Recipes
Best Pastel De Nata Ever (Portuguese Custard Tarts)
I am obsessed with this dessert. On my last trip to Lisbon I ate so many of these crunchy/creamy pies I vowed to learn how to make them for myself. After a few tries, this is my version of Portuguese pastel de nada.
Stuffed Zucchini In A Garlic Yogurt Sauce (Kousa Bil Laban)
Literal translation: Zucchinis in yogurt. Growing up kousa bil laban was what I used to consider comfort food; I loved it (anything with a yogurt sauce really). This classic Lebanese dish might seem complicated, but once you master a few tricks (stuffing the zucchini and cooking the yogurt), it is a dish you will make over and over again.
Kafta Bil Souniyeh (Oven Baked Kofta Meat)
Some people say kafta, others say kofta... I guess this is similar to the "potato/pottato" debate. No matter how you spell it, kafta/kofta is a spiced meatball, patty or meatloaf dish in the Middle East. The literal translation for this dish is "kafta in the...
Strawberry Basil Bundt Cake
Strawberries and basil were born to be together, and yet they are cruelly kept apart with cooks continuous use of strawberry in desserts and basil in savory dishes. Well no more! This strawberry basil bundt cake recipe is uniting these long lost friends, and what this recipe has put together, let no cook put asunder.
Crunchy, Garlicky, Baked Mashed Potatoes
Manny adjectives, one delicious side dish. This baked mashed potato dish is great for reviving leftover mashed potatoes and can be prepared ahead of time and baked right before eating. You can even add one more adjective (cheesy) by mixing in some gruyere and topping with parmesan cheese.
Birthday Cake Blondies DO Have More Fun -Funfetti That Is
Sprinkles make everything better; these blondies are no exception. Gooey, chewy, and unapologetically colorful, these funfetti blondies are easy to make and irresistible. The What: 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) 1 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed 1 tablespoon...
Sicilian Saffron Sardine Pasta
This recipe is an amalgamation of Mark Bitman’s pasta with sardines recipe and the classic Sicilian dish Pasta con le sarde. The original Italian dish includes fresh fennel, raisins, and anchovies. Not a traditional dish, but just as delicious as it was inspired by tradition.
Avocado Hazelnut Pesto
Italian food purists look away! Everyone else: This recipe is a delicious twist on pesto. The addition of hazelnuts give it an earthy depth and the avocado a luscious creaminess.
The Kit Kat Cookie
This is literally what it sounds like, a cookie with a Kit Kat on it; no false advertisement here! The chewy cookie dough is the perfect backdrop for the crunchy, chocolaty Kit Kat bar.
The Ying-Yang Egg Salad Sandwich
This is what happens when you have too much time on your hands on Sunday morning . This is less of a recipe and more of a kids’ art project.
Birthday Bundt Cake -Sprinkle Swirls Galore
What could be more festive than a birthday bundt cake? The answer is not much. I dare you to stare at sprinkles for 2 minutes and not smile; you simply can’t.
The Best Brownies Recipe EVER!
Seriously forget every other brownie recipe you know, this is the one. The brownies are fudgy, dense, and luxurious. The best part of the recipe is that it only uses cocoa powder, so no need to melting chocolate separately.
Georgian-Style Fried Potatoes
After a recent trip to Tbilisi, I fell in love with Georgia (the country). This country is overflowing with culture, good food, passion, history, and beautiful scenery. One of the dishes I became obsessed with was the Georgian style potatoes. This humble...
Spinach Triangles (Fatayer Bil Sabanekh)
Fatayer bil sabanekhs are stuffed with healthy goodness and formed into a pleasing geometric shapes; try to resist them.This very Lebanese treat is delicious and surprisingly vegan. Some recipes are made with yeasty doughs, others (like this one) are a more crunchy yeastless doughs.
Lebanese Potato Stew (Yakhnet Batata)
Arabs are not shy about placing more than one carb on a plate. This dish actually features 3 distinct carbs: the potatoes, the rice, and the vermicelli in the rice.
Lebanese Chicken Broth
This recipe is the foundation for many of my mom’s chicken based Lebanese dishes, and a few non-Leb dishes, but that’s a rant for another time.
Perfectly Chewy Soft Pretzels
Soft pretzels are only good when freshly baked, so bake and eat!
Lebanese Potato Salad
Much like everything Lebanese people do, this potato salad is next level. It is a punch of flavor; the potatoes are just there for the ride. Bring this to your next BBQ and punch everyone’s taste buds, hard!
Creamy Carrot Soup
When life gives you carrots no one wants to eat, make carrot soup. This is a one-pot meal, quick, and healthy.
Chewy Sprinkle Cookies (Funfetti Is Trademarked)
These cookies radiate happiness. They are pure joy personified in a cookie. Chewy, crunchy, and caramely – everything you want in a treat.
This Honey Comb Will Make You Do The Hokey Pokey
The key to this recipe is organization. Have all the ingredients measured, and have all your equipment out and ready. This recipe moves quickly, you have to be one step ahead.
