Multi-grain Soup.

Hello everybody.

Still have 2-3 freezing days to go, heavy snow since morning and expected icing this night ,they say it’ll be like never ever before !

Found this bag of Italian multi-grain mix bag in Select Food Shoppe last week, I soaked a cup last night so as to tenderize a bit for easier cooking.

Simple easy way to make this soup, you simply saute some chopped onions with some olive oil,add the soaked grains,salt,pepper and a bit of cumin then add 5 -6 cups water and a Maggi cube and leave it to cook in pressure cooker for 40-50 minutes. I added some small pasta and lemon juice as well. Of course you can add meat cubes if you like it richer.

I also made Shepherd Pie and some Za’tar buns for lunch.

shepherd pie,buns and soup.

Mixed beans.

really tasty heart warming dish .

Homemade Pasta !

Hello everybody.

After a chit chat with my cousin living in Rome last night discussing how fresh homemade pasta is much more tastier than commercial ones and since I do have a pasta making instrument stashed away in my kitchen cabinet,I decided to start rolling it while we’re already stuck indoors in the cold weather.

Basic egg pasta recipes are all similar ,only 2 ingredients but secret to a successful dough is to let it rest and flour surfaces and roller so as pasta won’t stick to each other.

Ingredients and method:

* 2 cups flour.

* 1/2 tsp salt.

* 3 eggs.

* on a clean surface or in a bowl mix flour and salt then make a well in the middle and crack eggs in it.

* start whisking eggs into flour with a fork gradually.

* continue working with your hands or in a food processor till you get a firm dough.

* cover with cling film and leave to rest for 30-50 minutes.

* divide to 4 pieces then roll in the thickest number in roller.

* keep dusting with flour so as layers won’t stick.

* roll again to a thinner layer and so on till you have very thin ones.

* last thing roll in pasta shape and dust them with flour when done ( an extra helping hand during this process is not a bad idea:) )

* cook in salted boiling water for 4-5 minutes only.

* remove and cook the way you want,today I made it with mined meat,mushrooms,onions with herbs and tomato paste .

* sprinkle with cheese when served.

Hope you try it if you have this magical machine ,really worth it, totally different taste !

flour eggs mix.

final result.

Voila !!

Italian Style Courgettes and Meatballs.

Hello everybody.

Today’s lunch idea is from my dear cousin living in Rome,she’s a great source of many dishes I did, love her recipes because I feel they’re original or taken from Italian housewives not books and restaurants. Thank you dear you always give me new ideas which are always yummy.

Though courgettes in Rome look different than ours but guess taste is similar, I even did some pumpkins with them. Idea is to stuff them with meat only and I made rice on the side.Taste is really yummy and everybody loved it.

I also made a small side dish from the remaining meat,stuffed them with mozzarella cheese and made them balls,coated with bread crumbs then sauteed them in some oil.Amazing with some thick tomato sauce as dip on the side.

Ingredients and method:

* hollowed courgettes ( cut them from both sides)

* mined meat mixed with 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs( or 1 egg and little breadcrumbs as you prefer),salt,pepper,some chopped parsley and Parmesan cheese.

* For the sauce:

* finely chopped tomatoes ( 4-5) or a can.

* 1 stick celery.

* 1 small onion.

* 1 small carrot.

* basil leaves,salt and pepper.

* mix meat well and stuff courgettes then line them in a Pyrex or oven pan.

* chop onion,celery very fine and saute in olive oil.

* add grated carrot and tomatoes.

* add a bit of water and leave to simmer till thick.

* pour over courgettes,cover and leave in the oven for one hour till done.

Note : I used remaining meat mix to make mozzarella stuffed balls.

mozzarella stuffed meat balls

Lasagna and Beetroot Salad.

Hello everybody.

Nice warm sunny day we even had coffee outdoors in the garden, lovely 🙂

Lunch today was lasagna and some garlic bread with a big fresh bowl of salad with beets and linseed topped with vinaigrette.

Love to eat beetroots when in season, both tasty and healthy. Beets have many medicinal uses like reducing blood pressure,for anemic patients, antioxidants, excellent source of vitamins and fibers and many more.

Open the link for more details please.

Spinach with Cream and Cannelloni.

Hello everybody.

Mom had guests this morning,did spinach tabouleh for her with other yummies as well,so I cooked cannelloni before I left since I already have cooked minced meat and chopped spinach so I fixed it quickly and left.

Yesterday my cousin posted this dish on banancooking page,spinach with cream,mushroom and cheese,decided to try it also, unfortunately I made a nice video of the recipe and way of cooking then deleted it by mistake 🙁 will repeat it soon for sure.

