1623. Almond Latte and Almond Pancakes

A while back, I posted a recipe for almond milk. This almond milk, home made with just raw almonds and water, has an unrivaled taste and no brand found in any store could compete with. The issue lay with the pulp. It would be a shame to discard it, and there is a limit to how many cookie and cakes one can make. Here is the solution. 

1622. Express Green Bean Stew

I already have an authentic Iraqi green bean stew recipe here on MCW, which is, quite frankly, unbeatable. But sometimes you just want an express hug-in-a-bowl with green bean stew flavors, cutting down on hours of, well, stewing, ground beef is the way to go. 

1621. Rocca Turkey Wrap

Rocca, or rocket leaves, wrapped in bread is seriously underrated. Here I made your standard deli sliced turkey and cheese, but with a mountain of rocca leaves. A bit of mayo, a dash of hot sauce, and lunch is served. 

1620. Victory Shrimp

Without a doubt, some of the best cooking is simple cooking. This is a one-person recipe for a feast of an appetizer, whether you want to treat yourself or make it for a loved one. It is as easily made for one as it is for four.

1619. Salted Chocolate Almonds

Shock and horror, my favorite chocolate is milk chocolate, and followed by, even worse, white chocolate. Having said that, dark chocolate sits really well in these salted chocolate almonds, sort of making it an accidentally healthy treat. 

1618. Express Granola Yogurt

This express granola yogurt formed of two ingredients who deserve to be called the dynamic duo. Theyhave come to the rescue many a times for a quick breakfast or a light dinner. Highly customizable, they are plenty flavorsome on their own, but feel free to add fresh fruit, seeds, honey, or almost anything else. 

1617. Campfire Um Ali

This campfire um ali is making the rounds in the winter as it is a super easy and super fast and super delicious dessert to make over an open flame (ie, when the Arabs go desert camping in the winter).

1616. Mushroom Stroganoff

The original stroganoff is made of beef. This is a vegetarian version with just the mushroom. 

1615. Zaatar Haloomi

Great for breakfast or a light meal, these zaatar-crusted pan-fried haloomi slices can top an avocado toast for an even better experience. 

Best of MCW 1301-1400

The braided brioche loaf and the dalgona coffee are dead giveaways that quarantine started during this compilation. How strange it is that a picture can evoke such strong memories of the event or occasion it was taken in.  

1613. Baked Lebanese Sausages

This Lebanese sausage bake is an express meal that comes together in minutes and then the oven does all the work. The end result is a medley of grilled vegetables and sausages in a wonderful self-saucing broth without having to add any additional liquid. 

1612. Sausage Egg Breakfast Burrito

Not too long ago, I made a mushroom egg burrito and declared it an efficient way to consume a wholesome breakfast. No changes to my original statement other than mentioning that it is great for any meal of the day. This is a cheesy egg and sausage version. 

1611. Lemon Mousse Gateau

This cake is a bit fussy to make, but not unattainably so. The result is a fresh lemon scented light and airy cake, perfectly complemented by the fresh raspberries used for both aesthetic and flavor.

1610. Olive Cream Cheese Spread

This is a two-ingredient hack which I now always have on hand of breakfast or snacking. All you do is blend a drained jar of pitted olives to a paste, then whip in a black of cream cheese. 

1609. Tiny Blueberry Croissants [Air Fryer]

A three-ingredient delight made express in the air fryer. All you need is puff pastry, blueberries, and powder sugar. The powder sugar, while pretty, is not only for looks for for actual flavor. 

1608. One-Pan Paprika Chicken with Potatoes and Tomatoes

Always up for a new way to roast a chicken, this one pot paprika roast chicken is nestled between cherry tomatoes and cubed potatoes, making it a one pot meal as well. 

1607. Honey Spice Cake

Sweets for my sweet, honey for my honey. Or in this case, honey cake for my honey. Using a whole cup on honey, this lightly spiced cake has the honeycomb flavor loud and clear. 

1606. Baked Onion Dolmades

We Arabs have an affinity to stuffed foods that is shared with our lovely neighbor, the Turks. These delicious soft melting stuffed onions are quite simple to prepare, but they did wow me in their flavor profile. 

