Beautiful Pistachio Cake.

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Hello everybody.

Baked this beautiful elegant cake for my friend’s birthday today, It’s becoming a dear tradition each birthday that I really enjoy and of course do it with lots of love.

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Well this cake has very little ingredients and very easy to make, but it’s success depends upon baking heat and time.Oven must be on 180 º and may need to lower it after 15-20 minutes to 130º.

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Another issue is baking time, recipe says 20-25 minutes, it may need a bit more but you must be careful not to over bake or else it will dry or collapse..turn off the oven when surface is golden and sides crispy. Then leave to cool completely before removing it from pan.

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Ingredients:
* 3 cups finely crushed pistachios
* 6 eggs.
* 1 1/2 cups sugar.
* 1 tsp vanilla.
* 1 1/2 tsp baking powder.

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Method:
* Mix eggs, vanilla and sugar till fluffy and creamy.
* Add baking powder and pistachios.
* Grease 2 small baking pans or line with wax paper.
* Devide batter in pans.
* Heat oven at 180º. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Leave to cool.
For the filling:
* 1 pack kiri or cream cheese.
* 1 pack dream whip.
* 1 pack cream.
* icing sugar if you like your cream extra sweet.
Mix well till fluffy and doubled in size. Leave in fridge overnight.
Assemble the cake and leave in fridge to firm for 2-3 hours. Decorate it as you wish.

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Enjoy♡♥♡♥.

Happy Valentine’s Day. 

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Hello everybody.


Though I believe love should be celebrated daily not on a specific day or time, but it’s becoming a festive day.

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We celebrated my way, simple healthy breakfast full of love with little heart-shaped tomatoes and strawberries.

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Then I made this lovely berries cake and took it to a family gathering with all my lovely cousins.

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Today’s Order. 

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Hello everybody.

A loving grandma ordered this lovely combination of dishes for her visiting grandchildren.

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Outcome was very colorful specially the tutti fruitti cake, full of fruits and cream.

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Alongside she ordered za’tar puffs, pasta salad, teramisu and a small box of chocolate balls I sent as a gift.

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Gingerbread Cake.

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Hello everybody.

Christmas time is always full of new challenges for me, so many recipes to try and lots of creative ideas and decorations.

Since we have lunch guests for Mansaf ,thought I’ll try this cake. it’s very popular but I never did it before and was very happy with the result . Both elegant and delicious , moist and full of flavors.

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Ingredients and method:

* 1/2 cup butter.نص كوب زبده

* 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 كوب سكر بني

*1/2 cup molasses. نص كوب دبس تمر

*2 tsp ginger powder ملعتين صغار زنجبيل

*2 tsp cinnamon ملعقتين صغار قرفه

*pinch of nutmeg رشه جوز الطيب

*pinch of salt. رشه ملح

*1/2 cup vegetable oil. نص كوب زيت نباتي

*3/4 cup milk. 3م4 كوب حليب

*3 large eggs. 3 بيض

*1 tsp vanilla.ملعقه فانيلا

*3 cups flour.3 كوب طحين

*2 tsp baking powder.ملعقتين باكينغ باودر

* 1/2 tsp bicarbonate .نص ملعقه بايكربونات

  • Mix flour with all spices and baking powder and bicarbonate. تخلط البهارات والباكينغ باودر ولبيايكربونات مع الطحين
  • Beat butter and brown sugar well تخفق الزبده والسكر جيدا
  • add molasses then oil.يضاف الزيت والدبس
  • add eggs and vanilla.يضاف البيض والفانيلا
  • add milk alternatively with spices and flour.يضاف الحليب بالتناوب مع الطحين
  • bake in three medium sized pans.في فرن متوسط الحراره  تخبز العجينه في عده قوالب او صينيه واحده حسب الرغبه
  • leave to cool before stuffing.تترك لتبرد تماما قبل الحشي

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Cream:الكريما

*1 pack cream cheese.علبه جبنه كريميه

*1 pack heavy cream.علبه قيمر

*2 envelopes whipping creamمغلفين كريما باودر

*1 tsp cinnamon.ملعقه صغيره قرفه

  • Beat cream cheese well then add all other ingredients and beat till double in size .تخفق الجبنه اولا ثم تضاف باقي المقادير وتخفق جيدا
  • add cinnamon.
  • cool in fridge till stiff.تبرد جيدا قبل الحشو

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Ginger cookies:بسكوت الزنجبيل

*3/4 cup butter.3/ 3 كوب زبده

*1/ 2 cup brown sugar.1/2 كوب سكر بني

*1/2 cup molasses.1/2 كوب دبس

*1 egg.1 بيضه

*1 tsp ginger.1 ملعقه زنجبيل

*1 tsp cinnamon.ملعقه قرفه

*1/2 tsp baking powder.نص ملعقه باكينغ باودر

*2 cups flour.كوبين طحين

*Beat butter and sugar then add molasses.تخفق الزبده والسكر جيدا

*Add egg and spices.تضاف البيضه والبهارات

*Add flour and baking powder.يضاف الطحين والباكينغ باودر

*Knead well till you get a stiff easy to manage ball.تعجن جيدا لتصبح كره ماساء

*Roll and shape as you wish .ترق على سطح مرشوش بالطحين ونشكل حسب الرغبه

*Bake for 10-13 minutes max.تخبز في فرن متوسط لمده 10-13 دقيقه

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When cake is completely cooled ( i usually wrap each one in nylon wrap and freeze it for couple of hours) assemble with cream layers and decorate with cookies.

