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 :)

Zeytinyağlı Kuşkonmaz (Asparagus in Olive Oil Stir'nFry) -- 15 min. Vegi Dish

15 dakikalik bir garnitur tarifi ariyorsaniz, bu tam size gore bir sey.
Ozellikle et yemeklerinin yaninda kullanmak icin cok basarili bir tercih.
Ayrica Kuskonmazin yararlari icin: http://www.asparagus.com/

If you're looking for an easy and delicious vegi dish this is just the thing for you. It goes great with meat dishes. You can use this dish as a snack. (I think it's perfect for beer.) And Asparagus is a great vegetable... (for more information visit: http://www.asparagus.com/ )


Ingredients
Asparagus (I usually use 1 bunch)
1/2 to 1 lemon's juice
Oregano leaves (About 1 table spoon)
Salt (About 1 table spoon)
Garlic/ Garlic Salt/ Garlic Powder (About 1 table spoon)
1/2 to 1 onion
Red Crushed Peppers (Half a table spoon)
Paprika (about half a table spoon)
Black Pepper (about a quarter of a table spoon)
1 Table spoon olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup vinegar

Directions:
Cut the back ends of the asparagus (about 1 inch) and wash them thoroughly. Then put them in a large bowl and add water and the cup of vinegar you have. (This will help you to kill the germs and also have the taste of vinegar)
Cut your onion in half (you can use both halves or just one half depending on how much you like onion.) and slice it vertically. I prefer my slices thin but you can cut them as thick as you like.
Put your olive oil in a large frying pan or a pot and wait for a minute or so.
Then add your asparagus bunch which was lying in the vinegar-water solution. You can rinse your asparagus or leave it as it is before putting it to the pot.
Stir the asparagus and watch it's color turning to a brighter green. Add your spices (oregano leaves, red crushed peppers, paprika, black pepper) and garlic/ garlic powder and salt. You can add the spices as you like. I like this dish spicy but if you don't like spice too much, you can reduce the amount of spices.
One other thing is I don't add salt if I am using garlic salt instead of garlic powder. You can crush your own garlic too. But if you're not using garlic salt, don't forget to add some salt to your dish.
After adding your spices, put the onions to your pot and add the juice of half a lemon or 1 lemon (I usually add the juice of half of a lemon to 1 bunch). This juice will make it easier for you to blend your spices to your asparagus and add a nice sourly flavor to your dish.
Stir everything together for about 15 mins or so to mix them well. In about 15 min.s your dish will be ready to serve.
This dish goes great with all kinds of meat/ meat dishes, plain yogurt and pita bread. I like it very much as a snack while I am drinking beer.
It's a very easy vegi dish that goes great with all sorts of occasions.
Enjoy and Afiyet olsun :)

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Malzemeler:
- Kuskonmaz (istenilen miktarda)
- En az 1 corba kasigi limon suyu (Ben 2 resimde gorulen miktar icin 1 tam limonun suyunu kullandim)
- Kekik
- Kirmizi pul biber (Crushed Red Pepper)
- Yarim beyaz sogan
- 1 corba kasigi zeytin yagi (Istege gore daha cok konulabilir)
- Sarimsak tozu/ Sarimsak tuzu/ Gercek sarimsak (Garlic Powder/ Garlic Salt/Garlic)
- Tuz (miktari istege gore degisiyor)
- Sirke

