Makloubeh Recipe (Arabic "Upside-Down" Meat, Vegetables and Rice)

Makloubeh with Lamb, Cauliflower and Tomatoes Recipe

Makloubeh, made in the traditional Palestinian way, is delicious, somewhat time-consuming to make, and so satisfying.     I began making Makloubeh in our second year of marriage, and I have always considered it really something special.    I often make it for gatherings, especially birthdays and holidays.   Another reason I do this is because it is so simple to double or even triple this recipe, and it is always a crowd pleaser!   The name "Makloubeh" literally means "upside down" in Arabic.   Makloubeh got its name because the cooking pot is flipped upside down to serve this wonderful meal on a platter.

Makloubeh, with lamb, roasted cauliflower, and tomatoes

Makloubeh is one of those flexible recipes that can be made several ways, but it is always served with a full-bodied yogurt, and usually a green salad.    I have made it with chicken, and also beef.   Cooked eggplant, carrot, and tomatoes are typical vegetables you might find in this dish.

This time I was patient, let it really cool off, and it came out looking like a cake!

This recipe is for one of my favorite combinations: lamb, roasted cauliflower, and fresh sliced tomatoes, brown rice, and topped off with toasted slivered almonds for a little crunchy texture.   The cauliflower gets carmelized in the oven, then adds a sweetness to the finished dish that is incomparable!   I cook the lamb first by getting a good sear on all sides, then in water and spices that form a broth until is just falls apart.   The tomatoes are added as they are.

I purchased a whole leg of lamb, and had my butcher cut it into large pieces, leaving the bone in.    The bone adds so much flavor, it is worth working around when it is served!    I've made this with boneless, too, but boneless meat just doesn't do it for me in Makloubeh!

I used to always garnish this dish with pine nuts, but I switched over to blanched almonds because they are much more economical.   Pine nuts are delicious, though, so the choice is yours!

Makloubeh (with Lamb, Cauliflower and Tomatoes) Recipe
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 lbs bone-in lamb
4 cups water
2 cups long grain rice (like Basmati)
2 large tomatoes, sliced
1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 heaping tspn allspice
1/2 tspn cumin
1/4 tspn pepper
2 tspns salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
optional: 1/2 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts, toasted

Directions:
Sear lamb pieces on high heat, turning after a few minutes to each side.   Place in stockpot.   Cover with water, spices and garlic.   Bring to a boil, then simmer on low, covered, for about an hour, until lamb is tender.

While lamb is cooking, sprinkle cauliflower florets with olive oil, place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes, turning halfway through.

Brown chopped onions in butter.   Allow onions to carmelize, cooking for about 15-20 minutes, stirring well.   Onions will turn brown after about 20 minutes of cooking.   Remove from heat.

Layer in stockpot on top of lamb: carmelized onions, tomato slices, cauliflower, then rice on top.  Add enough water (if needed) so that the rice is covered by one inch.  Cover and simmer on low for about 30 minutes, until rice is cooked through.    Remove the lid and allow the last bit of broth to cook out (check with a spoon to be sure the broth has all cooked out.   Remove from the heat and allow to cool about 15-30 minutes.  To serve, flip over onto a serving platter, and garnish with slivered almonds or pine nuts.   Serve with plain yogurt and a green salad.

If you want to make your makloubeh look like a cake, just allow it to cool longer: 30-45 minutes.   Very carefully flip it onto the platter, allowing the stockpot to sit upside down on the platter a moment while the contents settle. Carefully shimmy the pot off your "cake." 

Lara Creates

I started a new blog.   I've entitled it "Lara Creates."   I feel almost as if I'm cheating on myself, starting a new blog, since I've been faithful to this one for over a year.   It's weird.

The premise of the new blog is that I will write about the art I create at home, mainly sewing stuff, and some painting, cooking for sure, and kid crafts, of course.    I am not exactly sure what's going on with Mrs. A's World right now, but my inkling is that I will transfer all of the recipes over to the new site, and continue to post Middle Eastern recipes there, at Lara Creates.   I just opened this new page, maybe a week ago, and haven't transferred anything yet, other than a fabric napkin tutorial.

