Lebanese Shish Barak

Meat-filled dumplings in yogurt soup for shish barak with pine nuts

This Lebanese Shish Barak recipe is a favorite! Get my step-by-step instructions to make little tortellini-style dumplings in a deeply savory, saucy yogurt soup. Shish Barak is one of the many wonderful Lebanese dishes that uses a yogurt, or laban, soup as its base: koosa in yogurt and kibbeh in yogurt are traditional favorites. They’re…

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Soft Glazed Cinnamon Rolls

Glazed cinnamon rolls in a pan

Here is the soft glazed cinnamon rolls recipe of our dreams! Get all of the tips and step-by-step instructions for soft, pillowy rolls. No mixer needed, easily expands for more! Sometimes, or maybe even lots of times, I realize that I’m making recipes I LOOOOVE and keeping them all to myself. Well, it’s not that…

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Strawberry Gin Jam Cocktail

Strawberry cocktail with jam and gin in a coupe with a strawberry pick

Try this wonderful Strawberry Gin Jam Cocktail to get all of the fruitiness we love and sweetness from the jam instead of a simple syrup. So easy. Cheers! I’ve always wanted to acquire enough of a taste for scotch that I could belly up to any bar and with great stoicism speak the words: “Scotch,…

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Homemade Beef Shawarma

Beef shawarma on a platter with vegetables and tahini sauce

Beef shawarma can be made at home with great success using my simple recipe and tips. Shawarma is classic street food in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East, made on a turning spit. At home beef shawarma stove-top is just as good! I love asking around the family for their experiences and ideas when I…

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Baked Eggs with Spinach, Labneh and Za’atar

Baked eggs topped with za'atar in ramekins

Baked eggs with spinach, labneh, and za’atar are one of the simplest and most delicious ways to make eggs. They’re as do-able and delicious on a weekday morning as they are for a special occasion brunch! There’s a secret about baked eggs to keep in your back pocket: they’re so beautiful, special and absolutely delectable…

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Lebanese Koosa Soup with Meatballs

Lebanese Koosa Soup with Meatballs

Lebanese Koosa Soup with Meatballs is an easier, faster way to all of the flavors we love in a beautiful, warming bowl of soup. Koosa (kousa, cousa) is a light green squash typically stuffed and cooked in tomato broth. Let’s enjoy the mouthwatering flavor of stuffed koosa but simplified! I make it known around my…

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Mujadara, Lebanese Lentil Pilaf

Lebanese Mujadara Lentil Pilaf

This classic and beloved Lebanese Mujadara pilaf is made with lentils, caramelized onions, and rice or coarse bulgur. It’s both vegetarian and vegan. Mujadara is ultra-healthy, and is delicious topped with labneh (Greek yogurt), a fried or poached egg, arugula or watercress salad, or anything you come up with. Get the right lentils and bulgur…

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What is Bulgur?

Fine and coarse bulgur side by side in a blue bowl

Bulgur is a staple of Lebanese and Middle Eastern cuisine, a key ingredient in dishes like tabbouleh. This grain one of the healthiest you can eat for its nutrient-rich qualities. Find bulgur, both fine and coarse, here. All about bulgur Bulgur is a staple of Middle Eastern cuisine, as it has been for thousands of…

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Peppermint Chocolate Brownies

Few flavors satisfy this Lebanese girl’s sweet tooth quite like chocolate and mint. My Peppermint Chocolate Brownies are a family favorite for the layers of chewy brownie, cool mint buttercream, and perfectly smooth chocolate top layer. Like and Andes Mint, taken all the way to the top level! I have taken some heat for being…

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Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail

Simple is the name of the game with this Sparkling Pomegranate Cocktail! We love this spritzer all year round, from Thanksgiving to Christmas to a refreshing summer splash. As much as I love all things to do with white, including a very pale white-blue-gray carpet around our bar, I still want and need bright red…

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