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Za’atar Pita
Za’atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend. I can’t even describe how to pronounce it because I don’t really know what the right way is myself. Growing up, it was this mysterious mixture we put on top of pita and microwaved, sometimes with mozzarrella cheese on top as well, wafting this strong unique scent throughout […]
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Sides: Spinach Frittata (Parade of Pies, Part 10)
When I was a child, every party the family threw had “spinach cupcakes” for the kids. We all loved them, probably because we thought they were cupcakes and not healthy grown up food. As an adult I make them because they are a huge crowd-pleaser and are pretty quick to throw together. I’m too lazy […]
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Syrian-style Baklava (Parade of Pies, Part 5)
**So it’s not a pie in the usual sense, but baklava is pastry stuffed with nuts, sweet syrup, and butter. The pie spirit is there. And really, who would complain about getting baklava?** Growing up I never knew that there was more than one kind of baklava. The sticky, crispy, little diamonds with pistachio and […]
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Tangy Bulgur Salad and New Foods
We were recently invited to a potluck lunch with an ingenious theme: “New Foods.” The host wanted guests to bring foods that would most likely be new to him, and hopefully the other guests. I gave the challenge a lot of thought. I eat a lot of weird things, so I had plenty of options. […]
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Whole Wheat Pocket Pita
I’ve clearly been on a bit of baking kick lately. I think it’s been because by the end of the week I’m out of fresh goods but I always have basic baking ingredients in my pantry. A lot of people bake bread to be frugal. And I’d like to say that I made these pita […]
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Zucchini and Carrot Frittata, Syrian style
The Kosher Foodies just wrote about Spanach Jibben which we used to call Spinach brownies or cupcakes when I was a child. This spinach, egg, and cheese dish was a great way to make sure us kids had something green without too much fussing or complaining. Tacking “jibben” after a vegetable pretty much means you […]
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Lemon Pickles
This post has been a long time coming. I really wanted to make sure I liked these little guys before posting them. Last night, we finished the jar of lemon pickles we made around the time we had Iron Chef Lemons at work. That’s how many lemons there were – it took over three months […]
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Collard Greens with Chick Peas
With very little effort, search this dish reminds me of a Syrian dish my grandmother used to make with lamb, Swiss chard and chick peas. Collards are an amazing leafy green that are relatively easy to find in the frozen section of grocery stores all year round in my region. This hearty side is packed […]
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Velvet Lemon Mushroom Sauce
Sauces are perhaps my favorite type of food to cook. They can be so versatile in flavor and texture. They liven up ordinary ingredients. This velvety lemon mushroom sauce can be used as an ingredient in many recipes, simply poured over a bowl of pasta, or served aside a warm cut of meat or a […]
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Almond Butter Cookies
My favorite cookies growing up were Syrian butter cookies called “greybeh” in Arabic. My grandmother would serve them for dessert on a doily sprinkled with powdered sugar. The delicate cookies were shaped like bracelets and would usually have a pistachio pressed into the area where the two ends of the dough overlapped. They would melt […]