Traditional Apple Pie.

Hello everybody.

No cooking today,I still have lots from yesterday,plus I went out with my friends for breakfast to a kind of new place in town Shakespeare & co. really pleasant place,beautiful decor, tasty food and excellent service I might say 🙂

This doesn’t mean no work,my mother in law’s school friends are coming tomorrow morning so I made apple pie and za’tar sticks but as round pastries this time, will be great with a cheese platter and Tabouleh.

You may find various apple pie recipes all over,I usually make this one which is easy and always work.

Ingredients and method of apple pie:

*Crust:

* 1 egg.

* 1 tsp vanilla or lemon zest.

* 1/2 cup sugar.

* 3/4 cup butter.

* 1 3/4 cups flour ( you may need 1/4 more to make a firm dough)

* pinch of salt.

* 2 tablespoons cold water.

Filling:

* 5-6 large apples peeled and cut to slices.

* 1/2 cup walnuts (optional).

* 1/4 cup raisins (optional).

* 1/4 cup brown sugar.

* 1 tsp lemon juice .

* 1 tablespoon cinnamon ( sorry forgot to add it in the photo)

* beat the egg.vanilla,sugar and butter till creamy.

* add flour and salt and knead well till you have a firm round dough ( add more flour if it’s sticky and you can’t handle it)

* leave to cool in the fridge for 30 minutes.

* spread 3/4 dough in pie pan evenly in bottom and sides.

* pinch it with a fork so as it won’t form a bubble.

* mix filling ingredients well and pour them into the pie pan.

* make shapes to decorate top of pie from remaining dough ,sprinkle surface with flour or use plastic bag for easier handling.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 30-40 minutes or till sides and bottom are golden then toast the surface.

You can reheat it and serve it with vanilla ice cream or as is with a sprinkle of icing sugar,depends on how the lovely ladies prefer tomorrow .

Fun in the Sun Again :)

Hello everybody.

Just came back from a lovely day and evening by the pool side at my best friend’s house,we had a blast as usual, maybe you all figured from my older posts that I have a group of best friends since childhood,always a pleasure to be together and share lunches,dinners,trips or even a 30 minutes cup of coffee.It’s true that real friendship is a big important asset these days that cannot be replaced, love you my besties <3

Lunch was beef and chicken burgers,potato wedges and nuggets.Dessert was the apple pudding eclairs I made yesterday which was just delicious and cooling .

Thank you my dear friend for the lovely day 🙂

Apple Pudding Eclairs.

Hello everybody.

Back from a short trip to Taba/Egypt,though tiring long drive but it was worth it.Fun in the sun is the exact description , beautiful Sofitel Hotel with lots of pools and activities all day,the only disadvantage was the quality of food, all inclusive buffets but nothing good to eat.Thank God for bread and butter,but all in all it’s the company of good friends that made this trip memorable,we had a blast and lots of funny stories to tell for sure 🙂

Today as my son said we need something with rice,a good homemade meal is so satisfying after 3 days of eating out,I made Kebabs with tomatoes and rice or as we call it Indian Kebabs.

Tomorrow we’re going to spend the day at my friend’s house by the pool,another fun in the sun day,so I prepared this cool Summery dessert to take with me, very easy to do and a chance to use all the apples my husband brought while I was away !

ingredients and method:

* 5-6 large apples.

* 1 tsp cinnamon.

* 1 tablespoon flour.

* sugar if desired.

* 1 pack whipping cream.

* 1 pack fresh cream.

* 1 pack cream cheese.

* 4 packs vanilla pudding or you can use homemade pudding also.

* plain biscuits and some milk.

* peel and chop apples then add flour,cinnamon and sugar and mix well.

* mix together whipping cream,fresh cream,cream cheese and pudding very well .

* line the biscuits in a deep serving dish and sprinkle with some milk.

* add half the amount of cream then half of apples.

* repeat the layers then decorate with crushed biscuits and cinnamon.

* keep in fridge overnight for better results.

today’s lunch.

Kebabs and Appetizers.

Hello everybody.

Woke up late today with no idea what to cook,after searching through the previous posts decided to make homemade Kebabs and the usual salads and appetizers I make with them.

I made roasted tomatoes with chili and garlic ,yogurt with mint and oregano, avocado dip,french fries and a green salad.

I also made some vegetable kebabs,really yummy !!

Dessert was assorted fruits,fresh pineapple,cactus fruits and many more .

Day Off!

Hello everybody.

Today I decided to take the day off,we had cheese sandwiches at noon and maybe we’ll have an early dinner somewhere out, I’m in no mood to cook at all,so excuse me for not posting a dish today. I know many of you have the same feeling every now and then:)

Nevertheless remember yesterday’s berries? I made the rest of them jam cause I washed them all so this morning they were not so fresh, same way I did the apricot jam but I sieved them when done to remove all seeds.

