What some of you may not know is that I never learn recipes by heart. I have friends who can give you any recipe you ask for right off the top of their heads! I, on the other hand, can’t . When I want to make a recipe I actually go to my blog and look it up or dig up my little handwritten collection of recipes (If the recipe that I am looking for is not on the blog yet)

Going back to look for a recipe sometimes feels like those Facebook shared memories. Pictures, quotes, statuses that you have written years ago and completely forgotten about make you smile, think, cry, or contemplate how far you’ve come in this adventure we call life. Looking up recipes in my blog, reading the little snippets and stories that comes with them invokes the same emotions for me

Apart from sharing my passion for cooking and baking with all of you my wonderful readers,my favorite part of writing this blog for over five years now, has always been the chance to slow down and chronicle the little moments that move me, be it a little about my culture and the beautiful Middle East, a beautiful sunrise , or breathtaking sunsets, a crazy sandstorm, a wonderful milestone that the kids have reached, or simply a little revelation, one of those AHA moments that change the way you look at the world.

That is actually part of the reason why I sometimes vanish for weeks. At times, life is simply too crazy and I can’t seem to find the time or the peace of mind to write a meaningful post. This blog was never meant to be a mere collection of recipes. Each recipe has a soul, a story, a connection to a memory or a person and I feel like they deserve a post that does them justice especially when they are traditional Palestinian or Middle Eastern recipes.So in a sense this is an apology for all the times I seem to vanish off the face of the globe, and a thank you for sticking around and following my humble blog after all these years

Since I’m ranting about my lack of time, I thought I’d share a recipe that is one of my go to (express recipes) These are the recipes I make when I am super tight on time because it requires very little active working time. You can make this the night before and keep it in the fridge till the next day when all you have to do is pop it in the oven.As an added bonus this is actually a healthy way to enjoy potatoes, no frying, no cream but still loads of flavor

This recipe is also one of my mum’s signature recipes. My mum loves cooking things low and slow,that not ensures that whatever you’re making cooks through beautifully but the flavors of the different layers come together into a truly delicious way.

Layered potato caserole

• 1 kg potatoes peeled and cut into thin strips
• 1 onion cut into strips
• 3 tomatoes cut into thin strips
• 400 grams flank steak sliced against the grain into thin strips)

• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon all spice
• ¼ cup Olive oil
• ¼ cup water

 

1. Start by covering the bottom of the pan with a single layer of tomato strips

2. Top the tomatoes with a single layer of potato strips

3. Top the potatoes with the steak slices, season with a bit of salt and all spice.

4. Top the steak with onion strips

5.Add a final layer of potatoes then arrange some tomato slices on top of the potatoes.

6. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and all spice.

7. Cover with foil and place it on the lowest rack of the oven for an hour and 15 minutes at 180 C.

8. Take the foil off and place under the broiler for a couple of minutes

9. serve with a salad, some pita bread and some lovely yogurt and enjoy

صينيه البطاطا طبقات من وصفات والدتي الحبيبه و انا احبها لانها وصفة سهله و سريعه. بامكانك تحضيرها في الليله السابقه و كل ما عليك فعله في اليوم التالي هو وضعها في الفرن

• 1 كغ البطاطا مقشرة ومقطعة إلى شرائح رقيقة

 1 بصلة  مقطعه إلى  شرائح

3 حبات من  الطماطم (البندورة) مقطعه   إلى شرائح رقيقة

•  400 غرام لحم (بامكانكم استخدام شرائح الستيك او قطع اللحم)

• 1 ½ ملعقة صغيره ملح

• 1 ملعقة صغيرة بهار حلو

• ¼ كوب زيت زيتون

• ¼ كوب ماء