Z's Kitchen

Pumpkin Lasagna

2012-01-17T19:20:00.000-08:00

This lasagna is inspired from my recent trip to Rome, Italy. I had the best pumpkin lasagna the first night there, and had to re-create this somehow. It's not gonna be as good as in Italy, but pretty darn close and DELISH!

Ingredients
    * 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms
    * 1 onion, chopped
    * 1 teaspoon salt, divided
    * 2 teaspoons olive oil
    * 2 cans (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
    * 1 cup half-and-half cream
    * 1 tablespoon dried sage leaves
    * 1 teaspoon black pepper
    * 9 no-cook lasagna noodles
    * 1.5 cup ricotta cheese
    * 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
    * 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Directions
    * In a small skillet, saute the mushrooms, onion and 1/2 teaspoon
salt in oil until tender; set aside. In a small bowl, combine the
pumpkin, cream, sage, pepper and remaining salt.
    * Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin sauce in an 11-in. x 7-in. baking dish
coated with cooking spray. Top with three noodles. Spread 1/2 cup pumpkin sauce to edges of noodles. Top with half of mushroom mixture, 1/2 cup ricotta, 1/2 cup mozzarella
and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers. Top with remaining noodles
and sauce.
    * Cover and bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with
remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly!

Z is back!!!

2012-01-17T17:44:00.000-08:00

So...It's been a year? 2 years? I know I've been slacking. I have been working hard in the kitchen, and soon launching Zaynabakes.com! I will be better at posting recipes and excited to share some new ones:)

Spicy Feta Dip

2010-07-18T18:27:00.000-07:00

If you love feta, then this is the dip for you. I discovered this at one of my favorite greek restaurants in Chicago, and had to replicate it somehow! The best part about this is you can control the spice to your taste. I LOVE spicy, so this is my kind of appetizer. You can serve this with pita chips, sliced french bread, chicken or even steak.

Ingredients:

2- 4 ounce containers of crumbled feta

1 cup of marina sauce

1 teaspoon pepper

1 jalepeno pepper, minced with seeds

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon of chopped parsley

1/4 cup of kalamata pitted olives

optional if you like HOT-pinch of cayenne ground pepper

Combine all the indredients in a large bowl, taste and add more cayenne if needed. Refridgerate for an hour. EAT!

Also, If you want to see my cooking demo for this, here it is! I had so much fun with this and it was for the Sears Chef Challenge, I thought why not right???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX65wW9rfR0

Blueberry Bomb Cobbler

2010-06-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

CAN YOU SAY LEMON+BLUEBERRY=EXPLOSION...simply amazing! I made this for a huge family gathering for the first time, and it was a hit! I really love an equal combination of crumble to berry, so I made sure to make plenty of the crunchy crust. I can't tell you how exciting it is to see blueberry oozing out of the side when you plate this, it is just magical. The zest really takes this to the next level if you are a lemon freak like me:) It is such an easy crumble/cobbler to make, and the best part is you can even make it the night before and just pop it in the oven the next day!

Ingredients:

6-8 cups blueberries (I buy 2 containers from Costco)

4 lemons, juiced

2-4 of those lemons above, depending on how much you LOVE lemon, zested

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 tablespoons corn starch

1 teaspoon salt

Crumble:

2 sticks unsalted cold butter, cubed

3/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 cups oatmeal

Optional: Vanilla or Pecan Ice Cream just takes it to double BOMB in 60 seconds.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix all the ingredients besides crust into a large bowl. Pour into a large casserole dish, 9x13 or larger.

In a food processor, pulse the crumble ingredients until they are well incorporated. Pour on top of blueberries, and with your hands, pat down until well covered. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes, and then broil on high for about 5 minutes. MAKE SURE TO WATCH WHILE ON BROIL. I stand right next to the stove and make sure it does not burn to get the golden brown crust that we all love!

ENJOY!

Carrot Cupcakes

2010-06-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Let's just say that carrot cupcakes are not my favorite, but after perfecting this recipe, I am officially a carrot cake lover. These are so moist, and packed with fresh carrots which make them so amazing. These did not last too long in my household or office which is always a great sign right?

