Clean out the Veggie Drawer Rice

You know who you are. You are cleaning out the fridge and see a drawer full of veggies that you intended on cooking throughout last week. But, things got crazy and the kids had things. Before you throw them out, WAIT! Keep reading!

I was looking for a way to add a little zing to boring, old rice. The original recipe comes from Betty Crocker, my never ending cooking go-to guide. I found it in the poultry section as a stuffing, and thought it would be great as a chicken side. Well, it turned out better than just a side and became the main whoo-hoo of the dinner!

This one is dedicated to all of you out there who end up with a drawer full of veggies a week later after your grocery shopping. It's a great recipe on a Monday, or any day where you've cooked bacon the day before and have a couple of leftover pieces. HOLD UP....leftover bacon??? You can leave this part out, but as they say, bacon makes it better.

All veggies listed are optional and can be subbed for what you have.
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Clean out the Veggie Drawer Rice
2 TBsp butter or margarine
stalk of celery
1/4 cup chopped onion (any color will work here)
1/2 tsp salt
Dash of pepper
2 cups of cooked rice (leftover rice also works well here!)
Handful of chopped walnuts (pecans or almonds can be subbed, but please leave them out if you don't like 'em or if they'll send you to the emergency room)
Handful of raisins (not gross, trust me!!)
1/4 tsp paprika
4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled

My FAVORITE added veggies include: carrots, peppers, mushrooms or basically, any veggie that tastes good cooked. I think peas, eggplant or corn would be great as well. Throw in what you have!!

Melt the margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in onions, veggies, salt and pepper. Stir occasionally until veggies are tender. Remove from heat.

Stir in veggie mixture with the remainder of the ingredients. Serve warm or cold.

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Easy. Rice will never be the same for you and your family after you try this.

Nana's Mini Mac n Cheese Bites

Have I told you about my friend Nana? Well, she loves anything that can be made into mini muffins. When she brought these Mac n Cheese Bites to a tea that we had, they were a major hit. She has since made them for other occasions and they always go fast. Many of us Lunching Ladies make things for various occasions, and usually on a weekly basis. Put this one in your queue, people. Trust me, everyone will be asking for the recipe.

As far as ingredients, the one thing that you may have trouble getting is the cheddar cheese. It was a glorious day last week when our commissary was stocked back up with it after being out for many, many months. Let's just say that as hard as the Land D'Or 'cheddar' from Carrefour tried, it just didn't cut the mustard.

The recipe is adapted from a recipe from Food and Wine Mag, November 2007.

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Mini Mac and Cheese Bites

Makes about 50

3TBsp butter

4 Tbsp flour

1.5 cups of milk

3 cups sharp shredded cheddar cheese (can substitute other meltable cheese, such as American or Colby)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, plus some for sprinklin'

2 large egg yolks

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 lb elbow macaroni, cooked and drained

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray mini muffin pans with non-stick spray.

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and bring to a boil. Cook, whisking occasionally, for about 2-3 minutes until thickened. Add cheddar and Parm cheeses and stir to melt. Remove from heat and stir in egg yolks, salt and nutmeg. Stir in macaroni.

Spoon slightly rounded tablespoons of macaroni and cheese into mini muffin pan. Each cup should be filled to the top. Pack each one down gently. Sprinkle with remaining Parm cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes until golden and sizzling. Take out and let cool for 5 minutes. Use a teaspoon and carefully loosen bites and transfer to platter.

To make ahead, bake and cool mac n cheese bites. Package and refrigerate. Place bites on baking sheet and heat at 400 degrees for 5 minutes. Serve warm.

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These make an excellent appetizer for the holidays and will impress your guests. And you may fall in love with your mini muffin tins all over again!

Chicken in a whole new light

Here in Tunisia, chicken is king. I think I've eaten more chicken here to last a lifetime. Partly because it's inexpensive and easy. Also, the beef here just isn't what it's like back in the states. Coming up with a new way to fix chicken is almost as good as getting a package from the pouch or DPO. Sorry, bad mail joke.....

This is an easy recipe for a sauce/glaze and you should be able to get everything locally. One thing I'll mention is that you could use chicken breasts, strips or even wings and drummies. I made this with normal drumsticks and it turned out great.

Tangy Chicken Glaze
1 package of chicken drumsticks (or any other chicken parts)
Equal parts of honey and soy sauce (for 1 small package, 3 TBsp of each works well)
1 TBsp of chili sauce or marmalade (you could also use apricot preserves)
Pinch of ginger
1 minced clove or sprinklin' of garlic powder

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse and pat chicken dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake chicken in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

While baking, mix remaining ingredients.

Remove chicken and brush with glaze. Put back in oven and repeat glazing every 10 minutes until chicken is done.
- Drumsticks - 20-25 more minutes

The sauce will thicken upon baking. Use this to pour over the chicken when out of the oven.

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For those looking for a great wing sauce, try this! You will need to make some modifications with baking times, but I think it would be fantastic.

I'd like to apologize to all of the LLOR readers as I've been slackin' recently. I guess that's what happens during the holidays! More recipes to come :)!!

Pie Crust- Friend or Foe?

It's Thanksgiving morning and I'm waiting for my turkey to thaw completely before it goes into the oven. Despite how many days before it goes from freezer to fridge, I inevitably participate in this Turkey Day AM ritual pretty much every year.

