Monthly Archives: April 2012

Postcard from Lebanon

Pool of water at Mir Amin POST

We have been in Lebanon for one day, and if I had to leave now, the trip would have been worth it. Some scenes from today: a friend of a friend who is now a friend…takes her Sunday and spends … Continue reading

Posted in Picture Postcards | Tagged , , | 16 Comments

Postcard from Up North

Lighthouse in Charlevoix POST

Consult not your fears, but your hopes and dreams. ~ Pope John Paul XXIII (Lighthouse in spring, Lake Charlevoix. It’s the kind of light that both sends us on our way and welcomes us home. I’ll be watching for just … Continue reading

Posted in Picture Postcards | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Have homemade granola bars, will travel. To Lebanon.

Granola bar 2 POST

The year was 1989, and I was a junior in college. My school offered all kinds of study abroad programs, including one for the summer. First my roommate Betsy said she was going. Then Julie. Then Kari. I wanted to … Continue reading

Posted in Stories and Recipes | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

Ingredient: Wheat germ

Wheat germ on parchment POST

I know what you’re thinking: really, wheat germ? What could she possibly be making that we’ll want to eat that includes wheat germ? She must have confused 2012 with 1972. Why not strawberries or some other gorgeous spring crop? Farmer’s … Continue reading

Posted in Ingredients | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Favorite Things: Parchment paper

Parchment in a roll with box POST

Maybe my penchant for paper has to do with my love of books. Or it might reach back to some infant stage when, presented with anything paper, one has the urge to chew on it. I did have a calligraphy … Continue reading

Posted in Favorite Things | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

Postcard from Up North

Cherry blossoms, Traverse City POST

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson (Cherry blossoms, Grand Traverse County. An orchard is a place of great irony: symmetry and order, yet wild, delirious beauty and fragrance.)

Posted in Picture Postcards | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Fattoush salad, and poetry, in motion

Fattoush big bowl on table POST

It wasn’t long after I started working, after graduate school studying poetry and literature, that I started to feel the gnaw. Working was great, a paycheck was even greater. But I wasn’t writing much—just a couple of correspondences that took … Continue reading

Posted in Stories and Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 16 Comments

Technique: How to make a simple vinaigrette

Vinaigrette pre whisked POST

There is perhaps no more classic technique in a Lebanese kitchen than dressing the salata with a squeeze of the lemon and pour of the oil directly on the salad. Try as we might, none of my siblings or I … Continue reading

Posted in Techniques | Tagged , | 10 Comments

Ingredient: Sumac

Sumac in blue thimble POST

The trifecta of Lebanese spices in my pantry includes za’atar, cinnamon, and sumac. Some versions of za’atar get citrus notes from sumac mixed with roasted thyme and sesame seeds. Sumac powder is made from pulverized dried sumac berries, and the … Continue reading

Posted in Ingredients | Tagged , , , , | 8 Comments

Favorite Things: A little whisk

Mini whisk POST

It’s true, you can use a jar. You can use a fork. Or you can skip emulsification of a vinaigrette altogether and just pour it all directly on the salad, the way my mama does. But I love the swift … Continue reading

Posted in Favorite Things | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Postcard from Up North

Awning in rainPOST

April is the cruelest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rains. ~T.S. Eliot (Spring rain drops from the green awning at home on Main Street, mixing memory and desire … Continue reading

Posted in Picture Postcards | Tagged , | 8 Comments

Lebanese Fig Jam with Anise, a full jar

Fig jam jar Badawi table POST

Ever since my cousins and I had what can only be described as an extremely fun baking disaster day a couple of years ago, I’ve been on the hunt to learn Lebanese flatbread from a pro, the way my Sitto … Continue reading

Posted in Stories and Recipes | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Ingredient: Anise

Anise seeds 2 POST

There is no flavor that reminds me more of my mother than anise. She is the only person I know whose favorite candy is soft black licorice. Anything that even hints of anise makes her close her eyes and breathe … Continue reading

Posted in Ingredients | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Favorite Things: Glass Jars

Jars in the pantry POST

It pains me to get rid of the glass jars that enter my kitchen. So I end up with rather large collections of them in the pantry, and try my best to reduce by giving away whatever I can think … Continue reading

Posted in Favorite Things | Tagged , | 12 Comments

Postcard from Down South

Naples sunset glory of God with boat POST

Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. ~ Philippians 4:8 (The heavens are telling the glory of God, and … Continue reading

Posted in Picture Postcards | Tagged | 7 Comments