Morning Gathering .

Hello everybody.

As I mentioned yesterday we have a gathering this morning for a very special group of ladies that I really love so much, my mother in-law’s school mates,really sweet lovable group <3

Last night I made the apple pie and za’tar pastries,this morning I arranged a cheese platter with some fresh figs and grapes,decorated some pastries with labaneh,tomatoes and olives and made spinach tabouleh and my sister in-law made yalanji and got some Halouva .

Turned out a really elegant table,everybody enjoyed the food and company 🙂

Lovely Cousin’s Visit <3

Hello everybody.

Today I was really thrilled to meet my cousin coming for Summer vacation from Qatar, It’s been a long time since we saw each other and had lots and lots of catching up.

Though I was willing she’d come for lunch but due to her full schedule visit ended up in the morning and we had breakfast together.

I also made her favorite chocolate cake,we used to make it when we were in college every week,such great memories <3

Well truth is nothing beats cousins and good old friends,everlasting memories !

Up to Hometown Huwwara :)

Hello everybody.

Had a marvelous day, me and mom headed up North this morning and visited many relatives and as usual ate lots of food 😉

First stop was at my new fb friend and cousin for breakfast and a cup of coffee,all delicious and we had such a great time catching up and knowing each other face to face,a real pleasure. Visit ended with a superb piece of Teramisu since my cousin lives in Rome so she’s an expert,really yummy.

Thank you dear Rita for your hospitality,hope to see you soon before you leave.

Then next visit was to my lovely colleagues and best cousins for lunch,we had rice with fava beans with salad and Irbid yogurt of course. Ha great time as usual 🙂

Trip ended by paying condolences for a relative then a must buying labaneh and yogurt on our way back from Husson.

Very nice day indeed <3

Fun in the Sun Again :)

Hello everybody.

Just came back from a lovely day and evening by the pool side at my best friend’s house,we had a blast as usual, maybe you all figured from my older posts that I have a group of best friends since childhood,always a pleasure to be together and share lunches,dinners,trips or even a 30 minutes cup of coffee.It’s true that real friendship is a big important asset these days that cannot be replaced, love you my besties <3

Lunch was beef and chicken burgers,potato wedges and nuggets.Dessert was the apple pudding eclairs I made yesterday which was just delicious and cooling .

Thank you my dear friend for the lovely day 🙂

Apple Pudding Eclairs.

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.

Nothing beats best friends gathering ♡

Hello everybody.
Sorry for the delay but I had my best friends coming over for a Ramadan evening.
As I entitled the post, nothing beats my best friends gathering, so many beautiful memories gathered throughout the years,though missing our 7’th cheerful Rawan this year, next Summer hopefully♡
I made some cheese pastries, rocca strawberry salad, a new chocolate dessert made of cream and Flakes and upon request 3eish al saraya, promise I’ll post these two recipes after Ramadan for sure.

We also celebrated two birthdays with a delicious strawberry cake

Evening was wrapped up with a perfect aromatic cup of tea.

Teramisu and Labaneh Mold.

Hello everybody.

Two events today,a small gathering for my lovely Auntie and her daughter coming from Irbid and a bigger gathering for my cousins this afternoon. Don’t ask me how I managed but I did don’t know how! time management is the key word,that’s for sure.

I made a Teramisu but a bit different from the real Italian one,no mascarpone cheese cause it’s not always easy to find it , but this recipe that I have from my dear friend Rula is very good, I even found out I don’t have sweetened condensed milk for it but I added cream and some sugar so taste was almost the same.

I also made labaneh with mint and oregano layered in toast bread and decorated with tomatoes,cucumbers and olives,you can decorate it anyway you like.

Ah I forgot to mention,I made spinach tabouleh and cheese rolls as well 🙂

Ingredients and method for teramisu:

* 2 packs whipping cream.

*2 packs kiri or cream cheese.

* 1 can condensed milk (or cream and 1/4 cup sugar)

* lady fingers biscuits.

* Nescafe ( 1 big spoon dissolved in 3/4 cup warm water)

* mix cream,condensed milk and cheese together very well.

