Winter
Cranberry Sauce with Rose Water & Pistachios
Cranberry sauce is such a natural with rose water, which brings out the cran-flavor and balances the sweet-tart beautifully. Be sure to use the rose water with restraint! We had a trial-run of Thanksgiving dinner recently, making good on what we say every year on Thanksgiving—which is: why don’t we eat this delicious meal more…
Read MoreRoasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts
Roasted Brussels sprouts with mulberry syrup and toasted nuts are a knockout on your holiday menu. Use any toasted nut you like. I love roasted, salted hazelnuts, a great balance with the tangy fruitiness of the mulberry syrup (or pomegranate molasses). I find it shocking when I hear, usually from one of the nieces or…
Read MoreMom’s Special Lebanese Rice
Lebanese rice is such an essential part of our table that I’m sheepish that I haven’t shared it here before…. My mom’s version is so special and delicious that it’s as at home on your weeknight menu as it is the holiday table. The attributes my mom has passed on to me are legion. Among…
Read MoreLebanese Eggplant Boats, another Sheik al Mehsheh
Lebanese eggplant boats are the traditional way to make Sheik al mehsheh, a meal “fit for a king”! Serve the eggplant over a bed of cinnamon-scented rice with a crisp, lemony romaine salad on the side. This dish is easily made ahead, as well as casserole-style. For some reason, our Lebanese eggplant, or Sheik al…
Read MoreKa’ik Biscuit Cookies
There are many different versions of Lebanese ka’ik. These biscotti-like crunchy Ka’ik Biscuit Cookies are flavored with anise, rose water and turmeric. There’s a great divide here, as I’m sure there must be where you are, over the flavor of black licorice. This is anise, a flavor that brings intense joy to the face and…
Read MoreSauteed Spinach with Toasted Pine Nuts
Whether I’m baking the baklawa, or browning the butter, or toasting the nuts, the question is always there. That question: how dark should the baklawa/butter/nuts be? Actually, this isn’t my question at all. It’s the question of those around me. (Dan.) For me, Deep Golden Brown (DGB) is a given. It’s a fundamental need that…
Read MoreApricot and Mulberry Jam Thumbprint Cookies
These gem-like jam thumbprint cookies are fun to make and so tender and beautiful. Use a combination of preserves like apricot and mulberry for color and flavor interest. This one will brighten up the cookie plates. It’s a beauty. That’s what mom said when she tasted the thumbprint cookies I’ve been making with our gorgeous…
Read MoreBaked Pita Chips! And how the video got going (cousin-love).
I love baked pita chips — simple to make and a great way to use up the last couple of loaves of pita that seem to hang on! Bake them for a healthier-than-fried version and still just as crunchy, salty, and addictive. I’ve written about cousins in all sorts of ways here (i.e., see this…
Read MoreLebanese Vegetable Soup with Chickpeas and Kale
This vegetable soup with chickpeas and kale is hearty with sweet butternut squash, tomatoes, and a hit of cayenne. So warming, healthy, and simple to make–which we do, weekly! Vegan and gluten-free. One frigid, snowy day last winter when Dan was down and out with a cold, his sister Trisha brought over a big tunjura…
Read MoreSumac Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Sumac roasted sweet potatoes are a natural! The bright, citrusy flavor of the sumac balances the sweetness of the potatoes perfectly. When I think about what makes the Thanksgiving plate so mouthwatering-good, it doesn’t take much for me to realize that it’s driven by sweet. Oh, and fat. Yes, there is the salty tenderness (brine…
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