Nachos Casserole

An amazing Mexican side dish specially if served with Guacamole! 

Preparation time: 25 minutes
Serves 5

Ingredients

2 tbsp canola oil
2 red onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
6 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1 small green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red pepper, seeded and chopped
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground chili powder
375g sweet corn, drained
125g packet plain corn chips
1 1/2 cups grated yellow cheddar cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/ cup chopped chives

Directions

• Preheat oven to warm 160 C
• Heat oil in medium heavy-based pan. 
• Add onions and garlic, cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, pepper, vinegar, sugar and chili powder. cook uncovered for 7 minutes or until tomatoes are soft and most of the liquid has evaporated.
• Add corn; stir over low hear for 3 minutes
• Arrange layers of corn chips, sauce and cheese in a casserole dish, finishing with a cheese layer
• Spread sour cream evenly on top
• Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, sprinkle with chives before serving

Bon Appétit!


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Chicken, Ham & Cheese Pie

A delicious pie that could make an excellent picnic food!

Preparation Time: 40 minutes
Total cooking time: 1 hour
Makes one 20 cm pie

Ingredients

For the pastry
3 cups plain flour
180g butter, chopped
1/3 cup iced water

For the filling
1 kg chicken mince
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried sage
1 tsp garlic powder
2 eggs lightly beaten
4 spring onions, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 tsp French mustard
1/3 cup cream
100 g sliced ham, finely chopped
100 g processed Mozzarella, grated
1 egg, lightly beaten, extra

For the chicken sauce

70 g butter
70 g white flour
750 ml boiling chicken broth

Directions

1. Preheat oven to moderate 180 C (350 F) place flour and butter in food processor.
2. Process for 20 sec until mixture is  fine and crumbly. 
3. Add almost all the water, process for 20 sec or until mixture comes together.
4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface, press together until smooth.
5. Roll out two-thirds of the pastry and carefully line a 20 cm spring form tin, bringing pastry up 2 cm higher than the sides.
6. Cover with plastic wrap until required.
7. Keep pastry trimmings for decoration. 

 

For the filling

1. Place chicken, herbs, eggs, onions, zest, mustard, garlic and cream in a large bowl and stir with a wooden spoon until well combined. 
2. Place half the chicken mixture into pastry-lined tin and smooth surface.
3. Top with ham and Mozzarella, then remaining chicken mixture.
4. Brush around inside edge of pastry with egg.
5. Roll out the remaining pastry and lay over top of mixture.
6. Press edges of pastry together.
7. Trim pastry edges with a sharp knife.
8. Turn pastry edges down. Use index finger to make indentations around inside edge. 
9. Decorate top or leave plain. 
10. Brush top of pie with beaten egg and bake for 1 hour or until golden brown.

For the Sauce

1. Cut the butter to cubes
2. Melt the butter on a low heat preventing any coloration
3. Remove from heat, add flour and whisk well
4. Bring to the heat, and keep whisking until the mixture is well combined and get a whitish color
5. Then add the boiling chicken broth while whisking constantly, until the sauce gets the desired.consistency.

Bon Appétit!





 
 

 

Nine Summer Water Games For Kids

Those kids of yours need to be always entertained and what's best, during this hot weather, than water games.

I- Have you ever realized how many summer games you can invent from a garden hose? Kids should know that it's a good idea to use an old hose for these activities. No matter how much fun they are, it's best to recycle an old hose, rather than modify a brand new one.

1- The Jumping Hose: You can run a strong stream and let the kids jump over it while you move it back and forth just like a jumping rope
2- Water-Limbo: The stream can be used as a limbo stick
3- Duct-Tape the holes:  Use an old leaky garden hose to play this game. Help your kid create holes every few inches down the length of the hose and your child's assignment is to try and repair it with duct tape while water is flowing out of the holes.

4- Homemade water slides: Put the slide on the edge of a small inflatable pool, and hang a garden hose on top of the slide and let the water stream run along the path to make it easier to slip :D Your child will have a blast.
5-Water Balls Flush: Use ropes to create a circle or square on your lawn. Place balls of varying sizes and weights inside. Give your child a hose and challenge her to push the balls out with the water in less than a minute.