Hazirlanisi:
- Kuskonmazlarin en altindaki kalin bolumlerinden 2-3 parmak kadar kesin.
- Kesilmis kuskonmazlari yikayin ve bir kabin icinde sirkeli suya koyun.( Bu asama istege bagli ama tavsiye ediyorum. Sirkeli suda 5 dk kadar durmalari bile yeterli. Asil amac mikroplar kirilsin. Ama kuskonmazlarinizin cok hafif bir sirke tadini almasina da yardimci oluyor. Sudan aldiktan sonra durulayabilirsiniz. )
- Kuskonmazlariniz sudayken biryandan tencerenizde/tavanizda zeytinyaginda ince ince, boyuna kesilmis yarim soganinizi kavurun. (Maximum 2 dk.) Ancak pembelesene kadar BEKLEMEYIN. Zira kuskonmazlara tadini ve kokusunu vermesini istiyoruz.
Eger gercek sarimsak kullaniyorsaniz, sarimsaklari da bu kavurma islemine dahil edebilirsiniz.
- Kuskonmazlarinizi kavurmakta oldugunuz soganlara ekleyin ve ustune limon suyunu ve eger sarimsak tozu ya da sarimsak tuzu (Garlic Powder veya Garlic Salt) kullaniyorsaniz onu da ekleyin. Eger gercek sarimsak kullandiysaniz tuzu bu asamada ekleyebilirsiniz.
- Butun kuskonmazlarin sogan, sarimsak, limon suyu ve tuzdan nasibini almasini saglayacak sekilde karistirin.
- Kekik ve kirmizi biberinizi ekleyin ve karistirarak pisirmaye devam edin.
- Soganlariniz yumusamaya basladiginda yemeginiz hazir olmaya yaklasmis demektir.
Ortalama 15(Kuskonmazlarin biraz daha yumusak olmasini istiyorsaniz 20 dk.) orta ateste arasira karistirip bahartlari ve limon suyunu ve yagini emmesini saglayarak pisirin.

Sicak ya da soguk servis yapabilirsiniz.
Etlerin yanina, pideyle birlikte ya da lavas icine sarilarak yenilebilir.
Afiyet Olsun..

For Whom the Bell Tolls...(Çanlar Kimin İçin Çalıyor..)

John Donne
Meditation 17
Devotions upon Emergent Occasions

"No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were. Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee..."

"Kimse bir ada, tek başına bir bütün değildir. Herkes anakaranın bir parçası, bütünün bir bölümüdür. Deniz bir parçacık toprağı alıp götürse, Avrupa eksilir. Deniz burnu aşındırırsa, arkadaşlarının ya da senin toprakların aşınmış demektir. Her ölüm beni eksiltir, çünkü insanlığın bir parçasıyım ben.
Bundan dolayı hiçbir zaman çanlar kimin için çalıyor diye sorma.
ÇANLAR SENİN İÇİN ÇALIYOR’’.

Eating Whole Lotta Yummy Food These Days...

Beste's and the food we've cooked...

Yummy Turkish Food

Red Bell Peper Salad, Saksuka and Dolma (Stuffed Grape Leaves)
(Recipes coming soon..)

Home Sweet Home...

My beautiful flowers in my sweet lil home :)

Kolay Sac Kavurma (Easy Turkish Meat Dish-- Sac Kavurma)

Malzemeler (2 Kisilik)
--Istenilen miktarda Kusbasi dogranmis dana eti ya da
3/4 Paketlenmis, Parcalara ayrilmis Trader Joe's Lean Beef (Ben en cok bu etin tadini begendigim icin bunu oneriyorum.. ayrica antibiyotik kullanilmamis, daglarda kosup oynayan hayvanlar kesilmis oldugu icin et kalitesi cok guzel oluyor...)
-- Renkli biberler (kirmizi, sari, yesil, istenilirse turuncu da olabilir... Yine Trader Jo's da bulunan dondurulmus biberler kullanilabilir..)
-- 1 kucuk ya da 1/2 buyuk kurusogan
-- Kekik
-- Zeytinyagi

