Walnut Rolls ( برمه او لفائف الجوز)

Hello everybody.

Sorry for the delay but I was tied up and busy.

Since it’s still so cold till now and you feel yourself needing something really sweet to warm up I decided to do this kind of wintry dessert.

Remembered this dish last night ,ate it many years ago at a gathering done by a relative, called her today to recall details and ingredients and she was really sweet to give me the exact small ones.It’s called Burma or simply Walnut Rolls.

Lunch was stuffed cabbage,a favorite on our table all times.

Ingredients and method:

* 1 pack phyllo pastry leaves ( رقائق الهنا)

* 2 cups finely crushed walnuts.

* 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

* 1 tsp cardamon.

* 1 tablespoon rose water.(ماء ورد)

* 1 tablespoon blossom water ( ماء زهر)

* 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

*some vegetable oil in bottom of a Pyrex.

*thin long piece of metal ( I cut a part of metallic clothes hanger)

* 1 1/2 cup sugar syrup ( قطر)

* cut the phyllo sheets to in half.

* mix walnuts with cinnamon,cardamon,rose and blossom water.

* spread one sheet then place the wire in half and add one spoonful of walnut mix.

* cover with other side of sheet and roll with wire inside.

* close up the side of roll till it form wrinkles.

* remove wire slowly then place in the oiled Pyrex and so on till all sheets are used.

* bake in a very hot oven till crispy from bottom and surface.

* while still very hot pour cold syrup on top.

Wait till it cools and serve, absolutely delicious specially with a cup of Turkish coffee.

the metal rod here wasn’t good I used the hanger later on much better.

final result.

Here’s a video showing how to roll them.

Walnut Caramel Truffles.

Hello everybody.

It was a pleasure to welcome my old university colleagues this morning for breakfast,though we don’t meet much but it’s always a pleasure to see them, good memories and lots of laughter 🙂

Food was simple and delicious or is it the company that makes it enjoyable? cheeses,labaneh,cream cheese and jam from yesterday and a selection of croissants filled with salmon and turkey.

Dessert was these chewy walnut caramel truffles I made last night and a dish of fruits , found the recipe on Pinterest but made few changes, taste is just perfect.

Ingredients and method:

* 1 cup crushed walnuts.

* 2 cups crushed plain biscuits.

* 1/4 cup brown sugar.

* 1/4 cup maple syrup.

* 2 tablespoons cream.

* melted chocolate.

* Mix all ingredients together except chocolate then form it into small balls.

* line in wax paper and cool in fridge for 30 minutes.

* dip in melted chocolate and cool again,you can decorate top with walnuts while still hot.

These will be excellent for Christmas by the way,can be done and stored a week ahead.

Dates Roca Salad.

Hello everybody.

Since it’s Thursday and all have plans In did a small salad only,enough I think.
We usually eat this dish at Cafe Hanin,delicious, nutritious and light.consists of a bed of roca leaves or lettuce with pitted dates,walnuts, feta cheese and a vinaigrette sauce. Simple and easy.

Enjoy your weekend lovely people.

Christmas Fruit Cake.

Hello everybody.

Though I’m much better today but couldn’t cook plus nobody coming to lunch,we actually just ate cheese , labaneh and delicious makdous, my kind of food I really consider this the best meal ever.

Nevertheless I did a beautiful Christmas fruit cake cause I already prepared all ingredients yesterday and couldn’t do it.

Of course the traditional cake contains alcohol in it, usually Rum or Brandy, done a month before the holidays and kept in a closed tin so that all flavors and liqueurs are well absorbed, but this alcohol free one is really good and suitable for children.

Ingredients and method:

* 2 eggs.

* 2/4 cup brown sugar.

* zest and juice of one orange.

* 1/2 cup butter.

* 1/2 tsp of cinnamon,1/4 clove,1/4 nutmeg.

* 1/2 cup raisins.

* 1/2 cup walnuts.

* 1/2 candied dry fruits.

* 2 tsp baking powder.

* 1/4 tsp sodium bicarbonate.

* 2 cups flour.

* Beat eggs,sugar, butter,orange zest and juice well till creamy.

* Mix fry ingredients with flour well then fold in creamy batter.(mix is a bit thick )

* bake in a medium heated oven for 1 hour or till done.

* decorate with icing sugar.

Really yummy juicy and well flavored cake,do try it you’ll love it !

Apple Strudel.

Hello everybody.

