Saturday, December 29, 2018

1202. Flax Pizza


This is a pizza which uses whole wheat flour plus ground flax seeds in the dough. If pizza is a rare treat in your household, it might not be worth looking for a healthified dough recipe. If however pizza is a constant request, this version might start to look appealing.

Thursday, December 27, 2018

1201. Turkish Quince Dessert


I have been wanting to make this dessert for more time than I care to admit. Usually, my interest in sugar-syrup soaked desserts spans the duration of Ramadan only. Having finally nailed homemade geemar, I lunged at the opportunity to finally make this recipe, and it did not disappoint.

Sunday, December 23, 2018

1200. Iraqi Kahi


Kahi and geemar are a traditional breakfast served to newly weds in Iraq. Both the kahi and the geemar are made fresh and daily. Should you find yourself in Iraq wanting to indulge in this sweet and decadent breakfast daily, you would be sure to get it fresh daily.

Friday, December 21, 2018

1199. Iraqi Geemar


True Iraqi geemar is made fresh daily using buffalo milk. So first, what is geemar? Geemar is the creme de la creme. It is literally the cream layer skimmed off rich and luscious milk. Different-yet similar- variations exist in different culture, most notably the British clotted cream and the Turkish kaimak.

Wednesday, December 19, 2018

1198. Lemon Cake with Raspberry Glaze


My trusty lemon cake strikes again. See: original, variation 1, variation 2, variation 3, variation 4. This time, the standout is the all-natural raspberry glaze that covers the cake.

Monday, December 17, 2018

1197. Zaatar Crisps


Ever since I discovered I can easily and quickly whip up my own batch of puff pastry, options have been seemingly endless in both the sweet and savory departments. These zaatar crisps were altogether unavoidable, seeing our love for tangy Palestinian zaatar.

Friday, December 14, 2018

1196. Litchi Sago


Sago is a very starchy pearl used as a thickening agent. I think it is comparable to tapicoa, which is more commonly used in the Americas. We have made use of it once before in a well-loved and popular Arabian Gulf dessert here. This spin-off uses more Asian flavors (litchi, coconut milk), with a touch of Arabian rose, that quite frankly when combined brings memories of all things Isfahan.

Wednesday, December 12, 2018

1195. Simple Paella


This is not a traditional paella, but a much simpler replica to make life that much quicker. I used a bag of frozen seafood cocktail fish, from shrimp to octopus to calamari.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

1194. Caramel Apple Pie


Caramel and apples are an excellent idea. Baskets of crisp apples are even sold with tubs of ooey caramel at farmer markets and artisan delis. So why not combine them in a pie?

Sunday, December 2, 2018

1193. Salmon Corn Chowder


Fancy an delicious and cozy hug-in-a-bowl this winter? Look no further than this salmon chowder. It's got the comforting carbohydrate factors featured in the corn and potato additions, but it is the mild salmon that is the star here.

Friday, November 30, 2018

1192. Coffee Amaretti Dessert


This is a quick and easy whipped cream dessert flavored with coffee. Many people categorize themselves as coffee dessert haters or adorers, and I am definitely up to a coffee flavored dessert.

Monday, November 26, 2018

1191. Whole Stuffed Pumpkin


Masha Allah what a beautiful presentation this was. A Cinderella pumpkin, hollowed and stuffed, baked and served whole was the talk of the gathering. Looking way more intimidating than it is, once you've done it once you will find yourself getting creative and switching up the flavors.

Thursday, November 22, 2018

1190. White Chocolate Raspberry Tart


This white chocolate raspberry tart was made three times in two weeks; its that good and easy. It presents beautifully, too. It is a no-bake sort of tart that barely needs assembly and a refrigeration stint.

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

1189. Whole Wheat Tea Biscuits


Admittedly, I made these tea biscuits to try out my new stamp cookie cutter. But whether you have a cutter like this or not, these whole wheat tea biscuits are a delight to dunk in your, well, tea.

Wednesday, November 14, 2018

1188. Quick Strawberry Chocolate Cake


The reason why this is called a quick strawberry chocolate cake is because it bakes in 20 minutes flat. Furthermore, once the cake is completely cooled, is is sandwiched with some whipped cream and fresh strawberries, at which point it is ready to go.

