Greek Beefteki (meatball/burger patty) for Christmas

Xmas beeftekia

normal beefteki served with buttery rice and veggies

beefteki served with french fries

This food was the first time I eat it at my parents in law house, at lunch.

I like it, it’s really nice. Some people make it like meat ball can be fried or boil it with tomato soup or just make it as burger; baked or grilled. Here in Greece, they always serve it with potato and lemon; most people here eat everything with lemon; meat, veggies or even soup. It’s also good though for health and rich vitamin C.

I will show you the normal beefteki but also I will show you how to make it for Christmas theme too. Well my husband always surprise with the way I serve food and this time when I make it in Christmas three, snowman and stars shape using shaping for cookies.

It’s just crazy and creative thinking of mine that sometimes I put it on food, you know designer. Ok stop the chase, here are the ingredients so you can try it yourself for your families.

Ingredients:

300 grams beef and minced from butcher

1 pieces big bread or just uses the left over bread 1.5 – 2 times the meat

1 teaspoon Olive oil

1 teaspoon oregano

1-2 teaspoon Salt & pepper (as you like)

Celery (as you like)

1-2 pieces eggs

1 pieces Green Pepper (as your prefer)

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 sprig parsley, finely chopped

1 pieces lemon

the bread soak and squezzed

minced ground beef

Celery and Parsley

Preparations:

Cut the bread into small pieces and soak into water until it soft and moisture after squeezed until dry for mixed ( the bread need to be really dry if you like the patty more crispy and dry then moisture inside). Mixed it all together with your hands until well mix, after start to shape it rounded like normal burger or using shaping cookies to shape it as Christmas three, stars etc. then ready for baked, grilled or fried. For baked, put at the oven around 180-200C for about 45 minutes- 1hour until it brown, the same with grilled then served it with French fries, salads or buttery rice don’t forget the lemon juice.

before and after xmas beeftekia

Have a nice time to try this, and don’t forget to live a comment after. GBU

Baked Chicken Mozzarella

If you a working mom or wife, a busy person, don't have much time to cook, but love to eat homemade fresh meal, I think this is the right meal for you A quick and delicious chicken recipe, with boneless chicken breasts and cheese. The flavor from the wine adds extra flavor. baked with mushrooms, sliced tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese. oh..heaven!

Ingredients:

1. 4 Boneless skinless Chicken breast, cut in half then pound until evenly thinned out.
2. Garlic powder salt and pepper.
3. 2 Tbsp butter
4. 1 Tbsp Olive oil
5. 8-10 fresh sliced mushroom
6. 2 Tbsp marsala wine or white wine
7. 2 tomatoes, slice
8. sliced mozzarella cheese

• Sprinkle pounded chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder, using frying pan or skillet, heat 1 tbsp butter and olive oil, Add chicken, cook in medium heat for 3-4 minutes each side. Place chicken into baking dish/Pyrex side by side, set aside.
• Place skillet back into medium heat, add 1 tbsp butter, wine and mushroom, saute the mushroom until tender or soft, pour mushroom marsala sauce into chicken, top with sliced tomatoes, then cheese. Bake at 325°/165°C for 25 minutes. Voila.

My favorite Freddito or Freddoccino

After posted many food's recipes, i want to share one of my favorite drinks. A mixture of ice coffee .
Here in Greece we called it Freddocino or Freddito. Thanks to a bartender at Athena that showed me how to made a nice one without the professional machines, only with blender or food processor that strong enough to crush ice cube.

Ingredients:
- 3 spoons of chocolate's drink powder or pure cacao /choco powder; if pure cacao powder need to add sugar. *As for me i don't like sweet so much, then 1 or max 2 teaspoons sugar was enough.

This measurement equal with 3 tea spoon

- Instant espresso or similar like this, just add 1 teaspoon or at Indonesia maybe can use the classic Nescafe. But if you are a Coffee Fans then better used a cup of fresh brewed espresso.

- ice cube, from frozen milk or just normal water;
For a better result, prefer frozen milk like this; this enough for 1 time serving, if reverses; the milk will be 1 small cup or less and the ice cube around 8-10 pieces normal ice cube.

frozen milk, the idea is froze the almost expire milk

First use the 1st speed to mix all together until the ice crushed and the color become light brown /chocolates milk's color then put the 2nd speed for few seconds.

until all blend together like this picture;

serves like this with or without cherry, or maybe you can add sprinkles chocolates...
Then it ready to serve.