I will be posting less about our personal life and more about art and cooking.   I think I've hit a wall with the personal posts, and want to get beyond this and post about things I find inspiring and joyful, that I can share.   Tutorials and detailed pics for recipes will surely follow.   Our family will be in the blog, but not featured directly.   I don't have worries about my wonderful husband's status anymore, so I'm not particularly guarded about sharing certain things about us anymore.   I'm more free now.

Won't you check out my new blog and tell me what you think?   Now that I'm thinking about it, I'll put in a recipes button on Lara Creates and get all of those delicious Middle Eastern recipes transferred.   I love sharing those!   Mmmm... I'm thinking of making Makloubeh this weekend...

Blah, blah, Bloggers' Block! Plus, where the heck is this blog going, anyway?

You know, I've been suffering from Blogger's block for a few months now!   When I started this thing over a year ago, I just wanted to write, and that was it.   It was nice and therapeutic in some way, and gave me something else to focus on outside of raising our wonderful children.   When our baby was napping, and our little guy was having quiet time, I would write.

Now Mariam is a toddler, and she is on the move, almost all of the time!   When she's napping, I'm with our little half-day Kindergartener, or running laundry, or prepping dinner or whatever.   There's always something!   I'm definitely not blogging.   This seems to have gone by the wayside.    I often think of a great idea in passing, and think, hey, I should really get back on there and share something, but then... you know, life happens.   It just does, and I don't get around to it.    I still want, and need to write, but I must restructure the way I do it.   I have to make time for it in a different way.

I've been thinking.    What if I change the blog over to more of a cooking blog?   I'm always cooking or baking something, and it's intrinsic to our family life.    I may focus on Middle Eastern cooking, and how I've incorporated the slow cooker into our daily lives, making more complicated meals doable on almost any day of the week.    I'm passionate about food, and cooking, and this could be a decent direction for the blog to go.     I think that sharing my recipes helps others, and I like that.  

The gears are turning... I'm about to make a move and switch things up a bit.    I just... need time to do it, and figure out logistics!   It's a catch 22.

A little bit of huge news

So, I'm getting the writing bug right now, and my toddler happens to be asleep.   The boys also happen to be in school, so guess what?    Here I am!    I've been having a million thoughts about what to write to you, all while I'm in the middle of something else that doesn't involve the computer or camera (usually something kid-related, of course!)   I've been crafting up a storm, cooking quite a bit, and thinking about so many different things now that....my husband is a US CITIZEN!    Wooo hooo!

That's what I should write about!!!

Last week we were blessed and fortunate enough, after nearly 10 years of marriage and a pre-existing deportation order we had to have reversed (not an easy task,) to attain citizenship for my husband.   He just missed the big presidential election!    It felt like a whirlwind of a week, with the giant election taking place, people's emotions at a peak, and a heightened sense of patriotism on the streets and in general conversation.   That was the week that Mr. A became a citizen of the United States.

You know, there were many moments when I was unsure of what would happen for him, and for us.   When we were dating, in my naivity, I wasn't sure of what I was taking on, marrying him, and staying with him for the long haul.  My brain was like that of a child.    I was in love, and that was it.   That was really all that mattered.    I saw a man, and not all of the other stuff that came along for the ride with him!    I was sure that I could help him to fix all of these silly problems he was facing, and that we could right this gross miscarriage of justice (his deportation order, which he had, even in the time before we married.)

To quote Seinfeld, "yada yada yada," and now we're here.    It's almost ten years later.   I've cried over this mess too many times to count, and my husband has laughed inappropriately at his situation, because he was afraid he'd break down if he didn't.   He wanted to keep both of us strong.

What I am most grateful for in this moment, in this season of Thanksgiving, is that my husband has a home.   A real home.    I am grateful that this is resolved.    I am grateful that our children will never feel the pain of not knowing whether their father will be deported or detained.    They will never have to wonder if their family will be kept whole and safe.  

We feel, right now, that this is a time for celebration in our little family.   I've said it before, and I'll say it again.   We just might be celebrating for the rest of our lives.   Settling in, finally, is so very sweet.

