Miscellany Monday

*1*  I am thrilled about the growing selection of movies that NetFlix has on ‘instant streaming.’ It’s so nice not always having to wait for the disk to arrive in the mail.

*2*  My hubby got me addicted to iPhones and now I’m frustrated that they keep delaying the release of the new white iPhone 4. Grrrr. Hubby has the black one and the multi-tasking feature is so nice! Definitely a fantastic upgrade.

*3*  I’ve really been missing quiet mornings in Hawaii, lingering over our pancakes and marveling at the amazingly beautiful surroundings.  I’m not sure if I’ll ever stop missing that place.

*4*  Looking for light & fun summer reading? Try the French Twist series by Sandra Byrd – it’s especially fun if you’re a foodie, like me! It’s all about French bakeries, Paris, and a few cream puffs thrown in.

*5*   I’m growing my hair out again. Several months ago I decided I needed a change so I cut several inches off, and now I think I’m done with that change.

Hopefully one of these days it’ll look something like this:

{source}

Happy Monday, ya'll.

Lebanese Cravings

It's not very often that I get a true craving for a certain food. 

There are staples that always sound good:

Pizza

French Fries

Pasta

Bread

Ice Cream

You get the idea....

But those are not craving -- those are just foods I seldom pass up because I could eat them all the time.  However, the exception to my rare cravings would be this one meal...a meal I sometimes crave even on back-to-back days, and simply cannot get enough of.

Chicken Shawarma & Hummus w/ pita

from the local Lebanese restaurant.

Wow.  So amazing.

I can't begin to accurately describe to you the amazing combination of flavors that burst in your mouth as you bite into that chicken wrap. 

Creamy garlic sauce, marinated chicken, loads of dill pickles, in a warm soft wrap. 

It's truly a wonderful experience.

And the Hummus?  Well, you have heard my rants about the merits of homemade vs. store bought.  You know I make my own and tell the world how they can do it too.  But to taste hummus from this little restaurant is to taste something I have been unable to recreate in my own kitchen.  It is simply magnifique!  And with the pitas so thin and soft, so ready to be dipped and devoured. 
So delicious.

Have you ventured into the world of Lebanese food? 

What do you crave?

Foodie Alert

My husband lovingly calls me a “foodie.”

He is so right.

A few years ago I never would have guessed that I would fall into that category, but considering the fact I was raised by a foodie, I shouldn’t be surprised.

food•ie [foo-dee]

–noun Slang

a person keenly interested in food, especially in eating or cooking.

Yep, that’s me.

This week I have been re-watching “Julie and Julia” which is an incredibly fun and well done movie (especially for those of us who used to watch Julia Child on TV). That movie always makes me want to run into the kitchen and create some form of dining pleasure, amazing enough to tempt even the pickiest of palates. True cooking is an art, as well as an escape for those who love it. I admit though, most nights when I’m headed home from work and scrambling to come up with something for dinner it doesn’t feel like an escape! And often what ends up on the table doesn’t look like my cooking was an art.

Then my husband and I sit down at the table, the work day behind us, and we bite into something that I prepared, something lush and better than restaurant-quality, and I remember that cooking is indeed a beautiful piece of creativity and art, and I sigh me a happy sigh and revel in the reminder of why I love to cook.

I will say though, that often the greatest cooking pleasure comes when I don’t have to cook, but when I simply want to. Freedom of expression in the kitchen is so exciting, as you throw a pinch of this and a dash of that into a dish, and voilà, out comes a masterpiece!

Any recipes I make have been tweaked – nothing remains as it was first written on the page. How boring would that be! Subtle creative urges take over when I begin to cook and my ideas always seem to make more sense than what somebody else constructed when they published the recipe. I love being able to take any recipe and adapt it to how we would like it, which also makes cooking very personal.

I also love photographing food, something I have been laughed at many times for doing. But food makes such great subjects! It stays as I placed it, doesn’t talk back, and offers varying delightful ambiances depending on the composition. Such fun! Besides, I love being able to chronicle my kitchen successes and failures with visual aids.

I loved this post because decorating a wall with my food photographs is definitely something I would be tempted to do! Isn’t it so inviting? It would make me feel like I was eating in a café every time I sat down at my kitchen table. Besides, it’s really nice to know I’m not the only one who takes pictures of everything I eat or make!

This weekend hubby & I strolled through the local Farmers Market and admired the rows zucchini, blueberries, and fresh baked bread. We didn’t think the selection was great, but it is always fun to browse those kinds of places just the same. I came home with a jar of raw honey and a desire to cook with more varieties of vegetables. I love the challenge of taking vegetables and actually making the good and desirable to eat! Green beans, asparagus, corn and sweet potatoes are about the only veggie staples in our house, but I’m working on adding other ones in. Spinach in our smoothies, pureed squash, carrots, or squash are great in soup, but broccoli is one vegetable that I can’t camouflage enough to make it go unrecognized.

Any suggestions?

All that being said, I suppose I should plan out our menu for the rest of the week!

Bon appétit!