Sunday, August 30, 2009

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.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

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.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

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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Saturday, August 22, 2009

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!

Friday, August 21, 2009

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!