My Favorite Childhood Treat: Spinach Pies! (Fatayer Sabanekh)

With Arab American Heritage Month, Eid al Fitr, and Greek Orthodox lent upon us at the same time, there is one dish that fits the bill for all 3 occasions, Fatayer Sabanekh, or Arab style spinach pies! The word “fatayer” itself means pastry in Arabic.  These vegetarian hand pies, which are popular in Palestine, Lebanon,…… Continue reading My Favorite Childhood Treat: Spinach Pies! (Fatayer Sabanekh)

Sugar Free Ghraybeh! (Arab Shortbread Cookies)

Hello Dear Friends,  I realize that it has been a while since I have posted a recipe, please know that I have not forgotten you! I have been busy working on a lot of charity events, as well as my job at NBC, and I will be sure to share some of my favorite NBC…… Continue reading Sugar Free Ghraybeh! (Arab Shortbread Cookies)

Some Silver Linings In a Dark World…

Hello Dear Friends, If you are seeking recipe ideas for Thanksgiving, you can check out my Thanksgiving playlist, with recipes for side dishes, salads, desserts, and Momma Vera’s fantastic turkey tutorial here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLm5-PI4h0s4qF4WqDWPgz5Pdb8ab6BEC7 First, some positive news. Recently a professor from Indiana University, who is an avid viewer of Feast in the Middle East, invited…… Continue reading Some Silver Linings In a Dark World…

The Ultimate Grilled Pita Sandwich- Arayes!

Let me give you a visual of one of my camping trips from childhood in Blue Lake, California. Imagine a large campground next to the lake. The sky is a deep blue, pink, and crimson red at sunset. My father fires up the grill, then retreats to a lawn chair, tabla in hand playing some…… Continue reading The Ultimate Grilled Pita Sandwich- Arayes!

My Family Favorite: Kousa Mahshi- Stuffed Squash

If you come from an Arab family in the Levant, whether Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian, or Jordanian, you know the smell of Kousa Mahshi when it envelops the kitchen. That unmistakable smell of fresh summer squash stuffed with seasoned rice and lamb and boiled in an aromatic broth even permeates the front door. The scent invites…… Continue reading My Family Favorite: Kousa Mahshi- Stuffed Squash

Why I Never Complained about Eating Green Beans

There is a subset of society that truly loathes green beans, and  I can understand why. Whether their exposure to mushy tasteless green beans came from a can, or they bit into tough and stringy beans the consistency of hay, I truly feel their pain. But you can enjoy this vegetable without an ounce of…… Continue reading Why I Never Complained about Eating Green Beans

Halawet El Jibn: An Iconic Syrian Dessert for My Baba’s Bday!

It all began in the 1870s with a sweets vendor in Hama Syria. The patriarch of the Salloura family figured out a way to make sweet cheese pancakes rolled around sweet cream, called Halawet El Jibn, which in Arabic means “sweetness of the cheese.”  The cheese rolls were scented with rose or orange blossom, then doused…… Continue reading Halawet El Jibn: An Iconic Syrian Dessert for My Baba’s Bday!

My Childhood Fav! Arab Style Cauliflower Fritters

With a wide variety of vegetable “nuggets” proliferating in supermarkets, I can’t help but think of the old school, traditional cauliflower fritters of my childhood. These fritters are the Palestinian version of vegetable nuggets, made by hand lovingly by my great Auntie Bahia. The Arabic term for these fritters is “Em Shaat.” While this makes…… Continue reading My Childhood Fav! Arab Style Cauliflower Fritters

4 Cool Things I Had To Try in Paris Before Leaving…

Hope you are all enjoying the beginning of summer! I just released part two of my travelog in Paris, and this time I wanted to include experiences that are most definitely off the beaten path.  I loathe being in a swarm of tourists with a checkbox of places everyone else is flocking to at the…… Continue reading 4 Cool Things I Had To Try in Paris Before Leaving…

The Decadent Arab Food Vlog from Dearborn Michigan!

Happy New Year Friends! How have you all been? It has been an extra chilly winter here in California so I have been making a different soup every week, using whatever seasonal produce I can find from the farmer’s market. For those of you that live in California, I will be on NBC’s California Live…… Continue reading The Decadent Arab Food Vlog from Dearborn Michigan!