Anise Sweet Cake.

Hello everybody.

Cold crispy day, in days like these one keeps craving something sweet specially with syrup in them like Arabic sweets.

My cousin posted this recipe the other day , seemed tasty and easy and it really is when I made it today.It’s now officially Amneh’s Cake,thank you loads my dear.

Lunch today was lentil soup and chicken liver,good in this weather as well.

Ingredients and method:

* 4 cups flour.

* 3 cup semolina.

* 2 big spoons anise seeds soaked in 2 cups warm water.

* 1 1/2 cups vegetable oi.

* 2 big spoons anise powder.

* 2 big spoons sesame seeds.

* 1 1/2 big spoons instant yeast.

* 1/2 cup sugar ( my own addition so it’s optional)

* Sugar syrup to soak cake when done.

* Mix all ingredients together and knead well till you get a soft loose dough.

* cover and leave to rise in a warm place.

* spread evenly in oven pan and decorate with walnuts or almonds.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 30-40 minutes or till golden from edges.

* toast surface a bit.

* pour cold syrup on it while hot.

NOTE: could be done for Christmas dinner,really well flavored and aromatic.

lentil soup and chicken liver.

Smores Monkey Bread.

Hello everybody.

A member in my group posted a video of how to make monkey bread last night and many were asking for recipe.By chance I was planning to do this monkey bread with a twist recipe since last week,even have all ingredients ready but didn’t have the time to do it.

To be honest original recipe contains too much sugar so I didn’t add the exact amount written and added some ingredients to add up the flavor.Monkey bread is a very nice dessert to do in wintry cold days, resembles a lot the taste of cinnamon rolls bit easier to do, you can find many different recipes,basic one is very simple then you can add any flavors or nuts or marshmallows and chocolate depending on how you prefer it.

Lunch today was Spaghetti with chicken cream and pesto.

Ingredients and method:

For the dough:

* 2 1/2 cups flour.

* 1 cup crushed digestive biscuits.

* 1/3 cup warm water.

* 1/3 cup brown sugar.

* 1 tsp instant yeast.

* 2 eggs.

* 1/2 cup butter.

* 1/3 cup warm milk.

* 1 tsp baking powder,pinch of salt.

For the sauce:

* 1/2 cup butter.

* 1/3 cup sugar.

* 1 pack cream.

* 1 tsp cinnamon.

* 1 cup mini marshmallows.

For the assembly:

* 1 cup crushed digestives.

* 2 tablespoons butter.

* chocolate chips and marshmallows.

* Make the dough by first whisking the water with yeast and sugar and leave it till it foams.

* beat eggs with butter and milk.

* add all to flour and biscuits mixed with baking powder and salt.

* knead well till you form a firm dough,leave covered in a warm place till it rises ( 1 hour)

* make the sauce by mixing all ingredients except marshmallows till syrup boils then add them and mix well.

* make equal sized balls from the dough and leave to rise again.

* cover balls with crushed biscuits and butter.

* in a round oven pan spread some biscuits in the bottom,pour some of the sauce then line the balls all over.

* sprinkle some chocolate and marshmallows.

* add another round of balls and repeat filling.

* add the rest of the sauce all over.

* cover and leave to rise and doubles in size.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 30-40 minutes.

* leave to cool a bit then flip over.

* Note 1: I made a butter,cinnamon,brown sugar sauce and drizzled it on top cause it looked a bit dry.

* Note 2: basic monkey bread is done the same way but without digestive and marshmallows only cinnamon and butter.

*Note 3: key word for a successful monkey bread is letting dough rise well and leave it to rest after each handling.

ENJOY really yummy.

today’s lunch.

Arabic Fried Crepe (زلابيه) and Chicken in a bag :)

Hello everybody.

As I said today is a compensation to last week’s lousy food ! since I’m free this morning plus no car available, which is a blessing sometimes, I made stuffed chicken with veggies,freekeh soup, beetroot salad and this traditional kind of sweet called Zalabia which is as described best fried Crepe.

Continue reading →

Nutella Christmas Tree.

Hello everybody.

As promised I’m trying to make a Christmas related recipe each day to give you new ideas of main dishes and sweets to add up to your lunches or dinners.

Today I made this beautiful Nutella Christmas Tree, my son send me the photo the other night and I searched for the easiest recipe, really yummy and not complicated as it looks.

Ingredients and method:

* 3 cups flour.

* 1/3 cup sugar.

* 1 cup warm milk.

* 2 teaspoons instant yeast.

* 1 tablespoon butter.

* 2 eggs.

* 1 cup Nutella.

* some crunch or sesame seeds for decoration.

* Mix dry ingredients well then add egg yolks,milk and butter and knead well for 10 minutes.

* leave covered for one hour in a warm place to rise.

* cut dough to 4 pieces.

* roll each piece into a thin triangle .

* top first layer with a very thin layer of warmed Nutella in a tree shape.

* add second layer on top of it and repeat process.

* add fourth layer on top but without Nutella then cut dough to a tree shape as shown in photos.

* make linear cuts to make branches then twist each one .

* add some milk to egg whites and whisk well together then brush on top of tree.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 30-40 minutes till all golden.

* mix a bit of icing sugar with milk and brush sides so as decorations stick well.

* decorate sides with anything you like, sesame,coconut,almonds, crunch …etc.

