Shawerma Fatteh.

Hello everybody.

Last night my dear cousin Samar posted this dish she made for dinner,kindly she also posted the recipe which is perfect to do today with the lasagna leftovers, I needed something light and small and this was just it.

Remember I did meat shawerma before,you can use same spices and marinate for chicken also.

Ingredients and method:

* shredded chicken breasts.

* salt,pepper,all spice,pinch of cinnamon,cardamon,cloves.

* small tsp balsamic or white vinegar.

* sliced onions with summaq.

* chopped tomato.

* tahini sauce ( yogurt,tahini,lemon and salt mixed together)

* chopped parsley to garnish.

* fried or toasted pitta bread.

* saute chicken till almost done.

* add tomatoes and onions,cook all together till most water evaporates.

* line a deep dish with toasted pittas then add chicken mixture just before serving.

* add tahini sauce and parsley.

Thank you dear cousin for this recipe,a new addition to my cookbook “Samar’s Fatteh” great for Ramadan also.

Eggplant Lasagna.

Hello everybody.

As I mentioned yesterday I did grocery shopping for many dishes this Saturday, one of the things I got stuff for is this recipe that I read in Al-Rai newspaper Friday morning,by the way they do publish very nice and applicable recipes each Friday,try to look through them they’re very useful.

Recipe is lasagna with eggplants,all veggies no meat or chicken.I made regular traditional one and a small one in my pottery pan with eggplants as trial,turned out very good and rich in taste,a success I might say,will be great in Ramadan or lunch parties.

Ingredients and method:

* 1 large eggplant cubed and fried.

* 1 small onion.

* 2 cloves garlic.

* 2 tablespoons tomato paste.

* 2 large tomatoes peeled and chopped.

* 1 small red sweet pepper chopped.

* 1 cube chicken stock (optional).

* 2 cups water.

* 1 pack feta cheese.

* 200 g, ricotta cheese ( I used some brie cheese and kiri instead)

* 2 tablespoons pitted black olives.

* bunch of parsley.

* 1 pack spinach lasagna.

* Parmesan or kashcaval cheese for topping.

* some olive oil and butter.

* salt and pepper.

* heat oil and butter then add onions,garlic and saute till golden.

* add peppers,tomato paste stir well.

* add tomatoes,maggi cube and water then leave to simmer till sauce is thick.

* mix feta cheese with olives and parsley.

* in a deep oven pan,add some of tomato sauce in the bottom then add layered lasagna sheets.

* add some sauce,then half eggplants.

* add cheese mixture then continue with another layer of lasagna,eggplants then sauce on top.

* bake on low heat for 45 minutes then add cheese on top and roast.

* wait for it to cool a bit and settle before serving, I also made some spinach labaneh salad on the side,yummy yummy 🙂

love my new IKEA suff <3

Chicken Tikka Masala.

Hello everybody.

No escape from cooking today I guess,though I was confused what to do after grocery shopping,I bought many vegetables and stuff so I have many options.

After family discussions I decided to do this recipe sent to me by my friend’s niece Hanin whom I saw the other day and everybody in her family recommended it, so chicken masala it is,since I have all ingredients which is the most important thing,sometimes I do cancel the whole dish cause one ingredient is missing,don’t you?

This is an Indian recipe of course,most Indian food is usually hot and spicy,well today I made it medium so that all can eat with comfort,it turned out very delicious and easy.

Ingredients and method:

* 2 large chicken breasts ( original recipe says thighs but nobody in my family loves them,but breasts were good also),cut to big chunks.

* marinate for chicken:

* 1 cup yogurt.

* ginger garlic paste ( 1 tablespoon fresh ginger with 3 cloves garlic pressed or finely chopped together)

* 1 tsp salt.

* 1/2 tsp pepper.

* marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes or overnight if you can.

*Sauce:

* 2 tablespoons olive oil.

* 2 tablespoons butter.

*1/3 cup ginger garlic paste.

* 2 hot peppers (didn’t have any so I used hot dried chili )

* 2 tablespoons tomato paste.

* 1 tablespoons gram masala spices ( Indian spices bought ready or homemade by mixing special spices including : 2 tablespoons cumin seeds,2 tablespoons coriander seeds,1 tsp pepper seeds,2 tsp cardamon seeds,1 tsp cloves,1 tsp fennel seeds,1 cinnamon stick,3 bay leaves,1/2 tsp fenugreek (حلبه) ,pinch of nutmeg. you roast all seeds except nutmeg very well then grind then to fine powder and add nutmeg)

* 2 tsp paprika.

