Almond pear pie

I made this pie for Thanksgiving because it just looks like it belongs on a Thanksgiving dinner spread. I didn't follow a recipe to make this pie; I actually created this recipe and had to tweak it a few times before achieving the end result worthy of being featured on a holiday dinner table lol

Ingredients

5 eggs
1/4 stick of butter (melted)
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/4 cup of granulated sugar
1 and a 1/4 cups of very finely chopped almonds (blanched almonds)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 roll of pie crust (thawed)
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp baking powder
Canned pears (drained and washed)
Directions:

• Whisk the eggs add sugar and continue whisking until smooth
• Add melted butter (cooled down otherwise you will cook the eggs)
• Add the heavy cream and vanilla extract and whisk
• add dry ingredients (almonds/cocoa/baking powder) and continue whisking until all ingredients are combined and a smooth consistency is achieved.
• Line the pie crust in a pie mold, pour half the mixture and layer the pear wedges ( cut each pear half in 4 lenghwise) to cover the whole surface
• Pour the second half of the mixture over the pears and bake in a 375 F oven for 40 to 45 minutes.
• Once out of the oven let cool and decorate with confectioners sugar anyway you'd like. I cut up leaf shapes from paper towels and placed them carefully on the pie and then dusted it with powdered sugar and lifted my leaves very carefully.

This pie is best eaten chilled and is so delicious and moist; you won't need that scoop of ice cream on the side!

Pecan coconut cookies

These cookies are my husband's favorites, they are the same as the "Almond melt in your mouth cookies" posted here but I used pecans instead of almonds.

When they're done baking I roll them in warm peach jam and unsweetened coconut flakes; this is not the kind you find in your grocery store's baking aisle (I have a sweet tooth but jam with sweetened coconut flakes is just too much!) You can find this kind in a health food or organic supermarket (Think whole foods) or ethnic stores (I found mine in a middle eastern store). Keep these cookies in a closed container in the fridge so they can last longer.

Again you can find the recipe here and just replace the almonds with pecans

Chewy chocolate cookies

I found the idea of these chocolate cookies in a magazine, and I say idea because I've changed the recipe  to give it more flavor and even assembling two cookies with nutella was an upgrade from the original :-)

I am usually a make it from scratch kind of cook but I do break the rules on a few things as long as the taste is not compromised. This recipe calls for a box of chocolate cake mix, butter, one egg and cream cheese but I decided to add finely chopped pecans, orange zest, instant coffee and vanilla and that is what made all the difference...Chewy, nutty, very chocolatey and super easy to make.




Ingredients:

1 box of chocolate cake mix (I used German chocolate cake mix)
1 egg
1 stick of butter (room temperature)
4 oz of cream cheese
1 cup of finely chopped pecans (use any kind of nuts you like)
1teaspoon vanilla
zest of one orange
1 teaspoon instant coffee (I used Nescafe)
Nutella for cookie sandwich assembly (I used strawberry jam before and it tastes really good too!)
powdered sugar for decorating


Directions:

• Mix butter and cream cheese until soft, add one egg, the zest of one orange, coffee and vanilla and mix until combined.
• Add the contents of the cake box and mix everyting until you achieve a smooth consistency (dough will be sticky)
• Form one big ball, wrap it in plastic film and put in fridge for one hour.
• Form balls the size of a walnut, dip one side in powdered sugar and place on cookie sheet (leave enough space since they flatten to be the size shown on picture)
• Bake in a 350 F oven for 12-13 minutes.
• Let the cookies cool down before and handling them
• Assemble cookie sandwiches using Nutella or jam.

Grilled chicken with creamy portabello sauce

I follow one of two different methods when making grilled chicken; I either make a good marinade and let the chicken absorb the flavor from it for a few hours in the fridge and just grill it when it's time to eat, or I leave the chicken plain with just some olive oil salt and pepper and take the time to make the sauce that goes over it once it's grilled and gives it all the flavor it needs.

This sauce is so delicious and always gets two thumbs up from the whole family!

