Marbled Chocolate Brownies

Ingredients: 185gr. butter 1/4 cup cocoa powder 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 1 cup plain flour 250gr cream cheese 1/3 cup extra sugar 1 tsp. vanilla essence 1 extra egg Utensils needed: 1 large bowl and a microwave safe small bowl Mixer Baking tray 35x23cm approximately Spoon Grease proof paper (optional) Instructions: 1- Prepare baking tray by putting grease proof paper at the bottom or dab some kitchen paper into cooking oil and rub baking tray all around and then add a tablespoon of flour and shake tray to cover the whole surface. Turn upside down to get rid of access flour. 2- Pre-heat your oven at 180 degrees Celsius. Fan setting. 3- Add butter and cocoa powder into microwave safe bowl and melt for about 1 and a half minutes until butter is completely melted. Mix with spoon until both ingredients mix well together. 4- Poor the above mixture into the large bowl and slowly beat the eggs and than add the flour until smooth. 5- Poor the mixture into the baking tray. Use the back of the spoon to flatten the mixture. Set aside. 6- Clean your mixing bowl and dry well. 7- Add cream cheese, extra sugar, extra egg and vanilla essence into the bowl and beat with mixer until creamy. 8-Pour the cream mixture on top of the chocolate mixture in the baking tin and again use the back of the spoon to flatter it. 9- Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes until slightly golden on top. 10- When cooked, remove from oven, run a sharp knife around the edges of the cake and allow it to cool. 11- Cut in squares when cool. Serve and enjoy!!!!!

Raspberry ice cream!

Falafel

Falafel

Ingredients:

2 cups chickpea (revithia spasta)
1 cup parsley
1/2 cup coriander
2 tsp dry coriander
2 tsp hot chilly
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp bread crumbs
1 large onion
2 tsp Baking Powder
Salt & Pepper to taste
Little water if needed

Place equal portions of chickpea, parsley, coriander, onion and garlic in blender and blend until fine. When you are done add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Then mould them into little balls. You have to deep fry them in very hot cooking oil. Fry until golden brown. You can serve them in Lebanese bread with tomato, parsley,pickled cucumber, tahini and some hot chilly pepper if you like. You roll them into sandwiches and enjoy!

Rocca salad!

Here is a salad that tingles your taste!

Ingredients:

Rocca (2-3 bunches)
Sun dried tomatoes (half a jar)
Pinolia toasted (small pack)
Mushrooms sliced thinly (8-10)
Parmesan cheese thinly sliced or grilled feta
Croutons (about a cup)
Olive oil (1/2 cup)
Balsamic vinegar (1/3 cup)
Salt to taste

You wash the rocca and mushrooms and cut them up. Then you put the rocca in a big bowl, shredded mushrooms, parmesan pinolia and croutons. It's better if you mix the olive oil, the balsamic vinegar and salt before you pour it over the salad. Pour the dressing just before you serve it or else they will go soggy and it's not very pleasant. Enjoy!

Lemon Cheese-cake

Hi there, I know I haven't added any new recipes for a long time now but I thought I would make it up to you by posting one of my most famous cheesecakes amongst our friends. This was also a request by my friend Maria, so this one is dedicated to her! So here we go...

Ingredients:
(Part 1)
For the base:
225g Digestive biscuits crushed in a blender
115g melted butter (unsalted)

(part 2)
For the cream:
700g of Philadelphia cream cheese (or any other cream cheese)
200g caster sugar (this is sugar for cakes, you can get it any supermarket)
2 tablespoons plain flour
3 eggs
115g melted butter (unsalted)
1 teaspoon vanilla sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (grate the lemon skin thinly by using the grater for cheese)

So, you must have a 20 cm springform cooking case. This means that the side of the baking tin can come off after cooking. So you mix the crushed biscuits with the melted butter in the baking tin and then with the back of a spoon you press it down evenly at the bottom and the sides of the tin. You must cook this in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 8-10 minutes and leave it to cool just until you can touch it. Basically until you make the cream it will cool.

Part two is simple. You put the cream cheese, sugar and flour and beat them up with a mixer. Add the rest of the stuff and beat them until mixed well. Pour the cream over the cooked biscuit base and cook in the oven at 170 degrees Celsius for about an hour until it goes a bit brown on top.
After cooking you have to leave the cake to cool in the oven and just open the oven door a little bit. When cool, remove from the oven, cover it with aluminum foil and put it in the fridge to cool. Note that your cheesecake will rise and then go back down again and that's how it's meant to be so please DON'T panic!!!

Enjoy!!!!

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask!

Lahn Majoun

This recipe is dedicated to all my lahn majoun fans. This way you can make it any time!!!

This is how i make them and i am not sure if it's the "original" way that's made but it's simply perfect!

Ingredient:
1kg lean beef minced meat
A bunch of fresh chopped onions
A bunch of parsley
3 green peppers
3-4 tomatoes
A pack of tomato juice
2 small tins of tomato paste
Drizzle olive oil
Some drops of tabasco ( to taste)
Crushed Garlic or shopped
Salt & pepper

OK, chopping all these stuff can be a hustle and takes up a lot of time so you can just put them in a blender all together and it's as easy as that. After doing all that you mix all the ingredients together and it's always good to let it marinade as long as you can. It's perfect if you leave it over night.

