Rangeenak

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh dates (those huge california dates taste %100 better).
1 cup of white powdered sugar.
1 can of shelled walnuts.
1 cup of cinammon.
1 cup of sesame seeds.

Directions:

Roast the sesame seeds over the oven for a minute or so and set aside. Open the dates from one side only and stuff them with the walnuts. Make the cut as small as possible so that the date doesn't break in halves. Put half of a walnut per date. As you stuff the dates, place them in a flat oven dish in a round fashion (pick a nice dish, since it'll be served in the same one).

When one layer of dates is completed, sprinkle them freely with sesame seeds, powdered sugar and cinammon (in that order). Start another layer, sprinkle them in the same fashion until you run out of ingredients. Make the circles smaller as you work your way to the top. It makes it easier for people to pick and eat them, when the faithful moment arrives.

At last, place the dish in the oven (set at bake setting, say at 250 degrees) for a few minutes. The object is to just get them warmed up so that the ingredients stick to each other better. Take it out and serve it warm or cold.

HalvA

Ingredients:

1 cup (8 oz.) of cooking oil.
1 cup (8 oz.) of all purpose white flour.
1 cup (8 oz.) of granulated sugar.
1/2 cup (4 oz.) of rose water (golAb).
1 table spoon of sugar powder (or granuatated sugar).
1 table spoon of cinnamon (dArcheen).

Directions:

In a medium size pot, heat up the cooking oil and slowly pour the flour while stirring and continue to stir until the mixture has a smooth texture and a golden brown color.

In a small pot, over medium-high heat, mix the rose water and sugar, constantly stir, and let it cook for a few minutes, until all the sugar dissolves. Pour the rose-water and sugar mixture over the flour paste, mix it well, and over medium-high heat cook for a few minutes and then turn off the heat. Cover the lid of the pot with a clean rag/paper towel and let the mixture sit in the pot for about an hour.

Next, pour out the paste into a flat dish, mold/decorate it into the shape you want, sprinkle the mixture of sugar and cinnamon on top of it (while it is still warm), and serve.

HINTS:

Use unsalted white flour. Otherwise, the salt in the flour and the sugar used in the recipe give this dish a weird taste!!

The rose water (liquid rose flower extract), is found in most Middle Eastern specialty stores.