A few years ago I attempted making pie crust from scratch for an apple pie that could rival Gabrielle's, my mother-in-law's. I awed at her ability to make such a flaky crust that I thought, wow, I will NEVER be able to do that. In addition, I was always amazed at how many apples she put into the pie. Anyways, my first apple pie was a flop...crust soggy underneath, the top and edge crust so tough that it was better to soak it in whipped cream before eating it due to a chance that you might just break a tooth. What had I done to deserve such horrible luck?

After finally getting over the pie-which-shall-not-be-mentioned, I got my nerve up to try it again. Martha had said it was easy. Online bakers said it was easy. Everyone was saying it was easy....

One of the best recipe books I have discovered over 10 years of marriage is the Betty Crocker cookbook, the one with the red cover. If you were not fortunate enough to get one for a wedding and/or you're-an-adult-now-you-should-have-this-in-your-kitchen gift, GET IT. The pie crust tips and recipe are seriously some of the easiest ever.

All ingredients are local...which is great especially when you realize that it's a week to Thanksgiving and nothing you order from the states is getting here in time for Turkey Day.

***RANDOM, BUT MAYBE NOT SO RANDOM KITCHEN, APPLIANCE ALERT!****


Betty Crocker Pie Crust

I made 3 crusts, 2 for a covered apple pie and 1 for a pumpkin pie. You can adjust the amounts as necessary.

3 cups of flour
1.5 tsp salt
1 cup of cold butter (2 sticks)
6-10 TBsp of ice water (the ICE part is important and I think this was part of my problem before)


Add the flour, salt and cut up butter into the food processor. Pulse several times until you have pea sized pieces. You can also do this with a pastry cutter or 2 knives, but remember, you want to handle the ingredients as little as possible! Once butter is cut in, start processor and add water all at once. Dough should pull away from the sides of the processor when ready. Add 1 or 2 TBsp of ice water at a time until you see this effect. One tip::: you don't want the dough to form a ball in the processor.


Dump out onto plastic wrap or wax paper. Work quickly and shape into a disc. Wrap and put into fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour to chill.


Remove dough from fridge and cut into 3 sections. Place sections you are not rolling immediately back into fridge until you are ready to roll out.


To roll out, flour the counter (I'm fortunate to have granite here which keeps cool) or one of those nifty pie rolling guides. For your rolling pin, flour it as well. Roll the dough from the center of the disc, turning every couple of rolls. Again, WORK QUICKLY. If the dough or pin starts to stick, dust lightly with flour. Once dough is a few millimeters thick, lift and place into pie plate.

Bake according to your pie recipe as each one is a little different.

As you can see from the picture above, the apple pie came out fabulous!!!

For additional tips, go to Betty Crocker's website: www.bettycrocker.com/how-to/baking-basics/Pies/Pie-Crust-Tips.htm

Happy Thanksgiving, LLOR Readers!

Flying Tortillas

One thing that a good ol' Texas girl must have in her kitchen is tortillas. My mom submitted this recipe that she and her friend made a couple of weeks ago. These will surely throw you off your pre-Turkey Day diet, but dang, they are good.

On a side note, if you are a native Texan like myself, you may know of Texas Tech Red Raider fans throwing tortillas onto the football field for game day. I had to look this one up as it has been a few years. Apparently in 1992 before a Texas A&M game, an ESPN commentator made a comment about Lubbock, the town where Texas Tech is located, in that the only thing there is Tech and the tortilla factory. In protest, the fans threw hundreds of tortillas onto the field. Pretty funny if you ask me....

All ingredients should be able to be found locally as there are only 3!
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Tortillas

4 cups of flour (you can use white or whole wheat here)
1 stick of oleo (any substitute would work, including Crisco sticks)
1.5 tsp of salt

Cut the oleo into the flour along with the salt. You can do this by crisscrossing 2 knives or a pastry cutter (if you are all fancy like that :) ). You'll want to do this until you have pea sized pieces, much like making a pie crust.

Knead the dough and roll into balls. The bigger the ball, the larger the tortilla will be. Cover and let dough sit for 20 minutes.

Heat the griddle. You can also use a fry pan as well, but a flat pan (much like one you use for pancakes) works the best. Roll out the balls of dough very thin and put onto griddle. When bubbles start, flip then press. The tortilla is done with there is a little brown on the bubbles.

Remove and let cool in a ziploc bag.

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Now whether you decide to throw these at a football game or eat them, I think you'll find it equally satisfying!

This Ain’t Your Mama’s Mini Meat Loaves

My friend Nana sent me this recipe after it was a big hit for dinner one evening with her hubby. Meat loaf normally gets a bad rap, but these are really fantastic. Pair them with some potatoes, and you've got yourself a meal that will please any meat-n-potatoes fan in your house.

Many of the ingredients that are listed are interchangeable for local ingredients. If you're on the newer side of cooking, try my Substitutions link on the main page. Also, if you make the full recipe, they can be frozen and the directions on how to reheat are listed. What a fabulous solution to a mid-week meal crisis!

Mini Meat Loaves

• 1 cup ketchup
  
• 3 to 4 tablespoons packed brown sugar (regular sugar or Splenda can also be used)
  
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard (try yellow or brown mustard if you don't have the dry stuff)
  
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  
• 3 cups Crispix cereal, crushed (I've used Rice Krispies, but any other 'rice' cereal can be subbed---Fitness, Rice Chex, etc)
  
• 3 teaspoons onion powder (again, use real onions or even dried)
  
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon seasoned salt (steak seasoning works great!)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (fresh garlic works great)
  
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  
• 3 pounds lean ground beef
  

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the ketchup, brown sugar and mustard. Remove 1/2 cup for topping; set aside. Add the eggs, Worcestershire sauce, cereal and seasonings to remaining ketchup mixture. Let stand for 5 minutes. Crumble beef over cereal mixture and mix well.
  
