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If you’ve been reading (and I thank you if you have) then you won’t be surprised about this post, and you’ll already know that I love Jam. If you are joining us for the first time, please let me take a moment and tell you.... I LOVE JAM. Why? It’s the best, you can have it for breakfast, as a snack, as dessert, as a mid-night craving... You can put on cook
Kushari is one of Egypt’s most popular street foods. It’s a vegetarian dish that has a pretty strange mix: Rice, pasta, lentils in a tomato sauce. Rice & pasta together. Crazy? yes. Delicious..... Absolutely. It originally was a poor man’s meal since it has no meat (Egyptians are big on eating animals... of all kinds. If it has parents or h
Butternut squash soup has become something of a cliché now. You go to a restaurant and they tell you we have Butternut squash soup! Sure you do. It’s the easiest, simplest and cheapest soup to make next to boiled potatoes. Yes it’s hardy, and tastes good. Yes it’s a great source of fiber and Vitamin C, A, E, magnesium and potassium. BUT.
Valentine’s day is here and I always notice a similar theme. Guys scramble to take their girlfriends or wives out to a romantic restaurant, buy flowers, buy chocolates and the whole thing becomes very generic. Everyone does the same thing. It’s boring, it’s predictable, it’s not what it’s all about. So if that was your plan...sorry to say it dude....
If you are just joining us.... start with last week’s post first. It has the first portion of this blog article. 6- Sugar is the enemySugar, white refined sugar is one ingredient that will help keep the weight on and give you that lovely rubber tire in the middle look. It’s so easy to take sugar out of the diet. Replace it honey. Honey so wonderful, it’s n
So it’s a new year and like most people (and me) you’ve gained a little weight during the holidays and now it’s time to make all those promises of working out, dieting, losing weight and being healthier. So This is a 2 part post about how food is an important part of being healthier and things you can easily do to help you lose weight, keep it off in a healthy way. 1- Olive
This is well.... I know.... kinda of a blasphemy. I’m well aware. My Brit friends would call me a wanker, my newfoundlander friends would call me much worst for combining the words fish and chips along with tacos. But the reality is they are really good. Fish and chips (or fries if you don’t know that chips means fries.... or freedom fries if you are a crazy person...
This cake is by far, no exaggeration, no mis-leadings was the best fruit cake I’ve ever had. Now I know that’s a pretty big bold statement. I mean there are cake makers who do this for a living and make awesome cake. Yes there are. My Friend Jayne is one of them. But... This cake is the best. I’ve been to 30+ countries, I’ve had all sorts
It’s a rainy day today. I don’t like the rain much. I think it should only rain at night, while I’m sleeping, that way I don’t miss any sun time. Rainy days do come with an upside though.... hot creamy soup time. There is something so therapeutic about warm soup on a rainy day. This is about as comfort food as it gets, maybe because it reminds
Although it’s winter now, it does not mean that it’s not time for ice cream. Any time is time for ice cream. Ice cream is one of these strange foods that almost everyone loves. It’s virtually impossible to find someone who says “thanks, I don’t like ice cream”. That would rate right up there with “I like to breath” or my favo
I want you to meet the boys. The Macallan 18, he’s an old boy, he is. Auburn hair, long neck and a taste like fine gold. The Glenrothes 1879, Slightly younger, but with a good back and maple-like color that will fill your heart with joy. Dalwhinnie 15, has a girlish name, but don’t let that fool you, he is one tough scot. These three are good old friends of mine.&n
Bridget and I recently took a little trip to Stowe, Vermont where we rented a cottage house with some friends. We spent 4 days drinking some fine scotches and amusing beer. I cooked almost every night for all 8 of us adults. One night, by popular request, I made Kofta, Ta’maya (Egyptian Falafel… stay tuned to that post a little later) Tahini and Hummus. Then w
Today it's cold outside. it's snowing, so it's time for something that will warm me up. Pho is one of these simply delicious and light dishes. The first time I had Pho was many many years ago with the boys. I know both of my friends Eric and Steve will each take credit for introducing me to this dish, but either way it’s a pleasure to eat. The first time I went
There are 2 types of people in the world, those who love chocolate and those who are insane. Chocolate is such an important treat that it was only fitting to write a post about it. I was inspired when Bridget and I watched this delightfully funny French romantic comedy called émotifs anonymes (Romantics Anonymous). It’s about a chocolate factory owner (played b
I have a big family and it’s normal for cousins or uncles and aunts to drop in for a visit unannounced. We’re Mediterranean, calling, scheduling, arrival times, appointments are all just suggestions. Two hours late is being on time, and 3 hours late can often be argued as being early.... In any case, one must be prepared for anything anytime. One afternoon my un
If you live in a hot climate, it’s always important to have a few fun drinks in your repertoire. If you live in a cold climate, it’s even more so, since the summer is so short and one needs to enjoy it as much as possible. It's getting cold, and winter is coming and since I'm in complete denial, I decided that a summer drink is just the thing to to make one feel better. &nb