Ingredients:

4 cups grated carrots, grated

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

1 cup brown sugar

4 eggs

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

2 tablespoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups chopped toasted pecans

1 cup of pecans not toasted (for topping)

1 cup toasted coconut

Cream Cheese Frosting:

2 sticks unsalted butter

2-8 ounce packages of cream cheese (not fat free, never will taste the same trust me)

6-8 cups of powdered sugar(stop at 6 if you don't like it too sweet)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Get the cupcake liners ready to go.

In a small bowl, combine the flour, soda, powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside

In a large bowl with mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Add in the eggs one at a time. Incorporate the dry ingredients in the small bowl, a little at time on a low speed. Finally, mix in the carrots. Fold in the pecans and coconut last.

Bake for about 15-20 minutes, and make sure the tootpick comes out clean.

Cool cupcakes completely until you add the frosting. For the frosting, with a mixer, blend the cream cheese alone until soft. Then add the butter and vanilla. One cup at a time, add in the powdered sugar. Taste, you can add more powdered sugar if you want it sweeter. Frost and enjoy!

Chickpea Salad

2010-06-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

This has got to be one of the most refreshing salads you will have, and jam packed with protein! It makes the perfect side salad with anything and another great option for you vegetarians out there. The best part about this salad is you can make it the night before, because the longer you refridgerate, the more the juices will soak into the beans. It is a must have for summer!

Ingredients:

2 cans chickpeas, drained and washed

1 can fava beans, drained and washed

1 cucumber, chopped

1 tomato, chopped fine

1 bunch chives, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped fine

Bunch of parsley, chopped

3 lemon, squeezed

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

salt & pepper to taste

Combine everything in a large bowl. Mix well. Easy eh? SAHTEIN:)

Cauliflower Concoction

2010-05-26T22:27:00.000-07:00

There are so many wonderful things you can do with cauliflower. I usually sautee it with some olive oil and spices and call it a day. I thought why not twist it up a bit! This is such a good side dish for any occasion, and the possibilities are endless!

Ingredients:

8 cups of spinach

2 shallots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 package bacon, chopped

1 head cauliflower, cut into whole pieces

Salt & Pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cayenne

1 small package of sage (optional)

Heat large skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the garlic and shallots, stir until tender. Add the spinach, batches at a time. You will see that all that spinach is not that much at all when cooked! Place spinach to the side and cover so it stays hot.

In another large skillet, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the bacon, and cook for about 15 minutes until brown and crispy. Place the bacon on a dish to cool.

The same pan as where the bacon was, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the cauliflower pieces, and fry on high until golden brown for about 10 minutes. Add in all the spices.

Use a platter, and layer starting with spinach at the bottom. Then top with cauliflower, and finally garnish with as much bacon as your heart desires:)

(optional)Fry up the sage with a tablespoon of olive oil, garnish with this as well.

This goes great with any meat or fish!

Eggplant Dip "Baba Ghanoush"

2010-05-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

Baba Ghanoush is another Middle Eastern dip, similar to Hummus, that is so healthy and delicious. If you are an eggplant lover, this is your soul mate:) I usually don't make it that often since I always prefer Hummus, but I tend to forget how much I love it! Basically, it is the same technique of making Hummus, but you use eggplant instead of chickpeas.

Ingredients:

2 large eggplants

1 cup tahini (sesame paste)

4 lemons, juiced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

Salt to taste

Pita bread/Veggies/Garlic Toast

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Cut 1 inch slits into the eggplants, and place on baking sheet. Bake in oven for 20 minutes until tender. Cool for about 10 minutes before peeling.

In food processor, mix the tahini, lemon, garlic and olive oil. Pulse a couple times to incorporate. Peel the eggplant skin, and scoop the insides into processor. Pulse a couple times until creamy and smooth. Taste, and add salt to your taste.

Serve with toasted pita bread and veggies.

SAHTEIN!

Gouda Mac N' Cheese with all the Fix-ins

2010-05-24T22:06:00.000-07:00

My stomach is growling just thinking about this...it is so creamy, delicious, and just straight up comfort food. I decided to leave out the fix-ins and put them on the side so my guests could choose what they wanted to add. I also experimented with Gouda (love) cheese, and it was excellent! The best part might have been the crunchy topping. Nothing can top that crunchy and soft combination.