CROQUETTE STUFFED WITH CHICKEN AND VEGGIES

a bites after all fried well...

When I tried to make this, actually I was thinking about how to make potato balls or croquettes without eggs but still crispy for the ‘vegetarian’ meals the Orthodox fasting.

This is the first time I try to make this food but I remember some how from my childhood memories, when I was helping my mother to make these for her ‘arisan’(Indonesian word for gathering and had some play with money) or when she throw a gathering with families or church friends.

My mom’ knows I like it very much but she didn’t like very much in making that because too many things to do and finish fast.

Before making this, I was eating some croquettes at Greek tavern (=restaurant) as appetizers but it was stuffing with cheese; its surprise me at first, never eat croquette like that, nice but my husband will not eat it when the cheese inside is feta (=Greek cheese). My husband is really Greek’s guy but hate feta cheese but his lucky, I don’t like it either.

Ok, I make some pictures to make all the beginners like me really easy to following this recipe.

Here are the ingredients:

4-6 pieces medium potatoes (remove the skin)

2 pieces white eggs

2 pieces carrots small (chop into small pieces)

½ piece chicken breast filled (non fat)

1 table spoon butter (as needed)

2 table spoon Soy sauce (as needed)

1 pieces garlic chop and smash

Salt & pepper

Black pepper

Bread crumbs as need it

Corn oil for fried

Water

All purpose flour

Preparations:

First boil or steam the potato until soft for around 30 minutes, just cut into small pieces so it soft faster after smash it well until really crush so you can make the potato balls nice an smooth, for this I ask my husband help. While you smash it don’t forget to as a pinch of salt and pepper if you like salty, if not no need.

Chop the carrots, for nice and soft result; just boil together with the potato but for me not.

Boil also the chicken breast before you chop it

 

For the stuffing:

In small pan with medium heat, melt butter with a little corn or olive oil then put the garlic chop and stir it until slightly brown then pour the chop carrots and chicken and stir fry it with the garlic; mix it well ad pinch salt and black pepper as you like, add the Soy sauce then stir it until mix all together well.

The croquettes:

After the smash potato and stuffing ready, start to make the potato balls using your hands, use some of olive or corn oil a little at your hands before you make the balls.

As you can see at below pictures;

 

After all ready and cover with bread crumbs then heat the corn oil with the pan for fries;

 

just remember the oil must be over the croquettes to make the brown color well, not like me, I didn’t put enough oil so when I turned it still have white lines there. 

For the vegetarian the white eggs you can replace it with all purpose flour and water; mixed it well and not so liquid, after you can cover it with bread crumbs before fried so it will as crispy as with the white eggs.for the stuffing also don't use butter or chicken; just chop mix veggies as you like; carrots, green onions etc and mixed it like salad; with olive oil and salt.

Have a nice time to try this, and don’t forget to live a comment after. GBU

Basic BROWNIES

I like very much brownies, before I was living in Indonesia at city called Bandung where brownies became famous and invited people all over the cities to come and visited just to buy the brownies. I didn’t know who was the first one Amanda’s or Kartika Sari or others but there are baked and steam brownies; I like both of them but in steam the chocolates more tasty.

I tried to make my first brownies with this recipe from  http://www.brownierecipes.net/

Ingredients:

¼ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder.

½ cup of sifted unbleached flour.

2 ½ tablespoons of softened margarine.

1 ½ tablespoons of chopped walnuts.

½ cup of sugar.

1 egg.

Preparation:

Preheat oven on a high setting.

Lightly grease a 3 ½ x 7 ½ inch baking tray.

Cream the margarine and sugar in a large bowl.

Mix in the cocoa powder, then add the egg and whip the mixture for about 1-2 minutes, until smooth and all

The cocoa powder has been combined.

Sift the flour and add to the mixture, stir in the nuts.

Evenly spread the batter into the tin and bake for 18-20 minutes or until a cake tester comes out slightly moist.

Cool the brownie and then cut into 10 squares.

The taste was nice but it’s become too thin and crispy; as you can see at the above picture. Also I don’t understand about the cup measurement and I replaced the walnut with corn flakes. It was failed I don’t understand why but the taste was nice so even though it didn’t looks like brownies; very thin and crispy but we eat it all.

