Shrimp Fried Rice

categories: Posts, Recipes, Rice & Grains, Seafood

 

Shrimp Fried Rice_2

I’m not a huge fan of Asian foods [and by Asian, I mean far-east Asian]. I’m extremely picky. Not because I’m not adventurous with food, but everyone has different tastes and mine just happens to not be extremely fond of the sauces. I usually have one or two go-to items when I’m stuck in a situation where I have to have Chinese, or Thai, or Japanese food – usually because I’m the minority. And usually, my go-to items are sauce-free or are pretty bland in flavor. Everyone’s entitled to their prerogative and this is mine. (more…)

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Bamiya [Okra Stew]

categories: Arabic Food Made Easy, Lamb, Posts, Recipes, Stews

bamiya_3

I always feel an immense sense of accomplishment when I make Arabic food and it tastes like my mom’s cooking. Likely because Arabic food only tastes good when my mom or tayta make it, in my personal opinion. So when I realized we had some fresh okra hanging out in the fridge, I decided to try a very well known Arabic dish; Bamiya. Bamiya is basically okra stew.

Don’t let the okra deter you. Most people don’t like it because it can get pretty slimy. But if you prepare the okra properly, I promise you a slime-free meal. (more…)

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French Onion Soup

categories: Posts, Recipes, Soups

French Onion Soup

It’s cold. Actually, it’s beyond cold. We were hit with snow early this week and it was terrible. Fairfax County schools, DC schools and the Federal Government all failed to call – at a minimum – a two-hour delay causing mass chaos during the morning commute.

Since Tuesday’s snowfall, the snow hasn’t melted. We’ve been seeing temperatures no warmer than 30 F with mornings at 8 F and afternoons hovering around 25 F. I’ve probably said this at least 10 times on the blog, but I am not a fan of cold weather. If it were up to me, I would hibernate all winter and come back to life when it’s no colder than 60 F, sometime around late March. The layers: sweaters, coats, socks, leggings, gloves, hats, ear muffs; it’s all too much for me. And to top it all off, the days are cut short when the sun sets at 5pm. (more…)

Hazelnut Biscotti

categories: Breads, Desserts, Posts, Recipes

Hazelnut Biscotti_2

For as long as I can remember, biscuits for breakfast were a common occurrence in our house. It was never unusual to see cookies served with coffee and tea, and sometimes, even a piece of cake. The cookies, or biscuits, were always referred to as قرشله‎ pronounced “orshelleh.” Some look similar to biscotti, and others just look like rectangular pieces of hardened bread. (more…)

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Rueben Sandwich

categories: Beef, Posts, Recipes, Sandwiches

Reuben

When I was in grad school, up at Syracuse University, my mom came to visit a handful of times. She helped me move in, she cheered me on at graduation and she helped me move out. Each one of her visits were not complete without a lunch trip to Faegan’s, a family owned Irish pub at the corner of the University’s Marshall Square. Why? Because the first time we went there, mom ordered the Reuben and fell in love with the sandwich. To this day—6 years later—she’s still talking about the Reuben at Feagan’s. For anyone who’s visiting Syracuse and wants to try it out, yes, it’s still on the menu. (more…)

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