Ingredients:

1 pound pasta (cavatappi is what I use)

1 1/2 stick of unsalted butter

3/4 cup flour

1 quart of whole milk

4 cups shredded gouda cheese (optional- have extra for topping)

3 cups shredded cheddar cheese (optional- have extra for topping)

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 cup panko bread crumbs

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1 tablespoon black pepper

Salt to taste & for pasta water

2 tomatos

1 large head of broccoli

1 package of bacon

Pre-heat oven to 375, butter/oil/spray a 13x9 casserole dish.

Boil water in large pot. Add about 2 tablespoons of salt. Add in pasta and cook for about 7 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat milk on medium-low in a saucepan, just until it is hot. While that is heating, add the stick of butter in a large pot. When melted, incorporate the flour. Add in a little at a time, and make sure to whisk. Keep whisking until all the flour is cooked in with butter. Gradually whisk in the hot milk. Let cook for 5-10 minutes on simmer , then whisk again until thick enough. Take off the heat, and add in the spices. Then add the cheeses. Mix well until cheeses have melted. Taste at this point, and add salt if needed. Pour into a 13x9 casserole dish.

In a separate small bowl, add the panko, parmesan cheese and any remaining cheddar or gouda you might have (1 cup total of remaining cheeses). Spread on top of macaroni. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, and pour on top of panko spread.

Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly, and then broil for another 5 minutes until golden brown.

YUM...IT'S WORTH IT:)

Monkey Bread=Gone in 60 Seconds

2010-05-18T19:08:00.000-07:00

This has got to be the most delicious monkey bread ever, and it is a shame how easy it is. There is a time and place for making dough from scratch, and with this bread, you don't have to! I got this recipe from my dear friend and cooking club member Hollie, who has had this recipe for years passed down from her mom Dorene. It is the recipe that keeps on giving, so please try it and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

Package of Rhodes frozen rolls (only use 18 rolls)

1/2 package of butterscotch pudding

1 cup of whole pecans or walnuts

1 cup brown sugar

1 stick of butter

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Spray a bunt pan well. Add the nuts at the bottom. Layer the frozen rolls in the pan. Sprinkle the pudding mix over the rolls, with a teaspoon of cinnamon. In a small saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar and remaining cinnamon. Melt and stir until combined well. Pour over the rolls. Cover with towel and let sit overnight. Next day, the dough will rise. Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees and cook for 30 minutes.

ENJOY!

Chicken Salad with a Sumac Twist

2010-05-18T05:49:00.000-07:00

This is not your ordinary chicken salad...it has extreme flavor that will excite your taste buds! The secret ingredient is Sumac spice, and used in traditional arabic recipes that comes from sumac plant. It is finely crushed from berries harvested from a bush that can be found in the wild all across the Mediterranean. This spice is tart and acidic, and can easily take the place of lemon. It looks like paprika, a deep red powder, and can be purchased in select stores. I use Ziyad products, including spices such as sumac and other ingredients that I incorporate in all my middle eastern dishes. You can order sumac online:

http://ziyad.elsstore.com/view/product/?id=34070&cid=332

If you are LEMON freak like me, then this salad is perfect for you!

Ingredients:

Any Salad stuff you like, I use:

Romaine lettuce

1 tomato

1 British cucumber

1 yellow green pepper

1 avocado (ripe)

2 tablespoons of sumac

1 teaspoon on cayenne pepper

1/2 cup of feta

1 pound of chicken (2 pieces of chicken breasts)

2 lemons, juiced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt & Pepper to taste

Chop all the veggies and place in a bowl.

Season 1 tablespoon of sumac on each breast, rub well with fingers. Dash some cayenne on as well. Make sure to get both sides of chicken. Grill indoors or outside grill. Cut in stripes.

Add lemon, olive oil, salt & pepper in veggies. toss well. Add chicken on top, and sprinkle in feta last.

