Cooking Gals

Mona H's Glazed One-Bowl Apple Cake

2011-05-06T03:36:00.000+02:00

Picture Perfectoooo!!

MONA H'S GLAZED ONE-BOWL APPLE CAKE

1 3/4 cups of flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 egg

1 egg white

1/2 cup yogurt

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 tbsp apple juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 apple peeled and diced

Glaze (I didn't add the glaze because I wanted my kids to have a low sugar snack)

1/3 cup sugar

3 tbsp apple juice

In a bowl mix all the ingredients except the apples. Then when the batter is just blended stir in the apple dices.
Pour into a greased pan or muffin tin and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes less of you are using a muffin tin (until the toothpick comes out clean). Let it cool. We ate them at this point. It tastes like a light muffin. For a more dessert like sweetness finish with the glace

GLAZE

In a saucepan bring the sugar and apple juice for the glaze to a boil, stirring; boiling just until sugar is dissolved. Pierce the warm cake all over with a toothpick and pour the glaze over top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Fatima H's Strawberry Shortcake

2011-04-17T21:38:00.001+02:00

I made the yummiest strawberry shortcake tonight! It's very authentic tasting and super easy to make! The shortcake was ready in 20 minutes! I'm sending a pic from my phone!

Will definitely make this with Ontario berries if I'm there while in season!

Enjoy :)

FATIMA H'S STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE

3 pints fresh strawberries

1/2 cup white sugar

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup shortening

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

2 cups whipped heavy cream

Slice the strawberries and toss them with 1/2 cup of white sugar. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Grease and flour one 8 inch round cake pan.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, 2 tablespoons white sugar and the salt. With a pastry blender cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the beaten egg and milk. Stir until just combined.
Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool partially in pan on wire rack.
Slice partially cooled cake in half, making two layers. Place half of the strawberries on one layer and top with the other layer. Top with remaining strawberries and cover with the whipped cream.

Mona's Banana Bread Pudding

2011-04-04T04:00:00.000+02:00

Here is a recipe I saw online for Magnolia's Banana Bread Pudding. It's famous in New York; apparently people line up for the pudding and their cupcakes. I just finished making it; but have not tasted it yet (it has to set for another few hours). I would much rather have garnished the top with banana's and the wafers but I ran out of banana's and used a strawberry instead. I hope it tastes as good as they say it does.

UPDATE: OMG delicious, can't stop eating it!!!

How amazing does this look? Pass me a spoon please!!

MONA'S BANANA BREAD PUDDING

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 cups ice cold water

1 (3.4-ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix (preferably Jell-O brand)

3 cups heavy cream

1 (12-ounce) box Nabisco Nilla Wafers (no substitutions!)

4 cups sliced ripe bananas

In a small bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, beat together the sweetened condensed milk and water until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the pudding mix and beat well, about 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate for 3-4 hours or overnight, before continuing. It is very important to allow the proper amount of time for the pudding mixture to set.
In a large bowl, on the medium speed of an electric mixer, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream until well blended and no streaks of pudding remain.
To assemble the dessert, select a large, wide bowl (preferably glass) with a 4-5-quart capacity. Arrange one-third of the wafers to cover the bottom of the bowl, overlapping if necessary, then one-third of the bananas and one-third of the pudding. Repeat the layering twice more, garnishing with additional wafers or wafer crumbs on the top layer of the pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and allow to chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours - or up to 8 hours, but no longer! - before serving.

Hana's Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves

2011-04-01T01:21:00.000+02:00

I love this recipe because you can make it ahead of time and it is virtually fool proof.

Here's what the stuffing looks like....kinda reminds me of tabouli, without the rice.

HANA'S VEGETARIAN STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES

1 lb grape leaves

1 cup finely chopped parsley

2 small onions finely chopped

3/4 cup short grain rice

1 tbsp chopped fresh mint

3 tomatoes finely diced

1 cup olive oil

juice of 2 lemons

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp all spice

2 potatoes

4 cups water

Prepare the stuffing by rinsing the rice and add to it the parsley, chopped onions, mint, tomatoes, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and all spice.
Place the grape leaves in boiling water for 2 minutes then remove.
Place 1/2 a tsp of the stuffing per grape leaf and roll.
Arrange the stuffed leaves in a large pot atop slices of potatoes.
Place all the juices of the stuffing and the 4 cups of water to the pot.
Place a plate atop the stuffed leaves and bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour until the rice is fully cooked.
Serve cool!

Omar and his cake!!

2011-04-01T00:39:00.000+02:00

So Nej, I made your yummy cake today and my parents kept telling me it tasted like the chocolate cake my mum used to buy for us on Saturday's from Chapman's (on Dundas, in the good ol' days)! It was super moist and the butter icing was delicious! Here's a snapshot of my Omar enjoying it!

Thanks for another great recipe!

yum yum!! Check out Nerrt's Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

Hoda's Cilantro Zucchini Hummus

2011-03-27T13:11:00.000+02:00

I found this recipe online....tasted GREAT...I sliced up some carrots really thin and the kids dipped it in their 'hummus'. Enjoy!

HODA'S CILANTRO ZUCCHINI HUMMUS

6 cups zucchini, peeled and chopped

1/4 c tahini

1/4 c fresh lemon juice

1/4 c fresh lime juice

1/4 c olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tsp salt

3/4 tsp cumin (I didn't use this)

3/4 tsp smoked paprika (I didn't use this)

1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped (I doubled this amount)

Add all ingredients in blender, and blend until smooth, stir in cilantro...serve!!

It's All About Mona H!!!!

2011-03-17T03:01:00.001+02:00

K I have to dedicate this post to our dear member Mona H!! Mona Mona Mona...what can I say, u have made us all proud with your recipes this month...she's on a role gals....hehehhehe. So Mona, I'm posting this special section just for toi!!! So this means that I am going to get more recipes from u right???

Here we go...post #1 with a PIC too!!! wooohooo!!!

CHOCOLATE GANACHE

Looking good!!! Ganache poured over Nerrt's Deep Chocolate Cake!

MONA H CHOCOLATE GANACHE

This is the easiest frosting recipe; and, you can make two types with this same recipe!
In a heat proof bowl add 8ozs of semisweet chocolate add a half cup of heavy cream and a tsp of instant coffee and place over a simmering pot of water. Stir until the chocolate is melted smooth and shiny.
This produces a ganache that u can dip cupcakes into or pour over a cake.
To make more of a traditional frosting take the ganache mixture and place in a mixer and whip with ur whipping attachment (like u would to make whipped cream). Once it is fluffy and the colour of chocolate milk, it's done and ready to be spread over cupcakes or cakes.
There it is one recipe two frostings

Enjoy!

Post #2

BANANA CRUMB MUFFINS

Alright i'm on a cooking gals role; I just made the banana crumb muffins and nerrt's chocolate cake. The cake is still in the oven but here's a pic of the muffins, which are delish! (Btw I added chocolate chips to the crumb topping.

You can check out the recipe under muffins!!

Post #3

MONA'S LENTIL SOUP

So today is my day and I'm finally sending a recipe; only because Nazi Jeannette is sitting beside me and making me do it.

Here it goes:

Barakat's Curry Lentil Soup

Chop one onion and some carrots in a small food processor until very fine (mushy). Add them to a pot with some warmed olive oil.
Saute for a few minutes and then add about two-three cups of red lentils and saute for a few more minutes.
Then fill the pot with water until the lentil are completely covered. Bring to a boil then cover and allow the mixture to simmer until the ingredients have softened and the liquid has reduced a little.
Then add a teaspoon of curry, a teaspoon of ground cardamon, and salt and pepper to taste.
Then using a hand blender blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning until you like it. When ready to serve, garnish with sauce (see recipe below) and pita chips.

Sauce

olive oil

lemon juice

garlic

salt

There's my recipe; get off my back Jeannette.

Excuse the ghetto format.

**Hope you guys all enjoyed this special post.....hey send me more recipes...and u too can get a special post just for u!! hehehhe!!

xoxo

Happy Baking!!

Shadia's Chocolate Pancakes

2011-03-10T13:18:00.000+02:00

This be my chocolate recipe for the month. I'm not really into baking but this is how I incorporated chocolate into a dish.

Every Saturday we have pancakes at home and I've been experimenting with different techniques and ingredients. Here's my analysis so far:

1. Do not over mix the batter.

2. Let the batter rest for at least 10 minutes after mixing and before cooking.

3. Cook on very low heat.

4. Buttermilk yields the best flavor and texture.

SHADIA'S CHOCOLATE PANCAKES

1 1/4 cup AP flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup milk (or buttermilk)

1 egg, separated

1 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp melted butter

2 Tbsp brewed coffee

In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, cocoa, sugar and salt. Stir to combine.
In another bowl, whisk milk, egg yolk, vanilla, butter and coffee together until combined. Stir into dry ingredients, make sure not to over mix.
In a small bowl whisk egg white until foamy and soft peaks have formed. Gently fold into batter.
Cook pancakes :)

PS: Cause maple syrup wasn't enough, I topped mine with caramelized bananas and coconut.

Enjoy!

Hana's Blueberry Coffee Cake

2011-02-22T03:13:00.000+02:00

This coffee cake relies on a healthy portion of blueberries for sweetness, almonds for richness and yogurt for moistness.

HANA'S BLUEBERRY COFFEE CAKE

Nonstick cooking spray

2 tablespoons plus 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, divided

1/4 cup light brown sugar

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup nonfat plain yogurt or bluberry yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

2 cups fresh or frozen, thawed and drained blueberries, divided

1/3 cup sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray; set aside. Put 2 tablespoons of the whole wheat pastry flour, sugar, butter, cinnamon and cardamom in a medium bowl and mix together with a fork or your fingers until well combined and mixture is in large clumps; set streusel aside.
Put remaining 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together yogurt, vanilla and eggs then pour into bowl with dry ingredients and stir until combined. Gently fold in 1 cup of the blueberries.
Spoon batter into prepared pan and sprinkle reserved streusel over the top. Scatter remaining 1 cup blueberries over the streusel then top with almonds and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center cake comes out clean, 30 to 40 minutes. Once cooled, loosen edges of cake and transfer to a plate. Cut into slices and serve.

Nutrition

Per serving (about 3oz/81g-wt.): 150 calories (40 from fat), 4g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 40mg cholesterol, 210mg sodium, 23g total carbohydrate (3g dietary fiber, 9g sugar), 5g protein

Raquel's Chocolate Soufle

2011-02-18T04:06:00.001+02:00

Holly moooollllly, Raquel this looks delish!!!!

RAQUEL'S CHOCOLATE SOUFLE

6oz. chocolate

1 1/2 sticks of butter

1/2 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 egg yolks

3 tsp. flour

Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler or in the microwave.
Mix sugar, eggs and egg yolks until thick, add to the chocolate, then add the flour.
Mix well and pour into buttered ramakins coated with cocoa powder.
Bake at 450 for 8 minutes. (yes only 8 minutes)

Hoda's Kale Chips

2011-02-02T00:16:00.000+02:00

Since I haven't sent one of my healthy/crazy recipes for a while I thought it was time ;)

Kale is SUPER good for you, one of the best leafy greens out there, loaded with lots of vitamins and nutrients....so I made these today and they were really tasty

HODA'S KALE CHIP

1 bunch of Kale

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil

1 Tablespoon of Sea Salt

Cut up the Kale (without the stalk) into small pieces and toss it in coconut oil and salt. Lay one layer on a pan and bake for 20 min. The Kale comes out crispy, and very tasty.