I also made miniature jam cookies,same dough as the ones I made in big tray but molded it in small cupcake papers,added jam and nuts and baked them for 15 minutes. Nice treat to my son’s friends when they gather at night .

Cherry Berry Mousse.

Hello everybody.

Gloomy cold day,I hate this weather when no sun appears,went shopping to lighten up but unfortunately though most shops have sale but I wasn’t lucky at all 🙂

Anyway since I was out all morning I was planning to fry some ready chicken escalopes,I boiled some potatoes before I left to make mashed potatoes. God bless Nabil products as I always say.

I rushed to grocery store on my way back to bring some extra chicken and fresh rocca to make a salad cause my son called saying his friend is coming to lunch,as I entered I couldn’t resist the fresh berries,cherries and strawberries on the fruit stand,so I got a good amount to make this recipe,refreshing and yummy, I’m sure kids and adults will love it.

Ingredients and method:

* 1 pack cream cheese.

* 2 packs whipping cream.

* 1 pack cream.

* 3 packs strawberry and cherry jello plus 1 for the top.

* 1 cup milk

*3/4 cups hot water.

* 2 cups fresh berries.

* mix all ingredients with only 1/2 cup of berries very well in food processor.

* pour in a deep serving dish then dip in some big chunks of berries.

* refrigerate till firm then decorate top with rest of cherries and berries.

* dissolve the remaining jello pack in 1 cup very hot water then cover berries with it slowly.

* refrigerate for 2-3 hours then serve.

Haven’t tasted yet but it sure looks pretty good,enjoy your weekend my friends.

today’s lunch,fried chicken,mashed potatoes and roca salad.

Gardening !

Hello everybody,hope you’re enjoying your weekend.

Today is gardening Friday, it’s a ritual each year to go to plant nurseries and remodel our garden,we’re even late this year,so today is the day.Started early in the morning and just finished planting now,not me of course, I’m only my hubbies helper,to be honest I never planted anything and lived so I gave up long time ago!! all credit goes to Abu Khalil for sure <3.

At lunch time we crashed at my mother-in law,she already made roasted chicken and potatoes and I quickly made pasta with white cheese,pesto sauce and parsley as a side dish.

As a reward after a long hot day working outside I made a dish of Banana Split but without cream, only ice cream,bananas,biscuits,fruit salad and chocolate syrup.

Lovely day,but work is yet not finished,we’re continuing tomorrow Insha’Allah.

Apricot Jam.

Hello everybody.

A dear friend of my mother in-law called me saying that her apricot tree is overloaded and most of it is over ripe so she wants me to come pick as much as I want

A custom of mine each year I make this jam just as my late grandma used to make it,she had a big tree in her garden and we used to help her pick it and make ripe ones jam,she even used to break the seed and add the nut inside to the jam,but this is really hard work,poor teita. she was very patient and did them all without grumbling at all,God bless your soul my dear grandma<3

Well I did go yesterday to auntie Haifa’s ,had a cup of coffee and took a big big bag of beautiful fresh apricots,perfect for jam.

last night I cleaned and pitted them then added sugar and cooked them today, by the way lunch today was steak sandwiches,same that I did before.

Ingredients and method of jam:

* 1 kg ripe apricots.

* 1 kg sugar ( you need equal amounts of fruit and sugar,you can measure in cups also)

* 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

* add sugar to apricots stir well then put on gas on medium heat till bubbly.

* reduce heat to minimum and keep boiling for 40-50 minutes removing froth whenever it’s formed.

* keep stirring mixture then blend it with hand mixture if you like or leave it in chunks as you prefer.

* add lemon juice and leave it boiling for another 15-20 minutes or till it’s thick .

* cool and fill in cleaned glass containers,then keep in fridge.

I usually wrap jars with ribbons or accessories, great gift full of love 🙂

tasty with white cheese!

this is today’s lunch.

Watermelon Fiesta !!!

Hello everybody.

Nobody home for lunch today and I was busy all morning making Date Rolls for my friend, when when done I was in no mood to cook anything.

This morning I bought a lovely watermelon, been waiting for it’s season to make these lovely servings or decorations all done with watermelons,fruits and cheese, as usual shape wasn’t as perfect as photos you see in magazines or websites but not bad for a first time, I’m sure this needs lots of practice and special cutters and lots of Photoshop :).

I also made a lovely refreshing juice with them,thanks to my Facebook friend who recommended it, I mixed watermelons with Tang lemon and mint and two ripe bananas with lots of ice. Very cooling in this hot day 🙂

I’ll post my photos and the original ones, you compare and judge!!!

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

fruits

Traditional Apple Pie.

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Fun in the Sun Again :)

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Apple Pudding Eclairs.

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Kebabs and Appetizers.

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Day Off!

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Cherry Berry Mousse.

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Gardening !

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Apricot Jam.

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Watermelon Fiesta !!!

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