II- Back yard bath:  Turn a chore into a family delight. Take advantage of a warm evening to bath  your kids outside all you need is a small pool filled with water and bubbles.

III- Water Balloons Fight: Who doesn't know that game! one of my favorites, just fill those balloons with water and  make a splash with this amazing summer game!

IV- Water Gun Fight: Let them put on their swimming suit and play tag.

V- A Prize In Ice: Put small treasures in your cube tray, add water and freeze. Then hand a cube to each kid and let it melt in his hand to get the prize.



Refreshing Article heh?! Enjoy that hot weather and expect more summer articles soon

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How To Be Super Mom: Weekly Menu (1)

 

To help you with your daily cooking, Super Mom decided to post weekly menus.

First Week's Menu:

Monday (Meat) : Shepherd's Pie with Lettuce,Bulgarian Cheese and Walnuts Salad

Tuesday (Vegetarian) : Penne alla siciliana, Garden Salad, Bruschetta

Wednesday (Chicken): Potato and Crab Salad, Grilled chicken marinated in a zesty Italian dressing

Thursday: Left Overs Day *

Friday (Vegetarian) : Green Beans in Oil, Lebanese potato salad

Saturday ( Meat): Mediterranean spinach stew with vermicelli rice

Sunday (Fish) : Mexican cheese pastries with guacamole, Green Salad, Grilled Fish with Mexican sauce

Weekly Dessert: Carrot Cake with Caramel Sauce


* Let Thursday be a cooking free day, take a break from that kitchen and serve Left Overs.


P.S : All the recipes corresponding to the dishes mentioned in the menu will be posted on How To Be Super Mom. If you don't find the recipe you are looking for be sure that it will be added soon.


Related posts

Weekly Menu (2)

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Lebanese Potato Salad

Delicious and Refreshing

Ingredients

1 kg potatoes, boiled, peeled and largely diced

1 medium white onion, finely chopped

1 bunch spring onions, sliced

4 sprigs of fresh mint

1 tsp dried thyme

Dressing: Sauce Maison

Directions

Toss all ingredients together and Bon Appétit!

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Mediterranean Green Beans in Oil or Loubieh Bi' Zeit

Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking: 2 hours

Ingredients

1 Large onion, finely chopped
5 red plum tomatoes, peeled and pureed
2 whole garlic heads, cleaned and slightly peeled
1 kg green beans, washed, cut off the ends and cut in half
1 tsp salt
1/8 cup olive oil
4 cups water
1 tsp tomato paste

Directions

Heat a pot, pour the olive oil, onions and 2 whole garlic heads.
Stir on a high heat until the onions are golden.
Add the green beans, and don't forget to cut off the ends and cut the beans in half
Stir every minute or until  the green beans' color slightly changes, in approximately 5 mns.
On the side, mix the water with the tomato paste and salt.
Pour the water mixture and pureed tomatoes over our cooking ingredients.
Bring to the boil, then reduce to low heat, and simmer for 1 hour and a half or until the beans are very tender.
* Taste it for salt.
Bon appétit!

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Thyme Biscuits

*my 4 years old daughter's work

Besides they're healthy, these biscuits could make an easy project that both you and your kids could enjoy during this vacation.
But before starting baking, lets go through the thyme nutrition facts and health benefits.
This lovely aromatic herb has been used as medicine throughout history especially for chest and respiratory problems. Researchers have found that thyme contains a volatile oil known as Thymol. This oil acts as an antiseptic and disinfectant. Thyme is packed with minerals and vitamins that are essential for optimum health. Its leaves are one of the richest sources of potassium, iron, calcium, manganese, magnesium, and selenium.
Thyme has been known to expel parasites in the body so drinking a tea brewed with thyme daily can be very beneficial and it helps easing menstrual cramps and PMS as well.