• Clean some portabello mushrooms (Just wipe them with a paper towel) and cut them into thin pieces
• Grate two halves of one big tomato to get puree
• Chop about 1 tablespoon of cilantro (optional) and Chop one shallot
• Heat up 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet and add the shallots
• Cook until soft and add mushrooms, salt and pepper and continue sauteeing it until the mushrooms are tender
• Add the fresh tomatoe puree (Not the canned stuff please) add cilantro and a little bit of water and cover.
• Let it simmer for about 5 minutes and add 1/4 of a teaspoon of flour to help the sauce thicken, stir immediately after you add the flour.
• Add about 6 tabelspoons of heavy cream and let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
• Salt and pepper the Chicken breasts (thin slices) coat in oil and grill

Serve the chicken with the sauce over it and enjoy!

Cauliflower Gratin

One of my favorite ways to cook cauliflower is au gratin; I actually think that it absorbs flavor a lot better than potatoes in the classical french potato gratin (minus the carbs too!)

This recipe is very simple to make and delicious, you will never look at cauliflower the same way after you try this.

• Wash one cauliflower, cut into 4 to 6 big pieces and cook in salted water until tender
• Let drain completely while you make the sauce
• Whisk 3 eggs with half a cup of heavy cream
• Add some cilantro (optional) salt and pepper
• Add crumbled feta cheese (I used about 4 tablespoons)
• Place the cauliflower pieces in an oven safe deep dish (terra cotta for me)
• Pour the sauce evenly over the cauliflower
• Cook in a 400 F oven for 20-25 minutes
• Broil for about 5 minutes (watch closely)

 Voila! very easy

Blueberry muffins

Blueberry muffins are not something I grew up with but I do love fruit in baking and I try to include most american classics in my kitchen. Carrot cake and pumkin pie I can't get my self to like and I have given them more than one shot (I just don't appreciate veggies in baked goods)

This recipe is for a coffee cake that my mom used to make sans the blueberries, it is delicious and versatile. This recipe is the base to a lot of my muffins and coffee cakes; add nutella in the center for a little surprise or substitute some finely chopped nuts for some of the flour and you can even add som cocoa powder to make it a chocolate cake.

Ingredients:

4 eggs

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 granulated sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil or canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups of flour

Directions:

Beat eggs and sugar until smooth

Add remaining wet ingredients and combine

Add flour and baking powder and mix until you ahieve a smooth consistency.

Grease a muffin pan and pour batter in each mold to 3/4 of its capacity

Roll blueberries in some flour and shake the excess off (this prevents them from sinking to the bottom and getting burnt)

Drop a few blueberries in each mold

Bake at 375 F for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Nutella hazelnut palmiers

I love palmiers or "elephants' ears" and this recipe is just about the easiest and most delicious one I have tried. The sweeteness of the Nutella and crunchiness of the nuts take this palmier to a whole other level of flavor.
So easy to make and you can substitute the hazelnuts for any other kind of nuts you like or happen to have in your pantry (almonds are a good choice).

Ingredients:

• 2 Frozen puff pastry sheets (thawed in fridge)
• Nutella
• finely chopped hazelnuts
• 1 egg yolk and teaspoon of water (for egg wash)
• Some granulated sugar for sprinkling

Directions:

1. unfold the pastry sheets
2. Smear Nutella on each sheet and sprinkle with chopped nuts (amounts depend on preference)
3. Roll each sheet length wise from each side until both sides meet in the middle
4. cut into 1 inch thick slices width wise and place on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper
5. brush each palmier with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar
6. cook in a 350 F oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden brown.

Enjoy!

Fettuccini with chicken in creamy tomato sauce

My husband swears that I am half italian whenever I make pasta; my sauces are really good if I may say so myself!
This "pink sauce" has the tanginess of a tomato sauce and the creaminess of a white sauce without being heavy and is incredibly delicious!!
I don't give exact meansurements for ingredients when it comes to savory recipes as it depends on the amount I am cooking and how much each person likes certain spices.

Directions:

Heat up two tablespoons of canola oil in a pressure cooker (or a regular pot if you have time) add clean cut up chicken pieces (I use legs and thighs) and add spices (salt, pepper, paprika, half a buillon cube) brown the chiken on both sides. chop one shallot and add to the pot, cut one big tomato in two halves, grate the insides on a cheese grater or pass in food processor to have tomatoe puree and add to the pot.

Let the shallot and tomatoe cook for about 2 to 3 minutes while you stir from time to time so nothing sticks to the bottom.

Add one big can of tomatoe sauce to the pot and some water and cover, cook until the chicken is tender (20-30 minutes in pressure cooker) and you can add a little water if you see that your chicken needs more time to cook. Uncover to reduce the sauce (you can add some cilantro at this point) and add about 5 tabelespoons of heavy whipping cream. Let your sauce simmer for about 2 minutes.

