Avocado Salad with Black Beans/ Fasulyeli Avokado Salatasi

I made up this delish recipe tonight and it is healthy too...
Ingredients (1-2 servings )
1 small avocado
1/2 onions (red onions might look cuter :) )
1/2 lemon
1/2 can black beans
salt
oregano leaves
olive oil

Directions
Cut your avocado into medium size cubes. (if you don't know how to cut an avocado, follow this link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAAMx_R523o)

Immediately after cutting your avocado, put your half lemon's juice on it to avoid browning.

Then, cut your onions as you wish and then add it on the avocados.
The last step is opening your can of black beans and rinse them. Use half of the can for the salad.
Add oregano leaves, salt and olive oil to season your salad.

Mix them all well together.. You may add corn and/or   cheese of your choice for different tastes. And your salad is ready to eat..

Afiyet olsun :)

Home Made Yogurt / Ev Yapimi Yogurt

Making your yogurt at home is easier than it sounds! I remember my mom making yogurt when I was a kid but I never thought I could do it here in the states. Thanks to Ozgun for her encouraging directions and efforts :).
I was lucky and my first attempt was a great success! But it might take a few tries before you know how many hours you need, how hot your milk should feel, etc. I say be patient and don't discourage yourselves! Here's how I did it by using my mom's directions as a template:

Ingredients 
1/2 gallon milk (~2lt.s) (I have used fat-free organic Trader Joe's milk
 for my first attempt, %2 fat Kroger's Milk for my second attempt! Both work just fine!)

10 table spoons of yogurt (~12 OZ = 350 gr.s) ( I've used low-fat organic Trader Joe's yogurt for my first attempt and Dannon nonfat yogurt for the second one. Both work just fine!)

 (I tried fat-free options just to see if they work. And they do :) I think it is good to choose either your milk or your yogurt low-fat, and then use the regular or fat-free options for the other one. Or you can go with regular for both milk and yogurt.. I think having milk fat in at least one item is a good thing when we are talking about yogurt! Personally, I liked it better when everything was organic. Just because it feels more organic :) But, taste wise, it works just the same with Kroger milk..)

Directions
Pour your milk into a pot that is thick at the bottom. (Thanks to Charlie for the advise! I chose the wrong type of pot for my first attempt and ended up burned milk at the bottom of my pot! Even though the yogurt was still delicious, you don't want your milk burn! )

Boil your milk and leave it on the stove to cool down a little. If you have a kitchen thermometer, you can use it to see the right temperature. (The perfect temp. for fermentation is between 45C-25C (113 F - 77F) degrees.)

If you don't have a thermometer, the best way to understand the right temperature is using your pinky! You should be able to stir the milk with your pinky. The milk should be hot enough to make you feel uncomfortable but not too hot that you can't keep your finger in.

While you are waiting for your milk to get to the right temperature, take your yogurt out of the fridge so that it won't be too cold. After you see that your milk is at the right temperature, take about 1 cup out of it to mix with your yogurt that has been sitting aside. The reason we are doing this is because we don't want our yogurt and milk have a huge difference in temperature! ..which is an important detail!. 

At this step you mix your 10 table spoons of yogurt with your cup of milk  with the rest of your milk that is in the right temperature. You can either
a).. mix them all in your pot and put the mixture into another pot for fermentation.  
or (for your storage purposes )
b) .. pour your milk into container(s) of your choice and if you are using more than one container share out your yogurt-milk mixture accordingly. (I used my old yogurt containers for this trial. Each container takes around 800ml.s of milk and I mixed it with 5 table spoons of yogurt. But first I used 1/2 cup of milk to make sure my yogurt's temperature is not too low.)


As soon as you mix your yogurt with your milk, you put the containers somewhere warm and wrap them with blankets to keep it warm for the next 4-5 hours. I put them right next to my central heating unit and use 2 blankets to keep them warm! Then put a pillow on top to seal the deal and keep the sides of my blanket together. :) Here's how I did it:

After you wrap your containers tightly, leave them in that warm place of yours for 4 to 5 hours. The place I leave them is usually around 80-100F degrees. So I keep them wrapped for 4 hours. ( The yogurt will get tangy if you keep them wrapped for too long!)
In 4-5 hours unwrap your yogurt but don't move it immediately. Let it cool for 20 min.s or so. After that 20 min.s put it on the kitchen counter or somewhere cooler than the place you left them for fermenting. As your yogurt containers feel like they are at the room temperature, put them in the fridge. Keep it in the fridge for at least 3-5 hours before serving.

