Molasses Ginger Soft Crinkles.

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Hello again.

Here’s the recipe of the other kind I made,molasses and ginger, taste is terrific by the way both sweet and sharp . I may add more ginger next time to sharpen the flavor.

 

Ingredients and method:

*3/4 cup butter.

*3/4 cup brown sugar.

*1 egg.

* 1/4 cup molasses.

  • 1 tsp ground ginger.
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp cloves
  • 1/4 tsp cardamom
  • pinch of salt
  • pinch of nutmeg

* 2 tsp baking powder

*2 1/4 cups flour.

*granulated or raw sugar for coating.

 

  • beat butter,sugar well till creamy.
  • add egg and vanilla.
  • add all other ingredients consequently.
  • cool for 2-3 hours.
  • roll into balls then coat with sugar
  • flatten them a bit with your fingers
  • bake in a medium heated oven (180 c) for 10-13 minutes only.
  • cool and store in a cookie jar.

 

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Lime Coconut Crinkles.

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Hello everybody.

Another batch of chocolate crinkles today  for a friend of mine, crossed my mind last night to try other kinds, a chance to let people try them and give me feedback for future plans.

Found many recipes in various sites but this one plus the molasses ginger ones caught my attention, lime coconut crinkles are so lemony and full of flavor much better than lemon ones I did before, those were good but guess needed more flour , a stupid mistake  then !

Ingredients and method of lime coconut crinkles:

  • 6 tablespoons butter.
  • zest and juice of 1 lime .
  • 1/2 cup sugar.
  • 3 tablespoons coconut flakes.
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 tsp baking powder,
  • 2 cups flour.
  • caster sugar for coating.
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  • Beat sugar,zest of lime and butter well till creamy.
  • add egg,vanilla,lime juice,coconut flakes.
  • add flour and baking powder.
  • cool in the fridge for 2 hours.
  • form into small balls then coat with caster sugar.
  • line up cookies on wax paper then flatten them a bit with your fingers.
  • bake in a medium heated oven (180 C) for 10-13 minutes only.
  • leave to cool then keep them in a closed jar so as not to dry.

wpid-wp-1446825309762.jpg chocolate,lemon and molasses.

wpid-wp-1446825299313.jpg happy about today’s work,all yummy .

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steaks with Onions and Mustard.

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Hello again.

Had to cook something quick before going out this morning, easiest of all grilled steaks covered with spices and mustard with caramelized onions on top.

Side dishes were mashed potatoes and lentil soup.

wpid-wp-1446735799322.jpg sauteed onions and mustard steaks

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ٍStrawberry Cake.

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Hello everybody.

Invited to another breakfast at my cousin today,very busy eventful week right?

Just this morning I decided to do this cake to take with me, my friend’s famous recipe ( Suhaila’s cake I call it) usually done with cherries but strawberries will do .

Very delicious as usual ,all gone in minutes.

 

Ingredients and method:

* 5 eggs separated.

* 2 coffee cups (small like espresso cups) (فنجان قهوه ) vegetable oil.

* 4 small cups sugar.

* 5 small cups flour.

* juice and zest of a lemon.

* 1 tsp vanilla.

* 2 tsp baking powder.

* pinch of salt.

* cherries or strawberries sliced.

* beat egg yolks,oil,2 cups of sugar,lemon zest and juice,baking powder and flour together very well, batter will be a bit thick in texture,

* beat egg whites,remaining 2 cups of sugar and vanilla very well till frothy and creamy.

* fold in batter into egg white mixture and mix well but not hard.

* pour mixture in greased oven pan,then arrange pitted cherries on top.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 10-15 minutes then lower heat to minimum till top is golden.

* cool then add icing sugar as decoration on top.

Enjoy and thank you dear Suhaila for this amazing cake recipe.

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Red Velvet Crinkles.

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Hello everybody.

Invited to a breakfast gathering this morning,so I thought a small gift box filled cookies would be great. Any homemade food made with love even if simple and small would mean a lot.

I prepared dough for both chocolate  and red velvet crinkles yesterday and baked them this morning.

Red velvet ones are first timers but I did the chocolate ones before, always a success.

Ingredients and method of red velvet crinkles :

* 1/2 cup butter.
* 1 1/2 cups suger.
* 1 pack cream cheese.
* 2 eggs.
* 3/4 cup cocoa.
* 2 1/4 cups flour.
* 1 tsp vanilla.
* 1 1/2 tsp baking powder.
* pinch of salt.
* 1 tsp red food coloring.
* 1 cup caster sugar.

* beat butter and sugar well till creamy then add cream cheese and whisk well.
* add eggs and vanilla.
* whisk in flour, cocoa and baking powder.
* cool dough in fridge for 4 hours.
* make small balls and cover with caster sugar then arrange all on cookie backing sheet.
* press each ball a bit so as cookies are crinkled.
* heat the oven well then decrease temperature till medium and bake for 10-13 minutes exactly.
* leave to cool well then store in a well closed jar so as not to dry.

Very easy and good looking though I prefer chocolate, taste is more rich.

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Here is a reminder of the chocolate crinckles recipe

* 3/4 cup vegetable oil.

* 3/4 cup cocoa

* 1 cup sugar.

* 4 eggs.

* 2 tsp baking powder.

* 1 tsp vanilla.

* 2 cups flour.

* 1 cup confectionery sugar.

* Beat oil,cocoa and sugar well then add eggs one at a time.

* add vanilla ,baking powder and flour and mix well till you get a stiff dough.

* refrigerate for 2-3 hours.

* form into balls then roll each in the fine sugar .

* line in a greased pan or use wax paper or silicon sheets.