Shadia's Sesame Tuna Burgers

2011-01-11T14:25:00.000+02:00

This is one of my favorite ways to eat tuna steaks. Made it last week and it was a huge hit. Hope you enjoy!

SHADIA'S SESAME TUNA BURGERS

(serves 4)

4 Kaiser rolls

4 Tuna steaks

1 Avocado

1 Tomato

1/2 lime

Salt & Pepper

3 Tbsp Olive oil

Sesame Glaze (recipe below)

Sesame Mayo (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 375
Slice avocado and toss with one half squeeze of lime to season and prevent browning. Slice tomatoes. Season both avocado and tomatoes with salt. Set aside.
Place tuna steaks on paper towels to remove any excess water. Season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large frying over medium-high heat. Place tuna steaks in pan. Cook flesh 1/3 of the way through, from the bottom. Turn over and cook other side the same way. You want the finished product to be 1/3 cooked, 1/3 raw and 1/3 cooked. Generously spoon sesame glaze on cooked steaks.
Slice Kaiser rolls and place in oven on top rack face up to toast (about 3 minutes). This can also be done in a toaster oven.
Spread sesame mayo on top and bottom bun. Place steak on bun and top with sliced avocado and tomato.

Sesame Mayo

½ egg yolk

1 pinch of salt

¼ tsp fine salt

1 tsp lemon juice

1 ½ tsp red wine vinegar

3 oz canola, peanut or corn oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

In a glass bowl, whisk together egg yolk and dry ingredients. Combine lemon juice and vinegar in a separate bowl then thoroughly whisk half into the yolk mixture. Start whisking briskly, then start adding the oil a few drops at a time until the liquid seems to thicken and lighten a bit. You can now relax your hand just a bit and increase the oil flow to a constant, yet thin, stream. Once half the oil is in add the rest of the lemon juice mixture. Continue whisking until all of the oil is incorporated. Leave at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours and then refrigerate for up to a week.

Sesame Glaze

1 tsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp water

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp peanut oil or canola oil

1 tsp garlic, minced

1 tsp ginger, minced

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp siracha sauce

½ lime, juiced

1 Tbsp brown sugar

Splash of fish sauce, optional

Dissolve cornstarch in water, set aside. In a small saucepan, heat oils, garlic and ginger. Once it starts to sizzle add remaining ingredients, including cornstarch mixture. Cook on low until sauce thickens, about 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Raquel's Mexican Tostadas

2011-01-08T13:44:00.003+02:00

These are soooooooo easy to make and yummy.

RAQUEL'S MEXICAN TOSTADAS

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 pound of ground beef

1 package of taco seasoning (or make your own using, oregano, paprika, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper)

1 package of corn tortillas

2 cans of refried beans

cheddar or mozarella cheese, grated

oil for fying

Garnish

lettuce

tomatoes

green onions

coriander

sour cream

olives

Deep fry tortillas in oil until they're hard and crispy. Set aside. Saute onions, and garlic until well cooked add the meat and taco seasoning simmer on low for about 15 minutes until the meat is througly cooked. Heat up the beans in a pan.
Assembley: spread about 2 tablespoons of beans on tortilla, cover with ground beef and cheese. Place in the oven for about 5 minutes, just until the cheese melts. Garnish with lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, coriander, sour cream and olives.

Jujey's Stovetop Granola

2011-01-01T17:06:00.000+02:00

Here's a recipe that I found online, it is easy, and so delicious.....not to mention healthy. The best thing about it, is that you can add just about anything you want to it...fruits, nuts, chocolate....yum yum yum.

JUJEY'S STOVETOP GRANOLA

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups rolled oats

1/3 cup butter

2 tablespoons honey

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

Add any nuts, fruits, or chocolate

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oats then cook and stir until starting to brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread out on a cookie sheet to cool.
Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat. Stir in the honey and brown sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Return the oats to the pan. Cook and stir for another 5 minutes or so. Pour out onto the cookie sheet and spread and put in the oven for about 5 minutes to get crispy.
Once cool, transfer to an airtight container and stir in the nuts, fruits or chocolate. Any additional nuts and fruit can be stirred in at this time also.

Nerrt's Strawberry Yogurt Muffins

2010-12-27T14:32:00.001+02:00

Perfect for Breakfast!!

NERRT'S STRAWBERRY YOGURT MUFFINS

1 ¾ cup all purpose flour

½ cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

1 beaten egg

8oz carton of strawberry yogurt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp vanilla

Grease twelve 2 ½ inch muffin cups or line with paper bake cups; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside.
In another bowl, combine egg, yogurt, oil, and vanilla. Add egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (batter should be lumpy)
Spoon batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each 2/3 full. Bake in a 400 F oven for 18 – 20 minutes or till golden. Cool in muffin cups on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Remove muffins from muffin cups.

Alternatives:

The original recipe calls for orange yogurt (which I couldn't find here), so I used Strawberry Activia yogurt instead. If you do use the orange yogurt, you can add 2 tsp of orange peel with the flour mixture. This also works with lemon peel and lemon yogurt. I made almost 24 smaller muffins instead of the 12 larger ones. Next time I may place strawberry jam/jelly inside each muffin as they are not very sweet, but are a good, healthy alternative to other options.

Topping:

Should you opt to make the orange/lemon muffins, you can stir ½ cup sifted powdered sugar and enough orange/lemon juice to make a glaze that is easy to drizzle over warm muffins.

Salaamah's Pineapple Paprika Chicken

2010-12-23T14:19:00.001+02:00

What can be better than pineapple and chicken??? Yum Yum Delicioso!!!!

SALAAMAH'S PINEAPPLE PAPRIKA CHICKEN

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

4 cloves of garlic crushed, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 chicken cut into 8

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon paprika

1x440g canned pineapple rings

Rub salt and garlic into chicken portions. Mix flour and paprika and sprinkle over chicken on both sides. Arrange chicken in a greased ovenproof dish and pour syrup from pineapple over.
Bake at 180deg C for an hour, or until lightly browned, spooning pineapple syrup over chicken about 3 times and turning portions over half way through cooking time. Arrange pineapple rings over chicken and bake a further 10-15 min . Serve with rice or salad.
(I add potatoes as well, if you using potatoes double the flour and paprika and add extra salt.)

Fatima H's Snickerdoodles

2010-12-20T13:50:00.000+02:00

I made these delicious cookies last night! They are soooo easy and taste great (like sugar cookies with a cinnamon twist!) I used powdered vanilla instead of the vanilla extract. At first I was making almost golf ball sized cookies which are too large so I made very small balls which are so much cuter and you can pop them into your mouth! No need for parchment paper if you are using non-stick baking sheets but make sure to transfer cookies to a wire rack STRAIGHT after taking out of the oven (as they will start to harden on the outside quickly!). Will definitely be making these again! Enjoy!

FATIMA H'S SNICKERDOODLES

2 3/4 cups (360 grams) all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup (227 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups (300 grams) granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Coating:

1/3 cup (66 grams) granulated white sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until smooth (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture and beat until you have a smooth dough. If the dough is soft, cover and refrigerate until firm enough to roll into balls (one to two hours).
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (190 degrees C) and place rack in the center of the oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shape the dough into 1 inch (2.5 cm) round balls.
Coating: In a large shallow bowl mix together the sugar and cinnamon.
Roll the balls of dough in the cinnamon sugar and place on the prepared pan, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart. Then, using the bottom of a glass, gently flatten each cookie to about 1/2 inch (1.5 cm) thick.
Bake the cookies for about 8 - 10 minutes, or until they are light golden brown around the edges. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
Can store in an airtight container, at room temperature, for about 10 - 14 days.

Note: Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Raquel's Peppermint Fudge

2010-12-10T15:43:00.001+02:00

Ok gals I made the peppermint fudge. It's realllllly gooooood but rich, it says it makes 24 but I cut the pan into 32 pieces. I also used peppermint white chocolate kisses as the garnish. Here's a picture. By the way they take no time at all and are reallllllllly east to make. I wonder if we could use peanut butter instead ?????

What do you think ?

Mint and Chocolate.....can anything be better????

RAQUEL'S PEPPERMINT FUDGE

Makes 36

Nonstick spray, for baking pan

2 1/4 cups (16 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup round peppermint candies, plus 18 for garnish

3/4 cup heavy cream

3 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt

Lightly coat a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick spray. Line pan with two pieces parchment paper in both directions, leaving 2 inches of overhang on all sides; spray parchment. Place chocolate in a bowl. In a food processor, pulse candies until finely chopped. In a medium saucepan, combine candies, cream, marshmallows, butter, sugar, and salt over medium-high. Whisk until smooth, 5 minutes.
Pour mixture through a strainer into bowl with chocolate; let stand 1 minute, then stir until smooth. Pour into baking pan and refrigerate until set, 3 hours. Cut fudge into 1 1/2-inch squares. (To store, cover and refrigerate, up to 1 week.) With a sharp knife, cut 18 candies in half; press a candy half into each square before serving or packing.

Jujey's New York Style Bagels

2010-12-01T09:27:00.003+02:00

Since I have been here in Egypt, I have been deprived of my most favourite thing in the world....BAGELS!! So....what's a girl gotta do??? Make her own bagels to satisfy her cravings!! The pics below were taken by Mona Z, as I also satisfied her 8 year craving of not having bagels.

YUMMM...Creme cheese bagel sandwich!!!

The butter was just melting instantly as the butter was spread on the hot bagels that just came out of the oven.

JUJEY'S NEW YORK STYLE BAGELS

2 teaspoons of active dry yeast

1 ½ tablespoons of granulated sugar

1 ¼ cups of warm water (you may need ± ¼ cup more, I know I did)

3 ½ cups (500g) of bread flour or high gluten flour(will need extra for kneading)

1 ½ teaspoons of salt

Optional Toppings:

Caraway seeds, coarse salt, minced fresh garlic, minced fresh onion, poppy seeds, or sesame seeds. (Everyone in my house prefers plain bagels, but I have no preference, so I just went with the plain, so no one could complain.)

In ½ cup of the warm water, pour in the sugar and yeast. Do not stir. Let it sit for five minutes, and then stir the yeast and sugar mixture, until it all dissolves in the water.
Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and pour in the yeast and sugar mixture.
Pour half of the remaining warm water into the well. Mix and stir in the rest of the water as needed. Depending on where you live, you may need to add anywhere from a couple tablespoons to about ¼ cup of water. You want to result in a moist and firm dough after you have mixed it.
On a floured countertop, knead the dough for about 10 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Try working in as much flour as possible to form a firm and stiff dough.
Lightly brush a large bowl with oil and turn the dough to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp dish towel. Let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until the dough has doubled in size. Punch the dough down, and let it rest for another 10 minutes.
Carefully divide the dough into 8 pieces (I used a scale to be extra precise, but it’s not necessary). Shape each piece into a round. Now, take a dough ball, and press it gently against the countertop (or whatever work surface you’re using) moving your hand and the ball in a circular motion pulling the dough into itself while reducing the pressure on top of the dough slightly until a perfect dough ball forms (as pictured below). Repeat with 7 other dough rounds.
Coat a finger in flour, and gently press your finger into the center of each dough ball to form a ring. Stretch the ring to about ⅓ the diameter of the bagel and place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Repeat the same step with the remaining dough.
After shaping the dough rounds and placing them on the cookie sheet, cover with a damp kitchen towel and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425ºF / 220ºC / Gas Mark 7.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Reduce the heat. Use a slotted spoon or skimmer to lower the bagels into the water. Boil as many as you are comfortable with boiling. Once the bagels are in, it shouldn’t take too long for them to float to the top (a couple seconds). Let them sit there for 1 minute, and them flip them over to boil for another minute. Extend the boiling times to 2 minutes each, if you’d prefer a chewier bagel (results will give you a more New York Style bagel with this option).
If you want to top your bagels with stuff, do so as you take them out of the water, you may use the “optional toppings” (listed above) to top the bagels and if you’re risky like me, make a combination of the toppings to top the bagels with, but before hand, you will need to use an egg wash to get the toppings to stick before putting the bagels into the oven.
Once all the bagels have boiled (and have been topped with your choice of toppings), transfer them to a lightly oiled baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Fatima H's Brown & Wild Rice Pilaf

2010-11-25T07:27:00.000+02:00

I've made this a few times and changed up the veggies. It turns out to be a really colourful yummy side-dish (and super healthy too!). Actually it goes well with the creamy chicken picasso recipe.
Bon appetit!
Fatima

FATIMA H'S BROWN & WILD RICE PILAF

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 broccoli stems, diced

1 (coloured) bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 cup uncooked wild rice

1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion, carrots, broccoli, pepper and garlic and cook until tender. Stir in broth and wild rice. Heat to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 25 minutes.
Stir in brown rice. Cover and cook over low heat 20 minutes or until rice is done. Stir in parsley.