Afiyet Olsun :)

My first homemade yogurt.../ Ilk ev yapimi yogurdum.. :)

Here's the yogurt I made at home... I take pride in my work! Thanks to my mom for her wonderful directions! I will share the steps next time... :)

Variations with peas and carrots.../Bezelye ve Havuc Uzerine Cesitlemeler..

As a working woman, I don't feel like cooking all the time! Frozen peas and carrots, and bell peppers come to rescue me and my diet at those times!
Here are a few variations I made up. You can add/remove / modify the recipes as you wish..

Basic Peas and Carrots

Ingredients
1/2 - 1 onion
2 -3 cups of frozen peas and carrots
olive oil
black pepper
paprika
garlic/garlic powder
oregano leaves
tomato sauce/paste (if you will use tomato paste then you'll need a cup of water)
salt

Directions
Begin with the onions. You may cut, chop or dice your onions. I don't cut them finely but everybody has a different taste.. Put your olive oil in a pot and let your onions brown a little. (If you are using real garlic, you may as well mince it and add it at this point.)
Add your tomato paste at this point if you are using tomato paste. If you will use tomato sauce, wait until you add your peas and carrots and spices. You may add half a cup of water with your tomato paste so that it wouldn't burn.
Then add your peas and carrots. I like washing them in vinegar and then rinse them with water before I add them. This gives them a little hint of the vinegar.
After you add your peas and carrots add your spices. For a spicier dish, you may use crushed red peppers. If you are using tomato sauce this is the time to pour 2-3 cups of tomato sauce and let everything come to a boil. After it comes to a boil, let it cook for 10 - 15 min.s more and your dish will be ready to eat. Afiyet olsun :)

Peas and Carrots with Potatoes

Ingredients

Ingredients for basic peas and carrots
+
1 small potato
1 cup of water

Directions

Begin with your potato. Cut your potato into small cubes and let it sit aside for a few min.s 'till you cut the onions. You may cut, chop or dice your onions. I don't cut them finely but everybody has a different taste.. Put your olive oil in a pot and let your onions brown a little. (If you are using real garlic, you may as well mince it and add it at this point.)

Add your tomato paste at this point if you are using tomato paste. If you will use tomato sauce, wait until you add your peas and carrots and spices. You may add half a cup of water with the tomato paste so that it wouldn't burn. Add your potatoes and a cup of water and let the potatoes cook for 15 min.s or so until they are soft enough to eat. Then add your peas and carrots.

After you add your peas and carrots add your spices. For a spicier dish, you may use crushed red peppers. If you are using tomato sauce this is the time to pour 2-3 cups of tomato sauce and let everything come to a boil. After it comes to a boil, let it cook for 10 min.s more and your dish will be ready to eat. Afiyet olsun :)

Peas and Carrots with Bell Peppers
Ingredients

Ingredients for basic peas and carrots
+
1 cup of red, green, yellow, orange bell pepper stripes
(I use Trader Joe's frozen bell pepper stripes!)

Directions

Begin with cutting the onions. You may cut, chop or dice your onions. I don't cut them finely but everybody has a different taste.. Put your olive oil in a pot and let your onions brown a little. (If you are using real garlic, you may as well mince it and add it at this point.)

Add your tomato paste at this point if you are using tomato paste. If you will use tomato sauce, wait until you add your peas and carrots and spices. You may add half a cup of water with the tomato paste so that it wouldn't burn.

