GRAPE LEAVES

We are going to mix it up a little bit. Most of you know our son Thomas is joining the U.S. Army. I asked him to compile a list of his favorite meals. One of the items on his list is Grape Leaves. Well this turned into a "throwdown" with my production manager Karen. She has years of experience making Grape Leaves. I have never made them before. I knew I was at a disadvantage from the get go. I felt like Bobby Flay (sorry Mario), so I had to put a different spin on my Grape Leaves.

Karen with her pot of gold ready for the stove top. Karen stuck with her recipe of ground chuck, rice, salt , pepper and fresh lemon juice. You can use ground lamb instead of the ground chuck.

Karen used the pot that I was going to use. Advantage Karen!

I used a different pot which didn't allow me to pack my Grape Leaves as cozy as Karen's. I used the same ingredients as Karen, except I added a touch of cinnamon to mine.

The winner of the "throwdown" was unanimous. The judges voted 3-0 in Karen's favor. I didn't stand a chance! Google "18x".