I’m back! And I learned what anosmia is. Well, it’s been a while. In December of last year my full-time job was in full gear and life simply got in the way. January and February meant business travel in the Middle East, and by late February when I was flying home the whole office was…
I am a chili head – I am known to put hot sauce on everything. Our dinner table is never without hot sauce, or some homemade chili sauce of some sort – regardless of the cuisine we’re eating. I see spiciness warnings on restaurant menus as a dare, and order my Thai food ‘Thai hot’…
Like all the spice blends I use regularly, this is one I grind myself. Unlike many of the others, this one requires a decent number of spices – eleven, to be exact. Sure, you can buy homemade shawarma spice at your local Arab supermarket – and probably at Whole Foods these days, too – but…
It’s officially PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) season in America as of today. Although I’m a big believer in sharing the things you love even if someone else deems them ‘basic’, I will leave the Pumpkin Spice love to others. No hate here; I definitely understand the appeal of it, but as someone who didn’t grow…
I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of August. Summer is my favourite season, and I’m not sure I’m ready to see it go. I love Autumn, too – it’s beautiful, especially here in Colorado as the trees change colours, but then we’re on our way to winter, when I become like a pill bug,…
Baharat (بَهَارَات) literally meaning ‘spices’ in Arabic, is a common ingredient in many Lebanese and Levantine dishes. Like most Middle Eastern spice blends, every region or family has their preference as to what they like to add; baharat can sometimes contain nutmeg in place of allspice, or even the addition of paprika. Feel free to…
Kamounet is one of those seasonings that every family has a different recipe for – some include cloves, some eschew them for allspice, it just depends on your tastes (or maybe what you have in the cupboard at the time). The only must in kamounet is why it’s called kamounet in the first place: kamoun…
