Author: Noha

Whining and Dining in Miami (where to eat with kids, and where not to!)

Whining and Dining in Miami (where to eat with kids, and where not to!)

“Whining” and Dining in Miami  The scale: 1) Food: (5 points) Clearly this is the most important! The taste, presentation, quantity, and  quality. When I say quality I am looking at whether it is locally sourced, organic, and fresh. I am not interested in canned foods, […]

Chicken Salad Pasta Shells

Chicken Salad Pasta Shells

When I saw Giada making these on TV I knew it would be a hit in my family. I never eat regular chicken salad or tuna salad because I strongly dislike mayonnaise and other processed condiments heavy in preservatives. This chicken salad is a genius […]

Afternoon Tea Baby Shower

Afternoon Tea Baby Shower

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I love afternoon tea. It’s such an elegant form of appreciating food and socializing. A tea enthusiast myself, I really love to just sit back and sip tea leisurely refilling my teacup with various flavors.  I also love to try a little bit of everything which is why “afternoon tea” or “high tea” is perfect with the set-up of a variety of petite desserts and cute dainty sandwiches that give you a good sample of each and every flavor on the spread. 

So, needless to say, I jumped at the chance to throw a “Baby is Brewing” tea party baby shower for my sister who is currently expecting her first baby. The theme is a lot of fun to work with and the set up of tea cups, tea pots and flowers make for a gorgeous tablescape in it of itself. With the help of my sister’s  BFFs, my mother, and sister in law we were able to gather more than enough tea cups and saucers and a beautiful array of tea pots, tiered platters, and pitchers. An intimate gathering of close friends, good food, and silly games, this was a lovely baby affair to celebrate a beautiful mommy to be!

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We had such a yummy and gorgeous array of tea party treats:
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Sandwiches: beef and mushroom mini baguettes, chicken salad stuffed pasta shells, cheese pies and spinach pies, and cucumber dill sandwiches (recipes coming soon!)

Desserts: French macarons, tea bag shaped shortbread cookies dipped in dark chocolate, rubber ducky cupcakes (my favorite!), scones (of course!), and a delicious variety of  petite desserts including eclairs, cookies, brownies, and mini pecan pie tarts! YUM!

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We hung some paper lanterns and made a banner that said ” A baby is brewing”. All the beautiful china we had set out on the table scape, with a few tea pots, tea cups, and pitchers filled with large blooms of hydrangeas and roses were enough to set the lovely and dainty decor. I found adorable little cake plates that looked like real porcelain plates from shopsweetlulu.com and matching “scrumptious” pink napkins. For the take home favors, which always need to be a functional and useful gift in my opinion, I found beautiful glass coasters with the design of a lace doily within it. Perfect! We scattered some rubber duckies and ABC block candles throughout the table to keep with the baby aspect of the theme. It all came together quite nicely without being too over the top with decor and departing from the usual balloons, banners, centerpieces, etc. 

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Tea bag cookie

Tea bag cookie

A baby is brewing! These personalized tea bag cookies were the perfect treats and favors for our afternoon tea themed baby shower. These cookies were so delicious and really added to the theme. I set them inside each tea cup or on the saucer, beside […]

Rubber Ducky Cupcake

Rubber Ducky Cupcake

There are so many reasons to have a rubber ducky at your party. Maybe you’re having a Sesame Street birthday party (Ernie’s favorite toy!), maybe you are having a cute baby shower, or maybe you’re just having a pool party….regardless the reason, rubber ducky cupcakes […]

Best ever Pancakes (with Spinach!)

Best ever Pancakes (with Spinach!)

 

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Your other baker friends will be green with envy when they see and taste how fluffy and gorgeous these pancakes turn out! Not only because they are delicious, but because they are packed with spinach! The lovely green hue does little to the taste because the spinach is ground so fine in the Vitamix blender. All you are really getting is the healthy benefits, but the spinach itself is tasteless. Spinach is packed with more than the required daily value of vitamin A, vitamin K, manganese, and folate and plenty of iron, anti-oxidants, and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. If you are struggling to get your kids to eat healthy spinach as I have been, then you will just LOVE this recipe. Not only is it full of spinach but it is made with whole wheat flour, less than 2 tbsp of sugar, and healthy vitamin D milk and eggs. I have little to protest in this recipe. You could use only 1 tbsp of sugar in the recipe if you plan to use syrup, but because I only topped it with fresh fruits and pureed raspberries, I added an extra dose of sugar. 

The green color is very vibrant and fun, and there are a TON of excuses to eat a fun green pancake! Use any of these reasons to get your kids excited about breakfast and a spinach packed pancake (tip: you don’t HAVE to tell them there is spinach): St. Patricks day, those MSU game fans (I’ll take BLUE thanks), Halloween, conjuring Incredible Hulk powers, make a “Very Hungry Caterpillar, or just a green monster kind of morning!

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This recipe yields one of the best pancakes I have ever tasted and it is adapted from allrecipes.com; find it here. I substituted the white flour for whole wheat flour and pureed the spinach with the milk to make a nice bright green spinach milk. I was thinking about how we add spinach to all of our smoothies because its flavor is so discrete, so I thought it would be a great addition to pancakes as it would not really alter the recipe. For the topping, simply puree fresh or frozen and thawed raspberries and add sliced bananas. It is the perfect balance of sweet and tart! So here it is! Enjoy!