After you add your peas and carrots, your bell peppers, and add your spices. For a spicier dish, you may use crushed red peppers. If you are using tomato sauce this is the time to pour 2-3 cups of tomato sauce and let everything come to a boil.
After it comes to a boil, let it cook for 10 -15 min.s more and your dish will be ready to eat. Afiyet olsun :)

Another variation is using beans instead of peas and carrots! The directions are the same, just use canned kidney beans instead of peas.. (and carrots..) Here is how it looks with beans:

Afiyet olsun :)

Terbiyeli Kofte / Meatballs in Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

4 cups of water
1-2 table spoon of corn oil
1 cup of rice
250 gr.(~9oz.) ground meat
1 egg
1 table spoon of black pepper
salt

For the Sauce:
2 cups of yogurt
1 egg
1 table spoon flour


Directions:


First of all, mix the rice, egg, black pepper and ground meat in a bowl.






In a big pot put oil and water together and boil it while your meatball mixture waiting aside.

When the water (with oil) comes to a boil add your salt and start making small meatballs and drop them to the boiling water. (You don't need to have perfectly shaped meatballs, they'll loose their shape anyway :) )







As your rice inside the meatballs begins to come out of it as seen in the picture, you can start working on the yogurt sauce.
Mix your 2 cups of yogurt, 1 egg, 1 table spoon of flour in a blender and mix them all well together. Once you have your mixture, pour it into your water while you are stirring your water.
(You need to stir your water while pouring the sauce so that the sauce would not go bad!)
Keep stirring everything for 5 more minutes after you are finished with adding the yogurt sauce. Then you lower the heat and leave it on the stove for 10 more minutes.

By the end of that 10 minutes, your meal will be ready to eat.





It goes great with fresh baked bread and salad.
Afiyet Olsun :)
__________

Malzemeler:

2 su bardagi su
1-2 yemek kasigi sivi yag

1 cay bardagi pirinc
1 avuc kiyma
1 yumurta
karabiber
Terbiyesi icin:
1 bardak yogurt (suyu varsa onunla birlikte)
1 corba kasigi un
1 yumurta


Hazirlanisi:
Ilk olarak pirinc, yumurta, karabiber ve kiymayi kofte icin yogurun ve bir kenarda beklemeye birakin ki siz yemeginizin bir kenarda pirinclerin hafifce sisebilsin.
Genisce bir tencereye 1-2 yemek kasigi yagi koyun ve yagin azcik kizmasini bekleyin. Yag kizdiktan sonra ustune 2 su bardagi suyu ekleyin ve suyun kaynamasini bekleyin. Su kaynamaya basladiktan sonra yogurdugunuz kiymayi ufak ufak toplar haline getirin ve suya atin. (Koftelerinizin cok muntazam olmasina luzum yok :) )
Koftelerinizi suyunuzun icinde pismeye birakin. Pirincleriniz resimdeki gibi sisip kiymanin arasindan cikmaya calistiginda kofteleriniz pismis demektir..
Kofteleriniz pisince, siz bir kenarda mutfak robotunuzda ya da blenderinizda 1 bardak yogurdu (yogurdunuz sulanmissa suyunu da ekleyebilirsiniz), 1 yumurtayi ve de 1 corba kasigi unu karistirin ve terbiyesini hazirlayin.
Hazirladiginiz terbiyeyi koftelerinizi bir yandan karistirirken yavas yavas tencereye dokun ve karistirmaya devam edin...(Terbiyeyi dokerken kofteleri karistiriyoruz ki terbiyemiz kesilmesin..)
Hafif hafif 5 dk karistirdiktan sonra 10 dk kadar daha sosun icinde hafif ateste pismeye birakin. (Asil olcunuz yumurta kokusunu artik almadiginiz andir. Ama benim gibi yumurta kokusundan hoslanmayanlar icin yaklasik bir sure veriyorum..)
Bu 10 dk.'nin sonunda terbiyeli kofteniz hazirdir. Taze ekmek ve yesil salatayla birlikte servis edebilirsiniz.
Afiyet olsun :)

Hande usulu Irmik Helva/ Hande's Semolina Halva

This recipe is a version of my mom's semolina halva. Mine has less sugar and butter in it.. There are several versions of this dessert and here's mine:

Ingredients:

2 cups of semolina
1 stick of unsalted butter (you can use 1 cup of corn oil or vegetable oil if you don't have / don't wanna use butter)
2 cups of milk
2 cups of water
2 cups of sugar (you can use 3 cups if you like..)
1/4 cups of pine nuts (optional)

Directions:
Boil the water and mix it with the milk and the sugar in a large bowl. Stir if necessary to make sure your sugar dissolves as much as possible.