Majadara "Lentils"

2010-05-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

Majadara is such a hearty, wonderul dish, especially for those vegetarians out there. I make this once every couple weeks since it makes a huge portion that lasts for about a week in the refrigerator. It is also one of the cheapest dinners you can make that is so healthy and good for you. You can eat this with yogurt, pickles, or my personal favorite, salad!

Ingredients:

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups lentils or one bag of lentils, washed

9 cups water

3 onions, chopped

1 cup burgal (cracked wheat), soaked in water

2 tablespoons cumin

2 tablespoons salt

Heat the oil in a large pot, add onions. This has to be the most important part of this dish because you want to cook the onions until they are dark brown, ALMOST burned. See the first picture above. Stir occasionally on medium high-high heat, this will take about 20 minutes. When they are turning brown, heat water in a separate pot. I use my tea kettle, and that works great. When that has come to a boil, and the onions are almost burned, add the boiling water to the onions. Add the lentils and stir. Have this come to a boil, and then turn on medium heat. Cook until the water has almost absorbed the lentils. Lastly, add the burgal last and change to low heat. Keep stirring or the burgal will stick to the bottom and burn. Add the spices. Serve hot or cold with yogurt, onions, and pickles. A salad is delicious on top as well.

Falafel "Fried Bean Cakes"

2010-05-13T21:00:00.000-07:00

Falafel has got to be one of the best creations, and I'm so happy to say that they are super easy to make. I am still on a mission to find the best falafel out there, but I think this recipe is so delicious that I might not have to anymore!

Ingredients:

4 cups of dried chickpeas (soaked in water overnight)

2 large onions, chopped

1 whole head garlic

2 bunches of parsley

1 jalapeno pepper

2 tablespoons cumin powder

1 teaspoon of salt and pepper

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

2-3 cups of olive oil or vegetable oil for frying

Combine the beans, onions, garlic, parsley and hot pepper in a food processor. This is a lot, so you can put it in batches. Grind until well incorporated. Add the salt, pepper, cumin and baking powder. At this point, you can freeze the batter you don't want to use without the baking soda added. When ready to fry, add the baking soda.

Heat a large deep skillet with oil on medium high. Use a tablespoon to form balls and fry until golden brown and then flip to the other side until golden brown.

Searve with tomato slices, pickles and tahini sauce in a pita pocket. The tahini sauce can be made very quick. Mix 2 tablespoons of tahini with a whole lemon and 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. ENJOY!

Rice Krispie Cake

2010-05-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

This cake took some serious thought...and it all started with my co-worker Julie's obsession with rice krispies. So I thought why not just make a three layer cake out of her favorite treat for her birthday and this is what I came up with: Chocolate, Strawberry and Peanut Butter layers, with some surprises in between:)

Tabouli!

2010-04-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

Tabouli is one of the most popular Middle Eastern salads out there. You can now buy this pre-made at some local grocery stores, and I now am starting to see them in salad bars! To make this from scratch is a process, but so easy! If you take the time, I promise you it will be worth it! The combination with this and hummus is spectacular, and the sandwich possibilities are endless.

Ingredients:

3 bunches of parsley

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 bunch of green onions, finely chopped

3 lemons, squeezed

½ cup of burgal, fine cracked wheat

1 tablespoon of salt, or more to taste

This whole process starts with the parsley. This is when you want to get your friends involved to help! This salad only requires the parsley leaf, not the stem, and you do not want to waste any by chopping off the bunch. This means you have to hand pick each leaf off. Don’t be scarred! Just pop in a movie, have a glass of wine and get it done. After picking the 3 bunches, wash in a large bowl. Then spread on a towel to air dry for a couple hours (if you can, overnight). OR you can spin dry in batches. After they are dry, hand chop or throw in a food processor until the parsley very fine. When this is done, we are ready to make the salad. Combine the parsley, tomatoes, onions in a large bowl. In a small separate bowl, add the burgal. Rinse with warm water, and drain out. Throw that in the salad. Add the lemon and salt, mix well. Taste at this point and add in what you prefer, if it’s more lemon or salt. You can also add in garlic if you like. This is really great to eat with lettuce as well. Use the lettuce as you would pita, and scoop the tablouli. It is so delicious and refreshing!