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Best Ever Pancakes (with spinach!)
Serves 2
Healthy, fluffy, and delicious, this is the PERFECT pancake to feed your family!
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Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
25 min
Prep Time
15 min
Cook Time
10 min
Total Time
25 min
Ingredients
  1. 1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
  2. 3 1/2 tsp baking powder
  3. 1 tsp salt
  4. 2 tbsp sugar
  5. 1 1/4 c milk
  6. 2 c fresh baby spinach
  7. 1 egg (at room temperature)
  8. 3 tbsp melted butter
  9. 1 tsp vanilla extract
  10. 1 cup fresh or frozen and thawed raspberries
Instructions
  1. Puree the baby spinach with milk in a blender until fine and milk is green and smooth.
  2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  3. In a larger bowl, whisk the egg with 1 tsp of vanilla extract. Add the milk and melted butter.
  4. Gradually add in the flour mixture and whisk until well incorporated.
  5. Spray a griddle with butter and turn the heat to medium high. Drop a ladle full of batter on the pan to form circles. Allow it to cook until you see small bubbles form (about 1 minute). Flip the pancakes and cook for about another minute on the other side.
  6. Puree the raspberries until liquid.
  7. Serve with the pureed raspberries, your favorite syrup, or other fruit toppings.
Notes
  1. Omit the spinach to have regular colored and a classic fantastic tasting pancake!
Adapted from Dakota Kelly (allrecipes.com)
Sugar & Garlic https://sugarandgarlic.com/

Hummus

Hummus

This Middle Eastern staple has made its way all around the world and is a huge hit! This perfectly flavored chickpea puree provides fiber, protein, and healthy omega 3 fats that are filling, satisfying, and perfectly low in calories. Chickpeas are quite high in fiber, […]

Baba Ghanouj (Eggplant Dip)

Baba Ghanouj (Eggplant Dip)

This dip is SO flavorful, zesty, and delicious! Roasted eggplant, fresh garlic, lemon juice and a dash of tahini sauce are what make up this delicious spread. Traditionally the eggplant is charred or grilled first to impart a smoky flavor, and some people use some […]

Best Guacamole Ever

Best Guacamole Ever

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This is my all time favorite snack! I became addicted when we lived in Miami and had avocados in abundance, and it was served in many dishes. I use guacamole as an appetizer when entertaining almost every time, as a snack for my kids, and as a snack or salad for myself! Avocados are excellent sources of healthy mono-saturated fats, which are essential for keeping healthy cholesterol levels, improving blood pressure, and preventing heart disease. Avocados are also rich in potassium, vitamin K, vitamin B, vitamin C, and folate. Avocados are also one of the few foods rich in both insoluble and soluble fiber. Insoluble fiber is essential because it helps cleanse your body and will aid in the prevention of colo-rectal cancer as it flushes out and cleanses the colon quite well. Soluble fiber is great for your body because it remains in your body and make you feel fuller longer, preventing a person from eating more unnecessary calories and fats. Avocados have also been shown to significantly increase the body’s absorption of lycopene and beta carotene, so go ahead and add them to your salads and sandwiches!

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With all of that said, I could eat this guacamole every day. And its a good thing it is extremely easy to make! Please, don’t bother buying it from a store! Please! A fresh avocado tastes SO much better and you will be so happy to see how easy it is to prepare. Sometimes I make it with only tomato and lime if I am missing the other ingredients and it still tastes just as wonderful! My general flavoring ratio is 1 lime and 1/2 tomato  per avocado, and optionally, 1 tbsp of chopped onion per avocado. Any more onion or tomato and it will be too liquified and saucy, which still tastes great as a salsa or dip, but will lack that nice, thick, and creamy texture of guacamole. The cilantro just gives it that perfect kick and flavor, so I always make sure to add it if I have it! I usually omit or limit the jalapeño if I have the kids eating with me, because that can get quite spicy for them!
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To pick an avocado, touch and press it gently, if it yields to your touch and is still firm, it is probably not ripe yet. And on the contrary if it is quite soft, has indentations, or is smushy it will be overly ripe or spoiled! You want it to be soft enough to give way a little bit under your fingers but still have firmness. You could also pull off the stump of the stem and check for a nice yellowish green color. Check out this useful post I pinned on Pinterest to help me pick avocados. 

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Guacamole
Serves 4
A delicious and healthy dip bursting with fresh flavor and nutrition!
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Print
Prep Time
10 min
Prep Time
10 min
Ingredients
  1. 2 ripe avocados, sliced open, seed removed
  2. 1 clove of garlic, minced
  3. 1 tomato
  4. 1/2 c cilantro
  5. 2 limes, juiced
  6. 2 tbsp onion, chopped
  7. 1-2 tsp chopped jalapeño (optional)
  8. 1 tsp cumin
  9. 1/2 tsp paprika
  10. 1/2 tsp salt
  11. pinch of pepper
Instructions
  1. Scoop out the flesh of the avocado and combine all ingredients into a blender. Pulse gently until you reach desired consistency.
  2. Serve with chips, pita, tacos, quesadillas, or burritos!
Notes
  1. Depending on your blender or food processor, you might want to pulse the tomato and onion first so that it is chopped finely, before you add the already soft avocado. This way you can avoid making the dip too fine and liquified.
  2. * I love to add roasted corn if I have it on hand; just roast the corn on the cob over the grill or a fire and slice the kernels off.
Sugar & Garlic https://sugarandgarlic.com/

Strawberries and Cream Cupcake

Strawberries and Cream Cupcake

Some pink strawberry cupcakes were in order for Valentines Day, and my perfectly “pinkalicious” cupcake obsessed three year old was really excited about pink+ strawberries+sprinkles+hearts+cupcakes. So this baking extravaganza and a princesses in tutus playdate was the result! Strawberries and cream cupcakes are the perfect […]