I thought I’d do a brief pause in the midst of these Jordan updates to focus in on some of the food that we had in Jordan. Although it’s still focused on the trip, it’s a little bit of a different vibe, so hopefully it gives your brain a break. :)

We ate some AMAZING food on this trip. And can I just say, I feel like the hummus was served differently everywhere we went!! It gave me a new appreciation for hummus (I already loved it), and I realized that there are so many options for “dressing it up.”

We had bought canned hummus at a roadside convenience store in order to have something when we got to our bedouin camp in Wadi Rum (more details on that here!), and we all just planned scooping the hummus out of the can with the flat bread we had. But I mentioned a few days ago in the end, not only did the Bedouins provide us with a bowl, but they spruced up our hummus too with some zaatar (I love that herb blend!) and served us a plate of cucumber and tomato too!!! How amazingly generous. And delicious!!

At one place we had a bowl of hummus that was topped with minced green chiles, whole chickpeas and the typical olive oil which gave it a wonderfully zesty flavour. I’d never had hummus that way before!

And of course, simply served up with a drizzle of olive oil, and some cucumbers and tomatoes:

Nevertheless, besides hummus we ate the most AMAZING fish in Aqaba. Seafood is apparently “the thing” to eat there, and so we were all determined to eat some. We had a restaurant close by to our hotel called “Floka” that offered up a traditional Jordanian fish and rice dish. We had some other stuff with it too, but let’s be real: the fish was where it was at!! The boys got the full fish on rice, and us girls had a filet of fish on rice. I’m glad I got the filet because the whole fish included the head…teeth and all!!!!! Regardless, it was absolutely amazing and I’m so glad we got it.

Here’s a photo montage of a random sampling of foods we ate as well while on the trip:

We also went to a trendy restaurant called “The Blue Fig” where I ordered my usual lemon mint drink, along with a cheese platter. About a year ago I had one at a restaurant for the first time, and ever since then I’ve vowed to order it off of any menu that offers it since they’re usually so different but so yummy! I’m glad I stuck with my intuition, because this was super good. The two chutneys were not at all what I expected just from seeing them, so that was kind of fun! The reddish one was more of an oniony chutney and the orange one was like a ginger flavouring. I especially loved the candied pecans. They were sweet and spicy which was good.

And aside from the lemon mint beverage I usually ordered, they do some amazing fruit juices. Honestly, you could juice up any fresh fruit and I’d be super happy. But I love pomegranates, and so this juice was fantastic considering we’d hiked through Petra and were really thirsty.

I also had freshly blended strawberry juice one night as well which was totally delicious!!

And, last but not least, what meal would be complete without some fresh mint tea? Always a staple in the middle east, and one that I absolutely love.

*Read previous posts on Jordan here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4

So…I was sitting here, and I realized that a bunch of people were talking about “the long weekend” on their blogs…and it occurred to me that it’s the Canadian Thanksgiving this coming weekend!  I totally had no idea.

I guess it’s the fact that a.) I’ve never been that obsessed with Thanksgiving before anyway and b.) I live in Kuwait where Thanksgiving isn’t celebrated.

I do have tons to be thankful for, though!!  I’ll save that for Monday though when it’s the “real” Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, for those of you from Canada who are planning your Thanksgiving menu for this coming Monday (or for you Americans who are really planning in advance!!), here are some of my favourite dishes to eat in the fall.

Appetizers: Perfect for sharing with a small crowd of friends or family while waiting for the main meal!

• Pumpkin Garlic Knots
• Bloomin’ Onion
• Cheese Ball
• Lentil Hummus

Side Dishes: Yummy options for taking to a gathering where you’re expected to contribute something to the main meal.

• Simple Sliced Side Dish (eggplant, potatoes, carrots)
• Cheesy Pepper Bread
• Coconut Curry Butternut Squash Soup
• Roasted Vegetable Quinoa Salad
• Crock Pot Cran-Apple Pecan Stuffing
• Squash + Lentil Soup
• Baked Sweet Potatoes
• Cinnamon Quinoa
• Curried Pumpkin Soup

Main Dishes: If you’re to into eating turkey (although I’ve included a recipe for that too), or you like additional options, these are some yummy fall-themed main dishes.

• Roast Turkey
• Butternut Squash + Sage Lasagna
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Mac ‘n’ Cheese (this could easily be a side dish as well!)
• Roasted Cornish Game Hen
• Crock Pot Roast Chicken
• Stuffed Spaghetti Squash

Desserts: Perfect for finishing off a hearty meal!

• Pumpkin Spice Muffins
• Auntie Alison’s Date Cake
• Autumn Brownies
• Apple Pie

The food in the Middle East has to be some of the best food in the entire world. Seriously. I love good food, and this place is like a dream come true for good food!!

I haven’t taken pictures of everything we’ve eaten, but I can certainly recall some delicious moments from the past week and a half. There are some meals that I still dream about… Kind of like the meal we had our first night as a staff. The school took all of the new teachers to a restaurant called Mais Alganhim. It was right by The Gulf, and it definitely lived up to expectations!