Birthday Cake Popcorn
Everything about birthday cake popcorn is a win. The birthday part, the cake part, and the popcorn part. The kernels are so festive and joyful, great for a party or a little indulgence for one. The What: 7 cups popped popcorn 3/4 cup white chocolate...
Creamy Canned Corn Soup (It’s Vegan… Shhh!)
This recipe has a surprising depth of flavor considering its minimal ingredient list and quick cooking time. It happens to be a vegan recipe, but it is so delicious and creamy you won’t even know it.
Lebanese Lubia Bil Zeit (Green Beans in Tomato Sauce)
The literal translation of this dish is: beans in oil. Bil zeit (in oil) refers to dishes that are meatless, and the oil is usually olive oil.
Thyme For Potato Soup
This soup is a warm hug on a cold day. It’s velvety creaminess combined with its chunky hardiness is the perfect meal.
Maple Kale Crunch Salad
This salad will covert the most ardent kale-hater into a passionate kale-addict. It stays crunchy for days, it’s sweet, salty and nutty.
The Best Butter Chicken Ever! (Makhan Murg)
Butter chicken is my go-to order in most Indian restaurants. I can't resist this dish's intense flavor and velvety texture. The list of ingredients may seem long (most are repeats) but it is, surprisingly, a one-pot meal that takes less than 1 hour to make....
15 Minute Shredded Chicken Tacos
These chicken tacos make a great mid-week meal, or even a make ahead, and heat up later kinda meal.
Kiwi Cilantro Salsa
Serve with tortilla chips, sit back, and take in all the love and admiration from your friends and family.
No-Bake Vegan Muesli Bars (They Are Better Than They Sound)
With a good quality store-bought muesli mix, these deliciously healthy bars are a dream to make.
Garlicky Tomato Sauce- 10 Cloves In Every Batch
To get the garlickiest of flavors, I unapologetically use ten cloves of garlic in this recipe. Maybe this is not the best dish for a first date. Or maybe its the perfect dish; garlic is an aphrodisiac.
Mango Pineapple Salsa- A Scoop of Sunshine
This is a great recipe for those mangos and pineapples that are not very sweet just yet.
Funfetti Sugar Cookies
So the term ‘Funfetti’ might be trademarked. If so, these cookie are birthday cake cookies, or just sprinkle cookies. Whatever you call them they are simple, delicious, and ever so festive.
Lebanese Pink Pickled Turnips
Pickled turnips are ubiquitous in Lebanese food, and surprisingly simple to make at home. They only pickle for 3 days, but last for months.
Sticky Maple Bacon Bahn Mi
In the mood for a pork belly bahn mi but don’t have the time to boil, roast, and then grill pork belly? This bacon bahn mi is the solution.
Pasta In Yogurt Sauce (Pasta Bil Laban)
Pasta bil laban is a cross between a yogurt gazpacho and a pasta salad.
Lebanese Rice Pudding
Different countries have their own twist on rice pudding. The Lebanese version of this dessert in unapologetically sweet and addictively creamy.
Chewy Sesame Balls
This recipe is quick, easy, and healthy. I used nigella seeds, but a great substitution would be black sesame seeds or any other tiny seed. Ingredients: 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds 2 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon nigella seeds How to: Place the sesame...
Breakfast Bahn Mi
A Bahn mi is an action-packed Vietnamese sandwich filled with grilled meats, pickled vegetables, sauces, and fresh herbs.
Coco-Maple Overnight Oats (3 Ingredients)
This is the easiest recipe ever, it’s all about leaving alone to do its thing.
Tallarines Verdes (Peruvian Green Noodles)
Tallarines Verdes is a Peruvian pasta pesto.
Charred Corn Pico De Gallo
This is a great summer recipe. It’s fresh taste is very versatile. It goes great with some tortilla chips as a dip, on some grilled fish as a sauce, or in chicken tacos as a salsa.
Korean Potato Pancakes (Gamjajeon)
This recipe is the equivalent of Korean latkes. The only main difference is the texture of the potatoes. In traditional ladkes, you would grate the potatoes on the side of the grater with the biggest holes and then squeeze out any excess liquid. For this recipe...
Focaccia Pizza: 1 Dough – 4 Recipes
This recipe has a lot of steps and takes a lot of time, but the steps are easy and the time is mostly you leaving it alone.
Crunch Crunch Bulgur Salad
This salad has a lot of ingredients but its deliciousness is not dependent on all the ingredients being included.
Chewy Coconut Pineapple Cake
This cake is not a traditional fluffy poundcake.The inside is chewy, sticky, and completely addictive. I was attempting to make a run-of-the-mill dry pound cake and cover it with frosting but ended up substituting a few ingredients and inventing this. It was...
Cinnamon Chicken Rice Soup
This is one of my mom's go-to recipes when she needs a quick soup. I have been eating this dish for years and only after I asked for the recipe did I realize how much cinnamon was in it. It is probably not what you are imagining. It is not a cinnamon roll soup, but...
Pesto Parmesan Burger
Much like Italians themselves, this burger is packed with flavor, style, and Italianiness. This recipe makes two burgers, double or triple as needed. 1/2 pound ground beef1 teaspoon pesto 1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheesepinch of salt, and pepper To serve: 2 buns 2...