765. Chestnut Rice

This Chestnut rice is oft served in Turkish homes and is a popular street food in the winter time.
Chestnut, like mushroom, are sort of meaty in and of themselves, so I was quite content to have this beside a salad. It is however traditionally served with some pickles or fermented vegetables to entice the senses between sweet, savory, and sour.

764. Iraqi Chicken Tepsi

Tepsi (التبسي) is the quintessential Iraqi homey meal. It is the Iraqi counterpart to the western casserole where various components get put in an oven-proof dish and baked with minimal hands-on work. This is a saucy chicken dish loaded with flavorsome vegetables.

763. Fatoom's Red Velvet Cupcakes

My friend and sister Fatoom is famous for her red velvet cupcakes. They are so soft and tender and luscious and delicious. I loved her all the better and was even more in amaze of her generous character when she gave me the recipe, and did not mind me blogging it.

762. Iraqi Chicken Tashreeb Express

Chicken tashreeb is one of my favorite Iraqi stews (and there are many stews, and many favorites). However, what puts me off making it almost every single time is the browning of the chicken parts.
This recipe for chicken tashreeb express not only avoids this sticky and smelly situation, but also drastically cuts down on cooking time.

761. Puff Pastry Pizzas

These pizza-tarts are my kind of food. Although I get the occasional carnivorous callings, I would be happy to live a meat-free life if all vegetarian food was this good, and if someone made this kind of food for me everyday! You don't need to make your own puff pastry for this.

760. Chestnut Sage Soup

There exist varieties of chestnut soups around, yet I chose to make the simplest version with just a touch of cream. Simple it may be, but elegant and substantial too. The garnish of chestnut chunks and whole crispy fried sage leaves may be optional, but it makes for a great added visual and textural effect.

759. Pomegranate Seseame Chicken with Ginger Coconut Rice

I was reluctant to try this recipe due to the unusual combo of pomegranate molasses and soy sauce (unusual to me). Try it I did, to great success and pleasure. A wonderful bonus to the recipe is the ginger-coconut rice it gets served on.

758. Fig Bar Cookies (Whole Wheat)

My father, Allah rest his soul, would have loved these cookies.
These cookies are as wholesome as they are healthy, especially with my using whole wheat flour in the cake-like (yet still firm) dough enveloping the jammy dried fig filling.

757. Beetroot, Pomegranate, Pumpkin Seeds Salad

Sometimes we over-indulge in decadent food and end up feeling heavy and bloated. This salad is the remedy. Colorful, delicious, and bursting in nutrients and vitality, it is the ultimate winter de-toxifying salad.

756. Iraqi Lamb Ribs

Sometimes, we want to mask the aroma of a food, say, liver, by over-seasoning and spicing. Other times, a cut of meat is just too special to mask with other flavors. This is a recipe for meat lovers, who love the clean, intense flavor of a good cut.