Tag Archives: blog

Handmade Christmas tree ornaments- crafts for tiny hands

Posted on November 24, 2014 | 5 comments

Christmas is my favorite holiday; so joyful, festive and special for what it represents. When you say Christmas you immediately think of the decorated trees, shopping for gifts, lights, beautiful decorations, happy family gatherings, jingle bells, yummy food, midnight mass, visiting friends and family, kids waiting for Santa… and by the way my husband proposed to me on the Christmas eve! I always thought it can’t get better until my love Nady was born, he became the Christmas and the joy of the family! I admit that kids take Christmas to another level of feelings to discover that happiness is a small word to what you actually feel. He changed the whole concept and added more magic and excitement to this season. This year, we are decorating the house together, and specifically the tree. Handmade ornaments with salt dough! I love when he is involved in the crafts, it’s a quality and fun time together! Mon amour d’artiste! Very simple craft, doesn’t require a lot of ingredients and the outcome is wow! With just flour, salt and water you can do these beautiful ornaments! Mix:

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

and 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 coloring gel to the dough or paint it later if your kids are old enough to create designs on them. I love working with this dough, it’s so versatile; 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. For instance, we used colorful plastic pieces to decorate the tree shape ornament, and kept it to dry without baking. Nady was so happy rolling the dough, cutting, and poking the colored plastic bits. Grand garcon (big boy). He got so excited, he sat on the table! This is how they look on the tree after they dry! The sky is the limit, you can do any Christmas related shape you want! We used a straw to make the small hole, where we inserted a golden thread to be able to hang it on the tree. After baking these stars, i brushed them with little oil for a shiny look! We used the whole set of Christmas cookies cutters, so we did many shapes! And finally the colorful Christmas balls! I loved the outcome, the color blend makes you happy 🙂 You can be as much creative as you want, all depending on the material you have and the age of your kids. You can paint, use glitter, beads, pompoms……Let them unleash the artist inside them! These ornaments last for years if well stored in a dry container and not exposed to moisture in any way. Et voila our beautiful Christmas tree for the year 2014, done by Nady and the help of maman. 3a2bel kel seneh! This is how we wish you (in arabic) a long life to celebrate more christmases in the coming years. One month until Christmas, it’s never early to start celebrating, We did! What about you, did we put you in the mood?! 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. More posts yet to come, stay tuned!

5 Comments

Posted in design, DIY, special occasions, way to play

Tagged blog, christmas, christmas tree, crafts, DIY, handmade, how to do, kids craft, marmite et ponpon, ornaments, recipe, salt dough, step by step, tree

Soft as a cloud – personalized baby welcoming decorations

Posted on November 17, 2014 | 4 comments

“Once upon a time…

Traditionally, tales often start with these words to get listeners ready for a different kind of discourse: a narrative, set in a kind of dream time that is apart from, but closely involved with, ordinary reality.

My fairy tale is a typical one, starting with once upon a time… (but its events are not imaginary; the story starts in a specific time, in the real world and the characters are so living! But the story is so magical that you feel you are in a dream…) a beautiful angel was born!

Congratulations to my dear friend Hajar and her husband Elie for the birth of their second boy Jad.

Definitely the closing is ….and they lived happily ever after! Actually it is not the end, it’s the beginning of life.

Thank you for trusting marmite et ponpon to be part of your baby welcoming. Soft as a cloud was the theme of decorations.

Chocolate wrap design

Candy bottles favor

A simple and fun tray yet elegant!

Simple small ideas can make the difference. A small nice frame to complete the theme.

And a door welcome sign to announce the arrival of baby Jad.

I’ve attached to you a free printable file for this design. If you have a special occasion and you want to stand out from the crowd, don’t hesitate to contact marmite et ponpon.

4 Comments

Posted in design, DIY, special occasions

Tagged baby arrival, baby born, baby born chocolate, baby born chocolate wrap, baby born favor, baby born frame, baby boy, baby welcoming decorations, blog, candy bottles favor, chocolate, chocolate tray, design, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, soft as a cloud. theme, welcomedoor sign

loubyeh bi zeit – vegan flat green beans

Posted on November 13, 2014 | 7 comments

loubyeh bi zeit (loubyeh = green beans, bi zeit = vegan) is a typical lebanese dish. Presented at room temperature as mezze or warm as a main dish accompanied by lebanese bread. It’s one of the wholesome dishes without the aid of the meat. Beans are a healthy option as they are very low in calories, high in fiber and great antioxidants. Usually this dish is prepared with fresh flat green beans.