Monday, November 12, 2018

1187. Garlic Butter Stuffed Chicken Breast


Breaded and fried chicken is always a favorite. Stuffing the chicken with a garlic herb butter before breading and frying just takes the whole concept beyond.

Friday, November 9, 2018

1186. San Sebastian Cheesecake


This Spanish burnt cake has taken over the Arabian Gulf by storm! It is uncanny how it did so, even spurring memes in its honor. There is no caterer, pastry shop, or online business who hasn't jumped on the bandwagon to maximize on this new trend.

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

1185. Turkey Beurre Sandwich


A classic French sandwich sold throughout the country in all its corner shops and cafes is the famous jambon beurre. What it is, is a baguette smeared with some amazing French butter, and a couple sliced of deli meat. Three ingredients will get you the most delicious sandwich, but seeing the danger of accidentally buying a pork product, just make your own at home.

Monday, November 5, 2018

1184. Almond Tart


This tart was a dream. The day it was baked, it was a dream. The day after it was baked, it was a dream. After refrigeration, it was a dream. Seriously, it was one of the best things I have made recently.

Friday, November 2, 2018

1183. Tiramisu


While you can find a tiramisu recipe on MCW or three (1,2, 3), this is the real traditional recipe using mascarpone and eggs, minus the alcohol. The other versions incorpostae cost-effectiveness and ease by using cream cheese instead of mascarpone.

Monday, October 29, 2018

1182. Caprese Skewers


Caprese is an Italian salad composed of fresh mozarella slices, lovely summer tomato slices, and vibrant basil leaves layered and drizzled with balsamic vinegar. The skewer version is a party catering classic.

Thursday, October 25, 2018

1181. Lime Ritz Pudding


This is a recipe that truly qualifies as a genius recipe. Not only is it genius, but delicious too. Not only is is delicious, but it is super easy to make. A winner all around.

Monday, October 22, 2018

1180. Overnight Pizza


This pizza uses the versatile recipe of overnight bread, yielding a delightfully rustic chewy crust to the pizza. To add to the rustic charm, I substituted a cup of brown flour.

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

1179. Chinese Chews Cookies


I'm not entirely sure of the real Chinese connection to this cookie, or indeed date fruit, but every search of Chinese Chews yields a similar recipe. Regardless of nomenclature or ancestry, this cookie redefines the concept of a chewy cookie.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

1178. White Chocolate Raspberry Trifle


White Chocolate Raspberry Trifle is also known as Victoria trifle, as it combines the basic elements of a vanilla sponge cake, whipped cream, and raspberry jam.

Sunday, October 7, 2018

1177. Banana Millionaire Cookies


Here goes MCW doing things in reverse again. So these banana millionaire cookies should have come as an adaptation of regular millionaire cookies, but here we are.

Wednesday, October 3, 2018

1176. Date Molasses Sandwich Cookies


Date molasses has a plethora of health benefits, and is amazingly and wonderfully simple enough to make your own at home if you've got the urge to undertake a full-day project.

Monday, October 1, 2018

1175. Crispy Mashed Potato Balls


Crispy fried mashed potato balls. Need I say more? This is mashed potato, reconceptualized. It's really very simple where a standard breading operation is conducted on balls of cold mashed potato.

Wednesday, September 26, 2018

1174. Qamr Aldeen Rice Pudding


This dish is the essence of Ramadan in the form of dessert. It is no secret how much we love rice puddings in the Arabian Gulf, which is admittedly a strange thing to say since nary a culture doesn't.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

1173. Latte Refrigerator Cake


The kinds of desserts favored in the current Arabian popular culture is a bit strange to my taste. They for the most part fall under two categories: fried and soaked in sugar syrup, or originating from a variety of cans and packaged preserved ingredients. That's not to say they're not delicious; they are! Just not my everyday style is all.

Thursday, September 20, 2018

1172. Layered Saffron Chicken and Rice


I tend to avoid recipes with a ton of ingredients, but this one looked so good I thought I would give it a go. Be aware that there are multiple steps and multiple pots and pans to wash later.

