Gluten-Free
Homemade yogurt: straining for laban, labne, and labne preserved in oil
Now that we’ve got down the basics for making our own yogurt, we’re going to take it to the next level. Your yogurt becomes its finest once it has been strained some (or quite a bit) to remove the whey that makes it so thin. Straining intensifies the yogurt’s flavor, and gives it the body…
Read MoreApple Butter with Orange Blossom
This slow-cooker Apple Butter is intensely flavorful with warm spices, brown sugar, and the added beauty of orange blossom. I’m making a lot of an incredibly good apple butter these days, and it all started with the oatmeal. And habits. Which I haven’t always been great at forming. It’s taken some time and thought to…
Read MoreWhitefish dinner: New potatoes with dill
Your whitefish dinner simply has to include potatoes…but I do mean simply. Boiled new potatoes often find themselves on a plate next to whitefish, but sometimes they taste downright blah. No more blah potatoes! Cooked properly–in salted water and never overcooked–your new potatoes will taste great through and through. Toss with some chopped herbs like…
Read MoreCoosa and eggs, breakfast (or dinner) of champions
There seems to be this idea that just because you go to culinary school and write a food blog and think and talk incessantly about food that your table is graced with elaborate meals three times a day. I’d hate for you to see my breakfast program, which has been undergoing a reform lately. When…
Read MoreRadish & arugula salad. Here let us feast.
When the landlady at the first apartment I lived in with my sister in Chicago told us she was selling the old grey stone and it was time for us to move on, I was excited about the prospect of something new and different. That is, until I discovered what moving really meant. For me,…
Read MoreLamb shish kebab; meet me at the grill
I can think of no better summer meal than Lebanese lamb shish kebab–the grilled combination of lamb and onion is utterly mouth-watering. No marinade is needed. The key to proper grilling of the meat is to bring it to room temperature for a couple of hours before cooking. This ensures even cooking and prevents the…
Read MoreLebanese Potato Salad
Lebanese potato salad is light and fresh with lemon and mint–the perfect, healthy summer salad which is dairy- and gluten-free. See how to cook the potatoes perfectly here and in my video. I was surprised when I returned from Lebanon recently to find the herbs in the back corner garden had come into their own.…
Read MoreLebanese Stuffed Grape Leaf Rolls
Lebanese Grape Leaf Rolls, a taste of Dier Mimas Lebanese grape leaf rolls, also known as dolma or simply stuffed grape leaves. You’ll love this recipe and story about Lebanese family and food. […watch my video on how to roll grapeleaves HERE!…] There is one thing I’ve always thought was a given about grape leaves:…
Read MoreGrilled Lamb Lollipops with Fresh Mint Sauce; Chine on…
For me to present to you a perfectly procured, grilled, and sauced rack of lamb strikes me as a decent feat, given the lamb drama I have experienced over the years. Lamb failed me most humbly when my sister and I were hosting a dinner for a dear—and prominent—friend. We planned that menu right down…
Read MoreWarm Almond-Stuffed Dates with Lime Zest; a California story
Warm almond-stuffed dates with lime zest are the absolute simplest, most sophisticated appetizer in my repertoire. Everyone loves them for their deep caramel-like flavor, even the date-wary! Every day at Tante Marie’s, the best of our plates were saved for a special friend of the house. We took pains to be certain that he received…
Read More