Bella Cakesicle Maker Kit Review & Giveaway!!!!

GIVEAWAY TIME

We have reached 600 likes on the Em Maliks Kitchen's Facebook Page!! For me, that's something to celebrate! I recently came across this product that I am in love with and thought to share one with one lucky reader!!! 

I present to you, the adorable, cute and fun Bella Cakesicle Maker Kit!! 

As soon as I saw this at JCP I knew it would be tons of fun! 

Comes with a lot of stuff!

Cakesicle Maker

Cooling rack

Baking fork

Pastry bag with 4 tips

Batter Squeeze Bottle

Measuring spoon

10 popsicle sticks

Ok, so starting with the batter and icing recipes. Here are all the ingredients used, as here is the Chocolate Cake recipe as well as the Chocolate Icing recipe.

 Kid mixing required for better results. Might result in tons of happy messes and smiles. 

Batter is ready. Cakesicle maker plugged in and greased. Ready for round one! Add batter, wait for about 3 mins to cook. Done, or is it?

I didn't put enough batter first time so on to round two! 

Round two more like it! about 1.5 tbsp of batter in each shape. Rised nicely. Push stick in while still warm, much easier.

Now once you have made as many as you need ( this could go on all day!) Time to make the frosting while the cakes cool down.

Recipe here

For decorating we used some sprinkles we had on hand, and used this tip from my friend Amnah at This Little Life of mine : Decorating with cookie cutters.
Then I pierced a piece of foam and stuck them in to keep them standing.
A couple smudges here, and a few messes later we had this!

Sky is your limit with decorating ideas. Do whatever suits your fancy. 

Giveaway Rules: 

One winner will recieve one Bella Cakesicle Maker Kit.

Giveaway is open March 17- March 31 (11:59 PST). 

Giveaway open to all US and International residents.

International readers: please note that there is a flat $5 shipping fee for international shipping. thanks for understanding.

How to enter:

• Post a comment on this post saying how/with whom you will use this product. (one entry) 
• Like my New facebook page "Life of a mompreneur" where I will post about everything that I do, busniess-wise and other.. (one entry)
•  
• and/or Like my Facebook Page Em Maliks Kitchen if you havent already. 
  (one entry)
• and/or Follow me on twitter. @Em_Malik
  (one entry)
• and/or Follow me on Pinterest @SamanthaSalem
  (one entry)
• and/or Share this giveaway post on your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest.  Get the word out about this awesome giveaway. I must see the shared link posted in a comment (one entry) 

 Dont forget to Post a comment saying which of the above you have done. one comment per method of sharing. (one entry each)

***If you dont have a google account to post a comment, then just post as anonymous and write your full name in the comment, that way if you win i can contact you by finding your name on facebook or something.****

Be sure to keep up with me on facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Disclaimer: Items above were purchased with my own money. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated by any company to review or giveaway any products. Have fun!

GOOD LUCK 

Musakhan

Salam to all, 

Musakhann, need i say more??? No? Great. Let's get straight to business then :)

serves 2-3-4 people...

ingredients:

2 Cornish hens ( 2-3 lbs of any chicken would work)

lots of sumac.. at last 1 1/2 cups on hand, just in case.. this is the main spice today

5-6 onions

salt+pepper to taste

2 splashes of vinegar

1 tbsp knorr/chicken bullion (I'm addicted, I know its bad)

1 tsp mixed spices

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup broth

taboun bread (how many depends on how u will serve it,  if you're doing the rolls then u'll need 2-3. if ur doing just the tray version u need 1-2)

toasted nuts (optional) (I didn't use because I was out! oops)

I personally like both versions, the tray one give a nice crisp to the bread, while the rolls are way cleaner and easier to eat.. do whatever suites ur fancy..

this is called taboun bread.

its about the size of a medium pizza, 12" inch in diameter...

and its thicker than pita and very soft when fresh.. it doesn't have a pocket (like pita bread) so its considered a flat bread..I found mine at the middle eastern grocery so I didn't make it..They have all sizes, small and big. these are big

  clean and cut about 2-3 lbs of chicken. As usual I used 2 Cornish hens..