• Press meat mixture into 18 muffin cups (about 1/3 cup each). Bake at 375° for 18-20 minutes. Drizzle with reserved ketchup mixture; bake 10 minutes longer or until meat is no longer pink and a meat thermometer reads 160°.
  
• Serve desired number of meat loaves. Cool remaining loaves; freeze. Transfer to freezer bags; seal and freeze for up to 3 months.
  
• To use frozen meat loaves: Completely thaw in the refrigerator. Place loaves in a greased baking dish. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until heated through, or cover and microwave on high for 1 minute or until heated through. Yield: 1-1/2 dozen.
  

Enjoy these tasty treats with your family soon. Because isn't meat loaf truly American?

Vichycoisse aka A Pot Full of Yum

I know, it's probably misspelled, but you get the point.

This recipe is in homage to one of the loftier food blogs in cyberspace and Julia Child, whom that blog was honoring (read Julie and Julia if you get the chance. Great fun for foodies. Also, if you want further history, read Child's: My Year in France, in which she details how she went from a lonely State Department wife--familiar anyone?--to a master chef who changed the face of American /French cuisine almost by accident as she tried to discover her life's passion.)

What you'll need:

2 tblsp. butter

8-10 leeks

4 large russet potatoes

salt & pepper

can of chicken broth/chicken boullion

cream or milk

In a dutch oven or thick cast iron soup pot, melt the butter and saute the leeks until they are translucent. For those of you unused to working with leeks, cut away the green stalk and focus on the white bulb. The leeks should be rather thinly sliced and will quickly saute. Peel and dice the potatoes into small pieces and add them to the pot with the leeks. Add a can of chicken broth and bring to a boil. After broth boils, turn down to a simmer, and let the potatoes cook until tender.

Once the potatoes are cooked, mash down them down until they're smooth. I use a hand food processor. You could probably use a blender, also. Once the potatoes are smooth, taste and then season with salt and pepper. At this point, let the pot sit out for a while until it starts to cool. When no longer scorching hot, put the pot into the refrigerator and let cool. After an hour or two, take out the soup and incorporate enough milk to thin the broth. I use either a cup or two, depending on my liking. If you want to get really fancy, dice up a few chives and sprinkle on the top when serving.

Now, the concept of cold soup might not appeal to you. The great thing is that this soup tastes pretty good warm, too. With some crusty bread, perhaps, and an accompanying plate of cheeses and grapes, you have quite a lovely high-fallutin' French meal. Julia would be proud.

Mark’s I Want My Baby Back Ribs

While in Texas for RandR, my brother graciously hosted a Football watching party complete with all the Texas type food you could want. Mark is a great cook, and he has far fewer epic fails in the kitchen than I do. He had been bragging about these ribs for a while and decided to finally make them. When he told me that these were done mainly in a CrockPot, I thought, OK, it's possible, since I did my Thanksgiving turkey in one 2 years back. Anyone who thinks good ribs have to be done on a grill will be sorely mistaken with this recipe. It's just plain ol' good.

As for ingredients, if you are not like me in Tunis, you should be able to readily find pork ribs. However, you can also sub in beef ribs and have them cut down by your butcher to fit in your CrockPot. I've bought 2 different kinds of rubs from my local BBQ place in Houston (shout out to Carl's BBQ in Cypress, TX!!), but you can look up some made from scratch rubs online at http://www.allrecipes.com/. As for BBQ sauce, I always keep some on hand because I am a TX girl, after all.

Oh, and I almost forgot: CROCK POT ALERT!!!

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Mark's I Want My Baby Back Ribs

Equipment:
- slow cooker or crock pot at least as deep as width of ribs
- oven
- oven pan or broiler pan
- knife

Ingredients:
Baby Back Ribs (as many as you want and can stand on their bone end in a crock pot or slow cooker)
2-3 T dry rub per rack (I like Head Country but I think any smoky type sauce should work)
1/2c + 1/4-1/2 c BBQ sauce per rack

Prep: Take silver skin off the back of the baby back ribs. The easiest way to do this is take a knife, insert it under the skin, work your fingers under the skin and slowly work your finger under it down the ribs until it's all off. On the meaty side, trim any excess fat or any silver skin that might be there.

Rub ribs with a dry rub on both sides. I've let them sit overnight and I've done that right before, I'm sure over night lets it sink in more but life doesn't always give you the call for ribs a day in advance.

Cooking: Put the ribs under the broiler for 15-20 minutes flipping once. You want them to get a little cooked on the outside. My oven is gas and I'm not sure it works as fast as an electric so keep any eye on them... no burning should happen.

I pour maybe 1/3-1/2 cup off bbq sauce and maybe 1/2-1 cup of water in the bottom of slow cooker or crock pot and arrange the ribs where they stand up on the bone end. My crock pot only fits 1 rack so I cut it into 3 pieces. You don't want them soaking in the liquid while cooking, that'll make the meat fall straight off the bone when removing. I've cooked them on low for 6 hours, or 4ish on a combination of high and low, just depends if you're around the house or not.

