Category Archives: Recipes & Food

Arabian Feasts, KSA part 4

Arabian Feasts, KSA part 4

A huge part of any foreign travel for me is the opportunity to taste different cuisines.  The food we experienced on our trip to Saudi Arabia last month was as consistently abundant as it was delicious.  I would describe the traditional dishes we tasted as Middle Eastern with a touch of Indian flavor. Our first night we went to the Fakher Dein Palace restaurant on the 11th floor of the Faisaliah Tower. I was enchanted by the interior set to feel like a tented desert palace, and from the outdoor balcony we could see beautiful sweeping views of the vast city on three sides of the building.  It was the perfect beginning on our first night in Riyadh. The buffet style allowed us to try an assortment of dishes.  We sat inside the tented decor,  and on the balcony just outside our window sat a group of young twenty something girlfriends.  They ate and laughed, and took tons of photos together and of each other.  Only their eyes were visible through their hijabs, but other than the way they were dressed, they reminded me of myself with a group of friends on a typical girls night out.

 

 

Dragon Fruit

Breakfast in our hotel was also a grand buffet that served both western and Saudi cuisine.  My favorite part of the breakfast assortment was the daily fresh honeycomb that was set out to be sliced into by the guests. My other favorite was the always-present delicious kiwi tasting fruit that I had never heard of before (I love coming across a new fruit!) called a Pitaya or Dragon Fruit, which is imported to the KSA from Asia.

Holding the Oud burner

One night we were taken to a traditional Saudi Arabian meal at Najd Village. Housed in historic mud brick architecture with an open courtyard in the middle, meals are served in the custom of sitting on the floor.  We were the only foreigners in the place, and with women in the party we had been directed to enter through the back “family entrance”.  The meal began with the tradition of  Qahwa (Arabic coffee) and dates being served.  The food was laid out family style over a long runner on the floor. Food served in this manner is customarily eaten with the right hand or with bread.  We passed around dishes of hummus, Baba ghanoush, and Tabbouleh, to be dipped into with flat breads called Fatir and Kimaje.  Entrees of Kapsa, a traditional chicken and rice dish, and mild curried stews of lamb, beef or potato were passed around and accompanied by Saudi style rice as we each tried to taste from the multitude of offerings.  After the meal a chalice of burning incense made of wood chips and called Oud was passed around to each person twice, and we were encouraged to let the smoke permeate our clothes to leave it’s perfumed scent.

On our penultimate evening in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia we were taken to a palace for dinner.   We ate in Al Orjouan restaurant at the the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Riyadh. The Ritz resides in a royal palace built to entertain guests and dignitaries, supposedly for the king, which for some sort of security reason was never utilized by the royal family.  The Ritz-Carlton opened there in 2011.  I have never stepped foot into such an opulent space. This structure and its details make the Newport Mansions look like cabins.  Massive buffet stations sprawled through the restaurant, and because this was a festive occasion we were given glasses of Saudi Arabian “champagne”. Alcohol is forbidden in the Muslim religion, and is illegal in the KSA, so Saudi champagne tasted like the fizzy white grape juice we have at home.   In the courtyard of the hotel lives a beautiful knotted olive tree estimated to be around six hundred years old. In the last hundred years that olive tree has stood witness to the transformation of Saudi Arabia from a nomadic tribal culture to a bursting modern city.  In modern day Riyadh you can find many different types of food, including an array of American chain restaurants.  Through the changed  the traditional cuisine has maintained its long standing regional integrity, and many of the same dishes served in tents a hundred years ago are still commonly eaten here today.  It is all so tasty, I can see why.

 

 

 

 

Delicious White Chocolate Fruit Tart Recipe!

Delicious White Chocolate Fruit Tart Recipe!

This is one of my favorite dessert recipes because it looks as good as it tastes.  I’ll never forget when my friend Karen Vernacchio walked into a dinner party carrying it years ago. I could not believe she had made that beautiful fruit tart herself, and certainly did not believe her when she said it was actually easy to make!

She was kind enough to share her recipe with me back then, so you really have her to thank for what I am about to share with you.  It has since become my staple, simple yet elegant dessert for entertaining. I am grateful to her every time I make it. I even keep the non-perishable ingredients in my pantry, (I almost always have milk, butter and cream cheese in my fridge) so in a pinch I can just grab the fresh berries and whip it up.

