Tag Archives: marmite et ponpon

small tricks to revamp your classic spaghetti bolognese

Posted on May 8, 2014 | 3 comments

Spaghetti bolognese is a classic. Very simple recipe with no much ingredients. But small tricks transform it to a delicious dish for the whole family including toddlers.

Ingredients for 4 people:

300g ground beef
one large chopped onion
two big chopped garlic clove
puree of 2 medium tomatoes
1 tsp cognac
1 tsp sugar

Tutorial:

In a casserole pan on a medium heat add a splash of olive oil and cook the onion and garlic with a dash of salt, only for 5 minutes before adding the ground beef.

When the meat starts to brown add the tomato puree with a cup of water.

When it starts to boil add the cognac and sugar. Don’t worry about alcohol for your kids, cooking will take it away.

Cook for 15 minutes on medium flame, then serve it on a bed of spaghetti.

Sprinkle over a little parmesan for a deeper flavour!

3 Comments

Posted in astuces, kids food, main dish

Tagged astuce, blog, classics, cognac, cooking, jaymmy, kids food, marmite et ponpon, recipe, spaghetti bolognese, sugar, tomatoes, tricks

zucchini omelette – eejjit kousa عجة كوسى – suitable for vegetarians

Posted on May 7, 2014 | 2 comments

Omelette is a simple and quick breakfast, lunch or dinner. Eggs can be served at any time of the day and it is always satisfying.

Take your basic recipe to the next level by adding vegetables to it. You can be as much creative as you wish. All vegetables go well with eggs.

if you’re one of those people who like combinations, here is below a nice way to eat omelette.

Recipe for 4 people:

Crack 10 eggs into a mixing bowl, add salt and pepper and beat well with a fork.

Chop one large onion, fresh mint and a bunch of parsley, then grate 4 large zucchini and add to the eggs.

To have a consistent batter add 8 tbsp of flour and mix well.

Grease your dish with a bit of olive oil, pour the mix and bake in the oven until the omelette firms up.

What a fluffy and filling meal on the days when you don’t wish to eat meat!

2 Comments

Posted in kids food, main dish

Tagged 3ejjeh 3ejjit kousa, blog, breakfast, cooking, dinner, eggs, ejjeh, jaymmy, lebanese food, lebanese recipe, lunch, marmite et ponpon, omelette, recipe, vegetables, vegetarian, zucchini

aphrodisiac carrot ginger soup to a natural tan

Posted on May 6, 2014 | 5 comments

The sweetness of carrots with the sourness of orange spiked with ginger, makes this soup heavenly delicious!

Summer is here, top up your tan with this magical soup. Carrots are the best source of beta carotene for a deeper and prolonged tan. Without forgetting the terrific benefits of ginger. Ginger is a powerful aphrodisiac and increases sexual prowess. I bet you will have fun this summer 😉

My sister in low (Salma) had carrot ginger soup in a restaurant and she liked it so much that she motivated me to look for a nice recipe to adapt. I say adapt because i can never use a recipe without adding my personal taste!

Ingredients: (serving 4 people)

800g carrots roughly chopped
1 small onion coarsely chopped (1/2 cup)
1/4 cup fresh ginger peeled and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a pot over medium heat to cook onion and ginger until soft and fragrant about 5 minutes.

Add carrots, broth, water and orange juice, increase heat to medium high and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer for 45 minutes.

Puree the soup in a blender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can serve it warm or chilled! To serve it chilled add a spoon of sour cream on top and savour it!

It’s so addictive that one portion is not enough! you will be craving for more.

The smell of ginger filled the house incredibly!

5 Comments

Posted in appetizers & salads

Tagged aphrodisiac, beta carotene, blog, carrot, cooking, ginger, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, recipe, soup, tanning

Homemade colored sand – fine motor skills and messy sensory fun

Posted on May 5, 2014 | 1 comment

Homemade sand for hot days (or rainy, but it’s not the case in doha), when it’s not convenient to play outdoor.

Very easy and low-budget activity. All you need is cracked wheat and colors ( i always recommend wilton icing gel). One kilo bag of cracked wheat needs one tsp of the coloring gel. Mix well until the color is even and let it dry.

To kick off the fun, I put them in a container and hide the small animals for Nady to dig in.

Children have always been intrigued by sand play. They dig in, pour it, enjoy the feeling, pretend with it and explore how it moves.

Sand play is open-ended, there is no right way to play with, it stretches the imagination of the kid, provides a soothing sensory experience and it’s an excellent avenue for children to learn physical, cognitive and social skills.

Children are not born with a know how to play, parents should teach them! that’s why at the beginning children just observe before starting to explore.

What does this feel like when I touch it? What does this sound like when I squeeze it? What will happen if I push this or pull that? Crawl over there? Pull myself up on this?

Get down on the floor with your child. You are the ultimate plaything, and any activity will seem more fun if your child can share it with you. Talk to him while you play and you’ll help boost his language skills. Let your child choose how to play, you can suggest new things or present new options, but he should be the boss.

Now it’s time for messy play! It’s an important part of early education:

Physical development: Children will be given the tools to develop and practice fine motor skills and eye hand coordination, such as pouring and spooning and will provide opportunities for children to compare textures such as smooth, rough, hard and soft.

Communication and language development: During messy play, children will be given many opportunities to speak and listen.

Personal, emotional and social development: Messy Play is designed with children’s natural curiosity in mind. It encourages a positive approach to new experiences. There is no “right” way for children to do messy play. This builds self-confidence and self-esteem. They develop concentration, problem-solving and planning.

Intellectual development: Children will investigate, explore, design and create leading to a better understanding of the world around them. They will learn to group and classify, arrange items in a logical order, identify and match and understand cause and effect.

Mathematical development: The children will sort objects, fill containers and create patterns.

Creative development: Children are given endless opportunities with a variety of materials to build imagination and creativity. Through sensory experiences, they are able to respond to what they see, hear, feel, touch and smell. They will express their feelings and thoughts through color, texture, shapes and forms in two and three dimensions.

It was a successful fun activity, Nady was extremely happy and enjoying every second! we played for 90 minutes non stop without loosing interest or getting fussy.

1 Comment

Posted in DIY, way to play

Tagged blog, colored sand, colors, cracked wheat sand, DIY, fine motor skills, homemade snad, how to make sand at home, jaymmy, marmite et ponpon, motor skills, sensory play, way to play

tangy orange sesame chicken

Posted on May 1, 2014 | 6 comments

A favorite dish of mine, involving crisp, fried chicken bites smothered in a wonderfully sweet and tangy orange sauce.

It’s an easy recipe, served in less than 30 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 large eggwhites
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 tsp salt
500g chicken breast cut in cubes
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 scallion trimmed and sliced
1 cup fresh orange
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp soya sauce

In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, cornstarch, sesame seeds and salt until you get frothy and fluffy batter.

Using egg whites instead of whole eggs (or yolks) in the batter creates a crispier coating.

Add the chicken and toss to coat.

Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat.

Cook chicken until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Work in several batches, you don’t want your chicken to be cluttered.

Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.

Wipe the pan with a paper towel. Add orange juice, soy sauce, and sugar. Boil over high heat until a bit thick about 4 to 5 minutes.

Put chicken in sauce and add scallions.

Cook until heated through and coated with sauce, about 1 minute.

You can serve it like this or pair it with steamed rice.

Damn it’s so delicious! the sauce has so much flavor.

I am a fan of asian cuisine and my husband prefers the italian one, i felt flattered when he said, “this is a very delicious dish you have to make it more often, thumbs up”!