Chicken Tikka Masala and Indian Rice.

Hello everybody.
Back to cold and gloomy weather, plan was to plant and arrange the garden today but clouds and eastern crisp wind aren’t encouraging at all.

Lunch was chicken tikka masala, same recipe is always make, but this time I did Indian rice on the side, though one ingredient is missing ‘ mustard seeds ‘ and original recipe contains cumin seeds not powder, but result was superb, light and aromatic and goes well with the chicken.
Ingredients and method :
* 2 cups rice ( I used basmati)
* cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks.

*1 tsp salt.
* small chopped onion.
* 2 cloves garlic.
* ghee or oil.
* 1 tsp mustard seeds.
* 1 tsp cumin seeds.
* 1 tsp turmeric powder.
* 1 tsp chili flakes.

* boil washed rice with lots of water and the cardamom pods and cinnamon till it’s done.

* when done pour in sieve and wash, remove pods and sticks.
* in the same pan heat oil then sauté mustard seeds, cumin seeds, turmeric and chili till seeds start to pop.
* add onions and garlic and saute till done.
* add the rice and mix all well then leave for few minutes to heat all over.

* serve with tikka or kebabs.

 

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wpid-wp-1426868145969.jpeg end result !

 

 

 

 

Lunch at Mom’s.

Hello everybody.

Lunch today was at Mom’s honored by the presence of our newly born grandson who was polite enough to let his mom eat peacefully, good boy.

Lunch was cauliflower with meat,chicken fatteh, rice with veggies,tabouleh and a big salad.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.

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wpid-wp-1426268921638.jpeg tabouleh

wpid-wp-1426268936414.jpeg rice with veggies and nuts.

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wpid-wp-1426268947693.jpeg  delicious chicken fatteh.

 

 

 

Fried Chicken Again.

  1. Hello everybody.

Nice sunny day,but still with a crisp breeze in the air seems Spring is shy to arrive :mrgreen:

Was planning to get a big fish and stuff it but kids objected so alternative was homemade fried chicken,mashed potatoes and a big salad with mushrooms and freshly picked asparagus from our friends farm,I sauted them with some garlic and olive oil then added the oil to the dressing ,it was really refreshing .

Just came back from Mom’s where we all gathered with my lovely uncles for Knafeh celebrating the new baby ,such a lovely cheerful event.

 

wpid-wp-1425057152255.jpeg  Delicious Knafeh.

wpid-wp-1425057173493.jpeg fried chicken.

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wpid-wp-1425057219852.jpeg  mashed potatoes and salad

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Yemini Mendi and Digestive Log.

Hello everybody.

Planning  to cook this dish a month ago or actually since my cousin posted it in my group,this is a traditional Yemini dish usually bought ready here from several restaurants.

My husband bought a pack of ready mixed Mendi spices and I added a bit of the spices originally in the recipe, I also used local chicken that my husband brought from the farm.

I  also made this super easy dessert cause I have some cream left from yesterday’s cupcakes thought I’d use them, you simply stack plain digestive biscuits with cream in between,I added some coconuts also , then you cover all with cream, leave to cool completely then top with chocolate ganache all over and decorate, looks a lot like Christmas Log Cake and looks very elegant , a nice idea for Valentine tomorrow right?

 

Ingredients and method of Mendi:

* Marinade for chicken:

* Ketchup.

* olive oil.

* salt,pepper,coriander,cardamon,cloves.

* bay leaves.

* copped onions and garlic.

* Marinade chicken pieces in all these for two hours then cover and leave in a medium heated oven 1 1/2 -2 hours then roast till golden.

 

* Rice:

* saute some sliced onions and garlic till golden.

* add one grated carrot.

* wash the rice and add it on them.

* add same spices as above then add add water and leave to simmer till rice is done.

*Note: use basmati rice or long .

 

* When rice and chicken are done arrange all in a deep serving dish then heat a piece of coal till very hot and red then add some oil on top and place it in the middle of rice chicken dish and cover for 15 minutes so as to give a smoky flavor to the whole dish.

