Tag Archives: Rose Water

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, a hint of Rose Water, & Mom’s Best Crust

Piece of pie, Maureen Abood

Photos. Recipe. Perfect Pie, with a shorthand summary of my Mom’s Best Crust that makes it all so simple. Need I say more? Yes, just this: Bake one, and enjoy. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie, with a hint of Rose Water The … Continue reading

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Orange Blossom Simple Syrup recipe

Syrup pitcher POST

So many Lebanese pastries rely on orange blossom syrup for flavor, for fragrance. And though the syrup is truly simple in its method and short ingredient list, there are a few different approaches to it: some with more sugar than … Continue reading

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Lebanese Glazed Sweet Bread, Ka’ik

Ka'ik platter, Maureen Abood

At first everything seemed so small, which probably had to do with the narrowness of the streets and the way the homes were built almost up to the road. It was the second day of the trip to Lebanon that … Continue reading

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Raspberry Cream Scones with Rose Water Glaze

Raspberry heart scones with rose water glaze, Maureen Abood

I like to think of it as my first act of food writing. It was just a few sentences on the back of a postcard (I’ve loved postcards for a very long time), sent home to my family on my … Continue reading

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Rhubarb Rosewater Syrup

Rhubarb syrup with yogurt from above POST

It all started when I arrived in Florida for a visit in March. My nephew ran out to the car but kept hiding from me, so I thrust my camera bag in his hand to keep him close. Carry this … Continue reading

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Ingredient: Rhubarb

Rhubarb close up POST

I knew rhubarb from a very young age because there was a huge row of it in the yard behind my grandmother Alice Abowd’s house in Fostoria, Ohio. She and my mother cooked the rhubarb into a sauce in the … Continue reading

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Ingredient: Vanilla Beans

Vanilla Bean POST

I’m a sucker for fragrant flavorings like rose water and orange blossom water. Vanilla is no less of a swoon for me, and I find its creamy, heady scent to be anything but bland. Why must we insist on calling … Continue reading

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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

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Strawberry Rose Valentine Dream

Strawberry Rose Dream tops POST

I was fortunate enough to grow up with a dear friend who taught me a lot about enjoying life’s simple pleasures. Cindy comes from a long line of simple-pleasure-seekers, people of the land who had an apple orchard downstate and … Continue reading

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Orange Blossom Rice Pudding; it’s going to calm you down, too

Rice pudding 1 cup POST

The Abood Law firm, in the early days, was located in the heart of downtown Lansing, Michigan on Allegan Street. In the summers as a teenager, I worked there doing all sorts of odd jobs, running documents around and filing … Continue reading

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Porch time: Strawberry Rose Lemonade Part II

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in this life, it’s that for every joy there is a sorrow. The Lebanese poet Khalil Gibran’s “On Joy and Sorrow” says that the deeper sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you … Continue reading

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Strawberry Rose Lemonade

Strawberries pt 1-2

Hello and welcome! Since this blog is named for two of my favorite flavors in Lebanese cuisine—the essence of roses and orange blossoms, distilled in water—it seems only fitting that we kick things off with a recipe using one of … Continue reading

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Ingredient: Rose water

rose water and rose syrup sm

Rose water is the distilled essence of rose petals. In Lebanese and other Middle Eastern cuisines, it is used to scent syrups, pastries, confections, ice creams, and puddings. Rose water has varying degrees of strength, so use it sparingly and … Continue reading

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