Kick off to summer is so full of promise and hope, isn't it. Everything is so fresh here in Michigan, from the leaves on the trees to the paint on the cottage wicker. This moment gets me thinking about how I feel about many things in life where the anticipation, the preparation for what's to come, is quite possibly even sweeter than the actual happening. It's the feeling that there is time, lots more time, ahead. That it's not yet been spent. Like money in the pocket. Like the preparation for a party. Like spring turning to summer.
"It's a great place to laze around and swim and fish when you want to. And the best place in the world to do nothing. It is beautiful country ..." ~ Ernest Hemingway on Northern Michigan.
That anticipation-joy includes how I feel about cooking and baking. It starts with the inspiration, then the planning, the recipe reading, the hunt for ingredients, the making. All of this is as much the pleasure as the eating. The menus I send on Sundays are as much about what to eat as they are the imagining of our meals, for right now and for some time sooner or later. The Shish Tawook menu is a keeper. Juicy, tender chicken, with big flavor.
Our sides will want to take a cue from what we find at the market in any given week of the summer. I love my Chickpea Feta salad, loaded with chopped veggies and bright feta. Also with the chicken: baba ganoush. Here it is less dip and more sauce or base for the chicken...smokey, garlicky goodness in every bite! And so easy to make.
We are LOVING the new harvest of extra virgin olive oil from the Maalouf family in Lebanon, in 500 ml and 1.5 liter bottles. This is a fan favorite in our community (and beyond!) to savor.
Bless your hands, and your families, in the season ahead,
Shish Tawook.
Ohhh baby! We are so excited to eat this chicken this summer. Juicy, the best way to make chicken breast and a great way to wake up the grill, and all of us.
It's as simple as charring a big, firm eggplant, then scooping out the flesh to mix with lemon and garlic. I remember watching Sitto make this look so easy, and it is. Top with good EVOO.
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