A New Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe.. Gooey & Yummy

2 Cups of Flour
½ Tsp Baking Soda
½ Tsp Salt
1&½ Stick of Butter
1 Cup Light Soft Brown Sugar
½ Cup White Sugar
1 Tbps Vanilla Extract
1 Egg & 1 Egg Yolk
1 Bag of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

Method:

Preheat the oven for 5 minutes at 160 degrees C.Prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
Sift the Flour, baking soda, and salt together and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, mix the butter, brown sugar, and the white sugar until creamy.
Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla and blend well.
Add the sifted floor mix until well combined.
With a wooden spoon add and mix in the chocolate chips.
Drop a large spoonful of dough on the cookie sheet leaving 6cm apart between them.
Bakes the cookies for 30 minutes in a convention oven until the edges are slightly golden brown.
Keep the cookies on the cookie sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. ( I use cold plates to keep them intact and avoid breaking).

Enjoy! 

Oh So Divine Red Velvet CupCakes !

This recipe makes one 1 dozen regular size cupcakes.

Ingredients:
11/4 cups sifted all purpose flour, make sure you sift it prior to measuring

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 bottle red rouge food coloring

4 tbsp unsalted butter, around 1/4 cup

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla essence  

1/2 cup buttermilk (liban), I use activia, at room temperature

1/2 tsp white vinegar

1/2 tsp baking soda

Method:
- Preheat the oven at 180 degrees, line 2 12-cups muffin tins with cupcake paper.
- In a bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set side.
- In a small bowl mix together the food coloring and cocoa powder until smooth with no lumps, set aside.
- Using an electric mixer beat the butter and sugar together for around 3 minutes or until it's light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla, then the cocoa powder & baking soda mix.
- Add in 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture beating it well.
- Add in half of the butter milk to the mixture while beating.
- Beat in another 1/3 of the flour mixture and the second half of the buttermilk.
- Finely beat in the last 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat until everything is well combined.
- In a small bowl, place the vinegar and add the baking soda to it. (it will foam a little bit).
- Add the vinegar mixture to the cake batter and stir it with a spatula to combine it well.
- Using an ice cream scooper, fill 3/4 of the muffin tins with the cupcake batter.
- Place the tins in the oven and bake for 22 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the middle to check if the cupcakes are done.
- Cool the cakes for 10 minutes in the muffin tins, and then cool them for another ten minutes after removing them from the tins and placing them on a wire rack.
- The must be completely cool before frosting them.

Frosting them with Cream Cheese Icing (Recipe)

Beetroot Cake with Lemon Icing..

Beetroot.. this magical vegetable.. contains high sources of vitamin C, A, & Beta carotene. It's high in minerals such as, calcium, magnesium, potassium and Amino Acids. 
This Antioxidant does wonders for your cholesterol and the health of your skin.. 
So.. enough said.. it's time for our healthy yummy dessert recipe...


Cake Ingredients:
225g Self-raising flour
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Cinnamon
180ml Vegetable oil
225g Brown sugar
3 Eggs, separated - Yolks separated from the whites
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
150g Raw beetroot, grated
1/2 lemon, juiced
75g Sultanas - Raisins 
75g Hazelnuts, Chopped



Icing Ingredients:
10 tbsp Icing sugar, sifted
1-2 tbsp Boiling water
a few drops of lemon juice
some lemon rind


Method:
- Set the oven on 180c.
- Greece the loaf tin with butter and then cover it lightly with flour to avoid the cake from sticking or line the loaf tin with baking paper.
- Sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, & cinnamon.
- In a mixer, beat the oil & sugar together then add the egg yolks one by one while mixing well between each addition ans add the vanilla extract.
- Fold the beetroot into the mixture and add the lemon juice, raisins, and hazelnuts. 
- Fold the dry ingredients into the mixture and mix them well.
- In the mixture, place the egg whites and beat until almost stiff then fold hem into the previous mixture using a metal spoon - do not use a wooden spoon because it won't allow the air to go through.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake for 50 minutes at least - it could need more than 50 minutes depending on the oven used.
- Half way through cooking the cake, place a foil on top it prevent it from browning too much while the inside is not fully cooked.
- While the cake is in the oven, prepare the icing by mixing the sifted icing sugar, the lemon juice & rind and using enough boiling water to create a sticky shiny icing to smooth it on top of the cake.


