marmite et ponpon

Zaatar (thyme) and cheese straws

Posted on July 12, 2016 | 9 comments

These savory straws are perfect as appetizers, quick and easy to make and most of all they are addictively tasty. Yes i am hooked on these flaky sticks.

The most common recipes call for cheese, but being Lebanese and fond of our man’oucheh zaatar (thyme), can’t but give it a try using this frangrant and flavorful herb!

Man’oucheh style straws, and it’s heavenly delicious!

To make Zaatar straws you need:

a sheet of puff pastry (250g) makes 10-12 straws
egg wash (one egg +1 tbsp cold water)
1/3 cup ground zaatar (prepared with sumac and sesame as for man’oucheh )
pinch of salt

1-zaatar(thyme) and cheese straws |marmite et ponpon

2-zaatar(thyme) and cheese straws |marmite et ponpon

Roll out the defrosted puff pastry on a lightly floured board until almost 25×30 cm. Beat the egg with one table spoon of cold water and brush the surface of the pastry. Sprinkle the zaatar and salt and with the rolling pin press gently the zaatar into the dough. With the knife or pizza wheel cut the puff pastry into (1.5-2cm wide) strips. Twist each strip and lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to bake for 15 mns (in a preheated oven to 200°C) until browned and puffed then turn them to bake for another 10 minutes.

To make cheese straws you need:

a sheet of puff pastry (250g) makes 10-12 straws
egg wash (one egg +1 tbsp cold water)
1/2 tsp garlic salt
pinch of black pepper
1/4 cup shredded gruyere
1/4 cup grated parmesan

4-zaatar(thyme) and cheese straws |marmite et ponponI

5-zaatar(thyme) and cheese straws |marmite et ponponI

Roll out the defrosted puff pastry on a lightly floured board until almost 25×30 cm. Beat the egg with one table spoon of cold water and brush the surface of the pastry. Sprinkle the garlic salt, pepper, gruyere and parmesan. With the rolling pin press gently the flavorings into the dough. With the knife or pizza wheel cut the puff pastry into (1.5-2cm wide) strips. Twist each strip and lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper to bake for 10 mns (in a preheated oven to 200°C) until browned and puffed then turn them to bake for another 10 minutes. Don’t over bake to not burn the cheese, they are more delicate than the zaatar straws.

You’re gonna sooooo love these melt in your mouth deliciousness. Try it with a glass of wine or bottle of beer, and enjoy!

If you like this post give it some 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.

9 Comments

Posted in appetizers & salads

Tagged appetizer, cheese straws, flaky, food, gruyere, how to do, marmite et ponpon, parmesan, puff pastry, recipe, thyme, zaatar, zaatar straws

Purslane, avocado and rocket salad

Posted on June 29, 2016 | 1 comment

An easy and quick salad for those hot days when you look for a refreshing breeze. The blend of purslane, rocket, avocado, tomato, onion and pomegranate seeds make it so flavorful and nutritious.

In the beginning i found it a bit awkward to add purslane to this salad, i am used to the traditional one that mom used to make for us with tomato and cucumber. But since i am a lover of these soft leaves i wanted to give it a try and add it to this unconventional salad.

For those who doesn’t know, purslane leaves have more omega 3 fatty acids than in some of the fish oils. Surprisingly, 100 grams of fresh purslane leaves provide about 350 mg of alpha linolenic acid. Research studies show that consumption of food rich in omega 3 fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke.

Without forgetting it’s very low in calories (just 16 kcal/100g) and fats. This amazing green leafy vegetable is also rich in dietary fibers, vitamins (A, C and some B complex) and minerals (iron, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and manganese). Isn’t it magical?!

For two, you will need:

purslane leaves, almost two cups
a bunch of rocket leaves, almost 3 cups
one small onion cut a la julienne
one medium tomato coarsely chopped
one big avocado sliced
half cup pomegranate seeds

Mix all together and serve with a vinaigrette dressing (apple cider vinegar, dijon mustard, olive oil and salt), or lemon and olive oil. Choose upon your taste.

Vegetarian or vegan people will cherish this treasure. If you are avoiding animal products, go for this healthy dark green leafy vegetable and enjoy all the benefits of fish! I am sure i will be testing other ways to use this highly beneficial purslane and most of all succulent.

