Lentils ( mujadara)

Hello everybody.

Lots of events going on today,I went out to breakfast with my lovely friends to celebrate dear Wafa’s birthday, early this morning I baked another Nescafe Cake, I think this one will be my trademark from now on,with the same ornament and flowers. Everybody enjoyed it and was a delightful surprise.

Back home I got the nicest present from my lovely niece Layan,a box of mixed herbs from Istanbul, thank you dear 🙂

At lunch time plans changed a bit,I’ve already cooked some lentils before I left ,thought I’ll make one of Mary’s recipes from her lovely book “On Healthy Cooking” but then discovered I don’t have all ingredients available,so ended up making mjadara with fried onions and some salad.

here are links for today’s recipes;

* Mjadara.

*Nescafe cake.

* Mary’s Dinner Clubs Limassol.

beautifully packed spices and herbs from Istanbul.

Nescafe Croquant Cake.

Hello everybody.

No cooking today, still have cauliflower,plus nobody is coming at lunch time, so it’s sweets day 🙂

My neighbor’s ( which is my husband’s auntie at the same time) birthday is today,we’re going for coffee to celebrate with her so thought I’ll bake a cake.I also made some cookies and Tabouleh, might make the gathering at my house better than taking all this food with me,plus it’s a chance to pamper our sweet Auntie Um Rasheed <3

A friend of my niece asked me a while ago for this cake’s recipe and I promised her to make it soon, so today is a good chance,cause I want to make a kind of birthday cake, this will do just great.

This recipe is very old,I remember when I first learned it I used to make it every weekend, it was such a trend that time , a sweet auntie of mine used to call it the glass cake 🙂

Ingredients and method:

* 5 eggs.

* 1 big spoon Nescafe dissolved in 1/2 cup of water.

* 1 tsp vanilla.

* 1 1/2 cups sugar.

* 1 cup vegetable oil.

* 4 tsp baking powder.

* 2 cups flour.

* 1 1/2 cups sugar and 3/4 cup almonds for the croquant.

* whipping cream.

* extra Nescafe in water for the cake when done.

* beat eggs with sugar till creamy then add vanilla,oil,Nescafe,baking powder and flour alternatively.

* bake in a medium heated oven in two small baking tins for 30-35 minutes or till dry from inside.

* when cooled, place one layer in serving plate then add some Nescafe on it.

* cover with cream and croquant then add other layer and repeat.

* decorate cake with anything you have .

*Croquant :

* heat sugar and almonds till it caramelize.

* pour in a well greased pan till cold and stiff.

* crush or use food processor to make fine crumbles. ( it actually resembles glass 🙂 )

* leave in fridge to settle before serving.

Toffee Cake with Butterscotch Sauce.

Hello everybody.

No cooking today,still have enough food from yesterday,however this doesn’t mean no kitchen-ing at all. To tell you the truth I feel weird if I did nothing 🙂

I had visitors coming afternoon,one of them loves anything to do with dates,so this cake will be perfect,though it says toffee but main ingredient is date,and the sauce goes along great with it.

Ingredients and method:

* 3/4 cup brown sugar.

* 3/4 cup vegetable oil.

* 3 eggs.

* 1 1/2 cups chopped pitted dates.

* 1 cup boiling water.

* 1 tsp sodium bicarbonate.

* 1 tsp ginger.

* 1 tsp vanilla.

* 3 tsp baking powder.

* 1 tablespoon molasses.

* 1 3/4 whole wheat flour.

* Add water, molasses and bicarbonate on dates,cover and leave to cool.

* Beat sugar and oil till creamy.

* Add eggs and vanilla,then ginger

* Add baking powder and flour .

* Add the date mixture and beat for 2 minutes.

* Bake in a medium heated oven for 30-35 minutes.

Sauce: heat 2 tablespoons butter with 1/2 cup brown sugar till it melts then add 1 pack cream, whisk very well till thick.

Serve cake with Vanilla Ice cream with sauce on top ,really yummy yummy.

Rubi’s Apple Cake.

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

Chocolate Macaroon Cake .

Hello everybody.

We have relatives coming from Irbid for dinner, so didn’t bother about lunch today, at last minute I made a big bowl of Caesar salad, add chicken slices from yesterday so It became a delicious fulfilling meal.

As for tonight my share was to make dessert. Made this cake so many times, always a success, everybody loves it specially chocoholics ♡♥.

Ingredients and method:
For the filling inside cake:
*2 egg whites.
* 2 cups coconut.
* 3 tablespoons sugar.
*2 tablespoons flour.

Cake is basic chocolate cake I made

* pour half of batter in a rounded mold then add filling.
* cover with rest of batter.
* bake in a medium heated oven for 40-45 minutes.
* decorate when cooled with chocolate syrup and coconuts if you desire.

Will post a photo of a piece tonight Inshallah. ♡♥

Strawberry Syrup.

Morning everybody.

Beautiful Spring day,spend the morning working in the garden, when done, cooking started. First I had some extra strawberries, I sliced them and added sugar on them till I finish cooking.
This syrup is very easy to make, you can keep it in the fridge to use on cakes or ice cream, better than artificial ones in the market.

Ingredients and method:
* 1 cup sliced strawberries.
* 1 cup sugar.
* 1 tsp lemon juice.
* add sugar on strawberries and leave till all syrup is out.
* simmer on low heat till strawberries are tender.
* mix with hand blender then add lemon juice .
* simmer on very low hest for 5-10 minutes.
* serve with basic cake or ice cream.

