Hazelnut Cookies

I want to thank my friend Gamze for sharing her recipe with me.

Ingredients

• 4 cups of flour
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (8 oz)
• 1/2 cup of vegetable/canola/sunflower oil
• 5 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon wheat or corn starch
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup of crushed hazelnuts

Preparation

Take a large bowl and put butter, oil, powdered sugar and starch in it. After kneading them add one cup of flour and baking powder with the help of a strainer. This will allow baking powder to spread well. 

Then add vanilla and knead adding remaining flour slowly. You can add more flour if you feel it is sticky. 

Add crushed hazelnuts and knead one last time. Then give them round shape and put on a baking pan with some distance. 

Bake them 30 minutes 325-350 preheated oven. You can sprinkle cacao powder or powdered sugar on them. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Poppy Seed Bread

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 3 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 dessertspoon yeast
• 3 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup lukewarm milk
• 1/2 cup lukewarm water
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling

• 2 dessertspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons grape molasses
• 1 dessertspoon poppy seeds
• 2 tablespoons oil

Preparation

Take a small bowl add yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar, milk and water. Milk and water should be warm, not too hot or not too cold. Put the mixture in a warm place and wait about 5-10 minutes until it rises. Take a large bowl add flour, yeast mixture, butter, eggs, salt, 2 teaspoons of sugar and vanilla extract and knead. Keep it in a warm place about 1 hour until it rises double its size.

In the mean time to prepare the filling mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. You can also add a little bit of water.Take the dough after it rises and knead it again by adding two tablespoons of flour. Then make a flat base with the help of a roller.

Spread the filling all over it.

Then start rolling it over from the bottom and cut the roll into small pieces.

Put them on a greased baking pan with some distance. You can sprinkle some poppy seeds over them. Bake them about 35 minutes in 400 F preheated oven. Enjoy!

Walnut Cookie

Note: You can make 20-25 cookies depending on size with these ingredients.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup of wheat/corn starch
• 1 stick (4 oz)unsalted butter
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup of crushed walnuts
• 2-3 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking cocoa (optional)

Preparation

In a large bowl mix powdered sugar, walnuts, egg yolk and butter and knead. If you do not know how to separate egg yolk and white, you can find it here Egg yolk.

In another bowl mix baking powder, flour and starch. Add this mixture to the other slowly while kneading. You can add more flour if it is necessary.

Make small balls from the dough and put them in a baking pan with distance as they will rise. You can separate the dough into two pieces and add cocoa to one of them. 

Bake in 350 F preheated oven about 30 minutes. You can scatter some powdered sugar on top of it while serving. Enjoy!

Salmon Shish Kebab and Quinoa Salad

Ingredients

For the shish kebab

• 2 Salmon fillets
• 2 zucchinis
• 1 eggplant
• 1 sweet green pepper
• 2 tablespoons of plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt, pepper, oregano
• Water

For the quinoa Salad

• 1 cup quinoa
• 1/2 tomato
• 1 dessertspoon olive oil
• 1/4 lemon
• Crumbled feta cheese 
• Green pepper

Preparation

Peel zucchinis and eggplant like a zebra. 

Then cut them in round shapes. Mix yogurt, olive oil, water, vinegar, salt, pepper and oregano and marinate zucchinis and eggplants in this mixture about half an hour. Mix apple cider vinegar,water, olive oil, salt, pepper and oregano and marinate salmon in this mixture about half an hour.

Cut salmon in small pieces. Take skewers and thread salmon, chopped green pepper, zucchini and eggplant. Put them onto grill and cook each side until they get brown.

To prepare quinoa salad, put quinoa in a small pot add 11/2 cup of cold water. Boil it on medium heat and turn down the heat when it is boiled and cook 10-12 minutes more until it sucks all water. Take it into a bowl, add olive oil, lemon juice, chopped pepper and tomato and feta cheese. Enjoy!

Semolina Dessert

Ingredients

For the cookie

• 1 cup of semolina
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 2-3 cups of all purpose flour
• 2 eggs 
• 2 sticks of unsalted butter (8 oz)
• vanilla extract
• baking powder

For the syrup

• 5 cups of water
• 4 cups of sugar
• 1/2 lemon juice

Preparation

To prepare the syrup take a large pot; add sugar and water and put it on medium heat. When it boils add lemon juice and boil 5 more minutes. We need the syrup lukewarm, so make sure you have enough time to wait before you prepare the cookie.

To prepare the cookie take a large bowl put sugar, butter, semolina and 1 egg. Separate egg yolk and white, and add white to the mixture. You will need the yolk later. If you do not know how to separate, you can find instructions here: Separate egg yolk and white

Knead them until they mix well.

Then add flour, baking powder and vanilla extract. Knead again. Add flour to the mixture slowly until it does not stick to your hands.

Make small round pieces and lay them over on a glass baking pan. Put some distance between them.

Press the cookies with the back of a fork to make strips. 

Then apply egg yolk on top of each cookie. This part is optional, you can bake them without applying any eggs. 

Preheat oven to 350 F and bake them about 30-40 minutes. After taking from the oven pour the lukewarm syrup on it immediately. 

Stuffed Mushrooms

I want to thank to my brother for sharing this recipe. This is an easy appetizer.

Note: This recipe is for two people.

Ingredients

• 10 medium sized mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon red flare pepper
• 1 dessertspoon olive oil
• 1 dessertspoon butter (optional)
• 1/4 cup of grated mozzarella
• Parmesan cheese

Preparation

Take of the bottom parts from mushrooms and lay them over on a glass pan. 

Then in a small cup mix yogurt, olive oil and all spices.

Put 2 to 4 teaspoons of yogurt mixture inside mushrooms depending on their size. If you want you can add a little piece of butter on top of them.

Bake mushrooms in 400 F preheated oven about 15 minutes.

Then add mozzarella and parmesan on top of them, bring to broil and bake another two minutes.

Enjoy!

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Ali Nazik Kebap

This a kind of kebab which is common in South East Part of Turkey.

Note: This recipe is for two people.

Ingredients

• 1 big eggplant
• 1 1/2 cups of Greek yogurt
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1/2 lb ground beef (93% lean)
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

Place aluminium foil on an oven pan and bake eggplant on it at broil about 20 minutes. Stab eggplant in different places with a knife before you bake it. If you do not do that, it may explode.

Peel the eggplant after you take it from the oven. Be careful, it will be really hot!

Blend eggplant and chopped garlic in a food processor. Then take the mixture in a large bowl add yogurt and mix them together.

Add garlic salt and mix again.

Take a service plate and put the eggplant mixture on it.

Take a frying pan and cook ground beef with some oil. Then add tomato paste and cook couple of minutes more. Place ground beef on the eggplant mixture. Enjoy!