Now. You need to have some (about 20) pitta bread in order to spread the mixture on and cook it. So when it's cooking time, you have to prepare the pitta bread by splitting them up just like in the picute above. Then you spread a thin layer of the mixture with the back of a spoon onto the bitta bread and cook it under a hot grill for about 10 minutes.

The pictures I posted above should help you figure things out. The only thing is that you should spread the mixture just before you put them under the grill so they don't go soft and stick onto the rack while cooking them.

You could make your own dough to spread the mixture on but let's just get real, as if anyone has the time to do that. Serve hot. You can serve this with yogurt and lemon and cucumber as well. Makes about 40

Chicken Kebab Marniated with yoghurt!

Hi,
Haven't uploaded any new recipes because I have been toooooo busy but here is an easy one for men to make. My hubby made this for me on Valentines' day and it was delicious!

Ingredients:

4 Chicken brests cut in cubes
3 tablespoons of yoghurt
1-2 Garlic cloves chopped in chunks
1-2 tablespoons of oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
Drizzle some olive oil

So you mix all the above and leave it in the fridge for 2-3 hours if you have the time and then you put the cubes on skewers and cook it on charcoal or under the grill. Simple as that! Enjoy!

Lemon mustard chicken

Hi there!
This is what I made Saturday night for some friends. It was abselutly delicious!!!! It's easy and tasty. Don't hesitate to try it.

Ingredients:
1 Chicken cut in pieces
2-3 Teaspoon mustard (preferably Savora)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Jucy lemon
2 tablespoon oregano
Salt & Pepper to your taste

Wash and drain the chicken and then add all the above and mix well. If you have the time cover it with aluminum foil and marinade it in the fridge for 2-3 hours, if not, just cook it in the oven for about two, two and a half hours at 180 degrees. It's best to serve it with oven potatoes and a nice salad with fetta.

You can marinade and cook the chicken under the grill but make sure that the pieces are small to cook all the way through. These are nicer served with fried potatoes though.

Enjoy!!!!

Mushroom Soup!

This soup is delicious!!!!

Ingredients:
1 can of mushrooms or 10 fresh cut in thin slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
2 cups water
1 cube maggi
salt & pepper

Chop and put the mushrooms in a pan and let the water evaporate. Add some olive oil and fry them just a bit. Add the flour, fry and then the water and the milk. When it starts to heat up put some salt and pepper and the maggi cube. Allow them to simmer for 2-3 minutes on a low fire and stir constantly.

If you want to make it a bit creamier, you can add half a cup of fresh cream too. if you want it to be lighter then you can put 2 cups milk and 3 cups water. Try it out and let me know!
Serves 4.

Boulgouri pilafi (couscous)

Hi!
This is something i love to make. It's both easy and fast to make and it just tastes yummmm! So....

Ingredients:
6-8 mushrooms
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
2 Peppers (colourful)
1 Onion chopped
I Pack of tomato juice or paste
2 Cups of couscous
4 Cups of water
1 Cube of Maggi
Salt and Pepper
(Serves 4)


You have to chop the mushrooms and put them onto the fire until all their liquid is gone. Add some olive oil. Fry the peppers and then the onions. When they all go soft add the tomato. You can also add some fresh ones if you like. When the sauce simmers a little add the couscous, water, Maggi , salt and pepper. Stir every so and then until cooked. When cooked you have to place a clean towel over the pan and then the lid over that and leave it for about ten minutes (off the fire). This will help the ingredients "share their taste".

You can serve this with yogurt as well as tsantsiki.

OK! Now for "my way of cooking". The sauce that you make at the start can also be used as a pasta sauce! So you can make a big bunch of sauce and have it with pasta the first day and the next day, add the rest of the ingredients and make a new dish! Or you could make a big bunch and store them in jars in the freezer! Another idea is that if you have any leftover roasted chicken or pork you can simply throw them in as well just before you add the tomato! Try this and then make it your own by adding or taking away whatever you like! Enjoy!!!!!

My favourite recipe: pasta and prawns!!!

Ingredients:
Butter with herbs
A pack of prawns (the size you like)
One small onion
Half a cup of white wine
Small pack of fresh cream
Parsley finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
A pack of pasta (any type you like)
Parmesan cheese (grated)

So to start off, you have to wash the prawns and peel them if you like. When you cook them as they are, you get the most out of the taste but it could get a bit tricky to eat them. You need to fry the prawns in butter and then remove them from the pan. Add the onions and fry them too. When they are soft and translucent in colour, you add the wine until it evaporates. Then you add the prawns back in the pan, add the fresh cream, salt and pepper to taste and allow them to simmer a little. Just before they are done you add the chopped parsley. Add these to the pasta and sprinkle with cheese.
Simple as that!
If you don't have butter with herbs than use just butter or even olive oil. You can also use ouzo instead of wine. Parsley can also be replaced with mixed dried herbs. You see, cooking is up to you to bring it to your taste!
Enjoy experimenting!!!!

My way of cooking!

Hi there.
I created this blog so that i can share with you my recipes that i like and enjoy both to cook and taste. I am very fussy at eating and i give a lot of emphasis on how food is prepared.
Cooking for me is a way to relax, create and give love to others. My first and best "customer" is my hubby who loves what i make and always helps me make them better.
So put your favourate music on and choose a recipe to cook and offer to your loved ones. There is nothing better you can offer!
I hope you enjoy making these recipes and have as much fun as i have both making and eating them.
Sylvia