In less than one year, I’ve finally made it to 100 posts! Since this seemed quite the milestone, I decided this post needed to be something special, but what to write about? After a little thought, it hit me: I should write about one of my favorite lazy Sunday lunches. It’s the lunch that, in tandem with a blog post, kickstarted the idea to start a food blog (more on that in this first post).

The lunch – spicy cig kofte and stuffed zucchini blossoms. It’s a lazy Sunday lunch not because it’s a quick and easy meal, but because it’s one of those meals that you savor and enjoy while sitting under the sun, shaded by umbrellas, while sipping sparkling water and good wine. It’s not how I first enjoyed kofte, but I’ve done it since, and decided it may be superior.

So what is kofte? This dish is raw lamb, minced with numerous spices, and served with pita. I first enjoyed this dish at a Lebanese restaurant in Dubai while I was on my honeymoon. Upon ordering the kofte, which was listed on a menu page with “RAW” written not only at the top but down the side, the waiter said, “But ma’am, that is raw”. Yes sir, but I like to live on the wild side!

Long story short, I loved the kofte and long after arriving back in the States, I craved the dish. With some birthday money, I picked up a couple of cookbooks from Greg Malouf, one with Lebanese and Syrian dishes, and one with dishes inspired by Turkey. Low and behold, the Turkish one had a kofte recipe! (more…)

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Appetizers, Dinner, Lunch, Mid Eastern by Courtney

At least that’s what I was feeling yesterday while soaking up a few of the sun’s rays. The clouds finally cleared, and the temperature got up to 80, and while sipping on a bit of pineapple juice, I thought, “I should really make something with some grilled pineapple.”

Lucky for me, I had only used half the pineapple in my juice, so half was left over for grilling. I also had some chicken thighs in the freezer, so I decided a teriyaki chicken bowl with grilled pineapple would be the perfect way to end the sunny day. (more…)

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Cooking outdoors, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Hawaiian, Lunch by Courtney

Yesterday morning I’m laying in bed, checking my email and reading the news, when I get an IM from my husband:

“http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2010/apr/07/how-to-make-shooters-sandwich … this looks soooo goood”

Nevermind the fact that we’re only 10 feet away from each other and he IM’d this to me; he was right. This did look good. So out of bed I hopped, deciding to get ready and head to the farmer’s market to procure some tasty ribeyes from Prather Ranch. After a quick check of the other ingredients (yes, I do have Dijon; no, I don’t have horseradish), we were off on this rainy day to gather our food. (more…)

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Dinner, Lunch, Sandwiches by Courtney

While it’s not traditional Irish fare, I’m so looking forward to asparagus to be back in season so I can create this super-simple, beautifully green soup, so it seemed apropos for this spring day. For this recipe you won’t need vegetable stock, nor will you need to do a lot of chopping. Simply boil the asparagus, onion, and garlic, puree, and top with fried egg, baguette, and a few garnishes of asparagus. Serve with J’s sparkling wine, and you’ve got a match made in heaven. Springy, green flavors all over your palate.

Drooling yet? Then I know you’ll want the recipe… (more…)

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Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch, Soups, Vegetarian, Wine pairings by Courtney

A couple of weeks ago I was craving an Italian BMT from Subway. So off to Subway I went, a place I hadn’t been to in 8 or 9 years, to get the sandwich I so loved. Luckily, footlong subs were on special for $5, because I about had heart failure upon seeing the normal price was $9 (yes, apparently I’ve become the old person who can’t believe how much things cost now).

I came home, opened up my sandwich, and blech! While it wasn’t bad, it was tasteless. I’m not sure if my tastes have changed, or their food has become more bland, but needless to say, it’ll probably be more than another 8 years before I think about trying Subway again. However, I still had the nagging craving for a BMT, so I went to the store and procured the ingredients to make my own.

What does this have to do with the Pizza Sub? Well, the Pizza Sub was my other favorite Subway sandwich. If I wanted a cold sandwich, I went with the BMT; if I wanted a hot sandwich, the Pizza Sub was my go-to. The night after having a BMT, I realized I had all the makings for a Pizza Sub, so into the kitchen I went. (more…)

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Dinner, Lunch, Sandwiches by Courtney