'Potato Cake'

Love love love this recipe, shared by my beautiful friend Momal [also the source of a number of other recipes on this blog!], which combines some of my favorite ingredients, simply and efficiently, to give a show-stopping dish which serves fantastically well as comfort food!

This is not an exact recipe, but it's easy to muddle through:

Ingredients:

2 Eggs
1/2 Cup milk [plus or minus some cream to make it richer]
1/2 Cup shredded cheese [ or more - cheddar, mozzarella, Parmesan, whatever!]
4 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Sesonings:
Salt
Black pepper
Oregano seeds [Ajwain]
Oregano leaves
Thyme
Parsley
Crushed garlic/garlic powder [If you like garlic]

Additionally:
Sliced sausages
Shredded, cooked chicken
Sliced mushrooms
Sliced olives
Washed, whole spinach leaves

This is obviously a very vrestaile recipe, and you can dress it up which ever way ou want it!

First, crack those eggs in a bowl, throw in the seasonings, milk and cream, and beat together well.

Prepare all and any 'additionals' you like.

For the potatoes: I was in a hurry today [decided I wanted this two hours before iftari!] so I cut short on the baking time by boiling a large pot of water, and throwing in the sliced potatoes for about ten minutes [or less], until half cooked. If you have time, you dont need to do this.

So layer the katchay or adhay-pakkay potato slices in an olive-oiled baking dish [I like to sprinkle some ajwaein on the base, just for luck =D] along with your additionals and the egg mixture and your cheese. Until it's all in there.

Put in your oven to bake. I can't say at what temp or for how long, because I'm not any good with calculations like that. I put it in my electric oven for about one hour, at a medium setting [both top and bottom grills], and just kept checking. Don't dry it out too much. Check with a knife or a fork or something. In the end, if the top is too white, grill for a few minutes till golden.

Have fun!

Noodle Omelet

Things you need:
 1. Knorr noodles - Lemon Chili or Chicken Sizzler flavour
 2. Eggs
 3. Olives
 4. Chicken (can be boiled and shredded or fried)
 5. Cheddar cheese slices
 6. Green onions (optional)
7. Mushrooms (optional)

 Okay. For every one packet of Knorr noodles, I use three eggs. So, you boil your noodles until they are cooked. Then you drain the water. Take a bowl. Add the noodles, add eggs, add olives, add mushrooms and add the chicken. Now sprinkle the taste maker packet on top. Now mix the batter until everything is incorporated into the batter.

 Now, take a non-stick frying pan. Ad a generous amount of oil, not too much and not too little. Pour the mixture on VERY LOW FLAME. Spread the mixture and cook it from one side for at least 7 - 9 minutes. Cover it! Helps cook it evenly. After 7- 9 minutes...shake the pan and if you see that the mixture isn't moving and seems fairly solid, flip it!

 Now lay your cheese slices on the top! And cover again. Cook for 7 - 10 minutes or until the egg is completely cooked! Sprinkle oregano on top. And enjoy!

 Serve with chilli garlic sauce. It's breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner. My family is NUTS about it!

 -Bree

This was for my sister Manal!

You can shape it what ever way you want! 

Best summer breakfast in the world!

We had this breakfast with fresh mangoes and cold macaroni and potato salad. EPIC!

For my brother Osama! 

Pancakes

I know, I know, been ages since I added any new recipes. I promise to do so more frequently from now, since that will save me having to inbox them individually on fb =p

I've been making pancakes since I was a kid.  I have always loved reading - the kids in my novels would always serve their mums breakfast in bed on Mum's Day, and it fascinated me no end. Back then I used to burn them EVERY time, so mum got burnt pancakes for Mother's Day breakfast. Of course, this hasn't happened in ages now, but this is what mum will always remember, no? She makes a crack about it every year: "What, no burnt pancakes? You obviously don't love me anymore" -.-

Anyway, they are super easy to whip up, and there are a large number of variations that may be tried (choc chips, berries, etc). I love mine with either Nutella, or margarine and marmalade!

Here they are:

3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
oil

Combine milk with vinegar in a medium bowl and set aside for 5 minutes to "sour" (if using cartonmilk, take 1/2 cup milk and add 2-3 tbsp yogurt to it, as boxed milk does not 'sour').

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whisk egg and butter into milk. Pour the flour mixture into the wet ingredients and whisk until lumps are gone.

Heat a large pan over medium heat, and add a little oil, only enough to coat the base. Pour 1/4 cupfuls of batter onto the skillet, and cook until bubbles appear on the surface of the pancake. Flip with a spatula, and cook until golden on the other side.

DO double the recipe as this usually makes just 4-5-6 Pancakes. 

Only the most awesome carrot cake ever.