Laying out the parsley to dry overnight, longer process way to do it!

Hand chop the parsley fine.

Pan Roasted Sea Bass with Herb Quinoa

2010-04-20T21:32:00.001-07:00

Sea Bass has to be one of the most flavorful fishes I've ever had! It has a natural butter taste to it, and it's so melt in your mouth bomb! I made an onion mushroom concoction to go along with it that complimented so well with it. The herbed quinoa was amazing too. I love putting tons of lemon in my quinoa, it tastes so fresh and earthy with all the herbs.

Ingredients:

2 filets of sea bass

2 tablespoons of olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Mushroom/Onion Topping-

1 package of portabella mushrooms or regular

1/3 cup of white wine

2 tablespoons of butter

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup of chicken stock

Quinoa-

2 cups quinoa

4 cups of water/or chicken stock

2-3 lemon, squeezed

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon of cayenne

1 teaspoon pepper

1 cup of chopped basil

1 cup of parsley

3 tablespoons of thyme

Cook the quinoa and water/stock in medium saucepan. When boiling, turn to low and simmer for 20 minutes until done. Put in medium bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Ready to serve with sea bass!

Preheat oven to 450.

Heat olive oil for mushroom topping in a large skillet pan. Add the onion for about 5 minutes, mix well until cooked through. Take the pan off the heat, and add the wine. Place back on heat and cook until wine has absorbed the onion. Add the mushrooms and butter. and cook for about 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock and salt & pepper to taste. Cook on medium heat until it begins to thicken and the liquid is almost gone.

In another oven proof pan, or cast iron skillet, add the oil and heat on high until the pan is hot. Season the filets with salt and pepper on both sides. Add to hot pan, skin side first, for 5 minutes, then flip and cook for about a minute. Transfer directly to the oven for 3 minutes. To plate, put fish and top with mushroom and onion topping.

Sweet Potatoes...and a burger

2010-04-20T21:23:00.000-07:00

Ohhhh Sweet Potatoes, how I love thee! This makes such a great side to burgers and other dishes, so I am a frequent SP eater:) The beauty of these potatoes is how naturally sweet they are, so you don't have to do much with them. A couple of simple spices, and you are ready to go! You can cut them the way you like, my new thing is making them into circle/potato chips. I also like to cut them up the night before so I can bake them the next day. I also love a certain burger you can find at Whole Foods called the Buffalo Chicken Burger. Words cannot describe how flavorful this is. The combination of the hot spicy sauce and blue cheese is magnificent!

Sweet P's:

2 large sweet potatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil

salt & pepper

1 teaspoon cayanne pepper

2 teaspoon cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchement paper.

Peel and cut the potatoes however you like. Round, sliced or in wedges. Place in medium bowl. Combine all the spices and oil. Toss with hands. Spread all over the sheet. Bake for 40 minutes. Last 5 minutes, broil on high until brown on top.

Grill burger indoors or on outside grill.

Eggplant Dish

2010-04-20T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is a new favorite middle eastern dish of mine. "BaitnJan" meaning eggplant in arabic. I discovered it through my husband Rani, since it is his favorite dish. His mom makes it in a way I have never seen, and everyone does it different and I absolutely love the way she does it! I love this recipe, it reminds me of lasagna, but much easier and a lot healthier!

Ingredients:

2 eggplants

1 pound of ground lamb/beef

1 cup of pine nuts

1 can of crushed tomato

1 can of diced tomato

1 onion, chopped

Rice, make to how many servings you would like

2 tablespoons olive oil (for frying onions and meat)

2 tablespoons olive oil (for eggplant)

Salt & Pepper

2 tablespoons of allspice

Preheat oven to low broiler. Line 2 baking sheets with parchement paper.

Heat a large skillet. Toast the pine nuts until golden brown. Set aside on plate when finished. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil in same pan and add the chopped onions. Sautee for about 10 minutes until cooked through.

While the onions are cooking, slice the eggplant into 1 inch slices. Spread the eggplant between both baking sheets. Spread the oil on both sides of the eggplant, and season both sides with salt and pepper. Place in oven for 10 minutes, then flip the eggplant and cook for another 10 minutes. In my oven, I could only fit one pan at a time to broil.