I’m always a little amazed at what we do to food. It seems that we can’t just eat food that is natural, we have to marvel at our own incredible ability to genetically modify everything in our path. Did you know that tomatoes a long while back were genetically modified to have a uniform shape and color? This started in the 1940... and guess what! This same mutati
After spending years in Mexico…I mean L.A., you pick up a lot of the local cuisine. And what many people don’t realize, is that although Mexico is part of North America, their eating habits are much closer to those of Southern Europe. The day starts with the Desayuno, which is a breakfast eaten first thing in the early morning. It’s typically coffee or hot choc
Talapia is a fresh water white fish, that well... is pretty mild in flavor. In most markets in north america you get talapia in fillets, which to me makes the fish even less flavorful. Cooking fish with the skin, head and tail on, makes for a better flavor. But since the fillet is the norm... that’s what I’m using in this recipe. What is good about this fish is that i
Spain is the last country on the med. The first time I went I fell in love with the people, their life style and their FOOD. The spaniards don’t live like we do. They don’t even eat like we do. They stay out late, bar hopping and eating tapas till the early hours of the morning... then they go to work. I spent several weeks in Spain traveling from city to
I am so excited to guest-post on twotaste.com! Well, I am not sure if it is technically guest-posting, maybe just trading jobs for the week. Anyway, autumn is here and I LOVE autumn and especially Halloween. I love apples, sweaters, boots, costumes, crunchy leaves and snuggling under a blanket. And candy….mmm, candy. First, I would like to announce our first ever t
I had a few friends over today and realized that I had planned this great meal, but had nothing planned for while we are hanging around and having a pre-dinner drink. Oh the horror, so I decided to make something quick.... You can whip this up in about 5 minutes. I had a piece of fresh tuna in the fridge (which I know is odd because all the Tuna I know typically are in the ocean
It’s sad but true, fall is already coming. There are already leaves on the ground. Which means it’s time for one last BBQ. I love to cook on the grill, there is something about the open flame and direct heat that brings out the best tastes in the food. There are so many different BBQ types and shapes and all sort of crazy tools. BBQing in the states seems to hav
I was recently in Algeria (one of Africa’s gems) and I was surprised as how good the food there was. Then I remembered.... I’m in a Mediterranean country....of course the food is going to be good here! I spent my days working, and my nights exploring the vast and rich cuisine that the country had to offer. But this dish I actually had in the office. The chai gi
This is probably my favorite sandwich of all time. Simple, quick and uber delicious. The first time I made this sandwich I was on vacation in Paris and I passed by the Le marché de la Bastille, one of Paris’s famous open air markets. They have the very freshest of ingredients. It’s in the XIIème on Richard-Lenoir Boulevard. I’d say ther
We went to the farmer’s market today and I picked up some elk sausage. For those of you who don’t know what elk is, it’s one of the largest species of deer, and it’s one of the largest land mammals in north america. Elk is not commercially available in large quantities like beef, but many restaurants do have it as a specialty item. Some smaller grocery stores an
I love bacon as much as the next guy. Maybe more. I actually learned this recipe from the web while I was doing some research on how to promote our site through twitter.... I wonder how that little blue bird would taste with a little olive oil? I’ve adapted this recipe a little from Simon Majumdar. Making bacon will take some patience though, because it’s a 7 day ende
Sometimes the best meal is something that is extremely simple. Croissant and honey.... it does not get any simpler than that. But the reality is.... it’s also very very delicious, as long as you have the right kind of honey. And I DO!..... Keeping simple in this case is important. The honey is so flavorful, rich and pleasant that you don’t want to overextend you
Where do baby back ribs come from? I’m pretty sure it’s not from babies. So why do they call them that. I wondered so I took a little trip down to my butcher and asked the question. Baby back (or if you prefer, loin ribs, or back ribs or even Canadian back ribs...) are taken from the top of the rib cage of the hog between the spine and the spare ribs, below the
It’s true, this is not the best. I’d like to say that it is, but once you’ve had the best, no one else can make that claim.... The best french toast I’ve ever had was in Paris at Ladurée on the Champs Elysées. It’s not just french toast, it’s...well, it’s out of this world. They don’t even call it french toast on the m
I woke up this morning and did not feel like going to work so I decided to take a mental health day. That means sitting around the house, watching some TV, reading, thinking.... just a good all around bumming day. I was lazy, so my lovely wife picked up lunch.... something we rarely do as we cook at home 98% of the time. (everyone should) I was actually so lazy, when it came dinn
Every time I have this dish I remember a little summer trip I took with my cousin to Basata. It’s a completely secluded beach camp site on the tip of the Sinai dessert on the red sea. There are not many words that can describe this place, but heaven does come to mind. Basata is an Arabic word that means “simplicity”. And that spot is exactly that. T
