What happens when you fill a mellon with jello? Mello Jello!

My cousin Zeynep named it like that, so will I. Got this idea from a magazine that I do not even remember the name of; it was one of those that was brought to the gym by someone and left for others to enjoy while working out. Since I saw it I have been pondering how I can make one of these. I do not like gelatin so much, so I was keeping it as a last resort. I wanted to use water melon and melon together. I have cooked some watermelon juice with starch and sugar, and when it was solid enough I poured into my melon’s middle section. After it cooled down in the fridge, here is how it looked like:

I thought it really looked nice, but as soon as I cut it I faced the reality; the watermelon part was not only not tasting good but also not sticking to the melon. :( Disappointing.

So, I finally gave up, and reached for the jello. We had two packages of cherry and a package of blueberry flavored jellos at home. I decided to use the cherry one to keep one of each for a later project :) Cut the melon in half, scooped out the seeds. The hole in the middle was nto big enough; I scooped out some more. Tried to keep the middle section as round as possible, but didn’t sweat over it, either.

Put the melon in the fridge to cool while making the jello.

Prepared the jello according to its package directions and while it was cooling down I took out took the melon, put it on a plate and made sure that it is standing up straight by putting some kitchen towels around it. Poured the jello into the melon and put in the fridge. Since I only used half of the melon, there was some left over jello.

Even though the jello was said it would set in 30 mins, we somehow could not get around eating it in couple days. I suggest if you were to keep it for more than 2 days, use saran to keep it from possible drying out. Also, cut with a non-serrated knife so it would be a smooth cutting.

By the way, the melon and cherry suit each other just fine.

I am still thinking about water melon and melon combination. I wanted to use the unflavored gelatin and flavor it with watermelon juice but somehow the unflavored gelations were all missing the “K” sign that I was interested in. ;( One day if I come across one that I can eat, I will definitely try that combination.

Maybe one can make two (or even three!) layers of jellos in the melon bowl. Pouring one in, after the previous one is solid. I guess the rest is up to your imagination!

Bon Apetit!

You know dandelions, right? In case you need some help remembering them: Think about those weeds that you think you killed them last year, but keeps coming back year after year. OK, if you do not own a house/backyard you must have seen these flowering all over. At the end of the flowering season they somehow become somelike like a cotton ball and spread their seeds around. A pic needed?

As you can guess by now, we make salad with dandelions.

People of Crete are known for their recipes involving greens. My grandma and her family were residents of Crete before Greece and Turkey signed an exchange treaty, in 1920s. This was the exchange of the Greeks living in today’s Turkey and the Turks living in today’s Greece and Greek islands. All had to start a new life in a `foreign land’ all over again. Turks coming to Turkey were placed usually on the Eagen or the Mediterranean coasts. My grandma’s family ended up in Mersin; where eventually I have grew up.

This is a recipe I have learned from my mom and aunts.

If you have a backyard, and have dandelions all over; consider yourself lucky! Everytime you weed, you can have a salad for dinner. For the apartment dwellers, you do not need to go to public parks to collect dandelions. In fact, I would not recommend it. Considering how many dogs are running around there, you get the point, right? When you make a trip to the grocery store, look for the dandelion leaves in the green section.

Here comes the recipe for a tasty salad:

Ingredients:

1. A bunch of dandelion leaves
2. 1 lemon
3. 2Tbs extra virgin olive oil
4. 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
5. salt to taste

Steps:

1. Wash the dandelions throughly. If you have store bought leaves, you are in luck. Otherwise, make sure to remove the roots (which can actually be cleaned and eaten as well) and the stems, if any. Last time I made this salad after weeding the backyard, I washed the bunch for at least 15 times. (*)
2. Put about 2 gallons of water in a pot and boil
3. When the water is rapidly boiling, put the dandelion leaves in the water and make sure to immerse them into water. Keep boiling for 5 - 7 minutes
4. Drain the leaves
5. Place them on a serving plate
6. Squeeze the lemon, pour the juice over the greens
7. Pour the olive oil and add some salt
8. Crush the garlic cloves, mix well

Note: As my dear friend Ipek pointed out, just like any other greens, while you are washing these leaves, leave them in vinegar + water solution for about 20 mins or so. That will ensure that the leaves to be cleaner. Thanks for the suggestion Ipek!

Bon Apetit!