1605. Orange Glaze Shortbread Cookies

The cookies may not look like much, but they were unbelievably delicious. Melt-in-the mouth, literally, and you will find yourself making mug after mug of tea just to have some more cookies.

1604. Saudi Chicken Rice Pudding

Rice pudding, but in a savory chicken form. Apparently, this is a popular Saudi comfort food where you actually want to cook the rice to a mush. 

1603. Salmon Sushi Bowl

This deconstructed sushi bowl has been making the rounds on the internet and social media like wildfire. I happened to have all ingredients on hand and decided to give it a go. It obviously lived up to the hype otherwise I would not be sharing.

1602. Double Chocolate Cookies

My cute baking date chose to make these chocolate cookies with white chocolate chunks. She's got good taste. The batter is made with cocoa, then the white chocolate chunks are stirred in. 

1601. Savory Oatmeal Breakfast Bowl

For some reason oats are frequently used in sweet recipes, and they are just as capable of starring in savory ones. Rice is usually a savory component of a meal, but sweet rice pudding is very popular in may cultures. In this breakfast recipe, we are having savory oats for a change, plus some superfood sides to complement it. 

1600. Maple Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

I have one cinnamon roll recipe on MCW, and it is so good that I never saw the need of adding another. That one is yeast-leavened, this one is baking powder and soda leavened, making it more convenient and quicker to make. 

1599. Chicken Cheesy Pasta

This is a simple but gutsy pasta with plenty of garlic and oregano in a cheesy chicken white sauce.

1598. Cinnamon Toffee Cake

This cinnamon cake is a variation of my trusty basic cake recipe, vamped up with cinnamon in the batter and a toffee glaze on the finished product. 

Best of MCW 1201-1300

Welcome to the 13th Best of MCW installment, gathering the best recipes from a one hundred-recipe range on this blog that are time tested and made over and over again.

Kicking off with a simple pleasure of life, this fragrant sage tea recipe was picked up over a decade ago, when a Palestinian colleague prepared me my first cup in the pantry of our internship program. She used dried sage leaves, which is the norm. Palestinian sage, procured through Jordan, is the best you could get a hold of. 

1596. Pecan Lacy Cookies

 

These amazing cookies are shockingly easy to make, provided you adhere to cooling times and proper handling. They are a very brittle and extremely thin cookie, that are sandwiched with the best glue ever: chocolate. With time, they lose their brittleness to become gooey. That is my favorite stage.

1595. Baked Gruyere Dip

In the cheese world, you have the Swiss fondue, which is a molten pot of multiple cheese varieties which you dip bread, cold cuts, or cornichons in, and you've got queso fundido, which is a Mexican pot of other varieties of molten cheese using tortilla chips as the carrying vehicle. This baked gruyere dip is neither.

1594. Checkboard Cookies

My cute date chose to make these checkerboard cookies this time, and I gladly obliged. Similar to marble cake, the basic recipe makes a vanilla and a separate chocolate dough. This is accordingly divided and rolled into equal length ropes, and combined in a way to form a checkerboard rod. 

1593. Sumac Roasted Potato Wedges

Eons ago I posted a roasted sumac cauliflower recipe. I wonder what took so long to do the same for potatoes, since one replaces the other in a couple of cases in the first place.

1592. Banana Lotus Trifle

It might be a bother that this recipe calls for 1.2 litres of cream instead of just one, but let me tell you, it is worth it. Strong banoofi vibes come from this trifle. Caramel and lotus, aka biscoff, are the main flavors, which combine dreamily with banana. 

1591. Airfryer Steak

Ironically, it took me a long time to master making a decent steak. Baking and cooking are just fine, but grilling a steak was always a guessing game I would be bound to lose. Now I'm ok with steaks, but do not appreciate the smoke and smell the process entails. In comes the handy-dandy airfryer. 

1590. Walnut Pie

If you like pecan pie, this is a must for you. In our part of the world, walnuts are much more native and affordable/accessible than pecans. As such, pecans tend to be given the gourmet treatment, and walnuts are viewed as a second option. I resent that and view walnuts as a beloved nut worthy to be used in dishes for kings. 

