Shes drawing not scribbling but drawing! Yaaay!

I'm so happy I can't believe my eyes! At last my daughter is drawing seriously making sense of those scribbles. Yaaaaay! >Walking around with a marker insisting to draw tattoos on our hands




Makes any sense? ;p

Girls gathering fun! (toddlers)

Today is Thursday! And my 3 year old daughter usually has her friends over after school, and I'm left planning the events and activities of the play date :) I do encourage her to give me some ideas of what she would like to do and we have the "how about ...." conversation. something I do enjoy very much and put a lot of thought and effort to have them fully entertained not having the chance to feel bored and whine cause I can't stand that! And what is the point of having kids over and not ready to be entertained!

1st activity

So as a start for my little ones to loosen up and release any unwanted shyness bottled inside of them, start finger painting every child loves the cold gewy mess it makes. I usually have them sitting down on cushions on the floor with a very low table and have scraps of old plain fabric cut into squares, then have them finger paint what ever they'd like :) (later all the kids can take them as giveaways).

2nd activity

Browsing around in IKEA I found the cutest colorful tin plant buckets, very small. Loved them! I couldn't resist them so I went ahead and bought 5 different colors, then went ahead and bought 5 small flower plants and we are going to do planting in my small patio. But first I’m going to have them decorate the pots with glitter, ribbons, stickers, paint …etc letting their little minds get creative. Sounds fun to me! Dirt and mess with their hands, I'm sure that would be fun for all of us!

3rd activity

Here I need a break, and they need to play together alone, the one thing they enjoy doing always is playing loud music and dancing creatively, they come up with the most hilarious moves! Shake shake shake ;p

Finally dinner has to be fun! Always have them prepare the dinner themselves including help from a grownup. Pizzas! Fresh homemade dough should be prepared overnight and have them do the job :)) it counts as an activity.

Simple Pizza Dough ;)

Ingredients:




1 Kilo brown flour

8 tablespoons powder milk

6 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons yeast

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cooking oil

1 cup water




Directions




In a large bowl, combine the flour, powder milk, salt, white sugar, yeast, baking powder, and water; stir well to combine. Knead the dough with your hands pushing and folding. Knead just long enough for the dough to take in a little more flour, and until it no longer sticking to your hands.Cover and rise until doubled in volume, at least 8 hours in a warm room, for best results leave over night.







Turn dough out onto a well floured surface. Form dough into a round and roll out into a pizza crust shape. Cover with your favorite sauce and toppings and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.




YOU cant be FUN and not serve SWEETS! when you have KIDS over!! always be prepared either with cookies, decorating cupcakes and eating them as an activity (wont be doing that today) ice cream, or simply marshmallows anything ;p haven’t decided yet!




I usually have the kids get their pj's so we all end the night nice and clean ready to go home straight to bed, and besides the process of them all changing and washing up is fun for them. They all sit nest to each other all five in their cute pjs all clean and tired watching "Peppa Pig" is like the last treat of the day :)




Ahhhhhhh long day ahead! Hope I don’t fall asleep while putting my daughter to sleep, I have a very bad habit of doing so lol.

Dear cookwithmeq8,

Hope you like the recipe !!


Ingredients

Roasted Brocoli with Garlic

Simple, Quick and Light...

Ingredients:

Brocoli
Diced Garlic 3 - 4 cloves
Lemon 1
Olive Oil
Soy Sauce 1 table spoon
Pepper for flavoring

Method:

Preheat oven at 180
Drizzle small amounts of olive oil on to the tray
In a bowl mix in diced garlic, lemon juice, soy sauce, brocoli and pepper for flavor.
Once all is mixed, put in the oven and let it roast for approximately 20 minutes.

Dear Cook with Me..

It has been a while since I've last cooked anything interesting…. As of the next 20 days ill will be on a detox diet, actually trying to follow Dr. Joshis 21 Holistic 21 Day diet.
What is the Dr. Joshis Holistic Detox..? Well it not just a weight loss diet it is an all “alkine” method of living! Well at least for 21 day you will be eating mostly natural non preserved food.. Basically no fried, potatoes, ketchup and no COFFEE!!!!!! This is meant to detox your body and balance your Ph to your natural state... it is said so ... :S lets see

Anyways my first day was yesterday and I decided to make Hammour with Asparagus in lemon juice.


Dish: Hammour with Asparagus in lemon juice.

Ingredients:
2 Lemons : 1 squeezed, the other sliced.
1 Hammour Filet
Salt & Pepper
1 Table Spoon Olive Oil
Species (Oregano, Dill)

Method: Oven cooked for 25 – 30 minutes
1. Marinate the fillet with lemon juice and spices.
2. Add Salt and Pepper
3. Place the filed in the pirex, add a spoon of water.
4. Slice the left over lemon and place it around the filet and just toss in the asparagus on the side.
5. Cover the pirex with tin foil, make so incisions with a fork or knife.
Remember just one table spoon of oil and one table spoon of water is all you need.

Meat Shawerma & Falafel Spring Rolls/ Sambosa

We truly enjoyed this yesterday, give it a try!

Ingredients:

Veal meat, cut into slices
1/2 tsp Cinnamon powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp clove powder
1/2 tsp mixed spices
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tbsp apple vinegar
1/2 cup yogurt
salt and pepper

When marinating the meat rub the salt and spices first then place the meat in a Ziploc or Tupperware and add the remaining ingredients. place it in the fridge for a couple of hours or over night.

Drain the meat from the marinate and grill it in a grilling pan with a little of cooking oil, let it grill until meet is dry and tender


Then add 1tbsp of butter, long thin red onion, and chopped parsley, stir all for 1 min then let it cool down.

In the meantime, prepare the sambosa pastry and in a small bowl add 5tbsp of flour and 7tbsp of cold water to glue the ends of the samboosa together wile rolling.

Mix the shawerma with a little of fresh red onion slices and fresh chopped parsley, so when you fry you get the fresh crunch.

Roll it into a spring roll or sambosa shape.




Freeze the spring rolls for 30min or more just so its easier to fry.

Then you can either deep fry, bake, or what i personally do is grill them on the pan with a little of oil.


Tahini Dipping Sauce

1cup sesame paste (harda)
1cup water
1/2 yogurt
4tbsp mayonnaise
2tbsp lemon
2minced garlic
2tsp sumac powder
1tsp cumin powder
salt

Mix them all together and enjoy dipping your shawerma rolls :)


I did some with Falafel it turned out great too!

Do the same processes of the rolling with mashed falafel mixed with onions, mint leaves and some parley.

Same dipping sauce but add chopped tomatoes :)

Poppy Seed Cake

Ingredients:
 1 pack Betty Crocker yellow mix cake.
 1 box Butter Scotch (Brand Jell-O) from Sultan Center.
 ½ cup poppy seeds.

Procedure:
First, mix the Betty Crocker yellow mix cake as mentioned on the box with oil and eggs.
Then, add to the mixture the Butter Scotch Jell-O.
Mix well and then add the Poppy seeds.
Prepare the baking tray, and spread some flour so it will not stick
Follow the baking instructions on the Betty Crocker box.
After baking, keep it a while to cool, then sprinkle it with icing sugar to perfect it.


Enjoy Shushu