 

White Chocolate Fruit Tart

Tart crust:

¾ c. softened butter

1 ½ c. confectioners’ sugar

1 ½ c. flour

Filling:

1 bag White chocolate chips

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese

½ c. milk

Topping:

Kiwi, blueberries, blackberries and strawberries

(These are my usual toppings but Karen has made it with bananas, and I have made it with pineapple too, so it is really whatever design you come up with)

Glaze:

¼ c. sugar

1 T. cornstarch

½ c. pineapple juice

Preheat oven to 300. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Blend in flour.  Press mixture into 12 inch round tart pan, or pizza pan.  Bake 20 min. until lightly browned.  Cool completely.  In a saucepan, melt chocolate and milk until smooth.  Add cream cheese and mix until smooth.  Spread over crust to cool.

 Arrange kiwi, and berries on top of filling.  In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch, stir in Dole pineapple juice. Stir constantly until thick. Drizzle over fruit topping. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until it has set.

 

OXO Salad Spinner Review & Giveaway!

OXO Salad Spinner Review & Giveaway!

Click here to watch the salad spin!

My new OXO salad spinner

It was some sort of sign. I noticed the package waiting by the door as I pulled into the garage. I had just been listening to a story on NPR about the importance of washing salad before you eat it, even the greens that come in packages that say triple washed. I was compelled by this story because, I must confess, I never wash the salad I serve that comes out of the triple washed packages. Listening to this report I thought, what have I done!? Putting my family in harms way all this time!  I quickly realized that if we had been exposed to lethal salmonella poisoning that can lurk in salad greens, we would have known by then. Not knowing what was in the box, I opened it to find not one, but two salad spinners from OXO! Ironic right!? One was for me to try out and review as part of their Healthy Eating Tools program, and the other to give away to one of my lucky blog readers. Now,  I have never had a salad spinner before, and to be honest had never really understood the importance of owning one. Frankly I thought of it as one more thing to take up cabinet space that I would rarely use.  The thing is, my family does eat a lot of salad, and as I mentioned before, I would buy the pre-washed type and toss it in a bowl.  My sister-in-law recently told me that she had bought a salad spinner for herself as well as one for my mother-in-law, and that they swear by using one. I quizzed her, truly curious, as to why it is better than just rinsing it in a colander?  It is all about the excess water that winds up at the bottom of your salad bowl,and of course a thorough washing, she had explained.   I knew what she meant because I love the salad at our favorite Asian restaurant, but at the bottom of the bowl it is always watery, and I leave it to waste because of that.  At home I never had that problem, because I usually had not washed the salad.  

So having just heard the NPR story (which has become controversial apparently), and received my OXO salad spinner, I put the spinner to test.  First of all I have to say I’ve always been a huge fan of OXO products because of their ergonomic designs that also happen to be attractive. I think I’ve mentioned before that for me to love a product it has to have great form AND function, OXO products usually do. So as an OXO fan to begin with, I was not surprised that my salad spinner was actually nicely designed when I pulled it out of the box. Pretty!  Never having used a salad spinner before, I found the OXO salad spinner intuitive to use.

salad can be served out of the spinner bowl!

I made my favorite salad to serve with dinner by adding glazed pecans, Gorgonzola crumbles, dried cranberries, and balsamic vinaigrette dressing to the baby spinach.   I know that it is silly to be so excited about my new salad spinner, but, hey, sometimes it’s the little things that make us happy.

Are you a salad spinner? I’d love to know what others think!

 

 

*  I received a free OXO salad spinner for reviewing purposes. (and I totally love it! Thank you OXO!)  I also received a free OXO salad spinner to give to one of you! YAY! All my opinions are my own and not swayed by outside sources.

This Giveaway has ended. Congratulations to the lucky winner! 

 

Saudi Arabian Coffee, KSA Part 2

Saudi Arabian Coffee, KSA Part 2

As we ascended into the sky the Saudi Arabian Airlines hostess handed us tiny cups of Arabic coffee and

Arabic Coffee served with a date

a date to welcome us on board.  I mistook the coffee for tea because of its light color and almost root like flavor, a complex taste I would later learn involved cardamom and saffron.  I had been expecting Saudi Arabian coffee to be more like Turkish coffee which I love, dark and murky with grinds, and tasting like a super strong espresso.  The Saudi Arabian form of  Arabic coffee surprised me with its unique pleasant taste and lightness.  This new and unfamiliar taste of coffee signaled to me the very beginning of our trip to the Arabian Peninsula. This ritual of coffee service would be played out repeatedly over the next week of our visit.  The scenario also demonstrated perfectly why I always enjoy taking the national airline of my destination. The entrance into another culture begins upon take-off and is drawn out until disembarkment back at home.  After checking in for our flight I had noticed I was the only woman in the waiting area not wearing an abaya, so I slipped mine on over my clothes before boarding the plane.