The day has come! Oh, most wonderful day!

Mr. A had an interview at Homeland Security this afternoon. A little ray of sunshine from heaven shone on us, and we were told that my husband will become a citizen on November 8th. Thank you, everyone, who has stood with us through the most difficult times. This journey has been amazing in so many ways, teaching me that I can endure what had before been unthinkable, and come out on the other side, still holding the hand of the man I love. What a beautiful life it is! Habibi, you deserve this. You always have.

How to sew an easy stuffed animal from a child's drawing

I made a few of these, and they turned out to be very cute!   Most importantly, they turned out to look just like each child's picture.   That was precisely what I was going for!   This is a really cool way to make a child feel special, and to preserve a special piece of artwork in an unexpected way.   I got the idea from Martha Stewart, when I was browsing easy beginner sewing projects.    I just love Martha!

Here's what it looked like while I was in the middle of painting it:

This was a drawing that Gabe, 4 and a half, made.   He made it while we were out to lunch after visiting his new Kindergarten classroom, and it was such a special time, I wanted to create this to help him remember it.   I also chose it because of the round shapes (round shapes are a little bit easier to cut out and sew together!)

Here's how I did it:

What I used was muslin.   This is a fairly inexpensive material, and works very well.   I used polyester stuffing, too.   I traced the design on the muslin, using a pencil (muslin is very thin and somewhat translucent.)   Then I cut around it, about 1/2 inch outside of the drawing perimeter.   This was the seam allowance.    I cut two pieces exactly the same size.

I sewed them together slowly, wrong sides together, following the lines of his drawing, leaving a 2 inch opening for turning right side out.   I carefully pushed out stubborn little whale parts with a pencil, then stuffed and whip stitched the small opening.   I used fabric paint to recreate the colors he had used (he used crayon to create this whale picture.)    You could also use fabric markers.  Make sure to "heat seal" the paint or marker after you are finished creating, by drying on high for about 20 minutes.   Works like a charm!

That was it.   This was really pretty easy!    You can use buttons for eyes, add trim, or whatever else you want.    I kept this simple, because it was my first time trying this.    I already made another for Noah, and I plan to make many more over the years!   The kids LOVE this whole concept.

Blog-related shenanigans, and camping!

A little bit of blog-related stuff:

I'm going to post twice a week from now on.   Oh, yeah!    When I started this ditty, I was posting every day to fill it up, in hopes of getting to 100 posts.   Lately I've been slackin'.    No more.   That's right.   You read it here first!   :)

Once a week I'll do a recipe or tutorial, and once a week I'll blog about cultural/family stuff.   I'm thinking Family/Culture on Tuesdays, and a recipe or tutorial on Fridays.    Many of my recipes are for the slow cooker.   Many are also Middle Eastern, but I like to branch out and try new things.    Mainly, I like to get really good whole foods on the table with the greatest of ease.    That is no simple task!   I also am getting deeply into sewing, so I will be sharing more projects here.   The first sewing tutorial will be how to make stuffed animals from kids' drawings (thank you, Martha Stewart!)

In other news, my husband's business trip to Algeria (with the State Department) has been cancelled, due to security reasons.   It is disappointing for him, but we are both relieved that he won't be in any danger.   I don't like him traveling at all, actually.   I'd like to sequester him at home at all times, and keep him safe.    The travel is a new thing for him, and it makes him very happy.   He has this ridiculous idea that all five of us might travel together everywhere he goes.   That is a very sweet idea, in theory, but the reality of traveling with small children all over the globe would be gruesome at best (I'm envisioning little boys trying to jump on hotel beds, toddler meltdowns...and general kidsanity.)    I would like to travel with him, and am throwing around the idea of going along with him and leaving the children with my parents.    Mom, are you reading this?    What do you think?    :)

Last weekend, we took the kids camping (in a tent) about an hour away from home.   We were in a woodsy area, walking distance from beautiful Lake Huron.    We ended up spending a good deal of time on the beach, because it felt so good to be there.   Of course, we made s'mores, too!    Here are some photos from our weekend: