with syrup.

Mmmm!