If you had told me a year ago how quickly a baby would become a 1 year old (baby/toddler) I would not have believed you.  To be honest, I still can not.  I really really can not comprehend how quickly 1 full year flew by.  Where did the time go? This little baby girl turned into a beautiful flower girl.  She has brought joy and meaning to our lives, in more then one way.  I get a little emotional as I begin to write this, so I’m going to keep it short + I’m not big on words.  

Turkish Style Kofte - Recipe really soon -

We had a small family birthday for Aleyna, grandparents, aunts, uncles and new cousins.  I cooked 1 night and 1 full day just to make it even more special for her.  Here is the sad part, my birthday girl was  sick during her birthday celebration and did not even eat ’let alone try’ one single piece of her flower cake. 

 
Oven Roasted Zucchini & My Garden Peppers

 
 
 
From the top left:
Potato & Pastirma Salad – Recipe Here
Bulgur & Corn Salad
Turkish Style Tabouli aka Kisir
Lentil & Bulgur Kofte
Salted & Spiced Crackers
Salted Feta Cheese Cookies

Potato & Chopped Meat Pan Pie

Feta Cheese Water Pie – available for sale via order from A&D Food

Note: Missing Recipes will be updated in the coming days.

This morning as I was preparing this delightful Mother’s Day breakfast, I received tons of text messages from my friends wishing me a happy mothers day. Since it is my FIRST mother’s day it brought tears to my eyes, a sense of joy an unexplainable feeling.  Being a mother is an explainable feeling , it touches all aspects of your life.

On to the breakfast, I wanted to make it a special mother’s day BK, with the whole family and them some unexpected company.  It turned out to be an awesome.  Between the food, our conversations and Aleyna I did not want breakfast to be over.  Wishing you all a wonderful Mother’s Day.  I will post a recipe one day at a time – starting tomorrow with Potato au Gratin.

MY MOTHER’S DAY MENU

Before we get to the food – this a quick snap of the mother’s day gifts – Aleyna & I gave to our favorite mothers.

VEGETABLE QUICHE
        info: left the potato in the oven a bit long  wanting to serve it warm - the top crisped up more then it should have.

CUCUMBER & CHERRY HEIRLOOM TOMATO & RADISH SALAD

CHOPPED MEAT, POTATOE & MUSHROOM DISH

POTATO au GRATIN
       info: left the potato in the oven a bit long  wanting to serve it warm - the top crisped up more then it should have.

Along with Turkish style breakfast condiments – feta cheese, kasari, string cheeese, black olives, turkish brown olives (can’t recall the name), as well as our famous Turkish Tea & home made Baklava.

It has been almost a month since my last post, since then so much has happened.  I had begun writing this post in hopes of posting, but let me recap and share with all my fun filled days with Aleyna.

I turned 29. OMG like next year I will be 30 – no way, seriously.  I still can’t believe I’m 29 – I still feel like that 16 year old high school girl!  To be honest I’m still that girl at heart and in soul.  This years birthday was especially delightful, it really was.  Saturday in New York City was just breathtakingly beautiful and warm.  The sun was shinning, the sky was blue, the birds were chirping and we were out and about in New York City, first time as a family.  I could not have asked for nothing more, it was the perfect day to have a birthday.  + Gap had that extra 30% off sale that day!  Yes, we love to shop.  

Since it was my day we did all the things I wanted to do.  First stop was Doughnut Plant, seriously like seriously and I am really mean this, like seriously, this is one place that is very very dangerous to visit.  We died and went to heaven, as Homer Simpson says it best “MmMmMmM! Donuts!” I’m not saying anything more.   If you are ever in New York City stop by.  So with the Doughnuts in hand, we stopped at Abraco Espresso for some major caffeine fix, New York Times declared this coffee shop as #1 in their  New York’s Best Coffee article.  See the complete list here.  We totally agreed!!  For those skim milk coffee drinkers, bring your own skim milk, as Abraco serves only whole milk.  Yes, I take my coffee with skim milk, I’m weird like that.

Now with our bellies full and caffeinated energy, we set out to Central Park.  We strolled through Time Square and found our selves in the play grounds of Central Park.  We put Aleyna on the swings and swung her far far away into a land filled with laughs and smiles. Oh my little angel IS 6 months! **Sigh

We rested our tired feet, then to pick up again stroll along the busy sidewalks of Fifth Ave.  We shopped till we dropped and even tried on some shoes.  The End!