* 8 small tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes.

* 1 1/2 tsp salt.

* 1-2 cups water.

* 1/2 cup heavy cream.

* minced fresh cilantro for garnish.

* cooked rice or naan bread for serving.

* making sauce and cooking:

* heat oil and butter then add ginger garlic paste and stir,then add hot peppers.

* add tomato paste and cook till brownish then add masala,paprika and saute for 3 minutes.

* add tomatoes,saltand water and simmer till sauce is thickened,you may need more water if it dries.

* meanwhile grill the chicken in some hot oil,try to shake excess marinate .

* cook till golden on all sides.

* now blend the sauce with hand mixer or blender.

* add chicken pieces to sauce and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

* add cream and stir then at the end add chopped coriander.

* serve with rice or bread.

Very tasty savory dish,not a piece left ,thank you dear Hanin,now it’s officially Hanin’s Chicken in my cook book 🙂

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.

Creamy Avocado Tomato Basil Pasta.

Hello everybody.

Very hot and dusty today,need a cool dish to go with this weather. last night I found this recipe in my WordPress reader written by “ Cooking with a Wallflower” and since I have 2 avocados ripened from last week I thought this will be a good option for lunch.

Upon my youngest son request I made a kind of pizza called Calzone ,cause he bought some chili salami and wants me to make something with them,though I’m not in the mood to bake in this hot weather,but I kneaded a small dough,made half filled with salami,cheese,oregano and tomato paste then closed it like a pie and filled the other half with chocolate and bananas,will be a good dessert in the afternoon.

Ingredients and method for the pasta:

* 1 pack spagetti.

* 2 ripe avocados.

* 2 cloves garlic.

* 2 tablespoons yogurt.

* bunch of fresh basil.

* cherry tomatoes.

* Parmesan cheese.

* some sun dried tomatoes (optional).

* cook pasta as directed.

* mash avocados with salt,pepper and yogurt.

* chop garlic,basil leaves and tomatoes.

* just before serving toss all ingredients with the pasta and sprinkle with the cheese.

* As for the Calzone,knead a pizza dough then spread it and add filling then close it , you can use various kinds of fillings of veggies or cheeses or chocolate 🙂

Enjoy .

Lamb Cubes with Honey and Saffron.

Hello everybody.

Today I had absolutely no idea what to cook at all,nobody gave me a clue what they want, I took out some lamb cubes to defrost and went out for an errand,then on my way back home I remembered this dish.

Since a I have new fresh saffron from Turkey,thought I’ll do this old recipe I have.As I recall this dish is from the Moroccan cuisine,I saw it in TV long time ago during Ramadan cooking programs,they called it “Qumama” or “عسليه” if I’m not wrong. I did search for it today but didn’t find a recipe with this name ,if anybody has an experience in Morroccan food or knowledge or heard about it please inform me.

It’s a very easy basic recipe with little ingredients but saffron and honey are a must.

Ingredients and method:

* lamb cubes.

* 2 large chopped onions.

* 2 chopped garlic cloves.

* 1 tsp saffron.

* 1 tablespoon honey.

* salt,pepper,all spice,cinnamon stick,cardamon seeds,bay leaves,and some cloves.

* In the pressure cooker or regular pan,saute meat till brownish then add onions and garlic.

* add all spices including saffron which must be soaked in some water before usage.

* add the honey then enough water to cover.

* cook for 20-30 minutes then transfer to a deep oven pan.

* put it in the oven on low heat till water is lessened and sauce is thick.

* keep stirring it while in the oven so that all meat pieces are well roasted from all sides.

* serve with rice or bread.

Though my family were surprised cause I usually make this dish only in Ramadan,but it was really good,enjoy 🙂

Quinoa Seeds.

Hello everybody. Today as a change of usual breakfast or lunch outings,which is almost the most frequent entertainment for Ammany housewives, we were invited to an event done by “Gift Center” for the famous Eves Saint Laurent brand,a nice lecture introducing new products and a brief make up lesson,very nice and informative, we even went home with special gifts,thank you dear Nadia for the invitation,we really had a good time <3

Went back home to make lunch as quick as possible cause I took my time after the event finished testing makeup and perfumes so I was late ,I guess women forget themselves in such places don’t you agree?

