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.

720. Greek Shrimp Sanganaki

This was such a wholesome and flavorful dish that it's become one of my go-to recipes.
A sauce of garlic, tomatoes, olives, and dill envelope envelope tasty shrimp, all topped with salty feta cheese.

719. Fresh Pumpkin Pie

It's difficult to ignore the pumpkin craze this time of year in the virtual world.
One recipe that particularity spiked my curiosity for years is pumpkin pie. The concept is so foreign and strange to me.

718. Cheese Steak Sandwich

Sometimes a carnivorous, cheesy, crusty, rough-and-tough sandwich is what we need at the end of a long day.

717. Slow Cooker Iraqi White Bean Stew

I'm adapting my slow cooker to make Iraqi stews.
This was my first experiment and the results were highly successful.
You simply put everything in the slow cooker pot, set the heat, and come back six to eight hours later to a fully cooked stew!

716. Pumpkin Latte

When I hear of any pumpkin drink, I inevitably think of Harry Potter.
It's a bit confusing when people use the term pumpkin spice and then you find there is not pumpkin, just a combination of spices some people refer to as pumpkin spice. This recipe is not like that. It has real pumpkin in it.

715. Cottage Pie

Hachis parmentier, cottage pie, shepherd's pie... there's something to be said for meat mince topped with mashed potato and baked to a bubbly crusty finish.

714. Kinder Cookies

These cookies were bound to happen.
Having the perfect soft/firm cookie batter recipe in my pocket, the options are endless.

713. Cheesy Olive Baguettes

Are bread and sheep the oldest foods known to man?
Bread, at any rate, is one thing no society can live without, so it comes as no surprise the sheer variety and embellishments created using bread.

712. Slow Cooked Pulled Lamb

This has to be one of the most comforting and warming recipes out there, and that's not to mention it's highly nutritional and even healthy!

711. Cauliflower Mash

Cauliflower mash is a great alternative to mashed potato.
It is much faster and easier to make, as well as being much lighter to consume.

710. Chicken Fingers with Dipping Sauce

Double-drenching tenderized chicken strips in seasoned flour makes for an amazing crispy crust. Make a gravy dipping sauce of it's own pan drippings, and it's a very special comfort meal indeed.

709. Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I think I may have mentioned my love for most things oat.
In cookie form, I have on this blog oatmeal cookies, oatmeal m&m cookies, and now as a natural following step, these oatmeal raisin cookies.

708. Slow Cooker Chicken Sesame

This is a convenient meal made in the slow cooker that is just as good as take out.

707. Roquefort Cheese Burger

Ever since the simple burger, home-made burgers at home have never been so delicious.
No more messy eggs and breadcrumbs in the patties; just pure 100% good quality minced beef.

706. Chicken Sunflower Seed Burgers

These sunflower seed chicken burgers or koftas are light and simple to make.

705. Chocolate Bomb Dessert

Admittedly, this dessert is not made from scratch. However, a clever and appropriate use of resources makes it a cinch to make and a delight to eat with fellow chocolate-loving friends.

704. Shrimp Curry (Diet)

One of the reasons why Indians are so smart is their daily consumption of spices. These spices unclog any arteries, liven up dull minds, and are excellent for the heart.

703. Burger Hand Pie

These burger hand pies are a fun way to eat burgers.
Great as a lunch or for some serious snacking.

702. Slow Cooker Chicken Lemon Piccata

I love chicken piccata, but with all the batch frying of the chicken, it's almost enough for me to consider making something else.
With my slow cooker, no more!

701. Chocolate Caramel Coffee Latte

Chocolate and coffee is mocha. What is chocolate, coffee, and caramel??
This hot triple-C drink feels almost like a hack!

700. Iraqi Chicken Fesenjun

One of the greatest misconceptions in food culture is that the inclusion of fruit in savory dishes is Persian. In fact, ancient recipes literally engraved in stone from Sammara, Iraq is all the proof needed that it is Iraqi.

699. Cheesy Baked Risotto

Sometimes, all one craves is a single, steaming, cheesy bowl of rice. Risotto, to be specific.

698. Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

Beef stroganoff is a comforting Autumnal dish which originated from Russia, but has been taking over the world for several decades now, thereby changing and evolving as it goes.

697. Chia-Coconut Pudding

This is an amazing and wholesome superfood dessert, with no animal product, no added sugar or sweeteners, and no "fillers" such as flour and the like.
The actual dessert is actually only two ingredient: chia seeds and coconut milk.

696. Stewed Greek Lemon Chicken

Lemon is great in just about everything, from drinks, to cakes, and definitely to chicken.
Greek roast chicken is hearty and delicious as it is, but you wouldn't expect the Greeks to resign to one type of lemon chicken now would you?

695. Roast Tomato Soup

Tomato soup has so many variations, and while my previous one was made with canned tomatoes, this one uses roasted fresh tomatoes.

694. Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Sandwiches are great; warm sandwiches are ideal.
This grilled cheese sandwich encompasses the ideal of European rustic wholesome food in my opinion.

693. Egyptian Sprouted Lentil Soup

This month's MENA Cooking Club country of choice, following Algeria and Bahrain, and Djibouti, is Egypt and it is hosted by Amira of Arabian Mama.

692. Slow Cooker Chicken Barbecue

Having discovered the wonders of a slow cooker (aka crock pot), I just had to make this recipe.

691. Red Velvet Brownie Cake

Eid Al-Adha Mubarak everyone!

690. Chicken Fillet in Mustard Mushrooms

In our family we like our mushrooms.
Be it with chicken, meat, or simply grilled by its lonesome with a sprinkle of salt.

689. Spinach Gratin

Creamed spinach is one of my favorite non-healthy-disguised-as-healthy sides.

688. Prune Earl Grey Yogurt Parfait

This parfait was an accidental skinny dessert. I love re-hydrated prunes, so I decided to showcase them as a fancy dessert.