Helen's greek tzatziki

                 Helen's Greek Tzatziki

I'm sure most of you have heard the greek word tzatziki  and I bet a lot of you have tried it but how many of you know how to make it....Well then for those of you who would like to learn how easy it is to do this is my way

                                          

Ingredients 

250gr greek strained yoghurt

1 small cucumber

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon vinegar              

1 clove of garlic

a pinch of salt

Lets start by washing  your cucumber  , cut of the ends now using your cheese grater with the biggish holes grate the whole cucumber into a bowl .

Using your hands squeeze out all the access juice from the cucumber .Take the garlic and either grate it very fine or use one of those special garlic crushes and add it in the bowl.

See you've already done the hard part ...Lets continue add the yoghurt ,oil,vinegar and salt use a spoon and mix it all up ..

 

 

That's it you've made greek tzatziki ..cover the bowl and put it in the fridge for about an hour .This is sooo yummy with fresh bread mmmm that's a thought maybe on my next blog I can show you how to make homemade bread .

 

 

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HELENS BEEF WITH PASTA RECIPE

   Yummy Beef with pasta recipe 

 

  This is a really tasty and pretty easy dish to cook .
first off all I will tell you what ingredients you will need  1 kilo of tender beef cut into pieces (not too small )
1 cup of olive oil (or whatever you usually use olive oil is tastier)
1 chopped onion
1-2 cloves of garlic
500grams of tomato (you can used tinned ,whole ,juice,chopped or fresh any will do)
salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon all spice (if you like)
a small stick of cinnamon (if you don't like leave it )
1 small glass of red wine (I prefer white but that's just me )
warm water
1 500gr pack of pasta
Now then let's get cooking
chop up your onions and garlic throw them in your pan with the olive oil lightly brown them add your meat and brown that too .Now pour in the wine let it simmer for a couple of mins add salt ,pepper and all the other spices, add warm water enough to cover the meat I use warm water so it doesn't slow the heat of the pan ,if your pan starts filling with froth you can remove it with a spoon some people leave it others don't like it that's your choice .Time to put the lid on and let it simmer on a low heat for about 40 mins or until the meat becomes tender please remember to check your pan regularly and add water if needed ,if you use a pressure cooker the time will be less.
Once the meat has become tender its time to add the tomato let it simmer for about another 15 mins ...

beef

onion

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                Ok next step is to boil your pasta, in a pan add water a
pinch of salt wait till it boils then add the pasta  don't cook it too long because it will finish cooking in the oven so turn it off before its ready and strain and rinse a little bit  .

boiled pasta

Now in a pirex dish or an oven dish or one of those mmm forgot what its called you know they go in the oven and have a lid they can be made from metal or clay anyway something u can cover :) add the meat and juice and add the pasta I add a cup or two of warm water now to keep it juicy this is also the best time to check it for salt maybe it will need a little bit more ,cover with a lid or foil put it in a preheated oven 180-200 degrees (mine is electric) for about 20 mins ....serve on a plate and sprinkle with your favourite cheese  ENJOY ♥♥♥

oven thing with lid

I have a little secret if we aren't going to eat it straight away I throw in a couple of ice cubes when I take it out of the oven it seems to keep it a bit juicier   ...pasta will suck up all the juice even after you bring it out of the oven ♥
I hope you find my recipe easy to follow Im just a Jewellery making housewife ,mum and grandma that loves to cook ♥♥

Delicious beef and pasta

 

 

feel free to comment or ask any questions with love Helen♥♥
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making homemade halva

  Lets make Halva today, its easy!!

                     RECIPE
        500grms semolina
       250grms vegetable butter /or 1 glass of  good olive oil
        ½ glass of roasted chopped almonds or walnuts (optional)
              
             FOR THE SYRUP 

        5 ½ CUPS OF WATER 

         1 ½ CUPS OF SUGAR

         1 CUP OF HONEY

         CINNAMON STICK

         LEMON PEEL

      

    Today I decided to make a halva ,I thought it would be fun to blog about it !!

   this is my first food blog so please be understanding ....

Well first things first  halva is usually made when we fast for Easter or Christmas ,

 but as it is so nice I make it all year round !!

  So lets get started first of all put the water , sugar,honey,lemon peel and cinnamon stick in a pan to boil remove any froth that forms with a spoon ,as soon as it boils remove from the heat .....

Now then in another pan put the butter or olive oil and wait till it heats up do not leave the pan unattended at any time  (be careful not to over heat as oil can catch fire ) 

 Next add the semolina to the melted butter /oil .keep stirring with a plastic or wooden spoon until the semolina becomes golden. lower the heat if it starts to brown instead of becoming golden

               

       

Now remove the pan from the heat this is the hardest part very carefully and slowly add the syrup to the semolina ( don't forget to remove the lemon peel and cinnamon stick from the pan ) ..The semolina will start to bubble and can burn you please be careful ..

 When you have poured in all the syrup put the pan back on a low heat and keep stirring until it has absorbed the liquid remove from heat .. At this point you can add nuts and even raisins if you like I leave mine without because my youngest son is allergic to nuts ..

There are many ways to serve halva you can put it in single moulds or  in one big mould like i have in the photo 

using a spoon fill the mould and gently push it so there are no gaps ,when it has cooled a bit put a nice plate over the mould and turn it over  remove the mould sprinkle with cinnamon and start eating ....enjoy!!!!!!!!!!

                            

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