Shakshouka originated in North Africa. For those more geographically-impaired, that would mean the countries of Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Morocco. It’s also become popular in Yemen and Saudi Arabia, with restaurants in those parts popping up solely to serving up the dish. Shakshouka means “a mixture.” And that’s exactly what this dish is, it’s a delicious mix of tomatoes, peppers, eggs and cheese. (more…)
It all started with a random idea to go take advantage of September and go apple picking. It then turned into an adventure that ended up with me taking a back seat to learning how to make amazing apple turnovers.
We’re about mid way through September, with only a couple more weeks before we get into pumpkin season (not that you don’t see Halloween decorations and pumpkins practically everywhere you go already). That being said, apples are still in season and what better way to enjoy a gorgeous Sunday afternoon than to go apple picking in Maryland with a friend who completely understands the importance of taking at least 20 pictures of the same thing, and gets really excited about plucking apples off a tree. (more…)
Every year it seems like the seasons change too quickly for me to keep up. It had to be late July when everyone seemed to be excited for the fall. I hadn’t even had my fill of the summer when I started getting pre-fall sale emails featuring sweaters and jackets. And then, once September rolls around, the pools close and kids go back to school and all of a sudden we’ve skipped August altogether and moved straight into pumpkin-everything season.
It’s early September and it’s still 80 degrees out in DC – warm enough for the pools to stay open, but who am I to make the rules. And yet, Starbucks has already started selling their pumpkin spice lattes! There we go skipping all of September and jumping straight into October. Some of my friends have already started picking up said pumpkin spice lattes on their way to work … but I refuse to let go of the summer and indulge in my favorite fall coffee until it’s at least cool enough to strut a sweater and my boots. (more…)
There are a few times a year when it seems almost obligatory to BBQ – either BBQ yourself or attend one. And those times are Memorial Day weekend, July 4, and Labor Day weekend. That’s not to say you can’t BBQ all summer long, if you so desire. But it’s around those holidays that you see the grocery stores pull all their grilling items to the front of the store so you can’t miss the charcoal, the sodas and the chips and dip. (more…)
Lasagna gets boring after a while – at least it does for me. Not that I eat it all the time. To be completely honest, I keep lasagna noodles at home and have never made traditional lasagna once. I’ve eaten it and my mom used to make it when I was a kid, but I didn’t really venture into making it the traditional way. I just find it boring – layers of cheese, ground beef, tomato sauce and noodles. But for a working mom, it must have been really easy to pull together for her kids. (more…)
It’s been more than four months since my last blog post. Well, my blog has really been put on the back burner because I’ve been juggling work, travel and trying to drop a few pounds (26 pounds to be exact). And with losing weight for me, comes a disinterest in food overall. Imagine! As much as I enjoy cooking for those I love, they’ve been starving while I’ve been keeping my calorie intake to a minimum. I can’t give cutting back on eating all the credit. Believe it or not, I started running — yes on a treadmill, and yes at a pace faster than speed #3. The treadmill terrified me until I got to know a spunky girl with a big heart and a whole lot of attitude that made running on the treadmill look like fun. For those who know me personally, I would have never have used the words “treadmill” and “fun” in the same sentence. That combined with her constant pushing me to go to the gym after work really paid off. Just because I’ve lost a few pounds, doesn’t mean I won’t be enjoying my fries and sweets. I’ll just have to get smart about consumption and quantity. (more…)
