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

A few years ago when my husband and I had a long layover in Singapore, one of the first things we did was go in search of food. We ended up in a small restaurant in the airport that had a wide variety of noodles and soups. I forget what I had, but my husband ordered the laksa, and I was hooked. A fiery bowl of coconut milk-based broth with noodles and seafood, what’s not to like?

A few months after returning home, I was flipping through old articles in a Martha Stewart magazine, and I came upon a recipe for Malaysian Prawn Laksa. Laksa is one of those things that everyone does differently, and I’m pretty sure this isn’t the most authentic recipe, but it’s easy to make, easy to procure the ingredients at your local supermarket, and best of all it tastes great! (more…)

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Asian, Dairy free, Dinner, Gluten free, Lunch, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian by Courtney

Popcorn is one of my go-to snacks, because it takes so little time and *can* be healthy, depending on what I put on it (but most of the time, mine’s not). A few years ago I bought an air popper, and I haven’t went back to the popcorn-in-a-bag since. Fresh butter tastes so much better.

However, some days I get in the mood for something a little different, and that’s how I end up with new popcorn toppings. Today it was jalapeno Tabasco with a little butter and salt, and it was definitely a winner. I heated up a 1/4 cup of green tabasco with a little less than a tablespoon of butter, poured it over the freshly popped corn, salted, and I had an instant winner!

Perfect for curling up with a movie or with a game day beer!

Filed under:
Gluten free, Snack time, Vegetarian by Courtney