Yum!
Enjoy...

Homemade Pita Chips.. Twice the fun!

Those are easy chips to make at home for any dip..
It goes great with my Homemade Guacamole Dip or my Homemade Beetroot Dip.




Chips #1: you will need:


2-3 Thin Pita Breads cut into small triangles.
Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil
Dried Oregano


- Place the triangles of pita bread on a baking tray & drizzle them with a a little bit of olive oil.
- Sprinkle the pita bread with the parmesan cheese & oregano.
- Bake them in a preheated oven for around 10 to 15 minutes or until they are crispy.

Chips #1

Chips #2: you will need:


2-3 Pita Breads cut into small triangles 
A Griddle Sandwich Maker

Chips #2

- Place the triangles on the griddle sandwich maker and close it on them to create the grill marks effect.

Nigella's Ritzy Chicken Strips.. An Easy Lunch or Dinner..

This practically took minutes to prepare and a few more minutes to cook. But needs a couple of days for it to be ready, so prepare them a day in advance. If you have kids, they will love this recipe and grownups do too! I tried this Nigella Lawson easy breezy recipe accompanied by homemade Honey Mustard Sauce.. tastes sooo good!

Ingredients:

2 Packets of boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup buttermilk (Leban) - I prefer KDD because it's think and creamy
20 pieces of Ritz cracker crushed to form bread crumbs


Method:


. Put the chicken breasts into a freezer bag flat.
. Bash them gently with a rolling pin until the chicken is quite thin.
. Once done, take them out of the bag and slice them.
. In a bowl, place the butter milk and chicken and leave then in the fridge to marinade for 24 hours atleast.
. When ready to cook, prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven.
. Take the bread crumbs and place them in a shallow dish to coat the chicken.
. Take the chicken out of the fridge, take each piece, shake off the excess buttermilk and dip them in the crumbs.
. Coat them well and lay them on the baking sheet, bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. and Voila !!!!

Dinner is served! ... or lunch ;)

Zucchini, Yellow Squash & Potato Gratin

A new recipe.. I had a craving for Zucchini & Summer squash, it's healthy & tasty.. So I decided to browse through my recipes in search for a nice recipe that combines both of those ingredients. 
I came across many recipes but this particular one caught my attention because it included potatoes.
I tried it as a side dish for lunch, next to grilled chicken and a crisp green salad. It turned out lovely and delish!!

Ingredients:


1 packet of KDD cream or 1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup breadcrumbs 
2 Potatoes, sliced
4 Small Zucchini (Courgette), thinly sliced
1 large summer squash sliced
3 tbsp Butter 
2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1 small onion, sliced
Salt & Black Pepper
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese


Method:


Prepare the oven by reheating at 400 degrees. Set aside until needed.
On the stove, medium heat, in a large skillet, melt the butter.
Add all the vegetables to the butter, saute & stir.
Add the salt & Pepper according to taste.
Cook the veggies until tender while stirring slowly and carefully.
Add the cream and cook for 5-7 minutes until it thickens.
Once cooked, remove from the stove and place in a Pyrex or a baking dish.
Sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top of the mixture and the Parmesan & Mozzarella cheese.
Bake this dish for 25 minutes to cook, then turn on the broiler for 5 minutes until it gets golden on top.


Enjoy !!

Banana Bread Recipe # 2

I have tried a previous recipe of Banana Bread yet with nuts. This recipe is for a plain banana bread. I enjoy it with milk, in the morning, as a snack or dessert. It's delicious any way you eat it!

