Feeling nostalgic after watching this :-)

Highlights of a culinary visit to Lebanon and Beirut, enjoying the Arabic foods from the Middle East.

A recap of David Lebovitz’s trip to Lebanon…beautifully written, lovely pictures… really captures the heart and soul of our homeland…Happy Wednesday =)

http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/04/cinco-de-mayo-tacos-recipes-carnitas-vegetarian-al-pastor-beef-slideshow.html#show-322368

Getting ready for Cinco de Mayo? We are!

Did you know there’s a Lebanese Mexican community in Mexico? It’s true! Lebanese immigration to Mexico started in the 19th century, settling mostly in Puebla.

We’re fans of Lebanese-Mexican hybrids… ahem, Salma Hayek…we’ll never get over Desperado…. and Carlos Slim. Heard of him?

Named by Forbes as the richest man in the world since 2010. Business magnate and philanthropist extraordinaire (http://www.forbes.com/sites/kerryadolan/2013/04/29/carlos-slim-joins-bill-gates-other-billionaires-with-100-million-to-fight-polio/), you could say we’re fond of him.  

We’re especially fond of tacos arabe (Arab-style tacos). They are probably the most popular street food in Puebla, and it’s easy to see why. They were originally made with lamb, topped with parsley and tahini sauce.

Nowadays, you might see some salsa instead of tahini, tomatoes, lettuce or cabbage, and maybe some pickled veggies for extra crunch.

We’re getting hungry….and a shawarma taco sounds too good to pass up… Hmm, maybe even a garlic chicken taco…

Ice cream season is here! Currently obsessed with: affogatos! We’re taking requests and suggestions as to what kind now ;) 

Tinkering with house made ice creams… starting with the classic, vanilla bean.

All natural, luscious frozen treats.  Then of course, different toppings…rosewater syrup & pistachio with vanilla is clean and classic…it satiates our intense nostalgic cravings for Beirut… hot summer days, biting into pistachio ice scream, sipping on, chewing on, dark, rich, addicting Lebanese coffee….

I love hummus. Actually, the whole family loves the stuff and it thrills me that the kids enjoy it so much. They love getting hummus in their lunch for school along with some pita bread, or bread s…

From. Scratch. Every. Day. No preservatives, no astronomical sodium content, no BPA… just clean, delicious, nutritious hummus. Sahtein. 

veganfoody:

Zucchini Bread Waffles with Mango, Avocado, and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Yum! We love trying new Vegan recipes!

thankyoufordinner:

Spinach chicken feta crêpe (by aetalttoa)

(via in-my-mouth)

Summertime roasted veggies

(via grapefruitlicious)

http://www.marcussamuelsson.com/tips-2/how-to-make-your-own-spice-blends-berbere

It’s really all about the spices…we can’t stress how much of a difference fresh ground spices make! Might have to start experimenting with this particular blend, which comes through the way of North Eastern Africa.

A commingling of Ethiopian spices in Armenian dishes sounds appealing…Perhaps a berbere spiked lahmajune? Or a pilaf dish with berbere sauteed beef? 

On a different, but not completely irrelevant note, there is actually a small Armenian community in Ethiopia,mainly in the nation’s capital, Addis Ababa. Wonder if they have any hybrid Armethiopian dishes…

Throughout the region that was once the Ottoman empire, people make coffee pretty much the same way: using coffee beans ground into a fine powder, then boiled in a little brass pot. But ordering “Turkish” coffee today doesn’t go over well in some Balkan or eastern Mediterranean countries that have some lingering anti-Turkish feelings.

So funny, so true ;) Our version is either… Lebanese , Arabic or Armenian coffee. Bottom line though, call it whatever you’d like, we call our coffee (legal) liquid crack =) Sahtein.