Oh forgot to mention that lunch is light today, chicken breasts with soy sauce,garlic,coriander and onions with any vegetable you like, I added broccoli today.

Tree looks and tastes AWESOME, a must try this season !

healthy light lunch.

Chicken Fatteh and Cheese Loaf.

Hello everybody.

Seems this cold weather will continue all week, was going to make a soup with chicken fatteh but boys said cheese loaf is better.

I like doing fatteh when I have extra cooked rice though it’s an easy dish but needs lots of preparation,cook chicken, roast bread, roast nuts,chop parsley and make tahini sauce. Too much work right?

Cheese Loaf this time was better than last time I did it,trick is as my friend told me is to wrap it in foil first. Absolutely yummy yummy.

I also made the palmetto,artichoke salad and refreshing rich salad for sure.

Chicken Pie.

Hello everybody.

Though I have some food left from yesterday but it won’t be enough plus it’s not lunch food after all so had to cook something warm today.

I made a richly stuffed chicken pie,with all veggies I have,cream and cheese on top in puff pastry, really good and comforting after a long day at school or work.

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.

pesto pasta with chicken and broccoli.

What to do with Last Year’s Olives?

Hello everybody.

Pouring rain today,hope nobody got stuck in traffic or got soaked wet like me,it was sunny when I left home I swear ! anyway thank God for car’s heater , but roads were really awful and I just heard many people were hurt or stuck in floods ,wish you all be safe and warm .

A dear friend told me last week she do this appetizer with olives,since new ones are about to be ready I pitted all last year’s green olives mixed them with grated carrots,crushed walnuts,hot and sweet peppers,lemon slices and some chili then put all in glass jars and added olive oil to the rim. Great appetizer in cold wintry days like today.

Lunch today was chicken curry also a good choice in cold weather and my son insisted to do some Tacos for himself cause he doesn’t like curry a lot .

I also made Anise Cake to have with mint tea now .

Tacos before it’s done .

chicken curry.

Moroccan Dish: Chicken with lemon and green olives.(دجاج بالزيتون)

Hello everybody.

As I said yesterday today’s lunch will be special to compensate for the lousy one, have this recipe ripped off from some magazine long time ago, really rich and juicy and of course it’ll be much tastier if you cook it in the tajin dish or pot Moroccans usually use.

Ingredients and method:

* chicken pieces with bones.

* 1 big chopped onion.

* 4-5 cloves garlic.

* 1 lemon peeled and slices.

* 1 tsp fresh ginger.

* pinch of saffron (زعفران)

* 1 cup green olives pitted.

* 1 tsp dried thyme.

* salt pepper and olive oil.

* Marinate chicken in salt,pepper,onions,garlic,thyme,saffron and ginger for 1 hour.

* heat the pan then add some olive oil, then add chicken pieces without marinate and saute till golden on all sides.

* add all marinade and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.

* add lemon slices and olives,some more slat and pepper if you like.

* add 1 cup water and leave on very low heat till done or you can put it in the oven if you wish.

* serve with rice or pitta bread .

Really yummy try it!

photo in magazine,they used preserved lemons but you can use ordinary ones no problem.

How to Pickle Olives (كبيس الزيتون)

Hello everybody.

Headed North to hometown Irbid yesterday for two reasons, buying olives ,since it’s the season to pickle them,from the same guy we buy each year on the road before reaching Jerash and then to go visit my lovely cousin and have lunch with our dear family members.

To tell you the truth I’ve been making olives only recently , used to be my mother in-law’s annual ritual specialty but since two years ago ,as she says, retired from the mission so I’ve been doing it her way and send her share.

Pickling olives is a very easy process but needs a day work and messes your kitchen a bit specially if you’re making large amounts. First you must pick the kind of olives you like,some people prefer big ones some son’t,I usually buy local kind (نبالي بلدي),then you must press it either manually or in a special machine usually found at the shop or seller.

You can find many ways and methods to pickle olives in books or by experience or in factories, personally I found this method the easiest and always works with me.

Wash olives well,try to remove leaves and stems as much as you can, then soak them in water overnight or two , the next day wash again then mix them with a good amount of sliced lemons,hot peppers and lemon juice. Make the pickling brine which is exactly one big spoon of coarse local salt to each cup of water ( each liter of water needs 4 big spoons of salt), put olives in big glass or plastic jars then fill with salted water to the rim,close tightly and leave till done.

*Note: olives might take a longer period of time to be ready this way (a month maybe) if you want to be ready earlier you must soak it in water and replace it each day for a week then pickle it.

*Note: a tip to make sure your brine is perfect,place a raw egg in it,if it floats to the top then it’s good if it sinks then you need to add more salt.

* Note: usually I remove some of the olives when done, make a new salt solution and add new lemon and peppers, that way it’ll always be fresh and green.

Well now back to yesterday’s lunch, it was AMAZING ,elegant table,delicious food,various dishes and most important of all good loving caring company, I’m so lucky to have such kind generous loving cousins in my family.

Dishes were: Mansaf,lasagna,rolled steaks,sauteed veggies,chicken pie and a salad, dessert was chocolate cake,yummy coconut balls (took the recipe and will make it soon) and I made my Almond Orange cake, even coffee and tea tasted great believe me.

Thank you a lot my dear Um Tareq,hope all your days be filled with joy and good health.