Fatima M's Nutella Cheesecake Brownies

2010-11-23T18:56:00.000+02:00

Seriously......is there anything better than the combo of nutella, chocolate and cheesecake? Gotta make these real soon!!!

FATIMA M'S NUTELLA CHEESECAKE BROWNIES

For the Brownie Layer

4 eggs

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cocoa powder

1/2 cup nutella

1/3 cup flour

For Nutella Cheesecake Layer:

8 ounce cream cheese

1/2 cup nutella

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

In one bowl, beat all the brownie ingredients together.
In a separate bowl, beat together all of the Nutella Cheesecake ingredients.
Scrape the brownie batter into the bottom of an 8×8 pan (yes! it will be quite full. These are thick brownies!)
Spoon little plops of the nutella cheesecake all over the top of the brownie batter.
Smooth the cheesecake carefully and completely over the brownie layer with a spatula.
Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees and bake for 50-55 minutes.
The center of the brownies will be set, but if you poke a toothpick into them, it won’t come out dry. No worries! The cheesecake layer needs to cool completely to set up.

Cool, slice, bite, enjoy.

Nerrt's Deep Dark Chocolate Cake

2010-11-22T07:35:00.001+02:00

I know, I love making chocolate cakes. Here's another one....kids (and adults) will love the icing.

NERRT'S DEEP DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

1 ¾ cups flour

1 cup milk

¾ cups cocoa powder

½ cup vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp baking soda

2 tsp vanilla

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 cup boiling water

1 tsp salt

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour 2 – 9 inch pans or 1 13x9x2 inch pan (I use a 10 inch flan pan).
Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl (I sift them). Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for 2 min. Stir in boiling water. Pour batter into pans (batter will be thin).
Bake for 30 – 35 minutes in 9 inch round pans, or 35 – 40 minutes for the rectangular pan. Cool for 10 minutes and then cool completely on a wire rack.
Drizzle with melted chocolate, or use Butter Cream Frosting (see below)

Butter Cream Frosting

6 Tbsp butter, softened

2 2/3 cups icing sugar

½ cup cocoa

1/3 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

Beat butter. Add icing sugar and cocoa, alternating with milk. Stir in vanilla.

Hana's Maamoul

2010-11-21T07:38:00.002+02:00

HANA'S MAAMOUL

3 cups semolina

1 cup flour

1 cup butter at room temperature

1/4 tsp salt

Mix the ingredients then cover and let rest for 6 hours.

Then add:

2 tbsp powdered milk

1 tsp ground mihleb

1/4 tsp ground mistaka

In the meantime mix:

1 cup lukewarm water

1/2 tsp yeast

1/2 tsp sugar

Knead the semolina mixture with the water yeast mixture.

During the 6 hours of resting prepare your fillings.

Date filling:

250 grams pitted dates

2 tbsp butter

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Pistachio filling:

1.5 cups ground pistachio

3/4 cups icing sugar

1 tbsp flower water "maa il ward"

Preheat oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place one rack on the bottom and one on the top.

Bake for 7 minutes on the bottom then lift to the top for 2 minutes.

Raquel's Cream Cheese Quiche

2010-11-09T08:18:00.000+02:00

How perfect would this be to have with some friends for a nice brunch!!!

RAQUEL'S CREAM CHEESE QUICHE

1/2 (15 ounce) package refrigerated piecrusts

1 Tbsp butter or margarine

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed

3/4 cup milk

4 large eggs, lightly beten

1 cup finely chopped ham

1 (2 ounce)jar diced pimiento, undrained

1/4 tsp dried dillweed

1/8 tsp pepper

Fit piecrust into a 9 inch quiche dish according to package directions; prick bottom and sides with a fork.
Bake piecrust at 425 degrees for 12 minutes; set aside.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; add onion, and cook until tender. Add cream cheese and milk; cook over low heat, whisking until cheese melts. Gradually whisk about one-fourth of hot mixture into eggs; add to remaining hot mixture whisking constantly. Whisk in ham and remaining ingredients; pour into prepared crust.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until set.

Fatima M's Rolo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-11-06T15:41:00.001+02:00

There is really nothing to say about this other than......................OH MY YUMMMY IN MY TUMMY!! How I miss u Rolo!!!

I could eat this picture no problem!!!

Just before baking.....I love raw cookie dough!!

FATIMA M'S ROLO COOKIE

1 ½ cups unsalted butter; softened (only use 3/4 cup)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 eggs

3 3/4 cup all-purpose flour (use only 3 cups, and add more if needed)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup chopped pecans

30 Rolos; frozen at least 2 hours (use mini rolos)

Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed or with spoon until light and fluffy. Mix in flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in chocolate chips and pecans.
Measure dough using a medium cookie scoop (about 1.5 tablespoons). Roll into a ball and then flatten in the palm of your hands.
Place a frozen Rolo in the centers of the flattened dough balls and form dough back into a ball around the Rolo.
Place Rolo stuffed dough balls into the freezer for 15-20 minutes before baking.
On cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, place dough balls 2 inches apart.
Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Salamah & Raquel's Pecan Torte

2010-10-27T12:11:00.009+02:00

This is a picture of Salaaamah's Pecan Torte. It's AMAZING !!!!!!!!!!!!! Everyone loved it. It's a strange recipe but it really works. My husband couldn't get enought of it. It's really good with praline ice cream. By the way I didn't have saltine crackers so I used Ritz and it still came out good.

SALAMAH & RAQUEL'S PECAN TORTE

3 egg whites

1 cup castor sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 cups pecans (chopped)

3/4 cup whipping cream (whipped)

20 saltine crackers (crushed)

Pre-heat oven to 170.
Grease a spring form pan. Set aside.
Whip egg whites until stiff...gradually add sugar until well mixed.
Add remaining ingredients and fold until well blended.
Pour into greased pan. Bake at 170 for 35- 40 minutes.

Shadia & Raquel's Banana Cake

2010-10-25T18:49:00.009+02:00

I made this cake a couple of weeks ago. It turned out really well and I am not usually a fan of baking. I made 2 9" rounds for a layered cake. That did not change the cooking time. This was the first time I saw a recipe that called for cooking the cakes at such a low temp and cooling the cakes in the freezer. The cakes came out cooled and firm enough for icing.

Definitely worth giving it a try, especially when you have a couple of brown bananas lying around that no one will touch. Enjoy! - Shadia

This is a picture of Shadia's Banana Cake with Cream Cheese frosting. I followed the directions exactly. It took a really long time to cook though, I think because I used a bunt pan. I ended up turning the oven up a bit and leaving it in an extra half hour. But all in all it tasted great, and very moist.

SHADIA'S & RAQUEL'S BANANA CAKE

1 1/2 cups bananas, mashed, ripe

2 teaspoons lemon juice

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup butter, softened

2 1/8 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

FROSTING

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 1/2 cups icing sugar

GARNISH

chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 275° and grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.
In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.
Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.
Stir in banana mixture.
Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes. This will make the cake very moist.
For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.
Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.
Spread on cooled cake.
Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

Jujey & Raya's Creamy Chicken Picasso

2010-10-23T20:00:00.005+02:00

I found this recipe online last week, and boy oh boy it was delicious!!! You have to try it!! I think the key to this tasting so good is allowing the chicken to marinate in the fridge once it is all assembled. Here's a picture that Raya sent me of the Chicken Picasso she made for her family.

JUJEY & RAYA'S CREAMY CHICKEN PICASSO

4 chicken breasts

2 medium onions

3 bell peppers

2 large garlic cloves

14oz can diced tomatoes (pomodori)

1 vegetable bouillon cube

grated cheese (melting cheese)

1 tbsp Italian herbs (used zaatar instead)

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup cream

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter

pinch nutmeg (I didn't use)

pepper

salt

Turn the bell peppers into rings. Make sure you remove all the seeds first, just yank ‘em out. Slice the onions in half rings. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
Lightly brown the chicken in oil. Nothing major, just a light tan. Transfer the chicken to an oven dish.
Add the onion to the skillet. I didn’t use more oil or butter, in case you were wondering.
Once the onion rings are all soft and yummy, you transfer them to the oven dish as well. Make sure there’s also onion underneath the chicken.
Time for the bell peppers to get a slight tan. Cook them until they’re slightly pliable and add them to the oven dish as well. Get some underneath the chicken!
Add the grated garlic to the skillet and cook for 30 seconds before pouring in the water and diced tomatoes.
Stir well. Add the Italian herbs. Crumble up the vegetable bouillon cube and season with pepper, salt and a pinch of nutmeg.
Pour in half a cup of cream. Stir to combine. I tasted it to check the seasoning and see if it needed anything else. It didn’t. It was perfect like this.
Simmer the sauce, over low heat, for 5 minutes. Pour it all over the chicken and vegetables. Cover the tray with aluminum foil. At this point, I put the chicken in the fridge and then about 5 hours later I proceeded to bake it.
Bake for 30 minutes in oven. Once those 30 minutes are up, grate some good melting cheese. Sprinkle it all over the chicken and place it back in the oven, uncovered, for another 15 minutes. Until the cheese has melted.

Mona Z's Garlic Green Beans with Almonds

2010-10-18T07:14:00.001+02:00

This was really filling and tasted great! I used this recipe and added toasted almonds on top. I edited the recipe below to reflect that.

MONA Z'S GARLIC GREEN BEANS WITH ALMONDS

1 pound green beans, washed, tips snapped (the inspiring recipe called for 3/4 pound)

1 tablespoon olive oil (the inspiring recipe called for 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil which I think would add a great touch)

3 cloves garlic, peeled, smashed flat with side of a knife, then roughly chopped(don't skip this and this is one time when even I won't use garlic from a jar)

1/4 cup water stirred with 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Salt & pepper

About 12 almonds

Heat skillet on MEDIUM HIGH and oil till shimmery
Add garlic, sprinkle with salt -- cook 30 seconds or til lightly golden, stirring
Add beans -- turn to coat well Stir in water/sugar -- cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally
Cover -- cook 2 - 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, til beans are slightly wilted but still crunchy
Uncover & increase heat to HIGH -- cook 2 minutes (mine took considerably more) til liquid has evaporated and beans are cooked but still bright green
Taste -- adjust salt as needed
Transfer -- to serving dish, drizzle with syrupy liquid from pan
Toast a handful of sliced almonds and toss with the green beans.

Rana's Pasta with Garlic & Olive Oil

2010-10-17T10:30:00.002+02:00

I've made this recipe before using tri-colour pasta, but I found the same recipe using whole wheat pasta on the Martha Stewart Recipes website. Enjoy!

