Category Archives: j delights

Hasselback potatoes

Posted on June 12, 2016 | 1 comment

Hasselback potatoes or sliced baked potatoes are my new addiction now. Being a potato lover, and who doesn’t anyway, i guarantee you are going to make it right away!

They might look difficult to make but in fact they are absolutely simple. With a sharp knife, cut slits across the potato (well washed), about half a centimeter, taking care not to cut all the way through. This might be the most difficult part, while it’s really easy, all you need is to stop before the knife reaches too far.

And here is your accordion potato. I prepared 1.5 kg potato, for that you will need:

100g butter melted
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cups cheddar cheese

Mix butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper and brush the potatoes, making sure you reach as well between the slices.

Bake on 250°C for half an hour and take it out to brush it with the remaining butter before you bake it again for half an hour. If your potato is too big, poke it to make sure it’s done, or you can leave it for more time. If you want crispy finish make very thin slits, all depend on your taste.

Take it out of the oven and gently open each slit to insert the cheese. I chose cheddar, you can also use parmesan or gruyere, or any melting cheese of your choice. Return to bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted.

Hasselback potatoes are very versatile, you can add bacon, ground beef, eggs… anything that you find it pairing well with potato.

Top it with sour cream and serve it immediately while cheese is still melted and bubbling!

Now i will leave you to gorge on this…

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1 Comment

Posted in appetizers & salads, main dish

Tagged baked potato, blog, butter, cheddar, cooking, garlic, hasselback potatoes, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, recipe, sour cream

Achtalyeh – cream pudding

Posted on June 6, 2016 | Leave a comment

Achtalyeh, Lebanese cream pudding, is one of the most famous homemade dessert. Achta (arabic word) means cream, though its recipe doesn’t call for cream but i assure you it’s so creamy as in texture.

It might look a very simple dessert with ordinary ingredients, but when adding orange blossom water and mastic, the whole thing is taken to another level.

Heavenly texture, flavors and aromas in less than 10 minutes and with only 5 ingredients:

1 L milk
5 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp sugar
mastic, 3 pebbles grounded
2 tbsp orange blossom water

Mix the milk, corn flour and sugar together and place over medium heat and keep stirring until the mixture becomes viscous then add the orange blossom and mastic. Whisk for a minute and take off the heat.

Pour in cups and let it cool to room temperature before putting in the fridge for at least 5 hours, or better for overnight.

Usually it’s served with sugar syrup if you fancy a really sweet dessert. To prepare this syrup you need:

1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp orange blossom

Combine water, sugar and lemon juice. Place over medium heat to allow the sugar to melt, keep stirring until it starts to thicken. Add the orange blossom and remove from heat.

Sprinkle with crushed pistachio or almond and serve. Usually i prepare this dessert (without syrup) for my kids, they love it! You can skip adding mastic if you’re preparing it for your baby, it will still be so tasty. My 10 months old boy loves it, it’s a wholesome dessert for kids and also can replace the breakfast.

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Pomegranate and mandarin feta salad

Posted on May 26, 2016 | 1 comment

Summer is here, but having fun in the sun is a faraway dream when it hits the 50°C in Doha. Getting laid in the shade is a smarter idea where you can beat the heat with refreshing food and especially with a fruity salad.

Pomegranate and mandarin feta salad is a delicious and refreshing combination, and more than that it’s a wholesome option.

All you need is:(serves 2-4 people depending if served as main or side dish)

one medium lettuce (frisé type)
150g feta cheese cubed
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 big mandarin (slices)
handful walnut

You will be surprised to tell you it’s a type of salad that you can have for breakfast, without dressing as the pomegranate and mandarin are juicy enough.

If you are having it for lunch, a vinaigrette or lemon mayo sauce goes well with it.

As you know pomegranate are low in calories and high in nutrition. It’s a cancer fighter fruit and improves the heart health.

The mandarin are a good source of Vitamin C, antioxidant and cancer fighter.

As for the walnut, this powerful antioxidant, promotes a healthy brain, fights cancer and improves the heart health.

Have you had your salad today? Don’t hesitate to try this colorful delicious and nutritious fun food. Eat healthy, stay healthy and the most important enjoy your food.

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Posted in appetizers & salads

Tagged colorful, feta, healthy, mandarin, marmite et ponpon, nutritious, pomegranate, recipe, salad, walnut, wholesome

Artful bread

Posted on May 17, 2016 | 2 comments

Edible art sounds really fun. When i told Nady that we are going to paint the bread he was really excited, i knew that my plans will work. Beside fun, the aim of this activity was to encourage Nady to have his dinner. And it worked 🙂

This edible paint is easy to make. All you need is milk and food coloring. Hand the clean brush (preferably new) to your kid with white bread slices and let him prepare his sandwich.

With this process art activity, the end result was fun too. Do you find difficulty to let your kid eat his sandwich? Try this creative and fun art activity, at least it worked for us, we added cheese and zatar and we all had dinner from Nady’s bread design.

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Posted in design, DIY, kids food, way to play

Tagged artful bread, creative kids, design, DIY, edible art, edible paint, kids activity, marmite et ponpon, milk paint, way to play

Snaynyé – celebrating the first tooth out

Posted on May 13, 2016 | 2 comments

Snaynyé, lebanese tradition to celebrate the baby’s first tooth out. The word Snaynyé comes from “snen” that means teeth. The mother prepares this traditional sweet once the first tooth appears and she sends to family, neighbors and friends who will return the empty plate with a gift to wish mabrook the new tooth.

Snaynyé consists of boiled wheat garnished with sugar, orange blossom and nuts. Previously they used to put colored sugar coated chickpeas and pomegranate seeds, but nowadays with the endless variety of sweets they decorate it with jelly beans, marshmallows, M&M….

snaynye -celebrating the first tooth|marmite et ponpon

Very easy and simple to make. You choose how much wheat you want to make, you soak it in water at least 12 hours and then you boil it until tender. For a nicer hint of anise taste, you put anise seeds when boiling. When serving you add sugar and orange blossom water to each portion according to the person taste. It’s served cold and hot also depending on your taste. personally i like it hot.

For garnish you can put almonds, pine seeds, pistachio, walnut or any nut you favor. Raisins and pomegranate seeds go heavenly with it as well. As for the sweets you can go as creative as you want. The aim is to have candies that need strong teeth to be chewed, to say that our baby now has his first strong tooth. I only put candies (in form of teeth) trying to be as classic as possible.

It used to be offered in plates, nowadays people go more creative. I chose to send it to my relatives and friends in jars adding a smiley spoon to remain as souvenir. And as a sushi lover i added to some jars a small boy (smiling and showing his teeth) that serves later as automatic chopsticks for beginner kids to “my sushi lovers friends”. With a “my first tooth” tag to complete the souvenir.

I love our traditions and i try to keep them and let my kids live them (though we are living abroad). It’s beautiful how we make from every milestone in our kids life an important and joyful event. God bless all kids and keep them safe, healthy and happy. Mabrook your first tooth my baby love ❤

If you like this post give it many likes and shares to spread the joy. Don’t forget to like marmite et ponpon facebook page and follow on twitter. More interesting posts are yet to come.