Lovely Breakfast Gathering.

Hello everybody.

Thanked God for the lovely weather this morning,cause as I mentioned yesterday I have friends coming for breakfast, and setting outside was great, though it became hot around noon but we were almost done.

I love breakfast gatherings,as I said earlier to my Facebook group,you can have a simple homemade menu,and make a stylish table setting, results can be very nice and enjoyable,better than any fancy restaurant, at least you can chit chat freely and eat food made with love though it’s simple labaneh and cheese.

Today I didn’t bother myself a lot,dessert is ready in fridge ( chocolate mousse ). My friend volunteered to bring hummus and fatteh on her way, I made fava beans ( foul ), boiled eggs in my molds, plus a variety of cheeses,labaneh and olives.

We really had a great time,love you all 🙂

Let Summer Begin :)

Hello everybody.

In honor of the newly weds and beginning of Summer activities in our garden we’re hosting the first BBQ of the season .

Actually my hubby is the one responsible of the BBQ, my part is making salads and side dishes,some of them that are basic each time like grilled tomatoes and hot peppers with garlic and yogurt with oregano and mints .

Today I’ll make few extra things Crab Salad and mixed vegetables with yogurt salad.

Ingredients and method:

Crab Salad:

* 1 pack frozen crab.

* mixed green leaves ( lettuce,parsley,mint,rocca)

* cherry tomatoes and mushrooms.

* mayonnaise ,lemon juice,balsamic vinegar,salt and pepper for dressing.

* mix chopped greens with tomatoes,add mushrooms and shredded crab on top.

* mix dressing components well then drizzle over salad.

Mixed Veggies Salad:

* Mixed vegetables boiled till tender: potatoes,beans,peas,carrots,corn,red beans.

* bunch of fresh dill.

* 2-3 cups of plain yogurt and 1 small creamed yogurt.

* salt and pepper.

* mix all veggies with yogurts,add chopped dill,salt and pepper.

As for the lovely part of the evening, chocolate fountain was set and ready early afternoon with a selection of tasty assorted chocolates melted on a water bath and various fruits and dips.

It was a great gathering ,wish everybody enjoyed Friday as we did 🙂

I will post more pictures later of the real yummy food 🙂

Kofta with Vegetables.

Hello everybody.
Weekend almost over, hope everybody relaxed and boosted for next week.
My husband brought various vegetables from Ghor Thursday so today I made kofta or kebab fingers with a selection of veggies, as I recall some people call this ” Masfoufeh” meaning lined up cause of the way you arrange it in the pan. Please confirm this info if correct or not.
I also made Fatoush, kind of salad with toasted bread and summaq.
Plus, I bought some fresh fruits and mixed them into a great refreshing cocktail.
Ingredients and method:
* 1 kg ready mixed kofta (minced veal with onions and parsley).
* sliced mixed veggies: eggplants, courgettes, pumpkins, potatoes.
* sliced tomatoes and green peppers.
* 1 pack tomato paste.
* 1 cube maggi.
* 1 1/2 cups water.
* salt and pepper.

* form the kofta to fingers shape then cook on low heat till golden and done.
* grill veggies till brownish on both sides, some people fry them but dish will be too oily.
* arrange veggies in rows then add kofta in between. * dissolve tomato paste and maggi in water then add on pan.
* add salt and pepper.
* cook on low heat for 1 hour.
* serve with white rice.

Fatoush:
This salad is of Libanese origin, it’s basic salad with the addition of radishes,watercress (بقله ), toasted pitta bread with summaq, pomegranate sauce, lemon and olive oil as dressing.

I was lucky my best friend came by for coffee after lunch, great with some dark chocolate.

Enjoy your week ♡♥.

Kofta with Vegetables.

* form the kofta to fingers shape then cook on liw heat till golden and done.
* grill veggies till brownish on both sides, some people fry them but dish will be too oily.
* arrange veggies in rows then add kofta in between.

* dissolve tomato paste and maggi in water then add on pan.

* add salt and pepper.
* cook on low heat for 1 hour.
* serve with white rice.

I was lucky my best friend came by for coffee after lunch, great with some dark chocolate.

