Suhtain.

Lebanese word meaning “enjoy this food in good health”

hello.
Nearly every summer until I was sixteen was spent with my family in Lebanon. Most families flee the city heat to a summer home in the mountains; that is were I learned to eat. Our whole family still retreats to the beautiful 100 year old limestone relic sorrounded by edible land. During my summer long stents in Lebanon, we spent most daylight hours cooking or preparing to cook. We grew and picked our own vegetables, fruits, and herbs. Cheeses came from the milk of our goats. Fish came from the days ocean catch. The town butcher provided sides of meat freshly butchered every day. Breads came from the elderly woman in the town below ours, she sat under an olive tree with a piping hot stone making flatbread most every morning.
The tastes remain my favorite and it's a piece of my history I like to include in my daily life. I invite you to explore the tastes of my dinner table and wish you Suhtain!

11/17
2008

  • One Timers Those dinners where my ingredients = what is left in the fridge, tend to be my most favorite times to get crafty.  I also almost always forget what exactly I did to accomplish the meal, hence the one timer. :) This one. I rubbed the chicken with a blend of our herbs then seared it in a hot pan, and finished it in the oven. The chicken, without fail, is juicy every time I cook it this way.  I chopped a few mushrooms, a little red onion,  and a red pepper, added a hand full of pine-nuts to the mix and just let everything brown nicely in a soy and red wine reduction. The chicken was served on a bed of romaine hearts that I splashed with just enough home-concocted Asian dressing. The dressing turned out delicious! I topped the chicken with the pepper/mushroom/pine-nut mixture and served it all with very fluffy cornbread.  Yummy.

  • One Timers

    Those dinners where my ingredients = what is left in the fridge, tend to be my most favorite times to get crafty.  I also almost always forget what exactly I did to accomplish the meal, hence the one timer.

    :)

    This one. I rubbed the chicken with a blend of our herbs then seared it in a hot pan, and finished it in the oven. The chicken, without fail, is juicy every time I cook it this way.  I chopped a few mushrooms, a little red onion,  and a red pepper, added a hand full of pine-nuts to the mix and just let everything brown nicely in a soy and red wine reduction. The chicken was served on a bed of romaine hearts that I splashed with just enough home-concocted Asian dressing. The dressing turned out delicious! I topped the chicken with the pepper/mushroom/pine-nut mixture and served it all with very fluffy cornbread.  Yummy.

11/16
2008

  • Hummus. Hummus simply means chickpea. Add tahini sauce(lebanese sesame paste), garlic, salt, lemon juice and you have hummus b’ tahini. I wish this was in my fridge everyday for afternoon snack.

  • Hummus.

    Hummus simply means chickpea. Add tahini sauce(lebanese sesame paste), garlic, salt, lemon juice and you have hummus b’ tahini. I wish this was in my fridge everyday for afternoon snack.

  • secret. They don’t look impressive. This is another form of Kibbe (lean beef or lamb with cracked wheat and savory spices). Inside these little Lebanese meatballs is a delicious saute of onion, pine nuts, and browned ground beef. Perfect finger food.

  • secret.

    They don’t look impressive. This is another form of Kibbe (lean beef or lamb with cracked wheat and savory spices). Inside these little Lebanese meatballs is a delicious saute of onion, pine nuts, and browned ground beef. Perfect finger food.

  • Tabouleh One of my favorite salads. Parsley, Cracked Wheat, lemon, evoo, spices, green onions, tomatos… I like to use the Romaine lettuce as a boat. One big scoop of tabouleh ontop of the lettuce leaf, such a refreshing crunchy bite.

  • Tabouleh

    One of my favorite salads. Parsley, Cracked Wheat, lemon, evoo, spices, green onions, tomatos… I like to use the Romaine lettuce as a boat. One big scoop of tabouleh ontop of the lettuce leaf, such a refreshing crunchy bite.

  • Red Snapper doesn’t bite. One of my mother’s favorite fish. Stuffed with fresh herbs from our garden, plenty of lemon, and drizzled with olive oil. White, flaky delicous fish and so healthy.

  • Red Snapper doesn’t bite.

    One of my mother’s favorite fish. Stuffed with fresh herbs from our garden, plenty of lemon, and drizzled with olive oil. White, flaky delicous fish and so healthy.

  • Make dinner on the grill. Loving that charcoal grill! Chicken soaked overnight in lemon, garlic, and spices. Delicious BabyPortobello mushrooms, red onions, and zucchini grilled with a touch of red wine and olive oil.  red skin potatoes cooked on the grill as well in a foil pouched filled with herbs, onions, and butter. And who doesn’t love grilled corn on the cob?

  • Make dinner on the grill.

    Loving that charcoal grill! Chicken soaked overnight in lemon, garlic, and spices. Delicious BabyPortobello mushrooms, red onions, and zucchini grilled with a touch of red wine and olive oil.  red skin potatoes cooked on the grill as well in a foil pouched filled with herbs, onions, and butter. And who doesn’t love grilled corn on the cob?

  • Picnic for two. curry chicken salad with almonds, buttery thin crackers, creamy goat cheese, sliced and salted tomato. Washed down with Honey Brown ale then spoon fed a ripe persimmon. Add infinite field, Raleigh skyline, North Carolina sunshine… perfect picnic.

  • Picnic for two.

    curry chicken salad with almonds, buttery thin crackers, creamy goat cheese, sliced and salted tomato. Washed down with Honey Brown ale then spoon fed a ripe persimmon. Add infinite field, Raleigh skyline, North Carolina sunshine… perfect picnic.

  • Breakfast in bed The piece to the left is called Kibbe.  lean ground beef or lamb mixed with cracked wheat and savory herbs, topped with toasted pinenuts and almonds, served with a dalop of plain yogurt. Perfect with overeasy eggs and fresh green onions.

  • Breakfast in bed

    The piece to the left is called Kibbe.  lean ground beef or lamb mixed with cracked wheat and savory herbs, topped with toasted pinenuts and almonds, served with a dalop of plain yogurt. Perfect with overeasy eggs and fresh green onions.