Cookie Gifts :)

Hello everybody.

I have this childish habit I guess ! love to use,eat.wear any gift right away .I never hide away or keep anything for later like today, I got this beautiful food display tray from my cousin yesterday,really elegant, so I called my friends this morning for coffee then thought why not make a quick breakfast to use the new item ? loveliest meal ever specially when shared with my best friends.

Afternoon I baked some Rock cookies and Chocolate Chip Marsh mellow ones for my cousin loving in U.A.E ,will send them with my friend going to visit her tomorrow, even improvised a greeting and packaging quickly, hope she likes them .

No cooking today of course,lots of leftovers from yesterday.

chocolate chips and mini marshmallows cookies.

rock cookies with nuts and raisins.

banancooking labeled gifts.

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.

main dish.

steak and potatoes.

mloukhieh,kibbeh and cheese rolls.

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.

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.

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.

Oatmeal Soup.

Hello everybody.

I bet you’ll be dieting after the holidays, a few pounds extra are inevitable in these occasions. One can always sart a diet when done and enjoy this week as mush as possible after all you only live once.

This soup is awesome for this purpose,healthy and fulfilling plus it contains lots of fiber for those with bowel problems and of course everybody knows that oats are super cholesterol reducing kind of food.

Lunch today is Kabseh with meat not chicken and a salad.

I also made another batch of cream cheese with added garlic and herbs to half the amount:)

Ingredients and method:

* 2 cups oatmeal.

* 1 small chopped onion.

* 2 cloves chopped garlic.

* some grated carrots.

* some chopped celery.

* 1/2 cup milk.

* 1 cube Maggi or 4 cups chicken broth.

* some cheddar cheese.

* lemon juice,salt and pepper.

* saute onions,garlic and celery in some oil or butter.

* add carrots and oats.

* add cube,salt and pepper and 4 cups water.

* leave to simmer till oats are done.

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.

Walnut Caramel Truffles.

Hello everybody.

It was a pleasure to welcome my old university colleagues this morning for breakfast,though we don’t meet much but it’s always a pleasure to see them, good memories and lots of laughter 🙂

Food was simple and delicious or is it the company that makes it enjoyable? cheeses,labaneh,cream cheese and jam from yesterday and a selection of croissants filled with salmon and turkey.

Dessert was these chewy walnut caramel truffles I made last night and a dish of fruits , found the recipe on Pinterest but made few changes, taste is just perfect.

Ingredients and method:

* 1 cup crushed walnuts.

* 2 cups crushed plain biscuits.

* 1/4 cup brown sugar.

* 1/4 cup maple syrup.

* 2 tablespoons cream.

* melted chocolate.

* Mix all ingredients together except chocolate then form it into small balls.

* line in wax paper and cool in fridge for 30 minutes.

* dip in melted chocolate and cool again,you can decorate top with walnuts while still hot.

These will be excellent for Christmas by the way,can be done and stored a week ahead.

Italian Style Courgettes and Meatballs.

Hello everybody.

Today’s lunch idea is from my dear cousin living in Rome,she’s a great source of many dishes I did, love her recipes because I feel they’re original or taken from Italian housewives not books and restaurants. Thank you dear you always give me new ideas which are always yummy.

Though courgettes in Rome look different than ours but guess taste is similar, I even did some pumpkins with them. Idea is to stuff them with meat only and I made rice on the side.Taste is really yummy and everybody loved it.

I also made a small side dish from the remaining meat,stuffed them with mozzarella cheese and made them balls,coated with bread crumbs then sauteed them in some oil.Amazing with some thick tomato sauce as dip on the side.

Ingredients and method:

* hollowed courgettes ( cut them from both sides)

* mined meat mixed with 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs( or 1 egg and little breadcrumbs as you prefer),salt,pepper,some chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese.

* For the sauce:

* finely chopped tomatoes ( 4-5) or a can.

* 1 stick celery.

* 1 small onion.

* 1 small carrot.

* basil leaves,salt and pepper.

* mix meat well and stuff courgettes then line them in a Pyrex or oven pan.

* chop onion,celery very fine and saute in olive oil.

* add grated carrot and tomatoes.

* add a bit of water and leave to simmer till thick.

* pour over courgettes,cover and leave in the oven for one hour till done.

Note : I used remaining meat mix to make mozzarella stuffed balls.

mozzarella stuffed meat balls

Honey Glazed Lamb Chops.

Hello everybody.

In addition to routine shopping I went to the butcher this morning, though I’m not a meat expert but I managed to get what I want with the help of the friendly butcher in Miles store.

My youngest son who’s a big meat lover asked for lamb chops,even searched for a new kind of marinate or seasoning and came out with this one to try, really delicious mind that meat is very tender and fresh also.

I made some potatoes mixed with herbs and spices, some Greek quesadilas cause I have some tortillas from last week that must be used before they ruin and a big bowl of salad.

Excellent meal to end the weekend 🙂

Marinate for lamb chops :

* 1/4 cup honey.

* 1/4 cup soy sauce.

* 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce.

* 1/4 cup mustard.

* salt,pepper.

* some Italian seasoning,chili,oregano.

* some bay leaves.

* olive oil.

* lemon juice for serving.

* mix all and marinate chops in a bag for 1-2 hours then roast uncovered in a medium heated oven till done.

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.

Cherry cake

hard boiled eggs with olive oil.

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.

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

Christmas

Cookie Gifts :)

Like this:

Mud Pie ( Lunch and Birthday ).

Like this:

Homemade Fried Chicken.

Like this:

Oatmeal Soup.

Like this:

Anise Sweet Cake.

Like this:

Walnut Caramel Truffles.

Like this:

Italian Style Courgettes and Meatballs.

Like this:

Honey Glazed Lamb Chops.

Like this:

Puff Pastry Cream Triangles (وربات بالقشطه)

Like this:

Smores Monkey Bread.

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