Nameless Sweet Treat

This is store bought given by my mother in law, Mama Zohra. It's a cake layered with some jelly and topped with gelatin and cream. I yet have to find the recipe of this one. It tastes like coffee cake and it tastes as good as it looks.

I also have to get the name of this cake.

Makeover for This Kitchen

Another blog on day-to-day life/activities has been created and so this Kitchen will have a total makeover. This will be filled with recipes and home remedies, crafts, ideas, et al while Potpourri will be about my personal (ah!)musings. I will have to find time to talk with Hazel about "facelifting" my blogs since communication with friends and real people/bloggers seems nil and i am dying everyday to have at least one good, rejuvinating, social exchange with a normal, reasonable, thinking adult. :)

Recent kitchen feats are:
1. Sam Yum Pizza Sauce (Sam's favorite)
2. Version of Libyan Guinisa (potatoe, Zuchinni, carrots, eggplant, tomatoes and fish)

Redefining a DH

I am a DH in three roles - a Domestic Helper, a Diva Housewife, and a Dedicated Homemaker. The fourth role which i am totally not is a Desperate Housewife. Though i can much relate to Felicity Hoffman's role in that tv series i am not desperate because i am actually beyond that. :)
If only i can just be Dumb and Happy (DH too, huh?). I am one Deranged Housewife. God help me. I need Divine Help.

Almond Plum Tart

These are nutty plum tarts. They came out pretty fine. They are made of Almond, plums and a sweet dough. I am not (yet) writing the recipe for this because they taste so-so to me...not really that yummy, just good.

Just Another Cheesecake Variation

This one speaks of something that could send your taste buds bursting though this is actually made out of the extras (cream cheese mixture and graham crust) of my Strawberry Cream Cheesecake because the dish i used was a little smaller than usual. I just sprinkled it with choco and colored mint sprinkles and edible glitters then topped with gelatin for a glassy look. I also added more gelatin and milk to the cream cheese so it looks more like a Maja Blanca than a Cheesecake. Nevertheless it still tastes (a little) like cheesecake. This is a fun dessert for kids. All of my husband's little nephews loved this.

Does this speak a thousand words?

I doubt if this one does but this Strawberry Cream Cheesecake was loved by everyone during the party in Pasotti. I accidentally created a marble effect on one area because i hadn't waited a little longer for the cream cheese mixture to solidify enough. In cases like this, minor damage caused by impatience can be remedied with a dash of creativity...and calling the result "marble effect" may disguise an error. "Murag abstract." Besides it doesn't really change it's taste. But this is only applicable in rare and selected cases. :)

Natural Air Freshener

This one's an idea shared by a fellow member of Mylot which i have found to be very useful and effective and which i have (as usual) improvised for lack of ingredients. I always love a nice smelling room/house/bathroom and i consume a lot of air freshener, scented candles, potpourri oil, and incense sticks. I wanted to do away with air freshener considering the damage it could bring to our environment and also the scented candles because i tend to forget to put it off. With the incense sticks, i have found the ash to be sometimes quite messy even on a holder. Now this new incense-like room freshener is a lot safer, cleaner, more natural and has a lasting scent that lingers in the house all day long.

Ingredients:
2 tbsps. Liquid Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Mint Leaves (preferably dried)
1 tbsp. Cinnamon Powder
2 tbsps. Vanillin Sugar
1 tbsp. Grated Solid Musk
1 1/2 cups water

Procedure:
Mix all ingredients in a stock pot. Cover pot. Bring to a boil. Adjust heat to medium low. Open pot and let the smoke fill the room. This will leave a sweet and fresh scent in your the house.

I usually carry the smoking pot around the house and swing the pot a little to let the smoke out. The scent is actually absorbed by the curtains and linens and fabrics of sofas. The ingredients above actually makes Vanilla Musk scent. One can play with the ingredients, experiment with herbs/leaves scents, add lemon and lime peelings, use other kinds of potpourri oils instead of solid musk. I plan to use Pine tree leaves and bark next time and citrus peelings instead of musk and vanilla. Please leave a comment if you have tried this.

Promises are Made to be Eaten

I have finally found the time and the confidence to write down the recipes of the yummies born in my kitchen. I want to start with the Cheesecake which i also recently improvised (again) last week in my Tito Dan's flat in Janzour. He and my husband liked it so much that Tito asked me to make one this friday for the party of his co-worker, Nong Johnny whose wife, Ate Delai also happen to make Ice Cream Cakes and sells them here to both locals and expats. Tito said the guests will surely like it and i could start a business like Ate Delai's here. I doubt it because this Cheesecake is no-bake, so easy to make and i am pretty sure anybody could whip this up in 10 minutes. And boy, these babes didn't just taste divine, they looked fabulous too chilling in the fridge. Too bad i wasn't able to take photos of them. I hope this coming friday i will be able to. Ahhh, enough of promises-to-self. Here it is:

Ingredients:
250 grams cream cheese (Philadelphia or Magnolia)
250ml all purpose cream
3 tbsps. honey
2 envelopes (2 tbsps.) gelatin (Knox)
3/4 cups sugar
2 cups boiling water

Crust:
1 cup crushed graham crackers
10 tbsps. melted butter
3 tbsps. brown sugar

Strawberry Cream Topping:
200ml strawberry flavored cream
1 tbsp. strawberry flavored gelatin (Foster Clark's)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup boiling water
tiny marshmallows
choco sprinkles
edible gold dust/pastry glitters

Topping II - Choco Almond Glitz
1 cube (1 0z) semi sweet chocolate
2 tbsps. butter
1 box almond flavored gulaman (Alsa)
3/4 cup black coffee (1 tbsp. coffee)
1/4 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup water
sweetened white chocolate sprinkles/shavings
pastry glitters


Procedure:
CRUST:
Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Spread evenly onto the bottom of a pie pan. Chill.

CHEESECAKE:
Beat cream cheese until fluffly. Blend in all purpose cream and honey. Mix well. Set aside.
Mix gelatin and sugar in another bowl. Add boiling water. Mix well until gelatin completely dissolves. Stir for about 2 minutes. Gradually add into the cream cheese mixture. Mix well as gelatin mixture is slowly poured into the cream mixture. Pour into the prepared crust. Refrigirate until a bit firm.

STRAWBERRY TOPPING:
Mix gelatin and sugar in a bowl. Add boiling water, stirring constantly until gelatin dissolves.
In another bowl whip the strawberry cream and gradually add the gelatin mixture. Beat until well blended. Pour onto the slightly firm cheesecake and sprinkle with choco sprinkles, marshmallows and pastry gold dust. Return to the fridge. Chill for about 3 hours.

TOPPING II -CHOCO ALMOND GLITZ
Melt chocolate and butter in a double broiler. Stir in coffee. Set aside.
Boil water and milk. Add the chocolate-cofee mixture. Stir well. Pour the gulaman. Mix well.
Take out of the heat and continue to stir until warm. Pour into the slightly firm cheesecake. Sprinkle with white chocolate and pastry glitters.