Remove onions and set asided on top of pine nuts on same plate. Add the last tablespoon to the same pan again, and add the meat. After 10 minutes, add the allspice, and salt and pepper to your taste. Add in the dish with the onions and pine nuts and mix well.

Now pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place eggplant in 9x13 until bottom of dish is covered. Add the meat mixture on top of the eggplant in the 9x13. Then add the remaining eggplant on top of the mixture. Top with the 2 cans of tomatoes. Cover this with foil and bake in oven for 35-40 minutes until bubbling. Serve with rice. SAHTEIN!

Sweet Bailey Cookies

2010-04-18T12:09:00.000-07:00

Ok...so not sure if you knew this, but I have an obsession with baking with baileys. I pretty much love to incorporate it into anything I make. It just gives it that coffee liquor kick you need. The combination of baileys with chocolate is UNREAL. These cookies are my favorite ones to make, they are so incredibly soft and heavenly.

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 cups baileys

3 cups oatmeal

2 cups of chocolate or raisens or toffee, if you are feeling adventurous, ALL of them:)

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Get two cookie sheets ready, line with parchment paper.

Mix together the first 4 dry ingredients in a small bowl. With an electric mixer, combine the butter with sugars. Add in eggs, one at time until creamy then the baileys. Add in dry ingredients slowly, in about 4 small batches. I don't like to overmix my dough, so at this point, I had mix/fold in the oats and the choice of raisens or chocolate.

Spoon with tablespoon and spread on sheets. Bake for 10-12 mintues. Do not overbake!

This Cake will make you go BANANAS!

2010-04-15T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is my favorite banana cake ever! I discovered a new technique of freezing a cake after it's out of the oven to guarentee moistness, especially with banana and carrot cakes, and let me tell you, it's magical:) I love playing with all kinds of pans, so I made a standard cake out of it, and of course the giant cupcake. The cupcake was for Mark's Birthday, my friend and co-worker at work, and one day we will be challenging him to eat the whole thing:)

Ingredients:

4-5 ripe bananas, mashed (I like to use 5)

Juice of one lemon

3 sticks of butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1/4 cup of baileys (optional)

3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1.5 cups of buttermilk

Frosting:

1 stick butter, softened

1 8ounce of cream cheese, softened

3 cups of powdered sugar

2 tablespoons of baileys (optional) or vanilla

Topping:

3/4 cup of flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup oatmeal

1 stick cold butter, diced

3/4 cup of walnuts or pecans

Preheat 275 degrees. Spray any pan you'd like to use with spray, butter or oil. Depending on the size of the pan, you might have extra which you can always bake in another pan. Mash banana with lemon in small bowl. With a mixer, cream the butter, sugars, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and baileys. Mix flour, baking soda and salt in another bowl. Beat in flour mixture and buttermilk into butter/sugar mixture. Then banana mash last. Pour into pan and bake for about 1hour and 15 minutes. This bakes differently depending on the oven, so might be longer. Just make sure to test with toothpick, and if it comes out clean, it's ready to come out of the oven. Remove from the oven and place directly in the freezer for an hour.

For the topping, combine all the ingredients in a food processer. Spread on cookie sheet on parchement paper for 15 minutes until golden brown at 350 degrees. Let cool, this will set into a crumble. Break up into pieces.

Frosting, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy. Add in baileys. Add in sugar one cup at a time.

To assemble: take cake out the freezer, spread the frosting on cake then add the crumble. Serve right away, or this can sit overnight in the refridgerator. This can be made days in advance and still be DELICIOUS!

Lentil Soup

2010-04-15T18:56:00.000-07:00

This has got to be one of my favorite soups out there, it is a comfort food that I grew up with. In arabic, it is called "Shorabot Addas"...as a child, I just remember calling it the yummy lemon soup:) I guess you can say it is the middle eastern version of chicken lemon rice soup, minus the chicken! The lentils really take the lead in this dish, and keep it hearty and you reaching for seconds.

