Shakshuka

Medically reviewed by Christiana George Updated Date: June 8, 2023

Hi guys! Quick post today so I can tell you about my latest obsession: shakshuka. It’s kind of a round-the-clock dish, just as appropriate for breakfast as it is dinner… which is how we’ve been enjoying it in our household. All three meals of the day, that it is.

A little bit of background, shakshuka is North African in origin, and it means ‘mixture’ in Arabic (thanks Wiki). And that it is. It’s essentially an egg dish, but it’s got a whole mess of tastes and textures to fill out all its nooks and crannies: slippery onion and bell pepper, a spicy and fragrant tomato sauce, salty briny crumbly feta, the cleanness of fresh scattered cilantro leaves. And to top it all off, barely-set eggs that tumble into puddles of yolk when prodded. Doesn’t that sound amazing? To me, it’s a dream.

A couple other items of note: our cast-iron skillet is monstrous in size and has a permanent place on the stovetop because it’s too big to go anywhere else. My efforts always feel so dwarfed by it—like I should be preparing dinner for six rather than dinner for two. This recipe, then, is perfectly-sized. And you’ll want to use your extra-large skillet so you too can make an extra-large batch to enjoy for multiple meals.

Also, for those of you who are, like me, efficiency nazis, I LOVE how easy this dish is to prepare! It’s one of those one-pot meals that Deb often extols. I totally get her. Even if I don’t do the dishes, I am a huge fan of the simplicity of One-Pots (deserving of capitalization, I think). They’re a whole class of recipes in themselves.

Alright, well, I feel awkward for checking out so abruptly, but… have great rests of the week and let’s re-convene next week, sound good?

Oh, before I forget, I wanted to tell you all about the nonfiction book club I’ll be helping moderate! Check it out! It’s headed by lovely Eva over at Adventures in Cooking, and the other moderators are Carrie, Izy, and Brianne. A fabulous group, right? The first book we’ll be tackling is The Disappearing Spoon, starting next week. Come join us! It’ll be fun.

SHAKSHUKA

Adapted from Melissa Clark for the New York Times

serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, sliced thinly
1 large bell pepper, deseeded and sliced thinly
3 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with juices
salt and pepper to taste
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups crumbled feta
6 large eggs

cilantro, hot sauce, pita bread (or any bread really), hummus for serving

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and bell peppers, and cook until very soft, about 20 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so until fragrant, then stir in the spices. Cook another minute, then pour in the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper, and let simmer for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Stir in the feta cheese.

Gently crack in the eggs evenly around the pan over the sauce. Top them with a little more salt and pepper, then simmer until the eggs are just set, about 10 minutes. Serve with lots of pita bread to mop up the sauce.

Subscribe for New Racipies

Get mental health tips, updates, and resources delivered to your inbox.

Candy Coated Oreo M&M;’s

Recipes

Christiana George

Updated Date:
December 19, 2022

Summer is coming to a close. Kids are going back to school in two weeks. Yay! I love my kids, but I need a break. The past couple of weeks have been busy. We drove up north for a week to see family and friends. It’s was nice to see everyone, but man, that drive is killer. Then last week I was occupied with making treats and decorations for my son’s birthday. He loves M&M’s, so I scoured Pinterest for ideas on doing an m&m party. I found a few things, but these Candy Coated Oreo M&M’s were my idea. I’ve been wanting to make them for a while, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity. They came out pretty cute.

I was able to find all the color candy coating I needed at Walmart. They carry the Wilton, Chocomaker, and Candiquik brands. I used Birthday Cake Oreos for the center, but you can use regular Oreos. If you choose to do Double Stuf Oreos, you will need a different mold.

I bought these candy molds at a small culinary shop while I was up north, but they also sell similar ones on Amazon. They are made for candy coating Oreo shaped cookies. I bought four sets of molds so by the time I finished the last cookies, the first ones were ready to pop out and I could continue using the mold.

This was my first time trying this. It was a learn as you go process. I poured about a tablespoon or so of candy melt into the mold, then pressed an Oreo cookie into the middle and twirled it around to cover the sides. Then I added candy melt to the top and flattened it out with a spatula. By the second tray I had figured out not to overfill the cavities. You have to tap the mold a few times against the counter to get the air pockets out and that also levels out the candy melt. I placed them in the fridge to harden quickly. You have to work a little to loosen the hardened candy from the mold, but it didn’t take too long.

For the “M’s”, I bought the Wilton Candy Melts Decorating Tip Set at Walmart. The writing tip worked perfect. I printed some “M’s” on my computer and placed the printer paper under a piece of wax paper and traced them the best I could. You could write directly on the candy coated M&M’s, but I was too scared to mess them up. When the candy “M’s” had hardened, I attached them to the Oreos with a few dabs of candy coating.

I made these as treats for the party, but they make great party favors also. You can place them in little bags or boxes and make some cute tags to attach to them. All the party guests loved them.

Candy Coated Oreo M&M’s

by The Sweet Chick

Prep Time: 1-1.5 hours

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Keywords: microwave dessert snack candy melt birthday cake oreos birthday cookie candy American

Ingredients (48 treats)

For the cookies

2 Packages (15.25 oz. each) Birthday Cake Oreos
1 package (12 oz.) Wilton’s Candy Melt, green
1 package (12 oz.) Wilton’s Candy Melt, red
1 package (12 oz.) Wilton’s Candy Melt, yellow
1 package (12 oz.) Wilton’s Candy Melt, orange
1 package (16 oz.) Chocomaker candy wafers, dark blue
1 package (16 oz.) Candiquik candy coating, chocolate

For the “M’s”

1 package (16 oz.) Candiquik candy coating, vanilla

Additional items needed

2-4 candy molds for plain cookies
Wilton’s Candy Melt Decorating Tips
1 box (12) Wilton’s Disposable Candy Decorating Bags.

Instructions

For the cookies

Using one color at a time, melt candy coating according to instructions on the back of the package. (Usually it’s 30 seconds at a time in the microwave.) I melted a 1 cup at a time. You can always add more if needed. You will not use the entire bag of candy melt. Make sure you candy melt is warm, but not hot before pouring into the mold.

Pour about 1- 1 1/2 tablespoons of candy melt into each cavity of the mold. ( I worked with one mold of 4 at a time). Place one Oreo cookie in the center of each cavity on top of the candy coating. Gently press the cookie down and spin is slowly to coat the sides.

Add a bit more of candy coating on top of the Oreo, careful not to overfill. Spread the candy melt out with a spatula. Then gently tap the mold a few times on a hard surface to release any air bubbles.

Place finished mold(s) in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to speed up the hardening of the candy melt. I continued the same process with another color while the first color was setting. I used 2 molds per color, so it worked out great.

When the candy coating has hardened, remove from fridge and gently wiggle the mold to release the cookie. The flat surface will be the top of the “M&M”.

For the “M’s”

Once all the colors are done, it’s time for the “M’s”. If you are confident about your writing skills, you can write directly on the candy coated cookies. I wasn’t, so I made a template on my computer and printed it out. I placed the template under a piece of wax paper to write my “M’s”. My “M’s” were about an inch tall.

Melt the vanilla candy coating according to the package instructions and pour into a disposable candy decorating bag with writing tip attached.

Trace the “M’s” onto the wax paper over your template. Practice makes perfect.

I placed my template and wax paper on a cookie tray so I could pop it in the fridge for a quick set. I also used a sharp knife to cut off any “tails” that occurred due to run-off candy coating.

Once the “M’s” have set, carefully remove from the wax paper, add a couple of dabs of vanilla candy coating to the backs and place them on your candy coated cookies. Let dry and you are done!