* serve with roasted raisins,Tabasco and green salad.

20150213_153030  smoked chicken and rice.

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20150213_154753 fumed charcoal.

Screenshot_2015-02-12-23-56-54~2 original recipe in Arabic.

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I  also made this super easy dessert cause I have some cream left from yesterday’s cupcakes thought I’d use them, you simply stack plain digestive biscuits with cream in between,I added some coconuts also , then you cover all with cream, leave to cool completely then top with chocolate ganache all over and decorate, looks a lot like Christmas Log Cake and looks very elegant , a nice idea for Valentine tomorrow right?

20150213_163100  yummy biscuits log.

 

20150213_143325   20150213_144414 stacked biscuits and cream.

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Roasted Lemony Chicken and Potatoes.

Hello everybody.

As I mentioned yesterday we had a dinner gathering and I made a chicken and potato dish, which was incredibly juicy and well flavored cause of the awesome marinade I used.

 

Ingredients and method ( for 8  small pieces of chicken)

* zest and juice of one lemon and one orange.

* 1 tablespoon fresh or dry rosemary.

* 1 tablespoon oregano.

* 1 leaf fresh or dry sage (ميرميه)

* salt,pepper and olive oil.

*Marinate chicken in all these for a whole night or 3-4 hours minimum.

* in a deep oven pan,add some onion slices,bay leaves,cinnamon stick and few cardamons then add chicken with marinade close tightly with foil and leave in a medium heated oven for 1 1/2 -2 hours.

* when done roast chicken till golden then remove each piece to a deep serving dish.

* sieve remaining juices to get a clear fluid then add 1 tablespoon flour or starch diluted in cold water.

* leave to simmer till it thickens.

* You can bake some veggies or only potato cubes in another pan alongside also seasoned with rosemary,oregano,salt,pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.

* arrange potatoes around chicken pieces and drizzle sauce all over them before serving.

 

Really easy tasty dish,went well with the eggplant maqloubeh last night.

DSC_0293 roasted chicken and potato.

DSC_0292 eggplant maqloubeh.

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Double Meat Pasta.( معكرونه بالسجق والدجاج)

Hello everybody.

Grocery shopping today, had to think of something quick to make  cause boys were hungry and I had no time so I bought stuff for this recipe my cousin made yesterday , it was absolutely delicious, so from now on it’s Manal’s Pasta.

This dish is suitable for meat lovers cause it contains both beef sausages and chicken with lots of garlic,a rich tasty combination.Of course you can use one kind alone up to you but both together are very homogeneous <3

 

Ingredients and method:

* 1 cup chopped sausages.

* 2 pieces chopped chicken breasts.

* 4-5 cloves of garlic.

* 1 bunch finely chopped fresh coriander.

* 1 pack or bottle pasta sauce.

* 1 pack (500 ml) fresh cream.

* pasta of any shape.

* salt,pepper and chili powder.

* grated Mozzarella cheese.

 

* saute sausages in olive oil till tender and brown in color.

* add chicken, salt,pepper and chili and saute alongside till almost done.

* add garlic and saute with them.

* add salt,pepper,chili and some garlic powder if you want a stronger garlicky taste.

* add the tomato sauce over all meat mix.

* add the cream,stir and mix till bubbly.

* add the boiled pasta and mix well.

* cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.

* add cheese on top and roast in the oven till golden.

 

Thank you dear Manal for the easy solution,I’m sure many housewives will consider this one frequently.

 

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DSC_0396  cream tomato meat mixture.

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20150117_143216  Hot spicy sharp tasting result:)

 

 

Homemade Msakhan Bread! (مسخن)

Hello everybody.

Due to weather conditions it’ll be risky to go out and stuck in snow and since the plan was to make msakhan today

so I decided to bake the bread at home,after searching many websites to find a way of baking it in a regular oven I found this good one,very easy and outcome was superb !!

