Hello again.
Invited to a gathering at my cousin’s house in my hometown Huwwara-Irbid,each one bringing something so I made this old recipe I had.
Gathering was full of many different dishes all very yummy as expected.
big variety of delicious food.
rose and lemon cheesecake.
my amazing hometown.
Hello everybody.
I’m so excited today cause me and my friends are invited to a special early dinner at our lovely neighbor’s house and she’s making a traditional Carcissian dish called chips and basta, I’ll write you details about it later tonight.
As usual I told her dessert is on me, I wanted to do something new, colorful and lively so after a bit of searching did these cute kind of tarts and since I have some apples in the fruit basket is did some apple wheels or rolls.
Ingredients and method of fruit tarts :
* 3/4 cup butter.
* 1 cup sugar.
* 1 egg.
* 1 tsp vanilla.
* 2 cups flour.
* 1/2 tsp baking soda.
* 1/2 tsp baking powder.
* 2 tsp cornstarch.
For the filling :
* 1 pack cream cheese.
* 1/2 cup icing sugar.
* 2 tablespoons cream.( قشطه)
* mixed fruits for topping.
* beat butter and sugar till creamy then add all other ingredients till you have a thick dough.
* in a cupcake pan add a spoonful in each paper then press well with higher edges ( this quantity made 24 cups)
* bake in a medium heated oven for 10-15 minutes.
* remove and leave to cool.
* meanwhile beat cream cheese with sugar and cream then top over each cupcake.
* decorate with fruits as you look like.
As for the apple wheels, I did same dough for cinnamon rolls or Nutella tree, the added brown sugar and cinnamon to a rectangular spread-ed dough, lined up sliced apples the rolled and baked them.
Hope our host will like them,I’m sure we’ll have fun and eat delicious food.
lovely outcome.
apple rolls.
Hello everybody.
What a busy eventful day, nonstop activities since morning which started by a gathering at mom’s for my dear aunties , lovely ladies with so many old stories to tell. I made some spinach pastries and almond pudding,mom made za’tar cookies and orange cake.
As for lunch at home I made this lovely bright beetroot apple dip or salad that my sister told me about since beetroots are in season these days,this can be a very nice healthy dish to make instead of processed ready dips.
Ingredients and method:
* 2 large beetroots boiled or baked.
* 2 apples.
* 2 tablespoons mayonnaise.
* 2 tablespoons labaneh.
* 2 tablespoons crushed walnuts.
* salt and pepper.
* grate beets and apples then squeeze them with your hands to remove all excess water.
* mix mayonnaise,labaneh,walnuts,salt and pepper.
* add beets and apples then mix well.
* put mix in a bowl then leave in fridge a bit .
* turn it upside down and serve with chips or toasted bread.
yummy good looking dip.
I also made a quick pesto pasta with the dip.
Then I went out with my lovely college friends to Yoshi for sushi, though I’m not a fan of it but food was great and atmosphere and service were excellent, company was the best part of the evening as always.
Yoshi !
As soon as I arrived back home my aunt and her lovely daughters passed by and brought Falafel sandwiches, unfortunately I was full 🙁 though I love it, again it’s the company that matters. Love you 3amto <3.
Hello everybody.
Applesauce is a puree made from peeled or unpeeled apples and spices,it has several uses as a side sauce with meat,in cakes or to add flavor to yogurts or ice creams or simply as baby food.
A very good use is a substitute for oil or butter in cakes so you can make a very healthy kind of cake by reducing both oil and sugar in ingredients. That’s why when I looked at the apples in my fruit basket that everyone refused to eat I thought of applesauce, why waste them right? will search for a good recipe for it tomorrow.
Lunch was Mujadara with burnt onions and salad.
Mujadara (lentils and rice) healthy easy dish.
finely chopped tomato onion mint salad is the usual one done with it.
Ingredients and method:
* 4-5 big apples.
* 1 1/2 cups water.
* 2 lemon slices.
* 1 tsp cinnamon.
* pinch of nutmeg.