* arrange biscuits in a deep serving dish then soak them in coffee mixture. * add half of cream mixture then repeat process. * refrigerate for 3-4 hours.

* sprinkle cocoa powder on top. All set and ready now,waiting!!

this is the morning gathering.

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.

Apricot Jam.

Hello everybody.

A dear friend of my mother in-law called me saying that her apricot tree is overloaded and most of it is over ripe so she wants me to come pick as much as I want

A custom of mine each year I make this jam just as my late grandma used to make it,she had a big tree in her garden and we used to help her pick it and make ripe ones jam,she even used to break the seed and add the nut inside to the jam,but this is really hard work,poor teita. she was very patient and did them all without grumbling at all,God bless your soul my dear grandma<3

Well I did go yesterday to auntie Haifa’s ,had a cup of coffee and took a big big bag of beautiful fresh apricots,perfect for jam.

last night I cleaned and pitted them then added sugar and cooked them today, by the way lunch today was steak sandwiches,same that I did before.

Ingredients and method of jam:

* 1 kg ripe apricots.

* 1 kg sugar ( you need equal amounts of fruit and sugar,you can measure in cups also)

* 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

* add sugar to apricots stir well then put on gas on medium heat till bubbly.

* reduce heat to minimum and keep boiling for 40-50 minutes removing froth whenever it’s formed.

* keep stirring mixture then blend it with hand mixture if you like or leave it in chunks as you prefer.

* add lemon juice and leave it boiling for another 15-20 minutes or till it’s thick .

* cool and fill in cleaned glass containers,then keep in fridge.

I usually wrap jars with ribbons or accessories, great gift full of love 🙂

tasty with white cheese!

this is today’s lunch.

Harisseh or Basboussa. (Semolina Cake).

Hello everybody.

Many friends and family are asking me these days,aren’t you tired of cooking everyday? or even the most frequent question , Is that really you cooking or do you write down recipes from the internet???

Well,answers are, I’m not tired cause I don’t actually cook everyday ,most of the days to be exact,I sometimes make an extra salad or side dish when I have leftovers,or even make cookies or cake like today. As for the second question,I really want to emphasize that it’s me cooking,and I’ve never copied a picture or recipe from any website , and I do really hope that my readers are enjoying and benefiting from my recipes and articles.

Today I’m making a favorite sweet to many, specially my husband, Harisseh or Basboussa as some people name it cause yesterday we were visiting the lovely Odeh couple and the sweet auntie suggested i make it when I asked her what to do as sweets tomorrow,and of course hubby encouraged the idea!

I have many many different recipes for it,each time I try one, this time it’s Auntie Fozzieh’s Harisseh as written in my cookbook,she’s my husband’s beloved aunt,he says my auntie makes the best harisseh,hope mine will be as good as hers 😉

Ingredients and method:

* 2 cups coarse semolina.

* 1 cup sugar.

* 1 1/2 cups milk or half yogurt and one milk.

* 1/2 spoon sodium bicarbonate.

* 3 teaspoons baking powder.

* some butter for brushing the surface only.

* sugar syrup ( boil 3 cups of sugar with 1 1/2 cups water and a small spoon lemon juice,simmer till syrupy).

* Mix all ingredients very well preferably with your hands,then leave to rest and rise for 3-4 hours.

* brush deep oven pan with tahini or butter,add batter.

* brush butter on surface,you may decorate with nuts and coconut if you like.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 30 minutes or till edges are golden then toast the surface also.

* add cooled syrup on it while hot so as be be absorbed well.

* cut to squares and serve.

Now I’m waiting for the judge,fingers crossed !!

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

friends

Morning Gathering .

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Lovely Cousin’s Visit <3

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Up to Hometown Huwwara :)

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Fun in the Sun Again :)

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Apple Pudding Eclairs.

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Nothing beats best friends gathering ♡

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Teramisu and Labaneh Mold.

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Lentils ( mujadara)

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Apricot Jam.

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Harisseh or Basboussa. (Semolina Cake).

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