Tag Archives for video

Quickest Roast Chicken

Quickest Roast Chicken

Next week is my last week in New York City. I’m in the process of packing up my little apartment and sending everything home to Australia where I will join it in September after travelling down the West Coast of America (ROAD TRIP! Sightseeing suggestions welcome…).

New York is a city that changes you. It becomes a character in your story that exerts its influence whether you like it or not. New York made me focus. It made me prioritise what was important in my life, because there is no way you can do everything it offers. I was quite surprised to find that my priorities included simple, uncontrived things: cooking, friends, family, nature. The antithesis to a pulsating metropolis.

When I’ve told seasoned New Yorkers that I’m leaving, a look of pity crosses their faces and they nod in an understanding way. “You couldn’t take the pace”, they state, implying that they are made of tougher stuff than I. They may be right. Or I just miss home, the ocean, and stars. And a slower pace of life. And Melbourne coffee shops. I have loved my time here and will miss the convenience, the culture and the variety of people and experiences I encountered every day. Those interactions will stay with me as I head home to a wide open sky.

I’ll still be blogging while I’m travelling, though not as often as I have been. Here’s to new adventures! Continue reading →

Middle Eastern Comfort Food

Two things conspired for me to find this video today.

One: I’m convalescing after my appendix rudely interrupted a planned trip to San Francisco, so I have some time on my hands.

Two: my intense love for Middle Eastern food.

I was recently asked what my favourite food was and the answer is clear. I find the flavours and experience of Middle Eastern food so comforting and exotic. I like the warmth (rather than blow-your-head-off heat) of the spices. The mix of textures keeps things interesting, from the delicacy of the pastries to the sturdiness of the lamb and grains. And the communal approach to a meal is how I love to eat – a big table spread with plates of this and that, and a bunch of hands indecisively hovering then exchanging dishes to share, just feels like a big hug to me.

Today I needed a recipe that was wholesome, comforting and inspiring. And this video lead me to one.

Bethany Kehd’s blog Dirty Kitchen Secrets is an amazing source of inspiration for Middle Eastern dishes. Bethany was born in America, raised in Lebanon, where she lived on a farm with her family and learned the ways of Lebanese food, and she now lives in the UK.

Bethany’s Red Lentil Soup has just shot to the top of my comfort food list.