Happy New Year :)

Hello everybody.

Waited till now to write my post so as not to ruin the surprise,  I baked  a beautiful birthday cake for my lovely cousin  requested by her sweet sister-in-law,I also made an Apple Pecan Pie as a gift from me. Happy Birthday dear doc and Happy New Year to you and all your family, love you all.

As for our new year’s eve, we had a small special candle lit dinner at home , very early so as not to eat heavy late at night then ended it with our usual coffee with chocolates, typical family celebration, we’ll watch T.V for the rest of the night.

Dinner was steaks with sauteed veggies, cheese pastries, mixed green salad with lentils pomegranate and feta cheese  and a new dish which was extremely delicious “Italian Mushroom Risotto” got these dried mushrooms from my cousin living in Rome, soaked them in water then sauteed them with onions and butter then cooked the rice with mushroom soaking water, really yummy yummy.

 

Ingredients and method of Apple Pecan Pie:

* pie crust.( same as apple pie)

* filling:

* 3 big peeled chopped apples.

* 3/4 cup chopped pecans.

* 1/2 cup sugar ( brown or regular)

* 1 tablespoon starch.

* 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

* 1 tablespoon butter.

 

For the crumble:

* 1/2 cup finely chopped pecan.

* 2 tablespoons butter.

* 3/4 cup flour.

* 1/2 cup sugar.

 

* spread pie crust in special pie pan.

* mix filling ingredients together and add on crust.

* mix crumble ingredients in food processor till crumbly .

* add on top of pie filling.

* bake in a medium heated oven till golden from sides. (30-40 minutes)

 

Enjoy your night everybody and wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR <3 <3 <3

20141231_114632   20141231_114233   always a delight !!

20141231_170223  Apple Pecan Pie.

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DSC_0140  lovely family candle lit dinner .

DSC_0147  20141231_193917  cheese pastries and lentil pomegranate salad.

By the way Italians believe that eating pomegranate and lentils at new year’s eve is a good omen,the more you can eat the more money you get, so we’ll see what will happen next year !

DSC_0137 20141231_194015  Mushroom Risotto.

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20141231_201739~2  Great end to a nice dinner <3

 

 

 

Puff Pastry Cream Triangles (وربات بالقشطه)

Hello everybody.

Eventful Friday ,started with boiled eggs for breakfast then followed by a nice coffee at a lovely aunt’s house.Of course coffee wasn’t alone,she made some pastries and a delicious lemon cake.I made her a nice Cherry Cake as a gift :).

Afternoon my dear uncles came by for a cup of tea, such a short notice visit,couldn’t think of anything to serve,After looking through my fridge and pantry for something quick to do, best thing I could manage was some cheese rolls and olives, nuts,chocolate and marshmallows plus I found a pack of puff pastry in the freezer so I thought these would do as dessert, stuffed in cream and topped with syrup and pistachios.

Visit was really pleasant and joyful as always <3

Ingredients and method:

* 1 pack squared puff pastry.

* Cream filling:

* 1 cup powdered milk.

* 1 cup water.

* 1 tsp butter.

* 2 big tablespoons flour.

* 2 tablespoons cream.

 

* Mix all ingredients except cream very well then boil till sauce is thick.

* add cream and whisk well till all is homogeneous.leave to cool.

* spread each square of pastry a bit,add one tsp of filling then fold to make a triangle.

* press sides with a fork to close well.

* bake in  a medium heated oven till puffed and golden.

* make some sugar syrup (2 cups sugar with one cup water and few drops lemon juice)

* pour syrup over triangle while hot,decorate with crushed pistachios.

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20141219_094808 hard boiled eggs with olive oil.

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Lovely Lunch at My Sis.

Hello everybody.

Busy Saturday morning as usual,grocery and many errands, good news is no cooking cause we’re invited at my sister’s house,very good feeling sometimes 🙂

Lunch was superb,well done and tasty as always, tomato soup, baked fish with saucy tomato garlic and herbs sauce,spiced rice with nuts and raisins and fatoush. Dessert was a new recipe,cream with Oreo yummy yummy.

