HURMALI & FINDIKLI & ÇİKOLATALI KEK

 DATE & HAZELNUT & CHOCOLATE CHIPS MUFFINS


Makes 16 muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup of chopped hazelnut
• 1 cup of chopped date
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips
  
• 1/2 cup of plain yogurt
• 1/2 cup of vegetable oil
• 1+1/2 cup all purpose flour
  
• 1 cups of granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp of  cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• 1/2 tsp of vanilla sugar
  

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Sift flour, cocoa powder, vanilla sugar, and baking soda together in a bowl.
Whisk eggs and sugar in another large mixing bowl until it gets creamy. Gradually add yogurt, vegetable oil whisking consistently.
Add sifted flour, cocoa powder,vanilla sugar, and baking soda to the bowl and whisk  thoroughly. Add date, hazelnut and chocolate chips to the bowl and stir.
Pour 2 tbsp of mixture into muffin cups and bake approximately 30 minutes. Check the cake by inserting a toothpick into the center. The toothpick will come out clean when the cake is done.

TUZLU SİMİT

SESAME RINGS

Ingredients:

• 1 stick butter ( in room temperature )
  
• 1/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup of plain yogurt
• 1 tsp of vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp of salt
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda
• all purpose flour
  

topping:

• 1 egg white
• 2 cups of sesame seeds

Take butter, yogurt, vegetable oil, egg yolk, and vinegar in a large mixing bowl and whisk it well. Add baking soda, salt. Add flour slowly (to make very soft dough ) and start to knead.
Stop adding flour when you reach soft consistency.
Preheat the oven 350F. Place a parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Take small parts ( about the size of a half walnut ) from the dough and give them the shape of ring (about 2 inch diameter).
Take the egg white and sesame seeds in a separate bowls.
Dip the rings first into egg white and then dip them into sesame seeds.
Place the rings on the baking sheet.
Bake them until the rings are just golden brown.

KIYMALI MAKARNA

PENNE WITH GROUND BEEF & TOMATO SAUCE

• 1 lb penne
• 1/2 lb of ground beef
• 1 large onion ( chopped )
  
• 1 green fresh pepper ( chopped )
  
• 2 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tbsp of red pepper paste
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
• 1/3 tsp of black pepper
• salt

Garlic yogurt

• 1 cup of plain yogurt
• 2 cloves of garlic ( minced )
  
• salt
  

Cook Penne according to package directions.

In a medium skillet, take ground beef with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat. When the beef is cooked, add chopped onion and chopped green pepper into the skillet and cook them together for 5 minutes. Add tomato and pepper paste to the skillet and stir. Cook them all together for 10 minutes over medium heat. Turn the heat off and add black pepper and salt.
Add this sauce to the penne and toss gently.
In a large bowl; take yogurt, garlic and salt. Whisk until it is smooth.
Serve warm with garlic yogurt on top.

PİRİNÇ ÇORBASI

RICE SOUP

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size of onion ( chopped)
  
• 1 green pepper ( chopped )
• 1 large size of tomato ( grated )
  
• 2 tbsp of olive oil
  
• 1/2 cup of rice
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tsp of red pepper paste
  
• 5 cups of boiling water
• 2-3 tbsp of chopped parsley
  
• 1/3 tsp of ground red pepper
• a pinch of ground thyme
  
• salt

Take 2 tbsp of olive oil, chopped onion and pepper in a medium pot over medium heat. Saute it until onion is tender. Add grated tomato and tomato paste to the pot and stir for 5 minutes. Add boiling water, rice, ground red pepper and stir. Bring it to the boil and turn the heat down to low.Cook for another 25 minutes.Turn the heat off, add salt and stir.
Serve warm with chopped parsley on top.

ALİ NAZİK

GRILLED EGGPLANT WITH GROUND BEEF & YOGURT

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 2 eggplants
• 2 tbsp of vegetable oil
  
• 1 onion ( chopped )
  
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1 cup of plain yogurt
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced )
• 1/4 bunch of parsley ( chopped )
  
• black pepper, salt

Garlic yogurt:

• 1 cup of plain yogurt
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced )
• salt
  

Pierce the eggplants with a fork . Grill the eggplants until they are soft.Take them out from the oven and let it cool. Peal the crust of eggplants and take the eggplants in a strainer and wait for 20 minutes to let the liquid out.
Chop eggplants finely.
In a medium skillet, take ground beef with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat. When the beef is cooked, add chopped onion into the skillet and cook them together for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off and add black pepper and salt.
In a large bowl; take yogurt, garlic and salt. Whisk until it is smooth.
Place eggplants on a serving dish then add cooked ground meat on top of eggplant and finally place the garlic yogurt on top. Decorate it with chopped parsley.

ELMALI BAKLAVA

BAKLAVA WITH APPLE FILLING

I use the same way as regular baklava to make this "unusual baklava." It was just my curiosity but it turned out very well. I used the filling of these cookies except the 1 cup of granulated sugar instead of walnut.
It might give you some other ideas...