The bid is on!

Okay..... Finally making the big move to be closer to my work... Last night, we put a bid on a house three blocks away from my office. We're putting our current house on the market this week. Life is gonna get crazy for a little while.

On a more relaxing note, I made stuffed grapeleaves and pasta for us Sunday night and I'm eating the leftovers for lunch today. I'm posting the awesome Najjar family recipe, handed down from generation to generation, although I must say I think it's been americanized along the way. I think when you get down to my version - they're kind of like "McGrapeleaves", which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I consider myself a middle eastern cuisine enabler... you eat my fatty, greasy, americanized grapeleaves, and before you know it you'll be "shawarming" in Lebanese and Greek cooking!

Stuffed Grapeleaves – Meat filled

• Approx. 3 lbs ground lamb – this can be from packages of ground lamb, lamb patties or by requesting that the fat be trimmed from either a shoulder roast of lamb or perhaps ½ a leg roast – If you have access to a good butcher, have him or her put the meat through the grinder twice and take the bone, too. **Lean ground beef can be added to the mix to cut down on total cost – this works best if you actually use a roast with bone.
• Rice – Uncle Ben’s Conv. works well – use approx. 1C for each 1 1/2-2 lbs of meat.
• Cinnamon – Approx 1T per pound of meat
• Garlic salt or powder if desired – to taste.
• Salt, lemons – lemon juice

In a large mixing bowl (or split in two for larger batches) combine meat, rice, cinnamon, and garlic powder, kneading mixture by hand until all ingredients are well combined.

If you have one, place bone in bottom of large kettle.

Roll mixture (amount will depend upon size of leaf) in grapeleaf.Place leaf underside-up with stem point facing you.Place meat mixture horizontally at widest part of leaf.Pull stem end up and over mixture, tuck sides of leaf inward while continuing to roll to end.Makes a cigar-shaped package.Don’t pack leaf too tightly, leave some room for rice to expand.

Place rolled leaves in circular fashion on bottom of kettle.Rolled leaves should be layered with a sprinkling of salt on top of each layer.Rest a plate or glass pie pan on top of all leaves to hold them down while cooking.

Add water to kettle to be just level with plate/pie pan. Bring to rolling boil over med-high heat, reduce to simmer, cover and cook for at least one hour. Drain liquid from leaves, discard bone.Add fresh lemon juice to taste.

Serve with lemon wedges, salt (and perhaps some spaghetti??)

Quantity varies with amount of meat/size of leaves.