Hazirlanisi:
Yontem 1:
Marine Edilmis etle hazirlanisi:
Sogani ince halkalar seklinde dograyip daha sonra bu halkalarinizi ortadan ikiye bolun. (ya da sogani ortadan ayirip boylamasina ince ince kesin..)
Etlerinizi boylamasina ince ince kesip hazirladiginiz sogan, zeytin yagi ve kekikle yogurup 1 gece bu sekilde buzdolabinda bekletin...
Ertesi gun biberlerinizi tavla zari boyutunda dograyip 1 corba kasigi zeytin yaginda orta ateste kavurun. Eger donmus biber kullaniyorsaniz (buzlari eridikten sonra) maximum 2-3 dakika cevirin ateste. Bu sayede biberlerin dagilmasini onlemis olursunuz...
Marine edilmis etlerinizi kucuk kupler halinde dograyin... (kuplerinizin biberler kadar kucuk olmasa da yaklasik kuru fasulye boyutlarinda olmasi gerek, ya da pismis nohut boyutlarinda..)
Ateste olan biberlerinize kup kup kestiginiz etlerinizi ekleyin ve iyce pismeleri icin tencerenin dibine olabildigince yaydirin... etlerin uzerine marine etmek icin kullandiginiz soganin bir kismini koyup guzel bir tad alabilirsiniz.
etlerinizin suyunu salip sularini tekrar cekmelerini bekleyin ve sularini cektikten sonra 3-5 dk daha kavurup servis yapin.

Yontem 2:
Marine edilmemis etle hazirlanisi:
Oncelikle belirteyim ki bu yontemi kullanarak hazirlamadigim icin ayni tadi verir mi bilemiyorum... Ancak ben etimi marine etmemis olsan soyle yapardim:
Once soganimin bir kismini tavla zari buyuklugunde parcalara ayirip geri kalanini boylamasina ince ince yarim halka seklinde dogrardim.
Ayni sekilde renkli biberlerimi tavla zari seklinde ve de etlerimi pismis nohut/kurufasulye boyutunda kesip hazirlardim.
Butun malzemeler hazirlandiktan sonra once tavla zari boyutunda dogradigim soganlarimi hafifce pembelesene kadar zaytin yaginda kavurup ustune renkli biberlerimi ekleyerek onlari da yumusayincaya kadar (fakat dagilmalarina izin vermeden)(yaklasik 5 dk) kavurup uzerine eti de ekleyerek et suyunu salip tekrar toplayincaya kadar kavurun. Bu sirada etlerin uzerine boylamasina kestiginiz sogani da ekleyerek guzel bir tad alabilirsiniz.
Et suyunu cektikten sonra 3-5 dk kadar daha kavurursaniz tadi daha hos olur. Ancak et suyunu cektiginde pismis olacaktir, yani vaktiniz sINIRliysa son 5 dkyi atlayabilirsiniz...



Ufak Oneriler:
* Malzemelerin kesim islemini malzemeleri tencereye koymaya baslamadan bitirirseniz hem daha hizli olursunuz hem de daha basarili bir sonuc elde edersiniz. Zira biberler ateste cok ufak bir zaman kaldigi icin etleri kesmek icin yeterli vaktiniz olmayabilir.
* Yagi 1 corba kasigindan az kullanabilirsiniz cunku et zaten kendi yagini salacaktir... daha saglikli olmasi icin bir tatli kasigi yag yetecektir zannimca.

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Ingredients (2 servings)
-- About 1lbs Trader Joe's Lean Beef Stew Meat
-- Red, Yellow, Green and/or Orange Bell Peppers (You can use Trader Joe's frozen bell peppers)
-- 1 small or 1/2 big yellow onion
-- oregano leafs
-- Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Preparation:

First slice your onion into thin pieces (lengthwise). Mix the olive oil, oregano and the onions in a bowl and rub the meat with this mixture. Keep your bowl in the fridge (cover it with stretch film) for a night. This is the way that I have marinated my meat for this dish.
After you are done with your meat, you dice (cut into dice-like-cubes) the bell peppers that you have. Since the bell pepper-size is pretty big in the US, I would suggest using 1/3 of each color you have. (Assuming that you have at least 2-3 colors.)
While your bell papers sit aside, you cut your meat into small cubes of kidney beans-size. (You can dice it into smaller pieces if you have the time and patience. ) After you are done with your meat, you put some olive oil into a non-stick pan and you add your bell peppers first. You stir and fry them for 2-3 minutes and add the meat.
Cook the meat until it the meat release its juice and absorb it back. Continue to stir 5 min.s after the meat absorbed its juice.
Serve it with bread, rice or pita bread. Enjoy!

Picture Credits...

The picture I used for my profile belongs to ©Jasmine Becket-Griffith.
More can be found at http://www.strangeling.com.