Steak Branding.

Hello everybody.
Only me and my youngest son are home today, so we decided to pamper ourselves with the last pieces of the high quality steaks that we have,and chance to use the branding rod I bought last week from the American Stores.

Well Zaid tried something smart, we have a bottle of red grapes juice that nobody liked, so we soaked steaks in it, as if in red wine :mrgreen:, then seasoned them with all stuff we have and then on the grill alongside veggies ( potatoes, tomatoes, mushroom and asparagus) .

When done Zaid heated the stamp and branded the hot steaks, though it was upside down but good for a first trial.
I added seasoned butter on top ,really fancy .

like branding cows !!

Made some sweet tea on the grill later with fresh mint and jam cookies,lovely quality time with my precious Zozo ,definitely his kind of food .

not so clear but nice ,loved it.

dessert and tea.

Honey Cakes.

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Hello everybody.

Happy Easter to all friends celebrating today,though usually it’s supposed to be a Spring warm day this time of year specially on Easter Sunday but today happened to be rainy and cold, but I’m sure everybody celebrating felt the warmth and spirit of this Holy day.

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Honey cakes are traditional Cypriot and Greek dessert usually done Easter time or New Years, so delicious and aromatic plus very easy to do.

Ingredients and method: ( I did half quantity only)

* 1 cup butter.

* 1 cup light olive oil.

* 1 kilo flour.

* 1 cup sugar.

* 1 tsp cinnamon.

* 1/2 tsp cloves.

* grated peel of a lemon or orange.

* 2 tsp baking powder.

* 1 cup yogurt.

* 1 cup crushed walnuts.

For the syrup:

* 2 cups sugar.

* 3 cups water.

* 1 cup honey.

* juice of one lemon.

* walnuts and cinnamon to sprinkle.

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* Put the butter and flour in a big bowl and beat well.

* add oil ,sugar, cinnamon,cloves and peel.

* add soda and yogurt and knead well.

* add walnuts .

* make small balls then roll them over the grater to get a nice shape.

* bake in a medium heated oven till golden from bottom and surface.

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* meanwhile make the syrup by boiling sugar and water for 10 minutes then adding the honey and lemon and boil further more till it’s thick.

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* when cakes are done and cooled dip them in syrup then sprinkle with cinnamon and crushed walnuts

Simple One-Pot Pasta.

Hello again.

Lunch was a first trial, just saw this recipe on Pinterest last night and couldn’t wait till morning comes out to make it, looked so interesting and exactly that’s what it turned out.

You can find lots of versions of this dish but all have the same principle, you simply add whatever you want of veggies,meat,chicken or sausages to raw pasta ,add herbs,salt pepper,oil and water then leave to cook till done !! that’s it.

Ingredients and method:

* chopped courgettes,mushrooms,onions,garlic, cherry tomatoes,chives,basil and black olives.

* 1 pack pasta.

* salt, pepper, oregano and some olive oil.

* 4 1/2 cups water.

* Note: I added a cube of chicken stock also.

* some cream or milk if you like added when pasta is done.

* Parmesan cheese upon serving.

* Put all ingredients together in one pan then add water.

* boil then leave to simmer on low heat for 45-60 minutes or till all done.

* add cream and cheese then serve.

all ingredients.

Absolutely amazing,everyone should try it.

yummy result.

New Style Tuna Sandwiches.

Hello everybody.

Every time I decide to stay home and relax in end up working too much or doing multiple things at the same time.

First thing when I entered the kitchen this morning I realized I have one very ripe avocado and one lonely eggplant so made a dip (mashed with some lemon juice,tahini,yogurt and salt) and baba ghanouj ( chopped grilled eggplants with diced tomatoes,peppers and some mints then topped with pomegranate sauce)

Then the daily question of what to cook started nagging in my mind, then decided to do a new sandwich style my cousin posted last night with shredded chicken but I made it with tuna, turned out really good, kids loved it.

Secret ingredient is the crunchy sandwich bread or crust done by cutting edges of toast then soaking each couple together in whisked eggs then coating all with breadcrumbs. I let them cool in the fridge so as to hold better then deep fried till crunchy, when cooled open and fill with any stuffing you like, today is added tuna with corn,capers, relish, mustard, mayonnaise and green onions,served with fries and big mixed salad.

Another task for today was making fresh pesto before basil turns black and a fresh fruit cocktail from new honey from Ghor, oranges, pineapple and bananas, really refreshing after all this.

guacamole dip with tomatoes,chili,dried mints and olive oil on top.

baba ghanouj بابا غنوج

mixed salad with everything in .

fresh pesto.

fresh oranges and new honey.

colorful table!

Chicken in Salt Crust.

Hello everybody.
After a discussion the other day between members of my group about fish in salt crust, I did a quick research and found out that it can be done with chicken as well, so today was my first trial.

I also did a layered veggie pot containing pumpkin, eggplants and potatoes with sweet peppers and tomatoes on top and full of herbs. Only cooked on low heat then drizzled with olive oil and roasted.

Ingredients and method of chicken :
* 1 whole chicken.
* onion,garlic, oregano, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and rosemary for stuffing the chicken.
* butter.
* for the dough you’ll need :
* 1 3/4 cups salt.
* 4 1/2 cups flour.
* tsp of oregano and mixed herbs.
* 1 cup water.
* mix all dough ingredients till easy to handle and stiff, you may need a bit more water.
* clean and dry chicken well then stuff inside with all stuffing mentioned ( you can change or add anything you like)
* rub butter, pepper and all spice all over chicken,or you can put butter in between flesh and skin.

* cover chicken with dough and seal completely very good.
* bake in a medium heated oven for 2 hours.
* crack open the crust and serve.
Note: crust must be discarded not eaten cause it’s too salty.

peeled crust.

chicken all wrapped.

final look after baking.

layered veggies.

