A few bites from the Middle East....

Ladies.
I know we are all about baking these days... and goodness gracious, i wish i could eat those delightful treats... but, to add some culture to the group, i thought i'd share some easy middle eastern treasures with you. (don't worry, it's not hard, and tastes really good)

grandma ginny's chicken tawook

1 pkg. kosher, bone-in chicken cut into 8 pieces (you can get this at trader joe's)
3 lemons
8 tbs. butter (or 8 slabs from the stick... ) that sounds gross...
salt and pepper
paprika
cinnamon

- preheat oven to 425 degrees
- lay chicken pieces in a 9x13 baking dish
- season with salt and pepper
- place 1 slab of butter on each piece of chicken
- slice one lemon into rounds and place rounds on top of each chicken peice
- squeeze the other two lemons over the dish
- sprinkle paprika over for color
- sprinkle, generously, cinnamon over the dish
- bake for 30-45 minutes, or until the skin on the chicken is crackly dark, golden brown, and sizzlin' hot

white rice with garbanzo beans

this one is GREAT and becomes a complete protien w/ the bean and the rice! yes!

simply prepare any white rice of your choosing...
(i rinse my rice twice, then put olive oil in the bottom of a pot and heat it, then add the rice, and sautee it for a bit until the rice starts to get golden... then i add the water it calls for)
add a can of garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained, into hot rice
and serve with nonfat, plain yogurt.

I know, the last part sounds GROSS but is AMAZING. If you're a skeptic, you just have to try it! really.

There's a lot more to come.... but i'd love to get some of your families recipies...