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

Crispiest, Chewiest Cookie

The cookies from my oven usually come out either soft or as hard as a rock. Finally, i have done quite a great job lovingly laboring on the ingredients and in twenty minutes the cookies are born. My heart has already been taken the moment they are whisked in the bowl and molded in the oven. :)

Ingredients:
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup raisins
1 1/2 cups roughly grounded peanuts
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp almond extract

Mix the first six (dry) ingredients together. Set aside. In another bowl, beat eggs, add milk and almond extract. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix well. Drop a tablespoon of mixture into a lined cookie sheet, press a little. Bake in 300 degrees for about 10 minutes (or check if bottom of cookie has browned.) Enjoy!

Options:
You may replace first three ingredients with granola.
Use vanilla instead of almond extract.
Keep the dough overnight in the fridge and bake it the day after.

A Breakfast Favorite

We just had a "happy breakfast" today. It means, my boys get to have one of their favorite breakfast meal. I usually serve this once or twice a week (in varied forms.)

Sort of Like Hash Browns

Ingredients:
2 large potatoes, cooked
3 Tbsps. cream cheese
1 large egg
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
5 tbsps. bread crumbs
olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
1/8 cup milk
vegetable oil
salt and pepper


Procedure:
Mash potatoes and blend in cream cheese. Beat in egg, milk, butter, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a pan, fry garlic in olive oil until golden brown. Add into the potato mixture. Add bread crumbs. Mix well. Fry until golden brown. Drain oil in paper towel.

This may be served with mayonnaise, catsup or any dressing of choice.