RANA'S WHOLE WHEAT PASTA

2 teaspoons coarse salt

1 pound whole-wheat linguine

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves

1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus more for sprinkling

Zest of 1 large lemon

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add 1 teaspoon salt and the pasta. Return to a boil, and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Drain.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat until hot but not smoking. Add garlic, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in red pepper flakes and parsley. Remove from heat.
Add pasta and remaining teaspoon salt to skillet. Toss until pasta is well coated. Transfer to a bowl, and sprinkle with zest and more parsley. Per Serving: 380 Calories 14 g Fat 0 mg Cholesterol 58 g Carbohydrate 382 mg Sodium 11 g Protein 10 g Fiber

Jujey's Blonde Brownies

2010-10-14T07:27:00.001+02:00

This is a mix between a Brownie and a Cookie......I make this often, since kids and hubby like it so much. Double the recipe if u are feeding more than 8 people. So YUMMY!!!

JUJEY'S BLONDE BROWNIES

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/3 cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 egg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
Measure 1 cup sifted flour. Add baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift again. Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts. Mix well and set aside.
Melt 1/3 cup butter. Add 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar and mix well. If shortening is used, add 1 tablespoon hot water. Cool slightly.
Add egg (beaten) and vanilla. Blend well. Add flour mixture, a little at a time, mixing well.
Spread in 9 x 9 x 2 inch pan. Sprinkle 1/2 to 1 cup chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.

NOTE: Instead of sprinkling the chocolate chips on top, i mix them in with the batter.

Raquel's Grilled Eggplant & Tomato Towers

2010-10-09T09:52:00.001+02:00

Ok gals so this is my recipe for this month. I made it for my husbands friends the other day and they really liked it.

RAQUEL'S EGGPLANT & TOMATO TOWER

2 large eggplants

2 large tomatoes

2 cups rocca leaves, (jarjir)

1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1/3 cup parmesan cheese, grated

3 tbs. oregano

1/4 tbs. garlic crushed

6 tbs. olive oil

2 tbs. lemon juice

1 tbs. vinegar

salt , pepper

Cut eggplant and tomatoes into thick slices and grill them on an electric grill or pan with 2 tbs of olive oil, season with salt and pepper.
Mix the two kinds of cheeses with 2 tbs. of oregano.and one slice.
In oven tray, arrange the vegetables by making towers, place one slice of eggplant as the base, add 1 tsp. of the cheese mix thne put the tomato slice and 1 tsp. of the cheese mix than another slice of eggplant finish off with cheese.
Put the tray in the oven until the cheese melts and gets a light brown color.
Make the dressing by mixing the remaining olive oil with lemon, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper.
In a large flat plate, make a bed of rocca leaves and place the eggplant towers on top. Add 1 tbs. of the dressing over each one.

Hana's Brown Rice & Lentils

2010-10-07T07:45:00.000+02:00

Come on over, lunch is served!

After the weekend of eating out 3 meals a day, here's a classic dish made healthier with brown rice. Note, I'm attempting to eat more salad & less carbs so 1/2 my plate is rice & the other salad.

HANA'S BROWN RICE & LENTILS

Makes 4 servings of 347 calorie per serving.

1 cup brown basmati rice
1 cup brown lentils
2 medium onions cut thinly lengthwise
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp black pepper

Rinse & soak rice at least an hour in advance.
Pick over, rinse & boil the lentils for 10 minutes. Reserve cooking liquids.
Sauté the onions on medium heat for approximately 10 minutes until golden brown.
Reserve 1/2 the onion for decorating.
Add the rice & lentils to the other 1/2 of onions along with the salt, cumin & pepper + 1.5 cups of the reserved cooking liquid.
Bring to a rolling boil then simmer covered for 1/2 an hour.
Serve with plain yogurt & salad.

Hoda's Raw Breakfast Banana Pancakes

2010-10-01T08:34:00.000+02:00

This is probably one of the most interesting recipes in this group so far! Check it out!!

HODA'S RAW BREAKFAST - BANANA PANCAKES

1 banana
2 tablespoons coconut meal or dried coconut flakes
cinnamon

Mash the banana with a fork in a bowl until very smooth. Add the coconut meal and some cinnamon to taste. Mix well.
Flatten the banana/coconut dough and make small pancakes of them
Leave out in direct sunlight for about 1 hour, flip over and leaf for another hour. You may also use the dehydrator or oven. But then it will take longer to dry them.
They don't have to be dry, just on the outsides. They're so good anyway that they're usually gone before I want to serve them.
If you are living where there is not that much sun, then put in the oven at 350, and flip, until each side is browned, turns out sorta like a cookie.

Tip

If you make them the night before, you can take them to go for breakfast in the morning.

Jujey's Chocolate Ice Cream

2010-09-21T10:19:00.001+03:00

So I have been baking for a while now, but I gotta say this is my biggest achievement yet!!! This ice cream is to die for, it is so smooth and creamy!! I found this recipe online and the person who made it said it was so good she licked everything that the ice cream touced while she was making it.....and no lie...I did the same thing!! Hope u try this out, and the best part about it....u don't need an ice cream maker!!

I'm in lovvvvvvve!!!

JUJEY'S CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM

2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Warm 1 cup of the cream with the cocoa powder in a medium saucepan, whisking to thoroughly blend the cocoa. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer at a very low boil for 30 seconds, whisking constantly. Remove from the heat and add the chopped chocolate, stirring until smooth. Then stir in the remaining 1 cup cream. Pour the mixture into a large bowl, scraping the saucepan as thoroughly as possible, and set a mesh strainer on top of the bowl.
Warm the milk, sugar, and salt in the same saucepan. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolk. Slowly pour the warm milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over the medium heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the spatula (170°F on an instant-read thermometer). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the chocolate mixture until smooth, then stir in the vanilla. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Note: I don't have an ice cream maker, so after I put the chilled mixture from the fridge into the freezer, 2 hours later, I took it out, whipped it again for about 1 minute, then returned it to the freezer. After another 2 hours, I mixed it (since it was thicker now), and put it back in the freezer until it hardened. I licked all my spoons and my bowls.....it was the best ice cream I have ever had. Also note, I just used 1 100gr milk chocolate bar instead of the bitter sweet chocolate, since I didn't have any. Use dark chocolate for all u chocolate lovers.

Shadia's Veal Marsala

2010-09-12T17:10:00.000+03:00

Eid Mubarak gals!

I love veal Marsala but impossible to find a recipe without wine. Here is my take on it. Sort of a veal Marsala/Parmesan combo version. I tried it one night and it worked out really well. I wrote the recipe about a week or two later so my measurements probably aren't exact, just an FYI.

Good luck :)

WOW!!!!!

SHADIA'S VEAL MARSALA

1-1.25 lb of veal scaloppini cutlets
1 lg onion, sliced thinly
1 lb button mushrooms, sliced thinly
11/2 tsp minced garlic
1 cup flour
Salt & pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs
4 Tbsp butter
Olive oil
1 1/2 cup water plus 1/4 cup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp cornstarch
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter

First prepare the veal for frying. Create a 3-part breading station. In one dish, flour seasoned with salt and pepper. The next with eggs and milk, whisked thoroughly. The last with bread crumbs.
Dredge veal strips with flour, shake off excess. Dip in egg and coat in bread crumbs. Set aside and continue with remaining cuts.
In a large frying pan melt 2 tbsp butter. Add olive oil until pan is completely coated (about 1/4") and heat on medium. Place two strips and cook until golden. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan. Flip and cook other side. About 3-4 minutes. Set aside in baking dish and continue until all pieces are cooked adding more oil and butter when necessary.
Keeping oil/butter/bits in the pan, add onions. Season with salt and cook for a few minutes before adding mushrooms, minced garlic, additional salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft and slightly caramelized. Spoon over veal strips, keeping as much oil in the pan as possible.
In a separate dish whisk cornstarch with 1/4 cup of cold water. Add 11/2 cup of water to pan to deglaze. Heat over medium before stirring in cornstarch mixture. Whisk continuously until sauce bubbles and thickens. Stir in balsamic vinegar and sugar. Add more water if sauce is too thick. Should resemble gravy. Season with salt and pepper.
Top veal-onion-mushroom with sauce. Heat in oven if necessary or serve immediately. If you make a small batch you could add veal to sauce in pan and top with onion-mushrooms to heat through.

Sammah's Fruit Parfait

2010-09-07T10:53:00.000+02:00

I made these for an Iftar I had and they were really good so then I made them again but tried different fruit. In the pic, I layered pineapples, kiwi's and strawberries. It tastes a little like cheesecake without the crust. I also whipped up the whipping cream separately and then folded it into the sweetened cream cheese to make it more fluffy.

What a great pic!!!! They look delicious!!

SAMMAH'S FRUIT PARFAIT

8 ounces cream cheese (at room temperature)
6 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 pint blueberries (lightly sprinkled with sugar)
1 pint red raspberries (lightly sprinkled with sugar)1

In a medium bowl, place the cream cheese and powdered sugar.
Whip with electric mixer until fluffy.
Slowly add whipping cream a little at a time.
Continue beating until the cream is blended and mixture is fluffy.
Add lemon juice to taste.
To assemble parfaits, use parfait glasses, tall wine glasses or champagne flutes.
Spoon 1 inch of blueberries into glass, top with a dollop of cream, then spoon 1 inch of raspberries, followed by another dollop of cream.
Repeat layers to the top.

Fatima H's Outrageous Brownies

2010-09-03T08:56:00.000+02:00

So I finally made these tonight and OMG....so amazing! The Godiva brownies were uber-decadent...and these were just amazing!! Basically as the name states...outrageous! Now I halved the recipe (and I'd suggest the same to anyone unless you really want 20-24 massive brownies. This recipe made 12 huge brownies which I later cut into 24. I followed the recipe as directed (except I used salted butter as I didn't have any unsalted on hand) and I used vanilla powder instead of vanilla extract. (Also I baked it in a 8x12x2 baking pan.) I will definitely make these again and again. Its quite easy to make but you need loads of chocolate! Love the added instant coffee granules as they add a nice flavour.

I'm on my way over Fats......those look beyond delicious!!!!!

OUTRAGEOUS BROWNIES
(Barefoot Contessa)

1 pound unsalted butter
1 pound plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 ounces unsweetened chocolate
6 extra-large eggs
3 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1-inch baking sheet.
Melt together the butter, 1 pound of chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a medium bowl over simmering water. Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat) together the eggs, coffee granules, vanilla, and sugar. Stir the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture and allow to cool to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, sift together 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the walnuts and 12 ounces of chocolate chips in a medium bowl with 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the chocolate batter. Pour into the baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the baking sheet against the oven shelf to force the air to escape from between the pan and the brownie dough. Bake for about 15 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Do not overbake! Allow to cool thoroughly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 large squares.

Hana's Atayef

2010-09-02T10:11:00.000+02:00

I hope this recipe gets you in time to try it this Ramadan. It's a fool proof recipe for the atayef especially useful for those not living in the middle east.

HANA'S ATAYEF

The yield is a dozen large atayef or 3 dozen minis.

In a blender mix:
1 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup warm water
And let sit for 5 minutes.

Add:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup semolina
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cups warm water

Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes while you head a nonstick skillet on medium heat. Do not grease the skillet & it must be nonstick.
Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to make the large atayef and a tablespoon for the minis. Btw, the first 3 never work out for some reason.
Stuff with your favorite stuffing and serve with honey or simple syrup.

Raya's Adas (Lentil) Soup

2010-08-25T17:13:00.000+02:00

Ok so I make this Adas soup every single day in Ramadan cuz that's all the family wants.....sooooo easy and soooooooo good!!!

