homemade Mexican chocolate bread

4-02-2016 Sat. chilly, clouds.  


WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | homemade Mexican chocolate bread | bread and cheese | croissant | grapefruit | mango 
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea
DINNER --- cocktails | Turkish seafood rice | sauteed beet leaves 

 

• chocolate bread baked in the morning, for a friend back from hospital. 

Turkish clam rice

03-21-2012 Wed. warm, rain.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- rice with sauteed chicken
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- tea
DINNER --- pan fried lotus root chips | Turkish clam rice | sauteed red pepper and okra | wine

• a staple in years of home cooking.
  

Turkish clam rice

12-19-2011 Mon. cold, cloudy.



BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- apple
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- (holiday party at work) wine, cheese, finger food
DINNER --- Turkish clam rice | sauteed baby spinach with pine nuts and garlic | sauteed radicchio and mushroom | wine | mini pumpkin cream cake

• Turkish clam rice has been an old family stand-by, a simple and delicious one.
  

Edible flowers

5-06-2011 Fri. mild, cloudy.


BREAKFAST --- coffee
LUNCH --- pasta with pesto sauce ( leftovers)
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | apple
DINNER --- sauteed cauliflowers and tomato with curry sauce | stir-fried chive flowers with smoked tofu | Turkish clam rice | wine

iris from garden

• " Americans expect to spend 1.6 billion dollars on flowers for Mother's Day" --- NYT
• there are two edible flowers in today's dinner, cauliflowers and chive flowers
  

Turk-mex

2-26-2010 Fri. Cold, strong wind

WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | flute cookie
LUNCH --- sliced rice cake with vegetables ( leftover from yesterday's dinner)
AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | apple
DINNER --- egg soup with mushroom, napa cabbage and pickled radish | re-fried black beans | Turkish clam rice | sauteed snow peas | red wine

• Mediterranean and Mexican dishes mingle well somehow. probably because the two regions have similar climate.
  

Turkish clam rice

• 1 cup basmati rice
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  
• 1 can chopped clams with juice
  
• 1 tbls pine nuts
  
• 1 tbls tomato paste
  
• 1/4 tsp allspice
  
• 1/2 tsp dill weed
  
• 1 tsp cooking oil

1. add oil to a pot, add onion and cook over medium heat till golden
2. add rice and pine nuts, stir and cook for 5 minutes till slightly golden
   
3. add calm juice, tomato paste, allspice, and dill weed, mix and cook for 2 minutes
4. add 1 1/2 cup of water, bring to boil
   
5. add saffron, pimenton, season with salt
   
6. cover the pot and reduce the heat to very low, cook for 20 minutes.
   
7. turn off the heat, stir chopped clams into the rice
8. cover again and let it sit for 5 minutes, serve hot