When a Muslim prayer was recited over the loud speaker just after take off, we knew we were not in Kansas anymore.  Once we were in Riyadh we noticed many American style coffee shops, including Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks. Clearly the Saudis liked coffee, but the etiquette of Arabic coffee being served as a welcome  gesture became clear as it was offered at each new venue as we arrived.  The tiny cups of light coffee, which were generously refilled, were always offered accompanied by dates.  

The KSA is the second largest producer of dates in the world , and in areas of Riyadh the streets are lined with date palms, so it is no mystery why the fruit is so ubiquitous in their food culture.  One of the treasures I found in the Souk for us to bring back as a memory from SA is a beautiful traditional Saudi Arabian coffee pot complete with the crossed sword and palm of the Saudi emblem on it.  

I am a coffee girl, so when we weren’t being served the Arabic coffee, my husband and I went to the Starbucks near our hotel. Men may enter in the front entrance, but  as a woman, and a couple we entered in the side “family entrance”.  This led us to an entirely separate mini Starbucks for women and their families.   A man is only allowed in the family section if he is with a woman, he is not allowed to go in alone.  Despite our hotels proximity to Starbucks, and my coffee habit, during our trip I much preferred the ceremony of the Arabic coffee. I was aware that it was a taste I would only be able to experience easily while we were there, and deeply appreciated the craft and the sentiment with which it was always prepared and served.

My Cupcake Tour of NYC

My Cupcake Tour of NYC

My cupcake tour of New York City is a fantasy tour that I have plotted out but not yet executed.   I know, I’m aware that the height of the cupcake trend is over.   While cake pops have taken center stage, I still love cupcakes, and have no desire to eat mine on a stick.  A few weeks ago as we drove to NYC for a family vacation I let out a sudden gasp.   My husband swerved the car and looked over at me all exasperated.  (He seems to really dislike when I gasp like that when he’s driving)  I explained to him that I just realized I had forgotten to bring my cupcake tour along with me for the trip!  He clearly did not get it.   I knew without the list I had torn out of a newspaper years ago, and updated since, my tour was not going to happen.  Clearly by the look he gave me when I told him my plan, it was not destined for this visit anyway. Alas, I’ll have to wait for another opportunity.  Meanwhile, I am hoping one of you can check it out for me! We can eventually take a poll, and pick favorites! Please also add any stops along the way I might have missed.  This is very important to get proper scientific results you know.  I plotted the cupcake tour along neighborhoods, working my way from downtown to uptown. Looking at the list, this quest may best be conquered over the period of a couple of days. Up to you!

Babycakes NYC

Vegan Bakery

248 Broome (btwn. Orchard & Ludlow)

Sugar Sweet Sunshine                                                                                                      

Fun flavors & funky Lower East Side vibe

126 Rivington Street, Lower East Side

Baked By Melissa

Tiny treats in all different flavors

529 Broadway in SoHo

Magnolia Bakery

Made famous by Sex & the City, Bleeker Street is the original location

401 Bleeker Street (also at Columbus Ave, Bloomingdale’s, Rock Center & Grand Central!)

Cupcakestop

Started as a cupcake truck (which can still be found driving around the city) & now has a storefront.

119 East 18th Street

Crumbs                                                                       

Old time Bakery Style

655 6th Ave (btwn 20 & 21st)

Billy’s Bakery 

Traditional homemade Cupcakes

75 franklin St. Tribecca, or 184 Ninth Ave in Chelsea (between 21st &22nd)

Cupcake Cafe

The most beautiful cakes and cupcakes you will ever see!

545 9th ave. (btwn 40th & 41st)

Kyotofu

A Japanese dessert bar, voted Best Cupcakes by New york Magazine!

705 9th ave (btwn 48 & 49)

Buttercup Bake Shop

Opened by one of the founding owners of Magnolia Bakery, Jennifer Appel.

973 Second Ave. (btwn. 51st & 52nd st.) or 141 W. 72nd St.

Started in Beverly Hills.

780 Lexington Avenue (btwn 60 & 61st)