Recipes, Restaurant Reviews, and Travel
Okra stew (or bamia) is a household dish for most Egyptians. The preparations vary depending on who is making it and what is on hand, but the general idea is often similar. In this case, the okra stands out as the highlight accentuated by seasoning and made heartier with meat. The dish can easily accommodate... Continue Reading →
Meatloaf is one of those dishes most Americans grew up eating at some point or another whether at home, school lunches, or the occasional restaurant. Like any dish that's so widespread, meatloaf comes in a variety of shapes, textures, flavors, and even cooking methods. It's easily a comfort food in my book. Not all meatloaves are... Continue Reading →
Gyro meat is one of the greatest culinary inventions and no matter how you pronounce, "Gyro" (Yee-ro, Jai-ro, Gee-ro), we're all pretty much just saying the word, "Delicious." While the real deal traditional stuff comprised of actual cuts of spiced meat rotating on a vertical rotisserie spit is awesome, it's the over-processed Greek-American stuff that I'm talking about.... Continue Reading →
I've spent years of my life trying to figure out the secret to the perfect hamburger mix. As it turns out, my efforts were somewhat foolish considering how simple it is to make a great burger. In fact, the simpler, the better. I tried almost everything to perfect a ground meat mixture for my burgers.... Continue Reading →
Kobeba (pronounced Ko-beh-buh) or Kibbeh, is a classic Middle Eastern dish consisting of a filling of ground beef surrounded by layers of a ground beef and cracked burghul (bulgur) wheat mixture. It is very commonly found in single-serve preparations shaped into conical, fried, meatballs. While the meatball version can be very good, I prefer it... Continue Reading →
Kofta, Kafta, or Kafka is often characterized as the Middle Eastern version of a hamburger. Yes, it's made with ground beef, ground lamb, or both, but that's pretty much where the similarity ends. Kofta is more like a sausage without the sausage casing. Sure, you can make this into patties like a burger and eat... Continue Reading →
No big holiday gathering or pot luck dinner with my family is complete without delicious grape leaves. These amazing little packages of green leaves, beef, and rice take a while to make, but disappear like a flash of lightning in a room full of hungry guests with only a few streaks of cucumber yogurt sauce... Continue Reading →
Man Fuel: I've been trying to get my friend (let's call him "Double Down") to do a guest blog on my site for a few months now. He tells me about a lot of the food he makes and it all sounds great. He's like me in that he's a guy with self-taught cooking skills... Continue Reading →
After my first attempt at meatballs yielded a very dense product, I decided to go back to the drawing board. I read that using white bread and milk can really help make meatballs tender, so I incorporated those ingredients into the recipe. I also used a slightly fattier ground beef mix (85/15) and pureed the... Continue Reading →
Home Is A Kitchen 