Aniseed (يانسون) Cookies

I have been postponing this recipe for so long! The hubby has been asking me to make Aniseed cookies ever since we came to the States (It's been 2 years... ops). Anyway, the day has come and he finally had some and announced that this should be a weekly thing! It is an easy recipe that can practically be a weekly fun activity! 

Enjoy!

For the recipe and the related video click here!

Aniseed (يانسون) Cookies Recipe

I took this recipe from the following site and tweaked it a little bit :) The video is in Arabic so below is the English version of it:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 2 tablespoon Aniseed (اليانسون) (adjust to your liking)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Black Cumin (حبة البركة)
• 1 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds 
• 3 cups of flour
• 1 cup of water (if you want a strong Aniseed taste, boil 1 cup of water and add 2 teaspoon of Aniseed and let it brew for couple of minutes, then remove the seeds and let it cool for a bit before adding it to the mix)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degree Fahrenheit = 204 degree Celsius. 
• Mix everything together with a spatula.
• Shape them to your heart's desire, circular or stick like etc... 
• Bake them on cookie pans at the above mentioned temperature for around 15 minutes depending on your oven. 
• Remove and let them cool. 

Mini Eclairs

The first time I was introduced to this delicious, mouth watering dessert was when my cousin ordered it in a restaurant 16 years ago. This has been my go to dessert ever since! The thing that hooked me into this dessert was the pastry cream. This cream is so versatile, you can pipe it into donuts which tastes amazing! You can use it as a filling for cakes or have them with fruits (I think they go well with berries). 

Eclairs might be an intimidating French dessert to begin with, but it is actually not that difficult. The "dough" which is called 'pate a choux' is so easy to make because there is an obvious sign that happens (mentioned in the recipe) which lets you know when the dough is ready for the next step and there aren't a lot of steps. When it comes to cooking the pastry cream it can get tricky if you wander off. You have to pay attention to it at all times so you don't burn the cream and little bits of brown parts ruin that beautiful pale yellow cream (been there, done that!).

For the recipe, click here! 

Tuna Stir Fried Rice

A classic Chinese dish, so versatile and easy to make. Just bring out left over rice (or make new ones if you don't have left overs), vegetables (broccoli, peas, beans, corn, baby corn, carrots), your choice of protein, eggs with some soy sauce and sesame oil then mix everything together!

For a detailed recipe, keep reading :)

Ingredients:
-Cooked rice (2 cups)
-Small onion (chopped)
-Mix of vegetables (around 1 cup of each depending on how much you are making)
-Your choice of protein (chicken, beef, tuna)
-2 eggs
-Soy Sauce
-Sesame oil
-Salt
-Pepper
-Stir fry sauce (optional)

Directions:
-Heat up a skillet or wok on medium.
-Add some sesame oil or vegetable oil and add chopped onions.
-Add vegetables, season and cook until tender.
-Cook protein if it needs cooking.
-Remove cooked vegetables onto a plate and scramble the eggs in the same skillet, when done, add in the vegetables and protein mix.
- Add in cooked rice.
-Add soy sauce, sesame oil and stir fry sauce and mix well.
-For something extra add a bit of 5 spices or Sriracha (hot sauce)

Bon Appetite!

Strawberry Cupcakes

What prompted me to make these cupcakes? Left over strawberries! I'm loving this flavor and it is somehow different from others I've made. It kind of tastes like strawberry shakes so yay! I've paired this cake with cream cheese frosting but for next time I would just add a nice strawberry on top! I started with a cake pan then used a cupcake pan for the rest of the batter. For the cake, it took me 20 minutes more in the oven than the time specified, but for the cupcakes,the timing was right. 

For the recipe click here! :)