Marlee's Diner & Bakery

Auntie Em’s
Greek Style Baby Back Ribs :

Ingredients:
1 -2 Racks of Baby Back Ribs
1 Cup Lemon Juice
1 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
Garlic Powder
Oregano
Salt & Pepper

Preparation:

Place Ribs in a baking pan that’s at least 2” deep

Pour vinegar and lemon juice over front and back

Sprinkle generous amounts of Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder and Oregano making sure it’s evenly distributed and rubbed in

Instructions for the oven:
Cover baking pan tightly with foil making sure all sides are sealed
Place in a pre-heated 425 F oven for 1 hour
Lower temperature to 325 F and continue cooking for 2 more hours.
Don’t peek!!!!
Remove ribs from oven and place on a baking sheet
Raise oven temperature to Broil (450-500F)
Return the ribs to the top rack until they’re golden brown OR
Set them on a grill until they get some color & a little char
Strain the brothy liquid from the bottom of the pan and pour over the finished Ribs!

Instructions for the Instant Pot:
Place the metal rack in the bottom of the instant pot
Arrange ribs, meat side towards the center standing up
Add a little more vinegar and lemon juice
Lock the lid, move the release valve to “sealed”, push the “pressure cooker” button and set time for 30 minutes.
Once the time is up, release the steam and allow the pot to de-pressurize.
Set the oven temperature to Broil (450-500F)
Remove the ribs, place on a baking sheet and set on top rack of oven OR
Set them on a grill until they get some color and a little char
Strain the brothy liquid from the bottom of the pan and pour over the finished Ribs!

Melomacarona- Honey dipped cookies; also known as Finikia ❤️
Ingredients:
1 Cup Crisco Shortening (melted)
1 1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Sugar
7 Cups Flour
1 Cup Orange Juice
1 Teaspoon Orange Zest
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Cup Cognac
1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

Preparation:
In a bowl, mix melted crisco, vegetable oil, cognac, sugar, orange juice, orange zest and cinnamon.

Add flour and baking powder and mix until the dough comes together. It should be a soft, moist dough that holds together nicely when you roll it into a ball.

(In Colorado, it was dry & we used less than 7 cups flour…we added orange juice to get it to the right consistency. In S. Florida, I use 7 cups of flour and it’s perfect every time. Use your judgment; best not to dump all the flour at once!)

We prefer a smaller cookie, and roll into approx. 17 gram balls. You can also make them larger, up to you!

Shape into an oval, press finger down the middle on a grater creating the channel.

Bake at 350 F for approx. 25 minutes or until a golden color.

Let them cool completely

Dip cookies into the warm syrup, no more than 15-20 seconds

Remove and place onto a platter that has been dusted with the nut mixture. Sprinkle the tops of cookies while they’re still warm.

Syrup
Ingredients:
2 Cups Water
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Honey
1 Cinnamon Stick
4-5 Whole Cloves
Orange Peel

*Bring to a low boil, skimming the top.
*Lower to a simmer for about 10-15 minute and then your ready for dipping!

Topping

2 Cups Walnuts - processed
1-2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

Christina’s Portokalopita-
Orange Filo Cake
Ingredients:
1 Cup Orange Juice
(about 5 oranges)
1 Box Filo Dough
1 Cup Whole Milk
1 Cup Sunflower Oil
3/4 Cup Sugar
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 Eggs

Syrup:
3 1/4 Cups Water
1 3/4 Cups Sugar
Juice of half an orange
Zest of 1 orange
A squeeze of lemon

Combine water, sugar, orange juice and zest in a pot and bring to a boil and immediately lower heat to medium, simmer for about 10 minutes until a rich golden brown color. Add a squeeze of lemon, stir and remove from heat. Completely cool before using.
** The lemon isn’t for flavor, it’s to prevent
crystallization **

Preparation:

Make the syrup first and let cool completely

Take Filo out of plastic and unroll. Allow to air dry for about 30 minutes. In a large bowl, crumple and break the Filo dough into small pieces. Set aside.

In another bowl, assemble the rest of the ingredients and mix well

Pour the wet ingredients into the crumpled Filo and combine.

Pour that into greased pan and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 1 hour until golden brown

Remove from oven and immediately pour the cooled syrup onto the hot Portokalopita

Allow the syrup to get absorbed, about 10-15 minutes depending on the humidity

* Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream and Enjoy!!!!

Avgolemono Greek chicken lemon soup! Creamy, comforting and healing!

Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken
4-5 Celery Stalks
4-5 Carrots
1 Large onion
2-3 Potatoes
2-3 Lemons - Juiced
Salt & Pepper to taste
2 Eggs
1-2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Cup of Arborio Rice, or Orzo, or Noodles
Water Enough to fill a soup pot

Chicken Soup Preparation:
Cut celery & carrots into thirds.
Cut onion and potatoes into quarters.
Reserve the potatoes for later.
Place Chicken, Celery, Carrots, Onion, Salt and Pepper in a large pot, fill with water and bring to a boil on high.
After approx. 30 minutes skim the top if needed and lower the heat to medium/low and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours
Add the potatoes and continue to simmer until they are cooked through
Remove the chicken
Remove the vegetables
Strain the broth and return to a large pot
Add rice or noodles
While that’s cooking, remove meat off the bones
Cube the carrots and potatoes
Prepare the Avgolemono
Once the rice/pasta is cooked remove soup from heat.
Add the Avgolemono mixture combining quickly
Add vegetables and chicken
You can return to a low heat stirring continuously to heat through…be careful not to over heat all at once or you’ll have egg drop soup…

Avgolemono Preparation:
Dilute the corn starch in some water, set aside.
In a bowl, beat the eggs, lemon juice and diluted corn starch. Slowly ladle chicken broth to temper the Avgolemono mixture. (You can omit corn starch and add a couple more eggs if you prefer)

Notes: For a thicker soup, add more corn starch. Also, using rice will naturally thicken the soup as it releases starches into the broth.