Ingredients:

2 Ripe bananas
1&1/2 cups flour
5 Tbsp melted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
Pinch of salt

Method:

1- Preheat the over at 350°.
2- In a mixer, place the sugar, egg & Vanilla. Start mixing.
3- Sprinkle the baking soda & salt over the mixture and mix it in.
4- Finely add the flour. Mix everything well.
5- Pour mixture into a buttered pan and bake for 1 hour.
6- Once done, keep it on a cooling rack, once cool, slice & serve.

Normally this recipe requires baking in a Loaf Pan , but I don't go by traditional methods.. I'm such a rebel, I used a Bundt Cake Pan ..haha :P

Oozie.. ~ Syrian

Ingredients:

2 cups short grain rice

1 Americana square minced beef

2-3 finely chopped onions

1 cup green peas

1/2 cup roasted pine nuts

1 Maggie chicken cube

salt / Black pepper

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon mixed spices

1 pack of Americana frozen phyllo dough

Method:

- Wash the rice and soak it in water for 15 minutes.

- In a pot, sauté the onions until golden then add the minced beef.

- Add salt, black pepper, curry, mixed spices and Maggie chicken cube and mix.

- Add rice to the the meet and mix well on low heat.

- Add 4 glasses of boiling water or until it covers the rice, and let the rice simmer for 10 minutes

- Meanwhile in another pot, boil the chick pea to soften them.

- Add the green peas and pine nuts to the previous mixture and leave it to cook until all the water evaporates and the rice is cooked.

- Once the rice mixture is done leave it to cool on the side.

- prepare the phyllo dough by cutting it into squares and using a small bowl as a mold, line the bowl with the phyllo dough, fill it with the rice mixture and fold it to close.

- Place the finished phyllo filled dough in a large oven pan, brush each one with butter then place it in the oven for 20 -25 minutes until golden.

- Serve it with cucumber yogurt salad.

Apple Crostata with a Twist

Winter.. winter.. Brrrrrrrr..

Ingredients

For the pastry:
• 2 cup flour
• 4 tablespoons Caster sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks very cold unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:
• 4 Large Green apples
• 1/4 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 tablespoons Icing sugar
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Method:
1- Starting out with the pastry by placing the flour, sugar, orange zest and salt in the food processor and pulse to combine.
2- Add the butter and mix.
3- Add the 4 tablespoons of water gradually while mixing until combined and the dough starts to form.
4- Remove the dough from the food processor and form into a disk.
5- Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge for one hour.
6- Prepare the filling by peeling the apples and cutting into wedges.
7- Toss the wedges with the cinnamon and icing sugar.
8- Once the dough is cool, remove from fridge and flour the rolling pin and the surface to roll the dough into a circle and transfer it into a baking sheet.
9- Place the apples in the middle of the dough away from the edges.
10- Role up and fold the edges to hug the apple mix and enclose the dough to form a circle.
11- In a preheated oven 180 degrees, place the crostata to bake for 35-40 minutes until the crust turns golden and the apples are tender.
12- Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes. Serve with icecream or whipped cream.

My Choc-Caramel Turtle Madness

Cake Batter Ingredients:

2 Cups flour
2 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Cocoa
2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Cup Buttermilk (Leban)
1 Cup Oil
1&1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla
1 Cup Boiling Water

Caramel pecan mixture:
1 bag of caramels pieces
1/2 cup evaporated milk (Carnation)
1 cup chopped pecans

Plus:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips


Method:

- Preheat Oven at 350 degrees.
- Greese & flour a springform baking dish
- Place all the cake batter ingredients in a mixing bowl, mix on medium to high speed and make sure to scrap the bowl occasionally until all ingredients are blended and smooth.
- pour half of the batter into baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the caramel pecan mix by heating the caramels and evaporated milk over medium heat and stir constantly until caramels are melted, then stir in the pecans.
- Pour the caramel mixture over the cake from the oven and sprinkle with chocolate chips.
- Pour over the remaining batter and bake for another 28 minutes until the cake is fully cooked.
- Cool the cake for 30 minutes and serve with either ice cream, or more caramel & pecans topping.

Enjoy...

