Vegetables
Cucumber Bites with Labneh and Olives
When Oscar time rolled around back when I was living in Chicago, I took it as a great excuse to eat a bunch of rich food and drink wine, while lounging in sweats, with my favorite pals. I always pulled out the stops not with Lebanese recipes, but what I considered Oscar-worthy guacamole. I like…
Read MoreSalted Tahini Avocado Toast
Salted Tahini Avocado Toast is among my favorite ways to a hearty, healthy, delicious toast. There are few ingredients in this toast, barely touched, so every one of them matters and should be the best you can find. “You should make them your chicken wings. Or better yet, my rocking hot chili. I can’t believe…
Read MoreSitto’s Spanakopita Recipe
Maybe it’s the cold weather hitting that makes me think even more about my Sitto, who grew up on a rugged farm in Nebraska a century ago. This was serious pioneer life, a life she described to us often in captivating stories. She told us how they’d harvest every fall, and how exciting it was…
Read MoreTomato Cucumber Salad with Avocado and Feta
This salad makes the most of the season: tomato cucumber with avocado and feta. The bit of saltiness from the feta and creaminess of avocado are the right balance. The changing of the seasons here in Michigan has been doing its thing in recent months without much ado from me. Typically I get all wound…
Read MoreGrilled Corn Salad with Mint and Feta Recipe
The truth is that even though Dan and I are newlyweds, it is summer up north in Michigan. This is where I do most of my work. His work, however, is downstate. So when all of the festivities of wedding and family took their leave this past week, so did he. By the end of…
Read MoreBasil Zucchini Soup
Basil zucchini soup is a favorite all year. Yes, we go off-seasonal on this one–so delicious and cheerful, a beautiful soup perfect for casual weeknight meals or elegant company dinners. I get the chance to get to know some of you through your comments and emails, and sometimes when I run into you in person.…
Read MoreQuinoa Tabbouleh Recipe
I’ve been so offended by so many tabboulehs over the years, that I must be the de facto tabbouleh police by now. I know you know what I’m talking about: those grain-heavy salads that offer a fleck of parsley here, a precious leaf of mint there. Is it laziness that has prompted the phenomenon? It…
Read MoreCrustless Spinach and Feta Quiche with Sumac Recipe. Say yes to the dress.
As many of you know, I’m getting married soon. Recently someone asked when, and my response (“next month”) surprised me. It’s a-comin’ right up! I’d say that I don’t recommend having your manuscript deadline and your wedding fall within a couple of months of one another. But actually, I kind of do recommend it. My…
Read MoreZa’atar Roasted Potato Wedges Recipe. And always on my mind.
Hi everyone. Are you still with me? I’m still with you, as much or more than ever, because you are who I think of as I’m working away at Rose Water & Orange Blossoms, the cookbook. Which recipes to include, which innovations to explore, what stories to tell…even though it’s a certain solitary path,…
Read MoreArugula with Sugared Cranberries & Pancetta. And let’s talk cookbooks.
As I mentioned recently, I am a cookbookaholic. I love to hear about good cookbooks from anyone who is into them. I sort of assume the same of anyone else who likes to collect, cook from, and gift-give cookbooks. So in honor of the cookbook-buying and giving season ahead—in honor of all of the…
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