sugar

Cardamom Cookies

It’s been a lazy Sunday. So lazy, in fact, that I’m still in my PJs and rocking my top bun and glasses at approximately 3:48pm. It’s only a matter of minutes before the sun sets and I enter pre-Monday mode.

Pre-Monday is my least favorite time of the week. It’s the time after the sun sets before Monday morning when you realize you’ve wasted an entire day doing nothing. Or maybe you had a productive Sunday, or a fun Sunday filled with adventure. In any case, Pre-Monday is when you start thinking about everything you need to accomplish by the time your dreaded alarm rings and wakes you out of slumber.

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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…)

Hareeseh [Semolina Cake]

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…)

Muhallabiyeh [Arabic Pudding]

Muhallabiyeh

There’s something about Arabic desserts that I love. If I had to choose between any Arabic sweet and a piece of cake, the Arabic sweet usually wins out. One of my favorites [there really are too many to name] is Muhallabiyeh مهلبية. I vividly remember eating Muhallabiyeh out of small chilled bowls as a child at my Tayta’s house. So sweet, so cold, and so delicious. No one makes the dessert quite like my Tayta. (more…)

Cinnamon and Powdered Sugar Donuts

Cinnamon and Sugar Donuts

Back when we were in elementary school and mom used to drive us to school, we had a weekly ritual. I have to say, I never looked forward to Fridays as much as I did in elementary and middle school because Fridays meant we left a little bit earlier so we could stop at Krispy Kreme for a donut and chocolate milk. I mean, what kid wouldn’t love that?! Yes, it involved waking up a bit earlier, but it was all for a good cause, and in my mind then, a perfectly legitimate reason to jump right out of bed. (more…)

Ghraybeh [Arabic Butter Cookies]

 

Ghraybeh

One of my favorite Arabic sweets is Ghraybeh [غريبة], with all of its sugary, buttery goodness. Honestly, the best ones I’ve tasted are the ones in Amman that come in a little “s” shape. I can devour an entire box in one sitting — they’re that good. Shatila comes in at a close second with their ghraybeh, except for the fact that each piece is massive, and they (sadly) post the calorie content of each piece, making it impossible to eat more than one without feeling guilty. Oh, the struggles of not being skinny. (more…)