It honestly felt like the food kept coming, and coming, and coming…

We had grilled meats (lamb, beef, chicken), roasted tomatoes and onions, hummus, baba ghanoush topped with pomegranate arils, three or four salads (like tabbouleh, fattoush, etc.), flat bread, as well as little pastries with ground meat in them. AND, one of my favourites: dolmas (stuffed grape leaves).

Of course, we can’t forget the desserts either! There was a rose water pudding, a pistachio “cake”, “cream” filled puffs, as well as something else I can’t identify, but tasted creamy. We all had a taste of each one and they were all delicious.

I usually only order water at a restaurant, but someone recommended the lemon-mint drink, so I decided to give it a try since I’m a fan of that combo. And it was AMAZING!!!!! I’ve had it twice since then. It’s slightly fizzy, but not really, and it has fresh mint in it and everything! So good. I might try to recreate it at some point.

We also went to a downtown old souk (market) and enjoyed some food in the great (hot) outdoors as well. The souk has some fantastic food, and we had the typical grilled meats with roasted tomatoes and onions, as well as hummus and flat bread. They always bring you a plate of mixed greens to eat as a salad, and these were the spiciest greens I’ve EVER tasted!!! Seriously – they burned on the way down. I didn’t know that greens came like that?!

So there you have a little peak into some of the tasty food around here in Kuwait. I’ll be sure to do another post soon with some of the foods we’ve eaten at home as well as what’s inside our cupboards now that we’re living in Kuwait.

You know when you were growing up you’d go to your grandma’s house and you’d eat some pretty classic foods?  Like, at my grandma’s house we’d have chocolate cake that came in a foil pan, and the fruit salad with marshmallows and tinned fruit, laughing cow cheese.  I’m sure she served real meals too, but let’s be real, those are the items that stood out to me.

The other day I decided to make a green bean salad, and I realized that it’s totally something a grandma would make.  It’s simple and delicious and perfect for the summer.  Definitely something a grandma would make.  It’s good (not as good as the chocolate cake in the foil pan, though), and makes a lovely addition to a barbecue, or even a dish for lunch.

Enjoy it with your grandma if you’re lucky enough to have her near by.

Green Bean Salad:

• 3 cups of fresh green beans, washed
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds

Snap off the ends of the beans that attach them to the vine, and then snap each bean in half.  Meanwhile, boil a pot of water, enough to hold all of the beans.  At the same time, place an equal sized bowl of cold water in your fridge.  Once the water is boiling, plunge your beans into the water and cover and let cooke for 3-4 minutes until the beans are par-boiled.  Drain them and place them in the cold water in the fridge.  Leave them there for about 30 minutes until they’ve fully cooled.  Drain them and combine them with the rest of the ingredients.  Cover and place them in the fridge overnight.  The longer they marinate the more flavour they pick up.

The other night I desperately wanted a snack that wasn’t bad for me.  Okay, really I wanted to chow down on chocolate bars…but knew that I shouldn’t do that.  So I decided to whip up a snack that would be tasty but not bad for me.  I saw a couple of recipes on roasted chickpeas that I wanted to try here and here, but sadly I didn’t have the lime juice for the one and I just wasn’t feeling the other one’s sweet vibe at the time.  So I made my own.  And you know what?  I was really happy with it!

These chickpeas are super yummy on their own as a snack or even on a salad.  Give ‘em a try!

Roasted Curried Chickpeas:

• 2 cups of cooked and drained chickpeas
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. yellow curry powder

Combine all ingredients together and bake in a single layer on a baking sheet at 450F for 30 minutes.  Allow them to cool first before eating.

The only channel I’ve been avidly watching this past summer is The Food Network. It’s a treat in which I’m happy to indulge.

I thought I’d show you some of the favourite recipes I’ve seen on the show lately that I thought you might be interested in trying!

1. Hail Caesar Salad from Eat, Shrink & Be Merry

2. Sweet Potato Soup from Chef Michael at Home

3. Flourless Pear & Cranberry Pie from Bake with Anna Olson

*All pictures were taken from The Food Network

You might recall the Greek Bean Salad that I told you about last week which my mom made.  Well, she also made a tasty Tuna Pasta Salad which was classic growing up.  Seriously – whenever we were going on a road trip, to the beach, etc. she’d make it.  It’s quick, hearty and delicious.  And it reminds me of my mom.  How much better could it get?!

Tuna Pasta Salad:

• 1.5 cups cooked peas (frozen or from a can work well)
• 4 cups of cooked small pasta shells
• 1/2 bundle of green onions, chopped
• 3/4 cup mayonnaise (you could try Greek yogurt, though I haven’t personally done it)
• 1 tin of tuna, drained (you could easily use tinned salmon, sardines, chicken, etc.)

Mix together everything and refrigerate.  Easy.  Done.  If you want it creamier, add more mayo.  If you want more onions or peas, go for it.  It’s a simple salad – adjust it to your tastes!  I like to top mine with a little cracked pepper.