Eggplant, Male or Female

Most theories hold that eggplant came from India, mostly because there are still some regions in that country where eggplant grows wild.  The vegetable most likely went from India to the Arab world, and from there to Europe carried by the Crusaders nearly a thousand years ago. Although it is most widely used now in [...]

Much Ado About Zucchini , part 1

Anyone who has planted zucchini squash will know what the “abundant” means.  It is one vegetable that, once planted, resembles Jack’s beanstalk.  That is, the zucchini vine never stops growing, so the question now, “what do we do with them all?” And we might wonder why such a plethora of vegetables doesn’t exist with hard [...]

Artichoke

when I grew up in Syria, my mother would bring home 20 artichokes at a time from the market so she could prepare them to store over the winter.  All of us in the family had to help her by peeling the outer leaves and cleaning the Achoke@ (the fine, silky hairs near the heart [...]

Reading labels, Part 2

Developing methods to preserve foods is as old as civilization itself, so in itself that’s not a bad thing.  For example, canning food, dehydrating and pickling vegetables during the summer to be used in the winter months is, of course, acceptable.  My grandmother in Syria used to chop up lamb meat and cook it in [...]

The Weekly Get Together (Istekbal)

Have you ever heard of forced party?. As I get more and more busy with my business and daughter’s activities, I lament the days gone by when my mom had her Istekbal.  Growing up in Syria, I used to tease my mom about her Istekbal. She use to tell me that was a way for her and [...]

Cooling off Period for New Years’ Resolution

I think we should be treated much like gun buyers, who are required to wait a period of time while our credentials are being checked before we can buy a gun.  I wonder if a two week cooling off period shouldn’t be required for those of us who want to jump right in and act [...]

More Make Ahead Appetizers for Your Parties

As you know by now, I love parties and I love to be part of the fun. When I plan my dinners whether for 4 or for 40, I make sure that most of my foods can be prepared ahead of time to be baked, warmed or served as is on the day of the party. I try [...]