737. Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

Sometimes, you just need a cookie. Different moods call for different cookies. Caramel-y? Alfajores. Crunchy? Pistachio biscotti. Healthy? Oatmeal Raisin. Nutty? Gazelle horns. Iraqi? Kleicha. Chocolate-y? Kinder all the way. Spicy? Mushrooms and Zmitsterne. Elegant? Macarons. Sugary? Palmiers.

736. Zaatar Shortbread Rods

The Lebanese, with the Francophone influence over their culture, have a habit of merging French and Arabic food yielding impressive results. Take the zaatar croissant: quintessentially French pastry with undeniably Arab (specifically Palestinian) herb/spice mix.

735. Scrambled Eggs and Mushrooms

I cannot get over how underrated the simple things in life are.
Here we've got the most simple breakfast possible that will have your tummy feel like a king's.
Pan roasted fresh mushroom are accompanied by slow and low-heat scrambled eggs, all brought together with some toast and perhaps a glass of orange juice.

734. Chicken Tikka Masala

So I seem to be a hopeless cookbook collector. To moderate my addiction, I made this self-imposed rule to make at least fifteen recipes from each book I own.

733. Merguez Baguette Sandwiches

Merguez is a North African (specifically Moroccan) sausage which the French have adopted as their own. It is a hybrid of a sausage and a kofta. Not unlike the Iraqi basturma or the Turkish sujuk actually.
Sauteed in a pan and placed beside some sunny-side-up eggs for breakfast, or tossed on the grill accompanying a full-blown barbeque lunch, this spicy fresh sausage is to be appreciated.

732. Peanut Butter Oreo Ganache Tarte

This tart is a nutty spin-off my oreo-ganache tart. The addition of peanut butter almost invariably makes things better, don't you think?

731. Steak Escalope with Mushroom Sauce

This dish is not a light one, albeit an amazing, warming, delicious, and comforting one.
A mash-up of two previous recipes (Chicken Fingers with Dipping Sauce and Crispy Roasted Chicken with Mushroom Sauce), it is a dish of no regrets.

730. Chicken Liver Mousse

 Information truly is enlightening.
Before, I would refuse to feel bad about eating anything Allah has created for human consumption. I thought of vegetarians silly, and vegans as simply absurd.

729. Roast Chicken Provencale

Provence is a region in Southern France, very well loved and known for its rustic and local cuisine and produce. Arguably the most famous dish hailing from that region is the ratatouille, which showcases the abundant use of aubergines, capsicums, garlic, onion, tomato, and of course olive oil.

728. Cheesy Jalpeno Quesadilla

Quesadilla are basically the Mexican version of Iraqi arayees or regular grilled cheese sandwiches.
A filling is encased between two thin breads and toasted to perfection.
This cheesy, and very spicy, quesadilla is as simple as it gets.

727. Knafa Naplussi

Knafa (الكنافة) is the all-time Ramadan dessert, and is just as good any other time of year. Everyone from the Arabian Gulf, to the Levant, to Turkey, Greece, and Northern Africa make it and call it theirs. Its true origin? None other than our mother land of Palestine.

726. Iraqi Broiled Fish with Sultana Sauce

I am so happy to host this month's MENA Cooking Club Challenge: IRAQ!
Previous months include: Algeria, Bahrain, Djiboui, and Egypt.

725. Iraqi Yellow Rice

Rice is a staple in the Iraqi household, and no lunch is complete without it.
Therefore it is of no surprise the sheer creativity and variety Iraqis have created using this grain, from elaborate biryani, parda plau, carrot rice, and broad bean dill rice, to more simple forms like vermicelli rice and lamb fat rice.

724. Brie-Stuffed Mushroom

Anyone who likes mushroom, cheese, and garlic will appreciate this recipe.
Mushroom caps are lightly cooked in a little butter, then stuffed with brie cheese cubes and topped with an onion-garlic-parsley mixture.

723. Pumpkin Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

This season I bought a small load of excellent butternut squash, and decided to use it instead of pumpkin (to great results). I made pumpkin pie, pumpkin latte, and now I used the last of it in this pumpkin-chocolate cheesecake swirl cheesecake.

722. Turkish Menemen Eggs

There exists a whole world of eggs I thoroughly plan on exploring. Eggs just might be the best and most convenient single-cell protein out there. I have even seen old ladies slowly peeling their boiled eggs on a train or in the park.

721. Crispy Roasted Chicken with Mushroom Sauce

Chicken and mushroom, much like chicken and lemon,  is a classic and made time and again for a reason: it's a winning combination.