I baked her favorite cake and took it with me Orange Poppy Seed Cake.

We really had great time,thank you my lovely sis.

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DSC_0407  tomato soup.

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DSC_0421   Oreo dessert.

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Beetroot Roca Salad.

Hello everybody.

Remember the strawberry pineapple cake from last week? Well I did another one today for my friends’ birthdays,we went out for breakfast to Cafe Hanin again and I took it with me. Happy Birthday everybody .

Lunch was spaghetti with chicken,broccoli,sun dried tomatoes,pesto sauce and cream topped with Parmesan cheese,really yummy .

I also made this delicious salad I saw on Pinterest , it contains beetroot,roca leaves,feta cheese,flax seeds,mushrooms and peppers,dressing is simple vinaigrette, so refreshing.

Beetroot is a very healthy nutritious veggie,I always boil some and use in salads or simply sliced with a drizzle of lemon and olive oil when in season, excellent source of vitamins,fibers and anti oxidants  plus having many medical uses such as lowering blood pressure and many many more.

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20141105_162530  pesto pasta with chicken and broccoli.

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Pineapple Cake (كيكه الاناناس).

Hello everybody.

It’s Thursday already? don’t you agree this week ended quickly?  even all days  I guess!

Anyway I did this cake for the hunting trip tonight,old fashioned pineapple cake, I remember maybe in the 80’s when people started doing this cake it was a must in every occasion or gathering, I always love to make it, burned sugar is so yummy right?

Ingredients and method:

* 4 eggs.

* 1 1/2 cups sugar plus extra one for caramelizing the bottom.

* 1 cup vegetable oil.

* 1/2 cup pineapple juice.

* 2 big spoons yogurt.

* 2 cups flour.

* 1 tsp vanilla and 2 baking powder.

* 5-6 slices canned or fresh pineapples.

* in a metal cake pan burn one cup sugar till it’s golden and caramelized.

* add pineapple slices in a line.

* mix all other ingredients to form a smooth cake batter.

+ pour over pineapples then bake in a medium heated oven for 40-50 minutes.

* when cooled turn it upside down,you can add some pineapple juice over it if you like.

 

Enjoy our weekend everybody and stay warm seems it’ll be a rainy one !

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Beautiful Birthday Cake and Fitness Bars.

Hello everybody.

Too many occasions and birthdays  today,though nobody celebrating lives here but I did this beautiful cake anyway, lucky day for Jona my housemaid cause it happens to be her birthday also and she celebrated with her friends and ate the cake,well most important is that someone became happy eating it nevertheless.Happy Birthday Aya,AJ,Salma and happy anniversary to my beloved sis Reema, love you all.

Cake mix is the same as the Cherry Cake I did before but baked in a big rectangular pan to a thin sheet cake,then I added strawberry jam,cream and chopped strawberries and rolled all together like a Swiss Roll, covered with cream,toasted coconuts and finally decorated with strawberries and pineapples.

This cake reminds me of cake patisserie shops long time ago when we were kids in Jabal Al- Hussein,we used to walk to this small shop called Milano just to buy it,yummy yummy.

I also made these Fitness Bars,found a bit old Fitness pack in my pantry this morning,after a quick search in many websites I invented this no ingredients recipe, just mixed Fitness flakes with some butter,peanut butter,toasted wheatgerm and oats,coconut,raisins,brown sugar then added honey till mix is sticky then baked it for 20 minutes,cut to bars when cooled ,great breakfast energy bar,tasted exactly like the ones you buy from stores !

Oh lunch was sweet and sour from yesterday and I made some green fava beans in olive oil (فول بالزيت)

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DSC_0036  Fitness bars.

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Hunting Season Cake.

Hello everybody.

Hunting season started,for me it means that my hubby will go every weekend hunting with his friends, it’s a sacred hobby for him as everybody (friends and family) knows,seldom does he misses a weekend specially when his favorite kind of bird hunting is allowed which I think from mid September till end of October if I’m not wrong.

