welcome!

February 29th, 2012 | Posted by admin in UPDATES - (0 Comments)

Food is my passion.  My best memories are always centered around a table filled with family and friends enjoying a good meal and great times.  I have been a “sous” chef for my grandma, my mother, as well as my dad, and sister.  I have a wonderful group of friends who are amazing cooks that inspire me to try new things and venture out of my comfort zone.  I have recently started to cook for a client weekly and also for special dinner parties.  Cooking healthy and new interesting dishes on a weekly basis is what brought me to the conclusion I need to keep a diary, a book… a list at least of my best successes in the kitchen. Sometimes I am using my go to cookbooks or my favorite cooking magazines. I am usually changing things up or combining a couple of recipes that seem to suit my client. Other times I am lucky to have some family recipes and friends who love to share their food ideas.  My goal is to be a source of information including easy recipes, mostly healthy with the exception of some decadent desserts, and a source for new products that make cooking a meal easier and tastier.  Feasts should be what we all strive for in a meal whether it is simple or more complex… every meal should be special.  Flowers are just that… I am an avid container gardener and love making interesting arrangements for my home and clients.  So “Feast & Flowers” it is!

 

recipe: stuffed peppers

February 29th, 2012 | Posted by admin in Entrées | RECIPES - (0 Comments)

Since it is spring… I think of Lamb. What can I say, I’m Armenian, so cooking with lamb is like cooking with beef for most people.  I grew up eating leg of lamb, shish kabob, lamb chops, lamb burgers, stuffed peppers with lamb, a lamb soup, and I could go on and on. Today my family requested stuffed peppers. I love to pick a medley of colored peppers red, yellow, orange,  and green. I take my ground lamb and mix with the ingredients listed below.  Then I stuff each pepper about ¾ full with the meat mixture.  Cover with sauce and cook for approximately 45 minutes… until meat is cooked through.  The best thing about this meal is you have your veggies and meat so really it’s a complete meal.

 

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
• 2lbs of ground lamb
• 1 cup of #1 grain Bulger
• ½ cup of finely chopped parsley
• 1 small white onion finely chopped
• 1 tbl of tomato paste
• Dash of kosher salt & freshly pepper
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• ½ cup of red wine
• White onion sliced in wedges.

 

DIRECTIONS:
• Preheat oven to 350°.

• Cut the tops off the peppers and clean out any seeds, save tops.

• Mix the next 6 ingredients and kneed with your hands. Stuff each pepper with the meat       mixture about ¾ full.

• Place in a deep oven safe dish upright. Place onion slices between the peppers.

• Mix tomatoes & wine… then pour over peppers.

• Place tops on peppers and cook in preheated oven for 45 min. (If you have extra meat         make meatballs and place between the peppers.)

 

Enjoy!!!