Category: Blog

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta Round-Up and Blog Hop

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Simple guacamole recipe

With Cinco de Mayo just over a week away, I thought I’d throw a little Cinco de Mayo fiesta here on my blog. Although the holiday (which translates to the fifth of May) technically memorializes the victory of Mexicans over French at the 1862 Battle of Puebla, it has become by and large an American holiday to celebrate Mexican and Mexican-American heritage and culture. Whatever your reason for celebrating, I will never turn down an excuse to eat good Mexican food and honor their beautiful culture. Here are some of my favorite Mexican-inspired dishes from the archives, and I’d love for you to link up your Cinco de Mayo fare at the blog hop below!

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Restaurants in Istanbul: A Brief Guide

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The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey
The Blue Mosque

Istanbul, formerly Constantinople, is a magical city. Mosques with Disney-style minarets dot the skyline while the syncopated calls to prayer drift from competing muezzin throats, aided by speakers to carry their call through the air. It’s eerie and beautiful, much like the city itself. And the food. Oh the food! Living in Israel, the flavors were familiar and I realized just how many Israeli dishes are Turkish in origin. Continue reading “Restaurants in Istanbul: A Brief Guide” →

Announcing My Latest Endeavor: Rama Food Tour App

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Rama Food Tour Jerusalem Mahane Yehuda

It feels like just yesterday that I was announcing my e-cookbook! Well, I’ve had a good few months. I am now excited to announce that the app I wrote for Rama Food Tours has finally been released! Tasting Mahane Yehuda is a self-guided food tour of one of my favorite places in Israel: Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda market. It includes stops at five of my all-time favorite places to eat and graze in the shuk, from the best halva you’ll ever eat (seriously, even halva haters can’t resist), to a hidden gem of a restaurant with Israeli comfort food. For only $0.99 it’s worth buying even if you’re not planning on visiting Jerusalem. You know, because you like me 🙂 (download it here)

 

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Freekeh Salad Recipe and a Grain Blog Hop

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freekeh

Have you tried freekeh? Also called farik, frikeh, and green wheat, it is wheat that is picked when young (i.e. green), and then dried and roasted. It looks a lot like bulgur or farro, and can be used in many of the same ways. While it is an ancient grain that has been popular throughout the Middle East and North Africa for centuries, I’ve noticed that it’s starting to get its due in the US as well. Living in Israel it is readily available in the bulk bins, and it has become one of my favorite ways to add a wholesome grain to my meal.

 

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Edamame, Basil, and Ricotta Pasta

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Here’s another simple, delicious, healthy weeknight pasta for you. Spring is in the air, and this dish is the perfect way to celebrate. Shelled soy beans are combined with plenty of chopped fresh basil and creamy ricotta to create a simple, flavorful sauce for pasta. I used try-color penne here, but any shape or flavor would be delicious. To save time, cook the soy beans briefly in the pasta water. This dish is on the table in about 20 minutes flat and is packed with nutrients – not to shabby! Don’t you just love easy pasta recipes like this?

Penne with Edamame, Basil, and Ricotta Continue reading “Edamame, Basil, and Ricotta Pasta” →

Skinny Penne a la Vodka

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And I’m back! Thanks for bearing with me while I traveled and spent time with my sister. Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. I promise I’ll catch up with all of you soon. Penne a la vodka is one of my favorite pasta dishes. It’s not one that I ate much growing up, but I remember ordering it as a teenager in restaurants and feeling very grown-up. My most vivid memory of this dish is from one of our high school haunts called Stingy Lulu’s on St. Mark’s Place in New York City, where the drag queen waitresses would pretend to check our ids before serving us frosty margaritas and steaming bowls of penne a la vodka.

Skinny Penne alla Vodka Recipe

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Gone Fishin’ (Back Monday)

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I meant to do a post and my usual blog hop today, but it just isn’t happening. We were in Istanbul, and now my sister is visiting us in Israel and I just want to enjoy every single second with her. Today I took her to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, and got to watch as she floated, completely weightless, in its magical waters for the first time. Now we’re off to a barbecue with some friends. I promise that Monday I’ll be back to normal with delicious recipes, tales of my travels, and my regularly scheduled programming. I miss your blogs and have a lot of catching up to do. I also have to finish pinning from last week’s blog hop, which is why I decided not to do one this week. I dropped the ball there, but I promise I’ll be back on track.

In the meantime, here is a photo of people fishing off the Galata Bridge in Istanbul. Have a great weekend!

Istanbul Fishermen

Guest Post: Carrot Cake Oatmeal

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Carrot Cake OatmealI am so excited for today’s post! While I just got back from Istanbul (what an incredible city – more on that later), my sister is now visiting us in Israel for the week. I couldn’t be more excited to show her around the country that I call home. To give me more time with her Kiran from the amazing blog Kiran Tarun graciously agreed to do a guest post for me. If you don’t know Kiran you must hop over to her blog. Her photography is stunning, her recipes incredible, and her writing witty. And she picked one of my all time favorite foods to write about today: oatmeal!! Read on for her awesome twist on steel cut oats:

Hello! While Katherine is away on vacation, I’m officially honored to hoard her space with my affection for anything and everything oatmeal.

 

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Chicken Do-Piaza

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Chicken Do-Piaza

I always love the Secret Recipe Club, and this month I was especially excited to be assigned one of my favorite blogs, Experiments of a Housewife. I have followed this blog for some time and always admire the gorgeous photography and sensational recipes. Shumaila, the talented woman behind Experiments of a Housewife, moved from her native India to the US with her husband and started the blog to document “the experiments I take upon everyday to keep myself busy.” Shumaila’s sweet confections are utterly tempting (just check out this gorgeous carrot cake and tell me you’re not inspired), but in particular I love her Garam Masala Tuesdays, when she posts incredible Indian recipes, often inspired by her mother. Shumaila’s goal is not only to share her beloved cuisine, but to demonstrate to Westerners that Indian food is much more than garam masala. Continue reading “Chicken Do-Piaza” →

Guest Post: Strawberry Tart and an Easter Blog Hop

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Strawberry BunnyTart from Cravings of a Lunatic

Oh do I have an exciting post for you. While I am in Istanbul (cue song: Istanbul not Constantinople) I have a very special guest: Kim from Cravings of a Lunatic! You may recall that I did a guest post for her back in December. If you read food blogs then chances are you know Kim, but if not head on over and check out her blog. I promise you will leave with a smile on your face. Not only does Kim come up with the best recipes (allow me to site this, this, and this as evidence), but she’s funny as all hell. And just the sweetest! Ok, enough gushing. I’ll allow Kim’s post to speak for itself: Continue reading “Guest Post: Strawberry Tart and an Easter Blog Hop” →