I usually bake this cake for him to take,It’s not something special but I called it hunting cake cause it’s what they like, simple cake with raisins on top, that’s it 🙂

I dust raisins with flour so as not to sink all the way down when baked.

ingredients for cake are:

* 3 eggs.

* 1 1/2 or 2 cups sugar.

* 3/4 cup oil.

* 1/2 cup milk.

* 2 cups or 2 1/2 cups flour.( according to batter texture)

* 1 tsp vanilla and 3 tsp baking powder.

* mix all ingredients together and add any other additives you like like cocoa for Marble cake,orange,nuts,spices or anything to your taste!

 

As for lunch, I have some fava beans with rice from yesterday and made simple noodles soup cause I went to the dentist today pulled out a tooth and It hurts to eat so a soup is just fine. Thank God for our great experienced dentist for his patience and skill,excellent job Dr. Khalil thank you 🙂

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Pizza Loaf.

Hello everybody.

Full of activities this Friday,usual coffee at my sister in-law then lunch with my family at Zuwar Restaurant, beautiful place and scenery, then my dear auntie and cousin came for tea. feeling blessed as they say in Facebook statuses , love you all <3

I made this loaf for afternoon tea and a bowl of fresh fruit salad, this loaf recipe is easy and quick,tastes a lot like pizza but all mixed together, or can slice it and spread cheese or labaneh on top.

Ingredients and method:

* 2 eggs.

* 1 tsp salt.

* 3/4 cup vegetable oil.

* 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms.

* 1 cup chopped peppers.

* 1/2 cup pitted olives.

* finely chopped green thyme leaves.

* 2 tsp baking powder.

* 2 cups flour.

* white cheese and sesame seeds for decoration.

 

* beat eggs,salt and oil till creamy.

* add all other ingredient and mix with a wooden spoon (it’ll be like a thick cake but not a dough)

* decorate with cheese pieces and sesame seeds.

* bake in a well heated oven for 30-40 minutes or till done.

 

Great day full of delicious food and loving people.

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20140926_173241  best dessert ever !

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Appetizer Platter.

Hello everybody.

After yesterday’s big breakfast I went shopping to prepare for dinner,our dear friends Salam and Flora came to dinner last night with sweet adorable baby Mariam,lovely evening and food.

I made a big appetizers platter similar to the one we ate last week at Bonita Restaurant,well it was close enough but not as perfect. It contained avocados with tomatoes,smoked salmon with cream cheese dill filling on a bed of rocca, frilled chicken with pesto sauce on top and grilled eggplants ant tomatoes with cheese in between or as they name it eggplant tower.

Salad was Rocca with pomegranate seeds,walnuts and cheese, main dish was grilled steaks with lemon thyme butter on top and baked potatoes and veggies on the side.

Dessert was an extremely rich delicious Velvet Cake done by my lovely guest ( homemade from scratch), you’re right Flora tasted even better today, thank you my dear <3

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20140924_190208  table setting.

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Crunchy Courgettes.

Hello everybody.

I saw this recipe on Pinterest last week,got some courgettes the to try it. turned out really good,healthy light appetizer can be an alternative to fried or heavy dishes.you simply cut them,dip them in egg white then coat with breadcrumbs and bake till crunchy,you can add pepper,chili,oregano and salt of course to the crumbs as seasoning.

Well lunch was okra in the oven,couldn’t resist not buying those lovely small green okra yesterday,always be sure that fresh vegetables when in season make the best dishes 🙂

When I was done cooking my husband called to tell me his friends are coming at night,so I baked a simple orange cake with syrup on top and small buns ( pizza dough recipe) with some oregano and dry basil, then filled them with different kinds of cheese and labaneh.

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20140914_185151   orange cake with syrup.

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My hubby got me these cloths from Safeway,one for the roller and one to roll dough on,very useful , I liked them a lot <3

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