ObaraKenshin

I am so lucky to be enjoying a cool front this week. The weather is now wonderful! The temperature has slowly dropped especially at night, and I am so loving it. Fall is right around the corner. I cannot wait till it�s cool enough to wear leggings, sweaters, & boots. I know we all like to bake when the weather starts cooling down too, when you want to warm up your kitchen with scrumptious desserts and cakes. Lebanon's climate is characterized by a hot and virtually rain-free summer, reaching a high temperature of 35�C in August. This Saturday I woke up around 9 o'clock. I was dreaming about baking something. I wanted something quick so that I can enjoy my morning coffee on the balcony. I didn't want to spend long hours in the kitchen whipping up a cake that will be devoured in 3 hours... :) So I thought about brownies... but not any brownie... a double chocolate brownie with chocolate chips... Brownies are among my favorite treats, they're dense and fudgy. These br...

The term lo mein means �stirred noodles�. Lo mein noodles are usually stirred with a sauce made from soy sauce and other seasonings. Many vegetables can be mixed in and roast pork, beef, chicken and even shrimp are often added. This dish is ideal for a weeknight dinner, or when you feel like a simple meal. A melange of colorful and crispy vegetables make this dish wholesome and very tasty! Ingredients: (serves 4) 4 packs instant wheat noodles (100 g each) 1 green pepper, cut into strips 1 red pepper, cut into strips 1 yellow pepper, cut into strips 1 big onion, sliced 2 carrot, julienned 2 cups cabbage, shredded 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 tsp of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced 1-2 tbsp of soy sauce salt to taste sesame oil In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil, toss the chicken and the ginger and stir-fry for 5 minutes or unitl browned. Remove and keep warm. Stir-fry peppers and carrots in remaining o...

Cajun seasoning is a very versatile spice that is both smoky and spicy. It blends well with a variety of different foods and brings out the natural flavor of meat and poultry. Cajun seasoning is a blend of spices such as paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried oregano and dried thyme.   This recipe is very simple, fast and can be whipped together in no time. You only have to chop some vegetables, cook the rice and throw in the prawns. I got some cajun spices from Paris, cause I was afraid I won't find it in Lebanon. I haven't checked if it's available here. I know I should! This dish has become one of my favorite, and I try to include it on our menu as often as I could. If you like cajun seasoning, then you have to try it out. In case you don't find cajun spices, you can make your own: Here is the recipe: 3 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons ground red pepper, 2 tablespoons dried thyme, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 tablespoons onion powder, 2 ...

This was a good year for apricots and a colleague has a tree that�s packed. So a month ago, she picked a few, just enough for us to eat at lunch breaks and for her to offer me a jar. I took the jar home and promised my colleagues that I'll make crumb bars with apricot jam filling. But as you know, summer time is always full of activities, family and friends come from abroad and unfortunately I find little time to spend in the kitchen. I had hundreds of messages requesting the crumb bars and I was always making excuses and nagging about the fact that there's no time to bake, I'm such a bad liar :). Yesterday, I finished work and headed home directly. I confess I was tired and all I wanted was a good cup of coffee on the balcony as the sun goes down, but I said I'd probably have to make those crumb bars and surprise the girls. The results were excellent, they loved them and requested for more!! Oops!!! Ingredients: Makes 16 squares 2 sticks (225 g) unsalted butter, cold, ...

Carob pods are mainly found in Mediterranean countries. Evergreen carob trees can generally grow wherever citrus or olive trees are grown, meaning a warm, dry climate. The pod's fruit is technically a legume and commonly used as a chocolate alternative, but it has many applications in the food industry. Carob was first used thousands of years ago. Even the Bible has references to carob. It was once believed that John the Baptist sustained himself using the carob bean, so carob is also referred to as St. John's bread. In the cuisines of the Middle East molasses is produced from several kinds of foods such as carob, grapes, dates, pomegranates, and mulberries. Carob molasses is a thick syrup made by soaking milled carob pods in water which is then boiled down into a very rich and delicious natural sweetener. In Lebanon, carob molasses was traditionally used as an alternative to sugar. We mix it with with tahini (sesame paste) and eat it as a dessert. I have already posted a recip...

This Lebanese mezze is called Batenjan El Raheb which translates into English as the monk�s salad, a dish obviously popular with and derived from the Christian community. It's a very simple and light salad consisting of eggplants, peppers, onion and tomatoes. It can be thought as a tahini-less baba ghannouj and as a result is even lighter in taste. Ingredients (serves 4): 4 eggplants 1 medium-size tomato - finely diced 1 medium onion-finely diced (or spring onions) 1 green pepper, chopped 3 garlic cloves, mashed 3 to 4 tbsp of olive oil 2 tbsp lemon juice a handful of parsley, finely chopped salt and pepper to taste 1 tbsp sumac Preheat the oven to 425�F (210�C). Prick the eggplant skin all over with a fork. Place them on a baking dish and bake them until the skin blisters black, about 45 mn. Remove from the oven and when cool enough to handle, peel the skin and place the flesh in a sieve over a bowl for about 10 mn to drain excess moisture. In a mortar, mash the garlic with the s...

  In Lebanon, we celebrate Father's day on the 21st of June, and not like the majority of countries on the third Sunday of June. It is said that Lebanon and the whole area used to celebrate mother's day on the third Sunday of May, and consequently father�s day on the third Sunday of June (I guess daddys got jealous) just like the rest of the world still does today� but anyway, since Jammal Abed El Nasser came to Power in Egypt, he or his Party chose to alter that so we stand out of the pack and not follow the west and chose the first day of Spring and Summer to be Mother�s and Father�s day respectively� So last week we made a dinner for my father, we were gathered all in my parents house for this special occasion. My dad has turned 70 years old last May... I can't believe how time is flying and I can't stand watching my parents getting older day after day. It's weird how we used to think when we were teenagers; we always wanted to grow up sooner and now all that we ...