Wow! what a great herb heh? So let's move to cooking shall we?

Ingredients

3 cups Flour
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup water
4 tbsps fresh or dried thyme
2 tbsps roasted sesame seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 160 degrees Celsius, prepare a baking dish covered with a baking sheet..
Mean while, mix all the ingredients together, let stand the water. Then start adding the water little by little while kneading till you get a soft, non-sticky dough ball.
Turn the dough out onto a flat floured surface, and start rolling from the inside out. Lifting, turning and flouring the surface occasionally to keep it from sticking. Keep rolling until you get an even, thin dough.
Cut out the biscuits using the shape you desire, we used a 5cm diameter round cookie cutter.
Place them on the baking dish, and bake for 10-15 mns or until golden.
You can serve with Labneh or Cream Cheese.
Bon Appétit!

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How a Super Mom could help reinforce the father-child bond

The role a Super Mom could play to strengthen the daddy-baby bond

Care, inspiration, and participation: three keys to father-child relationships. Even of some of them find it hard to express themselves most of the fathers care about their children.

According to sociologist Lewis Yablonsky, a man's fathering style by his enthusiasm for being a father, his own father's comportment, how the mass media projects a father’s image, his profession, his personality, the way family members relate to each other, and the number of children he has.

In a 1980 Gallup poll, six out of ten fathers said their families were "the most important element of my life at this time." Only 8 percent said their families were unimportant to them. When asked what they found most satisfying about their families, fathers rated "children," "closeness," and "being together" as personally important.

We should recognize, while talking about the daddy-baby bond, that the mother plays an important role in strengthening the relationship between the two of them.

1-      Encourage your husband to take in charge of a feeding or two during the day. Store pumped milk, if you’re breastfeeding, and let your husband give the baby the bottle while holding him close to his chest and looking in his eyes to allow the little one to gaze up at him.

2-      Let him take in-charge of the night shifts. Not only you will get more sleep but he will get to spend more time with his child and enjoy the preciousness of childcare.

3-      Stop being the first to go hold the baby when he cries, let your husband play a role in soothing her tears. Try singing to her, walking her around, gently rocking, or find the closest pacifier for her to suck on. She must learn that Mom isn't the only one who can give her what she needs.

4-      Humor is infectious. When laughter is shared, it binds people together and increases happiness and intimacy that is why your husband should try his best to add little humor to his relationship with his baby: silly faces and peekaboo games could work like a charm at early ages.

5-      Be the one to create that precious, every day, family time. With work and school, you will hardly find the time to bond with your children so create a time to take a walk all together, play a board game, dance or watch a nice family movie.

If you loved this article leave us your comments

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All you need to know about the 6th month (23 to 27 weeks)

I have spent nights of reading and searching to give you this complete pregnancy guide. In this article we will go through fetus development, physical symptoms and infrequent symptoms. I did my best to simplify the presentation of this article to help you easily find your answer.



Fetus Development


Your baby’s eyes can open and close and react to light, vocal cords are functioning, eye brows are forming now.

Your baby is still active, since he is still relatively small about 30 cm long and is comfortable moving, punching and changing positions.

He weighs around 2 pounds. The facial features looks like a minuscule newborn baby.

The lungs are not fully developed so a baby born can still survive but with intensive care. Remember though, every day spent in the womb gives your baby a higher chance of survival and better odds at gaining the functionality it needs to survive.


Common physical symptoms:

1-      The baby’s movements becomes more definite enjoy the punches from those little arms and legs.

2-      Baby’s hiccups become more visible from the outside: Fetal hiccups usually shows up around the second or third trimester. Fetal hiccups are reflexive and do not seem to cause discomfort. In addition, hiccups prepare the fetus's lungs for healthy respiratory function after birth and they help regulate the baby's heart rate during the third trimester.

3-      Whitish vaginal discharge (Leukorrhea)

4-      Abdominal pain: It is often when pregnant women experience abdominal pain, and most of the time doctors hear complaints describing pain in the back and especially abdomen. There are many possible causes of such pain.