2 cups washed lentils (orange ones work best)

7 cups water

1 large onion, chopped

2 cubes of chicken bouillon

2-3 lemons (squeezed)

1/4 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon of flour

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of Salt and Pepper

Get water in a large pot and heat while prepping. After water is almost boiling, add lentils and chopped onions. When boiling, lower to simmer and cover for 30 minutes. Add the 2 boullion cubes in pot. Mix oil, flour, and spices in a small bowl. Add 1/4 of soup to the mixture in the small bowl and mix, to incorporate the flour with the soup and make a thick paste texture. Pour in the mixture, and make sure to whisk in the soup and stir well. Add the juice of 2 lemons and simmer for a minute.

Ready to eat! I always have add an extra lemon since I squeeze it directly into the soup when I serve in a bowl, and sprinkle pepper on top! This makes even better leftovers for about a week.

Z's Hummus

2010-04-15T18:12:00.000-07:00

This is the easiest, healthiest, and most delicious hummus you will ever have! Hummus basically consists of chickpeas, tahini (a sesame paste) and FRESH ingredients. Not only is it easy, but such a great snack and you can do so many awesome things with hummus. My personal favorite is eating it with Taboli (a middle eastern salad) and pita bread. Here are some other tips that you can creatively use hummus:

Hummus Sandwich- 2 slices of wheat bread, 3 tablespoons hummus, 2 tablespoons of feta, 1 tablespoon of kalamata olive, 4 slices of cucumber and 2 slices of tomatoes...heaven.
This goes great with any choice of meat, grilled chicken and steak, just divine. Try to spice up your chicken/steak fajitas with a dap of hummus, so delicious with salsa too you would be surprised!
Serve with veggies! Carrots, broccoli and celery are great!

So here it is, this serves as an appetizer for about 4-6 people:

1 can of garbanzo beans/chickpeas drained and washed (OR you can use about 1.5 cups fresh dried chickpeas, soak them overnight, and then boil under soft)

3 Tablespoons of Tahini

2 lemons

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon of white pepper

1 tablespoon of salt

1/2 cup of water

Combine all of the ingredients except water in a food processer. You will notice how chunky it is, so then you add in water gradually. This will thin it out, you can add more water, garlic and lemon depending on your taste! This can easily be doubled, tripled as well:)

To garnish, I love to give some color to the dish. Curly parsley in the middle, a dash of paprika and some assorted veggies and you are ready to go!

Triple Threat Cake

2010-03-31T13:00:00.000-07:00

This is not your average cake...It has three amazing components to it. I’m talking about BROWNIE, COOKIE, and CHEESECAKE….all combined into one decadent bite! This might knock your socks off, and after making this, let's just say more than socks came off:) I made this for my co-worker JZ's birthday! Let's just say I'm the office baker and come with some crazy concoctions!

I'm gonna give you the easy way out, since making each compenent will take forever BUT it's worth it... If you want the recipe from scratch, I will give it to you just let me know!

Ingredients:

Box of Brownie Mix

2 packages of Cookie Dough (Premade)

Cheesecake (Premade, Philly tub)

Carton Eggs

Package of Grahm Crakers

2 cups of marshmallows

3 cake pans (or you can re-use the same one)

1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup heavy cream or milk

All of these could be baked together at 350 degrees. Make the brownie according to package in cake round pan #1. Line the pan with parchment paper so it does not stick. Make sure to fill the pan 3/4 full, if you have extra, make into separate pan and keep yourself! Let cool for 10 minutes and flip. 2 mintues before done, add the mallows on top. Make the cheesecake (and cookie) the same way, in another cake pan #2, no crust needed just the batter. Bake for 45 minutes until brown. Test by jiggling the pan to see if batter is cooked through. Cake pan #3, press the cookie dough into pan and back for 15-20 minutes.

To Assemble:

Cookie at the botom, layer the cheesecake in the middle, and brownie smore at top. Melt the chips at low heat with cream. This will make you ganache topping! You can vanilla if you want, or a hint of baileys:) When cooled, spread over entire cake and then crumble grahm crackers over the cake. Refridgerate until ready to serve.

ENJOY EVERY BITE:)