While this mixture is sitting around, melt the butter in a deep sauce non-stick pan and put the pine nuts after the butter melts down.. Stir them with the butter and see their color turn into golden-brown. (Don't let their color get a darker shade because they burn quickly.)
As soon as your pine nuts are golden-brown in color, add your semolina and stir it well with the oil/butter. Make sure your semolina is mixed well with the oil. (i.e. every single grain should meet the oil/ butter.) Keep stirring it in medium heat until your semolina has a nice brown shade. Make sure you get the brown shade (a little darker than golden brown this time!) otherwise the halva would not be as good.

After you see your semolina had the brown shade, add the milk-sugar-water mixture that you put aside at the beginning and stir well to mix everything together.
In the meantime, everything should come to boil by the time you make sure everything is mixed well. After it comes to a boil, decrease the heat to the lowest you can. (I use 2 for electric stoves.)

And put the lid of your pan on and wait for the halva to absorb the milk and water. Check frequently to see how fast the water-milk is absorbed.
If you cannot see the water over the semolina anymore, that means it's time to start stirring it. Keep stirring the halva until you see all the water is absorbed. (This shouldn't take more than 10min.s)


After all the water is absorbed, turn off the heat, put a paper towel between the lid and the pan and let the halva wait for 3 min.s.
It's better served hot and with ground cinnamon on top.. (You can use chopped walnuts or hazelnuts if you wanna try something new..) Afiyet olsun :)

-----------------------
Bu tarif annemin irmik helvasi tarifinin bir versiyonu... Ben irmik helvasini biraz daha az seker ve yag kullanarak yapmayi tercih ediyorum. Eminim siz de ayni tarifin baska versiyonlarini biliyorsunuzdur.. Benim versiyonum soyle:


Malzemeler: 1 su bardağı irmik
2 yemek kaşığı tereyağ (Zor durumlarda 1/2 bardak misirozu yagi da kullanilabilir.)
1 su bardagi sut
1 su bardagi su
1 veya 1 + 1/4 su bardağı şeker
1 corba kasigi dolmalik fistik

Hazirlanisi:

Suyu kaynatip sekerin ustune dokerek sekerin olabildigince erimesini saglayin. Bu karisima sutu de ekleyip bir kenarda bekletin.
Teflon tencereye yagi ve fistiklari koyun ve fistiklar pembelesinceye kadar fistiklari yagda kavurun. (Pembeden kahverengiye cok donmesinler, cunku resimdekiler gibi yanabilirler...) Fistiklar pembelesince irmigi ekleyin ve irmigin her tanesinin yaga degdiginden emin olacak sekilde irmigi de kavurun.
Irmik kahverengimsi bir renk alana kadar kavurmaya devam edin zira irmik kahverengiye donmeden kavurmayi birakirsaniz helvaniz bulamac gibi olacaktir. Kivaminin iyi olmasi icin irmigin iyi kavruldugundan emin olun.
Irmik kavrulduktan sonra ustune sut, su ve sekerle yaptigimiz karisimi dokun. Bu sulu, sutlu sekerli karisimin kaynadigini gordugumuzde ocagin altina en kisiga alip pilav yapar gibi ustunu kapatip suyunu almasini bekleyin.
Arada gidip suyunu ne kadar cektigini kontrol edin. suyunun hemen hepsini cektigini gordugunuzde karistirarak helvanin butun suyunu cekmesini saglayin. (Bu karistirma sureci 10 dk.dan fazla surmez genellikle.)
Helvanin suyunu cektigini gordukten sonra tencere ile kapagi arasina bir kagit havlu koyarak kapagini kapatin ve 3 dk kadar helvayi dinlendirin.
Helvaniz dinlendikten sonra ustune tarcin dokerek (istege gore cekilmis findik, ceviz vs. de kullanilabilir..) ve sicak olarak servis ediniz. Afiyet olsun :)

Annemin Prenses Tatlisi (Irmik Tatlisi) / Mom's Semolina Dessert

If you were looking for a very light, delicious and easy dessert this is just the thing for you.