Friday, September 14, 2018

1171. Oat Crackers with Lebna Dip


Snacking has developed into a multi billion dollar industry, and we all know what that means. It means that the competition of tasty, addictive, and cheap options is on. This in turn makes us opt of a packet of once-you-pop-you-can't-stop chips over some homemade dip and crackers.

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

1170. Saffron Flan Cake


Two wonders about this cake should be discussed. Firstly, the type of cake is a small miracle on its own. A standard flour cake batter is spread over the base of a prepared bundt tin. This is the topped with a creme caramel mixture, and popped in the oven to bake.

Sunday, September 9, 2018

1169. Whole Fish Rice Turnover


We most certainly do not eat enough fish. When we do, it tends to be a quick something or another that makes us feel virtuous for about an hour and then forget all about incorporating more fish in our diet until next month or so.

Wednesday, September 5, 2018

1168. Mortadella Cheese Puff


Of course making your own puff pastry is optional when you can easily buy ready made, but when its so easy to whip up a batch, why not make your own? This is a quick comfort food that can be insanely and endlessly customized to what you may have on hand or cravings.

Monday, September 3, 2018

1167. Sushi Sandwiches


A fun and new way to present sushi, giving you three varieties at one go. This can easily be adapted into classic sushi rolls using the same ingredients instead of sandwiches.

Tuesday, August 28, 2018

Sunday, August 26, 2018

1165. Fig and Brie Sandwich


Grilled cheese sandwiches have been vamped up and glorified way beyond the toast and cheddar variety. Variations are now served at Michelin star restaurants using the most expensive cheese and truffle and what have you.

Wednesday, August 22, 2018

Eid Al Adha 1439


أُهني الأمة الإسلامية عامة و خليفة المسلمين و المجاهدين و المناصرين خاصة بحلول عيد الأضحى المبارك. أسأل الله أن يعيده علينا بالنصر والتمكين

Thursday, August 16, 2018

1163. Aubergine Nut Rice


Adding a roast chicken over this rice completes a hearty family meal reminiscent of traditional Iraqi cooking.

Monday, August 13, 2018

1162. Marshmallow Chocolate Cake


Loaded with sugar upon sugar in the forms of oreo, chocolate, and marshmallow, this simple cake is sure to please the little's palate.

Thursday, August 9, 2018

1161. Pumpkin Hummus


Another day, another dip. The perfect portable cooling light meal in hot sticky days. Helps pack in a few of your fave a day pretty easily, too.

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

1160. Butter Finger Cookies


Classic melt-in-your mouth piped butter finger cookies, sandwiched with jam, and dripped in chocolate. Pretty sprinkles optional.

Sunday, August 5, 2018

1159. Beetroot Tabboula


A twist on the original tabboula of tomato and parsley. One of a variety of them on MCW.

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

1158. Saffron Milk Cake


While saffron itself is an ancient spice, it has recently been experiencing a boom in the dessert arena. Everyone is jumping on the saffron bandwagon, and saffron-flavored everything is everywhere.

Sunday, July 29, 2018

1157. Aubergine Walnut Dip


This is a very easy and nutritious dip that is pretty straightforward to come together. Using all natural ingredients adds to the allure of making it in a big batch and consuming it in various occasions throughout the week.

Thursday, July 26, 2018

1156. Twix Cheesecake


Another candy bar, another cheesecake. I'm sure a cheesecake can be created from almost any candy bar out there. Just on MCW there are the nutella-oreo and ferrero (with plenty more to come insha Allah), and a decent variety of natural, from scratch cheesecake flavors).

Friday, July 20, 2018

1155. Kubba Appetizers


This is a very versatile and delicious idea for a pretty appetizer. It is served at room temperature so can be prepared ahead.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Eid Al Fitr 1439


اللهم لا تجعله آخر العهد من صيامنا إياه
فإن جعلته فاجعلنا مرحومين ولا تجعلنا محرومين

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Ramadan 1439


رمضان مبارك لجميع اخواني و اخواتي المجاهدين و المجاهدات في دولتنا الإسلامية. الله يثبتكم و ينصركم و يتقبل منكم و يتقبلكم و يجزيكم رضاه و الفردوس الأعلى