Summer
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…
Read MoreShish Tawook, Grilled Chicken Skewers
Shish Tawook is a beloved Lebanese dish of grilled chicken skewers. So tender, and huge on flavor! The marinade is key, with several spices in a yogurt base imparting flavor through-and-through. Oh how the Lebanese love their grills! This juicy, highly seasoned grilled chicken recipe is a traditional favorite. “Shish Tawook” means chicken skewers, and…
Read MoreEasy Strawberry Jam
What makes my strawberry jam so easy? Just a few ingredients, a short cook time, and no canning. This is a jar of jam to make often and to love! The depths of my love of a jar of homemade strawberry jam knows no bounds. Strawberries cooking on the stove hold the aroma and flavor…
Read MoreAvocado Tabbouleh, the original chopped salad!
I call my Avocado Tabbouleh Salad the original chopped salad because it’s all about the finely chopped herbs and vegetables. A simple lemon vinaigrette lets all of the flavors shine. The truth of tabbouleh is this: it’s a labor-of-love salad. A salad whose basis is fresh herbs could be nothing but, when you consider how…
Read MoreLebanese Grilled Kafta (Kofta)
Lebanese Grilled Kafta (kofta) is like a meatball, flavored with onion and spices, formed on a skewer, then grilled. One of the many grill recipes the Lebanese are famous for! Even though a good hamburger is always, well, good!, I usually have plenty to critique: not enough flavor, too much between the bun to bite…
Read MoreLebanese Couscous Salad
Lebanese Couscous Salad is made with larger Lebanese couscous, also known as maghrabia. This is such a versatile salad, not unlike a pasta salad that takes well to a variety of vegetables and herbs. Purchase the couscous in my online shop here. It was not until just a few years ago that I learned there…
Read MoreLebanese Village Salad
Lebanese Village Salad is a chopped vegetable salad. The ingredients are so flexible! Mine contains a special twist with chopped apple and a honey vinaigrette. At the top of the traditional Lebanese salad list is the Village Salad. This chopped salad typically includes cucumber, tomato, and onion. From there, the palette is as varied as…
Read MoreOlive Oil Cake
Olive oil cake is ultra-tender and moist, with added richness from yogurt in the mix. Why bake a cake with olive oil, you ask? I have asked same. Cakes, even our standard cake mixes, often call for oil in the mix. The reason: oil makes for a tender, moist crumb. Typically oil-based cake recipes call…
Read MoreApricot Upside-Down Cake
Apricot Upside-Down Cake is made with a brown-butter, brown-sugar topping and soft sponge cake. A hint of orange blossom is perfect here. I’ve never been good at favorites. As in, what’s your favorite cake? What’s your favorite color? What your favorite anything. I love them all. Same with this apricot upside-down cake. I would never…
Read MoreAsparagus Pickles with Grape Leaves
Asparagus pickles with grape leaves in the jar go extra-crisp! The grape leaves deliver tannins that impart more crunch. These are refrigerator pickles, quick and easy. So delicious for your cocktail hour or on the buffet. This recipe is as much about the humble grape leaf as it is about the grand pickled asparagus. I…
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