* pinch of salt.
* Mix all ingredients and leave to boil and simmer till apples are tender.
* remove lemon slices.
* puree mixture in blender then sieve to remove rough parts and peel.
* store in a clean glass jar in fridge.
See very easy healthy useful thing to do with extra apples 🙂
applesauce.
final product.
Hello everybody.
Waited till now to write my post so as not to ruin the surprise, I baked a beautiful birthday cake for my lovely cousin requested by her sweet sister-in-law,I also made an Apple Pecan Pie as a gift from me. Happy Birthday dear doc and Happy New Year to you and all your family, love you all.
As for our new year’s eve, we had a small special candle lit dinner at home , very early so as not to eat heavy late at night then ended it with our usual coffee with chocolates, typical family celebration, we’ll watch T.V for the rest of the night.
Dinner was steaks with sauteed veggies, cheese pastries, mixed green salad with lentils pomegranate and feta cheese and a new dish which was extremely delicious “Italian Mushroom Risotto” got these dried mushrooms from my cousin living in Rome, soaked them in water then sauteed them with onions and butter then cooked the rice with mushroom soaking water, really yummy yummy.
Ingredients and method of Apple Pecan Pie:
* pie crust.( same as apple pie)
* filling:
* 3 big peeled chopped apples.
* 3/4 cup chopped pecans.
* 1/2 cup sugar ( brown or regular)
* 1 tablespoon starch.
* 1 tablespoon cinnamon.
* 1 tablespoon butter.
For the crumble:
* 1/2 cup finely chopped pecan.
* 2 tablespoons butter.
* 3/4 cup flour.
* 1/2 cup sugar.
* spread pie crust in special pie pan.
* mix filling ingredients together and add on crust.
* mix crumble ingredients in food processor till crumbly .
* add on top of pie filling.
* bake in a medium heated oven till golden from sides. (30-40 minutes)
Enjoy your night everybody and wish you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR <3 <3 <3
always a delight !!
Apple Pecan Pie.
lovely family candle lit dinner .
cheese pastries and lentil pomegranate salad.
By the way Italians believe that eating pomegranate and lentils at new year’s eve is a good omen,the more you can eat the more money you get, so we’ll see what will happen next year !
Mushroom Risotto.
Great end to a nice dinner <3
Hello everybody.
Went with my cousin yesterday to explore this new Austrian bakery that opened recently and was both disappointed and frustrated, place wasn’t as warm and appealing as photos showed,breads and cookies though some freshly baked but not encouraging at all, I specifically went to buy the famous apple strudel but the one they displayed was from 1 or 2 days ago so I declined,then got one plain loaf so as not to go out empty handed and to my surprise it was way too expensive 🙁
Anyway benefit of this visit is that I searched for apple strudel recipes all over,then got this original easy healthy one from my Austrian friend and made one today from scratch,even did’t use phyllo or puff pastries better than any bought one,really delicious.Thank you dear Mary for your help <3
Ingredients and method:
For the dough:
* 2 cups flour.
* 1 egg.
* 2 big spoons butter.
*pinch of salt.
*100 ml (almost 3/4 cup) lukewarm water.
Filling:
* 1 kilo peeled and thinly sliced apples.
* 3/4 cup sugar.
* zest of a lemon.
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice.
* 3 tablespoons crushed walnuts or almonds.
* 3/4 cup raisins soaked in some water.
* 2 tsp cinnamon.
* 2 tablespoons bread crumbs.
* extra butter to brush top of strudel.
* icing sugar for decorating.
* make the dough by mixing flour,salt and egg in the middle mix well then add butter and rub all together.
* start adding water till you get a round hard dough that you can handle.
* leave to rest for 30 minutes.
* spread some flour on a kitchen cloth and spread the dough to a big rectangle.
* make the filling by mixing all everything together.
* spread the breadcrumbs over dough then add the filling in the center.
* with the help of the cloth fold the sides together and ends also very well.
* transfer slowly to a big oven pan .
* brush with butter then make some lengthwise cuts with a sharp knife.