Marlee’s Diner Stuffed Cabbage, Peppers & Veggies
*to be clear, we make these one at a time! An either or situation 😊
just figured I’d share both!
*Also, our family’s Greek recipe for Stuffed Cabbage “Lahanodolmathes” is different as is the Stuffed Peppers/tomatoes “Yemista” recipe. I’ll share those another time!

Stuffing Mixture:
1 lb ground beef
2 cup diced onions
1 cup chopped parsley
1 15oz can tomato puree
1/2 cup rice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups water

Tomato Sauce:
1 15oz can tomato sauce
1-2 cans water
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 tsp Garlic Powder
Mix all ingredients and place aside

Prepare the Filling:
On High heat sauté the onion and garlic then add the ground beef; cook until browned.

Add rice, tomato sauce, salt & pepper, until well blended and bring to a boil. (add some water so that it’s loose and has enough liquid for the rice to cook and puff up)

Add parsley lower and simmer until rice is almost cooked through and mixture has thickened.

Cabbage Prep:
Cut out the stem of a large head of green cabbage.

Place in boiling salted water until the leaves are tender and pliable.

Remove the head of cabbage from the water and allow to drain and cool on a dish towel.

Carefully peel approximately 12 leaves.

Lay cabbage leaf flat on a cutting board. Cut a slice or v shape at the bottom of the leaf removing the tough rib. Approx. 1-2 inches.

Assembling and Cooking Stuffed Cabbage:
Prep the baking dish:
I like to chop the left over cabbage and lay on the bottom of the baking pan.
Then pour some of the tomato sauce on top of that.

Get ready to Roll & Bake:
Place a scoop of filling on the bottom center of leaf & then roll, fold and tuck.
Place the roll in the pan, adding each additional roll snuggly next to the other with the seam side down. Pour remaining sauce over the top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake on 350 for about an hour. Remove foil and bake 30 more minutes until lightly browned.

Peppers or Veggie Prep:
Rinse, cut and save the top.
Clean out the inside.

Tomatoes, Zucchini, & Eggplant Prep:

Rinse, cut the top or end off the vegetable of choice.

Hollow out the tomatoes and puree what you’ve removed in food processor. Include it in the stuffing mixture in lieu of the canned sauce or in addition to.

Hollow out the Zucchini or Eggplant. Process what you’ve removed into small pieces. This is a great vegetarian option.

Assembling and Cooking Stuffed Peppers/Tomatoes/Vegetables:
Arrange the hollowed out peppers (and veggies of choice) in a baking pan/dish.
Sprinkle interiors lightly with salt and pepper.
Fill with stuffing mixture and add the tops.
Pour sauce over everything and add water if needed.
(when making this at home, we like to nestle cut potato among the veggies and drizzle everything with olive oil)
Cover with foil and bake for one hour at 350. Uncover and continue baking for an additional 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender and browned nicely 🙂

Greek Meat Sauce
2lbs Ground Beef
1 28oz Can Tomato Sauce
2 Med. onions diced
2-3 Cloves Garlic minced
1/4 cup Red wine
5 Cloves
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
Parsley

Brown meat and drain fat.
Add onions and garlic, once translucent, add red wine.
Add tomato sauce, salt, pepper and cloves. Combine until well mixed. Add water so that it looks soupy. Bring to a boil then lower and simmer several hours. Add parsley before serving.

*My family uses cloves in the meat sauce; however, my in-law side, uses both cloves and cinnamon. Delicious either way. (This sauce is not meant to be thick and chunky)

Tzatziki
2 lb container of Fage Greek yogurt
1 C cucumber - peeled, seeded and chopped in small dice
1 Tsp dried mint
2-3 garlic cloves crushed and minced (depending on how strong you like it)
Salt & pepper to taste
About 1/8 C olive oil (optional)

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Drizzle olive oil and blend in.
Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving. The longer it sits; the better it tastes!
And yes!! We use mint not dill! Greece has many regional nuances and this is our family recipe for Tzatziki 🙂 Enjoy!

Hi Everyone!!
I’m creating videos of some of our most popular menu items! Making the Vegan Burger brought back some pretty strong memories of our diner and friends!
Here’s the recipe❤️✨
Follow along for more and be sure to share!! Creating reels of some of our most popular items from Marlee’s Diner😊 Heres the Homemade Vegan Burger recipe for 11 6oz patties
3/4 C Chopped pecans
2C Diced onions
2tbsps Minced garlic
1 1/2 C Shredded Carrot
1 bunch Chopped Parsley
1/2 C Olive Oil
1/4 C Worcestershire
3 15oz cans Black beans (drained not rinsed!)
1 1/4 C Sunflower seeds
3/4 tbsp Cumin.
3/4 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 1/2 Tsp salt.
1 tsp Pepper
1/2 C Flour.
1/2 C Oats.
2 C bread crumbs.
*Mix and Combine all the ingredients
*Shape into 6oz patties. (or whatever size you prefer)keep your hands wet; you may want to sprinkle water to make the patties hold together
*layer in parchment or wax paper and freeze
*must go from freezer to pan or else they’ll fall apart…
* spray a pan with cooking spray and cook patties over medium high heat; you can add some water and cover until done😊 Enjoy!

At the diner with the film crew shooting some footage for upcoming documentary; building is musty, empty and dirty...but it’s not about the building...it’s who and what filled this building with life, love and friendship... that is missed the most ❤️