The most common cause for such pain is that round ligament stretching will cause minor or even moderate pain in the lower abdomen during pregnancy. A pregnant woman has to differentiate what is and what is not a cramp. A cramp could easily be confused with a minor contraction, which happens from time to time and is no cause for alarm. It is just a signal that the uterus is preparing itself for the upcoming birth. Severe or persistent abdominal pain during pregnancy is never normal and it requires an immediate doctor's exam.

5-      Constipation: Constipation in pregnant women occurs due to hormones that relax the intestinal muscle and to the pressure of the expanding uterus on the intestines. Relaxation of the intestinal muscle causes food and waste to move slower through your system. To avoid constipation you must eat fibers, lots of greens and fruits. and drink plenty of water up to 3 Liters per day.

           

6-      Heartburn: Hormonal changes is the main cause for heartburn during pregnancy. Hormones, particularly progesterone, can relax the valve that normally prevents stomach acid from backing up into the esophagus what will cause an irritation.
To avoid acid reflux, eat six small meals instead of three large ones. Abstain from eating tomato sauce, thyme, orange juice, spices and full-fat dairy products.

7-      Headaches

8-      Bleeding gums: hormonal changes are the reason of all our pregnancy problems. Pregnancy hormones causes a swollen gum that bleeds easily. Take a good care of your teeth and gum during those 9, long, months. Brush your teeth 3 times a day, floss and rinse with salt and water to ease any gum pain or bleeding.

9-       Nasal congestion or rhinitis: Nearly every woman suffers from nasal stuffiness. that's because the high level of estrogen and progesterone circulating in the body bring increased blood flow to the mucous membranes of the nose causing the to swell. The congestion won't get better until after delivery but I beg you not to use any nasal sprays unless they are prescribed by your doctor. Always check with your Ob-Gyn even if the medication were prescribed by another doctor.

10-  Increased appetite

11-   Leg cramps: Most leg cramps are caused from the fatigue of carrying around that extra weight. Cramps can also be aggravated by the expanding uterus putting pressure on blood vessels. While some experts believe they are due to an excess of phosphorus or a shortage of calcium, magnesium or other body minerals. Your doctor might suggest you take magnesium supplement could decrease legs cramps.
Try following these instructions to prevent those annoying nighttime leg cramps:

1-      Stretch your legs a few times a day, especially before bedtime

2-      Rotate your ankles and shake your toes to increase circulation

3-      Avoid sitting with your legs crossed

4-      Avoid standing for a long period of time

5-      Eat Calcium rich foods

6-      Reduce your intake of phosphorus rich foods such as soft drink, processed meat and snacks

 12-  Mild feet and ankles swelling (edema) :  Most women suffer from Edema. This symptom is the result of excessive fluid accumulation around feet and ankles. Here are few tips to help you deal with normal swelling during pregnancy:
* Try to rest and lift your feet whenever it’s possible.
* Drink plenty of water, up to 2 liters a day. The extra fluids will help flush out your system of waste products which may have increased swelling.
* Wear comfortable shoes.
* Excessive swelling that doesn’t seem to ease down after many hours of rest should be reported to your doctor.


13- Lower back and leg pain: this is another symptom of expectant motherhood. The pressure of the enlarging uterus, which has been responsible for so many other discomforts, can also affect the sciatic nerve, causing lower back, buttock and leg pain. To relieve this pain you can try to exercise more often, practice pregnancy yoga or Pilates, pelvic tilt, swimming or walking. Take care to sit in a good posture and lift your feet from time to time this may help reduce the pain.


14- Itchy Belly: This occurs when your uterus grows and expands to accommodate your new baby and your skin stretches. Pregnancy hormones can also result in some itching during pregnancy as well as changes in your liver enzymes.

15- Enlarged breasts: For small breast women, this could be the best pregnancy symptom ever. Hormonal changes during pregnancy cause increased blood flow and changes in the breast tissue which makes your breasts feel unusually swollen, sore and tingly.