* flatten a bit with a fork then bake for 8-10 minutes in a medium heated oven.

* cool down then store in a cookie jar or closed tin so as not to harden.

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Baked Mazorella Sticks.

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Hello everybody.

Plan for today was kofta topped with tomatoes, onions and potatoes with Iranian rice on the side.

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That was the main dish, then I decided to try this appetizer when my son sent me the video while in lectures, thought it’ll be a nice surprise when he comes home.

End result is good but definitely fried ones are better but they’ll do as healthier alternative.

You simply coat the mozzarella sticks in flour then dip them in eggs then in breadcrumbs mixed with oregano and spices. Then you repeat process again with eggs and crumbs.

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Leave in fridge or freezer then coat with melted butter and bake for 15 minutes.

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Chicken On Salt!

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Hello everybody.

Roasting over a bed of salt experience is still going on,today I tried it with whole small chicken and potatoes plus garlic of course.

Excellent delicious result,crispy from outside juicy from inside وnot dry and very well roasted. Guess next time I’ll do fish or veal.

Ingredients and method :
* 2 cups salt.
* 2 small whole chicken.
* head of garlic.
* potatoes.

*rosemary.
* salt, pepper, all spice, chili flakes and lemon slices.

* clean and dry chicken well then season inside out.
*insert lemon slices inside and tuck thighs well with a toothpick or rubber band.
* in a deep oven pan pour salt and spread it evenly.
* put the chicken, potatoes and garlic on top.
* add rosemary or oregano if you like.
* cover well then put in a moderately heated oven for 1 1/2 hours.
* uncover and drizzle a bit of olive oil on chicken,roast till golden.
* press out tender garlic and mix with some butter and yogurt to make a sauce or dip.

wpid-wp-1446303592738.jpg chicken over a bed of salt.

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Really yummy,highly recommended

 

 

 

 

 

Homemade Sweet Cheese.

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Hello everybody.

We had a big brunch this morning for my mother in-law’s old friends.
Lovely group full of  old memories, besides things I made I ordered others like haluva, kibbeh and yalanji.

I made falafel rolls,cheese platter, Greek salad, date rocca salad and za’tar puffs.

For dessert I kind of created two elegant dishes, made cream cheese yesterday then molded it today to two parts. One with caramel, walnuts and figs. The other with strawberry sauce and almonds.

ingredients and method:

  • 2 liters of fresh milk.
  • 9 tablespoons white vinegar.
  • 1 small pack cream (علبه قشطه صغيره)
  • Boil milk well then add the vinegar, curd will immediately start to crumble.
  • With a sieved spoon collect curd in a fine sieve so as all water goes out.
  • Add the cream and mix well.
  • when no more water comes out put a kitchen towel on top and cool it in the fridge for several hours.
  • you can serve it with any sauce you like e.g caramel,strawberry,honey …etc.

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Everybody loved it, a really nice looking elegant dish. Other desserts were brought by the guests ,a dessert done in a  Shishani sweets bakery ,  delicious as well.

wpid-wp-1446118872687.jpg don’t know the name of this dessert but it’s yummy.

 

 

 

 

 

Doughnuts 💝

 

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Hello again.

Been craving homemade doughnuts for a while but not in the mood for frying or honestly no need for extra calories these days.

But today I thought what the heck, never keep something nagging at the back of your head, so I took out this very old recipe that might be my grandma’s by the way and made them, small amount but worth it.

Ingredients and method :
* 1/2 cup warm water.
* 1 tsp instant yeast.
* 2 tablespoons sugar.
* 3/4 cup warm milk.
* 1 tablespoon butter.
* 1 large egg.
* pinch of salt.
* 2 1/2- 3 cups flour.

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* mix water, yeast, sugar, milk together till a bit frothy then add rest of ingredients.
* knead well for 5 minutes then leave to rest and rise for 1 hour.
* flour your kitchen surface well then roll the dough  somewhat thick
* using the cutter size you like cut the dough to circles then punch them in the middle with a smaller size cutter.
* leave to rise again then deep fry in well heated oil.
* decorate with anything you prefer, glaze, chocolate, strawberry syrup or simply caster sugar and cinnamon.

A bit extra work but worth every bite.

 

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Salt Baked Potatoes with Garlic and Rosemary.

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Hello everybody.

Roast beef is for lunch today, usually accompanied with baked potatoes and veggies,which were all done in a different way I saw last night on my favorite source of new recipes Pinterest.

First I’ll start with the beef,sealed in hot oil butter mixture at first in a deep pan then I added some onions and garlic and gradually started adding boiled water and left it to simmer for 3 hours. Removed the beef to rest,added some flour to the sauce to make a gravy, so tender and yummy.

As for the potatoes here are the ingredients and method :
* 2 cups salt.
* medium sized potatoes.
* one whole head of garlic.
* some rosemary leaves.
* 1 tablespoon butter.
* drizzle of olive oil.

* in a deep thick oven pan spread the salt evenly.
* place the potatoes, rosemary and garlic after cutting the hard top.
* cover tightly and bake for 40-50 minutes.
* remove garlic to cool.
* drizzle olive oil on top of potatoes and back in the oven for another 10 minutes.
* meanwhile remove soft garlic pulp and add butter to it, I added a bit of yogurt as well to make a bit sour.
* cut potatoes and add garlic spread in it.

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Serve with any roast or chicken.

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As for the mushrooms, cut them to big pieces then add butter, oil, garlic, lemon juice, capers, salt and pepper and bake them till tender. Add chopped parsley when done.

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wpid-wp-1445956094691.jpg elegant lunch today!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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