Welcome

  • I cook as a hobby, and I maintain this blog primarily to keep track of recipes that my family has enjoyed over the years. I started blogging back in 2015, in response to requests from friends for recipes they had seen me post on Facebook (but that I couldn’t easily catalog). My original blog was on another platform that became less user-friendly over time. I migrated my blog to WordPress earlier this year, and I’ve spent more time than expected reformatting the migrated posts.

    This blog is and always will be a work in progress. For example, I currently provide Tags for posts, but I have not coded for Categories. I also generally try to share the recipes themselves in my posts, but in cases where the recipe is not available online, I try to identify the source (e.g., the cookbook title and author) as needed. In some cases, such as where a family has shared their recipe with me but hasn’t authorized me to share it widely, I post a photo of the dish with that proviso.

    I recently added a Search widget to this blog. On the desktop version, the Search bar appears prominently on the left hand side. But for some reason, it is hidden on the mobile app. If you’re on your phone, tap on the SHOW tab at the top left of the home page. That will reveal another screen with the Search bar.

    I hope you enjoy exploring my blog and find some recipes to try.

  • We tried this recipe from Mayada Anjari’s Syrian cookbook, The Bread and Salt Between Us: The Bread and Salt Between Us: Recipes and Stories from a Syrian Refugee’s Kitchen, available here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1891105639/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_bOD8Bb4DRVHEN Here is the original recipe, with notes about our modifications: first, place a 2 lb bone-in, skin on chicken pieces (we used a 5 lb chicken, cut up), ¼ onion sliced (we used 1 ½ onions), 3 bay leaves (we increased to 6), and 3 green cardamom pods, crushed open (we increased to 6) in a large Dutch oven. Cover the chicken with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium. Cover and simmer for 30 mins (we increased to 60 mins), then remove the chicken pieces, remove skin and bones, fork-shred, and set aside. Remove and discard the cardamom and bay leaves. Second, during the last 20 mins of the soup, peel 2 ½ lb russet potatoes (we used 4 yukon and 1 russet, for about 3 lb) and cut into large bite-size (2×2″) chunks. Heat 3 Tbsp butter in a high walled stainless steel skillet. Add potato chunks and saute until slightly translucent and lightly browned (about 7 mins). Once you have removed the chicken pieces, cardamom pods, and bay leaves from the Dutch oven, add the potatoes, cover, and simmer the soup until potatoes are tender (about 25-30 mins). Third, we made this modification (in lieu of the bulgar pilaf recommended in the cookbook): using the same skillet that once held the potatoes, place 1 cup fine bulgur (we increased to 2 cups), then add 2 cups (we increased to 4 cups) of the chicken broth from the Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook on low heat for 15-20 mins. Turn off the heat, fluff the bulgur with a fork, and cover until ready to serve. While bulgur is cooking, and about 10 mins before the soup cooking time has finished, return the shredded chicken to the soup. Season the soup with about 1 Tbsp salt, 2 tsp black pepper, and ½ tsp Aleppo pepper. To serve, add a scoop of the bulgur to a soup bowl, pour the soup on top, and garnish with minced parsley. The texture of the bulgur in chicken soup reminds me of matzoh ball soup. (Nov. 2018)

    Note: The cookbook simply called for “cardamom,” but based on this article we decided to use green cardamom: https://www.thekitchn.com/cardamom-pods-w-163744

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  • We followed this recipe: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2-1941953 Our modifications: we trimmed and halved each sprout and also oven-roasted at 425 for 35 mins in order to cook alongside another dish: http://piglettedc.tumblr.com/post/179433493006/sheet-pan-zaatar-chicken-with-shallots-and. These were slightly charred the first time (Nov. 2018), and we later found that 20 mins were sufficient (Apr. 2019)

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  • We tried this recipe:  https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019556-spicy-sheet-pan-sausage-and-squash Our modifications: first, in lieu of 2 lb butternut squash, we used 3 small Korean sweet potatoes (skin-on and cut into 1 x ½” chunks), 1 red bell pepper (cut into ¼” slices), and 2 large shallots (cut along the grain in ½” slices). Second, we used about 1 lb (4 links) raw Andouille sausage, which we scored on a diagonal. We placed them on a lightly oiled rimmed baking sheet instead of tossing with the vegetables. We loaded the sweet potato, bell pepper, and shallot mixture in a single layer on the cookie sheet, around the sausage links. We oven-roasted in a preheated oven at 425 for 15 mins, then increased the temp to 450 and roasted for 20 more minutes. We finished in the broiler (on low) for 2 mins. The minced parsley/lemon juice garnish was key, as its acidity cut the richness of the sheet-pan entree. We also served jasmine rice on the side. (Oct. 2018)

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  • We made this quick and easy side dish: https://www.africanbites.com/callaloo-jamaican-style/ Our modifications: we omitted the bacon. We also used 1 small chopped fresh cayenne pepper instead of fresh habanero. Once we plated it, we squeezed some fresh lime juice overtop for brightness. (Oct. 2018)

