Cardamom-Date Cookies: Manal Alalem, The Role Model

04/27/2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

NON-SPONSORED POST Older generations of Middle Eastern home cooks, as I knew them, were inarguably gifted, but they seldom wrote down a recipe. And if they did, it was more likely to be inaccurate. They tended to mainly rely on memory and skip measurements altogether. Recipes have been handed down from generation to generation, if […]

Tsoureki, Greek Easter Bread: Honoring a Forgotten Woman

04/21/2019.Reading time 9 minutes.

In my grandparents’ living room in Alexandria, Egypt, in the center of one of its bright walls, was a colorful hand painted drawing of our extended family tree. The tree displayed black and white tiny oval face photos. At the tree roots, were the photos of Maria and Guirguis, the great grandparents of my mother. […]

Gayane and Edward’s Basturma: A Story of Resilience

04/18/2019.Reading time 12 minutes.

Basturma is an authentic Armenian delicacy and appetizer. It is a highly seasoned cured beef that delivers an arsenal of robust flavors. It is delicious if served alone, yet becomes an excellent flavor asset if mixed with eggs or bland veggies.

Torte Au Chocolat: The Prize of Tiding Up

04/13/2019.Reading time 7 minutes.

NON-SPONSORED POST My obsession with tidying up preceded “The Marie Condo” prodigy by a decade. I iniatially caught the bug of tydying up when I moved to Paris. The City of Light mandated a radical change of life style. Our apartment was huge by French standards, yet fairly small by Californian terms. My husband and I […]

Fried Mushrooms & Herbed Mayo Dip: Eat Your Veggies

03/25/2019.Reading time 6 minutes.

NON-SPONSORED POST One of the highlights of my life in Paris was my daughter’s Garderie, preschool in French. For what is worth, to secure a spot in a French preschool, an expectant parent should start the admission process of her soon-to-be-born child as early as the six month of pregnancy. In this context, we got […]

Kushari: Essential Lent Crowd Pleaser

03/09/2019.Reading time 11 minutes.

Kushari, Koshari or Koushari is a must-try Egyptian vegan street food that you could easily create in your own kitchen. It encapsulates heaps of playful vermicelli rice, mixed with cooked-to-perfection lentils, tender chickpeas, topped with crispy fried onions and, served with two sauce: a fiery tomato sauce, and Daqqah, a tangy, cumin spiked vinegar-garlic condiment.

Mrs. Blain’s Cookies: A Tribute to an exceptional Teacher

02/19/2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

NON-SPONSORED POST Follow your common sense. Strike a balance between love and discipline. One shouldn’t be at the expense of the other. And everything will be just fine. These are a few of Mrs. Paulette Blain’s golden words. Mrs. Blain was my daughter’s kindergarten exemplary teacher. Mrs. Paulette Blain is one of those exceptional creatures […]

Aleppo Cuisine: The Journey to Healing and Hope

02/13/2019.Reading time 8 minutes.

Located in the heart of the Armenian capital, Yerevan, Aleppo Cuisine is a social
enterprise established in 2018 by the Aleppo NGO. The promising enterprise aims to
empower Syrian refugee women and help them secure a steady income after they lost
everything in the bloody, open-ended war in Syria. Its menu features a lengthy,
scrumptious list of Aleppine delicacies.