As a child, I looked forward to the monthly arrival of Children’s Digest magazine. One of my favorite features was the Rebus Puzzle page.

I loved to figure out what the combination of pictures and letters and numbers meant. If you think creatively, put together the elements in this painting you will be able to figure it out. The answer is at the bottom of this post.

Now, on to the important matter – food!

I decided to made Panisses before I knew their proper name. I had eaten them as a side dish, served with a burger at a pub and liked them, but only knew them as chickpea fries. So I went off to the Upper Valley Food Coop for inspiration and supplies and learned that what I wanted is called besan and that the fries are called Panisses. This additional information enabled me to figure out how to proceed. Here’s how I did it: … read more

Inspired by President Obama speech in Cairo I decided to make a dinner with tastes of the Middle East.

I decided that the menu would be lamb burgers, hummus, yogurt, butternut squash and pita bread.  Here’s how I made it. [/donot print] … read more

With friends coming to dinner, I decided to make a meal with flavors of the Middle East. Mini lamb burgers flavored with garlic, onions, olives, dried tomatoes and cumin. I had planned to top the salad with feta but at the last minute remembered the blue cheese I had at the Norwich Farmers’ Market from the cheese makers at Woodcock Farm in Weston, Vermont. The cheese was creamier than feta and just right with romaine lettuce dressed simply with olive oil, red wine vinegar, sea salt and pepper. Hummus served with warm pita bread left no doubt that this meal was inspired by food of the Levant.