1589. Mushroom Pasta and Cornflakes Chicken

A large platter of saucy pasta topped with crispy chicken is an ideal comfort meal for kids and adults alike. Make the pasta with mushroom, and the chicken breaded with cornflakes, and you've got a winner. This chicken piccata pasta is a strong contender too, switching the sauce from the pasta to the chicken, and another version in pesto pasta.  

1588. Banana Brulee Oats

Another loaded breakfast oat bowl, but with a drastically different flavor profile. The basic oat mix is topped with chopped almonds, a dollop of cream, almond butter, and the piece de resistance: seared bananas and chocolate drizzle.  

1587. Loqum Cookie Sandwiches

Although many people grew up on these loqum cookies and remember them in their childhood with great affection, I did not. I literally tasted this combination last week for the first time and was blown away. I did not expect it to be that good. It was delicious, and dangerously addictive. 

1586. Apricot Jam Roast Chicken

If I had added soy sauce to the apricot jam, this would be a Chinese/Asian dish. However, only nutmeg was added, hence the dish is European. The caramelization on the chicken from the sugar in the jam is just amazing.

1585. Everyday Marble Cake

To be honest, I was not going to put this cake on MCW, but someone special asked me to, so here it is. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but I have an unbeatable basic cake recipe that I keep re-purposing for different flavors. There is the orange cake (by and far the most loved), then there is the cardamom. A toffee cinnamon is coming up soon, and then here is this marble cake frosted with nutella. 

Best Of MCW 1101-1200

The intermittent compilation of culinary wonders you may have missed and definitely want to try is back. This is part 12, covering the best of posts 1101 to 1200, made over and over, time and time again. 

1583. Kid's Jam Cookies

These cookies are basically Linzer cookies stuffed with whatever jam you prefer. The dough is simple enough to work with kids and it is very rewarding to them to eat what they made. 

1582. Vineleaf Haloomi and Preserved Lime Parcels

I am embracing vineleaf-everything life as of late. Cheese and vineleaves tuned out to be a pretty epic combination. Feta-chilli was a great one. Now this haloomi-preserved lime is all that, too. Grilled in a searingly-hot griddle pan, the grill marks are to be coveted here. 

1581. Sourdough Pasta

I think I have discussed my sourdough misadventures on the blog before? Long story short, I have admitted defeat in making a decent sourdough bread loaf. However, my sourdough starter is a wonderous ingredient that makes the most amazing crackers. I make the starter, just to make the crackers with its "discard". This is another super duper quick recipe that is enriched with the sourdough starter. Made in 5 minutes, and cooked in 2 minutes, this is a pasta you cannot pass (ta).

1580. Instant Peach Sorbet

It is a wonderous event when you learn this life hack of making instant one ingredient sorbet with practically any fruit. Today, we've made peach sorbet, made form overly ripe peaches sliced and frozen right at home. A hack to the hack? Buy frozen fruit! 

1579. Chicken Burgers

Chicken burgers are far from a revelation, and are quite regularly the second choice to beef burgers. These chicken burgers will have you making them for the specific reason they they are chicken. They are that good. 

1578. Rutab Date Smoothie

As mentioned in the last post during our visit to the Heenat Salma farm for their date harvest festival event, we requested the recipe for the delicious date smoothies presented during the afternoon tea and Chef Mark kindly gave us a private cooking demonstration. 

1577. Heenat Salma Farm Visit

We took a few hours to visit Heenat Salma farm for their date harvest event, and it was a wonderful experience. Due to the intense heat this time of year in Qatar, the event commences at 4pm, where we are invited for a date-filled afternoon tea. 

1576. Loaded Breakfast Oats

For some reason, January seems to be the month I most consume oats. But no more, because oats are a great source of nutrition all year round. This recipe is basically porridge oats, topped with a variety of deliciousness, making you almost excited to get up in the morning.

1575. Olive Oil Cake

This olive oil cake was a huge hit from the first bite, and frankly, that was quite a surprise. The touch of lemon zest made a huge impact, and the crumb was tender and soft.

1574. Vineleaf Feta Parcels

Feta cheese has been around forever, and it is seemingly now more than ever that people are getting creative with it. It was not my favorite cheese, being so salty and distinctively brined, but I find that is it now a staple that my refrigerator is never void of. I also have an affinity to grape leaves in the kitchen. This combination is a wonderful one I can easily eat more than once a week, every week.