Turkish Blue Eye.

"TURKISH BLUE EVIL EYE"

A nazar, lucky eye or evil eye stone (in Turkish it is called a nazar boncuğu) is an amulet that is meant to protect against the evil eye ("evil eye", from nazar and "amulet" from boncuğu). It is most common in Turkey.

In Turkey it is in every  home, on jewellery, including for babies, on vehicles, doors, horses and even cell phones. The evil eye comes in different shapes and sizes. When I visit Turkey I've never seen a home without one.......also it is the most bought and taken home souvenir for tourists. I have a vast collection at home.....myself.  


This picture I'm showing today is from the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE)  in Toronto. It is my favourite Fair and I've every year since I was a kid.......they have this big shopping center in this building where you can purchase 'stuff' from around the world....this happened to be in the Turkish booth. I'm excited because the CNE is opening up in August this summer.

 
 

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BLUEBERRY SAUCE

The other day my husband brought home a few pints of blueberries....said they were a good buy at the supermarket. Well....my daughter doesn't like them and either does my husband. I already had eaten almost 2 pints........didn't want to waste them so I made some sauce to go with a cheesecake that I had baked.

Now my husband and daughter pour that blueberry syrup over the cheesecake and it is almost gone...won't eat fresh but love the sauce.

My favourite is this sauce over cheese blintzes...yummmm, or even over some pound cake or ice cream.

Fresh Blueberry Sauce

By Diana Rattray , About.com Guide

•2 cups fresh blueberries

•1/3 cup sugar

•1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Wash and crush blueberries; add sugar, lemon juice and salt.

Mix well. In a small saucepan, bring blueberry mixture to a boil; boil 1 minute.

Add vanilla.......... Chill.



Serve over puddings, cake, or ice cream.
 
*****I added a pinch of cinnamon and a teaspoon of corn syrup, made it even more rich tasting.



Tube Beef or Not To Beef

Tube Beef or Not Tube Beef

This is one of my favourite beef stew recipes...........it is not your typical traditional beef stew like your Mother or Grandmother use to make. If I want to shed a few pounds....I know I blah, blah, blah.......I dig out my low calorie recipes and start whipping them up. This is one of them.
This has a sort of sweet and sour taste and while it is roasting the aroma is amazing.
.........it come from a cook book called "The Looney Spoons" by the Podleski sisters Janet and Greta. They are two sisters who come from Canada and have three cookbooks out on the best seller lists and their own TV show......which is comical in a way to watch, very entertaining. What I love about their recipes is that they cut down calories and substitute items.
I know the picture doesn't do it justice and looks like a bunch of mush....but it is very yummy. :-)))

Tube Beef or Not To Beef
Source; From Looneyspoons by The Podleski Sisters.
Serves 6.

1 1/4 pounds beef stew meat



28 ounces canned tomatoes -- cut up


6 ounces tomato paste


3 cups sliced mushrooms


1 cup chopped onions


2 tablespoons soy sauce, low sodium


2 tablespoons brown sugar


2 tablespoons white vinegar


2 teaspoons low sodium beef bouillon powder


2 cloves garlic -- minced


1 teaspoon dry mustard


1 teaspoon dried oregano


1/2 teaspoon pepper


1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes


10 ounces pasta......any choice (I use penne, rigatoni or spaghetti)

 Preheat oven to 350



Trim all visible fat from beef. Cut into 1 inch cubes. Arrange beef in a small roaster or a large casserole dish.


Combine remaining ingredients, except rigatoni, in a large bowl. Mix well and pour over beef.

Cover and bake 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours, until beef is very tender.

Stir halfway through cooking time.


During last 15 minutes of cooking time, prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain.

Serve hot beef and sauce over pasta


Per Serving:
422 Calories; 9g Fat (20.2% calories fromfat); 30g Protein; 55g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 52mg Cholesterol; 692mg Sodium. Exchanges: 2 1/2 Grain(Starch); 3 Lean Meat; 3 Vegetable; 0 Fat; 0

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Today I'm linking to: FOODIE FRIDAY at designsbygollum.blogspot.com