Soft, Chewy Chocolate- Chocolate Chip Cookies

Cheap, fast, amaaaazing results!!!

1 package Chocolate Cake Mix
1/2 cup butter (softened)
2 eggs
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a big bowl, mix the two eggs and softened butter, then slowly add the cake mix with a spoon. Continue until all of the mix is fully combined. Add in the chocolate chips and mix thoroughly.
3. Use to two spoons to drop small size cookies onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and enjoy :)

A Typical Ramadan Feast

Crab Rangoons Using Empanada dough (see below)

This recipe calls for the dough that was previously posted. Going to the store to buy the crab rangoon wraps can be annoying, they are really hard to find sometimes. So instead I just use the Amazing Empanada Dough recipe and it still tastes GREAT.
When it comes to making the filling, you will need:

• 8oz Cream Cheese (1 small package)
• 8oz fresh or imitation crab meat
• fresh green onions, chopped
• 1 tsp red pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce

Before ingredients are mixed

After the ingredients are mixed using hands

1. Place all ingredients in a bowl and using your hands, just mush it all together until well incorporated
2. The amounts of seasonings are to taste. If you like more or less of anything, its ok to change it up.

Amazing Empanada Dough Recipe

This is a great recipe that I recently found. For Ramadan, I have been making it for my family quite often and everyone LOVES them. In Syria, we have almost the same appetizer, called "Sambousikk" It consists of the same crispy, soft dough, with a filling of some sort, usually ground beef, seasonings, and pinenuts.
For this post, I am providing the recipe for the dough. However, you can be creative and stuff it with just about anything! I've done it with ground beef, crab meat (kind of like rangoons), mozzarella cheese, and spinach. It's really your call.

• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1 egg, and 1 egg white
• 1 tsp vinegar (or lemon juice)
• 3 tblspn shortening or butter

1. In a medium bowl, beat: water, eggs, vinegar together and set aside.
2. In another larger bowl, mix: 3 cups of flour and salt.
3. "Cut" the butter/shortening into the flour. What I like to do is just take slices of butter and cut them up with a knife into little cubes, and and them into the flour.Mix all of these ingredients well. Then, make a well in the middle of the bowl. All you have to do is start from the middle, and using your hands or a spoon, push the flour mix away from the center until you can see the bottom of the bowl in the middle.
4. In this small well, pour the liquid ingredients from step 1.
5. Slowly mix the ingredients, until most of the flour seems to be mixed. I like to also knead the dough a little with one hand to make sure it is well incorporated.
6. Wrap this dough and place in a refrigerator for about 1 hour. It is easier to work with if the butter is cold and not warm.
7. When you are ready, take out the dough and on a floured surface, roll out the dough with a rolling pin. I find it best to work with one half at a time.
8. Roll out the dough very thinly. Then, using some kind of round cutter (I just use a large cup), cut out round parts of dough, as many as you can fit. Remove the excess dough surroundings.
9. In the middle of each round, spoon some of the filling you are using. Once this is done, fold over one side of the round until it touches the other side and press down all around. Pick up the Semi-circle, and with the other hand, pinch the sides until all of the side is sealed so none of it leaks into the the oil.
10. Once all of the empanadas are ready, heat oil in a deep saucepan on high heat. Carefully place each one in the oil and fry for about 3-4 minutes, or until you can see that the dough is a light brown. Remove from the oil and place on a plate with napkins spread to catch excess oil.

Hummus حمّص

Hummus is something we like to make as much as possible as it goes with everything we make for dinner. It is perfect for dipping and is proven to be quite healthy.
The recipe is as follows, however, it really depends on how you like the taste. For instance, my family likes the hummus with lots of lemon, so we tend to add more lemon, etc.

-2 cans of chick peas
- 1/4 cup Tahina Sauce (Can be found at any Arabic Foodstore)
-2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 cups of water
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon garlic powder
**Serves up to 10 people

The secret is to first boil the chick peas in a small saucepan. This makes the chickpeas easier to grind in the food processor.
1. Pour contents of chick peas from the 2 cans into a small saucepan. Add water just enough to cover the chick peas.
2.Sprinkle some baking powder on top of the water.
3.Allow to boil for about 15-20 min, or until the chick peas can squish between your fingers easily.

4. Drain the contents of the saucepan in a drainer.
5. Pour the drained chick peas into a food processor.
6. Add the Tahina sauce, lemon juice, salt, and garlic.
7. Pulse in the processor until the contents are mixed.
8. Next, slowly add water into the mixture and turn the food processor on.
 As the water is added, the mixture should become more and more smooth.
You should not be able to see the skins or chunks of chick peas any more.
9. If all the water is added, and you still don't like the texture of the hummus, its ok!
The solution is just to add more water until you are satisfied. In my family, we like the hummus not too runny, so I don't put too much water.
10. Always taste the final product. If it is too salty or too garlicy for you, just add a little more water to balance it out. If it is not enough, add to your taste.
11. When you're finished and satisfied, just pour out onto a plate of your choice with a spoon. Smooth out. Pour Extra Virgin Olive Oil all around and serve with Pita Bread.

Ramadan

So everyone knows it the holy month of Ramadan, the month where all Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset each day. It is also the month where some of the best food is cooked from tabouleh to sambousik to kibeh. All day we cook to prepare for the wonderful Iftar (breaking of the fast) and to feed our family all the food they were craving all day. It truly is the best time of year for us. So, I will be providing recipes for the rest of the month that I cooked during Ramadan, recipes that are GREAT for family gatherings. I hope you all enjoy. :)

New Experiences

Hello and Welcome,

I am sure you can read the "About me" to read a little into my background, however, I would just like to make this first post a welcoming one and to introduce myself. My name is Nur (pronounced Noor) and I just graduated  with a Bachelors in Biomedical Sciences. I feel like I now have the free time to finally give back to the world one of the only things that kept me going in college: cooking. This is my first blog, so it is a new experience for me and will take some time getting used to...But I already love it. I will be posting random recipes, ideas, suggestions, and thoughts onto this blog to make my own footprint in this blogging world. I have made commenting available to anyone so that I may get the most out of your feedback. Please write to me if you try any of my recipes and let me know how they go. I deeply look forward to your opinions on my postings.