Finish them: Pull them out of the slow cooker, put them on sheet pan or broiler pan, put a thin layer of bbq sauce on them and put them back under the broiler until the sauce is bubbling a little bit but watch to not burn. I'll start them on meat side down, then flip to bone side down.

Enjoying: For the neat freaks, you should be able to eat these with a fork and knife. For the real deal, get in there with your hands. If you need more bbq sauce, have a little warm sauce nearby for individual bite dipping purposes. If anyone criticizes you on this, just tell them "The ribs told me to do it."

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Impress your friends with these. They will thank you for it.

TUNISIAN MECHOUIA SALAD

Ok, ok. Now I know that you all have been hoping for a traditional Tunisian dish to appear on the LLOR blog. Guess what? It's here!

My friend Aicha was gracious enough not only to send me an authentic Mechouia (pronounced meh-schway-uh) Salad recipe, but to also help me with the French translation. My French just wasn't that expert and if you've ever used dictionary.com's translator, you'll know that it doesn't quite cut it for literal translation.

Mechouia is a grilled salad made with green peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic. It's quite tasty by itself or with a baguette. There are many toppings that you can add to it, but my personal favorite is with nothing additional added. This recipe will give you options of what to put on top of the dish. And the best part, is that you can find all of these ingredients locally and in Tunisia, pretty much year round!

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Tunisian Mechouia Salad

4 green peppers (In the states, a mild green pepper like a poblano would do.)

4 Roma tomatoes

2-4 cloves of garlic (add more or less depending on your love for garlic)

Juice from a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tbsp of olive oil

Optional for toppings: a hard boiled egg, tuna (Tunisians LOVE tuna), capers, black olives

Turn on the oven to 350 degrees. Place the peppers and tomatoes in a shallow baking dish and place in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. 1/2 way through, flip the vegetables and add the garlic. Check the vegetables and if not already, continue in the oven until the skin becomes black and soft.

After the vegetables are done, place them in a bowl with a lid for about 10-15 minutes. This will allow the peppers and tomatoes to cool and make them easier to peel.

Remove peppers and tomatoes and peel the skin as not to remove any of the 'meat'. Remove seeds from peppers.

For the next step, get out either your food processor or a simple knife and fork. When using the food processor, PULSE the peppers, tomatoes and garlic into a nice chunky mixture (much like you would make salsa). You can also simply use a knife and fork to cut everything up and mix together. The KEY here is not to turn it to mush.

Remove from processor and add olive oil, 1TBsp of the lemon juice (fresh is best), and salt and pepper to taste. Finally (optional), place on lettuce and decorate with capers, black olives, tuna, and a hard boiled egg cut into quarters. Serve with baguette or eat plain.

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Thanks to Aicha for submitting this great recipe!

LLOR needs more recipes! Send them to teresaintunisia@gmail.com. We want to know what you're making in your overseas kitchen.

Bring me some Cauliflower Soup

Cauliflower has intimidated me for a long time. In fact, I tried to make some cauliflower mash potatoes one time. You know that recipe. They failed miserably!!! Just about as bad as some artichokes I attempted once (who said those were easy??). Upon reading a purchased Family Circle magazine from DFW Airport, I found this fascinating Cauliflower Soup recipe. Could this be the recipe where I triumph over the vegetable that looks kinda like broccoli, but is never really a substitute on the veggie tray at parties?

A couple of things...this recipe is time intensive and it's good if you have to be at the house for a couple of hours. I found myself finally putting up fall decorations in between steps and working on my Halloween costume. Also, if you've been DYING to break out your emulsion blender that you got for your wedding (yep, random appliance-from-the-back-of-the-cabinet-usage!), this one's for you! Oh, and the best part about this is that you should be able to find everything locally.

Cauliflower Soup
1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
1 large onion, cut into pieces (any color will do as I used the purple ones in season here in Tunisia)
1 or 2 cloves of garlic, sliced into halves (you can use more if you love garlic and might be afraid that Dracula is lurking outside!)
2 TBsp of olive oil
2 cans of chicken broth (I used 2 chicken bouillon cubes to make 3 1/2 -4 cups of stock. This trick works great when you can't get cans of broth)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp of thyme (it calls for fresh, but I dug into my spice drawer for dried)
1 cup of half and half (you can substitute whole, 2%, or skim milk if you are trying to fit into your Marine Ball dress!)
1 tsp of salt (or more for taste)
1/8 tsp of pepper

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place cauliflower florets, onion pieces, and garlic clove halves in a roasting dish. Toss with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes, tossing mixture 1/2 way through. (Work on your Halloween costume during this time :) ).

Take roasted veggies out of oven and add to a large pot on the stove. Add chicken broth and 1 cup of water. Add bay leaf and thyme. Bring to boil. Turn down heat to simmer for 20 minutes.
(Check email and Lunching Ladies Overseas Recipes!).

Remove bay leaf. Take emulsion blender and blend mixture until smooth (either in the pot or a separate bowl). If you don't have one of these, you can transfer small batches to a food processor or blender. Return to the large pot and add half and half, salt and pepper. Heat through and serve warm.

Now, I know this one took a while, but trust me, you never thought cauliflower could taste so good. And it is filling! By the way, if you ARE watching your calories (or points!), the recipe is great if you opt for the whole, 2%, or skim milk. Bon apetite!

