Me'ikeh - Speciality of Maghdouche - Salt kjeks fra Maghdouche

I have never eaten "Me'ikeh" or "M3ikeh" outside Maghdouche. Correct me if I am wrong, but for me, it is a Maghdouche speciality by default. "Me'ikeh" as a snack has the exotic smell of "El Wa3r" and the taste of "Nab3et el7ommar" (These are local area names).

Ingredients:

1 kilo wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup roasted sesame seeds
½ cup wild pine seeds “7abb ereish” (optional)
2 cups fresh thymes (Zaatar) washed and chopped (out of season I use dried Zaatar flowers)
2 cups vegetable oil
2 – 4 glasses water

Oppskriften på norsk:

1 kg. hvetemel

1 ts. bakepulver

1/2 ts. salt

1 kopp ristede sesamfrø

1/2 kopp furufrø ( ut og plukk, for de norske frøene smaker vidunderlig godt)

2 kopper frisk timian eller tørket med blomster

2 kopper god olje

2- 4 glass vann (deigen skal være tørr, men henge sammen)

Preparation:
1) Mix flour, baking powder, salt, sesame seeds, wild pine seeds and timian
2) Add oil

3) With both your hands, crumble the mixture and oil until the oil is absorbed equally
4) Add half of the water and mix
5) Add the rest of the water little by little and stop when nothing of the flour is left in the bowl

6) Divide dough into handful pieces
7) Shape each piece into a ball and let rest for 15 minutes
8) Roll each ball to a flat round
9) Place onto oven trays and bake ,approx. 175 degree, until the rounds get a golden colour (I love them well roasted)
10) Serve when cold

Melhem Barakat in Maghdouche !

This might not be of interest for our norwegian friends, but I have to mention it here as "Melhem Barakat" is one of the big names when one talks about arabic music. Lebanese and arab followers know what I am talking about.

From Maghdouche party 09/09/09, here are 2 videos that I found posted on facebook. Enjoy !

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=163117221006&ref=mf

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=162677236006

A Tribute to George Khalil

Maghdouche Festival 2009 was launched with a tribute to George Khalil who passed away lately. George Khalil was the founder of the "Kroom e Shams" Festival and one of those who worked hard to assume its continuity.

In the photo, Dr. Ghazi Ayyoub , the mayor of Maghdouche is presenting the honor shield to father Jacques George Khalil. Photos by Hiba Ghanem.

Dignity Cats !

Trond Einar's cats idea was a success. People, children and adults are showing a lot of interest and curiosity... and for that, they are excused. The cats are adorable ! so cute that you feel to touch them, hug them... They awake the child inside you that you feel to play with them.

During the process of knitting, the cat gets a name and a little story that awake the imagination and let your thoughts fly in a wonderland... "Uheldig Hilde" translated as Unlucky Hilde, "Dolly Dollar", "Dolly Simpel", " fru L.V. Fransen" and many other names. Most of them has find a good and loving home.

The demand on the cats is growing and TrondE is not able to fullfill it by himself that he asked Sissel to help with the knitting on the hope that our people in Maghdouche are knitting cats and that we will bring them to Norway after Christmas. Note that TrondE had a course in Maghdouche, in May,on how to knit the cats.

Lately, the press got interested in the "Dignity cats" and the clever idea of owning a cat while supporting our Dignity Project. Here is the journalist Håvard Lillebo from the newspaper "Østlendigen" taking photos of TrondE and the cats after a long interview with us about Dignity Project that will be published soon in "Østlendingen". Dont miss it !

Up till now, people supported our project with a "pelargonium" plant so why not supporting it with a lovely wool cat ?

Maghdouche Festival 2009

This year "Kroum e Shams" Festival, directly translated as "Vineyards of the Sun festival", has exceptionally shifted name to "Maghdouche Festival 2009".

Does the name matter that much ? For the young generation, it does'nt, as far as the Arak is the same, the Stolichnaya Vodka is the same, the barbecued meat cubes are the same and our famous "Dabke" dance lasting till the morning is the same.

But for us, the older generation, the generation that grew up with the festival, the name means a lot. It is the name that gave to the festival its identity and particularity, and what is more particular for Maghdouche than its grapes and its vineyards?

This year, the preparations are in progress. Thanks for the efforts of enthosiastic Maghdouche people, the festival manages to host some big names in the arab art scene: Melhem Barakat (6/9/2009), and Diana Haddad (7/9/2009), as well as many others known names: Margo Kassar, Fadia Najem etc etc...

The festival this year starts on the 22/8/2009 and ends on the 13/9/2009.

For arabic speakers, you can find the full program of the festival on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=218246260166

After the Weekend Market

Yesterday, in the same news paper "Hamar arbeiderblad", a follow up reportage about the market, updated the readers with the weekend happening news, and marked our weekend market as a yearly tradition. Well done, Rolf Småriseth !

Before the Weekend Market

Just one day before the weekend market, "Hamar arbeiderblad" made a very interesting reportage. Rolf Småriseth, the journalist, was clever in putting the light on the coming event and the preparations going on, which helped us getting a lot of visitors during the whole weekend.

"Hamar arbeiderblad" is always playing a major role in sharing Dignity's activities with eager readers.