* bake in a medium heated oven for 50-60 minutes.
* dust with icing sugar upon serving.
Great dish to do for Christmas by the way.
Thanks again Mary <3
made a poppy seed loaf and mushroom soup for lunch.
Hello everybody.
No cooking today,I still have lots from yesterday,plus I went out with my friends for breakfast to a kind of new place in town Shakespeare & co. really pleasant place,beautiful decor, tasty food and excellent service I might say 🙂
This doesn’t mean no work,my mother in law’s school friends are coming tomorrow morning so I made apple pie and za’tar sticks but as round pastries this time, will be great with a cheese platter and Tabouleh.
You may find various apple pie recipes all over,I usually make this one which is easy and always work.
Ingredients and method of apple pie:
*Crust:
* 1 egg.
* 1 tsp vanilla or lemon zest.
* 1/2 cup sugar.
* 3/4 cup butter.
* 1 3/4 cups flour ( you may need 1/4 more to make a firm dough)
* pinch of salt.
* 2 tablespoons cold water.
Filling:
* 5-6 large apples peeled and cut to slices.
* 1/2 cup walnuts (optional).
* 1/4 cup raisins (optional).
* 1/4 cup brown sugar.
* 1 tsp lemon juice .
* 1 tablespoon cinnamon ( sorry forgot to add it in the photo)
Hello everybody.
Back from a short trip to Taba/Egypt,though tiring long drive but it was worth it.Fun in the sun is the exact description , beautiful Sofitel Hotel with lots of pools and activities all day,the only disadvantage was the quality of food, all inclusive buffets but nothing good to eat.Thank God for bread and butter,but all in all it’s the company of good friends that made this trip memorable,we had a blast and lots of funny stories to tell for sure 🙂
Today as my son said we need something with rice,a good homemade meal is so satisfying after 3 days of eating out,I made Kebabs with tomatoes and rice or as we call it Indian Kebabs.
Tomorrow we’re going to spend the day at my friend’s house by the pool,another fun in the sun day,so I prepared this cool Summery dessert to take with me, very easy to do and a chance to use all the apples my husband brought while I was away !
ingredients and method:
* 5-6 large apples.
* 1 tsp cinnamon.
* 1 tablespoon flour.
* sugar if desired.
* 1 pack whipping cream.
* 1 pack fresh cream.
* 1 pack cream cheese.
* 4 packs vanilla pudding or you can use homemade pudding also.
* plain biscuits and some milk.
* peel and chop apples then add flour,cinnamon and sugar and mix well.
* mix together whipping cream,fresh cream,cream cheese and pudding very well .
* line the biscuits in a deep serving dish and sprinkle with some milk.
* add half the amount of cream then half of apples.
* repeat the layers then decorate with crushed biscuits and cinnamon.
* keep in fridge overnight for better results.
today’s lunch.
Hello everybody.
Just came back from Irbid,we were invited to a lovely lunch at my husband’s cousin. Food was incredibly delicious, have to admit I ate too much, but couldn’t resist 🙂
Early morning I made apple cake to take with me,my cook book says Rubi’s apple cake ( recipe from my dear friend Ruba <3), very simple,juicy and easy.
Ingredients and method:
*2 big peeled sliced apples.
*1/2 cup brown sugar.
* raisins or cranberries.
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
* 3 eggs.
* 1 1/2 cups sugar.
* 3/4 cup oil.
* 1 cup milk.
* lemon zest.
* 1 tsp vanilla.
* 3 tsp baking powder.
* 2 cups flour.
* spread brown sugar ( you may add a bit of butter if you like ) ,apples,raisins and cinnamon in a cake mold or high baking pan.
* beat eggs,vanilla,sugar till creamy then add oil,milk and zest.
* add flour and baking powder beat for 5-10 minutes.
* pour batter over apples then bake in a medium heated oven for 35-40 minutes or till dry from inside.
* turn upside down when cooled.
Just perfect with afternoon tea or coffee , enjoy your weekend my friends <3 <3