add knorr, sumac, black pepper, mixed spices, vinegar and stir well.

rub it in and let marinate for 30 mins (if u have the time)

place in a baking tray and cook in oven on 425 for 1 hr.

get your onions and chop til u cry!

chop it medium size, not too small and not too big

heat the olive oil (in a big enough pan)

add the onions

until nice and translucent (will take about 10 mins on high heat)

its good enough now

add 3 tbsp sumac, 1/2 tsp black pepper, salt (to taste, abt 1/2-3/4 tsp), and broth and stir

it should look like this

until nice and brown like shown. u can spray/brush some oil on it if u feel its getting dry.

when its done, take it out and let cool to touch. (few mins)

get a baking tray, round is best.. (maybe a pizza one, my mother in law brought me this one from Gaza when she came) and grease it with olive oil all around

lightly rub some oil on the bread too, both sides..

add the onions on top..

then layer the chicken...

then sprinkle more sumac on top.. if u like toasted nut then feel free to add them now.. then put in the oven on 400 (or broiler) for another 10 mins to make the bread crispy..

another variation is to just put the onions in the bread and make a roll.

sprinkle with parsley ( and the nuts if u want)

roll it up

roll in foil and bake for 10 mins under broiler.. to make it hot and crispy.. I did both ways.. when done, cut it in half (with foil on) and serve. the foil keeps everything in one place.
.

NOW THIS IS DONE!!!!

I dont know if u can tell, but the crust is browned and crispy.. not too hard nor too soft, but just right... DELICIOUS!!

sprinkle parsley on top (I think i have a weird habit of covering everything in chopped parsley or cilantro if u noticed)

cut slits into the outer crust with a pizza cutter/knife and pull out piece by piece, it will cut by itself and enjoy and gobble up! Sahteen! ahhh I can still smell the sumac lol.... from the picture





Let me know if you have tried it before!!!!!!! 

Ramadan is here!

Salam to all! 

Time flies now, doesnt it? whew, we are already halfway through 2012 and Ramadan is here again! May Allah accept your fasts and good deeds! 

Its been a million years since my last blog post (sorry!) but im back, with some new recipes that i have tried.. and millions more that i'm dying to try ( if you already  follow me on pinterest you can tell either i like soup alot or im just too darn hungry... if you dont follow me yet.. FOLLOW me please! )

on to the food:

I came across this wonderful blog on Iftar foods and Ramadan specialties here.
I tried the fattoush recipe and the Moroccan Chorba soup recipe and both were very very delish! I cant wait to try more from these recipes.

i also made Mussakhann as well.. you know i love anything with onions!

I also made Qedra (yellow rice with boiled meat) im not sure if i have a recipe up, nor pics. was too hungry to snap one...

also tried this chicken alfredo recipe i found on Pinterest. It was delicious. I will def make it again.

For dessert i made Knafa from this recipe. Everybody loved it. 

 Thats all i've made so far, today we are eating left overs, so until a new day i guess i will be chatting with you soon.


Dont forget im always on my FB page and on Pinterest..  send me any questions or requests, I'd love to hear them ..

Another giveaway!

Salam to All!


I have another giveaway going :)
Only on my Facebook Kitchen Page, you will find a picture like this. Please comment, share and like my page to enter!

See you guys there!

Em Maliks Kitchen Giveaway Party starts now! (CLOSED)

Salam to ALL.......


GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED...


Winner will be announced soon.

We did it! We reached 300 likes on  Facebook! That may seem like an insignificant number, but not to me, I appreciate each and everyone of you! I love my readers so much that I want to show my gratitude with a giveaway party!

I have a few items to giveaway, one at a time,  and I will start with this first item.....

Ive been asked a trillion couple times about Mixed spice. I also wrote and explained about it here. So I figured what don't I give some away to show you guys what it really smells, tastes, feels like. It might even get more of you guys to cook some Arabic dishes (wink)....


