DIY Birthday Box

categories: DIY, Posts

DIY Birthday Box

If I love you, you’ll know it. I will have cooked for you, or crafted for your or both. One of my closest friends, and former coworker, moved abroad last year to start Grad School and join her fiancé in Paris. When she was still here in DC, she practically held my hand through two of the craziest years of my life, even when she had a million other things going on in her own life. And for that, I don’t think I can ever really thank her enough.

When she left to pursue her dreams, I was torn. Of course I wanted the best for her, I wanted her to become successful and stay happy, but I was also selfish. I didn’t want my close friend to leave because that would mean I wouldn’t be able to see her whenever I wanted, or go on our crazy adventures. So I sent her off with a Paris Survival Kit, complete with a Learn French on Your Commute CD pack, a photo of the two of us, some wine accessories and a really-long letter explaining what everything meant and why she needed them. (more…)

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Pulled Beef Tacos

categories: Beef, Posts, Recipes

Pulled Beef Tacos_2

I’ve always heard about the wonders of the crock pot. I’ve seen countless Pinterest Pins about easy crock pot meals. I’ve even heard stories about how great it is to just throw all the ingredients in there, turn it on for the day, go to work and have basically a ready meal once you get home. But I’ve never actually used a crock pot before in my life! Shocking, I know.

It’s not that I never wanted to, I guess I was always a little anxious. “What if I do it wrong?” “What if it doesn’t turn out?” “Is it really going to taste good if I just throw the ingredients in there and walk away?” That’s the internal dialogue I’ve had with myself in the past about using the crock pot. (more…)

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls

categories: Breakfast, Desserts, Posts, Recipes

Nutella Cinnamon Rolls_2

Last weekend – ironically on Valentine’s Day – the founder of the Ferrero company, Mr. Michele Ferrero died at age 89. Known as “the Father of Nutella” and “real life Willy Wonka,” Ferrero’s company introduced Nutella, Kinder Eggs and Ferrero Rocher, making the world a sweeter, happier place.

I have to say, I was into Nutella before it became a thing here in the U.S. over the last few years. Nutella on toast for breakfast wasn’t unheard of during my childhood and was pretty much our substitute for peanut butter; that’s not to say we didn’t stock peanut butter jars in our pantry. But let’s just say, I was sneaking spoonfuls of Nutella in the middle of the night long before the food bloggers picked it up as the latest and greatest. (more…)

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Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

categories: Beef, Posts, Recipes

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs_2

I love those mornings when I wake up to a text from my brother containing a photo and the words “make this.” Which is exactly what happened a couple days ago. We live in the same house, about two doors apart and yet I haven’t seen him in days – probably because we’re each on a different schedule. But not seeing me regularly doesn’t mean he’s forgotten that I can cook up some good dishes. Enter the random text Monday night at 11:07pm. Where do you suppose he found this photo? From the Food Porn Twitter account, where else? And of course, he expects me to drop everything and have it ready to eat at a moment’s notice.

I let him drool for a couple days before I got to experimenting and then promptly surprising him on a random Wednesday afternoon. (more…)

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Hareeseh [Semolina Cake]

categories: Desserts, Posts, Recipes

Hareeseh

You know that moment of excitement and apprehension when you’ve tried to bake something and you go to share it with your grandmother, certain she’s going to be so proud of your work? Well, that happened about three years ago when I first tried to make Hareeseh. I was so excited to bring her a sample of my baking that I could even envision her smiling and telling me what a great job I did. (more…)

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