Quince Jam.

Hello everybody.

Since it’s quince season, jam is a must I guess.Though many people make it big chunks in syrup but I prefer this way cause it’s easier to spread.
Ingredients and method :

* 1 kg quince fruit cored then grated.

* 5 cups sugar.

* 2 cups water.

* juice and peel of one lemon.

* 1 stick cinnamon.

* 4 pieces cloves.

* wash core and grate quince.

*add sugar, water and lemon juice and peel.

*mix well then add cinnamon and cloves.

* heat till it boils then lower heat and leave to simmer for an hour and half or till quince turns dark and syrup thickens.

NOTE: a quicker way to do it is to cook it in pressure cooker for 20-30 minutes max.

* remove cinnamon stick and fill jam in clean jars.

Muhalbieh with Orange Sauce.

Hello everybody.

Did this milk pudding or muhalbieh today for my mother in-law’s gathering.

So yummy and elegant plus easy of course, milk pudding is same as muhalbieh with caramel recipe but instead I used the orange sauce which contains orange juice, sugar and starch boiled till it thick.

Sultan Delight.

Happy New Year everybody.

So sorry for this long absence, since I started taking orders and catering I really don’t have time to publish new recipes, guess one can’t get it all.

Today I tried this new recipe I’ve seen a while ago while searching through Turkish dishes,it’s a mix of many flavors together, white and red sauces and roasted eggplants gave it a really amazing taste.

Ingredients and method :

* one big roasted eggplant.

*white sauce :

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

2 cups milk.

Salt, pepper and spices.

1/2 cup mazorella cheese.

Red sauce with meat :

*Veal cubes (1/2 kilo)

*one small finely chopped onion.

* 2 diced garlic.

* 1 big finely chopped tomato

* 1 tablespoon tomato paste

* 1 cup water.

* olive oil.

* start by making the white sauce, melt butter then add flour till a bit golden then add milk slowly and whisk.

* boil till thick then season as desired.

* chop roasted eggplants to small chunks and mix into the sauce.

* add cheese.

* Now make the meat red sauce,heat skillet then add seasoned meat and stir till browned.

* add onions, garlic and tomatoes subsequently.

* add tomato paste and water then leave to simmer till sauce is thick and concentrated.

*Upon service pour eggplant sauce in a wide dish then add red sauce on top.

* Decorate with mazorella cheese or parsely.
Very rich satisfying dish, served with pita bread or without,highly recommended.

Gingerbread Cake.

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.

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

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

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

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.

Chocolate Hazelnut Caramel Thumbprints.

Hello everybody.

Testing new cookies for Christmas orders, came across this recipe the other day and thought it’ll be a good choice and i was right.

Elegant crispy from the outside cookies , so easy to make and you can always make many variations of them. I mean you can envelope them with either hazelnuts or almonds and fill them with caramel or Nutella , all really tasty for sure.

Ingredients and method:

* 3/4 cup butter.

* 1/2 cup sugar.

* 1 large egg separated.

* 1/2 cup flour.

* pinch of salt

*1/2 cup cocoa.

*2 tablespoons cold water.

* 3/4 roasted finely crushed nuts.(hazelnuts or almonds)

* caramel or Nutella

* beat egg yolk,butter,sugar and salt till creamy.

* add flour and cocoa knead till you form a ball.

* form small balls then press them with your thumb a bit in the middle.

* beat the egg white and coat cookies with them.

* roast and crush finely the nuts then coat cookies with them as well.

* bake in a moderate heated oven for 13-15 minutes.

* when cooled add a little bit of caramel in the thumbprint.

I also made super easy coconut Maltesers balls but this time I roasted the powdered milk till golden , added a caramel taste to them .

Ingredients and method:

*2 cups dry milk powder.

* 2 cups coconut.

* 1/2 cup icing sugar.

* 1 pack cream.

* 1 tablespoon butter.

* 3 packs Maltesers.

* Note: I added some orange zest,goes well with it.

* Mix all ingredients together till they’re like a paste then cover each Maltesers ball with it and roll into a ball .

* cover with coconut and leave to cool in the fridge.

To fill the box for today”s order I added some rock cookies and lemon crinkles I made yesterday, turned out a beautiful colorful Christmas gift.

Beetroot Hummus.

Hello everybody.

Boiled some beetroots yesterday , it’s the season you know, so today I searched for something new to make with them other than salads .Since I have a box of ready made hummus this mix seemed a good option.

Mix is so easy ,all together in the food processor :

*boiled beetroots.( I used 2 large ones)

* half cup of hummus or 1 cup boiled chickpeas.

*1 tablespoon tahini sauce.

*1 tablespoon lemon juice.

*1 tsp of each, salt, cumin and chili powder.

*1 clove garlic.

