Category: Food

I love a good potato leek soup but had personally never made one until last summer. It was a chilly, June afternoon along the Marin coast, and I was in the mood for something warm and cozy. I stumbled upon some gorgeous leeks at the neighborhood farmstand earlier that day, and my boyfriend’s parents had a ton of homegrown potatoes that were begging to be dug up and eaten. With those two ingredients on hand, it was clear that a classic was on the menu for dinner. At the end of the day, my impromptu recipe worked out well and my humble soup was an absolute winner! The best thing about that meal, other than the taste, were the locally grown ingredients and how quickly it came together.

Preparing tasty appetizers can sometimes be an arduous task. However, these three skewers are as simple to make as they are to eat. My favorite thing about these appetizers is that there’s no actual cooking involved which makes them an excellent option for summer days when it’s just too hot to turn on the stove or oven. The flavors are also light, bright, and refreshing. Keep reading for my easy to follow recipe.

When it comes to breakfast, I am an egg girl all the way. However, on rare occasions, I do have a hankering to start my mornings off with something sugary, and nothing does the trick like a few fluffy pancakes. They always satisfy my sweet tooth, but the figurative icing on the cake is how incredibly easy they are to make. A lot of pancake recipes call for oil, melted butter, and sugar which I personally find unnecessary. My go-to batter has only 6 ingredients, takes just minutes to prepare, tastes delicious, and always yields perfectly, pillowy flapjacks.

If you’re a fan of my blog, you already know that Middle Eastern food was a huge part of my childhood because my mom attended university in Lebanon before moving to the states. And since I grew up in LA, my parents also had access to the best Middle Eastern restaurants, markets, and butcher shops on days they wanted kebabs but didn’t feel like cooking from scratch. I love all types of meat on a stick, but minced meat kebabs [aka: lula, lule, or luleh] are my absolute favorite! I hope you enjoy my quick and simple recipe as much as my family does.

I started making spicy tuna rice bowls at home a few months ago. The very first time I made these bowls for dinner, I found some wrinkling cucumbers in my fridge and decided to give them a quick Japanese-inspired pickle to put alongside the spicy tuna. I hadn’t pickled anything in ages but grabbed a few ingredients, threw them into a bowl, and had a tasty topper for my rice bowls in less than thirty minutes. Since that evening last September, I’ve been whipping up these quick pickles about once a month. The recipe couldn’t be simpler. Enjoy!

I make this dish at least twice a month, sometimes more. The salad pairs wonderfully with a variety of meals but also tastes great by itself. It’s a favorite of my boyfriend and goes well with my hummus recipe. Overall, I would categorize my mediterranean salad as a happy hybrid of a Greek Salad and a Shirazi Salad. This recipe takes no time at all and just requires a bit of chopping. Enjoy!

On Friday night I dove into one of my favorite holiday tasks – wrapping Christmas presents! Since my mind was focused on pretty paper and sparkly ribbon instead of preparing dinner, I needed to make a quick, simple meal with minimal mess. So this is what I did: I turned on the oven, took a peek into the the fridge, threw a bunch of stuff in a pan, slid that pan into the oven, and enjoyed a delicious dinner that was ready in less than 45 minutes. The cherry on top was of course having very few dirty dishes to wash afterward! Keep reading to find out exactly what I whipped up.

Not to toot my own horn, but I always get rave reviews whenever I whip up a pot of chili. I used to add a can of black beans to my beef chili, but that all changed about five or so years ago. Here’s what happened: I was watching a food program and someone said something along the lines of “real chili doesn’t have beans.” For some reason I took that sentence to heart, and my beef chili has been beanless ever since. To bulk up my pot of tasty goodness though, I did start adding red bell pepper which I do believe has made my recipe even better. My signature beef chili is not only delicious but a breeze to make and the perfect cold weather meal.

In honor of All Hallows’ Eve, here’s a fun recipe inspired by one of my favorite Halloween costumes of recent years. Deviled eggs are not only incredibly simple to make, but the perfect appetizer for any spooky holiday celebration.

Why spend your hard earned money on hummus when you can make it at home in no time at all? Middle Eastern cuisine was a huge part of my childhood because my Indian mother attended the American University of Beirut in Lebanon before moving to the US. Since hummus has become incredibly popular over the last decade and because I grew up eating this delightful chickpea staple, I figured a simple and reliable recipe would be the perfect post to officially kick off the food category of my Homemade In LA blog.