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Posts Tagged ‘cinnamon’

A few years ago I met the mot extraordinary Lebanese woman named Diana. She was living with my in-laws while completing her Master’s Degree in Counseling. I think she may have secretly been an angel sent straight from heaven; she taught me about Lebanese food and fed it to us in copious amounts, and she consoled our family as we helplessly waited day after day at the hospital, my father-in-law dealing with a devastating illness that nearly claimed his life.

I relished the time we spent chatting on the sofa for so many reasons, but I found it especially interesting to discuss our different worldviews and the cultural nuances that shaped us both as young, independent, determined woman. For instance, when I hear a rumble of thunder, I think of the spectacular storms that I grew up with in Texas. Diana wonders where the bombs are falling.

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Wow. I have been away for a while. I feel distant from my little blog space and from my kitchen. We’ve been slowly reconnecting since my time in Orange County; I’ve been sleepwalking through my house the last few days and enjoying my own food in a dream-like state. Ahhhhh…

Anyway, I’m back and I want to share this easy and fabulous Moroccan stew. I made it just before I left for my event in So Cal; I felt so comforted and joyful and delightfully global while eating it – I was transported from my deadlines and pile of work to food fantasy land. It is the FIRST thing I made when I got home. It is warm and beautifully spiced and fragrant and very healthy and extremely delicious. How can something be comforting and sensual and exotic all at once? This is how. This dish. I know I get very intense and dramatic about food, but please, make this and go there with me. It is so, so good.

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Remember how I mentioned that the secret to perfectly roasted chicken is the very top rack of the oven at 500 degrees, lots of olive oil and skin-on, bone-in chicken? If you don’t remember, now you know. Thank you, Gourmet, for sharing this extraordinary knowledge. This sweet and spicy and roasty toasty recipe is the first way that I had this magical chicken – so pleasing and delicious.

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Minus the handful of years that I was a resident, I have visited California my entire life. My mother’s side of the family lives there and we are both natives. I don’t live there anymore, but I visit every chance I get. Often, as the plane takes off and I head back east, I choke back silent little tears. I remember my mom doing this when I was young – apparently it is a legacy.

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I am passionately in love with Middle Eastern cuisine. I crave it, think about it, dream about it. I search for it in every new city that we travel to. While some may be dreaming of a vacation, a new house, worrying over the economy, I am deeply pondering the best ingredient combinations for fatoush (a fantastic salad served throughout the Middle East).

My love affair with Middle Eastern food intensified after a long, miserable visit to Lynchburg, Virginia (of all places…).

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