Pickled Stuffed Peppers.

Hello everybody.

Though I felt like I’m an old lady doing these cause they’re related to my late grandmas in some kind of way, these pickles were a must in every household long time ago, done usually this time of year when tomatoes and peppers are abundant to be preserved for winter time.

It’s a very easy procedure specially if you’re not making massive amounts like old times, I clearly remember large glass preserving pots all set up to be kept inside cupboards along with makdous and olives.

You simply cut pepper stems and remove seeds as much as you can then stuff them with hard chopped tomatoes, minced garlic and dry mint. Close and arrange in a pot then add brine which is a big tablespoon of salt to each cup of water. Then add one tablespoon of vinegar and one chili pepper if you like.

I added some olive oil on top to prevent fermentation .

Close and leave for 3-4  weeks till it’s done,you can serve it with labaneh or cheese as you wish.

 

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Manti.

Hello everybody.

Very hot and dry today,no cooking or heavy dishes are desirable at all.

This turkish recipe crossed my mind this morning, it’s a very famous one all over Turkey and women do it so quickly in a highly professional way.

Well today I made it with our shushbarak, same principle of the dumpling though mantis are much smaller but taste is the same.
I also made some potatoes with oregano,garlic and cheese my favorite dish ever.

Ingredients and method of Manti :
# small meat dumpings or shushbarak. (I made 50 pieces)
# 3 cups chicken broth.
# for the sauce :
2 cups yogurt.
2 minced garlic
1 tsp dry mint.

# for the hot oil:
Heat some olive oil then add dry mints and chili flakes till all sizzle.

# heat broth till it boils then add the dumplings.
# leave to boil for 10 min.
# remove and line them in a wide oven pan.
# add some butter on top and bake in the oven till crispy and golden.
# mix yogurt with garlic and mints.

# before serving and while dumplings are hot add the yogurt sauce then drizzle hot oil on top.

Excellent choice today, boys loved it.

 

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wpid-wp-1439906010853.jpg yummy stuff.

 

 

 

 

 

Pumpkin in Tahini Sauce.

Hello everybody.

Two days ago my husband brought me two giant pumpkins from the farm, I’m not exaggerating they’re really giant that’s how they grow.

Thank God I managed to give away one of them to my neighbor and today I began processing the other, some for freezing and some I cooked today and guess I’ll give away some more cause I don’t have more space!

Today’s recipe was sent to me by my dear chef Rahmeh, pumpkin pieces cooked in tahini sauce with minced meat on top, really delicious and tasty plus everybody loved it, will definitely be on my favorite  list.

Ingredients and method :
# 1 kg of pumpkin cut to large cubes.
# 1 kg of plain yogurt.
# 6 tablespoons of tahini.
# 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
# 1 cube chicken stock.
# salt, pepper.
# 3 cloves crushed garlic.
# 1 bunch fresh coriander.
# some cooked seasoned minced meat.
# sauted almonds or pine nuts.
# cooked white rice to serve with.

# deep fry the pumpkin and leave in a sieve till all oil is out.
# meanwhile whisk yogurt, tahini, lemon, salt and pepper all together very well.
# transfer into a pan and cook till it boils and thickens.
# saute garlic till golden then add the chopped coriander to it.
# add garlic to sauce and stir very gently.
# add the pumpkin pieces and leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
# you can add a bit of hot water if sauce was very thick.
# pour in a deep dish then garnish with minced meat and nuts.
# Serve with rice or pitta bread.

Very nice presentable dish, thanks again Rahmeh.

 

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wpid-wp-1438013577366.jpeg final result.

 

 

Okra in Olive Oil.

Hello everybody.
Quickest solution for lunch since I didn’t intend to cook anyway was freshly picked okra fried then sautéed with garlic, onions and chopped tomatoes then seasoned with salt, pepper and paprika.

I also made a dish of white cheese and watermelons and a small one of labaneh with black olives, all yummy and cool.

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wpid-wp-1437839741118.jpeg okra in olive oil.

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wpid-wp-1437839768463.jpeg best food in this weather.

 

 

 

Gazpacho (cold soup)

Hello everybody.

Seems today’s the hottest this season though we can finally feel it’s Summer at last, thank God it cools at night.

A great lunch time option in this weather is gazpacho, a traditional Spanish cold vegetable soup, first time I do it, really nice and cooling plus very easy to make I even added spring onions and it did add a nice flavor.

I also did some eggplant dip or mtabbal and some fresh guava grapes bananas lemon smoothie,all very refreshing.

Ingredients and method of gazpacho :
# 3-4 big peeled coarsely chopped tomatoes.
# 1 cucumber.
# 1 clove garlic.
# one small onion (I added a small spring onion also)
# 1 small red sweet pepper.
# 1 tablespoon lemon juice.
# 2 cups tomato juice.
# salt, pepper, chili powder.

# chopped parsley, tomatoes and cucumbers to garnish.

# mix all ingredients in a blender very well.
# chill in fridge for 3-4 hours then garnish with parsley, tomatoes, cucumbers and crushed black pepper upon serving.