Cook your pasta to your preference, drain, add sauce and place chicken pieces on the top.

Pineapple charlotte

"Charlotte" is used to describe a kind of french dessert cakes that usually don't require any baking and are more frequently made with lady fingers and are very comparable to a tiramisu in consistency.

I have made many Charlottes with different flavors but this one is a winner; the pineapple brings such an irresistible freshness to it that it has become a go to dessert in my house for the hot summer days. You can make this charlotte with any kind of fruit you like and decorate it in so many different ways (I chose to keep it simple on this one as it was just for me and the kids)

Very very easy to make and 100% guaranteed results.

Ingredients:

2 Packages of lady fingers (preferably the spongy kind you find near your grocery store's bakery area)
1 can pineapple in juice (not syrup!)
1 medium carton (16oz) heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar (or depending on how sweet you want the cream to be)
2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese (italian dessert cheese if not familiar)

Directions:

1-Put your mixing bowl and whisk attachment to chill in the freezer about 10 minutes before you start (it makes the process go a lot quicker)

2-in bowl beat the heavy whipping cream with electric hand mixer or hand free mixer (I use my KitchenAid) add vanilla and add the powdered sugar gradually and keep beating until mixture forms soft peaks

3- Add mascarpone cheese and beat a little more until incorporated

4- Seperate the pineapple chunks from the juice (keep juice on the side) and fold half of them into the mixture

5- Line a mold with plastic wrap to cover the bottom, sides and have extra lengths hang over the top.

6- Dip each lady fingers in the pineapple juice before you line them one by one across the sides of the mold.

7- Pour half the cream mixture and cover with more lady fingers (dip in pineapple juice as you go)

8- Pour the second half of the mixture and cover with the remaining lady fingers.

9- Cover the top of the mold with the hanging extremeties of the plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to chill over night; this is very important as it makes a world of a difference in the way the cake tastes.

10- Uncover the top of the mold and place a plate on it, flip the mold onto the plate very quickly and remove the plastic wrap.

12- Decorate with pineapple chuncks or anything else you prefer (slivered almonds/chocolate shavings/ strawberries..)

Keep this dessert very cool!

Almond melt in your mouth cookies

I usually bake cookies every other week to keep in the treat jar on my counter top. I try to stay away from commercially bought cookies for the kids as much as possible; first of all I know what goes into them and second of all no store bought cookie will beat the taste of these home made delicacies.

These cookies are so easy to make and are a big success with my family, co-workers and neighbors. They melt in you mouth and can be made with any kind of nuts you happen to like; i've made them with pecans before and with peanuts and both times they didn't disappoint. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter (room temperature)
1 egg
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest (or orange)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup flour
1 cup finely chopped almonds

Directions:

1. Pan roast whole almonds (with skin) so they can release their nutty flavor and this makes any kind of nuts taste better (especially peanuts) and chop them finely in the food processor. you can skip this step if you have store bought chopped nuts and use them straight from the bag.

2. Cream the butter and sugar until smooth, add zest, vanilla, egg and mix very well until all ingredients are combined

3. Add the flour and mix until combined then the chopped nuts and mix the dough until smooth.

4. form one big ball with your hands, wrap it in plastic foil and refregirate for 30 minutes.

5. form walnut sized balls and bake in a 350 F oven for 10-15 minutes or until bottom is golden brown.

6. Let stand for 15 minutes and then roll in powdered sugar.

These cookies taste so much better the next day if they can survive that long!!

Me blogger?! Naaah

It never crossed my mind that I would ever want to create a blog since I don't like the very idea of letting people (aka: strangers) know what's going on in my life. I don't even have a Facebook account!! but this here is different; it's a food blog meant to preserve all my favorite recipes for my children and in the future my grand children...Awww Sweet right?!

This whole idea started as a New Year resolution; I wanted to type up a cook book with all the recipes that I gathered over the years in my (very messy and old) recipe note book but before then translate them all into English (Some of them are in my native Arabic and some are in my second language: French) We want our English speaking second and third generations to be able to understand it after all!

My cooking style is very international; mainly Moroccan with a lot of french influences and of course American classics that I always find a way to put my little twist on...I love pasta so that would count as italian cooking right? Maybe not but I thought I'd throw another country in there.

Stay tuned!!