If you like this post give it some 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.

1 Comment

Posted in appetizers & salads

Tagged avocado, healthy food, highly beneficial, how to do, marmite et ponpon, omega 3 fatty acids, onion, pomegranate seeds, purslane, recipe, rocket, salad, tomato, vegan, vegetarian, vinaigrette dressing

melting crayons art

Posted on June 21, 2016 | Leave a comment

It’s been a while i saw this fun art and wanted to explore it with my son. I was delaying it being afraid my younger boy would be scared of the dryer noise. But surprisingly he likes it :), so lets melt some crayons.

So easy to do, all you need is a canvas or a thick cardboard, wax crayons and glue to stick them on. When you peel the crayons, leave a small part of the paper to be able to stick them on the board. Use a hair dryer to melt the crayons down and create an arbitrary bold art piece.

This project focuses on the fun of making it rather on precision and final outcome. That’s why it’s a fun art project for kids, they will have a blast melting down the crayons.

When satisfied with the end result and stopped melting the crayons, it takes maximum 15 minutes to dry. Make sure to cover the surface where you are playing because it’s a really messy game but trust me it’s worth it.

Turn it upside down for a more fun crayon art frame. I am sure you will hang it on your wall and plan for another session to explore more of this fun project.

This is our final piece of art!

We will return back to this game and i will promise more fun introducing new design elements and a theme of course.

If you like this post give it some 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.

Coriander and garlic roasted chicken

Posted on June 20, 2016 | 2 comments

Coriander is one of my favorite herbs in cooking, especially when it comes to Lebanese food. I adore that peculiar and unique smell plus the taste that adds to the food.

Coriander and garlic chicken is a relish. Doesn’t require efforts or skills, just prepare the marinade and give it time in the oven to obtain this perfect juicy meat and crispy skin.

Serving 4-6 people you will need:

12-14 pieces of chicken (could be thighs, drumsticks or breasts)
1kg potatoes cut in medium cubes
1 bunch of coriander
8 garlic cloves
juice of 2 lemons almost 3/4 cup
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt

In a food processor blend coriander, garlic, lemon and salt until smooth. Poor it over the chicken, add the olive oil and store in a bag for marination. Keep it in the fridge for an overnight.

Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Put together with the potato cubes in a baking dish and bake uncovered on the middle rack for an hour on 200°C.

I guarantee you a perfect juicy chicken and full of flavors. So yummy that’s going to be on your “to cook list”. Is your stomach rumbling? i hope you get the chance to try it.

If you like this post give it some 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.

2 Comments

Posted in main dish

Tagged chicken, coriander, coriander and garlic chicken, garlic, how to do, lemon, marmite et ponpon, oven roasted chicken, potato, recipe

Le plus cool des papas-tie DIY

Posted on June 19, 2016 | 2 comments

Pourquoi tu aimes papa et combien?

Nady (3 years and a half): parce que je joue football avec lui, on s’amuse et rigole, on regarde nickelodeon ensemble, il m’achete des oeufs surprise .. Tu sais maman je l’aime parce que je l’aime beaucoup 🙂 je l’aime a 3 heures et demi et 3 ans et a l’infini 🙂

Joud (10months): dadada dadada (giggles….) mwahh (non stop kisses)

1-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

2-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

3-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

4-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

5-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

6-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

7-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

8-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

9-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

10-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

11-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

12-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

Happy fathers day to the coolest papa Antoun from Nady and Joud (and of course from me), we love you a l’infini, may God bless you and keep you safe.

If you like to reproduce this amazing DIY tie that we made for this occasion, click here to download a high resolution file. You will need a white tie or any other color of your choice for a professional screen printing.

As for the box, it’s an empty corn flour tin, we sprayed it with black. Nady enjoyed sticking golden stars and a big one on top.

13-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

14-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

15-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

16-father's day-tie DIY|marmite et ponpon

Happy fathers day to all fathers in the world and especially to my hero ❤

أبي هو ذاك الذي اطلب منه نجمتان فيأتي وهو يحمل على ظهره سماء

If you like this post give it some 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.