A Man's Gotta Eat (Ground Beef Casserole)

While ladies lunching is a delicate thang, I think it's worth addressing the hardier of the gourmands in your house. My husband, who consumes more food than any human I have ever known, once told me that he doesn't really care what he eats, he just needs sheer volume. While I enjoy creating delectable morsels for the family table, I cannot avoid tossing together an old-fashioned 1970s era casserole once or twice a week so the poor man doesn't starve. Toward that end, I offer the A Man's Gotta Eat (Ground Beef Casserole):

Couldn't be simpler and is easy to adapt to any taste palette.

1 pound of ground beef

1 lb. package of pasta (I like rotini)

mix of cream of chicken soup

1 cup (or more depending on your taste) grated cheddar, gruyere or monterey jack cheese

1 diced onion

1 tsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt and pepper

bread crumbs (optional)

Using a hot saute pan, heat the EVOO and add the diced onion. Saute until tender, then add the ground beef, making sure to brown thoroughly. Salt and pepper to season the beef, and when fully browned, drain the fat and return to pan. Cook the pan of pasta, drain and set aside. If you have canned cream of chicken soup (lucky you), things get pretty simple here. If not, like some of us in far away lands, you'll need to mix the soup and water until it boils and thickens. Once the soup is heated, combine the pasta with the ground beef. Toss the mixture with the cream of chicken soup and mix thoroughly. Then toss in as much cheese as you like. Throw on some bread crumbs, bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, and you're done. Couldn't be simpler.

Some other options: Obviously, you can change the flavor of the casserole with the flavor of cream of whatever soup you choose. I find that cream of chicken has a mild flavor, but some folks like cream of mushroom for this, and some like cream of asparagus. By all means, choose what you love. You can up the heat/spice factor by creating a Tex-Mex version of this and throw in some diced chilis and use a chili seasoning as you brown the meat. There are tons of different options. Good comfort food for all.

All hail Caesar Dressing

So I was at my Uncle Jim's house yesterday celebrating his birthday when he said, "Teresa, I want to show you how to make this." He's always been a good cook, but could this be a recipe that I could share on LLOR? Could Lunching Ladies around the world find all of the local ingredients to make Caesar dressing? You bet your pretty anchovy it is!

That's right, all local. Uncle Jim made this in a wooden bowl, but I think a plastic or glass bowl would work too. Oh, and by the way, don't be scared of the ingredients. I think this is the only time I will eat anchovies as they are definitely not on my pizza topping list.


Uncle Jim's Caesar Dressing

1 large garlic clove
salt
1 small/medium anchovy
1 egg
1 TBsp mustard (a brown type works best, but yellow will do if that's all you have)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/3 cup of olive oil (about)
Salt and pepper to taste

Mince the garlic clove and continue chopping until fine. Sprinkle a little salt on the garlic and mash all together with the fork. Take anchovy fillet and mash in the bowl with a fork. Add garlic clove to anchovy in the bowl and mix together. Add egg to bowl and whisk together with the anchovy, salt, and garlic. Continue adding in mustard and lemon juice separately to bowl by whisking in. Finally, stream in olive oil while whisking. Add salt and pepper to taste. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING....taste the dressing. No one taste should be overpowering. Add extra lemon, mustard, or olive oil to your liking. Refrigerate until you add to salad. Do not store for more than a day.

Oh, and I know I mentioned in an earlier post not to divulge your family secrets, but 1. I asked and 2. It was too good not to post! Tres fantastique!

Have your Veggies and Meatballs too!

TV and mags are always telling us to eat more vegetables. If you are like me, you don't get the daily recommended amount. Well, this Veggie Meatball Soup will help you and your family achieve this goal.

The recipe was submitted to me by my gal pal Christine who was in Tunis and is now in Paris (oh-la-la!). The only thing that you may have to buy at the commissary is the meatballs unless of course you are lucky enough to find them locally OR you made extras 2 weeks ago and have them frozen. This is great this time of year when the temps are changing and it's rainy and drizzling outside. It's what I call a smeal, or, a soup meal.

CROCK POT ALERT!!!

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Veggie Meatball Soup

25 frozen cooked meatballs
1 can (28oz/775gm) diced tomatoes (I just bought whole tomatoes and mashed them with a potato masher in the crockpot)
3 cups beef broth
2 cups shredded cabbage (we hate cooked cabbage so we left this out)
1 can (16oz/40gm) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 zucchini, sliced
1 cup green beans
2 carrots sliced
1 cup water
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp minced garlic (I use fresh chopped)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup uncooked elbow macaroni (or whatever shape I can find, spirals or small shells work fine)
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
Grated parmesan cheese (optional)

In a 5 quart crockpot, combine the first 14 ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 5.5 to 6 hours or until veges are almost tender. Stir in macaroni and parsley and cook 30 minutes longer or until macaroni is tender. Serve with parmesan if desired.

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Seriously, this is one of the easiest meals ever. If you have a knack for planning a few hours ahead of time, it may become your go-to, clean-out-the-veggies-in-the-house, Tuesday-night meal. Christine's kids love it and yours will too!

Teeny Tiny Cream Cheese Biscuits

My friend Julie swears these are the best dang little biscuits and are fantastic for wine and cheese parties (hint, hint). However, if you don't have a wine and cheese party to go to, they would probably work for eating with your bon-bons and watching Oprah. The best part about the recipe is that you should be able to find everything locally.

