Posts

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cinnamon Pecans

categories: Desserts, Posts, Recipes

Pumpkin Cheesecake_2

The last few weeks have been a complete whirlwind between work and travel. From the slow days of summer, to the non-stop early mornings and late nights at work post-vacation, it’s been hard to find time to blog. No excuse is a good excuse, but there you have it – why I haven’t posted in a few weeks.

In an attempt to use up the last slow days of summer, I decided I needed to get out and breathe some new air (that would be my foreign translation of change of pace) and visit some people that are near and dear to my heart. Where did I go? Amman and Paris for a 2 ½ week eating tour, basically. All I did was eat. I made sure to get all my Arabic food cravings satisfied in Amman – falafel, knafeh, fresh figs… just to name a few. And I pretty much lived on pastries, bread and cheese in Paris. (more…)

  •  Comments Off on Pumpkin Cheesecake with Cinnamon Pecans

Eggy Avocado Toast

categories: Breakfast, Posts, Recipes

Eggy Avocado Toast_2

Avocados are the best thing that’s happened to food since bread. Once a very California thing has made it’s way over to the East Coast and we’re loving it. Salads, sandwiches, eggs, pastas…you name it, I’ll add avocado to it. So when Sunday rolled around and I wanted something brunchy, but not too heavy, I upped the avocado toast game. (more…)

  •  Comments Off on Eggy Avocado Toast

Old Bay Shrimp Boil

categories: Posts, Recipes, Seafood

Shrimp Boil

Writer’s block. You’d think being a Communications Specialist would mean that words come easy to me all the time. Yes, I can express myself so much better through writing—because there’s that added benefit of proofing and editing your work—But some days I hit a serious writer’s block. It’s the worst. Namely when I’m trying to post my latest and greatest new recipe and nothing comes to mind. Nothing. (more…)

  •  Comments Off on Old Bay Shrimp Boil

Pistachio Cake with Rosewater Buttercream Frosting

categories: Desserts, Posts, Recipes

Pistachio Cake

Summer is birthday season. At least that’s the way it’s played out in our household. From April through the end of August, we knock out all the major birthdays and some. As much as I love to experiment with cakes and coming up with these extravgant decorating ideas, the follow-through doesn’t always live up to my expectations. Something about me frosting cakes just doesn’t add up. I was going for the Naked Cake look — that is, only frosting the top and layers in between. Well, you can see what really happened with that experiment. (more…)

Karawya [Sweet Caraway Pudding]

categories: Arabic Food Made Easy, Desserts, Posts, Recipes

Karawya

My coworker’s wife just had a baby. Everyone in the office had been counting down, waiting for their precious bundle of joy to arrive. A few months ago, we combined his birthday desk decorations with a guessing game of whether they’d be having a boy or a girl – complete with a chalkboard tally. When we found out they were having a girl, everyone had some advice to give. As a father, I can only imagine the excitement and some of the fear of having a daughter. As a mother, I’m positive his wife was ecstatic to have a mini-me. I have to say, she is the most adorable little nugget. Their lives changed overnight and in the most incredible way.

As a matter of Arab tradition, when a baby is born, the family holds a Mubraka where friends and family come over to visit the mother and new baby. I’ve seen very small gatherings, and very large gatherings. It’s a way to meet the new baby and wish well for the family. A special dessert is served called Karawya كراوية. The reason they serve karawya is pretty good, actually. Despite it being a dessert, it has nutrients and energy that are supposed to be good for a nursing mother. (more…)