Mediterranean Balls

Menu:

Falafel
Pita

Cucumber Dill Salad

Tabouli

Unsuccessful Tahini Sauce
Baklavah

Tonight Molly and Molly made lots of balls. There were falafel balls, pita dough balls, and mini mozzarella balls. The food was okay, but not the best we've made. We were disappointed with the falafel recipe. We tried frying and baking, but neither ended

up how we wanted. Fried had no taste and baked didn't have the crunch factor we wanted. The Tabouli was dry because Molly #1 didn't want tomatoes in it (gross) and the Tahini was a hot mess. It tsated like sh*&! We used the store bought version from Trader Joe's (we won't tell if you wont't). The highlights of the meal were the pita, cucumber salad and the baklava. The pita although labor intensive was worth the effort and the cucumber salad was refreshing and could have been a great addition stuffed

in the pita. Molly #2 took charge of the dessert and it was fantastic! Flakey and not too sweet. 

Cooks Notes: The more wine you drink the better the food tastes! So invite some friends and crack a bottle open!

Recipe Links:
Falafel
Pita
Cucumber Salad
Tabouli
Tahini
Baklavah

The First Supper
Indian Cuisine

Menu:
Chicken Tikka Masala 
Aloo Gobi
Naan
Basmati Rice


No doubt a daunting first meal for the two Mollys to attempt, but none the less exciting and fun. Indian food is a favorite of ours so why not attempt cooking it at home. Note, neither of us is Indian, thus the uncertain and foreseen difficulty with the cuisine. 

For inspiration and recipes we turned to the Food Network star Arti Sequeira and simplyrecipes.com. We found recipes that sounded like they would be easy to follow and promised delicious tasting food. 

The chicken was marinated for around 6 hours prior to grilling and the naan was left to rise for around 4 hours. The chicken worked out perfectly. It was moist and tender. The key is not to cook it fully on the grill. (It will finish cooking in the sauce right before you inhale it cause it's so good.) The naan unfortunately did not rise due to improperly prepared yeast maybe? However, in the end it didn't matter and was amazing anyway. If you decide to make the naan and yours does not rise, don't worry, it will work out. The aloo gobi was probably the easiest dish. Everything gets thrown together and simmered for twenty or so minutes. A super simple dish for a quick vegetarian meal. The rice was the only recipe we used from simply recipes and was ironically the most process intensive item. There were many steps in washing and soaking the rice and then various points when you add the spices. In the future we have decided it would be best to throw everything in a rice cooker. This may offend some true epicurians, but for the sake of ease and laziness it's our chosen route. 

Overall, this dinner was a winner! Fun, slightly involved, but not fancy. Definitely a go to again in the future. 

Recipe Links:
Chicken in Creamy Tomato Curry: Chicken Tikka Masala
Cauliflower and Potatoes: Aloo Gobi
Naan: Indian Oven-Baked Flat Bread
Indian Style Rice