Saturday, June 18, 2011

Week in Murphy


After a week visit in Murphy the Girls learned a thing or two about fashion from their Gandfather and took it back to Raleigh to share with their Dad.

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Spicy Chickpea Recipe

 We used Grandma's masher again tonight, this time in a spicy dish made with chick peas.  It worked like a dream. 

Here is the recipe:
Spiced Chickpeas on Nan With Cucumber Yogurt
The Washington Post, April 13, 2011

You could roll up this pantry-quick filling in a burrito, but we like it plopped in the center of warm nan or flatbread, topped with the cool yogurt sauce and a drizzle of olive oil.
If you're not a bell pepper fan, substitute thinly sliced carrot sticks or shreds from the grocery store salad bar.
Serve with a crunchy carrot-daikon or jicama slaw.  4 servings

Ingredients:
    * • 2 medium cloves garlic
    * • Kosher salt
    * • 1 medium red onion
    * • 1 small red, yellow or orange bell pepper (may substitute 1 cup thinly sliced or shredded carrot sticks from a grocery store salad bar)
    * • Leaves from 8 stems cilantro
    * • Two 15-ounce cans no-salt-added chickpeas
    * • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
    * • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
    * • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
    * • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    * • 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
    * • Water
    * • 4 store-bought nan or flatbread (may substitute your favorite burrito wraps)
    * • Freshly ground black pepper
    * • 1/2 seedless (English) cucumber
    * • 7 ounces plain low-fat or nonfat Greek-style yogurt

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have a large baking sheet at hand.
Mince the garlic with a pinch of salt; use the flat blade of a chef’s knife to work the garlic so it softens and breaks down. Cut the onion in half, then into very thin half-moons. Stem and de-rib the bell pepper, then cut the flesh into very thin slices. Finely chop the cilantro. Drain the chickpeas to yield about 4 cups.  Heat the oil in a large skillet, preferably nonstick or well-seasoned cast-iron, over medium heat until the oil shimmers. Add the garlic, coriander and cumin; cook for 3 minutes, stirring, until the garlic is fragrant. Stir in the chickpeas, crushed red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon of the paprika; cook for 8 minutes, stirring, until the chickpeas are coated and heated through. Drizzle lightly with oil (up to 1 tablespoon), then use a potato masher  (Thanks Grandma!) to mash about half of the spiced chickpeas so the mixture is nubbly and thickened. Stir in up to 1/4 cup water to make the mixture creamy.  Meanwhile, place the nan on the baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with the oil.
Warm them in the oven while the remaining vegetables cook; they will turn lightly golden.  Use a spatula to shove the chickpea mixture to the edges of the skillet. Add the onion and bell pepper; cook for 3 or 4 minutes, until the onion has softened and the bell pepper is crisp-tender. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in most of the cilantro and remove from the heat.  Peel the cucumber half, if desired, then grate it on the large holes of a box grater to yield a scant 1 cup; place in a medium bowl, along with the yogurt and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of paprika. Stir to form a thick sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Place a warm nan on each plate. Spoon equal amounts of the chickpea mixture on each one, then top with some of the cucumber yogurt. If desired, drizzle each portion with a little oil. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro. Serve warm
Hope you try it and enjoy!  Love, Anna

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Napa






Rex and flew to CA last week for a mini-vacation.  We stayed in San Fran with one of his friends from college then we drove out to Napa for 2 days.  We had wonderful meals, tasted some great wines and just enjoyed the scenery!  Great way to start the summer.  Love to you, Anna

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Mom/Grandma's Shamrock plant

I brought both of Mom's shamrock plants home & combined them into 1 pot (the red was from the other pot). For a while it was touch & go - they weren't doing too well here. But then, recently - (with some fertilizer!), they have begun to flourish!