So yesterday when I went to henna a friend for her wedding, her mom served an amazing, moist, melt-in-your-mouth carrot cake and I, of course, hounded her for the recipe. I couldn't help it! She was an absolute sweetheart and quickly made this note for me, and promised to share more recipes later - I'm absolutely in love! <3

CAN YOU TELL HOW EXCITED I AM ABOUT THIS?!!!

It turned out fantastic! What you do is you dump everything together in a large bowl and mix well with an electric beater (or a wooden spoon but that takes a lot more effort).

What I did:
1. Used 2 tsp Baking Powder instead of 1 tsp.
2. Used a spring form pan, and lined it with paper, greasing well. The pan has to be 2/3rd full. Or 3/4th. I forget which. =s
3. I mix the dry ingredients together first, with a whisk, so the Baking powder and Soda is well distributed. Alternately, you may sift the flour, bp and soda together before hand.
4. Did not add the salt. I don't like the idea of putting salt in cakes, idk why.
5. Dumped in the carrots last! OH and IMPORTANT: carrots need to be finely grated.

DONE!

The cake vanished over night and it wasn't just me.

Chicken Bread From My Childhood!

I'll save the soppy story for later of my childhood, right now I'm packing like a mad woman but I promised Meenah that I'll post this before Eid. SO...



Here it goes!


Ingredients for dough:

Flour 4 cups
Instant yeast 1 tbsp
Powdered milk 2 tbsp OR you can use half a cup of warm milk
Salt 1 tsp
Oil 4 tbsp
Egg 1 (plus 1 for glazing)
Castor sugar 1 tsp OR 1 tsp brown sugar

The filling:

Entirely your choice!

In a bowl mix together 4 cups flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp castor sugar, 2 tbsp milk powder, 1 tbsp yeast, 4 tbsp oil and 1 egg, knead to a medium soft dough which should be VERY firm, with slightly warm water, leave to rise for 1 hour. Don't over knead, the yeast will 'lighten' it.

Now divide the dough into two or three parts depending on what size loaves of chicken bread you want. I would RECOMMEND three parts that means you'll have three loaves. Roll the dough to a rectangular shape, snip the sides with scissors or a knife, put filling in the centre and fold each side so they overlap each other (like a braid) the filling will show slightly but that's okay, brush top with beaten egg, sprinkle sesame seeds and bake on 200 degree C for 25 minutes or so.

Right after taking out of the oven apply butter well on whole bread and let it rest covered with a cloth for 2-3 min to soften the chicken bread. Ta-dah. READY to be gulped down.

P.s Also, the batter shall be very sticky. So in the end just put oil on your hands to scoop it out and 'tame' it. Lol. I put it in a well oiled plastic bag and closed it. The dough rose in just 30 minutes. But best to leave it alone for an hour.

Guest Bloggers!

Hello all!

As you may have noticed, I suck at posting and updating this poor blog! My last post was in December! =[ While I have tried numerous new recipes successfully since then, I just haven't found the time to blog about them. SO I am SUPER EXCITED to announce that I have enlisted the support of the awesome Amber Apa - Domestic Goddess - who will now be guest-blogging for us about food, party planning, and her beautiful life style! She is the mother of a tiny, gorgeous little baby which hasn't stopped her from being an amazing cook, a creative hostess and one of the most energetic people I know - there is so much we can all learn from her! [Mashallah]

So a giant WELCOME goes out to Amber Apa, and the rest of you, Fasten Your Seat Belts! ;D

Orange Cake

Winters mean oranges!! =D I had been craving for a slice of Orange cake for a long time. Never having tried it, I was convinced it would be ambrosia to a citrus-lover like me! And as those people who know me can attest, food and recipes are high-involvement decisions for me ;) So after a lot of research, I hit upon a recipe for Orange Cake that had a lot of great reviews. Finally one day, smack in the middle of my semester finals [because everyone knows that’s when you need the comfort of food the most], I decided to give it a try.

It turned out LOVELY! =D I baked it in a loaf tin, because most reviews said it’s more moist that way. But next time, I shall make it in a round cake tin, and I’ll also frost it. I don’t frost cakes the first time I try out a recipe because then you can’t judge the actual cake. Well, this one needed no frosting!

The original recipe is from Allrecipes. I’ve tweaked it slightly, for more orange flavor. I’ll take pictures the next time I bake it. It disappeared too fast, this time around! ;D

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp grated orange zest

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour which ever cake tin you’re using.

• In a jug/bowl, combine milk, 1/2 cup orange juice, oil, beaten eggs and 2 tablespoons orange zest. Set aside.

• Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Mix in sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined.

• Pour batter into prepared pan. Pan should be 2/3 full!

• Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool before frosting!