How comforting does that soup look eh!!!

RAYA'S ADAS (LENTIL) SOUP

1 large potato
2 carrots
1 onion
3 garlic
1 cup of red lentils
1 maggie cube
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp butter
olive oil

In a pot add potato, carrots, onion, garlic and lentils. Pour enough water to fully cover the vegetables. Boil until tender and soft.
Blend in blender until smooth.
Back in the same pot, heat butter and olive oil and add maggie cube, cumin, salt and pepper. Stir for 2 minutes and pour blended mixture on top. Stir until well mixed and heat through for about 3-4 minutes.
If mixture is too thick add some boiled water until you reach your desired consistency. Enjoy!

Jujey's Perfect Pizza Crust

2010-08-25T16:13:00.000+02:00

I am always on the lookout for great Pizza dough, and a few months ago, I found the perfect recipe, I bookmarked it, and low and behold....my computer dies on me, losing all my favourite websites. So for the last few weeks I was trying to find that website again with that recipe, but with no luck I could not find it. Soooo, I went on over to allrecipes, and found a recipe that seemed almost the same as the one I lost, so I gave it a try......the end result....perfect pizza crust. Hope you and your family enjoy it as much as mine did.

JUJEY'S PIZZA CRUST

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in the water, and let sit for 10 minutes.
Stir the salt and oil into the yeast solution. Mix in 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
Turn dough out onto a clean, well floured surface, and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Place the dough into a well oiled bowl, and cover with a cloth. Let the dough rise until double; this should take about 1 hour. Punch down the dough, and form a tight ball. Allow the dough to relax for a minute before rolling out. Use for your favorite pizza recipe.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). If you are baking the dough on a pizza stone, you may place your toppings on the dough, and bake immediately. If you are baking your pizza in a pan, lightly oil the pan, and let the dough rise for 15 or 20 minutes before topping and baking it.
Bake pizza in preheated oven, until the cheese and crust are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Note: you can also chop up some fresh garlic and herbs and add it to the dough prior to baking it.

Nerrt's Kaak

2010-08-20T08:48:00.001+02:00

Here is a delicious Arabic cookie recipe that u won't be able to stop eating. This recipe makes a lot, but the best thing is that you can store the cooked cookies in a ziplock bag and put them in the freezer. This is Nerrt's recipe that was handed down to her from her Mom. Can't wait to try it to see if it tastes like my mom's.

NERRT'S KAAK

½ lb or 250g of Crisco
½ lb or 250g of Unsalted Butter or Margarine
5.5lbs or 3kg of flour (approx)
1 Liter of Milk divided (750ml + 150ml)
2 packs of yeast (or about 2-3 tsp)
½ - 1 cup water
1 kg sugar + 1 Tbsp
2 packs vanilla sugar (3 tsp)
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Kaak Spice (You can get this along with Mahlab at any middle eastern grocery store)
1 Tbsp Mahlab

Dough Directions

In a small bowl, place 1 Tbsp sugar, 2 envelopes of yeast, 1-2 cups of flour, and ½ to 1 cup of water. This will allow the yeast to rise quickly. If you want the dough to sit overnight, you can just add the packs of yeast to the flour mixture (Step 6).
In a large pot, melt Crisco and butter under medium – low heat.
Add approx. 750ml of the milk
Add sugar and heat until melted. Remove from stove and cool.
Add the remaining 250ml of the milk to help quickly cool the butter/sugar mixture.
While you melt the butter mixture, In a large bowl (and I mean a really large bowl), add ½ of the flour (1.5kg), vanilla, baking powder, and kaak spices.
Slowly add hot butter mixture to dry ingredients. Add yeast mixture.
Mix and knead , adding more flour slowly until you achieve proper consistency. Not too dry or too moist. Similar consistency to pizza dough. You can do this in your Kitchen Aid mixture if you are making a smaller quantity. I do it by hand as I make a big quantity to freeze.
Once dough has been kneaded properly and the right consistency has been reached, take a bit of vegetable oil and rub the bottom of the bowl and around the dough to prevent mixture from sticking.
Cover dough with plastic and towels to keep moist and warm.
Leave dough to rise for minimum of 2-3 hours in a warm place until it doubles. You can also leave it overnight.

Making the Kaak

Preheat oven to at least 400 F or 200 C
Divide the dough into small individual portions. About 3 inch circles. Let them rest on a flour covered surface. Cover the divided portions with plastic wrap as you complete dividing the rest of the dough (you don't want them to dry out).
Oil your wooden" kaak maker" (don't know what it's called, or u can use any platter that has an indented design in it) with vegetable oil so the dough won't stick. Start with the first divided portions of dough.
Using your fingers, flatten the dough in a circular fashion to maintain its round shape, while trying to obtain the design embedded on the wooden kaak maker. Do not press to hard as it will cause the dough to stick.
Remove the shaped dough and place on a greased cookie sheet or flat pizza pan.
Place baking pan in oven. Bake until the bottom and top are golden brown. Depending on your oven (specifically if you have a gas oven), you may have to bake the bottom first, and then the top. It usually doesn't take more than 10 minutes per pan to bake. Monitor them so you don't burn the kaak.
Remove from pan and allow kaak to cool. Some people like to dip the kaak in a sugar/milk/butter mixture to give it a shine and a bit of a crunch, but I like mine soft and chewy. Serve immediately, refrigerate or freeze.

Jujey's Funnel Cakes

2010-08-15T06:57:00.001+02:00

I make these a few times a month for the family, they are so fun, fast and easy to make. Make sure ur batter is not thick, but kinda like pancake consistency.

JUJEY'S FUNNEL CAKES

3 eggs
2 cups milk
1/4 cup white sugar
3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

In a medium bowl, mix salt, baking powder, and half of the flour. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream eggs, sugar and milk. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth. Continue to add remaining flour, but use only enough to achieve desired consistency. Batter will be thin enough to run through a funnel.
In an eight inch skillet, heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Put your finger over the bottom opening of the funnel (I used a ziplock bag, and cut the end off of it), and fill the funnel with a generous 1/2 cup of the batter. Hold the funnel close to the surface of the oil, and release the batter into the oil while making a circular motion. Fry until golden brown. Use tongs and wide spatula to turn the cake over carefully. Fry the second side one minute. Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with sifted confectioners' sugar or cinnamon sugar.

Jujey's Coconut Cookies

2010-08-09T08:30:00.000+03:00

I had this package of coconut in my house, and I had no idea what to do with it, so I went searching on the web, and came across this amazing coconut cookie recipe!!! oooooh my they are delicious, and that is coming from a person who doesn't care for coconut!!! Try them and enjoy!!!

JUJEY'S COCONUT COOKIES

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.) Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
In a medium bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually blend in the flour mixture, then mix in the coconut. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Cookies should be about 3 inches apart.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly toasted. Cool on wire racks.

Nerrt's Apple Cake

2010-08-03T13:46:00.000+03:00

DELICIOUS!!!!!

NERRT'S APPLE CAKE

3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon (I added way more)
1/4 tsp gound allspice
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup cooking oil
2 beaten eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
3 cups chopped, peeled apples
1 cup chopped peacans, toasted (I omitted and used some cinnamon chips)
2 tsps finely shredded lemon peel (I added lemon juice to apples instead)
sifted powdered sugar (I omitted)

Grease and lightly flour a 10 inch tube pan (I used a regular 10 inch round). Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, and 1/4 tsp salt. Set aside.
In a mixing bowl combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beag with an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add dry mixture and beat on low speed just till combined. F(I added a bit of milk because the mixture was REALLY thick). Fold in apples, pecans, and lemon peel. Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake in 350 C oven about 1 hour or till a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool cake on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool thoroughly on wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cover and store in refrigerator. Makes 12 servings.

Note: Instead of powdered sugar, in a saucepan, I melted 1-2 Tbsp butter, with the cinnamon chips and drizzled it over the cake after it had cooled.

Shadia's Enchiladas

2010-07-27T10:22:00.002+03:00

K my mouth is watering just looking at this pic!!! Arriba Arriba, gotta make me some mexican food tonight!!!

SHADIA'S ENCHILADAS

2 boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 medium onion, diced

Taco seasoning

Emeril Lagasse's Essence spice mix (optional)

1/2 cup cottage cheese

Minced garlic

1/2 diced onion

1 cup salsa

3 Tbsp tomato paste

1 cup of water

1 cup crushed tomatoes, or jarred strained tomatoes

Shredded colby jack cheese

Corn tortillas

Sour cream

Handful of cilantro, chopped (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
To make the filling, saute the diced onions in olive oil until cooked through.
Dice the chicken breast and add it to the onions, cook until there is no more pink.
Add the taco seasoning and Essence, season to taste. Turn off the heat and stir the cottage cheese.
To make the sauce, saute the garlic and diced onions in olive oil. Turn off the heat.
Add 1 cup of salsa. Dissolve 3 Tbsp of tomato paste into 1 cup of water, add to pan. Add 1 cup of crushed tomatoes.
Coat the bottom of a casserole dish with a thin layer of sauce.
Place the tortillas on a counter top. Place some filling and cheese on each tortilla, roll and place in a casserole dish.
The rolled tortillas can be placed upside down and close together to prevent them from opening.
When the casserole dish is filled with rolled tortillas, top it with the sauce and then the shredded cheese.
Place the enchiladas in the oven and bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Garnish with sour cream and the chopped cilantro.

Enjoy!

Fatima M's Pumpkin Cake

2010-07-26T12:14:00.000+03:00

wow I gotta get me some pumpkin!! this looks delish!

FATIMA M'S PUMPKIN CAKE

4 eggs

1 cup veggie oil

1 (140z) can of pumpkin puree

2 tsp vanilla

2 cups brown sugar

3 cups flour

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

2 tbsp baking powder

ICING

1 pkg cream cheese

1 cup softened butter

dash of vanillaicing sugar (about 3 - 4 cups)

Mix all wet ingrediants. mix the dry ingrediants in another bowl and then mix with wet ingrediants. Pour in 2 8" round pans and bake for 35 mins or until toothpick comes out clean.
Icing is the cream cheese (room temp) and the butter whipped together, add vanilla and then add icing sugar 1 cup at a time.

**you can bake the cake in a bunt pan and bake for 1 hour. Serve with whip cream or icing.

Mona Z's Lasagna

2010-07-13T08:39:00.000+03:00

Mona I am coming over in 5 minutes, fix me a plate!! This looks awesome!

MONA Z'S LASAGNA

9 lasagna noodles
1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
8 ounces cottage cheese
1 egg
3/4 cup parmesan cheese
3 cups mozzarella cheese, grated

In 13x9 pan, spoon a little of the sauce.
Place 3 lasagna noodles on the sauce.
Mix cottage cheese, egg, and parmesan cheese in a bowl.
Spread 1/3 of this over noodles.
Add 1/3 of the sauce.
Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella.
Now, add 3 more noodles, 1/3 more cottage cheese mixture, 1/3 more sauce.
Add 1 cup more mozzarella cheese.
One more time, do the layers.
Bake in 350°F oven for about 1 hour.
Top should be light brown and bubbly.

Raya's Orzo Salad

2010-07-03T07:53:00.000+03:00

yummmmmmmmmmmmmy!!!

RAYA'S ORZO SALAD

I bag orzo
5 small to medium zucchini, diced
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 jar chick peas, drained
Feta cheese
2 Tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh mint, chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
Add the orzo and cook to al dente.
Heat the olive oil in a pan, add the onions and garlic and cook until onions are transparent.
Add zucchini, salt and pepper, and cook for 6-7 minutes until tender.
Add chick peas and stir for a minute until heated through.
Remove from stove and mix in orzo, parsley, mint and cheese. Adjust salt and pepper and serve.