Back to cooking & baking & making.   Came across this simple pomegranate recipe in a New York Times article in the Dining & Wine Section.  As I use pomegrante molasses often in cooking and dressings, but never once thought to use in baking.  Why not right, I’ve tried in everything else right.  The recipe is quite simple and quick.  It bakes quite well and has this nice texture and taste to it. 

Note:  @ My first time baking the cake, I used PAM to oil the pan, it did not work very well. my end result.  I was to lazy to butter and flour the pan.  Do follow the instructions, butter and flour your pan for an easy release.

Pomegranate Molasses Butter Cake
                  as adapted from New York Times 
Yields: 6-8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan
• 1 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting pan
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons pomegranate molasses, plus 1 teaspoon *
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 4 teaspoons
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 6 tablespoons light cream
• 3/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts or pecans

* Used 3 tablespoons of molasses with the milk, it gives the cake more pungent tasteful flavor.

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch-square baking pan, dust lightly with flour and knock out excess.
2. Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, combine milk and 3 tablespoons pomegranate molasses.
3. In a large bowl, cream together stick of butter and 3/4 cup granulated sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until well combined.
4. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with milk mixture. (Begin and end with flour, and mix after each addition until just combined.)
5. Pour batter into pan and bake until top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges, turn cake out onto a rack, and then turn right side up again.
6. Whisk together confectioners’ sugar, cream, and 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses. Brush glaze over cake, letting it drip down sides.
7. In a small, preferably nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, combine nuts, 1 teaspoon pomegranate molasses and 4 teaspoons sugar. Stir constantly and watch carefully until sugar melts and coats nuts, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle over top of cake. ** I opted to toasting the walnuts and just sprinkled it over the top.

THE GIVE AWAY
            Al-Wadi Brand Pomegranate Molasses

Leave a comment recommending a Turkish/Middle Eastern recipe you would like me to make and post or what kind of recipe you would like to make with the Pomegranate Molasses.  I will close the comments on Sunday morning and use Random.org to choose the winner.  

My dear friends, I first of all want to start out by saying thank you,for sticking with for the last 6 months.  So much had being going on, even at times I was lost, but now finally everything has settle down and everything is in place. Thank god.  Now my little angle is 5 months and counting, shes growing so quickly and each day I love her more and more.   She is the apple of eye rather of our eyes, she has many friends and admirers already.  She has become our little social butterfly.  I believe she just can not wait to grow up – when she sees children running and playing she watches them with deep admiration.  Silly girl, mommy does not want you to grow up.  More like silly me, wishing such wishes.

Well, if she wants to grow, she much eat and drink lots and lots of milk, which is something she is really good at.  I wanted to make this return post a bit special, something authentic and very Turkish.  Well nothing says it better then two jars of homemade yogurt.  I had described in detail on how to make home made yogurt, lets make these an addition to that posting.  Instead of fermenting the milk in a pot, this time I fermented the milk  into two jars purchased from Ikea.  Plus it takes up less space in the fridge and looks incredibly irrestible. 

If you think you have made too much yogurt, which I highly doubt.  In any case, if you think its too much yogurt for you, try these delicious orange and yogurt cake or this olive oil and yogurt cake.  At one point in time, I made these cakes severals times during the week.

 Whole milk creates a butter like texture on top of the yogurt. Go ahead & spoon it!
It does look delicious doesn’t it?

Or maybe you would like to take the whole jar and start spooning away!

HOMEMADE YOGURT

Recipe is available here – just a few notes to make the yogurt in the jar.

Note 1:

1. Once the milk has cooled down, spoon the created layer of buttery goodness to a plate.
2. Pour milk into the jars.
3. Add in your starter (fermenting) yogurt and give it a stir. DO NOT COVER WITH LID.
4. Dividing evenly, place back the spooned layer of buttery goodness on top.
5. Place in a warm (draft free) area of your kitchen and cover tightly with kitchen blankets.
6. Leave over night or day on kitchen counter.
7. Place into the fridge again WITHOUT THE COVER for 1 (one) day.
8. Place cover after one full day in fridge and serve!

Note 2:

1. For this recipe I used 1 gallon of milk and doubled my yogurt starter.

I make my yogurt using 100% whole milk it can also be made with 2% milk. Visit these websites for various recipes of how to make yogurt at home.
AZ Cookbook – How to Make Yogurt at Home  &  101 Cookbooks – Homemade Yogurt Recipe