Giveaway Details:

Must be 15 or older.  Shipping is available to most countries as long as you have a valid mailing address. . Giveaway is open from December 30, 2011 (12:00 am CST) – January 6, 2012 (11:59 pm CST).

One winner will receive a 7 oz jar of Habashi Mixed Spice.  this jar usually lasts me 2 months, especially if I'm cooking a lot of Arabic food and inviting friends over...

How to enter:
1. Post a comment here on this post saying what dish you would cook using the spice. (one entry)
2. Like "Em Maliks Kitchen" on Facebook, if you already do then post a comment saying so. And share the page on your profile with all your friends.(one entry)
3. Follow @em_malik on twitter, and tweet about the giveaway including the hashtag #EmMaliksKitchenGiveaway. (one entry)
4. On my Facebook Page, post a picture of a dish you made at home, and mention " for the giveaway" (one entry)

So everyone has 4 chances to enter the giveaway. Once this one is over I will announce a winner, then when will start the next giveaway once we reach 350 likes on Facebook. Do you think we can do it??? :)

Good Luck everyone!

Disclaimer:
I purchased this item, and the rest of the items in my giveaways, with my own money. Im not sponsered by anyone. All opinions, reviews and photos are my own.

Menu for the week

Salam to all,

I have my menu planning set up on my phone for the entire year! I got so excited setting it up that i forgot to post my weekly menu here! SO silly.


For this week we are having Inshallah:

Tuesday Nov 15 : Fatteh bil lahma/with beef (or chicken)
Wednesday Nov 16: Shorbat Addas ( lentil soup) with salad
Thurs Nov 17: Kofta tahina ( Tahini casserole)
Friday Nov 18: Fasoleya Khadra ( green beans stew)
Saturday : Mujadara (we didnt have it last week) {rice with lentils and onions}
Sunday : OPEN

Now I know you are wondering how I managed to plan the entire year of FOOD! I'm using the mobile app called "Cozi" and its a family calender with reminders for everyone.It is a really cool and organized concept and I love it. Check out their website here.

As I was adding in the menu for the week I realized I have the option to repeat weekly/monthly/yearly, so I opted with the monthly option and it saved a whole months worth of menus and repeated them. I know you are thinking, that's so boring! .. But don't forget I left the Sundays open. So that created a few gaps in every month that I can easily change within minutes.

The main idea for me behind menu planning, is to actually have something to cook in mind, instead of wasting all day just figuring what to cook. At least any thoughtfully preplanned meal will be way better than a last 10 minute " throw-it-all-together-in-a-pan" meal.

let me know your thought :)
As for now, the plan is working. I'll let you know how it goes within the next few weeks :)

Happy cooking everyone!

Attempt to Menu Planning..

Salam to all,

               As busy and sidetracked we can get everyday, between housework, kids, cooking, driving around town.. (enter a million other things here.. )..We get overwhelmed, stressed, tired and sick of it all!!  We can only try our best to achieve our daily goals and commitments by planning it out ahead of time. (learned this the hard way).  So, i decided to try out menu planning... not the kind that we plan a couple of hours before dinner, or that same morning. The real deal, MONTHLY Menu Planning.

I can feel the comfort already, a list telling me each and everyday what to cook. Brings me joy to know that one little (but oh so hard) decision of my day is taken care of. :) Now if i could figure out a way to deal with the kid's messes and sicknesses... lol

I will be posting the menus weekly on the blog:
SO here is my weekly plan for the rest of this week.


Nov 7, Monday : Roasted cornish hens, white rice, salad
Nov 8, Tuesday : Stir fried Veggies, Chicken cream soup, brown rice
Nov 9, Wednesday : Bechamel Pasta, salad
Nov 10, Thursday: Mujaddara, Laban/plain yogurt, salad
Nov 11, Friday: Mulokheyah, homemade fries, salad, white rice
Nov 12, Saturday: Leftovers or homemade burgers.
Sunday is my day off cooking :)




As always, all comments are welcome, please tell me your favorite recipes in the comments below.I'm alwasy up for new recipes :)

take care