Jujey's Hamburger & Fries

2010-06-22T19:30:00.001+03:00

K so I found these on a website a while back & thought they were so cute, so I had to try them. These are not ur normal hamburger & fries....see for urself!!

How cute are these!!!!

Add a side of fries for a complete meal!!

JUJEY'S HAMBURGER & FRIES

1 box white cake mix

1 box brownie mix

1 box sugar cookie mix

Buttercream icing

Red, Green, Yellow food colouring

Make white cake mix according to instructions, bake in a cupcake pan. Let cool, then cut in half. These will be used as the "buns".
Make brownies according to instructions, bake & let cool. Using a round cookie cutter the same size as the bottoms of the cupcakes, cut out circles. These will be used as the "meat".
Make sugar cookies according to instructions, roll out dough & cut thin strips to resemble "french fries" sprinkle with sugar, bake & let cool.
Colour buttercream icing into 3 colours: Red (Ketchup), Greek (relish), & Yellow (mustard).
Now assemble the hamburgers as shown in the pictures above. Serve with a side of fries!

Note: I didn't use any mixes from boxes, i made it all from scratch, took me longer, but was worth it., they were too cute!!

Sammah's Banana Cheesecake

2010-06-14T07:19:00.000+03:00

I made this cheesecake for my sister in laws gathering and everyone loved it. The only change I made was that I topped it with a cup of whipping cream mixed with a tablespoon of sugar and just before serving I cut up some bananas and placed them on top. It's supposed to taste exactly like the famous banana cheesecake from the cheesecake factory.

SAMMAH'S BANANA CHEESECAKE
For the Crust

20 vanilla cream-filled sandwich style cookies
1/4 cup margarine, melted

For the Filling

24 ounces cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 eggs
3/4 cup mashed banana
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
shredded coconut, for topping (optional)

Use a blender to finely chop the cookies.
Add margarine and blend until they are well combines.
Press mixture into the bottom of a 10" springform pan and smooth it out.
Refrigerate the crust while you make the filling.
Beat cream cheese with electric mixer until creamy.
Beat in sugar and cornstarch followed by the eggs (one at a time).
Beat in bananas, whipping cream, and vanilla.
Pour mixture into crust.
Place pan on a cookie sheet and bake in a 350 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and bake an additional 75 minutes, or until center is almost set, adding coconut for last 20 minutes.
Allow to cool completely before removing rim of pan -- Before removing the pan, run warm water over a knife and slide a knife around the edge of the cake to separate the cake from the pan cleanly.
Refrigerate cheesecake, uncovered, at least 6 hours.

Jujey's Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-06-08T13:07:00.001+03:00

Don't make these if u r dieting...they r so good!!!!

JUJEY'S DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (I used a Dairy Milk Bar)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt; stir into the butter mixture until well blended. Mix in the chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or just until set. Cool slightly on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Note: After forming the balls, place in the fridge for a few hours. By doing this before baking will eliminate having flat cookies.

Sammah's Liyali Libnan

2010-06-05T10:25:00.000+03:00

This is a relatively healthy dessert that I make throughout the year and also in Ramadan. I've tried many recipes and then visited a friend in Bahrain and tried her mother's recipe and it's the best there is.

SAMMAH'S LIYALI LIBNAN
6 cups cold whole fat milk
3/4 cups semolina (smeed)
3 tbsp sugar or honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp May Zaher (orange flower water)
5 pieces of mastika (Arabic gum but in the crystal form; broken down with a mortar and pestle or any other pounding device you have in your kitchen ;)

Topping:

1.5 cups whipping cream
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 cups shredded cocount
ground pistachios
fresh fruit of your choice (I've topped it with bananas, strawberries, pineapple; basically whatever I have in my fridge)

Pour the milk, gum, vanilla and may zaher into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat, and slowly pour in the semolina in a steady stream, stirring continuously. Continue to stir and cook until the mixture thickens and boils for 1 to 2 minutes.
Pour the mixture into a 9x13 inch serving dish, or individual dishes. Allow the pudding to cool slightly, then cover with plastic wrap directly on the top. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 5 hours or overnight.
To serve, whip the whipping cream with sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread a thin layer of whipped cream over the pudding. Sprinkle with shredded coconut, chopped nuts and top each square with fruit. Cut into squares, and serve with honey poured around it.

Note: I have tried making it with Attar (sugar syrup) and it doesn't compare to the honey. That's the main reason I switched recipes; the honey, mastika, and coconut mix are awesome.

Enjoy :))

Jujey's Ice Cream

2010-06-01T11:25:00.000+03:00

K, so I was over my son's friends house last week, & she served me the most delicious ice cream. She shocked me when she told me that she made it herself with no ice cream maker. I immediately made her give me the recipe, & the next day I made it. I swear it is delicious! Warning: do not befriend someone from Belgium, they will give u awesome recipes that will blow ur daily caloric intake out the window!!

This recipe is so versitile, I made ice cream sandwiches out of mine, & u can add anything to make it ur fav flavor, I made cookies & cream.

JUJEY'S ICE CREAM

1/2 litre of fresh cream

4 eggs

2/3 cups powdered sugar

3 tsp vanilla extract

Whip cream until soft peaks appear. Set aside.
Separate egg whites from yolks. Whip egg whites until stiff. Set aside.
Beat egg yolks with sugar & vanilla until foam appears.
Fold all ingredients together, along with ur favorite add ins such as: crushed oreos, nuts, caramel, strawberries etc.
Transfer to an air tight container, & freeze for 24 hrs, or until hard.

Note: for best results, use high quality ingredients, & if u have vanilla bean use that instead of the extract

Raya's Beef Enchiladas

2010-05-28T15:49:00.000+03:00

Ok so I know that I'm gonna hear from all those Mexicans our there...you know who you are....that enchiladas are made with corn tortillas and not flour...but because I'm trying to watch my waist, instead of having to fry the corn tortillas, I tried making them with flour tortillas. Let me tell you, they were delicious.... I hope you enjoy!!!

RAYA'S BEEF ENCHILADAS

1lb extra lean ground beef
1 large onion chopped
3 cloves garlic minced
1 package taco seasoning
canola oil
10-12 flour tortillas
shredded cheddar and mozzeralla cheese mixed
2 cans of enchilada sauce

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In medium skillet, add oil and onions and fry until onions are transparent. Add garlic and ground beef and cook until beef is browned. Add taco seasoning and mix for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat.
Pour a 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. On each flour tortilla, place an equal portion of the ground beef mixture and about 2 tbsps of cheese mixture, reserving at least 1/2 cup of cheese. Then tightly roll the tortillas and place seam side down in the baking dish.
Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Bake in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is thoroughly melted.
Serve with sour cream.

Raquel's Chocolate Cinnamon Heart Cookies

2010-05-24T08:25:00.000+03:00

I made these cookies for a friend of mine this morning and they're to die for. You really need to add a lot of cinnamon if want it to be obvious 1 tsp isn't hardly enough.

How cute are these!!!

RAQUEL'S CINNAMON HEART COOKIES

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon (use a little more if you really like cinnamon)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Optional--
4-6 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 tsp. vegetable shortening

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one.
Whisk together dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients in several additions to the creamed mixture. Be careful not to overmix. Chill the dough several hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll dough out on a lightly floured surface--1/8 to 1/4" depending on how thick you want them. Cut into desired shapes and place on baking sheets. Bake for 5-6 minutes, more if the cookies are thicker. Let cool completely.
Melt bittersweet chocolate and shortening on 50% power in the microwave or use a double-boiler. Dip half of the each cookie into the chocolate and lay on parchment or waxed paper and let the chocolate harden.
Store in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper in a cool, dry place.

Dima's Greek Shrimp

2010-05-23T19:55:00.000+03:00

This a simple and delicious recipe that requires little preparation and time. It was sent to me by a friend of mine who knew I didn't like shrimp but I love this dish so much, that I make it all the time.

This looks soooooooo good!!!

DIMA'S GREEK SHRIMP

4 tomatoes (diced)
1 1/2 pound of shrimps
6tbs olive oil
1/4cup of onion (diced)
1/2cup water + 2tbs vinegar + 2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 tsp salt and pepper
1 cup Feta cheese (cut it into 1/4 cubes")

In a dutch oven, add olive oil and sautee onions, tomatoes until they become soft. Add the mixture of water, vinegar and sugar and let it come to a boil. Add salt, pepper and oregano and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Add the parsley and shrimp and cook for 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat and add the feta cheese.
Mix it slowly until the cheese partially melts.
Serve with French bread and butter

Sahtain :))

Jujey's Churros

2010-05-22T08:05:00.001+03:00

K trust me....DON'T MAKE THESE....they r soooooooooooo delicious & highly addicticve!!! I made them 2 times in 1 day; request from my hubby & kids. I used to eat these a lot when I would go to South America, & finally I found the recipe for them.

JUJEY'S CHURROS

1 cup water

2 1/2 tablespoons white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 quarts oil for frying
1/2 cup white sugar, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine water, 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar, salt and 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Stir in flour until mixture forms a ball.
Heat oil for frying in deep-fryer or deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Pipe strips of dough into hot oil using a pastry bag. Fry until golden; drain on paper towels.
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and cinnamon. Roll drained churros in cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Jujey's Snickerdoodle Cookies

2010-05-16T13:24:00.001+03:00

Here's a really easy & tasty cookie to make, & best thing is that u probably have all the ingredients at home.

Here's what they looked like before they went in the oven

And the final result

JUJEY'S SNICKERDOODLE COOKIES

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening (I didn't have so just added an extra 1/2 cup of butter)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar (didn't have so used 2tsp of vinegar instead)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Cream together butter, shortening, 1 1/2 cups sugar, the eggs and the vanilla. Blend in the flour, cream of tartar, soda and salt. Shape dough by rounded spoonfuls into balls.
Mix the 2 tablespoons sugar and the cinnamon. Roll balls of dough in mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, or until set but not too hard. Remove immediately from baking sheets.

Nerrt's Meatless Kubbi Balls with Yogurt

2010-05-11T15:46:00.000+03:00

SO DELICIOUS!!!!

NERRT'S MEATLESS KIBBI BALLS WITH YOGURT

1 ½ cups bulgar (not course, the fine - na3am)
1 cup flour
¼ cup water (as needed)
Salt and pepper to taste

You can either use the bulgar dry, add the flour, salt, pepper and ¼ cup of water and mix. OR You can clean the bulgar with water (which is what I prefer), drain water, and then add the flour, salt, and pepper ( with this method, you probably will not require the ¼ cup of water since you've already soaked the bulgar with water).
If the mixture is too dry, you add more water. If it's too moist, you can let it sit approx 5 minutes uncovered to let it dry up a bit. If it's still too moist, you can add more flour.
In the meantime, heat water in a pot and bring it to a boil.
Take a handful of the mixture and roll it between your hands working it to form a long piece (like a rope).
Holding the long piece in one hand, use the index finger and thumb from the other hand to cut it into individual pieces no more than an inch long.
Once you finish cutting the long piece, take the small individual pieces and roll them into balls between the palms of both hands. I've mastered doing 3-4 at a time.
Repeat steps 4-6 until the entire mixture is formed into balls. You should keep a small bowl of water to dip your hands and to help re-mix the mixture if it gets too dry.
Place the balls into the pot with boiling water. Do not cover. Boil approx. 10 - 15 minutes until the balls are cooked. Adjust heat accordingly so it doesn't overflow.
Drain balls and water into strainer. Place into a dish.
Add yogurt and serve.
Options: You can add minced garlic, or powdered garlic, dried mint, and/or salt if desired.
The meatless kibbi balls can be refrigerated with yogurt added later.