Went with my cousin yesterday to explore this new Austrian bakery that opened recently and was both disappointed and frustrated, place wasn’t as warm and appealing as photos showed,breads and cookies though some freshly baked but not encouraging at all, I specifically went to buy the famous apple strudel but the one they displayed was from 1 or 2 days ago so I declined,then got one plain loaf so as not to go out empty handed and to my surprise it was way too expensive 🙁

Anyway benefit of this visit is that I searched for apple strudel recipes all over,then got this original easy healthy one from my Austrian friend and made one today from scratch,even did’t use phyllo or puff pastries better than any bought one,really delicious.Thank you dear Mary for your help <3

Ingredients and method:

For the dough:

* 2 cups flour.

* 1 egg.

* 2 big spoons butter.

*pinch of salt.

*100 ml (almost 3/4 cup) lukewarm water.

Filling:

* 1 kilo peeled and thinly sliced apples.

* 3/4 cup sugar.

* zest of a lemon.

* 2 tablespoons lemon juice.

* 3 tablespoons crushed walnuts or almonds.

* 3/4 cup raisins soaked in some water.

* 2 tsp cinnamon.

* 2 tablespoons bread crumbs.

* extra butter to brush top of strudel.

* icing sugar for decorating.

* make the dough by mixing flour,salt and egg in the middle mix well then add butter and rub all together.

* start adding water till you get a round hard dough that you can handle.

* leave to rest for 30 minutes.

* spread some flour on a kitchen cloth and spread the dough to a big rectangle.

* make the filling by mixing all everything together.

* spread the breadcrumbs over dough then add the filling in the center.

* with the help of the cloth fold the sides together and ends also very well.

* transfer slowly to a big oven pan .

* brush with butter then make some lengthwise cuts with a sharp knife.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 50-60 minutes.

* dust with icing sugar upon serving.

Great dish to do for Christmas by the way.

Thanks again Mary <3

made a poppy seed loaf and mushroom soup for lunch.

What to do with Last Year’s Olives?

Hello everybody.

Pouring rain today,hope nobody got stuck in traffic or got soaked wet like me,it was sunny when I left home I swear ! anyway thank God for car’s heater , but roads were really awful and I just heard many people were hurt or stuck in floods ,wish you all be safe and warm .

A dear friend told me last week she do this appetizer with olives,since new ones are about to be ready I pitted all last year’s green olives mixed them with grated carrots,crushed walnuts,hot and sweet peppers,lemon slices and some chili then put all in glass jars and added olive oil to the rim. Great appetizer in cold wintry days like today.

Lunch today was chicken curry also a good choice in cold weather and my son insisted to do some Tacos for himself cause he doesn’t like curry a lot .

I also made Anise Cake to have with mint tea now .

Tacos before it’s done .

chicken curry.

Stuffed Cabbage and New Ma3moul Recipe.

Hello everybody.

Kids cheered when they knew I’m making cabbage today,favorite dish for all in my house,though making it is a long process sometimes specially if all done the same day like this morning, I usually boil and cut them a day ahead and stuff the next day,but yesterday was a full day already,had no strength to do them in the afternoon.

First time trial this time I put one of the cabbages in the freezer last night,upon an advice from my cousin living in Rome,took it out today and it’s true leaves peeled so easily and were ready to stuff no need to boil, but nevertheless I put them for seconds in the hot water to kill any germs ( Rome cabbages are clean and round like a ball not like ours!) ,thank you dear for the tip really helpful.

Since I’m home not going anywhere I did this new ma3moul recipe my aunt posted before Eid,been intending to try it for a while, though I was afraid dough will be too sweet cause one basic ingredient in it is sweetened condensed milk,but result was AWESOME, really easy to handle and very tasty, highly recommended.

Ingredients and method:

* 5 cups flour.

* 400 gm butter.

* 1/4 cup vegetable oil.

* 3/4 can sweetened condensed milk.

* 1/4 cup water.

* dates,walnuts or pistachios for filling .( added cinnamon,icing sugar and rose water to walnuts and cinnamon,anise and cardamon for dates)

* mix all ingredients well till you form a dough.

* start working directly by making small balls and stuffing them, use a mold or decorate them as you wish.

* bake in well heated oven at first then lower the heat when you start till golden.

I added anise seeds to the extra dough and sliced it as Biscotti really yummy also, thanks 3amto for the recipe,love you <3

By the way stuffed cabbage is the most seen post from all my 300 till now !!!!!!!

frozen cabbage.

Anise seeds biscuits.

How to do Makdous (stuffed pickled eggplants,مقدوس)

Hello everybody.

Makdous are oil cured small eggplants,which are a major breakfast,appetizer dish in most of Middle Eastern Mediterranean countries specially in Syria,Lebanon,Palestine and Jordan.