This rich and deep flavored dish is done with few ingredients. Beside the green beans the rest is considered from the essentials of the levantine and specifically lebanese cuisine. You need:

1 kg flat green beans, wash and trimmed from both ends and cut in half if they are too long.
400g peeled and diced tomato
3 medium onion diced roughly
5 garlic cloves crushed (plus one whole garlic bulb)
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cup water
salt to taste

Cook the onion and garlic in olive oil until tender and fragrant then add the diced tomatoes. If you like the deep taste of tomato you can add one tbsp of tomato paste, it will give the savory flavor.

Cook for only one minute before adding the green beans and water. Do not forget to put the garlic bulb if you are garlic lovers, the cloves will end up tasting as if caramelized. For me loubyeh bi zeit served by my mother and grandmother comes always with this beautiful bulb (sometimes more than one). Actually i don’t know if i really like it but i always eat it without thinking! It’s like a tradition. But I am sure i like how it looks in the plate 🙂

When it starts to boil bring the heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer for 20 mns. Remove the lid and turn up the heat to medium high. Let the liquid evaporate and then saute the vegetables until the tomatoes form a thick coating around the beans (about 10 minutes).

Serve it at room temperature or warm as you desire. Eat like a lebanese and try it with raw onion and lebanese bread!

7 Comments

Posted in appetizers & salads, main dish

Tagged blog, cooking, flat green beans, green beans, how to do, jaymmy, lebanes bread, lebanese bread, lebanese dish, lebanese food, loubieh, loubieh bi zeit, loubyeh bzeit, main dish, marmite et ponpon, mezze, recipe

Meet the french pâtissier and international baking star – Eric Lanlard

Posted on November 12, 2014 | 2 comments

Tavola (an exclusive retailer in the Middle East for a wide range of high quality cookware, bakeware and tableware brands) hosted the award winning pâtissier and celebrity chef Eric Lanlard known as Cake Boy, for his latest book signing.

Chef Eric Lanlard is a french pâtissier who lives in the UK. He caters for celebrities, among his famous works are the croquembouche for Madonna and Guy Ritchie wedding, the wedding cakes for Elizabeth Hurley and Claudia Schiffer, as well as both the first birthday cake of Brooklyn Beckham (son of David Beckham) and the cake for the Queen Mother’s 101st birthday.

He is the author of five books, and presenter of the television series “Glamour Puds” and “Baking Mad”. To know more about him visit his official website http://www.cake-boy.com

I was lucky to be among the invitees to attend the event and get the books signed for Marmite et ponpon.

At the end of the event, there was a raffle, the winner walked away with a signed fuschia KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer.

Unfortunately it wasn’t me. But who knows?! Christmas is coming 🙂

2 Comments

Posted in special occasions

Tagged blog, book signing, Chef Eric Lanlard, Eric Lanlard, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, pâtissier, tavola

Easy peasy nibble – spinach feta in puff pastry dough

Posted on November 10, 2014 | 7 comments

A tasty nibble, so easy to prepare. It’s a quick favorite that takes a lot of compliments whenever we have people over lunch or dinner.

Puff pastry dough is one of the staples kept in my freezer. Whenever i need a last minute savory snack, this ready made dough comes to rescue me. Thaw it in the refrigerator for 4 hours or so and it will be soft enough to use. This rich flaky pastry makes a simple snack into a real treat.

Spinach and feta pair successfully, to prepare this stuffing you need:

400g spinach chopped (you can use it frozen)
150g feta cheese
1 onion diced thinly
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of one lemon
salt to taste.

In a pot, cook the onion with olive oil until tender and fragrant. Add spinach and cook with the onion on a medium to low heat, usually i add 1/4 cup of water, it’s enough with the water that spinach releases.

Cook until done about 15 minutes, turn of the heat then add lemon juice and mix. Cut the feta cheese in cubes, add it to the spinach and mix them together until well incorporated. Eventually the cheese will melt. Feta is a salty cheese you might not need to add salt, it’s a matter of taste.

Bring to room temperature before stuffing the puff pastry. This quantity makes around 20 if you are using the puff pastry dough cut in 10×10 cm sheets. Here is a self explanatory step by step picture.

When you place them in the pan, brush the top with eggs before baking in the oven (180°C) for 15-20 minutes or until the dough is puffed and the top is golden.