Aromatic Beef Patties

Yesterday, my husband and I went to a BBQ put on by our local mosque. When turning up to an event put on by Muslims, one expects that there is going to be some "different" in the taste of the food. When we saw that it was hamburgers and hot dogs, we were, at first a little taken aback but we do love hot dogs and hamburgers on the BBQ, so we actually were really happy.

So my husband brought me my plate that comprised of a perfectly BBQ'd hot dog on a bun, a beef patty (he said there were no more buns, but I actually prefer my hamburgers without the bread), potato salad, lettuce, tomato, onion, and lots of gherkins, and some chips. YUM!

But then, I took a bite of the hamburger and my knees went weak. To think that a group of Muslims (from varying parts of the world) would simply slap a beef patty on to the grill with a bit of salt and pepper on it, would be sacrilegious! This beef patty had been marinated to give it an amazing taste.

As I wrote in a post the other day, lemon infused meat on the BBQ is amazing, and as I bit into the beef patty and the aroma hit my taste buds, my senses came alive with the citrus chili blend that the meat had been marinated in.

Last night, I sought to recreate the delight my taste buds were craving for, but to do it without a BBQ - we are currently "sans BBQ".

I made a delicious paste which I spread on both sides of the beef patty and let it marinate for a short time before popping it into the oven. And I served it with a green salad and homemade Orange and Ginger Salad Dressing (to continue with my citrus theme during Arizona's citrus season), and steamed rice. Oh my heavens, it was a taste-buds delight and sensation. Its really quick to make and if you cook the meat on the BBQ, you'll have an added taste that will delight even further.

Ingredients:
4 beef patties
Juice from 1/4 lemon
3 tsp lime juice
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp Middle Eastern 7-Spices
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp sriracha chili paste
1/4 tsp sumac (optional)

1. Add all ingredients after "beef patties" together to make a paste.
2. Lay beef patties on a baking sheet and smear the paste on both sides. Pierce the patties with a fork, and set aside to marinate for 20-30 minutes.
3. Heat oven to 350*F (or light BBQ and bring to a high temperature). Place beef patties into the oven and cook for 15 minutes, or BBQ until hamburgers are cooked through.

Serve immediately.

Chocolate Orange Marble Cake

I have been invited to a pot luck on Saturday night and I had no idea what to make to bring. As I rifled through my cupboards, I found a packet of yellow cake mix and chocolate cake mix. I am not partial to a "plain" marble cake and with the orange tree as laden as it is this year, I thought I'd take full advantage of the goodness from our garden.

So I decided to use the delicious fruit from our garden and create this semi-homemade cake.

It is really easy, completely semi-homemade, and will be great for the party on Saturday night.

Its rustic exterior is a great compliment to the homemade goodness that the orange tweaks this recipe to become.

You're definitely going to want to give this one a try. Paired with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, this will make a great "coffee cake".

Happy Cooking, Happy Eating!


Ingredients:
1 pack chocolate cake mix
1 pack yellow cake mix
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups oil - divided into 2 xs 3/4 cups
1 cup water
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (you can substitute for concentrate but it will lose some of the freshness taste)
Rind from 1 orange (or 1/2 TBSP)

Orange Glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar (Icing sugar powder)
1/4 tsp orange rind
1 1/2 TBSP fresh squeezed orange juice (or more if needed)

Heat oven to 350*F

1. Empty contents of the yellow cake mix into a bowl, add three eggs, 3/4 cup oil, 1 cup orange juice, and 1/2 TBSP orange rind. Mix well on high speed for 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Empty contents of the chocolate cake mix into a separate bowl, add three eggs, 3/4 cup oil, 1 cup water and mix well on high speed for 2 minutes.
3. In a greased and floured cake pan (you can use a bundt tin or a 6" tall cake tin), ladle the chocolate and orange cake mixes into the pan to create a "marble" inside. DO NOT MIX OR STIR!
4. Bake in a 350*F oven for 1 hr and 10 minutes (or until cake is cooked through and a toothpick inserted to the middle comes out clean).
5. Let cool overnight or until completely cooled. (I let the cake sit for 24 hours to allow the orange flavour to permeate the cake.)

Orange Glaze:
1. In a clean bowl, add 1 cup of confectioners sugar, 1/4 tsp orange rind, and orange juice. Mix very well until smooth and runny, but not too liquid.
2. Place cake over a sheet of aluminium foil ensuring the sides are sticking out past the cake to "catch" excess glaze.
3. Pour the glaze over the very top of the cake and let it drizzle down the sides. It is supposed to look rustic.

Cut a slice of orange and then cut it in half. Cut down the flesh of the orange, make sure to not cut in to the rind. Twist it and then place on top of the cake.

Keep in fridge to let icing set about 20-30 minutes.  Bring to room temperature before serving.

Our orange tree, packed full of fruit this year

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Spicy Lemon Chicken

The lemon tree in our yard is so heavy laden this year that some of the branches are near touching the ground. So what is a person to do with such a tree? Create lots of dishes with the fresh and delicious yellow fruit!

I don't know about you, but for me, when I have a dish that has just enough lemon in it, it gives the entire dish a sense of freshness. Maybe its that fact that lemons are a great cleaning agent, and so my senses feel the "cleanliness" in the dish, or maybe it is something entirely different, but I love cooking with lemon; and in Arizona, that means cooking with it more often in our wintertime when the citrus are in season.

Last night, I grabbed some chicken legs out of the fridge and upon deciding to roast them, thought back to the many meals my Middle Eastern friends would make, many of the dishes would contain the juice of lemon. And maybe this dish isn't so "spicy" as it is aromatic.

On the BBQ, lemon juice infused meat reacts to create an incredible taste that is quite unique, but it works well in the oven also. I thought to give it a whirl and add a bit of lemon juice to the chicken and see what it created. Well, it could only go one of two ways... great or awful. No "grey area" here.


As most of my cooking is experimentation, the results of this experiment turned out brilliant, and my "taste-tester" hubby insisting that I should get the recipe up on here fast. So, without any further adieu, here is the recipe.

Happy Cooking, Happy Eating!

Our lemon tree. It is so heavy laden this year.

Ingredients:
8 chicken legs
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
4 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp seven spices
2 tsp paprika
juice of 1/2 - 1 lemon
salt to taste


8 red-skinned potatoes
salt to taste
1/2 cup vegetable oil


8 cups baby carrots
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp water
salt to taste


Heat oven to 375*F

1. Rinse and pat dry chicken legs (remove any excess fat). Place in a baking dish, skin side up.

2. Sprinkle the spices and salt evenly over the legs.

3. "Drizzle" the lemon juice over the legs, making sure you don't "wash" the spices off the chicken legs. Set aside.

4. Wash potatoes and cut in half, toss in salt lightly.

5. Pour oil into a separate baking dish and then lay the potatoes, exposed flesh side down in to the oil.

Bake chicken and potatoes for 45 mins - 1 hr, or until chicken skin is well roasted (and crisp) and chicken and potatoes are cooked through. Remove from heat and let sit 5-8 minutes before plating.

6. Pour carrots into a microwave safe dish, season with a little salt. Dab the butter on top of the carrots, and add the water down the sides of the dish. Microwave on HIGH for 7-8 minutes until cooked through but not over-cooked. Once cooked, give a quick toss to coat all the carrots with butter, and serve immediately.


Serves 4-6

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