Ingredients and method:

* fresh mushrooms.

* bunch of chopped spinach.

* fresh cream.

* any kind of cheese,cheddar,mozzarella or kashkaval.

* salt,pepper and pinch of nutmeg.

* saute mushrooms in a bit of butter till tender.

* add spinach ,salt,pepper and nutmeg.

* add cream and leave to simmer 10 minutes.

* put them in a pottery pan or deep oven pan add cheese then bake for 10 minutes.

Really yummy either as dip or appetizer or with garlic bread.

cannelloni.

mom’s gathering.

spinach dip.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Sun-dried Tomatoes.

Hello everybody.

Had to cook something in a hurry this morning, something that can be heated quickly when we arrive home from school ,so fettuccine with cream was a great choice.

I did this dish before,a small addition to chicken,mushrooms,pesto,cheese and cream was sun dried tomatoes,really gave a twist to it , good news many left for tomorrow 🙂

Chicken Escalope and Poutine.

Hello everybody.

Second day of Eid preparations but not cooking this time,a more tiring boring thing to do ,cleaning the house 🙁

Though we clean our houses everyday but don’t know why we make a complete clean up at the end of Ramadan, Eid rituals I guess !

As for dinner I did a new soup “Menstrone vegetable soup”,really tasty,I’ll post the recipe later for sure. Plus chicken escalopes and poutine upon my son’s request,but he ended up going out to dinner,well bad luck cause not a bit left !

I’m drinking coffee now then up to do some cookies,will post photos tomorrow.

Spaghetti and Meat Balls.

Hello everybody.

We all ate too much yesterday,kebabs were really yummy so decided to lighten it for this evening.

I made simple spaghetti with olive oil salt and pepper,meat balls with tomato sauce,garlic bread,Caezar salad and french pizza. Kind of Italian night !!

No dessert cause we’re going to visit my brother I’m sure we’ll eat dessert there.

Rosa Pasta Salad.

Hello everybody.

Definitely a hot Summer day,hot dishes or stews are a big no no,so I made this cold pasta salad that my dear cousin Rita posted in my group a while ago,but I used chicken instead of tuna and added few more ingredients. Really good,thank you dear 🙂

Ingredients and method:

* cooked shredded chicken or tuna.

* cooked pasta (any shape you like).

* fresh or dried basil.

* pitted black olives.

* some chopped pickles and capers ( optional)

* ketchup and mayonnaise ( approximately 3 tablespoons of each).

* salt and pepper.

* Mix olives,pickles,capers and chicken ,season with salt and pepper.

* Add ketchup and mayonnaise and mix well.

* Before serving add the pasta and mix all together.

I also made a simple plain cake for my new orange cake plate I got as a gift from my dear aunt <3

Creamy Avocado Tomato Basil Pasta.

Hello everybody.

Very hot and dusty today,need a cool dish to go with this weather. last night I found this recipe in my WordPress reader written by “ Cooking with a Wallflower” and since I have 2 avocados ripened from last week I thought this will be a good option for lunch.

Upon my youngest son request I made a kind of pizza called Calzone ,cause he bought some chili salami and wants me to make something with them,though I’m not in the mood to bake in this hot weather,but I kneaded a small dough,made half filled with salami,cheese,oregano and tomato paste then closed it like a pie and filled the other half with chocolate and bananas,will be a good dessert in the afternoon.

Ingredients and method for the pasta:

* 1 pack spagetti.

* 2 ripe avocados.

* 2 cloves garlic.

* 2 tablespoons yogurt.

* bunch of fresh basil.

* cherry tomatoes.

* Parmesan cheese.

* some sun dried tomatoes (optional).

* cook pasta as directed.

* mash avocados with salt,pepper and yogurt.

* chop garlic,basil leaves and tomatoes.

* just before serving toss all ingredients with the pasta and sprinkle with the cheese.

* As for the Calzone,knead a pizza dough then spread it and add filling then close it , you can use various kinds of fillings of veggies or cheeses or chocolate 🙂

Enjoy .

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

italian food

Multi-grain Soup.

Like this:

Homemade Pasta !

Like this:

Italian Style Courgettes and Meatballs.

Like this:

Lasagna and Beetroot Salad.

Like this:

Spinach with Cream and Cannelloni.

Like this:

Fettuccine Alfredo with Sun-dried Tomatoes.

Like this:

Chicken Escalope and Poutine.

Like this:

Spaghetti and Meat Balls.

Like this:

Rosa Pasta Salad.

Like this:

Creamy Avocado Tomato Basil Pasta.

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