Labaneh Cake????

Morning everybody.
I know title seems interesting. I saw this recipe on intagram, it looked very nice and healthy also, good alternative for usual pastries. Today my sweet sister have visitors coming over..i’ll bake one for her.

Ingredients:
* 3 eggs.
* 1 1/2 cups flour.
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil.
* 2 tablespoons sugar.
* 1 tsp salt.
* 1 small can yoghurt.
* 1 tsp baking powder.
* labaneh, za’tar, tomatoes, cucumber and olives for garnishing.

* beat eggs with vanilla,sugar,salt,oil,yoghurt,baking powder then flour.

* bake batter in a pie pan till golden from sides.

* decorate with labaneh ,za’tar and vegetables.

California Coffee Cake.

Hello everybody.
It’s been a while since I backed a cake..2-3 weeks, I searched in my cook book for something light and a bit different than I usually make.
Found this recipe, think I copied it from a magazine long time ago. Goes along great with a cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients:
* 2 eggs.
* 1 tsp vanilla.
* 1 cup sugar.
* 1/2 cup butter.
* 1/2 cup milk.
* 2 tsp baking powder.
* a bit of lemon zest.
* 1 1/2 cup flour.
Filling:
* 1/2 cup brown sugar.
*1 tablespoon butter.
* 1 tablespoon flour.
* 1 tsp cinnamon.
* 1/2 cup crushed walnuts ( optional).

Method:
* mix filling ingredients together very well.
* mix cake ingredients alternatively in order.
* grease or place wax paper in a cake pan, round or rectangular as you like.
* pour half of cake batter then sprinkle filling to cover then add remaining batter.
* bake in a medium heated oven for 30-35 minutes or till toothpick inserted is dry.
* cool completely then remove from pan.
* serve with tea or coffee.

Enjoy♡♥♡♥.

Walnut Cake.

Hello everybody.

My husband’s dear aunt came for coffee yesterday afternoon, thought about this cake to be a good choice with coffee or tea, I haven’t done it for so long.
I also have this recipe from my Greek cook book.

Ingredients:
* 3/4 cup sugar.
* 1 cup butter.
* 1/2 cup butter ( I used vegetable oil thus time, turned out just fine).
* 2 cups crushed walnuts.
* 1 1/2 cups crushed rusk.
* 1 1/2 cups flour.
* 5 eggs.
* 1 tsp baking soda.
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1/4 tsp cloves.
* 1/4 tsp cloves.
* 3 tsp baking powder.
For the syrup:
* 2 cups sugar.
*1 cup water.
* 1 tsp lemon juice.
Method:
* Beat the eggs sugar butter or oil .
* Add walnuts, rusks, spices.
* Add flour, baking powder and baking soda.
* Spread in a greased pan and bake for 45-50 minutes.
* Prepare the syrup by boiling mixture then leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes.
* Pour the syrup over hot cake and serve.

Enjoy♡♥

Greek Semolina Cake (هريسه يونانيه )

Hello everybody.

I usually like to have something sweet on the kitchen table to serve with coffee or tea in case any sudden visitors came by, which is frequent..not that I mind, all family and friends know that they’re welcome anytime, coffee and sweets always available ( حمدلله).
As expected brownies were gone in no time.so today it’s my husband’s turn for his favorite dessert Harisseh or as some people call it Basbousa. I do have some excellent quality semolina (.سميد ). Must thank my hubby’s best friend Basil for that for he’s always a generous provider of excellent flour and semolina .

This recipe is a bit diffrent than normally done Harisseh. I have it in my Greek cook book (a must have cause all its recepies are great).
Ingredients:
*4 eggs.
* 1 tsp vanilla.
* 1 cup sugar.
* 1/2 cup coconut (optional).
* 1/2 yoghurt.
* 3/4 cup butter.
* 2 1/2 cups coarse or fine semolina.
* 2 tsp baking powder.
* 1/4 tsp sodium bicarbonate.
For the sugar syrup :
* 3 cups sugar.
* 1 1/2 cups water.
* 1 small spoon lemon juice.

*Mix all ingredients alternatively. Grease a
medium size pan with butter or tahini (طحينه ).add the batter
*Sprinkle with almonds then bake in a medium heated oven till golden.
* As for the syrup mix sugar and water, heat till it boils, add lemon juice and leave to simmer till it thickens .approximately 20-30 min.leave to cool.
* Add cold syrup on cake when still hot so as to be absorbed well.

Well lunch today is light, still have some noodles from yesterday so i made some spinach pastries..these will do I guess.:)

The dough is the same as pizza I made last week, but I added some sesame seeds and black seeds (قزحه ) , I also used 4 cups whole wheat flour with 2 cups plain white flour.
* Filling was spinach rubbed in salt, finely chopped onion, summaq ( سماق ) ،lemon juice,olive oil,some pomegranate molasses ( دبس رمان )، salt, pepper, paprika and chilli powder as desired.
* Devide dough to small balls, spread, fill with spinach then close as triangles.
I even had some extra dough today, filled it with cheese and fresh thyme leaves from the garden.:)
*Bake in a well heated oven till bottoms are brown then drizzle tops with olive oil and roast.

Enjoy ♡♥♡♥