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Workshop Catering. 

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Hello everybody.

I can proudly say that it’s a successful week, I catered a four days workshop at the Water and Irrigation Ministry, guests were Germans this time.

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Did coffee breaks and lunches each day with different kinds of food.

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Thank God all were happy and satisfied and ended work with a beautiful cake.

Successful Catering Job. 

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Hello everybody.

Today I was honored to cater a workshop at the Ministry of Water and Irrigation for a group of Dutch experts.

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I can proudly say it was a job well done, everything was perfect and work went on smoothly.

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I did assorted cookies and snacks for the coffee break then followed by burgers, shawerma and falafel for lunch.  

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Along with zatar and cheese puffs all with veggies and olives.

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Grand finale was a beautiful lemony cake topped with berries and ganache.

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Cream Caramel Cheesecake with Berries. 

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Hello everybody.

Had guests last night for an early dinner,sorry no photos cause I was so busy!

Dessert was a chiq new recipe,tries it last week at a restaurant so I kept digging till I found it.

It’s a combination of flan and cheesecake together with berries sauce on the side. Sweetness of cheesecake is perfectly balanced by the sour taste of berries.

Ingredients and method :

Crust :

#half cup of roasted finely crushed almonds.

# 1 pack crushed biscuits.

# 3 big tablespoons butter.

* mix all together till crumbly then press in a spring pan and bake for 10 minutes. 

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Flan Cheesecake batter :

# 2 packs cream cheese.

# 1 can sweetened condensed milk.

# 5 eggs.

# 1 small pack heavy cream.

# 1 tsp vanilla.

# 1 tsp lemon zest.

*Beat cream cheese well then gradually add condensed milk.

* add eggs one at a time and keep beating mixture.

* add cream and vanilla.

* add lemon zest.

Pour mixture over crust then back into a medium heated oven for 40 minutes.

Note: I placed the pan in a water bath guess it’s better.

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Caramel Sauce

1 cup sugar heated till you get the right color then slowly add 3/4 cup heavy liquid cream.

Stir well till you get a thick sauce.

When cheesecake is done cool for 3-4 hours then add caramel sauce on top.

Berries sauce:

1 cup frozen mixed berries with 3/4 cup sugar dissolved then boiled till sauce is thick.

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Fig Coffee Hazelnut Cake. 

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Hello everybody.

Went out last night to celebrate multi birthdays, as usual my share was to bake the cake,it’s becoming a lovely trend cause I really feel content and happy baking it specifically for my dear lovely friends.

This time I ventured baking a new cake for many reasons first of all cause figs are in season plus I like to try new recipes and my friends would be the perfect critics for its success or failure. Thank God it was a big hit both in taste and look.

You can tell it would be delicious cause of the rich flavored ingredients all combined gave mesmerizing taste.Nobody denies that figs, coffee and hazelnuts aren’t delicious.

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Ingredients and method :

* 4 big dried figs.

* 3/4 cup strong coffee (I used Nescafe or you can use espresso)

* 3/4 cup roasted and crushed hazelnuts.

* 1/2 cup butter.

* 1/2 cup vegetable oil.

* 1/2 cup yogurt.

* 1 tsp pumpkin pie spices (cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of all spice)

* 3/4 cup brown sugar.

*  4 large eggs.

* 1 tsp vanilla.

* 2 tsp baking powder

* pinch of salt.

* 2 cups flour.
For the cream :

* 2 packs cream cheese.

* 2 envelopes Dream whip.

* 1 pack cream.

* 1/2 cup of milk.

 

For garnish :

* 6-8 fresh figs.

* caramel sauce.

* coarsely chopped roasted hazelnuts.

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* cut dried figs to small pieces then soak in hot coffee for 30 minutes.

* add finely chopped hazelnuts and mash all together till you get a paste.

* meanwhile beat sugar, butter and oil well.

* add yogurt then eggs and vanilla.

* add flour, baking powder and.

* fold in fig coffee paste and mix well.

* bake either in a rectangular mold or round as preferred,in a medium heated oven for 25-30 minutes or till cake is dry from inside.

Note: I devided batter to three and baked each portion alone in a rectangular shape.

Meanwhile beat frosting ingredients well and cool in the fridge.

When cakes are done fold each layer in cling film then cool in fridge overnight or for several hours,this will keep cake moist and easy to handle while adding frosting.

Assemble cake layers and cream then decorate with fresh figs, caramel sauce and roasted hazelnuts.

Result is a super elegant delicious cake specially with coffee

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Another Week in Ramadan.

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Hello everybody.
Another week passed with lots of yummy dishes, here are some of them.

 

wp-1466422272558.jpg Potato salad.

 

wp-1466422302108.jpg  Hummus falafel and fatteh.

 

wp-1466422335007.jpg  Ouzi in puff pastry.

 

wp-1466422358521.jpg Rice with curried veggies and chicken

 

wp-1466422393836.jpg Fettuccine and salad.

 

wp-1466422407912.jpg Eggplant dip.

 

wp-1466422456871.jpg  wp-1466422474610.jpg Knafeh cheesecake.

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Two birthdays this week.

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Ended this week with a lovely iftar with Family Flavors team at the Four Seasons hotel.

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