This recipe is for my buddy Nana who is the Queen of the mini muffin pans. All hail foods that can be baked in these!!
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Tiny Cream Cheese Biscuits

8 oz cream cheese, softened (in Tunisia, I would use 13 of the individually wrapped cream cheese squares unless I was lucky enough to find the tub of Presidente cheese)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup of self-rising flour (if you can't find this at the commissary or local market, substitute 1 cup flour, 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder, and 1/2 tsp salt)

Beat cream cheese and butter at a medium speed with an electric mixer for 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add flour, beating slowly until blended. Try not to eat all of the dough :). Spoon dough into an ungreased mini muffin pan, filling each cup. Bake at 400 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until golden. Serve warm; refrigerate leftovers. You could also do drop biscuits if you do not have a mini muffin pan.

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Now, you know you are running to the fridge to get your butter and cream cheese out to soften!

LLOR needs more recipes that you are making in your kitchen. Please send to teresaintunisia@gmail.com . Now, we aren't asking for your grandma's secret recipe. Just something that you wanna share with the other Lunching Ladies!

Are you ready for some Football Chili?!?

To all you football widows out there, this recipe is for you! It will get your hubby and his friends away from the flat screen on Sundays and into the kitchen to dig in. You can double for more people and add your own flair, but this is the basic recipe. Most ingredients you'll be able to find locally and put your crock-pot to use (bonus appliance use!!). And in my house, crock pot= fall=football season. You do the math.

This recipe is dedicated to my friend Tracy who hates to measure stuff.

Crock Pot Football Chili

1 regular package of ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 onion (red, yellow or white), diced
1 or 2 bell peppers, diced (I like red, though green are readily available in Tunisia)
Garlic cloves, minced (1 or 2 will do)
1 packet of Chili seasoning (Sorry, this is something you may have to get at the commissary or on Netgrocer. You can also use taco seasoning).
1 big a** can of diced tomatoes
1 normal can of kidney beans
1 regular can of pinto beans
Optional: jalapeno peppers, red chili flakes (If you like your chili hot, use 'em!)

Cook veges in pan for about 5 minutes or until soft. Add ground beef to pan and cook until brown. Mix seasonings and stir. Dump the mixture into the crock pot. Add diced tomatoes and beans to mixture and set on high for 1-2 hours or until heated throughout. Serve plain or with cheddar cheese, Frito's, tortilla chips, saltine crackers, or sour cream.

I love the beans in this recipe, but you can leave them out if you don't. Also, if you can't get your hands on onions or peppers, that's ok too. The seasoning packet usually has dried onions in it. When you use both the beans and the veges, the recipe is super hearty.

You will love this site!

No, they are not paying me for the endorsement of their website, but I absolutely love http://www.allrecipes.com/ . I've posted a helpful link on the sidebar from their site that you can use to find substitutions for baking and cooking. Remember it, use it, love it.

Also, be sure to check out their 'Ingredients' tab at the top. It's great when you have 3 items and want to make a really fab dish, but don't have a clue on what to do! Type in your ingredients and a list of suggested recipes will pop up. It's my little secret weapon for making new dishes. Shhh, tell your friends!

Who you calling Chicken?

In Tunisia, chicken is a major staple in our house. It's consistently good with the exception of small bone left in the boneless breasts every once in a while. Cyd, a fellow Lunching Lady, in Romania submitted this easy-as-pie chicken recipe that may become a new fave fall dish in your house.

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Chicken and Veges

You will need 4 bone in chicken breasts.

Go to the local market and pick up any local vegetable that is in season. For example....I use potato, cauliflower, red onions, carrots. You can also use squash, zucchini, mushrooms. Basically, anything you like in any combination.

Cut up your veges and mash 6 cloves of garlic. Place in baking dish. Coat with olive oil, sea salt, and cracked black pepper. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for about 15 minutes or until your veges are soft.

Salt and pepper your chicken breasts or with any seasoning of your choice. Place chicken on top of the partially cooked veges and bake for 35 minutes or until the chicken is done. The veges cook in the juices of the chicken and caramelizes a bit. It is yummy!!

Serve and enjoy!!

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Thanks to Cyd for this great recipe. As the fall is now officially here, I suspect you'll want to try this one out on hubby and fam. The recipe would be great for entertaining or when your friends/family come to town.

Cloudy with a Chance of BBQ Meatballs

This next recipe comes from my friend Julie who is currently back in the states for a tour. She definitely remembers the trials and tribulations of cooking in Tunis! No BBQ sauce, no problem!!!

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BBQ Meatballs

1 lb. ground beef
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (These can easily be made if you don't have them. Think day old baguette or bread!)
2 Tbsp fresh parsley (or 1 Tbsp dried)
1/4 cup of milk

Combine meatball ingredients and mix well. Roll into balls and bake on foil lined baking sheet for 25-30 minutes at 375 degrees. Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a sauce pan:

1 cup water
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp mustard
1/3 cup brown sugar (you can substitute honey as brown sugar is not available locally in some locales)
Tabasco/hot sauce to taste (you can substitute a little harissa if you want)
Worcestershire sauce (good, but not necessary)

Bring to a simmer for 15 minutes. Add cooked meatballs and simmer for 30 minutes.

This recipe is easy to double, triple or quadruple for parties. It can be made ahead and reheated in a crockpot. The longer the meatballs are in the sauce, the better they taste.

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Thanks Julie for submitting to LLOR. This sounds like an excellent bunco or party recipe, though meatball-lovin'-hubbies around the globe would certainly enjoy for an ordinary Wednesday night.

Keep those recipes coming to my email address! New recipes will be coming to LLOR soon. Stay tuned!

