Recipes

Old Bay Shrimp Boil

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…)

Pistachio Cake with Rosewater Buttercream Frosting

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]

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…)

Strawberry Greek Yogurt Pops

Strawberry Yogurt Pops

My new obsession is popsicles. It’s been so hot around here, I’ve been craving ice cream and frozen yogurt like crazy. But lately, I’ve been dreaming about making my own popsicles. There are so many flavors and variations from fruit and yogurt pops to lemonade-based pops to boozy pops. The possibilities are endless. (more…)

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Buffalo Chicken Dip_2

It’s been a while, I know. My last post was over two months ago and I appreciate my loyal followers who haven’t given up on me yet! Thank you, thank you.

What happens every once in a while is that I get so caught up with work and other things in my non-blogging life that I don’t take the time to work on new posts. It’s been an action-packed two months, with weddings and birthdays and some fun adventures including rock climbing, kayaking and a weekend trip to Vegas with a pit stop inside the Grand Canyon. I’m happy to report that I can now cross both those off my bucket list. I’ll also admit that since Memorial Day weekend, I’ve been spending my lazy weekends poolside working on my tan – slowly but surely. (more…)