That’s it! see super easy especially if you have ready hummus. By the way one can find many kinds and flavors of them these days, all good .

you can decorate dish with anything you like, today a added spring onions, sesame and black seeds.

A really healthy cheerful dish that works great as dip with chips or veggies and of course a great option for kids as a trick to eat healthy stuff.

Stuffed Pigeons.

Hello everybody.

At last I got the chance to cook this dish, my husband’s been craving it and searching for recipes all the time.

Final pick was an old one from a famous Arabic cookbook, seems logical cause it’s an old traditional Egyptian dish.

I stuffed pigeons with cracked wheat ( فريكه) which was previously cooked,closed well then cooked slowly in boiling water till done.

After they’re done I roasted them and served over the rest of wheat.

Though I’m not a fan of these kinds of dishes but it was really deliciou

s, most importantly hubby loved it.

Ingredients and steps are very simple, you simply cook cracked wheat as usual,season and add enough water to cover then leave on low heat till done then stuff seasoned birds wrap and cook in water.

Workshop Catering.

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.

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

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

Meatloaf With A Twist.

Hello everybody.

Didn’t realize that it’s been this long since my last post!!!

Busy Banan Cooking kitchen for sure, no time for new recipes at all but today I tried this old new one for a change.

I’ve been watching this new TV show accidentally, well it’s on the hunting channel my husband watch everyday that’s why 🙂

This chef is really amazing, cooks in the wilderness many easy delicious dishes,salads and appetizers.

Last night he made this meatloaf, same as the one I usually make with one additional ingredient which is mushroom.You simply sauté onions, garlic and mushroom then add them to meat, egg, breadcrumbs mixture.

Ingredients and method:
* 1 kg minced veal.
* 1 egg.
* 1 spoon ketchup.
* 1/2 cup breadcrumbs.
* 1 spring onion.
* 1 bunch parsley or spinach.
* 1 tsp soy sauce.
* salt, pepper, oregano, all spice.
* 3-4 slices cheddar cheese.
* extra ketchup for surface.

* chop onion and parsley saute in a bit of oil.
* add to meat with rest of ingredients and knead well till mixed.
* spread on wax paper into a rectangle.
* add cheese slices and fold.
* spread olive oil and ketchup on surface.
* bake in medium heated oven for 30-40 minutes.
* serve with fries or wedges.

Made some roasted potatoes with rosemary and oregano on the side plus marinated roasted red peppers.

Anise Biscuits ( قرشله).

Hello everybody.

Woke up to an empty cookie jar this morning, something that rarely happens in our house!

Well though I was busy preparing today’s order which was steak with mushrooms along with mashed potatoes, lasagna, chicken pie and rocca mushroom and pomegranate salad. I searched my old cookbook for something light and healthy to refill the jar.

Came across this old recipe from a dear aunt, anise biscuits or what we call in Arabic ( قرشله), though they’re always available in all bakeries but homemade ones are definitely different.

Ingredients are very basic and simple, all done in minutes. I wonder why I don’t do them often!

Ingredients and method :

* 4 eggs.

* 1 cup sugar.

* 1 cup vegetable oil ( or half olive oil and half vegetable)

* 1 tsp vanilla.

* 3 tablespoons anise seeds.

* 2 tablespoons sesame seeds.

* 1 tsp baking powder.

* 4 cups flour.

* Beat eggs and sugar well till creamy

* add vanilla, anise seeds and sesame.

* add oil.

* add baking powder and flour.

* Beat all well till dough is smooth.

* you can either shape dough as logs or circles as you wish, I formed it as a log, rolled it in sesame seeds then cut them to one inch circles.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 20 minutes or till bottom is golden.

* roast surface a bit till biscuits are dry and golden.

And since I was in the baking mood, I did some raisin oatmeal cookies, all so yummy 😋

Here’s the recipe but I didn’t use cranberries today:

Ingredients and method:
* 1 egg.
* 1/2 cup brown or regular sugar.
* 1/2 cup red currents.
* 1/2 cup raisins.
* 1/2 cup crushed walnuts and almonds.
* 3/4 cup butter.
* 3/4 cup oatmeal.
* 3/4 cup flour.
* 1 tsp baking powder.
* 1 tsp vanilla.
* pinch of salt.
* cinnamon and ginger powder.

* beat butter with sugar till creamy then add egg and vanilla.
* mix all dry ingredients together.
* mix batter with dry ingredients to form a firm dough.
* scoop a small spoonful and line them on an oven tray .
* bake in a medium heated oven for 10-15 minutes.

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

Author: Banan Gharaibeh

Quince Jam.

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Muhalbieh with Orange Sauce.

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Sultan Delight.

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Gingerbread Cake.

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Chocolate Hazelnut Caramel Thumbprints.

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Beetroot Hummus.

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Stuffed Pigeons.

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Workshop Catering.

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Meatloaf With A Twist.

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