Can I interest you in a Waffle?

You all know you have one. That waffle maker that you registered for. The waffle maker your Aunt Eunice bought for your wedding day. The waffle maker that you pledged you make fresh waffles for your new husband every Saturday or Sunday morning. It's now the waffle maker that sits in the back of your kitchen cabinet collecting dust along with the other miscellaneous appliance that you thought you couldn't live without while registering at Macy's. Mine is the stick blender which I keep toting from place to place as I've convinced myself that I might need it to make soup some day. ANYWAYS.....

I have an easy waffle batter that everyone in your house will enjoy. Granted, it's not as easy as L'eggo my Eggo, but when you are limited like I am, you'll be be happy that you mixed up the weekend breakfast routine. And, your waffle iron will thank you.

This recipe is partly from my standard red Betty Crocker cookbook and partially from my own need to incorporate cinnamon where I can in my day. Oh, and if you need to purchase one cookbook, buy this one!!! It was invaluable to me when I first started cooking here in Tunisia.

Weekend Waffles
2 large eggs
2 cups of flour (you can use all purpose or whole wheat here)
1 and 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil (OK, I never said these were healthy waffles. I have subbed in melted butter or margarine. Use the lesser fat/cholesterol variety if you want.)
1 Tbsp granulated or brown sugar (Brown sugar is nill here on the local market and I do buy mine at the commissary or through Netgrocer. Granulated sugar works just fine.)
4 tsps of baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 shake or 2 of cinnamon (You could also use nutmeg here)


1. Fire up the waffle iron.
***Tip: Before heating up the iron, place a towel or paper towel underneath for any excess batter drippings. Cleanup is a breeze!***
2. Beat eggs in a large bowl with whisk until fluffy. Beat in remaining ingredients.
3. Pour 2/3 cup of batter onto the heated waffle iron or the recommended amount for your waffle iron. I've found that this might be a trial and error sort of thing.
4. Close lid of waffle iron and bake for 5 minutes OR recommended time. My waffle iron has a red light/green light function which is nice.

Serve immediately with butter and syrup, fresh fruit, peanut butter, or Nutella. Yes, they have Nutella here at the local market.

These waffles freeze extremely well and can be toasted straight from the freezer later in the week. To freeze, leave waffles out on a cookie cooling rack for a couple of hours. Place in freezer tight bags and flat in freezer.

Voila! Now you have no excuse to have cereal on Saturday morning.

Thumbprint Cookies

As I spread some raspberry jam on my toast last week, I wondered what else I could make with this jar of berry goodness. I took to one of my cook books for an answer to the burning question of the day. Thumb print cookies. These have to be the abosolute EASIEST cookies I have ever made and didn't require more than 6 ingredients. Again, everything I found here locally with the exception of the extract.

1 stick butter
2-3 Tbsp of sugar + a little for sprinklin'
1 cup + 2 Tbsp of flour
1 tsp of almond extract (you can also use vanilla extract, bringing us back to the whole vanilla extract debate)
Dash of salt
Raspberry or other jam (I personally LUV raspberry, but think that strawberry, apricot or cherry would do. all of those being found here in ol' Tunisia!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soften butter in a large mixing bowl. I like to microwave in stints of 10 seconds to do this. It's a lot speedier than having to remember to put it on the counter for an hour or so. Mix in 2-3 Tbsp of sugar and cream butter and sugar together until fluffy. Next, stir in flour, almond extract and a dash of salt until you form a dough. The dough will resemble short bread dough.

Now is the time to work fast. Roll small amount of dough into 1 inch balls. Be sure not to handle the dough too much as it could practically melt from the amount of butter that's in these bad boys. Place on cookie sheet and press down with thumb/knuckle to form a sort of basin in the middle of the cookie for the jam. Repeat with remainder of dough.

Take a little jam from the jar and place in the basin you've created in each cookie. Some people like to throw a sprinkle of chopped pecans (is that pee-cans or peh-kahns?) on the jam. I personally don't since hubby won't eat them. Place jammed up cookies in your preheated oven and bake for 15-20 min until the bottoms are golden brown.

Pull cookies out and sprinkle a little sugar ("Pour Some Sugar On....."). This will help keep the jam in place when you store the cookies. Let cool on the pan for about 5 minutes before eating.

I recommend these for bunko nights, afternoon snacks/tea, or just when you need a little sweet in during the day.

Enchilada-rama Casserole

My friend, Julie, lives in Paris and is a true Texas girl like myself (hey y'all!). This recipe is from her and how she gets her TexMex fix.

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I can so sympathize with not being able to find even basic ingredients. Just last week, I was trying to buy an onion in Carrefour and I could NOT even find an onion! And the market just outside had closed so NO ONION! What!?! I live in one of the largest cities in the world and could not buy a basic food product. Anyway, the onion ended up not being necessary for the recipe I am sending you below. I am on week # 2 sans Fajitas b/c the owners closed down for the August Holidays so I had to do SOMETHING to get my Mexican food fix. Anyhoo, here is my favorite recipe in the world although I think I am a major cheater b/c most of it comes from imported food!