16- Fewer mood swings

17- Absentmindedness

Uncommon Symptoms

Numbness and tingling fingers and toes is normal in pregnancy and is thought to be due to swelling tissues pressing on nerves


Clumsiness: The loosening of joints and the retention of water, can both make your grasp on objects less firm which will cause temporary clumsiness.


Gestational Diabetes: It first may be noticed in the sixth and seventh month of pregnancy. It occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin or the body is unable to process the insulin properly, resulting in high levels of glucose. Gestational diabetes occurs in women who have not previously had diabetes, and the condition likely disappears after giving birth. The symptoms you should watch out for are:
* Excessive weight gain
* Excessive thirst
* Vaginal infection
* Excessive fatigue
* Excessive hunger
* Blurry vision
In case you notice these symptoms please contact your doctor.

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Five ActivitiesTo Do With Your Kids During The Summer

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The summer vacation is a few days away and after nine long schooling months, your children will be expecting much. They have been waiting all year for those 90 days to rest, play and have the greatest summer ever. But after a couple of days, and if you didn't send them to summer camp, routine will kick in and they will spend most of their time infront of the TV, lying down on that couch, bored to death. They could play outside in the afternoons, but what else? What can we do to help them fill those 90 days and turn them into the most enjoyable, educational, fun adventure ever?

1- Decide to make a summer crafting project: Crafting is, without any contradicition, a very important activity. Your child will put his energy, mind and skills to finish his work. I asked my 4 years old  to choose between two crafting projects: an airpot and a farm. Well for some reason she decided that making an airport will be fun! During this summer we will keep you updated about our project, we will post how-to's crafting articles and show you step-by-step how to make an airport yourself!

2- Funny Scholastic Exercises: Make learning fun and help your child maintain the improvement he made during his school year. Review together all the topics he learned by creating an educational game or printing out enjoyable exercises. My daughter is in pre-school, and I will be posting the exercises that she'll work on this summer.

3- Cook together: When your children are involved in the kitchen they will eat better because they will feel more comfortable with your recipes, they will accept new ingredients since they have, step-by-step, followed and participated in the cooking procedure.
What I personally suggest, is for you to put a menu with two options and make them choose between those two. That way, they will feel that they are in control of that meal time that has always, or most of the times turned into a fight! They will be responsable of the choice they made and obligated to finish their plate. " You cannot be a chef if you don't taste and eat everything" this sentence always work with my daughter since she loves being a chef like her father. And even though she was one heck of a picky eater now she eats everything and tastes everything. Check out our recipes they could be useful since they are easy, quick and healthy!

4- Play dates: Before school is over make sure to take her best friends phone numbers, talk to their parents and schedule a play date every week or two. You will help your children, especially if they are young like mine, stay in contact with their friends; that way going back to school won't be as hard as it is expected to be.

5- Organize family trips: trips to the beach, to the mountain, family picnics, or camping trips. A time spent with the family is always treasured.

How To Be Super Mom wishes you a great super duper summer!

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Lettuce, Bulgarian Cheese and Walnuts Salad

This Salad is so refreshing during summer. The taste of orange and mustard dressing coating the cheese is Superb!

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

1 small romain lettuce
150 g Bulgarian Cheese
50 g chopped Walnuts
Dressing: Mustardy Orange Dressing

Directions

Shred the lettuce into large pieces. Don't use the knife, the lettuce will loose all its nutrients. Shred the leaves with your hands.
Put the lettuce in a serving dish, and crumble the cheese all over the leaves.
Spread the chopped walnuts, add the dressing and toss all together.

Tips

          - After washing the lettuce, let them stand in water, vinegar and salt for

            5 minutes.

          - Chill the salad before serving
          - Always choose Romain lettuce for your salads.
          Romain lettuce is a highly nutritious leafy green it contains, per head,
          17% protein, 206 mg calcium, 44% RDA of Omega-3, more Vitamin C
          than an orange, 6 mg of iron, rich in Vitamin B, Water, Vitamin A,
          mineral rich.