Note: Believe it or not, I find this a quick meal as I make it in the morning before I go to work, and it takes me around 30 minutes. It's a great meal in the summer….very cool, refreshing, and filling. The above measurements will feed 2 adults and 2 kids. See pictures to help you out.

Jujey's Doughnuts

2010-05-09T07:59:00.001+03:00

These were delicious!!! I made them 2 days in a row, b/c they were that good!!!

I coated these with icing sugar

These were dipped in melted chocolate and added sprinkles for the kids

I spread nutella on these ones, sprinkled walnuts ontop, & filled with cream

JUJEY'S DOUGHNUTS

2.5 tsp active dry yeast

1/4 cup warm water (105 to 115 degrees)
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup shortening (I used melted butter)
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 quart vegetable oil for frying

Sprinkle the yeast over the warm water, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until foamy.
In a large bowl, mix together the yeast mixture, milk, sugar, salt, eggs, shortening (or butter), and 2 cups of the flour. Mix for a few minutes at low speed, or stirring with a wooden spoon. Beat in remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough no longer sticks to the bowl. Knead for about 5 minutes, or until smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a greased bowl, and cover. Set in a warm place to rise until double. Dough is ready if you touch it, and the indention remains.
Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently roll out to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a floured doughnut cutter. Let doughnuts sit out to rise again until double. Cover loosely with a cloth.
Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large heavy skillet to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Slide doughnuts into the hot oil using a wide spatula. Turn doughnuts over as they rise to the surface. Fry doughnuts on each side until golden brown. Remove from hot oil, to drain on a wire rack. Dip doughnuts into the glaze while still hot, and set onto wire racks to drain off excess. Keep a cookie sheet or tray under racks for easier clean up.

Glaze

1/3 cup butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons hot water or as needed

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in confectioners' sugar and vanilla until smooth. Remove from heat, and stir in hot water one tablespoon at a time until the icing is somewhat thin, but not watery. Set aside.

Note: I didn't use the glaze, I just coated with powdered sugar, and dipped the others in melted chocolate.

Jujey & Rana's Lubiya - Green Beans

2010-05-03T22:31:00.000+03:00

Here's a quick & easy vegetarian meal that is super healthy. Rana took this pic and said she added a pinch of cinnamon., some tomato paste, and used fresh tomatoes! Looks so good Rana!!

JUJEY & RANA'S LUBIYA (Fasoliya) - GREEN BEANS

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large diced onion
1 garlic clove
1 package of frozen green beans
1 can diced tomatoes (or fresh if u have time)
salt and pepper to taste

Fry onions in oil until soft, add garlic, green beans let cook for a few min.,
Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, mix, cover and simmer for 20 min.
Serve ontop of rice, or eat with bread

Raya's Garlic Lemon Chicken

2010-04-28T15:56:00.000+02:00

RAYA'S GARLIC LEMON CHICKEN

2 1/2 cups chicken stock
20 large cloves garlic
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 chicken thighs (I use one whole cut up chicken)
1 lemon peeled, pith removed and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2/3 cup dry white wine (I use apple juice)
salt and pepper
chopped fresh parsley or basil (I use basil)
mashed potatoes, or rice, to serve

Put the stock into a pan and bring to a boil. Add the garlic cloves, cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Heat the butter and oil in a saute or frying pan, add the chicken thighs and cook gently on all sides until golden. Transfer them to an ovenproof dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Strain the stock and reserve it. Distribute the garlic and lemon slices among the chicken pieces. Add the flour to the fat in the pan in which the chicken was browned and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the wine, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, then add the stock. Cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened and is smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour the sauce over the chicken, and add basil. Cover and bake for 40-45 minutes. If a thicker sauce is required, lift out the chicken pieces and reduce the sauce by boiling rapidly until it reaches the desired consistency. Serve with mashed potatoes or rice.

Jujey's Shakshuka

2010-04-27T07:43:00.001+02:00

Made this the other night, it was a hit with the hubby!

JUJEY'S SHAKSHUKA

1/4 cup olive oil

3 jalapeños (i added just 1)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, crushed then sliced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained
Kosher salt, to taste
6 eggs
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
Warm pitas, for serving

Heat oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add chiles and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes.
Put tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush with your hands. Add crushed tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Season sauce with salt.
Crack eggs over sauce so that eggs are evenly distributed across sauce’s surface. Cover skillet and cook until yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pitas, for dipping.

Hoda's Healthy Banana Cake

2010-04-20T14:43:00.000+02:00

Gotta try this out...you can't tell you use whole wheat flour or honey....

HODA'S HEALTHY BANANA CAKE

2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 beaten eggs
2 1/2 cups of mashed bananas
1 cup of honey
1/2 cup of coconut oil (or you can use 1/2 a cup of butter)

Combine eggs, banana, honey and oil. In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients.
Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes.

Nerrt's Butter Cream Icing

2010-04-19T07:59:00.001+02:00

NERRT'S BUTTER CREAM ICING

2 cups shortening

8 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons clear imitation vanilla extract
6 fluid ounces heavy cream

Cream shortening until fluffy. Add confectioner's sugar and continue creaming until well blended.
Add salt, vanilla, and whipping cream blend on low speed until moistened. Add additional whipping cream if necessary (up to 2 ounces). Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy.

Note: You get 7.5 cups of icing with this recipe, so I halved it. I used regular milk as I had no heavy cream, and I used coloured vanilla as it really didn't change the colour all that much.

Rana's Zanzibar Chicken

2010-04-15T08:37:00.000+02:00

My daughter did a research project on Tanzania and she asked me to cook this for her. Zanzibar is an island off the coast of Tanzania. The class all loved it and my family too. The flavour is distinct and interesting...

RANA'S ZANZIBAR CHICKEN

3 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks (I used one chicken cut into 8 pcs)
2 teaspoons cinnamon ground
1/2 teaspoon cloves ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 x black pepper freshly ground, to taste
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed through a press
3/4 cups orange juice (freshly squeezed)
1/3 cup almonds

Season chicken with cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper. In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add chicken, in batches if necessary, and cook, turning until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove and set aside.
Add onion to pan. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer. Return chicken to pan. Add orange juice. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until chicken is tender. Garnish with almonds.

Jujey's Chicken Nuggets

2010-04-11T07:40:00.001+02:00

So i made a vow never to buy chicken nuggets from the grocery store again for my kids. I have heard so many horror stories of what is actually in them, which disgusts me.....so I thought, hey, i can make them instead, and at least i know what is going in my kids mouth. By the way, they are DELICIOUS!!!

JUJEY'S CHICKEN NUGGETS

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into cubes

1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt (or more to ur liking)
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
pepper
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2 inch size pieces. Sprinkle chicken with 1/2 tsp salt, oregano, pepper, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder. Mix well, and then pour buttermilk over chicken and let sit for 20 min. If you do not have buttermilk, use 1 tsp of vinegar and mix with 1 cup of milk.
In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, remaining salt, garlic and pepper. Mix well.
Take chicken pieces from buttermilk first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place well coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Turn over chicken half way through.

Jujey's Italian Wedding Soup

2010-04-08T08:17:00.001+02:00

This soup is just so comforting and delicious, and easy to make!!!

JUJEY'S ITALIAN WEDDING SOUP

1 pound extra-lean ground beef

2 eggs, beaten
1 / 4 cup dried bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
3 tablespoons minced onion (for meatballs)
2 1 / 2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and thinly sliced
1 cup seashell pasta
1 diced onion
3 / 4 cup diced carrots
1 / 2 cup celery
1 / 2 cup fresh diced mushrooms
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium bowl, combine the beef, egg, bread crumbs, cheese, basil and onion. Add salt and pepper to taste. Shape mixture into 3/4-inch balls and fry in 1 tblsp of olive oil or butter, until meatballs are brown.
In a large stockpot heat, onions, mushrooms, celery, carrots in 1 tblsp of olive oil for a few minutes, add chicken broth and bring to a boil; stir in the spinach, pasta, and meatballs. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring frequently, at a slow boil for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente, and meatballs are no longer pink inside. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top.

Note: I didn't add pasta, and it still was great and very filling!! Also I didn't add spinach, b / c I didn't have any.

Jujey's Asian Orange Chicken

2010-04-02T07:02:00.003+02:00

Here's a pic of Nerrt's Asian Orange Chicken below

I found this recipe a few weeks ago and made it for my friend and I, and I wanted to make it as healthy as I could, so i substituted as many things as I could to make it guilt free!! I must say this recipe was just amazing!! I ate it with a side of bulgur!! This is a must try!!!

JUJEY'S ASIAN ORANGE CHICKEN

Sauce:

1 1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar)
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 cup packed brown sugar (I used 1/2 cup of honey)
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Chicken:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
(I also added carrots, onions and green peppers, sauteed them first with the chicken)

Pour 1 1/2 cups water, orange juice, lemon juice, rice (or apple)vinegar, and soy sauce into a saucepan and set over medium-high heat. Stir in the orange zest, brown sugar (or honey), ginger, garlic, chopped onion, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and cool 10 to 15 minutes.
In a plastic bag, mix the flour, salt, and pepper. Add the marinated chicken pieces, seal the bag, and shake to coat.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken into the skillet, and brown on both sides. (I also sauteed the carrots, onions and green pepper at this stage.
Add the sauce to the chicken. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Mix together the cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; stir into the sauce. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer for 5 minutes

Fatima M's Hummingbird Cake

2010-03-22T07:35:00.000+02:00

Such a pretty looking cake!

FATIMA M'S HUMMINGBIRD CAKE

butter for greasing 2 nine inch round pans (buttered and floured/parchment paper)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 ripe mashed bananas
1 can diced pineapple with juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil

Icing

2 packages room temperature cream cheese
1/2 cup room temperature butter
3 cups icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp finaly grated lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350.
Whisk the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, baking soda and salt in a bowl.
Beat the eggs and sugar with a mixer on high speed until thick and light, 5 minutes.
Gradually beat in the vegetable oil.
Sprinkle the flour mixture over the egg mixture, mix together.
Add the can of pineapple to the batter.
Add the mashed bananas.
Seperate the batter into the 2 round pans. Tap pan lightly on the counter to remove air bubbles
Cook on middle rack for 45 mins. Recipe calls for 50 mins, but I found it done at 45.
Make the frosting mixing the cream cheese and butter. Add the vanilla and the lemon zest, and then one cup at a time add the icing sugar.
Ice, enjoy and keep the cake in the fridge.

Dima's Fish Fingers

2010-03-19T07:53:00.002+02:00

DIMA'S FISH FINGERS

Fish

1/2 kg of fish fillet.
4 tb of flour.
1/2 tb of cumin.
12 tb of dried coriander.
Salt and pepper.
1 cup of Quaker oats spiced with cumin,coriander,salt,pepper,garlic powder and chili.
Oil for frying.

For the Sauce:

1cup of milk.
1tb of Quaker sause.
1tb of flour.
1tb of butter.
Pinch of nutmeg.
Pinch of salt.
Fresh parsley.
1/2 cup of cheese(optinal).

Preparing Fish:

Cut fish fillet into strips (2 inch wide)
Mix flour, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper, with enough water to form a smooth batter
Dip fish slices into the batter,and leave it for 1 hour
Take the pieces out and coat them with spiced Quaker Oats ,then fry them.

Preparing the Sauce:

Combine all ingredients while the milk is cold.
Mix well,and let it boil,until it's slightly thick.
Add cheese and stir until it's fully melted. You can serve it with baked potatoes or steamed veggies.