I personally loved this dish, hope you try it and give me your opinion.

wpid-wp-1437571873143.jpeg cold chilled gazpacho.

wpid-wp-1437571882559.jpeg eggplant dip or mtabbal.

wpid-wp-1437571889595.jpeg guava juice.

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Ramadan Preparations.

Hello everybody.

Busy morning preparing for Ramadan cause I get too tired first day so thought I’ll do some things to be at ease.

Did some samboosek, cheese rolls, roasted bread and a big pot of syrup for the sweets.

Lunch was various fries, potatoes, eggplants and cauliflowers with pickles and tahini sauce.

Salad was Rita’s recipe, wide green beans with garlic and cherry tomatoes.

Ramadan Kareem everybody.

wpid-wp-1434464407603.jpeg fries of all kinds.

wpid-wp-1434464442959.jpeg green beans salad.

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wpid-wp-1434464490439.jpeg cheese rolls.

wpid-wp-1434464474344.jpeg samboosek.

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Cheese Stuffed Steaks.

Hello everybody.

My husband bought some meat yesterday preparing for Ramadan coming in couple of weeks so as to avoid crowded roads and shops as usual,anyway I kept some fresh steaks to do today.

Well as I always say my number one application to look for new recipes or ideas is Pinterest, just love this it !

Found this super easy recipe, you simply stuff then roll steaks and grill them in some oil and butter. Stuffing was minced garlic, chopped onions and parsley, some pesto sauce and a hard sharp cheese with spices and salt of course.

Happens to be that my friend did the same but stuffing was shredded veggies, looks yummy as well.

Made mashed potatoes and a salad on the side plus a sauce made of balsamic vinegar,steak sauce,a bit of Worcestershire sauce and one teaspoon butter all boiled till it thickens

 

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wpid-wp-1433429530445.jpeg wpid-wp-1433429544424.jpeg my stuffing.

wpid-wp-1433429565686.jpeg my friend’s stuffing.

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wpid-wp-1433429590053.jpeg  wpid-wp-1433429574668.jpeg all yummy.

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Stuffed Mushroom and Courgette Flowers.

Hello everybody.

Too hot to cook today and nobody gave me any answers about what they want so I did what I found.

End result was some okra in olive oil with garlic, onions and tomato and no meat, vegetarian style. Then I decided to do some stuffed mushrooms with garlic, coriander, cheese, breadcrumbs salt pepper and chili, and since I have some courgette flowers that I intended to fry I stuffed them same as mushrooms and all together in the oven.

Result was super, all gone in minutes

 

wpid-wp-1432649543680.jpeg light nice lunch.

wpid-wp-1432649553383.jpeg okra with garlic onions and tomatoes.

wpid-wp-1432649576682.jpeg stuffed mushrooms and courgette flowers.

wpid-wp-1432649606703.jpeg wpid-wp-1432649618725.jpeg stuffing.

wpid-wp-1432649585477.jpeg great appetizer dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bagels.

Hello everybody.

Housework and cleaning up today, too much dust in this country.

When done I was looking for something to do for a quick breakfast cause my son wants something ready to go or easy to fix each morning before going to the university.

Crossed over this bagels’ recipe and thought I’d give it a try,resembles a lot the soft pretzels one, result was not bad I guess waiting for the boys to judge.

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Lunch was leftover lasagna with some chili potatoes with garlic and coriander.

wpid-20150524_155658.jpg wpid-20150524_155814.jpg my favorite dish ever.

 

I also made dried fruit cake,light and not sweet to have with Nescafe in the morning.

wpid-20150524_164331.jpg wpid-20150524_165054.jpg rich delicious cake.

Ingredients and method of bagels :
# 3 1/2 cups flour.
# 1 1/3 cups warm water.
# 1 tsp salt.
# 2 tsp sugar.
#1 1/2 tsp instant yeast.
# boiled water.

# mix dry ingredients together well then add warm water and incorporate well together.
# knead for 5-10 minutes till smooth.
# cover and let rise for 1 hour.
# when doubled in size knead once more then form 6-8 balls.
# with a floured finger make a hole in the middle.
# leave to rise again then broil in boiling water for 1 minute on each side then remove to dry.
# line up on a floured oven pan.
# brush surface with some egg whites then sprinkle with sesame seeds or poppy seeds or salt.
# bake bagels in a medium heated oven for 20-30 minutes.

Guess they’re fine as a first trial.

wpid-20150524_152345.jpg wpid-dsc_0539.jpg bagels in the making.

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Minced Meat in Pitta Bread (3arayes)

Hello everybody.

Long hot day,had to go to Roya TV again on such very short notice so I hadn’t enough time to cook.

A quick resolution, passed by the butcher on my way home and got fresh ground meat,then to the bakery for fresh pitta bread.Mixed meat with grated onion,tomatoe,chili pepper, garlic, some burgul,salt and spices.
Stuffed it in pittas,brushed with olive oil and into the oven till crispy.Loveliest 3arayes ever.

Excellent choice in this weather specially with some yogurt.

 

wpid-wp-1432128912650.jpeg yummy yummy.

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