Ingredients

8 cups of milk (= 1 liter = 33 fl oz.)
2 cups of semolina
5 gr (0.2 oz ) vanilla powder
2 cups of water
2 cups of sugar (my mom puts 3-4 cups of sugar but I prefer 2)
Cinnamon
Directions

Put semolina, sugar and vanilla to a large pot and add the water and milk on this mixture.

Stir constantly until it comes to a boil. (It should look ticker as in the picture.)









After it comes to a boil. Wash/rinse 2 medium size bowls and leave them wet. Pour the mixture to the wet bowls and wait until they cool down.
After they cool down, put them to the fridge for 4 hours or so.
Since your bowls were wet, you can easily get the dessert out on a plate by putting the bowl on your plate upside down. You can put some cinnamon and crushed walnuts on it.
Afiyet olsun :)
********** ************
Malzemeler

1 litre (4 su bardagi) sut
1 bardak su
1 bardak irmik
1 bardak seker (Annem 1,5 -2 bardak seker)
1 paket sekerli vanilin
Tarcin ve kirilmis ceviz

Hazirlanisi

Once seker, irmik ve vanilini bir tencereye koyun ustune sutu ve suyu da ekleyin. Kaynayana kadar surekli karistirarak pisirin. (Kaynadiginida ikinci resimdeki gibi daha yogun bir hal alacaktir.)
Kaynadiktan sonra 2 orta boy tasi islayin ve islak birakin. Islak taslarin icine kaynamis olan tatlinizi dokun. Disarida sogumaya birakin. Iyce soguduktan sonra buzdolabinda 4 saat kadar bekletin.
Taslari islamis oldugunuz icin, taslarin altina bir tabak koyup ters cevirirseniz tatliniz guzelce tabaga cikacaktir. Ustune tarcin ve ceviz kirigi koyabilirsiniz.

Afiyet olsun..:)

Hande'nin Biberli Biftegi / Hande's Beef with Bell Peppers

A very easy, good looking, healthy dish that takes about 20 min.s to cook. I made it up and people seem to like it :)





Ingredients

1 lbs beef
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 tea spoon Garlic / garlic powder
1 tea spoon black pepper
1 tea spoon salt
1 table spoon vegetable oil

*You can add different colored peppers, jalapeno peppers or increase the amounts of materials
as you wish.

Directions

Before you begin cooking, chop your beef and bell peppers as thin stripes.


After you cut all the beef and the peppers, put the vegetable oil to a large frying pan or a pot and cook your meat thoroughly.


You can add garlic powder/ garlic and your black pepper as you cook your meat. When your meat release its juice and begin absorbing it back, add some salt and the bell peppers you've cut to your pot/pan. You can add some jalapeno peppers if you want to spice up your dish. ( Or you can add crushed red peppers.)



After you add your peppers you can add some more garlic powder and stir and leave the peppers in the pot (with medium heat) for about 10-15 min.s. If you want your peppers crisp, you can cook them less. You can add some more salt while you're cooking your peppers.

Then your dish will be ready. It goes great with pita
bread and plain yogurt.
Afiyet Olsun :)

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Malzemeler

1/2 kilo biftek
3 tatli kirmizi etli biber
3 carliston biber
1 dis sarimsak sarimsak/ sarimsak tozu
1 tatli kasigi tuz
1 tatli kasigi karabiber
1 corba kasigi misirozu yagi

*Istege gore aci yesil biber de ekleyebilirsiniz, ve tuz, biber vb. miktarlarini isteginize gore ayarlayabilirsiniz.

Hazirlanisi

Biftekleri ve biberleri serit serit dograyin. Malzemeleri dogradiktan sonra genisce bir tavaya ya da yayvan bir tencereye yaginizi koyup etlerinizi pisirin.
Etlerinizi pisirirken sarimsak tozunu/sarimsagi ekleyin. Etler kendi suyunu salip, tekrar toplamaya baslayincaya kadar tuzunu eklemeyin. Etler suyunu tamamen cekmeden tuzunu ekleyin ve biberleri de tavaya/tencereye koyun.
Biberleri koyduktan sonra 10-15 dk daha orta ateste yemeginizi karistirin. Biberlerinizi diri istiyorsaniz daha az pisirin.
Boylece yemeginiz tamamlanmistir :)
Afiyet olsun :)

DNA inspired earrings...