Homemade Sticky Date Pudding

Ingredients:
1 cup dates pitted & peeled
1 cup of water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda ( found in Sultan Center Kuwait)
a pinch of nutmeg (if available)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten


Toffee Sauce Ingredients:
7 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup KDD Cream
1&1/3 cups dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons water


Method:

- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees.
- Place the dates in a saucepan with 1 cup of water, vanilla extract, and baking soda. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes. leave to cool.
- Prepare a mini cupcakes baking pan by buttering & flouring it.
- Cream the butter in a mixing bowl, add the date mixture.
- Combine the dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and sugar.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter and dates, add the beaten egg and stir gently to combine.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking pan until half full.
- Bake the mini cupcakes for 25 to 30 minutes.

While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the toffee sauce:
- Combine butter, KDD cream, brown sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and set aside keeping the sauce warm.

- Once the mini cupcakes are done, remove from oven, pour sauce on each mini cupcake individually (be generous) and put it back in the oven to bake for 2 more minutes.

- Remove from oven, set to cool then remove from baking dish to serve.

- Can be served with ready made custard, vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Enjoy...

My Strawberry CheeseCake w/ Strawberry Glaze

This is one of the oldest recipes I make, I have started making this cheese cake since 1992. Long time ago... it never lost it's flavor, always a classic!

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

a small box of McVitie's Digestive

half a stick of butter, melted

For the Cheesecake filling:

800 g philadelphia cream cheese (4 boxes)

3/4 cup sugar

5 teaspoons cornstarch

3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1&1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Glaze:

1 Strawberry Jello (prepared as instructed)

2 tablespoons Cornstarch

Method:

- Crush the digestive cookies and stir them together with the melted butter until well combined.

- Press the crumbs mixture evenly at the bottom of a springform pan. set aside.

- In a bowl combine the cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar and the cornstarch. Beat them with an electric mixer until all combined and smooth.

- Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, beating after each addition. Add in the vanilla extract.

- Pour the mixture on top of the crust in the springform pan and spread evenly.

- Bake at 350 degrees f (170 c) for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 225 degrees f (100 c) and bake for one hour and 10 minutes.

- Remove the cake from the oven, chill it for a few hours or over night without removing it from the pan.

- Once chilled completely, prepare the stawberries, cut them in half and layer them on the cake.

- Prepare the glaze by making the jello and adding the cornstarch, then let it cool. Once cool pour it on top. Chill the cake in the fridge until the glaze is completely cool.

- take the cake out of the pan and serve.

Enjoy...

My Happy Carrot Cake Cupcakes.

Just last night I baked those lovely and heavenly tasting cupcakes, everyone raved about them and the process of making them was so easy.
The ingredients below make around 1 dozen cupcakes, so double the ingredients if you want more !!

Ingredients:

3 or 4 large carrots, peeled and grated finely
1/2 cup ground walnuts - or chopped to small pieces & toasted
2 medium size eggs
1/4 Leban or buttermilk
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon baking soda ( found in sultan center - Arm & Hammer is the one I use)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
zest of one orange
1&1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

& for the frosting:  

1/2 stick butter (unsalted)
1 cup cream cheese (Philadelphia)
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Method:

- You start off by preheating the oven at 180C.
- In a bowl, place the carrots, eggs, leban (buttermilk), sugar, oil, orange zest & vanilla and whisk well.
- Then seperetly, in a different bowl whisk your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda & powder, salt, ground cardamom & cinnamon.
- mix both the dry ingredients & the carrot mixture together gently to incorporate.
- add the toasted walnuts, folding them in gently.
- Using cupcake pan (regular size) and paper baking cups, scoop 3/4 of the mixture into each paper cup.
- Bake for 28 minutes at 180C.
- While the cupcakes are baking, prepare the frosting by combining 1/2 stick of butter, 1 cup of cream cheese (Philadelphia cream cheese) and 3/4 cup powdered sugar beat until well combined. set aside.
- Remove cupcakes from oven when done. Allowing them to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Take them out of the pan and on to a wire rack.
- When fully cooled, spread the cupcakes with the frosting

Enjoy...