Cheesecake for Christmas

It's been a long while since my last post and i mean years-long. To celebrate my comeback, i want to share my Cheesecake who had her debut last Christmas in my Philippine home. When I made her back in Libya, she was not yet in a "wrap" but was equally loved by samplers. But here, a one whole layer of her is rapidly devoured in minutes by three girls...

anyhow, here she is...for visual feast.

orders, anyone? CDO deliveries only. :)

Iftar that Was

here are some proof that i did cook the menu planned for Iftar...
chicken pie. on the side is the additional filling.
beef and beans

this tortillas and co. (salad) greets you a happy Iftar...

mac and cheese



a favorite of my boys...beefy and cheesy

this is the potato log....inside is the filling of tomatoe sauce, veggies and cheese.

it's been a happy Ramadan.

except that i stopped cooking and menu planning mid way through. :)

Menu for Ramadan

I have survived two days of Ramadan (cooking only and not fasting since im breastfeeding and baby Hannah is still month old) and realized i need to plan the menu for the 30-break-nights so i won't cram hours before the "Fatafeat" (like food/cook-fest) as the family calls it here. I have to plan something my husband likes (of course!) and something my mom in law and sisters in law won't be cooking since one family gets three or more extra dishes shared by three other households in this house. So far i've come up with this (except for the first two days menu which were unplanned):

DAY 1: Fried Rice with vegetables
DAY2: Lumpia Shanghai (fried wanton filled with ground beef sauted w/veggies) and Rice Balls (rice w/onion, garlic, bell pepper, chopped carrots, zucchini, tomatoe paste, eggs, rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried) with cheese filling (this was a winner. everybody loves it)

now for tonight and the remaining nights:
DAY3: Mac and Cheese (topped with ground beef with tomatoe sauce and lots of cheese. baked)
and Potato Log (mash potatoes, mix in little flour, garlic chopped and fried in olive oil, salt and pepper, chopped parsley, one egg, knead and roll. spread sauted ground beef, brush tomato paste, and top with grated cheese. roll the potato dough. roll on bread crumbs. fry)
dessert: banana-apple frape

DAY 4: Chicken Pie (sweet dough, top with grilled chicken, cooked potatoes, tomatoes, onion, salt and pepper. cover with another dough on top. bake til dough is golden brown)
desser: milk jel-o, topped with Halawa/Shamiya

DAY 5: Veggie Pasta in White Sauce (saute veg: garlic, onion,carrots, zucchini, sweet peas, bell pepper, potato...add fried mushrooms, blend in cream cheese, add a little orange juice, season with salt and pepper. Top on pasta) and Fried Chicken

Day 6: Tortillas (make tortillas. fill with meat sauce (ground beef sauted with tomato paste), grilled onions, grilled bell pepper, fresh tomatos, shredded lettuce, grated cheese)

Day 7 (Aug 28. Leaf's 2nd bday): vegetable lumpia (fried wanton filled with veggies), spaghetti and meatballs, empanada, (pizza will be served by mom in law and also kebab which she makes every day)
dessert: cheesecake!!!!

DAY 8: Beef Kaldereta (beef stew in tomato sauce...with potatoes, carrots and zucchini, and a little grated cheese. boil beef till tender. fry til brown. use oil to saute garlic and onion, put back the beef, and add tomatoe paste. saute well. add the veggies, and the cheese. i usually add mango-orange juice to the sauce after the second seasoning with salt and pepper.)
Toasted bread (buy bread, spread on butter and a little chopped garlic. slice. toast.)

DAY 9: Chicken noodles with veggies (saute! saute!saute!)
Fried Rice Balls (yes, again...more than a week already)

DAY 10: Chicken Adobo (favorite of sis-in-law...this is a Filipino Dish) with hard boiled egg.
Plain rice. (the Adobo serves as a topping on the rice)

i'm running out. that's it for now. will continue later...tonight..or tomorrow