Gluten-Free
White Asparagus with Pistachio Oil & Lemon
When the weather was frigid this past winter, all I could think of was the thick, dark drinking chocolate I drank when I traveled in Spain years ago. But now that it’s spring, and winter is trying (not hard enough) to take her leave, my mind is inspired by another of the Spanish delights I…
Read MoreCandied Kumquats Recipe (over ice cream)
It was the word “sheriff” that got him. As in, I hope I don’t get arrested by the sheriff doing this. Call it a cheap trick, but when a kid has his head in the iPad and is so mesmerized he doesn’t noticed that he’s not in Michigan in the middle of winter anymore, that…
Read MoreKishk Soup with Garlic
There were so many striking things about the day I ate kishk for the first time. As I mentioned, kishk is not something I’d ever heard of, let alone eaten, until recently. I tasted a steaming bowlful after a winter morning’s baking lesson in Lebanese flatbread last year; my teacher, Naemi, walked us up the…
Read MoreRuby Red Grapefruit-St. Germain Mimosa
By now it’s crystal clear that St. Germain tastes good with just about anything you can think of to pair it with. If you ask my brothers, it’s even better on its own, on the rocks, when late evening comes and something more is called for. The affinity we all have over here for St.…
Read MorePink Deviled Eggs (laban & mint), for Mrs. Smith
Whenever there are cars in the driveway across the way here on Main Street, more than one car, I start to get worried. Mrs. Smith hasn’t been feeling well, not so surprising at her age, and she keeps quiet over there. She stays home most of the time, venturing out to go to the doctor…
Read MoreLebanese cheese:Jibin, with habibi-love
I thought that the jibin was not going to be the multi-day, better-watch-a-video-to-see-how-it’s-done kind of cheese. Such a video does not even exist, by the way, because jibin is supposed to be so simple that nobody, I mean No One, would need a video to figure it out. That’s probably one reason this basic sort…
Read MoreThick Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon, a quiet triumph
There are certain things we have eaten in their very finest forms that stay with us, that won’t leave us alone until we eat them again. My list of such finery does not include chicken wings, devotees of which seem to be abounding this week in preparation for the Super Bowl. I admit that I…
Read MoreApricot-Walnut Granola with Orange Blossom, and a new life
I haven’t heard my father’s name spoken so many times in the 12 years since he died as I have in the last week. For the first time I truly understand, and I feel, the power of a namesake. It evokes. It reminds. It says: here is the cycle of life. We are born. We…
Read MoreCrunchy Roast Chickpeas with Za’atar, good and good for you
I know I’m far from alone in starting off the New Year with ideals of eating well. That’s the kind of commitment that will contribute to making the year a happy one. I spent the better part of last year not feeling so hot, and altered eating habits were forced on me under protest. But…
Read MoreDate-Crisp Balls
Date-Crisp Balls are simple to make, on the stove top with no baking, and the dates impart a luscious caramel flavor. And a bonus: they’re gluten-free! Is this a cookie? Or a candy? How about simply: a treat. An incredibly good treat that comes down to us from my grandmother, Alice Abowd (wife of Richard,…
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