You can also serve this salad beside it:

Salad

same amount of parsley with the same amount of scallions
(Lays Chips(crashed to small pieces and sprinkle on the mixture of parsley with scallions

Dressing

two small plain yogurts
two lemon
salt
two tablespoon of mayonaise

Mix together. The salad served with the dressing beside it...Enjoy it

Mona Z's New York Crumb Cake

2010-03-17T13:57:00.001+02:00

MONA Z'S NEW YORK CRUMB CAKE

3 tablespoons canola oil

4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup light brown sugar firmly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
confectioners sugar, for dusting

Place rack in center of oven, and preheat oven to 325°F Lightly brush a 9-by-12 1/2-inch baking pan with canola oil, dust with flour, and tap to remove excess. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, the granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
In a second bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, canola oil, and vanilla.
Using a rubber spatula, fold dry ingredients into egg mixture. Spread batter evenly into prepared pan, and set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining 2 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Pour melted butter over flour mixture, and toss with a rubber spatula until large crumbs form.
Bake cake portion for 10-15 minutes till slightly raised and a little golden.
Sprinkle crumbs over batter and bake, rotating pan after 10 minutes.
Continue baking until a cake tester comes out clean, about 10 minutes more.
Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
Using a serrated knife or bench scraper, cut into 3-inch squares, and serve.

Note: This cake can be stored, refrigerated, in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Enjoy!

Rana's Roasted Ratatouille Pasta

2010-03-14T23:21:00.000+02:00

This recipe is a vegetarian dish and my family loves it. The kids don't like eggplants but because they are roasted in this recipe, you can't really taste it!

Roasting Vegetables

On the stove

Yummmmmmmmmm this looks so delicious!!!

RANA'S ROASTED RATATOUILLE PASTA
Salt
1 head garlic
Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), for drizzling
1 medium eggplant, ends removed, peeled and cut into small chunks
2-3 medium zucchini, ends removed, cut in half lengthwise and into small chunks
2 red bell peppers, cored and cut into small chunks
1 large onion, cut into small chunks
4 sprigs thyme, leaves removed
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
1 pound whole wheat penne
1/2 cup Italian parsley, chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (a large handful), plus more to pass at the table

Pre-heat the oven to 450ºF. Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil.
Cut a sliver off the top of the garlic head just large enough to expose the cloves. Tear off a large square of foil and place the garlic in the center.
Drizzle a small amount of EVOO over the head and wrap the foil up around it. Place in the oven and roast until golden brown and tender, about 45 minutes.
While the garlic is roasting, cut up the veggies and place everything except the tomatoes on a large baking sheet along with the thyme leaves.
Once the garlic has been roasting for about 15 minutes, drizzle the veggies with EVOO and season them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast them in the oven until tender and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
Once the veggies have been in the oven for about 10 minutes, place the tomatoes onto another baking sheet, drizzle them with EVOO and season them with some salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss them into the oven with the other veggies and roast them until they’ve burst and shriveled up slightly, 15-20 minutes.
Once the veggies have about 10 minutes left to go, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook to al dente, according to the package directions. Drain the cooked pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking liquid, and transfer to a large serving bowl.
Once the garlic is done roasting, allow it to get cool enough to handle, then hold the head in your hand over the serving bowl with the pasta and squeeze out all of the roasted cloves into the bowl. Add the reserved pasta water, roasted veggies, tomatoes, parsley and grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese to the bowl and toss it all to combine.
Pass some additional Parmigiano Reggiano at the table alongside a bowl of pasta.

Nerrt's One Bowl Chocolate Cake

2010-03-12T09:03:00.001+02:00

I've made this cake many times....it is so moist, you have to make sure the pan is buttered and floured properly...and it's best to use a flan pan to keep the cake on the pan. I'm not sure if I sent this out before, but thought I would again since you're on the topic of chocolate cake. This one is super easy to make, it's delicious, and all you need is one bowl!

NERRT'S ONE BOWL CHOCOLATE CAKE

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cups cocao (I use cadbury's)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Preheat oven to 350F or 175C
Grease/butter & flour pan
In a large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, sifted cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Mix for 2 min on medium speed. Stir in boiling water. The batter will be thin.
Bake in 2 9 inch pans for 30 - 35 min. Cool for 10 min. I use one large flan pan which does the job.

CHOCOLATE BUTTER ICING

3/4 cup butter (softened....NOT MARGARINE)
1/4 cup Boiling water
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups Icing Sugar
1/4 cup Cocoa, sifted.

Beat all 5 ingredients in medium bowl untl mixture lightens in both color and texture.
Makes gerous 2 cups.

Note: Well...I over softened the butter to the point where half of it was melted....so I added an extra cup of icing sugar and it worked out great! YUM.

__._,_.___

Raquel's Cinnamon Chip Spice Cookies

2010-03-08T20:13:00.000+02:00

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com it's awesome my family really loves them. I get my cinnamon chips from Candylicious in Dubai I haven't found them here in Saudi Arabia. If you can't find the cinnamon chips I would add 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and just omit the chips . I also changed the recipe a bit it asks for 2 cups of white sugar but i substituted one cup with brown sugar, and I only put 1tsp of salt 2 was a bit much. I think you could add nuts if you like.

RAQUEL'S CINNAMON CHIP SPICE COOKIES

1 1/2 cups shortening
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup light molasses
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 (10 ounce) package HERSHEY®'S Cinnamon Chips
1 cup white sugar for decoration

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees F).
In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and 2 cups sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and ginger; stir into the sugar mixture until well blended. Mix in cinnamon chips. Dough will be stiff. Roll into walnut sized balls and roll each ball in remaining sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten slightly.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tops are crackled. Let cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Fatima M's Cinnamon Roll Cheesecake!

2010-03-07T07:40:00.000+02:00

One word...........YUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUM!!

My sister Fatima M made this Cheesecake this weekend, and has declared this Cheesecake as the best of 2 worlds....Cheesecake and Cinnabuns! I think I would agree with that!!

1st Step is Making the Dough Crust

Pour the Cheesecke batter over the crust

Drop spoonfuls of cinnamon sugar and remaining dough from the crust into the batter

Drizzle cream cheese frosting over cake.....then EAT AND SAVOUR!!!

FATIMA M'S CINNAMON ROLL CHEESECAKE

Cinnamon Roll Batter:
2/3 cup white sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 egg
½ cup whole milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cheesecake filling:
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp flour
3 eggs

Cinnamon Filling:
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup brown sugar
3 tbsp cinnamon

Cream Cheese Frosting:
2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
milk (if needed to thin frosting)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease a 9-inch Springform pan.

Cinnamon Roll Batter:

Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or hand mixer) cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat for another minute. Scrape down bowl.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Combine the sifted and creamed ingredients together. Mix on low speed until throughly combined.
Spread half of the batter onto the bottom of the Springform pan. It will be sticky and thick so spray your hands with baking spray and press down. It will be a thin layer, but trust me it will rise up during baking.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

Using a stand mixer (and a clean bowl) fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar for 2 minutes on medium-high speed.
Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
Add the vanilla and flour and beat for another minute.
Pour all of the cheesecake batter on top of the cinnamon roll batter that is in the prepared pan.

Cinnamon Filling:

In a small bowl, combine the melted butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Mix until thoroughly combined.
Drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon filling over the entire top of the cheesecake.
Take the rest of the base batter and drop spoonfuls over the entire top of cheesecake. Once finished, take a knife to swirl the ingredients together. This is hard to do as the batter is pretty thick, just do what you can.
Bake for about 50-55 minutes, cake will be puffy and lightly browned. Let chill for 20 minutes at room temperature and then cover and move to fridge for 4 hours. Remove cake and let it warm up to room temperature just a bit. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting:

Using a stand mixer (and a clean bowl) with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together for 2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and beat until desired consistency is reached. If too thick, thin out with milk.

Note: Only difference that Fatima M will make next time she makes this is that she will allow the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the door ajar, and a thinner icing.

Jujey's Rich Brownies!

2010-02-28T12:09:00.001+02:00

K I made these last week, I really really wanted to make the Godiva ones Fatima H sent out, but I would have to travel many many thousands of miles to get some Godiva Chocolate. So instead I used this recipe I have been using for years....they are delicious, and kids looooove them!

JUJEY'S BROWNIES

1 cup butter, melted
3 cups white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish.
Combine the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each, until thoroughly blended.
Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture until blended. Stir in the chocolate morsels. Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking dish.
Bake in preheated oven until an inserted toothpick comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove, and cool pan on wire rack before cutting.

Note: I melted some white chocolate and drizzled it over the brownies before cutting.

Nerrt's Moroccan Lentil Soup!

2010-02-21T13:33:00.001+02:00

I did not cook it for that long...probably only 30 minutes because we like a bit of a crisp to the vegetables. Also, I did not puree anything as we also like chunky soups. Some reviews said it's not really moroccan because garam masala should be replaced with "Rus al Hanoot" if anyone knows what that is. Anyways, it was really good and had a nice India flavour.

This looks amazing!!!

NERRT'S MOROCCAN LENTIL SOUP

2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
6 cups water
1 cup red lentils
1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans (I used red kidney beans)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes (I didn't have any, so I used tomato paste)
1/2 cup diced carrots (I used 1 cup)
1/2 cup chopped celery (hard to find in this country, I used 1 cup red cabbage)
1 teaspoon garam masala (I used 2-3 tsp...love the stuff)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom (I did not use)
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (I used 1 - 1.5 tsp)
1 tablespoon olive oil (I used more like 1/4 cup)

In large pot saute; the onions, garlic, and ginger in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes.
Add the water, lentils, chick peas, white kidney beans, diced tomatoes, carrots, celery, garam masala, cardamom, cayenne pepper and cumin. Bring to a boil for a few minutes then simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or longer, until the lentils are soft.
Puree half the soup in a food processor or blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir and enjoy!

Hana's Freekeh With Chicken!

2010-02-18T15:34:00.002+02:00

HANA'S FREEKEH WITH CHICKEN

1 kg chicken
1 onion roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 clove
3 cardamom pods
2 cups freekeh
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp behar
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 cup pinenuts

Pick over, rinse & soak freekeh in cold water for 30-60 minutes.
Wash & cut chicken into 4 pieces.
Sauté onion in a tbsp of oil until golden. Add the chicken & brown on each side for approx 3 mins/side.
Add 6 cups water, bay leaf, cardamom & cloves and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover & let simmer for 20 minutes. Remove chicken & strain broth.
Sauté the pinenuts in a tbsp of oil then remove. Sauté the drained freekeh & add 2.5 cups of the drained chicken broth. Add the salt, behar, cinnamon & black pepper. Bring to a boil then cover and let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.
Plate the freekeh with the chicken on top garnished with the pinenuts.
Serve with plain yogurt on the side.

Jujey's Date Squares

2010-02-14T08:45:00.001+02:00

So I had this box of dates in my fridge and needed to use them. I was hoping to find a good date square recipe....I found this one on allrecipes....it's pretty good, but still aunt shirley makes the best...I need to get her recipe, but until then, this one will do....it was really good.

JUJEY'S DATE SQUARES

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups sifted pastry flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened

3/4 pound pitted dates, diced
1 cup water
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine oats, pastry flour, salt, 1 cup brown sugar, and baking soda. Mix in the butter until crumbly. Press half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch square baking pan.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the dates, water, and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Bring to a boil, and cook until thickened. Stir in lemon juice, and remove from heat. Spread the filling over the base, and pat the remaining crumb mixture on top.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in preheated oven, or until top is lightly toasted. Cool before cutting into squares.