I designed and made them...

Anneannemin Kuzu Yahnisi / Grandma's Lamb Stew

This is a very delicious dish for spring (i.e. when the lamb meat can be found quite easily..). Please note that it takes an hour or so to cook this recipe. And you need a pressure cooker or a slow cooker to cook your lamb thoroughly.

Ingredients (The amounts you see on the pictures)

2 lbs lamb
2 table spoons of tomato paste
3 cups of water
1 onion
3 cloves of fresh garlic
A hand full of fresh mint leaves
4-5 green onions
3/4 table spoon vegetable oil
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mince your onion and cut the cloves of garlic into 2 and stir them in your vegetable oil. Note that you don't need to add too much oil since your meat will provide the oil you need for your dish.
After 2-3 min.s put your meat that was cut into large pieces (well, you can cut them as small as you want but my grandma and mom cuts them into large pieces). Stir the onions, garlic and lamb together for about 15 - 20 min.s (i.e. until your meat release its own juice and absorb it back.)
Your meat should have a lovely brown shade after this.

Add 2 table spoons of tomato paste and stir it well with
the meat. And add the 3 cups of water to the pot. Add your
salt and close the lid of your pressure cooker.


Wait for at least 30 min.s for the meat to be cooked thoroughly. Note that the amount of time you need
for cooking varies according to the meat.
One more important thing is not to add the salt until you
add your water. It makes it harder to cook the meat if you
add the salt before that.

While your meat is being cooked, you mince the fresh mint leaves and the green parts of your green onions. (You cut the white parts out and don't use them for this dish.)

After you cook your meat for at least 30 min.s, open the lid and add the minced mint leaves and green onions you've prepared before.



Stir them all well and wait for 2-3 min.s before you serve it. Enjoy it with some bread and lettuce salad (use olive oil, lemon juice and salt for dressing).
Afiyet Olsun :)
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Malzemeler (Resimlerde gordugunuz miktarlar)

1 kg kuzu eti
2 kepce salca
1,5 bardak su
1 avuc taze nane yapragi
4-5 tane taze sogan
1 kuru sogan
3 dis sarimsak
3/4 yemek kasigi misirozu yagi
1 tatli kasigi kadar tuz
Duduklu tencere :)


Hazirlanisi

Sogani yemeklik dograyin ve sarimsaklari ortadan ikiye keserek soganla birlikte 1-2 dakika yagda kavurun. Annem ve anneannem etleri oldukca buyukce parcalara ayiriyorlar ve bu sekilde yapiyorlar yemegi. Ancak elbette etleri istediginiz buyuklukte kesebilirsiniz.
Kestiginiz etleri sogan ve sarimsaga ekleyerek birlikte kavurun. Etler suyunu salip tekrar suyunu cekene kadar kavurmaya devam edin. (Bu yaklasik olarak 15- 20 dk aliyor.)
Etleri kavurduktan sonra salca ekleyip etlerin salcaya iyice bulanmasini saglayin. Daha sonra suyunu ekleyerek duduklu tencerenizin kapagini kapatin.

Etler duduklu tencerede piserken yesil soganlarin yesil kisimlarini (evet, yesil soganlarin beyaz kisimlarini ayiriyoruz ve bu yemege koymuyoruz.) ve nanelerinizi cok da buyuk olmayacak sekilde dograyin.
Etleri en az 30 dk duduklu tencerede pisirdikten sonra kapagini acarak naneyi ve yesil sogani ekleyin ve hemen karistirin. Nane ve yesil soganlarin yemegin sicagiyla yumusamasi yeterli olacagindan 2-3 dk bekledikten sonra hemen servis yapabilirsiniz.
Ekmek ve marul salatasi ile mukemmel bir uyum sagladigini tecrubeyle sabitlemis bulunuyorum.
Afiyet olsun :)