Brioche.

Hello everybody.
Lunch today was a not a favorite to all family members so in order to compensate I did mushroom soup and made some Brioche with it, first time I do it, unfortunately result wasn’t that good either it needed more salt or it didn’t rise as it should. Recipe was easy though I felt it’s not going to be as supposed to when I finished kneading it,if anybody has a better one please recommend.
Ingredients and method :
* 2 1/2 cups flour.
* 2 tablespoons sugar.
* 1/4 tsp salt.
* 2 1/4 tsp yeast.
* 4 tablespoons warm milk.
* 3 eggs plus extra one for glaze.
* 1 cup cubed butter.

* mix flour, sugar, yeast and salt.
* add milk and beaten eggs.
* knead well then start adding butter cubes gradually till all quantity is folded in.
* leave to rise in a warm place, then form into balls in molds or cupcake pan.
* leave to rise again then bake in a medium heated oven till golden.
* brush surface with eggplants wash and roast till golden.
* serve with soup or butter and jam.

brioche with mushroom soup.

Lunch was lamb chops with onions and potatoes all seasoned with a new citrus organic spice, really aromatic and tasty.I also made mushroom soup as I mentioned,some Persian rice and a big bowl of mixed salad with avocado slices.

lamb chops with onions and potatoes.

citrus and herb spices.

my brioches !

Day Off!

Hello everybody.
Lovely day off at Dead Sea,beautiful weather with amazing company, I really needed this day.

Day ended with a super delicious dinner at Napolitana Pizzeria, haven’t had such a satisfying well presented meal in a long time.
We had an antipasto platter of marinated veggies and two kinds of pizza, dessert was yummy teremaisu and elegant espresso with cream.

antipasto platter.

yummy pizza

Teremaisu and espresso with cream.

Highly recommended whenever you’re in Dead Sea, you won’t miss it in Samara Mall ground floor.

Stuffed Courgettes and Pulp.

Hello everybody.

Today’s lunch is my oldest son favorite dish ever,stuffed courgettes with tomato sauce.

On the other hand my youngest doesn’t eat it at all so I usually make the pulp with garlic and dry mint cooked in olive oil.

Mash ‘Allah all was wiped out in minutes.

Here’s the method again :

*Wash them from inside with salted water then stuff them with the same filling as cabbages, but be careful to leave an empty inch from top so as rice will fill it when done.
*Make a tomato sauce of fresh tomatoes, paste, small onion, some cloves of garlic and a cube if chicken stock.
*Boil the sauce, dip the courgettes and eggplants,, you can stuff green peppers also by the way.
*Boil for 10-15 minutes then leave to simmer for 1 hour on low heat.
*Add some dried mint powder to the sauce, it’ll give a nice aroma.

Black Angus Beef with Blue Cheese Sauce.

Hello everybody.

Been waiting for a day when everyone is home for lunch to do these steaks that our dear cousin brought us cause they must be grilled and eaten right away,so this snowy day is perfect.

The steaks are” black angus beef bone in striploin bone calvetti ” was afreaid they won’t be done cause they’re very thick and I can’t do them outside on the grill but they turned out alright, well done from inside.

I used some BBQ seasoning and salt only and pinched them all over then grilled then on top of a very hot grilling pan, kept turning them with a lid on till done. Side dishes were roasted potatoes and sauteed veggies and sauces were gravy mushroom ( ready mix ) and blue cheese sauce ( only for me cause nobody else like it)

Restaurant style dish.

roasted potatoes and veggies.

blue cheese and gravy sauces.

This morning I recycled some old goodies, processed some old rock cookies, all bran and mashed dates all together and made them balls, great as breakfast right? and I have two old oranges used them for a fresh orange cake and used the remaining of the Nutella cinnamon icing on top of it after adding some lemon juice to give it a tangy flavor.

date cookies balls.

basic cake with lemony creamy icing.

Well it was a long day full of work but better than sitting doing nothing cause apparently we can’t go out 🙁

Swedish Meatballs.

Hello everybody.

After searching many food apps and sites for a dish containing mined meat, something new and easy,

I decided to do this recipe at the end Swedish meatballs or as many say IKEA dish, actually it is very tasty, heart warming and satisfying , sorry IKEA but homemade ones are much tastier than yours.

Ingredients and method:

For meat balls:

* 1/2 kg minced beef.

* 1 egg.

* 1/2 cup bread crumbs.

* salt,pepper,nutmeg,all spice.

* grated small onion.

* 1 big tablespoon butter.

For the sauce:

* 1/3 cup flour.

* 4 cups chicken broth or 1 cube Maggi cubes dissolved in 4 cups water.

* 1/2 cup heavy cream.

* salt,pepper,all spice to taste.

* some chopped parsley for garnish.

* Mix beef with all ingredients and form it into balls.

* heat butter and saute balls till done and golden.

* remove balls and add flour to remaining butter and mix well.

* gradually add broth and whisk quickly to get a smooth silky sauce.

* leave to simmer and thicken for 10 minutes.

* add the cream and seasoning then return balls in sauce and simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve with rice or mashed potatoes, a special kind of jam is usually served with it but I didn’t have time to look for it,guess it’s available in IKEA called lingonberry jam.

final outcome .

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

Main dish

Steak Branding.

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Honey Cakes.

Like this:

Simple One-Pot Pasta.

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New Style Tuna Sandwiches.

Like this:

Chicken in Salt Crust.

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Brioche.

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Day Off!

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Stuffed Courgettes and Pulp.

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Black Angus Beef with Blue Cheese Sauce.

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Swedish Meatballs.

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