Anyway I prepared ingredients to make chicken quesadilas before I left and made a new super easy quick recipe done with the loaf you buy from bakery (we call it Ramadan loaf ) then you add on it multiple kinds of cheeses ( kashkaval,halloum and white cheese) plus two spoons of labaneh,then toast it in the oven till golden. Thank you dear Maysoon for the savior dish.

Now for the quinoa part,these seeds are becoming famous cause of proven great benefits and healthy nutrients it contains,it’s now wildly used in salads and many other recipes.

Quinoa is considered a super food,it looks a lot like burghul we all know,but it must be cooked in a good amount of water then drained and used either in cold or warm dishes,it’s known to be rich in proteins,iron and fibers. I wanted to try it since my Facebook friend Mary sent me her beautiful cook book.

Here in Jordan you can find it in big stores only not in small supermarkets,last night I bought a small bag to try it ,well it tastes good,very much like burghul as I mentioned. I made a regular salad with grilled halloum,sun dried tomatoes and roasted almonds on top and added cooked quinoa seeds with it,really good, a chance for the kids to eat something nutritious.

Turned out a nice late lunch,all gone except for the loaf,kept it for dinner with a cup of tea 🙂

Chili.

Hello everybody.

Last night when I asked the boys what do they want for lunch,they told me chili like the ones we eat in usual chili restaurants,they even dared me if I can make it similar or close to it,they even searched for the original recipe and sent it to me.

Well then it was a challenge today, I did the recipe exactly as is,nothing more or less, they liked it a lot,proof is they ate it all 🙂

I made chili with hot-dogs and potato chili.really yummy!

Ingredients and method:

For chili sauce:

*1 small onion finely chopped.

* 1 clove garlic finely chopped.

*1 tablespoon oil.

*2 tablespoons tomato paste.

*2 tablespoons chili powder.

*1 tablespoon oregano.

* 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

*2 tsp coccoa powder.

* 1 tsp salt.

*1 tsp balck pepper,

*1 tsp all spice.

* 1 tablespoon vinegar.

*1 tablespoon brown sugar.

* 2 cups chicken broth.

* 2 cups tomato sauce or fresh tomatoes.

* 1/2 kg ground beef.

* hot dogs,mustard and finely chopped onions for sandwiches.

* cheddar cheese.

* buns.

* saute onions and garlic in oil til golden,then add all other ingredients and stir well,finally add beef ( I sauteed it before but didn’t add anything to it ) and tomato sauce then add chicken broth and leave to simmer till sauce is thick and brownish.

* assemble the cheese cony,by filling buns with onions,mustard,hot dogs then add chili and cheese.

* I also fried some potatoes,added some chili and cheese on top then put them in the oven till cheese melts.

Really good tasty but spicy a bit for me,hubby and boys loved it.

Chicken with Lemon Olives Sauce

Hello everybody.

Hot and dusty Saturday,many errands and shopping today,I even started cooking very late!

last night I took out my cookbook to search for something new and easy to do,sometimes you feel you’re bored from all the things you cook and need a change or twist,I found this old recipe that I’ve never tried but as usual I always write down anything I feel will taste good,you can tell from the ingredients sometimes whether they fit together or not.

Honestly it was a success,I have my dear friend Reham as a witness,you can ask her 🙂

It’s a very simple chicken with lemon sauce and olives and I made some sauteed veggies on the side,really delicious.

Ingredients and method:

* boneless pounded chicken breasts.

* bread crumbs and flour seasoned with salt,pepper and oregano.

* lemon slices and lemon juice.

* half cup pitted green olives.

* some butter and olive oil.

* coat chicken with mixed flour and crumbs.

*saute them in olive oil and butter on both sides till almost done.

* remove from pan,then add some more flour and butter ( about 2 tablespoons) in the same pan you sauteed the chicken,add lemon slices and juice (about half of a lemon) and the pitted olives.

*add one cup of hot water and stir well till sauce is creamy and homogeneous.

* before serving add sauce to chicken breasts and simmer for 10-15 minutes

* as for veggies I sliced them,added some olive oil,salt,pepper and left them to simmer till done.

Hope you try it and taste how good it is 🙂

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

Author: kgharaibeh@gmail.com

Shawerma Fatteh.

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Eggplant Lasagna.

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Chicken Tikka Masala.

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Day Off!

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Cherry Berry Mousse.

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Creamy Avocado Tomato Basil Pasta.

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Lamb Cubes with Honey and Saffron.

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Quinoa Seeds.

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Chili.

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Chicken with Lemon Olives Sauce

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