Enjoy your week ♡♥.

Green Beans and Avocado Dip.

Hello everybody.

This morning I gave another Date Rolls lesson to a dear friend who couldn’t make it last week, It was a big success, we finished quickly,chatted and had coffee 🙂

I prepared a quick lunch before, no time for a big meal, green beans with olive oil and garlic (فاصوليا بالزيت) and avocado dip, both easy and tasty.

Ingredients and method:

* 1 kilo cleaned cut green beans.

* 3-4 cloves garlic.

* one big ripe chopped tomato.

* olive oil,salt,pepper.

* heat oil then saute garlic.

* add beans,salt and pepper cook till tender.

* add tomatoes and leave to simmer for 30 minutes.

Avocado:

*2 ripe tender avocados.

* 2 big spoons tahini sauce ( tahini,lemon juice,salt and some yogurt)

* chopped tomatoes,mint leaves,paprika for garnish on top.

* peel and mash avocados then mix with tahini sauce.

* chop tomatoes on top,add mint,paprika and oil .

Light tasty colorful lunch,only sin is you eat too much bread without knowing it 🙂

Quesadillas and Artichoke Salad.

Hello everybody.

I’m so sorry for the delay,I’m having trouble uploading,will rewrite the post again.

Today’s lunch is Mexican, chicken quesadillas are famous appetizers or even main dish,ate them a while ago at my uncle’s house,and been waiting for a chance to do them since then,

After a quick search and finding many different recipes,I made this one,they’re all basically the same, but I liked this cause they even have ingredients of the seasoning,better to use instead of ready ones. You can even keep them in a closed jar for later on.

Ingredients and method:

* 2 large finely chopped chicken breasts.

*1 finely chopped onion.

* 2 finely chopped garlic.

* finely chopped sweet colored peppers.

* grated sharp cheddar cheese.

* tortilla bread.

* seasoning : 3 tsp cornstarch,1 tsp salt,1 tsp sugar,1/2 tsp pepper,1 tsp paprika,1 tsp chili,1/2 tsp chili flakes,1 tsp garlic powder,1 tsp onion powder,1 envelope maggi powder ( optional)

mix well and keep in a well closed jar.

* heat some oil then add chicken,stir till dry.

* add 2 tsp of seasoning and mix well.

* add onions,garlic,peppers and simmer till done.

* grease oven pan.

* fill each tortilla in half,top with cheese then fold and sprinkle top and edges with a bit of water to seal.

* bake in a medium heated oven till golden and crisp on both sides.

* serve with sour cream or guacamole.

As for the salad:

*chop lettuce,cucumbers,mushrooms,cherry tomatoes,baby corns and slightly boiled artichokes.

* make dressing by mixing: mustard,honey,balsamic vinegar,pomegranate sauce,lemon juice,salt and olive oil and drizzle it on top.

Note: you can marinate artichokes in dressing for tastier flavor if you have time.

Homemade Shawerma .

Hello everybody.

I know many people specially youngsters prefer to eat Shawerma from local specialized restaurants. In my case I don’t like buying it at all ( had many bad health incidents whenever I do !!) . It’s not a difficult dish to do at home,you even eat with comfort cause you’re sure of meat quality and hygiene as well.

I started Spring clean up today,so to be quick, called the butcher and ordered fresh lean steaks . picked them noon with some fresh thin bread and started cooking.

Ingredients and method:

* shredded beef marinated in soy sauce,balsamic vinegar,lemon juice,salt,pepper,all spice,cinnamon,cloves and pinch of nutmeg .

* 2 big thinly sliced onions.

* Summaq.

* sliced tomatoes,pickles and tahini sauce for adding in sandwich.

* thin bread ( خبز شراك).

* Heat pan till very hot then add meat ,stir till all excess water is gone and meat starts sizzling.

* mix onions with summaq then add over meat.

* lower the heat to minimum and cover till onions are tender. ( you might add a bit of water so as meat won’t dry).

* upon serving fill bread ,roll it and press it in grill till crispy.

* serve with french fries,tomatoes,pickles,tahini,mayonnaise as each one prefers.