 

Msakhan is an old traditional dish made from chicken,onions,plenty of summaq and olive oil all placed on special kind of bread with nuts on top.

ingredients and method of bread:

Note : this quantity makes 4-5 bread pieces.

* 2 cups flour.

* 1 tsp salt.

* 1/2 cup warm milk.

* 1 1/2 spoons instant yeast.

* 1 tsp sugar.

* 1 cup warm water.

 

* Mix water,yeast and sugar and cover till bubbles are formed.

* add to flour milk and salt.

* knead well by hands for 10 minutes.

* cover and leave to rest and rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

* divide to 4-5 balls.

* roll or spread them into bread shape.

* heat the oven very well with a big oven tray in it.

* when well heated turn on the upper flame .

* place the breads on the tray and bake till surface is golden,bottoms will be done cause tray is already very hot.

* do all breads the same way,make sure the pan is always very hot before each batch.

 

You can do these not only for msakhan,actually boys ate some as is before lunch. Fresh bread is the best food ever 🙂

20150107_153102  final outcome .

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20150107_153123   Msakhan.

Chicken with Noodles.

Hello everybody.

Lazy day off , had no idea what to cook till after 2 when boys suggested Chinese or chicken with veggies and noodles,which is great cause I have all ingredients and chicken breasts are the easiest to defrost and cook .

 

When done I suddenly decided to make some Rock Cookies to take with me to some dear friends we’re visiting, thank God I finished just on time,even made a nice packaging 🙂

 

20150101_162009  chicken,veggies and noodles.

20150101_164304  Rock Cookies gift.

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Mud Pie ( Lunch and Birthday ).

Hello everybody.

Big day!  lunch in the honor of my cousin and birthday of my big bro, all people around the table today are precious to me that’s why we had great time and enjoyed every minute . WELCOME my dear family,love you <3.

Lunch was many dishes, main was Rice with veggies and chicken (رز بنان) ,steaks with mushroom,hot spicy potatoes,mloukhieh,kibbeh,cheese rolls, marinated salmon,green salad and rocca pomegranate salad.

20141227_145806 main dish.

20141227_145747  20141227_145822  steak and potatoes.

20141227_145923  20141227_145942 mloukhieh,kibbeh and cheese rolls.

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20141227_124916  marinated salmon.

 

Dessert was knafeh,strawberries with dips and this new awesome recipe I got from my sis, Mud Pie, it really looks like a plant you can’t tell it’s something edible specially that I inserted a real flower in it 🙂

Oh most important thing I got some beautiful presents ,one of them is a bunch of lovely stuff from my dear cousin living in Rome ,thank you lovely Rita.

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Ingredients and method:

* 75 Oreo biscuits.

Mix 1 :

* 1 pack vanilla pudding.

* 2 cups milk.

 

Mix 2:

* 2 packs cream.

* 3/4 cups milk.

 

Mix 3 :

* 2 packets cream cheese.

* 1 tablespoon butter.

* 1/2 cup sugar.

 

*Mix  each one alone then add mix 1 and 2 to 3.

* Mash Oreos in food processor.

 

* In a deep transparent bowl make layers of Oreo then cream but take care not let cream appear on the side so that overall look be all brownish.

* leave in fridge to settle ( I made it yesterday) and decorate with real or artificial plant or flower.

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Homemade Fried Chicken.

Hello everybody.

Plan was to make burgers today but after a chat with my cousin last night who said she’ll make fried chicken today I decided to do the same specially after finding fresh small drumsticks in Miles this morning.

I marinated chicken in  a mix of yogurt,milk,garlic,salt,pepper,chili powder, oregano and mixed spices, left them for 2 hours then remove and coat with breadcrumbs and flour. Freeze them for half and hour then deep fry in hot oil.

To complete the crime I fried some curly potatoes and made three dipping sauces,honey mustard,mayo-ketchup and BBQ .

Though this is a high calorie a bit greasy meal but it won’t hurt to make it once in a while plus it was really better than any ready one bought from fast food restaurants and much more cleaner and well spiced for sure.

Enjoy your weekend everybody.

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