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  • Recipe here: http://caribbeanpot.com/tasty-trinidad-style-stew-chicken-recipe/ We marinated the chicken overnight. For the ¼ hot pepper, ee used one medium frozen jalapeño, cut into ½” penny slides. We were unsuccessful in creating a brown sugar crust, but this dish was quite tasty. We served this with jasmine rice and Jamaican-style kale. (Oct. 2018)

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  • We followed this recipe: https://www.mrbreakfast.com/superdisplay.asp?recipeid=330 We used about ¼ cup (8 pieces) turkey pepperoni, sliced into ½” match sticks, sauteeing them. We then removed the browned pepperoni pieces amd set aside. We let the pan cooled a bit and then made the scrambled egg (3 eggs and 1 egg white mixed with 1 Tbsp milk). Once the egg was nearly cooked, we folded in the cooked pepperoni pieces. Once fully cooked, we added a handful (about 2 Tbsp) of shredded cheddar cheese on top. This was a good use of four small leftover corn tortillas. We heated them on a lightly oiled skillet before filling each tortilla with the scrambled egg mixture. (Oct. 2018)

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  • We tried the recipe for cooked bulgur here: https://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/plain-bulgur-415661?ftab=reviews We used 1 cup coarse bulgur and 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth. (Oct. 2018)

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  • We tried this NYT recipe: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019626-sheet-pan-chicken-with-shallots-and-grapes We followed the recipe as written, including 1 Tbsp za’atar, but we increased the olive oil in the marinade by 1 Tbsp. We used a mix of green and red seedless grapes. We served this with cooked bulgur (Oct. 2018)

    Note: Adding too many grapes and shallots to the sheet pan will result in excess liquid that will steam, instead of roast, the chicken and shallots.

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  • We tried this recipe, and it was delicious: https://www.blessthismessplease.com/chicken-tacos/ Our modifications: we used a mix of chicken breast and thigh meat, and we chopped it into bite-sized pieces prior to marinating it for an hour. While sauteeing the seasoned chicken, we found a lot of liquid emitted; we sopped it up with paper towels to ensure the meat would brown rather than steam. To heat the tortillas, we followed these foil-wrapped baking instructions instead: https://www.thekitchn.com/ready-to-eat-three-ways-to-war-117346

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  • We modified an America’s Test Kitchen recipe for pork pozole to use smoked turkey instead. We used 5 lb smoked turkey, a combo of 4 drumsticks (2 packages) and 2 wings (1 package). Because it is both tough and high in sodium, we prepared it as follows (loosely based on http://horizonsmagazine.com/blog/how-to-heat-up-smoked-turkey-drumsticks/): first, using a large Dutch oven, place the drums in the pot, then fit on the wing parts. Cover with water, then bring to a boil, uncovered, for 30 mins. Using tongs, remove the drums and wings, then discard all of the simmering liquid from the pot (this is heavily salted, seasoned liquid). Reload the pot with the drums and wings, then cover with new water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and let simmer until meat is tender (about 1.5 to 2 hours). Let cool, remove the drums and wings, and discard simmering liquid. Using your fingers, remove the meat and skin from the bones. Discard the bones, tendon, the cartilage (pay special attention to the drum sticks for needle-shaped hard tendon), then tear or cut the meat and skin into bite-sized pieces and set aside.

    Second, using a large Dutch oven, saute 2 chopped onions in a little canola oil, sprinkle with a little salt. When translucent, add 5 cloves minced garlic. Add the shredded turkey, and stir well. Add 14.5 oz canned, diced tomatoes, 6 cups chicken broth (we use unsalted), and several sprigs fresh oregano or marjoram (about 1 ½ Tbsp). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and place in a preheated 300 degree oven until flavors meld (about 45 mins). In the mean time, place 2 oz (about 3 large) dried Ancho chiles (seeds and stems removed) in 1 ½ cups boiling water, and cover until tender (about 20 mins). Blend ancho mixture until smooth, then set aside. Remove pot from oven. Add 40 oz (three 13.5 oz cans) canned white hominy (drained and rinsed) to the pot, along with the ancho mixture. If desired, to thicken stew, make a slurry of 2 mounded Tbsp fine cornmeal with 4 Tbsp cold water, then stir into the stew (see Note below). Simmer stew until flavors meld (about 30 mins). Serve with warmed tortillas (I heated them one at a time in a skillet), lime wedges, roughly chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, and sliced radishes. (Oct. 2018)

    Note: We found the turkey did not add as much unctuous texture to the stew as the pork, which is why we added the cornmeal slurry. The cornmeal needs to cook in the stew for at least 20 mins to not taste raw. We still found the stew thinner than we would have preferred in the end, but we had to balance our desire to thicken again with not wanting to overcook the hominy.

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