Musabaha

This recipe is a recreation - to the best of my memory, and with some tweaks to make it more convenient, accessible, and affordable - of one of my favorite Syrian dishes introduced to me by a lovely family from Aleppo. Every since I first had it I've been wanting a recipe, and I recently came across Luay Ghafari's great recipe and realized it was pretty close to perfect. I can't claim any authenticity for my version, but it is a deliciously vegan dish that I crave whether I'm off meat or not. I hope you like it as much as I do!

Chili Garlic Noodles

This is another experiment in quick, delicious meals. The lovely original recipe is from Aaron and Claire and is very Korean thanks to the gochugaru, but I've found these also taste gorgeous with a more Chinese twist using the Chinese chili flakes. This is usually a go to for me on fasting days, but they're quite lovely with meat as well. However you make them, I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Spicy Mixed Noodles

This is another gorgeous cold noodle dish from Korea, 비빔국수 (bibim guksu when transliterated). These noodles are perfect on a hot day and pair beautifully with a ginger ale or a beer if you've got either one kicking around. I've combined Korean Bapsang's recipe with Maangchi's more streamlined recipe with one or two tweaks, but obviously do what works for you! I hope this helps cool down your summer as beautifully as it does mine!

Cold Soy Sauce Noodles

It's finally starting to feel like summer where I'm living at the moment (why yes, it is mid-June, why d'you ask?) and so I've switched from all things soup to craving cold dishes and refreshing foods that help beat the heat. This particular dish is a lovely cold noodle dish from Korea - I mostly followed Kimchimari's great recipe, but took some inspiration from Aaron and Claire's recipe as well. It's simple, straightforward, and deliciously refreshing on a hot day. I hope it helps you chill out as much as it has me!

Deviled Eggs with Soy Sauce 'n Sesame

I will never not crave deviled eggs, but even I occasionally tire of the divine dill (gasp! I know!!!) deviled eggs I usually make. The other day I started pondering what a vaguely East Asian deviled egg would taste like...and then I did some googling and came across Eric Kim's awesome recipe and it just had to be! What follows is mostly his recipe, but with a couple of adaptations to make it better fit my family's tastes. If you love deviled eggs as much as I do definitely give this a try, I don't think you'll regret it!

Palestinian-style Split Lentil Soup

It's been a chilly, rainy spring so far this year and I've consequently been into all things soup. More recently I found myself craving the delicious lentil soup served at an Aleppan cafe in one of my old neighborhoods, but beefed up a bit to work better as a proper lunch or dinner on its own. This Palestinian version of the same soup (شوربة عدس) did not disappoint! 

Dumpling Dipping Sauce

Dumplings are rarely (never?) served in China, Taiwan, or other countries with communities of the Chinese Diaspora without some sort of dipping sauce, which can range from fairly simple (a bit of vinegar or soy sauce) to complex. What follows is largely Vicky Pham's lovely recipe, tweaked (as always!) to better fit my family's more northern Chinese tastes. The original is worth checking out if you have a bit more of a sweet tooth, but this version works great for us. Whichever you try, enjoy! 

Easy Brownies

This is largely the Gimme Delicious recipe, but obviously with adjustments to better fit my family's tastes. Try this out, try out the original, do as you feel led - there are very few wrong ways to get your chocolate fix!

"Hamburger" Soup

This is a "hamburger" soup in the sense that it uses ground beef as its protein, not in the sense that it tastes like a burger! What follows is largely Spend with Pennies' great recipe, but somewhat modified to better fit my family's preferences and make it a proper soup. (It was somewhat stew-esque as originally conceived.)

Cheesy Grits

I've used a variety of grits recipes over the years, but what follows is my current adaptation developed in the empty spaces of the Canadian Prairies during the more isolated days of the COVID pandemic. I am not a Southerner, so I can't speak to how authentic this recipe is. I do know what I myself like, however, and this fits the bill pretty nicely!