A NICE SIDE OF RICE

I always prefer rice over potatoes. And today I had that perfect excuse to make a nice side of rice with eggplant stew. And it feels soooooo good on this gloomy rainy sad day indulge a good comfy dinner!

Nice Side Of Rice

Eggplant Stew - YEKHNAT AL-BATINJAN

Today was one of those days when I couldn’t decide what to cook. Who should I please, children or the head of the family? At the end I decide to please my taste buds and went veggie style: eggplant and rice.

Eggplant Stew - YEKHNAT AL-BATINJAN

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHEESECAKE CUBES

Who doesn't love cheese cake!? There is nothing like cutting into that perfect piece with your fork and savoring every bite! Cheese cake cubes are the perfect dessert to serve when you are having friends over. They can be prepared a day ahead (even though I do not recommend that, there won't be any left for your guests) and they are easy to handle. There is no cutting, no mess, no nothing, they are ready to serve. Just take them from the container and plate. They are also a great picnic dessert because, once again, they are ready to serve. Which leaves you more time to spend with your friends and takes one thing off the "to do list" on the day of the event!

CHOCOLATE COVERED CHEESECAKE CUBES

Arabic tortellini cooked in a yogurt soup- SHISHBARAK

So, the other day my youngest son asked me to make some of that meat filled small dough circles with a hole that are cooked in a white soup. I immediately knew what he was talking about, but was a little surprised, because he never liked the dish- SHISHBARAK. But I think that the memories of the time the dish was cooked and served, tricked his mind to thinking that he just loves shishbarak. 

It was so long ago I last cooked this dish; back in Jordan, in 2006. We had a nice family gathering with my three sisters-in-law and children. Aren’t family gatherings the best!!!!!!!! Everybody was working together in the kitchen, children running around, always thirsty or hungry or playing together or in dispute with each other- good times, good times.

Arabic Tortellini Cooked In A Yogurt Soup- Shishbarak

SIMLPE SALAD with TAHINI DRESSING

This simple salad pares well with rice dishes, and if you have falafel on hands, you can put together the “bestest” sandwich, wrap or pita pocket ever.

You can find the recipe for falafel here: http://indulginglife.blogspot.com/2010/09/best-veggie-patties-ever-falafel.html#links 

Simlpe Salad With Tahini Dressing

SIMPLE EGG FRITTERS

My son is studying Pharmacy overseas. He has been using my blog as his one and only recipe book. Just today he asked me how to make the egg fritters. And here they are, for everybody to try!

Egg fritters are easy to make. Sometimes, I use my egg fritters as a substitute for the burger patty or just as a side with lunch, dinner or breakfast.

Or you can do as my daughter does: put a slice of cheese over each fritter and after two minutes under broiler, she can devour the gooey cheesy goodness that reminds her of pizza.

Simple Egg Fritters

ARABIC WELCOME COFFEE- QAHWA SADA

 

There are two types of coffee served in Jordan: “qahwa sada” or “plain coffee” which is also known as “the welcome coffee”, and “qahwa helwe” or ‘sweet coffee” which is also know as “goodbye coffee” as is served at the end of someone’s visit.

“Qahwa helwe” is also the every day cup of coffee in the Middle East. It comes in three different sugar levels: “qahwa ariha” is lightly sweetened, “qahwa mazboot” is moderately sweetned, and “qahwa ziyada” is very sweetened coffee. When you order your cup of coffee in the Middle East in a coffee shop or "qahwa", make sure to specify which of three sugar levels suits you the most, because sugar is added directly to pot while coffee is brewing.

On the other hand, “qahwa sada” is bitter and it’s served on important occasions as weddings, funeral, family gatherings, and of course on Eid Al-Edha and Eid Al-Fitr. “Qahwa sada” is served in small cups with no handles and in small quantities. The “qahwa sada server” circles around the company and when you had enough of coffee, you have to shake your cup in order to return it to the server.

My first experience with “qahwa sada” was a funny one. “The qahwa sada server” came around the table a second time for anyone who wanted more coffee and for those who wanted to return the cup. What I didn’t know was the “shaking of a cup” part of the ritual. I decided that I had enough and extended my hand while holding the cup to him so he can take the cup away. However, he poured some more into my cup instead of taking it. It happened twice, until my mother-in-law told me I had to shake my cup for them to take it away.

Arabic Welcome Coffee- Qahwa Sada

ALL-IN-ONE POTATO CHICKEN DISH

Sometimes when you don't have so much time on your hands but you still want to put together a tasty hardy dish, all-in-one dishes are the quickest. The secret is in balancing all the flavors so they complement each other. It sounds so complicated but it is really easy if you just follow your taste buds.

All-In-One Potato Chicken Dish

Choco-loco- CHOCOLATE LAVA CAKE

Chocolate is .. well, chocolate and it doesn't need any special introduction. Still, there is so much to say about chocolate. Have you ever heard someone being allergic to chocolate? Me neither. And its getting better and better. This magic deliciousness contains phenyletthylamine, an amino acid that has aphrodisiac properties. This unique substance comes from one plant only, the cacao (kah- KOW) tree, which botanical name is Theobramba cacao thet means "food of the gods". So, the most horrible phobia that exits among the human populations in of course CHOCOPHOBIA: The totally logical fear that the world will run out of chocolate. That is why under the advice of their government, Swiss chocolate manufacturers always store a year's stash of raw materials in a secret location in the Alps, just in case if...
  

Choco-Loco- Chocolate Lava Cake

Cabbage loafs- MALFOOF

Cabbage is my food companion since I can remember. However, I was first introduced to cabbage loafs after I got married.

In my home country, Slovenia, cabbage heads are pickled and then cooked in a similar way as cabbage loafs is cooked; the dish is called “sarma” and it has a sour note. Sarma is a dish of cabbage leaves rolled around a filling usually based on minced meat. Sarma means 'a wrapped thing' in Turkish, from the verb sarmak 'to wrap' or 'to roll'. The name sarma has been borrowed by many languages and probably also by the Slovenian language.

Immediately after my first bite into cabbage loaf- malfoof, I fell in love with this dish! It’s a hardy dish, yet it is also a healthy one.

Cabbage Loafs- Malfoof

SUPER BEEF ROAST

Company coming over? Trying to show someone your appreciation with a nice hearty meal? This is one of those great dishes that always satisfies even the pickiest eater!

Super Beef Roast

DATES IN A BLANKET

I had some left over baking dates from last time I made mammoul- the Middle Eastern holiday cookies. It’s time to use it, so I’m making some delicious date filled crescents- dates in blanket as my children call them. I’m making dough from scratch, but one can surely use store bought puff pastry, sugar cookie dough, or even biscuit dough, the fluffy one.

Dates In A Blanket

You have to have your soup- BROWN RICE MINESTRONE

The heat from chilies and nuttiness from nutmeg, brightness from parsley and sharpness from fresh garlic, will make this soup a pleasant slurping experience.


I was never a big fan of soup. My mom served us, and still does, soup almost every day. To my constant "Soup!" remarks, I would get answers such as: "It is good for your tummy!" or "It makes your digestion better!" or "Soup heals!". Little did I believe her statements. Later, when I became a mom (although soup is not a frequent guest on our dinner table) I gave, and still do, the same answers to my children.

You Have To Have Your Soup- Brown Rice Minestrone