It’s usually done at this time of year and kept in big jars to be eaten during Winter.I remember when we were kids both my grandmas used to make lots and lots of big glass jars filled with makdous,labaneh balls and olives for Winter time storage (مونه الشتاء)cause at those times vegetables and fruits were seasonal and usually you can’t find lots of options and varieties in stores like these days.

One can’t find exact ingredients for doing it,they usually did it randomly by experience but I found this old one in my book I’m sure it’s good.

Ingredients and method:

* 3 kg of small eggplants.

* 7-9 tablespoons salt ( better to use local salt not processed ملح بلدي

* 1 cup crushed walnuts.

* 1 tablespoon chili powder.

* crushed garlic (as much as you like)

* boil eggplants in hot water till color change and they become tender but not too soft.

* drain then add a bit of salt into each eggplant to as to let all excess water goes out.

* leave to drain till no more water comes out.

* mix walnuts,garlic,chili and salt together then stuff each eggplant with it.

* leave downwards in a sieve till no water comes out at all.

* arrange in a glassware and add olive oil to cover completely.

* store till done which is usually 10-14 days.

* Can be stored in a cool dry place for months.

Enjoy 🙂

Pasta in White Sauce (معكرونه بالبشاميل).

Hello everybody.

Bright clear sunny morning after heavy thunder and rain all night,really refreshing though dusty day all over again 🙁

Went shopping as usual , very crowded streets and shops!!! came back to make quick lunch as I have cooked minced meat in freezer so pasta with white sauce was the option, did fresh roca pomegranate salad with walnuts and grated cheese on top and fresh fruit salad for dessert,all extremely fresh and nutritious.

Ingredients and method for pasta:

* cooked tube shape pasta.

* white sauce (bechamel) ,try to make it not too thick so as it can fill pasta easily.

ingredients and method of white sauce:

4 tablespoons butter.
4 tablespoons flour.
4-5 cups milk.
salt,pepper .
heat pan then add butter and flour, stir well till flour is golden.
add milk gradually and whisk well while doing that till all quantity is well incorporated.
add salt and pepper.
keep whisking till it boils and becomes thick.
add cheese now or later on between pasta layers as you wish.
Note: if clots appears you can simply use hand mixer a bit or blender.

* cooked minced meat with tomato sauce ( I added small chopped onion,garlic,basil,oregano and tomato paste.)

* some butter for greasing the pan.

* mozzarella cheese for the top.

* grease oven pan with butter then add half of the pasta.

* add half the amount of white sauce then add tomato meat sauce over it.

* add other half of pasta and white sauce,sprinkle with dry oregano and cover.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 30-40 minutes then add cheese on top and roast till golden.

* let it stand to cool a bit for easier serving.

beautiful fresh morning 🙂

roca pomegranate salad.

fresh fruit salad.

Old Fashioned Date Cake.

Hello everybody.

No cooking today,made a salad and lentil soup since weather is cooling down or actually really cold at night.

Did this very old recipe in my book to my mother in-law,her friends coming for tea, no need for a sophisticated creamy or heavy cake,this one will be just fine.

Ingredients and method:

* 3 eggs.

* 1 cup sugar.

* 3/4 cup vegetable oil.

* 1 cup pitted dry dates.

* 1 cup hot milk.

* 2 tsp cinnamon,1 tsp cardamom,1/4 tsp cloves and pinch of pumpkin pie spice if available.

*1/2 cup raisins and crushed walnuts.

* vanilla and 3 tsp baking powder.

* 1/4 tsp baking soda.

* 2 1/2 cups flour.

* chop dates and add hot milk on it with the baking soda,spices and raisins,cover then leave to cool down.

* beat eggs,vanilla,sugar and oil.

* mix flour,walnuts and baking powder with a hand mixer.

* finally mix date mixture with eggs and fold all in flour,be sure the batter is thick enough so that dates won’t sink down.

* bake in a medium heated oven for 30-40 minutes or till done.

* add icing sugar or cream cheese icing if you like.

lunch today.

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

walnuts

Walnut Rolls ( برمه او لفائف الجوز)

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Walnut Caramel Truffles.

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Dates Roca Salad.

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Christmas Fruit Cake.

Like this:

Apple Strudel.

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What to do with Last Year’s Olives?

Like this:

Stuffed Cabbage and New Ma3moul Recipe.

Like this:

How to do Makdous (stuffed pickled eggplants,مقدوس)

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Pasta in White Sauce (معكرونه بالبشاميل).

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Old Fashioned Date Cake.

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