Halloween Jack O' Lantern Decorated Cookies

Halloween is this week and Alya is very excited! She starts planning her costume a year in advance, she asks when will the next Halloween be right after trick or treating, she wears her costume, and many other improvised costumes, at home all year round. Me? I like Halloween in general, I mean who does not like to wear a costume? I wear my PJs to do my grocery shopping and pretend that it is my costume! Just kidding...I wish!

Fall inspiration: Decorated Pumpkin Sugar Cookies

Pumpkin Cookies

Alya went on her first field trip ever with preschool. She went to the pumpkin patch with her friends. They played on the slides and picked pumpkins to decorate for Halloween. In order to fund this lovely field trip, we had a bake sale at the preschool. I, among other parents, organized it and volunteered to sell the goodies. I also baked and decorated these Organic Handmade Pumpkin Sugar Cookies. How cute they are!

Eid Inspired Sugar Cookies: Stenciling cookies Technique

Eid Al-Adha, like any other holiday in the world is an opportunity to meet with the extended family and an excuse to eat delicious food. Maamool, a fragrant semolina dough stuffed with dates, walnut or pistachio, is usually associated with Eid. Check out my Maamool fail proof recipe with clear instructions here. This year, I wanted to add a western spin on my Eid dessert. I made Palm decorated sugar cookies. I used the cookie stenciling technique. I think that they look adorable!

Basic Technique: Baked Pita Chips

Everybody loves crunchy food such as potato chips and tortilla chips. They tend to be fried and high in salt and fat. When I am craving crunchy food and I am done with eating carrots and apples, my go to recipe is Baked Pita Chips. I believe that it is a great way to teach your kids to opt for healthy snacks. I bake the chips instead of frying them, trust me, you will not miss the "fried" taste. They can be eaten on their own, just like potato chips. They are great for dipping in hummus and artichoke spinach dip. I also love to add them to salads like Fatoosh or use them in Fatteh ( a yogurt based Middle Eastern Dish). They add so much texture and flavor without the calories. They are very easy to make and can be made ahead of time, just store them in an airtight container or a ziplock bag.

Turkish Zucchini Fritters عجة الكوسة على الطريقة التركية

The zucchini/courgette/koussa season is almost over. Everytime I go to my local farmers market I just stock up on these babies. Zucchinis come in different forms and you can enjoy them in so many ways. Last year, in the peak of the zucchini season, my lovely neighbors gave me zucchini from their garden. Who can say no to freshly picked zucchini! I had some French Feta cheese and organic eggs in the fridge, and fresh dill in my garden. I immediately thought of this recipe. You can make it in advance and heat the fritters in the oven.