Bet you it’s best than any Shawerma sandwich you buy !!!

Enjoy my friends.

Ratatouille.

Hello everybody.

Today’s dish is French , it means tossed vegetables. We usually do make a similar one but with big lamb meat pieces, late grandmas used to cook it, called (طباخ روحو ) which means “it cooked itself” cause just like Ratatouille vegetables are left on very low heat to simmer and become a well done stew.
Well today kids don’t want anything with meat or chicken, so I made ratatouille plus a big bowl of pasta with yoghurt and some French fries.

Ingredients and method:
*Ratatouille:
* 1 large eggplant cut to cubes.
*2-3 courgettes.cubed.
* 1 chopped onion.
* 2-3 chopped cloves of garlic.
* 1 chopped sweet pepper.
* 2 large chopped tomatoes.
* 1 chilli pepper or chilli powder.
*olive oil.

*saute onions and garlic in oil then add chilli.
* add courgettes then peppers.
* fry eggplants till golden, leave on paper towel till dry then add over mixture
*add tomatoes.
*season with salt and pepper.
*leave to simmer till all homogeneous and little liquid remains.

*Pasta with yoghurt:
* 1 pack penne pasta.
* 1 yoghurt can .
*2-3 garlic.
* 1 spoon dried mints.
* mix yoghurt with crushed garlic, mint, salt.
* cook pasta then saute with some butter or oil.
* just minutes before you serve mix together and heat a bit.
* decorate with pine nuts or almonds.

Enjoy ♡♥♡♥.

Grilled Vegetables with Kofta .

Hello again.

Lunch now!!!!
I took out some kofta from freezer last night, it was an extra amount from last time, so it won’t be enough for all, needs something extra to go with it.
A quick solution , took out all veggies in fridge to grill them plus a big bowl of salad!

Ingredients and method:
* all sorts of veggies cut to large slices or chunks.
* green onion, garlic, lemon juice and oregano.
* butter and olive oil.
* salt and pepper.

* in a thick cast iron pan (preferably one that’s lined) heat some butter and oil.
* add veggies in turns till tender and stripes show on them.
* mix lemon juice, chopped onion and garlic with oregano, salt and pepper.
*sprinkle all over veggies then leave to simmer for 20-30 minutes on low heat.
* serve with any kind of meat or chicken.
* I made a delicious rocca, mushroom, cherry tomato, walnuts salad with vinaigrette dressing.

Enjoy ♡♥♡♥

Shushbarak in Tomatoe Sauce.

Hello everybody.
Hope you’re all enjoying the lovely spring weather these days. Personally I love this time of year, though many people have allergies and flu but weather is perfect. Had a tasty breakfast with hubby outside today, yummy yummy.

As for lunch, after a long discussion with my boys last night before bed about the blog, how many posts I did and how it’s been 3 months,,,, no repeated meal ..hurrrrraaayyyy!!!
They decided they want shushbarak (remember I did it before with yoghurt? ? Shushbarak. ) but this time with tomato sauce or as they call it Arabic Ravioli :). Though it’s very similar to pasta and we already ate pasta yesterday but i’ll do what they want for sure.♡♥

Ingredients and method:
* shushbarak pieces, ready or homemade.
* 1 can chopped tomatoes or 3 ripe chopped ones.
* green or dry onion also chopped.
* dry basil and organo.
* sliced black olives.
* salt and pepper.
* cheese to top if you like.

* saute onions in olive oil till tender.
* arrange shushbarak pieces on top.
* add tomatoes, you can add tomato paste and water if you like.
* add olives, salt, pepper, oregano and basil.
* leave to simmer for 25-35 minutes.
* add cheese on top as preferred.

I guess no pasta for the next two weeks!!!

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

tomatoes

Lovely Breakfast Gathering.

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Let Summer Begin :)

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Kofta with Vegetables.

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Kofta with Vegetables.

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Green Beans and Avocado Dip.

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Quesadillas and Artichoke Salad.

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Homemade Shawerma .

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Ratatouille.

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Grilled Vegetables with Kofta .

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Shushbarak in Tomatoe Sauce.

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