Enchilada Casserole

1.5 lbs hamburger meat - cow meat...not chavel
1 onion - IF you can find one that day..if not, use dried onion flakes or leeks or green onion
1 bell pepper
1 can creme of chicken soup (imported from the United States or bought at the embassy shop)
1 can creme of mushroom soup (see above)
1 can Rotel - let's face it...there are no real substitutes for this staple..you need to import OR MAYBE a plain ol can of crushed tomatoes will suffice
1 dozen corn tortillas - yeah right..I import mine but you can probably buy yucky corn tortilla chips (El Paso or some other brand) to use instead
Cheese - Preferably some sort of Mexican cheese but get real - You will be lucky to find something that isn't sour or white looking. You need an orange or yellow cheese.. If you have connections (and lets face it, you Embassy girls can at least shop at the little store y'all have there w/ the American products) and can get your hands on some velveeta, you are set..that stuff won't go bad for anything and can be used sparingly to last you a long time. I have my cheese imported from America
1/4 cup of milk or water

Brown the meat and then add your diced bell pepper and onion. Stir in some shakes of cumin and salt and pepper...I can find Cumin here so surely you can find it anywhere. Add garlic to taste. Then add your soups and the can of rotel and milk or water if needed....stir all that together and let simmer in the skillet until it's all mixed. Cut up your corn tortillas into strips and then half those into smaller bite sized pieces. If you just have chips..use those. Put into a 9X13 pan and pour your mixture on top of it. Stir around so that the tortillas or chips are mixed in. Cover with foil and put in the oven at 350 F for about 35 - 40 min. Take out and add your cheese to the top and stick back in the oven uncovered for no longer than the time it takes to melt the cheese. VOILA! Mexican food in Paris or Tunis!

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Curried Chicken Salad

No leisurely lunch menu is complete without at least one chicken salad recipe. It's a versatile medium--start with good quality white chicken meat and add in what you like. I've chosen to post this curried version, which is my husband and sister's favorite. You can tweak the spicy factor to your liking and play around with different textures that appeal to you. Here's the basic template:

1 lb. chicken breasts, skin and bone still intact

1 cup mayonnaise

1-2 tbls. curry powder (depending on how much spice you prefer)

1/2 cup apples, diced

1/4 raisins

2 celery stalks, diced

salt to taste

**If you prefer a low-fat option, you can substitute plain yoghurt for the mayo. If you'd like to increase the zing, try adding a tablespoon or two of sour cream.

Wash the chicken breasts and place in medium saucepan. Cover chicken breasts with water, salt, and cover with lid. When water starts to boil, lower the heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. Using a knife, cut into the chicken to check to see if it is white throughout. Poaching the chicken slowly is important, as you want the meat to be tender. It's worth cooking it more slowly than continuing to boil at a high temperature, as the slower the poaching, the more tender the chicken. When the chicken is thoroughly cooked, remove from the water and place on a cutting board. Remove the skin and discard. Separate the chicken meat from the bones and discard the bones. Using two forks, pull apart the meat so as to shred it. Once fully shredded, place the chicken in a medium-sized bowl.

The meat should be cooled before continuing with the recipe. You can let it rest a bit before continuing, as you don't want the heat of the chicken meat to do funky things to the mayo. Once at room temperature, add one cup of mayonnaise to the shredded chicken. Use your fork to whisk in the mayo, adding more mayo if you prefer moister chicken salad. Once the mayo and chicken are mixed, add the tablespoons of curry powder. As you start to mix in the curry, the salad should take on a yellowish hue, which darkens with the more powder you add. At this point, toss in the apples, celery and raisins. You may also want to add a dash of salt for extra flavor.

I love this salad on home-made raisin bread, but any bread works just as well. This is also especially tasty served in a melon half. A light and fruity lunch alternative to the basic sandwich. Bon Ap!

Going Bananas Bread

So you bought bananas last weekend and no one in the house has touched them. While your valiant effort for your family to eat healthy was a bust, your bananas don't have to be. Some of you may know this trick for using up brown 'nanas. It's personally one of my favorites and makes a great quicky b-fast for your hubby.

Speaking of hubbies, I made banana bread for mine on our first date 14 years ago. That batch was so undercooked, it's a miracle he kept dating me! This recipe is my redemption for that underbaked loaf and has only failed 1X which I will explain later.

I have been able to find most of the ingredients locally with the exception of the vanilla. In Tunis, I have been told of vanilla powder but have not been brave enough to try it. You might want to check out http://www.joyofbaking.com/Vanilla.html for additional information.

1 stick margarine/butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
4 small bananas, mashed (I have used fewer and the recipe turns out fine)
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup sour cream (For those of you w/o sour cream, you can try a thick natural greek yogurt or even a creme fresh for this. I have also used a product called raieb which is usually substitued in other recipes for buttermilk.)

Cream margarine/butter with sugar. Add eggs and bananas, mixing well. Add dry ingredients, then sour cream and vanilla. Pour into greased/floured large loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Bread is ready when inserted knife comes out clean. Let rest in pan for 10 minutes.

The first time I made this recipe here, the bread came out so flat. I would recommend using a little more baking soda if this happens to you, even if it's just a 1/2 to 1 tsp more. It could make all the difference.

Enjoy and if you have any info on the vanilla powder vs extract, please send a comment!

Welcome!

Hello and welcome to Lunching Ladies Overseas Recipes! This is the official kickoff of the blog and we are excited that you could stop by. Myself and my friend Erin are two ladies who are living overseas currently and we face daily challenges, mishaps, and absolute successes with recipes just like you. The catch, though, is that we don't live in the good ol' US of A and some items we aren't able to find due to location or season. Erin's and my goal will be to share recipes with you and also to share some of our fellow overseas 'lunching ladies' ideas as well. Enjoy and bon apetite!