marmite et ponpon

DIY – star crown palm sunday candle

Posted on April 5, 2017 | Leave a comment

Unique and personalized things are not just meaningful but treasured for it has some of your heart.

Personalized candles have a way of standing out from the crowd, let your little ones feel exceptional and special as they were born!

I am sharing with you my little boy candle (19 months), it won’t take too much of your time and doesn’t require craft skills. Colors are always subjective and depending on the outfit they are wearing. Follow this step by step tutorial to see how beautiful things are found in the simple!

The choice and quality of ribbons, colors matched together and the way of combination make all the difference. Keep it simple and elegant is the golden rule! Happy palm sunday!

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Chicks garland – Spring/Easter tiny hands crafts

Posted on April 3, 2017 | Leave a comment

Simple ideas come out the best when done with big love and tiny hands. As i always say, the most meaningful things are the ones that have your personal touch.

You are the ultimate plaything, and any activity will seem more fun if your child can share it with you. Sit down with your kids for joint creativity and fun to celebrate spring|Easter season.

Chicks garland, made with just flour, salt and water.

Mix:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup water

Knead until smooth. If your dough is still crumbly you can add more water, or if it’s sticky you can add flour, you can always correct flour and water to get the consistency you want. Add yellow coloring gel to the dough and let your kids cut out circles.

You can bake it for 15-20 mns on 200ºC or leave it to air dry for 2 days, if you are using decorations that can’t be baked. If you are leaving it to air dry i suggest to flip it after one day. And let the fun begin; I am sure the kids will enjoy sticking the wiggling eyes, feathers and beak made with orange triangle cut out of felt.

And here it is!

The boys had so much fun crafting and playing together. Brothers are a treasure ❤

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Easter tree decoration – homemade clay recipe for kids

Posted on March 28, 2017 | Leave a comment

Hop in Easter mood with us and let’s start the decoration with this beautiful tree. Let your kids DIY the ornaments with a homemade clay recipe, ready in less than 10 minutes and with only 3 ingredients:

1 cup cornstarch (cornflour)
2 cups baking soda
1 1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to medium heat. Whisk continually until it starts to thicken. It will take couple of minutes to look like mashed potato in consistency, remove it immediately from the heat. Place it in a bowl and cover it with damp cloth until it’s cool.

Knead it on a smooth surface, adding cornstarch if it feels a bit sticky, hand it to your kids and let the fun begin!

Cut out eggs and bunnies, using the cookie cutters and let them dry overnight. I am sure not all kids will have this patience, you can dry it in the oven for couple of hours on very low, so your kids can color them in the same day.

Don’t forget to make small holes (with a straw) before they dry, to be able later to insert a thread and hang it on the tree.

This year the fun is double, i am crafting with my two boys! Let me be honest and say it’s beautifully insane 🙂 i need to tame my 19 months old boy excitement who is still discovering, exploring and creating that artistic mess, so overwhelmed with colors and beauty, he doesn’t believe rules exist and everything for him is edible! While my 4 years old boy, my charming little artist, who’s been doing this for a quite time, doesn’t fail to show me his passion and innate artistic skills. They both have it actually and i am so happy about it!

Back to our decoration, and while the paint is drying, get some dry branches and fix them in a pot (fill it with sand or pebbles not to fall) to have a tree like shape. And let the kid enjoy hanging up their handmade deco when they are completely dry.

By the way, we prepared a lot more ornaments, but before having our final tree up, my little monkey dropped it 3 times and broke some! Well let me tell you this is part of the game, part of the fun and part of the learning. The most important is to be patient, and try to enjoy with them!

easter tree decoration | marmite et ponpon

Those cracks make it more beautiful and real, and they will tell you later million story and laugh. Crafting with kids is not about the final outcome, the least you care about is working for the end result, let them enjoy the creative process, be patient again and enjoy as much as you can those priceless moments.

If those bunnies and chick are striking your attention, they were made last year by my eldest son. You can check the link to that post.

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Smoked salmon and asparagus quiche – Hello Spring!

Posted on March 20, 2017 | 1 comment

Checking the seasonal produce guide, spring (and precisely march) is the best season for fresh asparagus. Asparagus, ranging from pencil-thin to very thick, comes in; colossal, jumbo, large, standard, and small. Can be green, white or purple. Varieties are interchangeable in recipes, with the only change being in the color of the resultant dish.

Celebrating spring arrival, today i am using baby green asparagus with smoked salmon for my beautiful and delicious quiche:

Quoting my self from a previous post, quiche is a glorious meal at any time of the day, starting from breakfast to dinner. Served hot, cold or room temperature and packed with rich flavorful ingredients from veggies to meats and heaps of cheeses, bathing in a custard of eggs and cream. Baked in the most buttery and flaky crust, could be bought ready made or if you wish for a homemade one, like i do, check marmite et ponpon recipe along with some advises to get the best pâte brisée ever!

The most important, it doesn’t require too much preparation and whichever you choose to make it’s always a hit. Smoked salmon and asparagus quiche requires (for a 9″or 22cm dish):

one medium onion finely diced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup heavy cream
3 large eggs
1 cup mozzarella cheese
salt to taste
200g smoked salmon cut in medium to large pieces
bunch of baby asparagus, almost 200g enough to create a flower like shape on top

Cook onion with olive oil until fragrant and not brown. Set aside. In a bowl mix cream, eggs and cheese then add the cooked onion. Pour the whole mix in the precooked pie (for 20 minutes in 180°C oven, to ensure a crisp and flaky texture). Distribute the salmon pieces evenly then create a flower shape with the asparagus.

Bake in the oven 180°C, for almost 30 minutes or until golden and the edges are set but it still wobbles a little in the center for a creamy and silky texture.

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1 Comment

Posted in appetizers & salads, main dish

Tagged asparagus, cheese, cooking, cream, doha, eggs, food blog, food blogger, food photography, food por, homemade recipe, lebanon, marmite et ponpon, pie, qatar, quiche, seasonal veggies, smoked salmon, spring food

Fish tagine in Tahina sauce

Posted on March 13, 2017 | 1 comment

A very simple recipe where Tahina is the main ingredient for the sauce, in which the baked fish will bathe. Onion and lemon juice come to add the deep flavor and sour kick. The added bonus here are the roasted almonds and pine nuts that creates the contrast with its crunchiness.

Whether you are planning to serve it as an appetizer or main dish, you will have everyone licking their lips in anticipation.

You will need:

500g fish fillet or whole fish to be baked, could be sea bass, hamour or red snapper or any available white fish of your choice.
1 cup tahina (sesame paste)
1 1/4 cup water
2 tbsp lemon
2 medium onion cut a la julienne
2 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
roasted almonds and pine nuts for topping
chopped coriander for garnish

First start by oven baking the fish. Set aside the fillets (or deboned whole fish) to prepare the sauce.

Cook the onion with olive oil until tender, keep stirring while cooking as you don’t want them to brown. In a bowl mix together tahina, water, lemon and salt before pouring over the onion, you want the sauce a bit runny because it will thicken a bit while on heat. When you see the first bubble forming, turn off the heat and stir in the fish.

On a serving plate, sprinkle the top with roasted almonds and pine nuts. Garnish with chopped coriander and serve. You can have it warm, at room temperature or cold.

If you want to eat like a lebanese, then serve it with pita bread to seal the deal.

A middle eastern/Lebanese specialty dish that’s full of flavors with few ingredients. If you never cooked your fish this way, you should consider trying marmite et ponpon recipe and you will never regret.

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.