Chef Mel

“Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough.”- Mark Twain

Farmer’s market loot. Never seen or used Turkish eggplant(red ones). Going to make makdous with my MIL.

For my first vacation in over a year I went to Miami. Of course when you are there you have to eat Cuban food. Went to Versailles restaurant which has been a staple in Miami for 40 years.

Had to have one of my favorite sandwiches, Croquetta Preparada- ham, Swiss and ham croquettes on Cuban bread. Platter of croquettas, empanadas and yuca frita. And couldn’t go without my favorite soda, Materva- I swear it makes Cuban sandwiches taste better. Can’t have one without the other in my book.

Simple summer dessert- perfect on hot day like today. Grilled peaches tossed in vanilla sugar topped with cocowhip.

Roasted beets, arugula, feta, balsamic, Palestinian olive oil.

My first attempt at making ka’ak bread. Also known as Jerusalem bagel- although it really isn’t a bagel at all. Serve with eggs or tear and dip in olive oil and za’atar. This is another recipe that takes me back to our trip to Palestine. On the streets of Jerusalem you will find bakeries that just sell this bread. I love it because of how light and airy it is inside but mostly because of the sesame! My version turned out a little dense so I will have to try again. Thanks .abu for suggesting we bake something today.

My take on nachos. Had my first Facebook Live cooking demo today! This was one of the dishes I did for Cinco de Mayo. Smashed potatoes, flank steak, grilled onions, roasted poblano crema and more!

Ramp pesto for days. Used some for pasta tonight and freezing the rest. Also roasted some with just olive oil and salt- so good! Thank you

Atayef is a dessert commonly served during Ramadan. They are small pastries filled with either cheese or walnuts soaked in a rose water simple syrup. My mother in law normally isn’t here during this time. Silver lining to quarantine is that I am learning how to make all of these delicious treats.

My mother-in-law wasn’t feeling well so I whipped up some soup for her quick with what I had in the fridge. Didn’t have cream so used whole milk instead. check out my website for the recipe

Two new cookbooks that I believe describe me as a chef at this point in my life. My heritage and visits to Cuba brought to life in one, my husbands heritage and my quest to learn Palestinian cuisine in the other.