After my first brownies failed I was searching for another recipe and found many but I only test the basic brownies first from COOKS.COM 6 months ago, here are the ingredients:

□ 2 cups sugar

□ 1 1/2 cups sifted flour

□ 1 cup butter

□ 2-3 squares unsweetened chocolate

□ 4 eggs, slightly beaten

□ 1 tsp. baking powder

□ 2 tsp. vanilla

□ 1 cup chopped nuts

□ 1/2 tsp. espresso powder (optional)

Melt butter and chocolate over low heat. Add sugar and eggs. Mix. Sift

Flour and baking powder and stir in.

Stir in vanilla and nuts.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven in a greased and floured 13x9x2-inch

pan for 35-40 minutes (or until done).

At first time testing this recipe I didn’t found unsweetened chocolates with bars so I use cacao instead and make it around ½ cup without walnuts because I’ve been searching almost in every supermarket that my husband and I shop but didn’t found it so without walnut my second brownies and also forgot to searching for vanilla. 

It’s nice but didn’t taste like brownies, it more like simple chocolate cake and it’s finish slow, at first we eat some fresh from oven and it’s taste nice but after cold my husband and I didn’t like it very much so he brings to his office and every time we drink tea or coffee I serve with that finally finished after 2 weeks and sometimes warm a little at oven.

After that I’m still curious to test this recipe then I found chocolates bars for cooking, chocolates chips, chop walnuts and sesame seeds. The 3^rd was went out too sweet  but it’s taste like brownies I forgot to reduce the sugar because the chocolate bars already have 25% sugar. The 4^th with walnut because I test after I found the walnut at Carrefour marinopoulos this also better but I forgot to reduce the sugar again and its still a little bit sweet even though I add more chocolate and cacao.

Finally at the 5^th or 6^th I don’t remember exactly but I tried many times this and the last time that was great when 1/3 pack of walnut left. So I was finishing the walnut also bake into 3 pieces 10X15X 4 cm container because I’m thinking to share it with my parents & sister in law and because I don’t want my husband and I eat it all we already need diet but I’m still curious to make the nice brownies.

I change the recipe a little bit, to fit my situations here. These are the ingredients:

□ 1 1/2 cups = 150 gr sugar

□ 1 1/2 cups = 150 gr sifted flour (a little more for the container)

□ 1 cup = 75-100 gr butter (a little more for the container)

□ 3-5 squares unsweetened chocolate (= 75 -125 gr) 1 square is 25 gr

□ 4 eggs, slightly beaten

□ 1 tea spoon baking powder

□ 2 tea spoons vanilla (2 packs if the vanillas like mine)

□ 1 cup chopped walnuts (as you like)

□ 1 table spoon sesame seeds (optional)

□ 2 table spoon chocolate chips (as you like) or chop chocolate bars

□ 3 pieces 10X15X 4 cm container

Preparations:

1. Before you start mixing, just brush the container first with butter and after with flour, because when you’re cooking alone if not do this at first, you will forget it.

2. After mix eggs along with sugar put it at the 1^st speed until it almost white color, while you melting the chocolate and butter.

3. When the eggs and sugar already mixed well pour the vanilla and baking powder

4. After few second slightly with the spoon pouring the flour until finish all and mixed well

5. The last but not least the melted butter and chocolate mixed with all the batter untul well mix, you can use the mixer or with spatula it’s fine.

6. After the batter ready you can mix a little walnut or chocolate chips with spatula or a little sesame seed at the top.

Final brownies

Fresh from oven always taste nice

The 3 containers; for my husband and I we mixed all inside the batter, walnuts, chocolate chips and bars and some sesame at the top of it. For my parents in law also the same except for my sister in law she allergic to nuts so I just mixed it with chocolates.

After the cake ready my husband didn’t want to share with his family, he wants to keep it all for us at home. But I told him if we keep it we will be fat and he agreed to bring it to his family and the cakes finish in 1 day, 2/3 after ready and fresh from oven later at dinner we finish it as desert.

The happiness in cooking when it turns out well and the person who we cooked for likes it very much. Just don’t too much stuck at the recipes, play with it as your family likes it then you will be a good chef for your family.

Have a nice time testing this recipe; don’t forget to drop a comment after. GBU

serve with tea